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Reassessment
Terms modified by Reassessment Selected AbstractsMANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING CHANGE AND NEW PUBLIC MANAGEMENT IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT: A REASSESSMENT OF AMBITIONS AND RESULTS , AN INSTITUTIONALIST APPROACH TO ACCOUNTING CHANGE IN THE DUTCH PUBLIC SECTORFINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY & MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2008Henk J. Ter Bogt Dutch municipalities and provinces, denoted here as local government, have seen a succession of changes in their management accounting systems and have also introduced other changes related to New Public Management (NPM) in the last twenty years. This paper examines accounting changes, such as the introduction of accrual accounting, output and outcome budgets and performance measurement, from an institutionalist point of view. The paper presents experiences of 23 politicians and professional managers with the various changes over a period of fifteen to twenty years. The interviewees, just like various researchers in the field of NPM, were critical of the accounting changes and their effects. However, several of them also made clear that, seen over the long run, the changes did have some effects that they liked and seem to be in line with the ,ideals' presented in NPM literature. The paper suggests that an institutionalist perspective is helpful for studying change processes in organizations and for observing factors and developments that might not be noticed when a more functional and short-term perspective is adopted. [source] ANATOLIA AND THE BALKANS, ONCE AGAIN , RING-SHAPED IDOLS FROM WESTERN ASIA AND A CRITICAL REASSESSMENT OF SOME ,EARLY BRONZE AGE' ITEMS FROM ,K,ZTEPE, TURKEYOXFORD JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 1 2007THOMAS ZIMMERMANN Summary. The ring-shaped idol pendant, a distinctive type of Chalcolithic ritual (?) jewellery, is discussed with regard to its chronology in the Balkans in light of its occasional appearance in Asia Minor. Known from domestic contexts, funerals and hoards (?), none of the so far documented Anatolian pendants (clearly another aspect testifying to the well-known Anatolian,Balkan connections in the fourth millennium BC) can be dated later than the Late Chalcolithic/Early Bronze Age I. This fact provides further evidence for the developing hypothesis that certain inventories from ,kiztepe, the only prehistoric reference site on the Turkish Black Sea coast excavated on a large scale, need some profound chronological redating. Selected features and levels dated to ,Early Bronze Age II,III' at ,kiztepe seem to be several centuries older than currently believed, which has implications for the overall chronological range of these pendants. [source] The Sino-American Normalization: A ReassessmentDIPLOMATIC HISTORY, Issue 4 2009Enrico Fardella First page of article [source] A Reassessment of the holocene stratigraphy of the Wadi Hasa Terrace and Hasa formation, JordanGEOARCHAEOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 6 2007Joseph Schuldenrein Vita-Finzi's 1960s model for Mediterranean terrace evolution was once the basis for regional valley histories across much of the Levant. A revisit to the Hasa terrace, formerly considered Early to Middle Holocene in age, resulted in a revised chronostratigraphy. Sedimentological and geochemical analyses bolstered by radiocarbon dating indicate that valley floor construction began shortly after the end of the Middle Holocene, at least 2000 years later than initially proposed. An updated model for floodplain evolution proposes three discrete phases of accretion and alluvial plain formation. A weak cambic soil overprints the alluvium and suggests slightly moister climates than at present for much of the Late Holocene. This model is in accord with settlement data. Intensified uplands agropastoralism accelerated the erosion of slope soils that were recycled and deposited as alluvium across the valley floor. The valley floor sequences of the Hasa are analogous to alluvial chronologies for neighboring wadis of the eastern Jordan Rift and can be tied to key Middle and Late Holocene geomorphic events in the Dead Sea and the southwestern Levant. The data strongly indicate that alluvial fill histories after 1800 cal B.C. were anthropogenically driven, whereas Middle Holocene landscape changes were climatically and structurally triggered. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Reassessment of treatments to retard browning of fresh-cut Russet potato with emphasis on controlled atmospheres and low concentrations of bisulphiteINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, Issue 7 2010Yurong Ma Summary The cultivar Pacific Russet with high browning susceptibility was used for most testing. Controlled atmospheres (0.3%, 3% and 21% O2 in combination with 0%, 6% or 12% CO2) and anti-browning chemicals were studied in relation to quality retention and wound-induced phenolic metabolism of fresh-cut slices for up to 16 days at 5 °C. The 3% O2+ 12% CO2 atmosphere was most effective among those tested, and retarded increases in phenolics and phenylalanine ammonia lyase activity, but had only slight benefit on visual quality. A 1.25% ascorbic acid +1.25% citric acid treatment was ineffective, but when combined with 3% O2+ 12% CO2, it was comparable with 0.025% sodium bisulphite. Bisulphite concentrations from 0.05% to 0.25% provided similar effective control of discolouration. Bisulphite as low as 0.025% with 3% O2+ 12% CO2 resulted in a visual quality score at the limit of marketability after 8 days at 5 °C. Chemical treatments did not retard increases in phenolic concentrations or phenolic enzyme activities. [source] Reassessment of microarray expression data of porokeratosis by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reactionJOURNAL OF CUTANEOUS PATHOLOGY, Issue 3 2010Zheng-Hua Zhang Background: Porokeratosis (PK) is a heterogeneous group of keratinization disorders that exhibit similarities with psoriasis at both the clinical and molecular levels. Methods: The transcript levels of keratin (KRT) 6A, 16, 17, S100A7, A8, A9, p53 and three candidate genes (i.e. SART3, SSH1 and ARPC3) were reassessed in pairwise lesional and uninvolved skin from nine patients with PK by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RTQ,PCR). Results: The results of RTQ,PCR confirmed that KRT6A, 16, S100A7, A8 and A9 (p = 0.008) were mostly up-regulated in the lesional skin when compared with uninvolved skin. Different from the microarray data, there was no significant difference observed in KRT17 expression patterns between lesional and normal-appearing skin (p = 0.066). No statistical difference was observed in p53 and three candidate genes' expression patterns between lesional and uninvolved skin. Conclusions: In the present study, 9 of the 10 gene expression measured by RTQ,PCR in PK were statistically comparable to microarray data. KRT6A was identified as specific biomarker for porokeratotic keratinocytes, as it was the most significantly up-regulated gene in the nine patient samples. Zhang Z-H, Wang Z-M, Crosby ME, Kang KF, Luan J, Huang W, Xiang L-H, Zheng Z-Z. Reassessment of microarray expression data of porokeratosis by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. [source] Immediate and Long-Term Outcome of Redo Percutaneous Mitral Valvuloplasty: Comparison with Initial Procedure in Patients with Rheumatic Mitral RestenosisJOURNAL OF INTERVENTIONAL CARDIOLOGY, Issue 1 2010OSAMA RIFAIE M.D. Aims: We explored the immediate and long-term outcome of redo percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty (PMV) in a series of patients with mitral restenosis in comparison with initial PMV in the same series. Methods: We enrolled 40 consecutive patients presenting with mitral restenosis after successful initial PMV. Redo PMV was performed by the antegrade transseptal approach using either the Inoue technique or the multitrack technique. Reassessment by transthoracic echocardiography was repeated 48 hours later, and annually thereafter. Procedural success was defined as 50% or more increase of mitral valve area (MVA) with a final MVA ,1.5 cm2, without major complications. Restenosis was defined as loss of >50% of the initial gain of MVA by the preceding PMV with a final MVA <1.5 cm2. Results: Procedural success was achieved in 37 (92.5%) patients. Both the initial and redo procedures were similar concerning the final MVA and mean transmitral pressure gradient (P > 0.05 for all). The gain of MVA was higher in the initial as compared to the redo procedure (P < 0.001). The initial mitral valve score correlated negatively with the final MVA in both the initial and redo procedures, and was the only independent predictor of the time to redo procedure, by multivariate regression analysis. At long-term follow-up (61 ± 2.8 months), the mean MVA was 1.6 ± 0.3 cm2. Three patients,out of 12 available for follow-up,developed restenosis. Conclusion: Redo PMV for mitral restenosis is feasible, safe, and achieves immediate and long-term outcome comparable to initial PMV. (J Interven Cardiol 2010;23:1,6) [source] Newman's Theory of a Liberal Education: A Reassessment and its ImplicationsJOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION, Issue 2 2008D. G. MULCAHY John Henry Newman provided the basic vocabulary and guiding rationale sustaining the ideal of a liberal education up to our day. He highlighted its central focus on the cultivation of the intellect, its reliance upon broadly based theoretical knowledge, its independence of moral and religious stipulations, and its being its own end. As new interpretations enter the debate on liberal education further educational possibilities emanate from Newman's thought beyond those contained in his theory of a liberal education. These are found in Newman's broader idea of a university education, incorporating social, moral, and spiritual formation and in his philosophical thought where he develops a theory of knowledge at odds with the Idea of a University. There are, in addition, intriguing possibilities that arise from Newman's theory of reasoning in concrete affairs both because of their implicit challenge to inherited theories of a liberal education and because of the educational possibilities they hold out in their own right and in actual educational developments to which they may lend support. [source] Owens Valley Revisited: A Reassessment of the West's First Great Water Transfer by Gary D. LibecapJOURNAL OF REGIONAL SCIENCE, Issue 2 2010Eric Schuck No abstract is available for this article. [source] Thermodynamic Reassessment of ZrO2,CaO SystemJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY, Issue 5 2009Kun Wang In this work, several thermodynamic assessments adopted widely for ZrO2,CaO system are reviewed and examined, the existing discrepancies are summarized, and a new assessment is carried out based on the formation enthalpy of two compounds (CaZr4O9 and Ca6Zr19O44) and experimental activity data concerning cubic solid solution. The thermodynamic parameters of all phases have been optimized by the least squares minimization procedure, a self consistent set of the optimized Gibbs energy parameters has been derived, which can be safely used to extrapolate into the multicomponent system. Compared with experimental data and the results in this work as well as the results reported previously, it is demonstrated that the present thermodynamic assessment is in better agreement with most of the experiments. [source] QSAR Study of 2,3-Benzodiazepin-4(thi)one- and 1,2-Phthalazine-Related Negative Allosteric Modulators of the AMPA Receptor: A Structural Descriptors-Based ReassessmentMOLECULAR INFORMATICS, Issue 3 2005Peter Buchwald Abstract In an attempt to establish statistically more rigorous and chemically more meaningful quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) equations, a reassessment of a recent study of in vivo anticonvulsant activity for a set of 2,3-benzodiazepin-4(thi)one- and 1,2-phthalazine-related allosteric AMPA antagonists (n=61) is presented. Contrary to the original, relatively nonspecific descriptor set, which included, for example, a number of topological descriptors, specific structural descriptors that are much easier to interpret from a medicinal chemical point of view are used in this multiple linear regression-based approach. Only statistically significant descriptors have been retained in the final equation, and whereas they give about the same correlation as those of the original paper on the training set (r2 of 0.79 vs. 0.76, n=49), they perform much better on the test set (predictive r of 0.73 vs. 0.05; r2 of 0.78 vs. 0.08, n=12). Descriptors found to be relevant are clearly related to substitutions at known pharmacophore positions, such as those corresponding to the 2,3-, 7,8- and 4,-positions of the benzodiazepine skeleton. Therefore, by a more careful selection of the descriptor set, both an improved prediction and a more intuitive quantitative interpretation could be achieved for this set of allosteric AMPA antagonists. [source] Reassessment of histopathology and dermoscopy findings in 145 Japanese cases of melanocytic nevus of the sole: Toward a pathological diagnosis of early-stage malignant melanoma in situPATHOLOGY INTERNATIONAL, Issue 2 2010Ling Jin Recently, dermoscopic visualization has been improved, allowing for the identification of malignant melanoma (MM) of the sole in situ. When the parallel ridge pattern is evident on dermoscopy, the proliferation of solitarily arranged melanocytes in the crista profunda intermedia should be examined histologically, since this may be a clue to the early diagnosis of MM in situ. We reviewed 145 Japanese cases of melanocytic nevus on the sole, and investigated several useful histological features for the diagnosis of MM in situ using a recent proposal as well as several standard histological criteria of MM in situ. Five cases were considered to be an early-stage MM in situ out of 145 cases previously diagnosed as melanocytic nevi of the sole. These cases showed several specific features, including solitarily arranged melanocytes or melanocyte nests comprising fewer than four cells. Our findings indicate that early-stage MM of the sole in situ can be diagnosed by using new dermoscopy-related histological findings. They are (i) irregular distribution of solitary melanocytes at the crista profunda intermedia with or without small nests (up to three melanocytes) on the slope of rete ridges; and (ii) larger melanocytes with a halo around the nucleus. [source] Reassessment of occupational exposure limitsAMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 6 2008Hans Stouten MSc Abstract Background Although the Netherlands currently has its own procedure for evaluating chemical compounds and setting occupational exposure limits (OELs), most of these limits were originally adopted in the 1970s from threshold limit values (TLVs) set by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH). However, beginning in the late 1980s, criticism about non-scientific considerations being used to set TLV's suggested that TLVs might not offer sufficient health protection to workers. This situation prompted the Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment to request that the Health Council of the Netherlands reassess the health protection of MAC values that were contained in the 1994 Dutch MAC list. Methods Criteria documents were prepared for 161 compounds. They were evaluated by a committee of the Health Council of the Netherlands consisting of international experts who reassessed the toxicological hazards of these substances and recommended, whenever possible, health-based OELs. The results of the reassessment by the Health Council were compared with the MAC values of the 1994 Dutch MAC list, ACGIH TLVs, and existing German OELs. Results The toxicological database met the committee's criteria for a health-based OEL for only about 40% of the compounds. Conclusions Many older MAC values were either too high or not scientifically supported and therefore not health-based. Am. J. Ind. Med. 51:407,418, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Reassessment of psychoanalytical education: Controversies and changes: Report of the tenth congress of training analystsTHE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PSYCHOANALYSIS, Issue 1 2003Richard B. Zimmer First page of article [source] ORIGINAL RESEARCH,EJACULATORY DISORDERS: Evaluation of Tramadol on Demand Vs.THE JOURNAL OF SEXUAL MEDICINE, Issue 8 2010Daily Paroxetine as a Long-Term Treatment of Lifelong Premature Ejaculation ABSTRACT Introduction., Premature ejaculation (PE) is the most common male sexual dysfunction with many lines of treatment that show conflicting results. Paroxetine and tramadol were both reported to be effective in treatment of PE. Aim., To investigate the effectiveness of long-term daily paroxetine vs. on-demand tramadol HCl in treatment of PE. Main Outcome Measures., Intravaginal ejaculatory latency time (IELT) and Arabic Index of PE (AIPE) were used to assess the efficacy of investigated drugs. Methods., Thirty-five cases with lifelong PE were enrolled in this study. Baseline recording of IELT using a stop watch and AIPE was done. Patients were randomized to take tramadol HCl on-demand or daily paroxetine. Reassessment was done after 6 and 12 weeks. A wash-out period for 2 weeks was given before cross-over to the other medication. Assessment of the effect of the second medication after 6 and 12 weeks was done. Results., Tramadol and paroxetine increased IELT significantly after 6 weeks by seven- and 11-folds, respectively, compared with baseline. After 12 weeks, a decline of IELT to fivefolds was recorded with tramadol whereas further increase of IELT to 22-folds was recorded with paroxetine compared with baseline (P < 0.05). Tramadol improved AIPE score significantly after 6 weeks but not after 12 weeks vs. baseline, whereas paroxetine increased the AIPE score after 6 and 12 weeks vs. baseline (P < 0.05). Conclusions., Daily paroxetine is more effective than on-demand tramadol for treatment of lifelong PE. Tramadol is not recommended as a long-term treatment of lifelong PE. Alghobary M, El-Bayoumy Y, Mostafa Y, E-HM Mahmoud, and Amr M. Evaluation of tramadol on demand vs. daily paroxetine as a long-term treatment of lifelong premature ejaculation. J Sex Med 2010;7:2860,2867. [source] Art and Agency: A ReassessmentTHE JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL ANTHROPOLOGICAL INSTITUTE, Issue 3 2003Robert Layton In his book, Art and agency, Alfred Gell presents a theory of art based neither on aesthetics nor on visual communication. Art is defined by the distinctive function it performs in advancing social relationships through ,the abduction of agency'. Art objects are indexes of the artist's or model's agency. This article examines Gell's use of agency, particularly in relation to the ritual art that is central to his argument. Focusing on Gell's employment of Peirce's term ,index' (out of his triad of index, icon, and symbol), I note that Peirce's approach deflects attention from signification towards the link between art works and the things to which they refer. I consider what Peirce meant by abduction, and conclude that while Gell makes a good case for the agency of art objects he does not explain the distinctive ways in which art objects extend their maker's or user's agency. Gell lacked the time to make detailed revisions before publication and I acknowledge that, given more time, he might have revised some parts of the book. [source] The Teaching Relationship in Early Sufism: A Reassessment of Fritz Meier's Definition of the shaykh al-tarbiya and the shaykh al-ta,l?mTHE MUSLIM WORLD, Issue 1 2003Laury Silvers-Alario First page of article [source] The Islet Transplant Experiment: Time for a ReassessmentAMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 10 2007J. S. Bromberg Recent data further defining the long term outcomes and complications associated with islet transplantation require a reassessment of the clinical trials. Also see article by Campbell et al in this issue on page 2311. [source] Ectopic pregnancy: Challenging accepted management strategiesAUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY, Issue 4 2009George CONDOUS Ectopic pregnancy is still the number one cause of maternal deaths in early pregnancy. The diagnostic capabilities of transvaginal ultrasound to confirm an EP are well founded. In fact, ultrasound technology, particularly the introduction of high-resolution transvaginal probes, has been the driving force behind the revolutionary change towards conservative management strategies in ectopic pregnancy care. Clinically stable women, however, with a scan diagnosis of a tubal ectopic pregnancy still routinely undergo surgery or are given methotrexate (MTX) at presentation. Conservative management for ectopic pregnancy may be considered in the context of clinical stability. Reassessment at 48 h allows evaluation of the trophoblast activity or ,trophoblastic load'. Falling serum hCG levels at 48 h suggest that the ectopic trophoblast is resolving spontaneously and it may be possible to avoid methotrexate administration in this sub-group. Women with increasing serum hCG levels at 48 h, indicating the trophoblast is still active, should be targeted for methotrexate. By calculating the pre-treatment hCG ratio (hCG 48 h/hCG 0 h), it is possible to triage women with an ectopic pregnancy for conservative management. There are, however, no randomised data to support the use of MTX over expectant management. In this review, some of the current management strategies in ectopic pregnancy management will be challenged. [source] Sample Size Reassessment in Adaptive Clinical Trials Using a Bias Corrected EstimateBIOMETRICAL JOURNAL, Issue 7 2003Silke Coburger Abstract Point estimation in group sequential and adaptive trials is an important issue in analysing a clinical trial. Most literature in this area is only concerned with estimation after completion of a trial. Since adaptive designs allow reassessment of sample size during the trial, reliable point estimation of the true effect when continuing the trial is additionally needed. We present a bias adjusted estimator which allows a more exact sample size determination based on the conditional power principle than the naive sample mean does. [source] Interim Analysis and Sample Size ReassessmentBIOMETRICS, Issue 4 2000Martin Posch Summary. This article deals with sample size reassessment for adaptive two-stage designs based on conditional power arguments utilizing the variability observed at the first stage. Fisher's product test for the p -values from the disjoint samples at the two stages is considered in detail for the comparison of the means of two normal populations. We show that stopping rules allowing for the early acceptance of the null hypothesis that are optimal with respect to the average sample size may lead to a severe decrease of the overall power if the sample size is a priori underestimated. This problem can be overcome by choosing designs with low probabilities of early acceptance or by midtrial adaptations of the early acceptance boundary using the variability observed in the first stage. This modified procedure is negligibly anticonservative and preserves the power. [source] Parameters of Coseismic Reverse- and Oblique-Slip Surface Ruptures of the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake, Eastern Tibetan PlateauACTA GEOLOGICA SINICA (ENGLISH EDITION), Issue 4 2009Xiwei XU Abstract: On May 12th, 2008, the Mw7.9 Wenchuan earthquake ruptured the Beichuan, Pengguan and Xiaoyudong faults simultaneously along the middle segment of the Longmenshan thrust belt at the eastern margin of the Tibetan plateau. Field investigations constrain the surface rupture pattern, length and offsets related to the Wenchuan earthquake. The Beichuan fault has a NE-trending right-lateral reverse rupture with a total length of 240 km. Reassessment yields a maximum vertical offset of 6.5 ± 0.5 m and a maximum right-lateral offset of 4.9 ± 0.5 m for its northern segment, which are the largest offsets found; the maximum vertical offset is 6.2 ± 0.5 m for its southern segment. The Pengguan fault has a NE-trending pure reverse rupture about 72 km long with a maximum vertical offset of about 3.5 m. The Xiaoyudong fault has a NW-striking left-lateral reverse rupture about 7 km long between the Beichuan and Pengguan faults, with a maximum vertical offset of 3.4 m and left-lateral offset of 3.5 m. This pattern of multiple co-seismic surface ruptures is among the most complicated of recent great earthquakes and presents a much larger danger than if they ruptured individually. The rupture length is the longest for reverse faulting events ever reported. [source] Foreign Investment and Trade in Cuban Development: A 50-Year Reassessment with Emphasis on the Post-1990 PeriodBULLETIN OF LATIN AMERICAN RESEARCH, Issue 4 2009MARIBEL APONTE-GARCÍA This article provides a 50-year reassessment of foreign investment and trade in Cuba and locates this analysis within Cuban debates on development and the economics of transition. Transformations contextualised in these debates cover three periods. The 1959,1989 period was characterised by nationalisations and expropriations, the imposition of the US trade embargo, and the trade and economic assistance agreements signed with the Soviet Union. The Special Period crisis emerged in the 1990s and Cuba had to turn to foreign investment and alternative trade options while continuing to reject the adoption of open regionalism and neoliberal policies. The 2005,2008 period was characterised by Cuba's incorporation into the Bolivarian Alternative, a new regional integration model. [source] Longitudinal assessment of symptom and subtype categories in obsessive,compulsive disorderDEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, Issue 7 2007Lutfullah Besiroglu M.D. Abstract Although it has been postulated that symptom subtypes are potential predictors of treatment response, few data exist on the longitudinal course of symptom and subtype categories in obsessive,compulsive disorder (OCD). Putative subtypes of OCD have gradually gained more recognition, but as yet there is no generally accepted subtype discrimination. Subtypes, it has been suggested, could perhaps be discriminated based on autogenous versus reactive obsessions stemming from different cognitive processes. In this study, our aim was to assess whether symptom and subtype categories change over time. Using the Yale,Brown Obsessive Compulsive Symptom Checklist (Y-BOCS-SC), we assessed 109 patients who met DSM-IV criteria for OCD to establish baseline values, then reassessed 91 (83%) of the initial group after 36±8.2 months. Upon reassessment, we found significant changes from baseline within aggressive, contamination, religious, symmetry and miscellaneous obsessions and within checking, washing, repeating, counting and ordering compulsion categories. Sexual, hoarding, and somatic obsessions, and hoarding and miscellaneous compulsions, did not change significantly. In accordance with the relevant literature, we also assigned patients to one of three subtypes,autogenous, reactive, or mixed groups. Though some changes in subtype categories were found, no subtype shifts (e.g., autogenous to reactive or reactive to autogenous) were observed during the course of the study. Significantly more patients in the autogenous group did not meet OCD criteria at follow-up than did patients in the other groups. Our results suggest that the discrimination between these two types of obsession might be highly valid, because autogenous and reactive obsessions are quite different, both in the development and maintenance of their cognitive mechanisms, and in their outcome. Depression and Anxiety 24:461,466, 2007. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Postembryonic development of the cranial lateral line canals and neuromasts in zebrafishDEVELOPMENTAL DYNAMICS, Issue 3 2003Jacqueline F. Webb Abstract The development of the cranial lateral line canals and neuromast organs are described in postembryonic zebrafish (0,80 days postfertilization). Cranial canal development commences several weeks after hatch, is initiated in the vicinity of individual neuromasts, and occurs in four discrete stages that are described histologically. Neuromasts remain in open canal grooves for several weeks during which they dramatically change shape and increase in size by adding hair cells at a rate one-tenth that in the zebrafish inner ear. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrates that neuromasts elongate perpendicular to the canal axis and the axis of hair cell polarization and that they lack a prominent nonsensory cell population surrounding the hair cells,features that make zebrafish neuromasts unusual among fishes. These results demand a reassessment of neuromast and lateral line canal diversity among fishes and highlight the utility of the lateral line system of postembryonic zebrafish for experimental and genetic studies of the development and growth of hair cell epithelia. Developmental Dynamics, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Insulin-treated diabetes and driving in the UKDIABETIC MEDICINE, Issue 6 2002G. Gill Abstract Diabetes, and particularly insulin-treated diabetes, has important implications for motor vehicle driving, largely because of its association with potential hypoglycaemia. For this reason, most countries operate some driving restrictions on insulin-treated diabetic patients, as well as systems of intermittent reassessment of hypoglycaemic risk. In the UK, regulations are operated by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), which is an agency of the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR). They are supported by an Expert Panel which advises the Secretary of State on diabetes-related issues relating to fitness to drive. The patient organization Diabetes UK is also concerned with diabetes and driving issues, largely from a position of lobbying policy-influencers and supporting individual cases. All parties involved with diabetes and driving issues recognize the need for more research on the subject, as the current literature is flawed in design, though no convincing excess of accidents amongst diabetic drivers has been conclusively demonstrated. Currently in the UK, Class 2 vehicles (large trucks and passenger vehicles) are barred to diabetic drivers on insulin. European law has recently extended this to so-called C1 (large vans and small lorries) and D1 (minibuses) vehicles, though the law has recently been revised to allow individual consideration for potential diabetic C1 drivers on insulin treatment. Diabetes and insulin-treated diabetes is an emotive and difficult issue, for which a stronger evidence base is urgently needed. [source] Using Design Effects From Previous Cluster Surveys to Guide Sample Size Calculation in Emergency SettingsDISASTERS, Issue 2 2006Reinhard Kaiser Abstract A good estimate of the design effect is critical for calculating the most efficient sample size for cluster surveys. We reviewed the design effects for seven nutrition and health outcomes from nine population-based cluster surveys conducted in emergency settings. Most of the design effects for outcomes in children, and one-half of the design effects for crude mortality, were below two. A reassessment of mortality data from Kosovo and Badghis, Afghanistan revealed that, given the same number of clusters, changing sample size had a relatively small impact on the precision of the estimate of mortality. We concluded that, in most surveys, assuming a design effect of 1.5 for acute malnutrition in children and two or less for crude mortality would produce a more efficient sample size. In addition, enhancing the sample size in cluster surveys without increasing the number of clusters may not result in substantial improvements in precision. [source] The origins of the theophoric week in the Germanic languagesEARLY MEDIEVAL EUROPE, Issue 4 2007Philip Shaw The Germanic terms for the days of the week that contain the names of Germanic deities are often taken to result from Romano-Germanic interactions in the fourth century AD. Yet this need not be the case: the linguistic arguments underpinning this view are not decisive. A reassessment of these names suggests that an early medieval process of transfer in scholarly Christian contexts may be equally, if not more, plausible. [source] Baking for the common good: a reassessment of the assize of bread in Medieval England1ECONOMIC HISTORY REVIEW, Issue 3 2004JAMES DAVIS This article reassesses the structure of the assize of bread and its relevance for bakers and consumers in late medieval England. It has long been thought that the laws governing the manufacture and sale of bread, although adhering to a logical relationship between weight and price, were nevertheless ill-considered in formulation, calculation, and enactment and did not, in reality, provide the stable allowance recommended for bakers. By examining the economic and moral ideology underlying the assize of bread it is possible to demonstrate that legislators were actually employing a rationale that best fitted contemporary circumstances and retail practices. There nevertheless remained one fundamental flaw in its construction, which was to have implications for its enforcement. [source] Temperance, alcohol, and the American evangelical: a reassessmentADDICTION, Issue 7 2009Jessica Warner ABSTRACT Abstinence from alcohol is a way of life for many American evangelicals, with rates of abstention running at over 70% among some Pentecostal denominations. This paper examines the religious beliefs that, historically, have supported teetotalism. The most notable of these is Christian perfection, a doctrine that originated in 18th-century England, that was then radicalized in America in the early 19th century. Abstinence from alcohol is highest among denominations that make Christian perfection the cornerstone of their teachings, and lowest among those that discount human agency. The paper also argues that 19th-century American evangelicals were by no means committed uniformly to temperance as a way of life, and that this was especially true of the various Methodist churches. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||