Carrot or stick? – Would information concerning the economic value of nutrient losses, and their impact on food quality achieve greater environmental protection than regulation?

This report was presented at the UK Organic Research 2002 Conference. Organic standards have, since their origin (Soil Association 1967) required high standards of manure management, but in reality, these have not been implemented, possibly because of perceived costs of improved handling. However, a cost/benefit analysis of intermediate steps of nutrient conservation and manure handling may provide a practical solution, optimising retention of nutrients, financial and time inputs and environmental protection. Recent research on composting with conventional manures has quantified nutrient losses from heaps with different treatments (Parkinson et al, 2001). Financial and environmental costs and benefits of different management approaches are discussed

Electronic health record: integrating evidence-based information at the point of clinical decision making

The authors created two tools to achieve the goals of providing physicians with a way to review alternative diagnoses and improving access to relevant evidence-based library resources without disrupting established workflows. The “diagnostic decision support tool” lifted terms from standard, coded fields in the electronic health record and sent them to Isabel, which produced a list of possible diagnoses. The physicians chose their diagnoses and were presented with the “knowledge page,” a collection of evidence-based library resources. Each resource was automatically populated with search results based on the chosen diagnosis. Physicians responded positively to the “knowledge page.

Reference Ranges of Left Ventricular Strain Measures by Two-Dimensional Speckle-Tracking Echocardiography in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND: Establishment of the range of reference values and associated variations of two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (2DSTE)-derived left ventricular (LV) strain is a prerequisite for its routine clinical adoption in pediatrics. The aims of this study were to perform a meta-analysis of normal ranges of LV global longitudinal strain (GLS), global circumferential strain (GCS), and global radial strain (GRS) measurements derived by 2DSTE in children and to identify confounding factors that may contribute to variance in reported measures. METHODS: A systematic review was launched in MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and the Cochrane Library. Search hedges were created to cover the concepts of pediatrics, STE, and left-heart ventricle. Two investigators independently identified and included studies if they reported 2DSTE-derived LV GLS, GCS, or GRS. The weighted mean was estimated by using random effects models with 95% CIs, heterogeneity was assessed using the Cochran Q statistic and the inconsistency index (I(2)), and publication bias was evaluated using the Egger test. Effects of demographic (age), clinical, and vendor variables were assessed in a metaregression. RESULTS: The search identified 2,325 children from 43 data sets. The reported normal mean values of GLS among the studies varied from -16.7% to -23.6% (mean, -20.2%; 95% CI, -19.5% to -20.8%), GCS varied from -12.9% to -31.4% (mean, -22.3%; 95% CI, -19.9% to -24.6%), and GRS varied from 33.9% to 54.5% (mean, 45.2%; 95% CI, 38.3% to 51.7%). Twenty-six studies reported longitudinal strain only from the apical four-chamber view, with a mean of -20.4% (95% CI, -19.8% to -21.7%). Twenty-three studies reported circumferential strain (mean, -20.3%; 95% CI, -19.4% to -21.2%) and radial strain (mean, 46.7%; 95% CI, 42.3% to 51.1%) from the short-axis view at the midventricular level. A significant apex-to-base segmental longitudinal strain gradient (P 94% and P < .001 for each strain measure), which was not explained by age, gender, body surface area, blood pressure, heart rate, frame rate, frame rate/heart rate ratio, tissue-tracking methodology, location of reported strain value along the strain curve, ultrasound equipment, or software. The metaregression showed that these effects were not significant determinants of variations among normal ranges of strain values. There was no evidence of publication bias (P = .40). CONCLUSIONS: This study defines reference values of 2DSTE-derived LV strain in children on the basis of a meta-analysis. In healthy children, mean LV GLS was -20.2% (95% CI, -19.5% to -20.8%), mean GCS was -22.3% (95% CI, -19.9% to -24.6%), and mean GRS was 45.2% (95% CI, 38.3% to 51.7%). LV segmental longitudinal strain has a stable apex-to-base gradient that is preserved throughout maturation. Although variations among different reference ranges in this meta-analysis were not dependent on differences in demographic, clinical, or vendor parameters, age- and vendor-specific referenced ranges were established as well

Montessori and Non-Montessori Early Childhood Teachers’ Attitudes Toward Inclusion and Access

Montessori and non-Montessori general education early childhood teachers were surveyed about their attitudes toward including children with disabilities and providing these students access to the curriculum. Both groups reported similar and positive system-wide supports for inclusion within their schools. Montessori teachers reported having less knowledge about inclusion and less special education professional development than their non-Montessori counterparts. Implications for professional development and teacher preparation are described

The Development of the Systematic Reviews Special Interest Group of MLA

Objectives: This poster will cover the reasoning behind the development of the Systematic Reviews SIG and the aims of the group. It will also provide a background of systematic reviews and support services. Methods: In summer of 2014 the Systematic Reviews SIG was proposed to MLA. The conveners followed the procedure for developing a SIG, including writing up a short proposal and collecting signatures. The proposal covered 5 assertions on the need for a SIG: importance of systematic reviews in healthcare, sharp increase in production of reviews, standards covering librarian involvement, complexity of review methods, and the evolving nature of review methods. A quick informal survey was sent out to members of MLA who had given a paper, poster, workshop, or had attended a continuing education course. Results: Over 150 signatures were collected supporting the creation of the SIG. A website was created to support sharing information, training, and experiences in systematic review support services. Conclusions: A SIG is an effective method to collaborate with other MLA members on specific topic. The Systematic Review SIG will strive to provide a platform for discussing systematic review methods, highlighting professional development opportunities, promoting standards, and more