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Environmental conditions change considerably in the course of 24 h with respect to abiotic factors and intra- and interspecific interactions. These changes result in limited time windows of opportunity for animal activities and, hence, the question of when to do what is subject to fitness maximisation. This volume gives a current overview of theoretical considerations and empirical findings of activity patterns in small mammals, a group in which the energetic and ecological constraints are particularly severe and the diversity of activity patterns is particularly high. Following a comparative ecological approach, for the first time activity timing is consequently treated in terms of behavioural and evolutionary ecology, providing the conceptual framework for chronoecology as a new subdiscipline within behavioural ecology. An extensive Appendix gives an introduction to methods of activity modelling and to tools for statistical pattern analysis

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate business network activity patterns and how they change when actors experience tensions.Design/methodology/approachFour tensions, developed from previous literature, are considered in relation to how they influence activity patterns. A longitudinal case study focusing on the modernization of an international airport illustrates how tensions experienced by actors influence changes in activity patterns.FindingsResults highlight that when tensions in relation to network position are experienced activity patterns are more likely to break and form new patterns. When multiple tensions are experienced within the same period, an old activity pattern is more likely to be broken and the new activity pattern develop.Research limitations/implicationsContributions in relation to interdependencies between activities heighten the impact of changes leading to the breaking of existing patterns, particularly the importance of coordination activities. These findings are context specific because activity patterns vary according to the industry.Practical implicationsPractical implications indicate that understanding network interdependences within the change process is important, particularly for co-ordination activities. The study informs practitioners about possible outcomes while tensions are experienced. This study found that when actors are experiencing multiple tensions, breaking of activity patterns is more likely to occur while experience less tensions extending existing activity patterns becoming more likely.Originality/valueContributions are made in relation to gaps in investigating the business network activity layer and their changes in relation to tensions.

Introduction: Understanding how the weather affects physical activity (PA) may help in the design, analysis, and interpretation of future studies, especially when investigating PA across diverse meteorological settings and with long follow-up periods. The present longitudinal study first aims to examine the influence of daily weather elements on intraindividual PA patterns among primary school children across four seasons, reflecting day-to-day variation within each season. Second, we investigate whether the influence of weather elements differs by day of the week (weekdays vs weekends), gender, age, and bodymass index. Method: PA data were collected by ActiGraph accelerometers for 1 wk in each of four school terms that reflect each season in southeast Australia. PA data from 307 children (age range 8.7-12.8 yr) were matched to daily meteorological variables obtained from the Australian Government" s Bureau of Meteorology (maximum temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation, day length, and rainfall). Daily PA patterns and their association with weather elements were analyzed using multilevel linear mixed models. Results: Temperature was the strongest predictor of moderate and vigorous PA, followed by solar radiation and humidity. The relation with temperature was curvilinear, showing optimum PA levels at temperatures between 20 degrees C and 22 degrees C. Associations between weather elements on PA did not differ by gender, child" s age, or body mass index. Conclusions: This novel study focused on the influence of weather elements on intraindividual PA patterns in children. As weather influences cannot be controlled, knowledge of its effect on individual PApatternsmay help in the design of future studies, interpretation of their results, and translation into PA promotion.

A model is described whose purpose is to predict the distribution of students in different activities and locations during the course of a typical day, depending on the effective restrictions imposed by the spatial distribution of buildings and sites, and by administrative and social constraints on the timing of activities. The model is of an entropy-maximising type; the data against which it is tested are drawn from time budget surveys made in two universities, using diary methods. A series of exploratory experiments made with the model are reported; these are designed to test the effects of alternative planning and administrative policies on activity patterns and the use of facilities.

AbstractBackgroundIndividuals with Down syndrome (DS) are less physically active than the general population, but limited data on objective physical activity patterns in adults with DS are available.MethodsFree‐living physical activity was measured by waist‐worn accelerometry in adults with DS from 2018 to 2020. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, bivariate and regression analyses.ResultsFifty‐two subjects provided valid accelerometer data, with 46% male and a majority (75%) overweight/obese. Median (± standard deviation) daily sedentary time was 393.5 ± 216.6 min, light activity was 150.7 ± 85.5 min, moderate activity was 6.3 ± 13.5 min, and vigorous activity was 0 ± 9.8 min. Subjects had 10.3 ± 4.8 sedentary bouts per day lasting on average 30.7 ± 62.0 min. Median daily step count was 3,050 ± 1,988. Adults living alone had more steps and light physical activity in adjusted analyses.ConclusionAdults with DS engage in little health‐enhancing physical activity and do not meet current physical activity recommendations in the United States.