Showing papers by "Keele University published in 2004"
TL;DR: In this paper, a method for minimizing the effect of leaf chlorophyll content on the prediction of green LAI was presented, and new algorithms that adequately predict the LAI of crop canopies.
1,915 citations
01 Dec 2004-International Journal of Human-computer Studies \/ International Journal of Man-machine Studies
TL;DR: This paper makes seven recommendations to HCI researchers wishing to construct Fitts' law models for either movement time prediction, or for the comparison of conditions in an experiment that support the methods described in the recent ISO 9241-9 standard on the evaluation of pointing devices.
Abstract: This paper makes seven recommendations to HCI researchers wishing to construct Fitts' law models for either movement time prediction, or for the comparison of conditions in an experiment. These seven recommendations support (and in some cases supplement) the methods described in the recent ISO 9241-9 standard on the evaluation of pointing devices. In addition to improving the robustness of Fitts' law models, these recommendations (if widely employed) will improve the comparability and consistency of forthcoming publications. Arguments to support these recommendations are presented, as are concise reviews of 24 published Fitts' law models of the mouse, and 9 studies that used the new ISO standard.
893 citations
TL;DR: Available evidence does not strongly support an important causal relation between cannabis use by young people and psychosocial harm, but cannot exclude the possibility that such a relation exists, and the lack of evidence of robust causal relations prevents the attribution of public health detriments to illicit drug use.
598 citations
TL;DR: Successfully combating age discrimination is likely to require a regulatory framework, continued monitoring, tackling indirect forms of discrimination, as well as embedding antidiscrimination policies in all facets of health education.
Abstract: In 1997, the new Labour Government in the UK embarked on an ambitious programme of reform. One of the key changes has been the publication of a series of National Service Frameworks. The National Service Framework for Older People (NSFOP) sets out a 10-year programme that has as its principal standard rooting out age discrimination. Together with its companion documents, a series of robust milestones and standards are set out that have to be met. Although generally welcomed by the profession, the NSFOP has been criticised by some because it mandates the initiation of new ‘intermediate care’ services that may be seen as denying older people the opportunity for admission to mainstream hospital care. Monitoring tools covering both procedures and prescribing have been developed. The government-produced frameworks mirror guidelines produced by the profession and include a number of prescribing recommendations, e.g. the use of antihypertensives and aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) in the prevention of stroke, and the use of calcium, vitamin D and bisphosphonates in the treatment of osteoporosis. In tackling age discrimination, both direct and indirect barriers to effective prescribing need to be considered. The evidence base on the effectiveness of medication in older people is more limited due to the previous systematic exclusion of older people from clinical trials. The consequent lack of evidence of efficacy, coupled with perhaps a natural reluctance to prescribe potentially toxic medication, may lead to underprescribing. Other indirect causes of age discrimination may include difficulties for older people attending hospitals for drug monitoring, and the difficulties of translating the results of trials into meaningful endpoints that older patients can understand and thus make valid decisions about whether they wish to take the particular drug or not. At the same time as the NSFOP argues against age discrimination, other government policies may operate in a contradictory manner. Examples include the trend to make drugs available over the counter in pharmacies and for which the patient has to pay rather than receive them free, the restriction of some prescription-only drugs from the health service, and the need for referral to specialist services for some drugs, e.g. sildefanil, which older people may be reluctant to access. Successfully combating age discrimination is likely to require a regulatory framework, continued monitoring, tackling indirect forms of discrimination, as well as embedding antidiscrimination policies in all facets of health education.
549 citations
TL;DR: The purpose of this review is to summarise the current state of knowledge of the kinetics and mechanisms of radical reactions with carotenoids, the properties ofcarotenoid radicals, and the antioxidant/pro-oxidant properties of carOTenoids.
515 citations
TL;DR: Evidence is provided that increasing age in the elderly population is not associated with any change in the overall prevalence of pain, although the pattern of pain prevalence in different body regions does change with age.
Abstract: Although pain is experienced at all ages, there is uncertainty about the pattern of its occurrence in older people. We have investigated the prevalence of three aspects of self-reported pain-occurrence of any recent pain, number and location of pain sites, and interference with daily life-to determine their association with age in older people. A cross-sectional postal survey of all adults aged 50 years and over registered with three general practices (n = 11230) in North Staffordshire using self-complete questionnaires was conducted. Respondents' gender, age, employment status, socio-economic classification, and general health status were gathered to characterise the population under study. The location of any recent pain (past 4 weeks) was recorded on a full-body manikin and pain interference was based on a single question. Completed questionnaires were received from 7878 respondents (adjusted response of 71.3%). The 4-week prevalence of any pain was 72.4%; similar across 10-year age-groups, and higher in females than males. In those with pain the median number of painful areas (from 44) was 6, and 12.5% of the responding population were classified as having widespread pain, both figures similar across age-groups. Most regional pains showed a decline in prevalence in the older age-groups, the exceptions being the lower limb regions (hip, knee, foot). Pain that interfered with daily activities was reported by 3002 (38.1%) respondents overall. There was a clear age-related rise in this prevalence with age up to and including the oldest group. Within each regional pain subgroup, the proportion of people who also reported pain interference rose with age. Our study has provided evidence that increasing age in the elderly population is not associated with any change in the overall prevalence of pain, although, as previous studies have suggested, the pattern of pain prevalence in different body regions does change with age. More importantly the extent to which pain interferes with everyday life increases incrementally with age up to the oldest age-group in the community-dwelling general population.
488 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the absolute dimensions of the early B-type detached eclipsing binary V453Cygni (B0.4IV + B0.7IV, P = 3.89d) were derived from the analysis of new, high-resolution, spectroscopy and the UBV light curves of Cohen.
Abstract: We derive absolute dimensions of the early B-type detached eclipsing binary V453Cygni (B0.4IV + B0.7IV, P = 3.89d), a member of the open cluster NGC6871. From the analysis of new, high-resolution, spectroscopy and the UBV light curves of Cohen (1974) we find the masses to be 14.36 ± 0.20Mfl and 11.11 ± 0.13Mfl, the radii to be 8.55 ± 0.06Rfl and 5.49 ± 0.06Rfl, and the eective temperatures to be
431 citations
TL;DR: This review is an attempt to draw structural and functional parallels between the members of the C1q and TNF superfamily, which are involved in processes as diverse as host defense, inflammation, apoptosis, autoimmunity, cell differentiation, organogenesis, hibernation and insulin-resistant obesity.
414 citations
TL;DR: It is concluded that much, if not all, of the pro-oxidant activity of aluminum might be explained by the formation of an aluminum superoxide semireduced radical ion.
370 citations
TL;DR: It is suggested that reduction of GH levels to less than 2 micro g/liter is beneficial in terms of improving long-term outcome and the sole use of IGF-I as a marker for effective treatment of acromegaly is not justified by this data.
Abstract: Increased mortality in patients with acromegaly has been confirmed in a number of retrospective studies, but causative factors and relationship to serum IGF-I remain uncertain. The West Midlands Pituitary database contains details of 419 patients (241 female) with acromegaly. Serum IGF-I data from the Regional Endocrine Laboratory were available for 360 patients (86%). At diagnosis, mean age was 47 yr (range, 12-84) and mean duration of follow-up was 13 yr (0.5-48). Sixty-one percent were treated by surgery and 39% by nonsurgical means. Radiotherapy was used alone or as adjuvant therapy in 50%. All patients were registered with the Office of National Statistics to obtain information on deaths. At the date of analysis (31 December 2001), 95 of the 419 patients had died (43 males), giving a standardized mortality ratio of 1.26 [confidence interval (CI), 1.03-1.54; P = 0.046]. After controlling for age and sex, data indicated that mortality was increased in subjects with posttreatment GH levels more than 2 micro g/liter, compared with those with levels less than 2 micro g/liter [ratio of mortality rates (RR), 1.55 (range, 0.97-2.50); P = 0.068]. By contrast, a much smaller increase was observed for subjects with elevated posttreatment IGF-I levels compared with those with normal levels [RR, 1.20 (range, 0.71-2.03); P = 0.50]. Treatment with radiotherapy was associated with increased mortality [RR, 1.67 (range, 1.09-2.56); P = 0.018], with cerebrovascular disease the predominant cause of death [standardized mortality ratio, 4.42 (range, 2.71-7.22); P = 0.005]. These results confirm the increased mortality in acromegaly and suggest that reduction of GH levels to less than 2 micro g/liter is beneficial in terms of improving long-term outcome. The sole use of IGF-I as a marker for effective treatment of acromegaly is not justified by this data. This study also highlights the potential deleterious effect of radiotherapy.
TL;DR: In this paper, the paid work experience of Chinese immigrant women from Hong Kong and Mainland China who were highly educated, skilled professionals in their home country is analyzed. But the authors focus on the paid working experience of these women and demonstrate that these women are deskilled in Canada and this deskilling is complicated by the contradictory processes of globalization and economic restructuring, with its polarizing effects along axis of gender, race, ethnicity, class and citizenship.
Abstract: The Chinese have constituted the largest immigrant group entering Canada since 1987. This paper focuses on the paid work experience of Chinese immigrant women from Hong Kong and Mainland China who were highly educated, skilled professionals in their home country. It demonstrates that these immigrant women are being deskilled in Canada and this deskilling is complicated by the contradictory processes of globalization and economic restructuring, with its polarizing effects along axis of gender, race, ethnicity, class and citizenship. Gendered and racialized institutional processes in the form of state policies and practices, professional accreditation systems, employers' requirement for “Canadian experience” and labor market conditions marginalize Chinese immigrant women. As a result, they are being channeled into menial, part-time, insecure positions or becoming unemployed. In order for Chinese immigrant women to become equal and active participants in Canadian society the provision of inclusive programs and policies is necessary.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors use the case of Mexico to make two broad arguments, one related to the importance of extra-economic dimensions of remittances, particularly the social and political meanings of remitances, and the other based on a disaggregation of remittance into family, collective or community-based, and investment remITTances.
Abstract: The development potential of remittances has resurfaced as a topic of analysis, based in part on dramatic increases in migration and amounts of money ‘sent home’, and partly in the growing interest and involvement by states and non-state actors in gaining leverage over remittances. The trend is indicative of an emerging remittance-based component of development and poverty reduction planning. This article uses the case of Mexico to make two broad arguments, one related to the importance of extra-economic dimensions of remittances, particularly the social and political meanings of remittances, and the other based on a disaggregation of remittances into family, collective or community-based, and investment remittances. Key dimensions of this typology include the constellation of remitters, receivers, and mediating institutions; the norms and logic(s) that regulate remittances; the uses of remittances (income versus savings); the social and political meanings of remittances; and the implications of such meanings for various interventions. The author concludes that policy and programme interventions need to recognize the specificity of each remittance type. Existing initiatives to bank the un-banked and reduce transfer costs, for example, are effective for family remittances, but attempts to expand the share of remittances allocated to savings, or to turn community donations into profitable ventures, or small investments into large businesses, are much more complex and require a range of other interventions.
TL;DR: The physical interactions between polynyas and the atmosphere-sea ice-ocean system are investigated in this article, where the surface heat budget and water mass transformation within these features are addressed.
Abstract: [1] Polynyas are nonlinear-shaped openings within the ice cover, ranging in size from 10 to 105 km2. Polynyas play an important climatic role. First, winter polynyas tend to warm the atmosphere, thus affecting atmospheric mesoscale motions. Second, ocean surface cooling and brine rejection during sea ice growth in polynyas lead to vertical mixing and convection, contributing to the transformation of intermediate and deep waters in the global ocean and the maintenance of the oceanic overturning circulation. Since 1990, there has been an upsurge in polynya observations and theoretical models for polynya formation and their impact on the biogeochemistry of the polar seas. This article reviews polynya research carried out in the last 2 decades, focusing on presenting a state-of-the-art picture of the physical interactions between polynyas and the atmosphere-sea ice-ocean system. Observational and modeling studies, the surface heat budget, and water mass transformation within these features are addressed.
TL;DR: For men, but not women, reported fear levels are inversely related to scores on a so-called "lie scale", which measures the tendency to provide socially desirable rather than totally candid responses as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: In this article, the authors use survey data to explore relationships between gender, fear of crime and socially desirable responding. The data show that for men, but not women, reported fear levels are inversely related to scores on a so-called 'lie scale', which measures the tendency to provide socially desirable rather than totally candid responses. This pattern holds irrespective of age and suggests that the genders are affected differently by social pressure to downplay fears about crime. Statistical analyses suggest that this tendency is likely to be responsible for the observed inclination for males to report lower levels of crime-related anxieties. In fact, males may actually be more afraid of crime than women when this tendency is quantified and corrected for. The results raise concerns about apparent gender differences in fear of crime, and about the use of fear of crime measures more generally. The present findings may also go some way to resolving the victimization-fear and fear-risk paradoxes which for so long have mystified criminologists. The article ends with some recommendations for research into the fear of crime.
TL;DR: Some of the most frequently used techniques aimed at ensuring quality and value in qualitative research, such as sampling, triangulation, multiple coding, respondent validation and the use of audit trails are examined, as well as addressing reflexivity.
Abstract: In the current climate of evidence-based practice, physiotherapy is urged to prove its worth via rigorous scientific research. However, there are concerns that limited methodologies are used to explore complex therapeutic issues, and that the profession relies too heavily on quantitative research studies to provide its evidence base. Qualitative research methods are able to explore the complexity of human behaviour and generate deeper understanding of illness behaviours and therapeutic interactions. Nevertheless, there is still a sense of distrust of qualitative research, related to the challenge of evaluating both the quality and usefulness of findings derived through qualitative methods. This discussion paper explores these issues. It examines some of the most frequently used techniques aimed at ensuring quality and value in qualitative research, such as sampling, triangulation, multiple coding, respondent validation and the use of audit trails, as well as addressing reflexivity. Because of the pluralistic and interactive nature of qualitative inquiry, the criteria used to judge quality need to be appropriate to each piece of research and should provide evidence to help readers to evaluate the calibre of the study and its relevance to their own area of work.
TL;DR: The incidence of Achilles tendinopathy has risen as a result of greater participation in recreational and competitive sporting activities, and the condition is by no means confined to athletes: in one series of 58 patients, nearly one-third did not participate in vigorous physical activity.
Abstract: In the past three decades, the incidence of Achilles tendinopathy has risen as a result of greater participation in recreational and competitive sporting activities.1,2 The rate of Achilles tendon injuries in runners is about ten times that in age-matched controls. Achilles tendinopathy is also common among athletes participating in racquet sports, track and field, volleyball and soccer. However, the condition is by no means confined to athletes: in one series of 58 patients, nearly one-third did not participate in vigorous physical activity.3
TL;DR: If the formation of such amyloid is critical to the aetiology of AD then the chelation of Al( III) and Fe(III) may prove to be a protective mechanism whilst the chelorating of Cu(II) and Zn( II) without also chelating Al(III] and Fe (III) might actually exacerbate the condition.
Abstract: Metals are found associated with beta-pleated sheets of Abeta42 in vivo and may be involved in their formation. Metal chelation has been proposed as a therapy for Alzheimer's disease on the basis that it may safely dissolve precipitated Abeta peptides. We have followed fibrillisation of Abeta42 in the presence of an additional metal ion (Al(III), Fe(III), Zn(II), Cu(II)) over a period of 32 weeks and we have investigated the dissolution of these aged peptide aggregates in the presence of both desferrioxamine (DFO) and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). Abeta42 either alone or in the presence of Al(III) or Fe(III) formed beta-pleated sheets of plaque-like amyloids which were dissolved upon incubation with either chelator. Zn(II) inhibited whilst Cu(II) prevented the formation of beta-pleated sheets of Abeta42and neither of these influences were affected by incubation of the aged peptide aggregates with either DFO or EDTA. Freshly prepared solutions of Abeta42 either alone or in the presence of added Al(III) or Fe(III) did not form beta-pleated amyloid in the presence of DFO when incubated for up to 8 weeks. EDTA did not prevent beta-pleated amyloid formation in the same treatments and promoted beta-pleated amyloid formation in the presence of either Zn(II) or Cu(II). The presence of significant concentrations of Al(III) and Fe(III) as contaminants of 'Abeta42 only' preparations suggested that both of these metals were involved in either triggering the formation or stabilising the structure of beta-pleated amyloid. If the formation of such amyloid is critical to the aetiology of AD then the chelation of Al(III) and Fe(III) may prove to be a protective mechanism whilst the chelation of Cu(II) and Zn(II) without also chelating Al(III) and Fe(III) might actually exacerbate the condition.
TL;DR: Queen-derived hydrocarbon labels inform workers about the presence of a fertile queen and thereby regulate worker reproduction, which induces workers to refrain from reproducing.
Abstract: A hitherto largely unresolved problem in behavioral biology is how workers are prevented from reproducing in large insect societies with high relatedness. Signals of the queen are assumed to inform the nestmates about her presence in the colony, which leads to indirect fitness benefits for workers. In the ant Camponotus floridanus, we found such a signal located on queen-laid eggs. In groups of workers that were regularly provided with queen-laid eggs, larvae, and cocoons, with larvae and cocoons alone, or with no brood, only in the groups with queen-laid eggs did workers not lay eggs. Thus, the eggs seem to inform the nestmates about the queen's presence, which induces workers to refrain from reproducing. The signal on queen-laid eggs is presumably the same that enables workers to distinguish between queen- and worker-laid eggs. Despite their viability, the latter are destroyed by workers when given a choice between both types. Queen- and worker-laid eggs differ in their surface hydrocarbons in a way similar to the way fertile queens differ from workers in the composition of their cuticular hydrocarbons. When we transferred hydrocarbons from the queen cuticle to worker-laid eggs, the destruction of those eggs was significantly mitigated. We conclude that queen-derived hydrocarbon labels inform workers about the presence of a fertile queen and thereby regulate worker reproduction.
TL;DR: The HIS-EVAL workshop was intended to be the starting point for setting up a network of European scientists working on evaluation of health information systems, to obtain synergy effects by combining the research traditions from different evaluation fields, leading to a new dimension and collaboration on further research on information systems' evaluation.
TL;DR: Comorbidity for OA was extensive, with musculoskeletal as well as non-musculoskletal conditions, and propensity to consult may be a part explanation.
Abstract: Objectives: To determine patterns of clinical comorbidity in general practice consulters with OA and compare them with comorbidity in consulters without OA.
Methods: A case-control study nested in a one-year prevalence survey of consultations in 60 general practices in England and Wales. Cases were 11 375 subjects aged 50 and over who had consulted with OA during the study year. Controls were 11 780 subjects matched for age and sex who had consulted during the study year, but not for OA. Morbidity outcomes were based on a standard clinical classification system.
Results: After adjusting for age, sex, and social class, cases were significantly more likely to have high levels of comorbidity than controls (2.35; 2.16 to 2.55). Significant OA comorbid associations with other musculoskeletal conditions included arthropathies (OR 2.26; 99% CI 1.50 to 3.41), upper limb sprain (2.04; 1.38 to 3.00), synovial and tendon disorders (2.03; 1.54 to 2.68), and other joint disorders (2.00; 1.71 to 2.32). OA non-musculoskeletal associations were with obesity (2.25; 1.73 to 2.92), gastritis (1.98; 1.46 to 2.68), phlebitis (1.80; 1.28 to 2.52), diaphragmatic hernia (1.80; 1.29 to 2.51), ischaemic heart disease (1.73; 1.13 to 2.66) and intestinal diverticula (1.63; 1.20 to 2.23).
Conclusions: Comorbidity for OA was extensive, with musculoskeletal as well as non-musculoskeletal conditions. Age, sex, and social class did not explain this comorbidity but propensity to consult may be a part explanation. An important question remains as to whether comorbidity in general practice significantly adds to the disability or further impairs the health of patients with OA.
TL;DR: Experimental findings in human bone cells confirm that strain applied through the substrate and fluid flow stimulate the release of signalling molecules to varying extents, and both stimuli offer possibilities for enhancing bone cell growth in vitro.
Abstract: Mechanical force plays an important role in the regulation of bone remodelling in intact bone and bone repair. In vitro, bone cells demonstrate a high responsiveness to mechanical stimuli. Much debate exists regarding the critical components in the load profile and whether different components, such as fluid shear, tension or compression, can influence cells in differing ways. During dynamic loading of intact bone, fluid is pressed through the osteocyte canaliculi, and it has been demonstrated that fluid shear stress stimulates osteocytes to produce signalling molecules. It is less clear how mechanical loads act on mature osteoblasts present on the surface of cancellous or trabecular bone. Although tissue strain and fluid shear stress both cause cell deformation, these stimuli could excite different signalling pathways. This is confirmed by our experimental findings, in human bone cells, that strain applied through the substrate and fluid flow stimulate the release of signalling molecules to varying extents. Nitric oxide and prostaglandin E2 values increased by between two- and nine-fold after treatment with pulsating fluid flow (0.6±0.3 Pa). Cyclic strain (1000 μstrain) stimulated the release of nitric oxide two-fold, but had no effect on prostaglandin E2. Furthermore, substrate strains enhanced the bone matrix protein collagen I two-fold, whereas fluid shear caused a 50% reduction in collagen I. The relevance of these variations is discussed in relation to bone growth and remodelling. In applications such as tissue engineering, both stimuli offer possibilities for enhancing bone cell growth in vitro.
TL;DR: In this paper, the influence of shifts in effective wavelengths on ratios of total to selective extinction is examined, primarily to determine how to evaluate the Galactic extinction of extragalactic bodies in a way that minimizes systematic errors.
Abstract: The influence of shifts in effective wavelengths on ratios of total to selective extinction is examined, primarily to determine how to evaluate the Galactic extinction of extragalactic bodies in a way that minimizes systematic errors. In the process, a new procedure is developed for evaluating the Galactic or extragalactic extinction of any source in any filter from any index of reddening. The amount of dust along a sightline is quantified by the optical depth at 1 μm, which has the advantage of being roughly equal numerically to E(B-V). The optical depth can be derived iteratively from a color excess using an appropriate spectral energy distribution (SED) for the reddening probe, and a monochromatic law of reddening which delivers a value of AV/E(B-V) characteristic of the obscuring medium when applied to the spectrum of a reference source for which this ratio is known. Knowledge of the optical depth then facilitates the determination of the extinction of any source in any filter without concern as to the shape of the spectrum of the probe. The ratio of total to selective extinction for stars and galaxies is synthesized for a variety of filter combinations in order to examine variations with type, tilt, optical depth, and redshift. For this purpose, representative integrated SEDs spanning the space ultraviolet to the near-infrared are constructed for galaxy types E, Sab, Sbc, Scd, and Im, all at well-defined inclinations. In addition, an algorithm to adjust the shapes of the SEDs for tilt is developed. Along the main sequence, the classical ratio of total to selective extinction, AV/E(B-V), increases by 23% from O5 to M6. At late types, there are differences as high as 17% between evolved and unevolved stars. Along the Hubble sequence, AV/E(B-V) decreases by 5% from E to Im. The value for elliptical galaxies falls near the locus for the main sequence, not the giant branch. Correlated against B-I, AV/E(B-V) for star-forming galaxies is systematically lower than for stars of the same color by up to 5%. It increases much more rapidly with tilt than with the optical depth of Galactic dust, although neither dependence is strong. For both stars and galaxies, AV/E(B-V) varies dramatically with the redshift. Changes of 16% for a Type Ia supernovae and 22% for a Cepheid are seen out to z = 0.4. For elliptical galaxies, a variation of 30% can be expected out to z = 1, the precise form of which being dependent upon the ultraviolet excess. Even infrared ratios of total to selective extinction, such as AH/E(B-V), change significantly with color and redshift because of differential shifts in the effective wavelengths of B and V. As a gauge of reddening, E(V-I) is greatly preferable to E(B-V), because it is much less sensitive to color and redshift, yet more sensitive to the optical depth of dust. A demonstration is given on how to quantify upper limits to Galactic extinction which should be placed on studies of high-redshift supernovae, to reduce the redshift dependence of extinction corrections to a range that is insignificant compared with residuals supporting accelerated universal expansion. When the new technique for evaluating extinction corrections is applied to Cepheids in M31, distances for fields at different radii become less dispersed, confirming that the period-luminosity relation is not very sensitive to metallicity. However, the discrepancy between the Cepheid and maser distances to NGC 4258 cannot be attributed to the method of handling the extinction.
TL;DR: Postoperative oral nutritional supplementation has been shown to be of clinical benefit and the clinical effects and cost of administration of oral supplements both before and after surgery are examined.
Abstract: Background:
Postoperative oral nutritional supplementation has been shown to be of clinical benefit. This study examined the clinical effects and cost of administration of oral supplements both before and after surgery.
Methods:
This was a randomized clinical trial conducted in three centres. Patients undergoing lower gastrointestinal tract surgery were randomized to one of four groups: group CC received no nutritional supplements, group SS took supplements both before and after surgery, group CS received postoperative supplements only, and group SC were given supplements only before surgery. Preoperative supplements were given from the time it was decided to operate to 1 day before surgery. Postoperative supplements were started when the patient was able to take free fluids and continued for 4 weeks after discharge from hospital. Data collected included weight change, complications, length of stay, nutritional intake, anthropometrics, quality of life and detailed costings covering all aspects of care.
Results:
Some 179 patients were randomized, of whom 27 were withdrawn and 152 analysed (CC 44, SS 32, CS 35, SC 41). Dietary intake was similar in all four groups throughout the study. Mean energy intake from preoperative supplements was 536 and 542 kcal/day in the SS and SC groups respectively; that 2 weeks after discharge from hospital was 274 and 361 kcal/day in the SS and CS groups respectively. There was significantly less postoperative weight loss in the SS group than in the CC and CS groups (P < 0·050), and significantly fewer minor complications in the SS and CS groups than the CC group (P < 0·050). There were no differences in the rate of major complications, anthropometrics and quality of life. Mean overall costs were greatest in the CC group, although differences between groups were not significant.
Conclusion:
Perioperative oral nutritional supplementation started before hospital admission for lower gastrointestinal tract surgery significantly diminished the degree of weight loss and incidence of minor complications, and was cost-effective. Copyright © 2004 British Journal of Surgery Society Ltd. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored how prison officers manage and perform emotion on a day-to-day basis, focusing on how prisoners' emotions are structured and performed on a daily basis.
Abstract: This article explores how prison officers manage and perform emotion on a day-to-day basis. Although the performance of emotion is invariably highlighted when things ‘go wrong’ in prison - perhaps particularly during prison disturbances - the emotional life of prisons at an everyday level has received much less attention. Moreover, although the sociology of the prison has acknowledged the impact of prison on the emotional lives of prisoners there has been much less interest in the emotional impact of the prison on its uniformed staff. This article focuses on how prison officers’ emotions are structured and performed on a daily basis. Prisons are emotional places, but like all organizations, they have their own ‘rules’ about the kinds of emotions it is appropriate for prison officers to express (and indeed feel) at work. In consequence, working in prisons demands a performative attitude on the part of staff, an (often significant) engagement in emotion-work and, relatedly, the employment of various emotion-work strategies.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the effect of upland surficial aquifer size, topography and riparian sediment lithology on the subsurface hydrology of eight riparian sites on glacial till and outwash landscapes in southern Ontario, Canada.
TL;DR: This review highlights the problems faced in assessing the completeness and correctness of computerized general practice medical records and suggests that a high quality of coding can be achieved.
Abstract: BACKGROUND Increased use of computers and morbidity coding in primary care delivery and research brings a need for evidence of the quality of general practice medical records. OBJECTIVE Our aim was to assess the quality, in terms of completeness and correctness, of morbidity coding in computerized general practice records through a systematic review. METHODS Published studies were identified by searches of electronic databases and citations of collected papers. Assessment of each article was made by two independent observers and discrepancies resolved by consensus. Studies were reviewed qualitatively due to their heterogeneity. RESULTS Twenty-four studies met the inclusion criteria for the review. There was variation in the methodology and quality of studies, and problems in generalizability. Studies have attempted to assess the completeness and correctness of morbidity registers by reference to a gold standard such as paper notes, prescribing information or diagnostic tests and procedures, each of which has problems. A consistent finding was that quality of recording varied between morbidities. One reason for this may be in distinctiveness of diagnosis (e.g. coding of diabetes tended to be of higher quality than coding of asthma). CONCLUSIONS This review highlights the problems faced in assessing the completeness and correctness of computerized general practice medical records. However, it also suggests that a high quality of coding can be achieved. The focus should now be on methods to encourage and help practices improve the quality of their coding.
TL;DR: The KNEST, when combined with the WOMAC, identifies population groups who have potentially diverse health-care needs and who might benefit from effective health- Care use and can be used alongside evidence on effective treatments by service planners when considering needs for the care of older adults in primary care.
Abstract: Objective To use a brief screening tool to identify knee pain (all knee pain, non-chronic and chronic knee pain) and associated health-care use in the general population aged 50 yr and over. Methods A cross-sectional survey was mailed to 8995 individuals registered with three general practices in North Staffordshire, UK. The questionnaire included a Knee Pain Screening Tool (KNEST), the Short Form 36 (SF36), demographic questions and, for those who reported knee pain, the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC). Results The survey achieved a 77% response. The 12-month period prevalence of all knee pain was 46.8% [95% confidence interval (CI) 45.6%, 48.0%]. Figures for non-chronic knee pain (pain of less than 3 months duration) and chronic knee pain (pain of more than 3 months duration) were 21.5% (95% CI 20.5%, 22.5%) and 25.3% (95% CI 24.3%, 26.4%) respectively. An estimated 6% of the older population had non-chronic but severe knee pain or disability. Thirty-three per cent of all knee pain sufferers had consulted their general practitioner (GP) about their symptom in the last year. This included 34% of those with non-chronic but severe knee pain or disability and 56% of those with chronic and severe knee pain or disability. The use of private treatments or services for knee pain was minimal. A third of those with chronic and severe knee pain or disability had not used any services (including GP) in the last year. Conclusions The KNEST is a simple tool for the identification of individuals with knee pain and their health-care use. Focusing only on chronic knee pain will underestimate the total need and demand for health-care in knee pain sufferers in the general older population, as non-chronic as well as chronic knee pain has a significant impact on people's lives and on their use of primary health-care. The KNEST, when combined with the WOMAC, identifies population groups who have potentially diverse health-care needs and who might benefit from effective health-care. These data can be used alongside evidence on effective treatments by service planners when considering needs for the care of older adults in primary care.
TL;DR: In this article, the viability of estimation of needle chlorophyll content from airborne hyperspectral optical data through inversion of linked leaf level and canopy level radiative transfer models is discussed.
TL;DR: A number of positive answers to the question "Can we define 'populism'?" have been given by as mentioned in this paper, including the possibility of a distinctive political ideology that might be called "populist" and the meaning and significance of populism's core concept, the elusive 'people'.
Abstract: Political theorists do not in general pay much attention to populism; are there any good reasons why they should do so? This paper will consider a number of positive answers to this question Most attention has so far been paid to issues of methodology—can we define ‘populism’? Recently there has also been some interest in the relation between populism and democracy, but there are two further topics that may be worth investigating, first the possibility of a distinctive political ideology that might be called ‘populist’, and second the meanings and significance of populism's core concept, the elusive ‘people’