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Selected AbstractsMiddleware adaptation with the Delphoi serviceCONCURRENCY AND COMPUTATION: PRACTICE & EXPERIENCE, Issue 13 2006Jason Maassen Abstract Grid middleware needs to adapt to changing resources for a large variety of operations. Currently, however, there is only low-level information available about Grid resources, coming from various but functionally isolated monitoring and information systems. In this paper, we present the Delphoi service. It provides a unified interface to the necessary information, and also matches the abstraction level needed by middleware services to adapt their behavior. We describe Delphoi's architecture, the information it provides, and we evaluate the quality of its performance information. Delphoi has been developed as part of the EC-funded GridLab project and is currently being deployed on the project's testbed for adding adaptivity to GridLab's middleware services. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] COMPARING STRENGTHS OF DIRECTIONAL SELECTION: HOW STRONG IS STRONG?EVOLUTION, Issue 10 2004Joe Hereford Abstract The fundamental equation in evolutionary quantitative genetics, the Lande equation, describes the response to directional selection as a product of the additive genetic variance and the selection gradient of trait value on relative fitness. Comparisons of both genetic variances and selection gradients across traits or populations require standardization, as both are scale dependent. The Lande equation can be standardized in two ways. Standardizing by the variance of the selected trait yields the response in units of standard deviation as the product of the heritability and the variance-standardized selection gradient. This standardization conflates selection and variation because the phenotypic variance is a function of the genetic variance. Alternatively, one can standardize the Lande equation using the trait mean, yielding the proportional response to selection as the product of the squared coefficient of additive genetic variance and the mean-standardized selection gradient. Mean-standardized selection gradients are particularly useful for summarizing the strength of selection because the mean-standardized gradient for fitness itself is one, a convenient benchmark for strong selection. We review published estimates of directional selection in natural populations using mean-standardized selection gradients. Only 38 published studies provided all the necessary information for calculation of mean-standardized gradients. The median absolute value of multivariate mean-standardized gradients shows that selection is on average 54% as strong as selection on fitness. Correcting for the upward bias introduced by taking absolute values lowers the median to 31%, still very strong selection. Such large estimates clearly cannot be representative of selection on all traits. Some possible sources of overestimation of the strength of selection include confounding environmental and genotypic effects on fitness, the use of fitness components as proxies for fitness, and biases in publication or choice of traits to study. [source] The optimization of protein secondary structure determination with infrared and circular dichroism spectraFEBS JOURNAL, Issue 14 2004Keith A. Oberg We have used the circular dichroism and infrared spectra of a specially designed 50 protein database [Oberg, K.A., Ruysschaert, J.M. & Goormaghtigh, E. (2003) Protein Sci. 12, 2015,2031] in order to optimize the accuracy of spectroscopic protein secondary structure determination using multivariate statistical analysis methods. The results demonstrate that when the proteins are carefully selected for the diversity in their structure, no smaller subset of the database contains the necessary information to describe the entire set. One conclusion of the paper is therefore that large protein databases, observing stringent selection criteria, are necessary for the prediction of unknown proteins. A second important conclusion is that only the comparison of analyses run on circular dichroism and infrared spectra independently is able to identify failed solutions in the absence of known structure. Interestingly, it was also found in the course of this study that the amide II band has high information content and could be used alone for secondary structure prediction in place of amide I. [source] CN algorithm and long-lasting changes in reported magnitudes: the case of ItalyGEOPHYSICAL JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL, Issue 2 2000A. Peresan Prediction methods based on seismic precursors, and hence assuming that catalogues contain the necessary information to predict earthquakes, are sometimes criticised for their sensitivity to the unavoidable catalogue errors and possible undeclared variations in the evaluation of reported magnitudes. We consider a real example and we discuss the effect, on CN predictions, of a long-lasting underestimation of the reported magnitudes. Starting approximately in 1988, the CN functions in Central Italy evidence an anomalous behaviour, not associated with TIPs, that indicates an unusual absence of moderate events. To investigate this phenomenon, the magnitudes given in the catalogue used, which since 1980 is defined by the ING bulletins, are compared to the magnitudes reported by the global catalogue NEIC (National Earthquake Information Centre, USGS, USA) and by the regional LDG bulletins issued at the Laboratoire de Detection et de Geophysique, Bruyeres-le-Chatel, France. The comparison is performed between the ING bulletins and the NEIC catalogue, considering the local, ML,, and duration, Md,, magnitudes, first within the Central region, and then extended to the whole Italian territory. To check the consistency of the conclusions drawn from ING and NEIC data, the comparison of local magnitudes is extended to a third data set, the LDG bulletins. The differences between duration magnitudes Md that are reported by ING and NEIC since 1983 appear quite constant with time. Starting in 1987, an average underestimation of about 0.5 can be attributed to ML reported by ING for the Central region; this difference decreases to about 0.2 when the whole Italian territory is considered. The anomalous behaviour of the CN functions disappears if a magnitude correction of +0.5 is applied to ML reported in the ING bulletins. However, such a simple magnitude shift cannot restore the real features of the seismic flow, and ING bulletins are not suitable for CN algorithm application. [source] Rainfall network design using kriging and entropyHYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 3 2008Yen-Chang Chen Abstract The spatial distribution of rainfall is related to meteorological and topographical factors. An understanding of the weather and topography is required to select the locations of the rain gauge stations in the catchment to obtain the optimum information. In theory, a well-designed rainfall network can accurately represent and provide the needed information of rainfall in the catchment. However, the available rainfall data are rarely adequate in the mountainous area of Taiwan. In order to provide enough rainfall data to assure the success of water projects, the rainfall network based on the existing rain gauge stations has to be redesigned. A method composed of kriging and entropy that can determine the optimum number and spatial distribution of rain gauge stations in catchments is proposed. Kriging as an interpolator, which performs linear averaging to reconstruct the rainfall over the catchment on the basis of the observed rainfall, is used to compute the spatial variations of rainfall. Thus, the rainfall data at the locations of the candidate rain gauge stations can be reconstructed. The information entropy reveals the rainfall information of the each rain gauge station in the catchment. By calculating the joint entropy and the transmitted information, the candidate rain gauge stations are prioritized. In addition, the saturation of rainfall information can be used to add or remove the rain gauge stations. Thus, the optimum spatial distribution and the minimum number of rain gauge stations in the network can be determined. The catchment of the Shimen Reservoir in Taiwan is used to illustrate the method. The result shows that only seven rain gauge stations are needed to provide the necessary information. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Hydrology as a policy-relevant scienceHYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 16 2004Kuniyoshi Takeuchi Abstract Water is now a global political agenda and water science is part of it. The United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2000, the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002, the 3rd World Water Forum and Ministerial Conference in Kyoto in 2003 and the G8 Summit in Evian in 2003 were all concerned about urgent global water issues and call for international scientific research collaboration. Hydrology is responding to such political commitments with various scientific initiatives that include the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) Predictions in Ungauged Basins (PUB), the Global Energy and Water Circulation Experiments (GEWEX) Coordinated Enhanced Observation Period (CEOP), and the Global Water Systems Project (GWSP). These initiatives will play key roles in the implementation of the new intergovernmental project, Global Earth Observing System of Systems, under preparation by Global Observation Summits from 2003 to 2005. In order to achieve the MDGs, hydrological science has to play a major role supporting policy makers by overcoming methodological obstacles and providing the necessary information. This paper emphasizes that: the availability of ground measurements is a limiting factor that prevents the full use of scientific knowledge; hydrology has to integrate and downscale the various global information into local-scale information useful for river basin management; as the availability of professional personnel is in critical short supply, in addition to funds needed, to achieve the MDGs any scientific research should always accompany capacity-building programmes to close the science divide between developed and developing nations. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Incorporating linguistic, probabilistic, and possibilistic information in a risk-based approach for ranking contaminated sitesINTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2010Kejiang Zhang Abstract Different types of uncertain information,linguistic, probabilistic, and possibilistic,exist in site characterization. Their representation and propagation significantly influence the management of contaminated sites. In the absence of a framework with which to properly represent and integrate these quantitative and qualitative inputs together, decision makers cannot fully take advantage of the available and necessary information to identify all the plausible alternatives. A systematic methodology was developed in the present work to incorporate linguistic, probabilistic, and possibilistic information into the Preference Ranking Organization METHod for Enrichment Evaluation (PROMETHEE), a subgroup of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) methods for ranking contaminated sites. The identification of criteria based on the paradigm of comparative risk assessment provides a rationale for risk-based prioritization. Uncertain linguistic, probabilistic, and possibilistic information identified in characterizing contaminated sites can be properly represented as numerical values, intervals, probability distributions, and fuzzy sets or possibility distributions, and linguistic variables according to their nature. These different kinds of representation are first transformed into a 2-tuple linguistic representation domain. The propagation of hybrid uncertainties is then carried out in the same domain. This methodology can use the original site information directly as much as possible. The case study shows that this systematic methodology provides more reasonable results. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2010;6:711,724. © 2010 SETAC [source] Reducing admission times in the endoscopy unitINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NURSING PRACTICE, Issue 4 2006Deborah Dobree-Carey RGN Pre-procedural admission of outpatients to a day-case endoscopy facility is time-consuming. Collecting and recording routine but necessary information distracts nurses from spending time that could be used to counsel patients. This study assessed whether patients can record some pre-procedural details and whether such self-recording quickens nurse admission times. A new admission document was devised and posted to patients. Patients completed personal/administrative details and information about drugs and allergies and brought the document with them when attending for outpatient endoscopy. Endoscopy nurses anonymously timed 100 admissions, 50 using the new admission form and 50 using the old admission form. Overall, the median (range) time to admit using the old form was 6 (3,15.5) min. Using the new form, the median time to admit was lower at 4 (0.5,10) min. No patient completing the new form reported any particular difficulties. An admission document that patients partially complete at home leads to a faster pre-procedural admission in the endoscopy unit. This allows more nursing time to discuss patients' anxieties and answer patient queries, helps to prevent delays and facilitates increased capacity in the endoscopy unit. [source] Assessment of endothelial function as a marker of cardiovascular risk in patients with rheumatoid arthritisINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RHEUMATIC DISEASES, Issue 3 2010Faisel KHAN Abstract The endothelium is a major regulator of cardiovascular function and maintains an atheroprotective role through several mechanisms, including vasodilatation, inhibition of platelet aggregation, having anticoagulant and profibrinolytic effects, and having an anti-inflammatory effect. Early changes in the normal functioning of the endothelium are key initiating factors in the development and progression of atherosclerosis. These changes are present well before the presentation of clinical symptoms. Thus, researchers have focused much attention on developing methods for reliable non-invasive testing of endothelial function to allow early detection and monitoring and progression of subclinical atherosclerosis. To date, there is a wide range of methods in use to assess endothelial function, each with its own advantages and limitations. Ideally, the tests should be non-invasive to allow repeated measurements and be applicable in normal healthy subjects and also in children. Given the wide range of regulatory functions of the endothelium, it is not surprising that there is no single measure of endothelial function that provides all the necessary information regarding vascular integrity in different vascular beds. Therefore, a combination of tests examining different components of the vascular system is more appropriate. Since patients with rheumatoid arthritis have increased mortality due to cardiovascular disease, assessment of endothelial function could prove to be useful tools in the identification and monitoring of cardiovascular risk. The purpose of this review is to give a brief overview of some of the commonly used techniques for assessment of endothelial function, and in particular on those that have been used in studies of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. [source] What is learned from experience in a probabilistic environment?JOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL DECISION MAKING, Issue 3 2004Stephen E. Edgell Abstract Three experiments explored what is learned from experience in a probabilistic environment. The task was a simulated medical decision-making task with each patient having one of two test results and one of two diseases. The test result was highly predictive of the disease for all participants. The base rate of the test result was varied between participants to produce different inverse conditional probabilities of the test result given the disease across conditions. Participants trained using feedback to predict a patient's disease from a test result showed the classic confusion of the inverse error, substituting the forward conditional probability for the inverse conditional probability when tested on it. Additional training on the base rate of the test result did little to improve performance. Training on the joint probabilities, however, produced good performance on either conditional probability. The pattern of results demonstrated that experience with the environment is not always sufficient for good performance. That natural sampling leads to good performance was not supported. Further, because participants not trained on joint probabilities did, however, know them but still committed the confusion of the inverse error, the hypothesis that having joint probabilities would facilitate performance was not supported. The pattern of results supported the conclusion that people learn all the necessary information from experience in a probabilistic environment, but depending upon what the experience was, it may interfere with their ability to recall to memory the appropriate sample set necessary for estimating or using the inverse conditional probability. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Exploring the perspective of midwives involved in offering serum screening for Down's syndrome in Northern IrelandJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 20 2009Jennifer McNeill Aims., To explore the perspective of midwives offering serum screening for Down's syndrome. Background., Previous literature has indicated that the offer and discussion of prenatal serum screening tests with women is complex, and health professionals may influence women's decisions to accept or decline screening. Midwives are usually the key professional to offer serum screening for Down's syndrome in the UK but their perspective is relatively neglected in the literature. Design., An explorative qualitative interview study with 15 midwives employed in a maternity unit in Northern Ireland involved in offering prenatal screening to pregnant women. Data were collected from 1 July 2005,31 October 2005. Methods., A focused ethnographic approach was used to explore the perspective of midwives. Results., Midwives reported difficulty in explaining the test to women and felt unable to provide the necessary information to adequately inform women within their appointment time. The test offered (the triple test) and potential pathway of subsequent care, were identified as sources of professional and personal conflict by midwives. The expectation that midwives would provide a universal offer of Down's syndrome serum screening but be unable to support women regarding termination of pregnancy also created dissonance. Conclusions., The feasibility of proceeding with a universal serum screening programme for Down's syndrome is questionable in countries which legally or culturally oppose termination of pregnancy. Professionals practising within environments such as this experience conflict in their role, which affects communication with women when discussing screening tests. Relevance to clinical practice., As midwives are often, the primary health professional providing information to women, it is important that midwives are key participants in ongoing planning and discussions about screening policy to ensure programmes are implemented successfully. [source] A computer-assisted test design and diagnosis system for use by classroom teachersJOURNAL OF COMPUTER ASSISTED LEARNING, Issue 6 2005Q. He Abstract Computer-assisted assessment (CAA) has become increasingly important in education in recent years. A variety of computer software systems have been developed to help assess the performance of students at various levels. However, such systems are primarily designed to provide objective assessment of students and analysis of test items, and focus has been mainly placed on higher and further education. Although there are commercial professional systems available for use by primary and secondary educational institutions, such systems are generally expensive and require skilled expertise to operate. In view of the rapid progress made in the use of computer-based assessment for primary and secondary students by education authorities here in the UK and elsewhere, there is a need to develop systems which are economic and easy to use and can provide the necessary information that can help teachers improve students' performance. This paper presents the development of a software system that provides a range of functions including generating items and building item banks, designing tests, conducting tests on computers and analysing test results. Specifically, the system can generate information on the performance of students and test items that can be easily used to identify curriculum areas where students are under performing. A case study based on data collected from five secondary schools in Hong Kong involved in the Curriculum, Evaluation and Management Centre's Middle Years Information System Project, Durham University, UK, has been undertaken to demonstrate the use of the system for diagnostic and performance analysis. [source] SOME PHYSICOMECHANICAL AND NUTRITIONAL PROPERTIES OF BARBERRY (BERBERIS VULGARIS L.) FRUITSJOURNAL OF FOOD PROCESS ENGINEERING, Issue 4 2009MEHMET AKBULUT ABSTRACT The barberry (Berberis vulgaris L.) fruits growing wild in Turkey were analyzed for some physical (dimensions, geometric mean diameter, sphericity, bulk density, fruit density, volume, terminal velocity, hardness and porosity) and chemical (moisture, reducing sugar, ascorbic acid, total anthocyanin and phenolics, crude protein, crude oil, crude energy, crude fiber, ash, pH, acidity, alcohol-soluble extract and color) properties. Mineral content of barberry fruits growing wild in Turkey was determined by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry. The average pulp mass ratio, thickness, width, length, mass, volume, geometric mean diameter, sphericity and projected area were measured as 75.59%, 3.51 mm, 3.32 mm, 7.69 mm, 0.07 g, 71 mm3, 4.46 mm, and 0.58 and 0.2535 cm2, respectively. The energy, reducing sugar, protein, cellulose, oil, ash, acidity, ascorbic acid, total phenolics, total anthocyanin and soluble solid matter values of barberry fruits were established as 69.25 kcal/g, 6.52%, 10.32%, 9.42%, 0.84%, 1.12%, 3.10%, 256.48 mg/kg, 789.32 mg/100 g, 931.05 mg/kg and 19.4%, respectively. It is very important to evaluate the technological properties of equipment used in harvesting, transportation, storage and processing of fresh fruits. Also, the information supplied on the proximate composition of the barberry fruit is highly beneficial for human nutrition. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS The chemical properties such as ascorbic acid, anthocyanin and phenolic compounds, reducing sugar, crude protein, crude fiber, crude oil, ash and mineral contents of barberry fruits are mostly important for human nutrition and processing. In addition, it is very important to establish the physical properties of equipment used in harvesting, transportation, storage and processing of fresh fruits. However, further studies are necessary to understand the physical properties for equipment design and to provide necessary information for the use of wild edible fruits. [source] Standardised tumour, node and metastasis reporting of oncology CT scansJOURNAL OF MEDICAL IMAGING AND RADIATION ONCOLOGY, Issue 4 2009KLM Gormly Summary The oncology CT report is a vital piece of communication between the radiologist and the treating clinician and often determines patient management. The use of a standardised report that follows the tumour, node and metastasis (TNM) structure makes it easier for the radiologist to include all of the necessary information in an easy-to-read format. Presenting the results under the headings of primary tumour, lymph nodes, metastases, and other findings follows a similar pattern to that used by pathologists and also follows the thought process of the treating clinician. Standardised templates for TNM-based oncology CT reports were introduced into public and private institutions. An audit of 199 reports demonstrated a significant increase in the presence of measurements and conclusions in the template reports. While there was a non-significant increase in the use of correct Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumours terminology for template reports, there was an improved attempt to describe the disease response. Saving measurements as a summary series on PACS also assists follow-up reporting. [source] Stereotypical Relations and Utterance Understanding: An Introduction to Xu Sheng-Huan's Stereotypical Relation-Based Approach to PragmaticsLINGUISTICS & LANGUAGE COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 1 2010Wu Bing-zhang An utterance hardly provides adequate information for its understanding, but the stereotypical relations (SRs) suggested by its linguistic components and mode of expression help to complement the explicitly expressed content, thus making the utterance serve its communicative function. Stereotypical relations are a speaker/hearer's perception and memory of the relations between things in the experiential world. Such relations, once entrenched, are the cognitive device by which humans understand, represent, and express the world. Things in SRs are interdependent; the presence of one entails that of another. Therefore, an utterance implicates the necessary information by SRs to ,fill up' the information gap in the context of communication. Stereotypical relations can be characterized in terms of similarity and proximity, both of which are categories of degree. [source] Monitoring the reaction progress of a high-performance phenylethynyl-terminated poly(etherimide).POLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 5 2002Part I: Cure kinetics modeling The cure kinetics of a phenylethynyl-terminated poly(etherimide) are examined via differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements. Isothermal holds at temperatures ranging from 325°C to 360°C provided the necessary information to develop reaction kinetics models using both first-order reaction kinetics and combination reaction kinetics. The first-order reaction kinetics model works well for quick estimates of degree of cure versus time over the experimental temperature range. However, significantly more accurate predictions of degree of cure versus time were provided by the combination reaction kinetics model. The lack of accuracy in the first order model is due to the fact that the reaction cannot be described by a simple order. The experimental procedures followed to obtain the cure kinetics data and the construction of the models from this data are described; the predictions of these models are compared with the experimental results. [source] Localization of a flavonoid biosynthetic polyphenol oxidase in vacuolesTHE PLANT JOURNAL, Issue 2 2006Eiichiro Ono Summary Aureusidin synthase, a polyphenol oxidase (PPO), specifically catalyzes the oxidative formation of aurones from chalcones, which are plant flavonoids, and is responsible for the yellow coloration of snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus) flowers. All known PPOs have been found to be localized in plastids, whereas flavonoid biosynthesis is thought to take place in the cytoplasm [or on the cytoplasmic surface of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)]. However, the primary structural characteristics of aureusidin synthase and some of its molecular properties argue against localization of the enzyme in plastids and the cytoplasm. In this study, the subcellular localization of the enzyme in petal cells of the yellow snapdragon was investigated. Sucrose-density gradient and differential centrifugation analyses suggested that the enzyme (the 39-kDa mature form) is not located in plastids or on the ER. Transient assays using a green fluorescent protein (GFP) chimera fused with the putative propeptide of the PPO precursor suggested that the enzyme was localized within the vacuole lumen. We also found that the necessary information for vacuolar targeting of the PPO was encoded within the 53-residue N-terminal sequence (NTPP), but not in the C-terminal sequence of the precursor. NTPP-mediated ER-to-Golgi trafficking to vacuoles was confirmed by means of the co-expression of an NTPP-GFP chimera with a dominant negative mutant of the Arabidopsis GTPase Sar1 or with a monomeric red fluorescent protein (mRFP)-fused Golgi marker (an H+ -translocating inorganic pyrophosphatase of Arabidopsis). We identified a sequence-specific vacuolar sorting determinant in the NTPP of the precursor. We have demonstrated the biosynthesis of a flavonoid skeleton in vacuoles. The findings of this metabolic compartmentation may provide a strategy for overcoming the biochemical instability of the precursor chalcones in the cytoplasm, thus leading to the efficient accumulation of aurones in the flower. [source] Prebiotics in aquaculture: a reviewAQUACULTURE NUTRITION, Issue 2 2010E. RINGŲ Abstract A prebiotic is a non-digestible food ingredient that beneficially affects the host by selectively stimulating the growth and/or the activity of one or a limited number of bacteria in the colon. Despite the potential benefits to health and performance as noted in various terrestrial animals, the use of prebiotics in the farming of fish and shellfish has been less investigated. The studies of prebiotics in fish and shellfish have investigated the following parameters: effect on growth, feed conversion, gut microbiota, cell damage/morphology, resistance against pathogenic bacteria and innate immune parameters such as alternative complement activity (ACH50), lysozyme activity, natural haemagglutination activity, respiratory burst, superoxide dismutase activity and phagocytic activity. This review discusses the results from these studies and the methods used. If the use of prebiotics leads to health responses becoming more clearly manifested in fish and shellfish, then prebiotics might have the potential to increase the efficiency and sustainability of aquaculture production. However, large gaps of knowledge exist. To fully conclude on the effects of adding prebiotics in fish diets, more research efforts are needed to provide the aquaculture industry, the scientific community, the regulatory bodies and the general public with the necessary information and tools. [source] Number-Needed-to-Treat (NNT) , Needs Treatment with CareBASIC AND CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY & TOXICOLOGY, Issue 1 2006Palle Mark Christensen It has been claimed to be "easy to understand" and gives "intuitive meaning". When used to measure the effectiveness of interventions targeting chronic disease processes e.g. atherosclerosis and osteoporosis, NNT (as well as relative and absolute risk reduction) does not capture the crucial time component, a fact that has important consequences: NNT varies over time, it may not mean that adverse events (fractures, myocardial infarctions etc.) are avoided, but simply that they are postponed. Finally, empirical studies indicate that lay people and doctors misunderstand NNT. We recommend that NNT be used with considerable care. There is probably no single effect measure that is able to convey all necessary information. [source] What can national data sets tell us about inclusion and pupil achievement?BRITISH JOURNAL OF SPECIAL EDUCATION, Issue 3 2004Lani Florian Recent developments in the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) have produced a national pupil database (NPD) that contains information about the attainments of individual pupils. Every child in the country has been allocated a unique pupil number (UPN), which means that the academic progress of individuals can be tracked over time. It is possible to combine data on attainment with the demographic information which is obtained from the pupil level annual schools census (PLASC). These innovations make it possible to combine ,value added' information about pupil progress from one key stage of education to the next with data from the PLASC, which contains pupil background information, to produce a single matched data set. Thus the NPD and the PLASC are able to provide much of the necessary information to explore issues of individual pupil performance over their school careers. Notably, more specific information about the academic achievement of pupils who are described as having ,special educational needs' is now available. Lani Florian, lecturer in inclusion and special educational needs, Martyn Rouse, senior lecturer in inclusion and special educational needs, Kristine Black-Hawkins, senior research associate, and Stephen Jull, research associate, are all based at the University of Cambridge Faculty of Education. In this article, drawing on their work in the ,Inclusion and Achievement Project', they explore the problems and possibilities for researching issues of pupil achievement and inclusion through the use of these new national data sets. [source] What tools do we need to improve identification of child abuse?CHILD ABUSE REVIEW, Issue 6 2005Eileen Munro Abstract Child protection work is being transformed by the introduction of information and communication technology (ICT) and other tools to improve frontline work. This article argues that current innovations are being developed without sufficient attention to understanding the needs of frontline workers. Taking the identification of child abuse as an example, the article shows how beginning with the question ,What tools do we need?' produces radically different answers from the current proposed tools such as the Information Sharing and Assessment database (ISA). The approach advocated here involves examining what aspects of the task frontline workers find difficult and identifying where they would most appreciate help. In relation to the problem of sharing information between professionals to ensure accurate assessment of risk, it is argued that the key problems do not lie in the technical process of sharing data but in professionals' ability to collect the necessary information, to interpret it accurately and to communicate it clearly. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||