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Gender differences in physical activity and sport participation in adults across 28 European countries between 2005 and 2022
No full textObjective: There is a lack of understanding of the specific types and intensities of physical activity driving the gender gap in overall levels of physical activity, and how these activities are changing over time. We examined the gender gap in specific types and intensities of physical activities in European adults from 2005 to 2022. Study design and methods: This repeated cross-sectional study included data from adults from the Eurobarometer (2005–2022) from 28 European countries. Gender differences in meeting physical activity guidelines, sport, walking, moderate, and vigorous activity were examined using prevalence ratios (PR, relative inequalities) and mean differences (MD, absolute differences). Results: Among 123,809 participants, there was no change in the gender gap in meeting physical activity guidelines from 2005 to 2022 (PR = 1.10; 95 % CIs 1.07, 1.14, PR = 1.04; 95 % CIs 1.01, 1.08, respectively). The gender gap in vigorous intensity activity decreased from 2005 to 2022 (MD = 589; 95 % CIs 545.7, 631.5, MD = 399; 95 % CIs 354.5, 444.3, respectively). The gender gap in moderate activity increased from 2005 to 2022 (MD = 10.9; 95 % CI
Documentary analysis
No full textWriting is a practice as central to social work as listening. The capacity to write and the choices made when writing are dimensions of social workers’ power in relation to those with whom they work. To date, there has been limited research into social workers’ writing and written records. More recently, the case records central to social work practice are being increasingly used as sources for research. This chapter begins by showing the position of case records in social work practice and continues with an analysis of case records as sources for research, arguing that they need to be understood as dynamic rather than static, created at a particular point in time for a particular purpose but with a long afterlife with a significant and, at times, devastating impact on those about whom they were written. Drawing examples from their individual research projects, the authors show methods that can be used when researching documents and reflect on the factors that need to be taken into account in using case records as core data. They also set out the ethical issues involved in using such material in research and reporting research outcomes, with a particular focus on engaging with the subjects of the files, disrupting the power imbalances implicit in the documents at the point of creation, and opening up an exploration of the impact of their encounter with their documented selves. © The Editors and Contributing Authors Severally 2025. All rights reserved
Detection of petrochemicals using photonic crystal fiber (PCF) in terahertz domain
Get PDFA photonic crystal fiber (PCF) with a hexahedron core has been introduced for usage in petrochemical sensing operations. The performance of the proposed sensor has been statistically analyzed in the frequency band of 1.0 to 3.0 THz. Pure petrol, kerosene, and diesel are poured into the hexahedron core hole. The Finite element Method (FEM) is handled for the simulation and precise calculation and investigation. The sensor utilizing PCF exhibits a relative sensitivity of about 97.80 %, 97.45 %, and 96.25 % and a confinement loss of approximately 1.88 × 1
A sociotechnological perspective of distance education systems in Bangladesh, Australia and the UK
No full textOffering education by distance provides an important sociological tool for equalising opportunities in developed nations. However, for developing nations and more particularly some of the least-developed countries in the world, it has the potential to play a much larger role in providing both basic and advanced educational opportunities and, therefore, should be viewed as a necessity rather than an option. This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of distance education (DE) systems in three different countries–Bangladesh, Australia and the UK. Although commonalities and differences were evident between the three systems, a number of unified constructs and associated thematic propositions emerged, and resulted in the identification of an innovative theoretical model. The ‘Adapting Structuration Theory In Distance Education (ASTIDE)’ model, conceptualised as part of a broader study, provides an underlying theoretical basis for effective DE provision across the world. © 2023 The Open University
An inter-comparison of tropical cyclone datasets for the Australian region
Get PDFTropical cyclone (TC) best track datasets have temporal inhomogeneity, mostly associated with changes in monitoring practices and technological improvements. Temporal inconsistencies are often mitigated by using TC data from more homogeneous periods. For example, TC records since 1980 are preferred for frequency and track analysis, while records for intensity analysis have become more consistent sinc
Understanding the interconnectedness of house prices between cities and regions during COVID-19 : evidence from Australia
No full textWhile several studies analyse house price linkages within cities or regions, none estimates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on housing price dynamics between cities and regions. We fill this gap in the literature by examining a network of core and regional cities in Australia using Diebold–Yilmaz’s network variance decomposition approach of 2012. Compared with the pre-pandemic period, the pandemic caused significant change, with core cities significantly linked to regional cities and driving volatility in housing prices. The findings of our study have important implications for real estate investors as well as urban and regional planners. © 2024 Regional Studies Association
Optimizing resilient parallel refueling operations : relaxed stochastic economic mobility scheduling for fuel cell vehicles with multiple hydrogen storage systems
Get PDFThe growing demand for hydrogen-based mobility highlights the importance of management strategies for hydrogen refueling stations (HRSs), particularly in handling uncertainties related to hydrogen demand, energy forecasts, and market prices. This paper presents a sophisticated approach for managing an HRS powered by renewable energy sources (RESs) that addresses these uncertainties. The HRS is designed to support the simultaneous refueling of multiple hydrogen electric vehicles, including light vehicles and buses, and operates in both off-connected without access to the hydrogen market and on-connected with access to the hydrogen market. The connection to the hydrogen market allows for the purchase of hydrogen when RESs are insufficient and the sale of excess hydrogen. Additionally, a buffer-tank is integrated into the system to store surplus hydrogen, which can be converted to energy and sold to the electrical market when prices are favorable. The proposed strategy incorporates Boolean relaxations and a stochastic scenario-based approach within a model predictive control framework to enhance robustness against uncertainties and reduce computational complexity. Numerical simulations show that the strategy optimizes the use of multiple tanks for parallel refueling and ensures effective HRS operation by meeting hydrogen demands, satisfying operational constraints, minimizing costs, and maximizing profits. Furthermore, when compared to other strategies in the literature with a modeling and control perspective, incorporating degradation factors into control settings significantly reduces unnecessary electrolyzer switching, leading to a 30% decrease in operating expenses and over 2,000 fewer switching events annually, while the relaxed framework achieves nearly a 50% reduction in computation time with both open-source and commercial solvers (e.g., GUROBI). © 2025 The Author(s
Stakeholder perceptions of factors contributing to effective implementation of exercise cardiac telerehabilitation in clinical practice
Get PDFAims Cardiac exercise telerehabilitation is effective and can be cost-effective for managing ischaemic heart disease, but implementation of evidence-based interventions in clinical practice remains a challenge. We aimed to identify factors that cardiac rehabilitation stakeholders perceived could influence the effectiveness of implementing an evidence-based, real-time remotely monitored cardiac exercise telerehabilitation intervention (REMOTE-CR). Methods Online interviews and focus groups were conducted with cardiac rehabilitation consumers (n = 16, 5 female, 61.1 ± 10.0 and results years), practitioners (n = 20, 14 female; 36.6 ± 11.8 years), and health service managers (n = 11, 7 female; 46.2 ± 9.2 years) recruited from one metropolitan and three inner-regional healthcare services in Western Victoria, Australia. Discussions were guided by two theoretical frameworks (Non-adoption, Abandonment, Scale-up, Spread, and Sustainability; Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research), and analysed thematically. Factors perceived to influence effective implementation of REMOTE-CR spanned all domains of the theoretical frameworks, related to six major themes (resources, change management, stakeholder targeting, knowledge, intervention design, security) and were largely consistent across study sites; however, the relative importance of each factor may vary between sites. Conclusion Effective implementation of exercise telerehabilitation interventions like REMOTE-CR will require a coordinated context-specific approach that considers factors across all levels of the healthcare system and implementation science frameworks. Key requirements include prioritizing resources, managing change, selecting target stakeholders, developing digital health capabilities, and selecting fit-for-purpose technologies that enable programme delivery objectives. © The Author(s) 2024
Estimating setback distances for a threatened, cryptic, data-sparse migratory shorebird
Get PDFCryptic fauna species using highly modified habitats face many conservation challenges, with disturbance from human use being an ongoing issue across many global settings. Setbacks or buffers are a key planning tool for protecting habitat, and are often specified under law. However, for many species using modified and urban habitats there are no published data on how wide setbacks should be. Latham’s Snipe (Gallinago hardwickii) is a case in point. It is a threatened, cryptic, migratory shorebird that breeds in Japan and spends its non-breeding season almost entirely in Australian wetlands and grasslands. Many sites used by snipe are within urban areas, potentially triggering protections under national law and there is an urgent need for information on setbacks to inform planning and conservation management. The aim of this project was to derive transparent, scientifically-derived buffer recommendations for mitigating disturbance to Latham’s Snipe, by estimating Alert Distances (AD; the first sign of behavioural disruption associated with human proximity) from measures of flush distances (FIDs; the distance at which flight occurs). ADs are almost impossible to observe in this cryptic species which uses dense habitat. We used 1529 FIDs to estimate AD from: (1) a within-species regression of FID against the few available ADs for this species (n = 8), and (2) cross-species associations between AD and FID of Scolopacidae from analysis of an unpublished dataset. FIDs varied between site and observers, so we resampled using bootstrapping to account for this variation and produce estimates of AD. Based on these estimates, we recommend minimum buffer widths between 75 - 110 m, which would prevent 80 - 95% of vigilance responses by Latham’s Snipe, respectively. The methods we employ may be useful in determining appropriate buffer widths for other cryptic fauna species. These buffers should be monitored for effectiveness and adapted as required. © 2025 Hansen et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited
Conceptualizing the contingent nature of social responsibility in sport
No full textFrom local community clubs addressing abuse to international federations managing integrity risks, sport organizations face various issues that question the relationship between sport and society. This chapter delves into the evolving social responsibility landscape within sport management, challenging the predominant focus on corporate sport organizations and the narrow conceptual emphasis on discretionary community programs. We trace the trajectory of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in sport research and compare it with seminal scholarship in the area. From this foundation, we emphasize the conceptual breadth of social responsibility and demonstrate the divergence of the sport management field from these foundational ideas. To chart a path forward for future research, we develop a conceptual framework supported by ten propositions to advocate for the expanded conceptualization of social responsibility across diverse sports organizations and sectors. The chapter aims to realign social responsibility in sport scholarship with seminal conceptualizations and contemporary best practices, fostering further development of social responsibility within the field. © The Editor and Contributing Authors Severally 2025. All rights reserved