No abstract

Exercise can have a positive effect on cigarette cravings and TWS. However, the most effective exercise intensity to reduce cravings and the underlying mechanisms associated with this effect remain unclear.

No abstract

Telephone-delivered exercise counseling may not be sufficient to improve smoking abstinence rates over and above existing smoking cessation services. (Australasian Clinical Trials Registry Number: ACTRN12609000637246.).

Electronic devices that restrict the amount and content of TV viewing have some potential to support interventions and merit further investigation. It is imperative for interventions aimed at reducing TV viewing to consider the role TV plays within a family context, ensuring parental perceptions around the benefits and barriers of reducing TV are accounted for.

In February 1990 severe storms hit most of Britain, and in Towyn, a seaside resort in North Wales – the effects were dramatic. The force of the sea caused a breach in the sea defences which resulted in large‐scale flooding affecting in the region of 2,400 properties and causing in the biggest evacuation to take place in Britain since the war. The disaster had not been anticipated by the local authority and no one had experience of dealing with this scale of event. As with most disasters, a large number of people were involved and scores of organizations carried out a multitude of tasks under difficult circumstances. Many of the problems were long‐term, especially those dealing with stress and aftercare. Despite the complexity and scale of the tasks the local authority, working with other organizations, successfully dealt with this disaster. Addresses some of the many problems faced at Towyn and examines the management systems and network systems which evolved to deal with this event.

Background: The current study tested the utility of an integrated social cognitive model to predict physical activity (PA) intentions and behavior in New Zealand adolescents. Method: Seventy-two adolescents (mean age = 16.92, SD = 0.66) completed measures consistent with the integrated model (attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control [PBC], goal intention, task-efficacy, barrier efficacy, and implementation intention). Pedometer data (Yamax SW200 pedometer) were collected for 7 days, and a self-report 7-day recall questionnaire was administered at the end of this week. A series of hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to examine the contribution of the model to PA goal intention, implementation intention, self-reported and objective PA. Results: The integrated model accounted for 41% of goal intention, 33% of implementation intention, and 41% and 18% of subjectively and objectively measured PA, respectively. PBC had the strongest association with goal intention whereas attitude had the strongest association with implementation intention. Task-efficacy made the greatest contribution to objectively measured PA, whereas implementation intention had the strongest association with subjectively measured PA. Conclusion: These findings have implications regarding PA measurement in adolescent populations, and suggest that social cognitive variables play an important role in adolescent PA. Recommendations for future research are discussed.

The enormous complexity of a typical heterogeneous catalyst makes understanding the development and properties of any active nanoparticles present extremely challenging.In the case of carbon based catalysts that difficulty is compounded by the variability of the carbon powders used. We have previously developed a strategy that addresses these problems by mimicking the catalyst preparation conditions very closely but using highly ordered pyrolytic graphite crystals (HOPG) as a model surface. This enables us to examine the effects of specific functional groups on nanoparticle formation. We report here an extension of our work characterising functional groups on the HOPG surface, using XPS and AFM to explore the deposition of gold from aqueous solution onto HOPG surfaces treated in a variety of ways to alter the surface functionality. The structure and oxidation state of the resulting nanoparticles depend critically on the nature of the functional groups present and offers some insight into the development of catalysts based on these materials. Hydroxyls are identified as key functional species, reducing gold ions to their metallic state whilst being oxidised themselves to carbonyls.Carbonyls meanwhile promote the nucleation of Au 3+ , creating a network of islands at the HOPG surface. The results have relevance not only to catalysts using activated carbons but also the new generation of materials based on graphene and carbon nanotubes.