Independent Complementary Distance Pattern Uniform Graphs

AgraphG =(V,E) is called to be Smarandachely uniform k-graph for an integer k ≥ 1ifthereexistsM1,M2, ·· ·,Mk ⊂ V (G) such that fMi (u) ={d(u, v):v ∈ Mi} for ∀u ∈ V (G)−Mi is independent of the choice of u ∈ V (G)−Mi and integer i, 1 ≤ i ≤ k. Each such set Mi, 1 ≤ i ≤ k is called a CDPU set [6, 7]. Particularly, for k = 1, a Smarandachely uniform 1-graph is abbreviated to a complementary distance pattern uniform graph, i.e., CDPU graphs. This paper studies independent CDPU graphs

Tonsillectomy among children with low baseline acute throat infection consultation rates in UK general practices: a cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effectiveness of tonsillectomy in reducing acute throat infection (ATI) consultation rates over 6 years' follow-up among children with low baseline ATI consultation rates. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: UK general practices from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink. PARTICIPANTS: Children aged 4-15 years with ≤3 ATI consultations during the 3 years prior to 2001 (baseline). 450 children who underwent tonsillectomy (tonsillectomy group) and 13 442 other children with an ATI consultation (comparison group) in 2001. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Mean differences in ATI consultation rates over the first 3 years' and subsequent 3 years' follow-up compared with 3 years prior to 2001 (baseline); odds of ≥3 ATI consultations at the same time points. RESULTS: Among children in the tonsillectomy group, the 3-year mean ATI consultation rate decreased from 1.31 to 0.66 over the first 3 years' follow-up and further declined to 0.60 over the subsequent 3 years' follow-up period. Compared with children who had no operation, those who underwent tonsillectomy experienced a reduction in 3-year mean ATI consultations per child of 2.5 (95% CI 2.3 to 2.6, p<0.001) over the first 3 years' follow-up, but only 1.2 (95% CI 1.0 to 1.4, p<0.001) over the subsequent 3 years' follow-up compared with baseline, respectively. This equates to a mean reduction of 3.7 ATI consultations over a 6-year period and approximates to a mean annual reduction of 0.6 ATI consultations per child, per year, over 6 years' follow-up. Children who underwent tonsillectomy were also much less likely to experience ≥3 ATI consultations during the first 3 years' follow-up (adjusted OR=0.12, 95% CI 0.08 to 0.17) and the subsequent 3 years' follow-up (adjusted OR=0.24, 95% CI 0.14 to 0.41). CONCLUSIONS: Among children with low baseline ATI rates, there was a statistically significant reduction in ATI consultation rates over 6 years' follow-up. However, the relatively modest clinical benefit needs to be weighed against the potential risks and complications associated with surgery

Mathematically gifted and talented learners: Theory and practice

This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of an article published in International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 40(2), 213-228, 2009, copyright Taylor & Francis, available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/00207390802566907.There is growing recognition of the special needs of mathematically gifted learners. This article reviews policy developments and current research and theory on giftedness in mathematics. It includes a discussion of the nature of mathematical ability as well as the factors that make up giftedness in mathematics. The article is set in the context of current developments in Mathematics Education and Gifted Education in the UK and their implications for Science and Technology. It argues that early identification and appropriate provision for younger mathematically promising pupils capitalizes on an intellectual resource which could provide future mathematicans as well as specialists in Science or Technology. Drawing on a Vygotskian framework, it is suggested that the mathematically gifted require appropriate cognitive challenges as well as attitudinally and motivationally enhancing experiences. In the second half of this article we report on an initiative in which we worked with teachers to identify mathematically gifted pupils and to provide effective enrichment support for them, in a number of London Local Authorities. A number of significant issues are raised relating to the identification of mathematical talent, enrichment provision for students and teachers’ professional development

Interventions to improve ergonomics in the operating theatre: A systematic review of ergonomics training and intra-operative microbreaks

Musculoskeletal occupational injury is prevalent within the surgical community. This is a multi-factorial issue, but is contributed to by physical posture, environmental hazards and administrative deficiency. There is growing awareness of this issue, with several behavioural, educational and administrative techniques being employed. The literature on this topic is, however, sporadic and difficult to access by healthcare practitioners. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the literature on the current interventions used to minimise musculoskeletal occupational injury in surgeons and interventionalists. This review will focus on administrative and human factor interventions, such as intra-operative microbreaks and ergonomics training

Nurturing the young shoots of talent: Using action research for exploration and theory building

This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of an article published in European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 19(4), 433-450, 2011, copyright Taylor & Francis, available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/1350293X.2011.623515.This paper reports the outcomes of a set of action research projects carried out by teacher researchers in 14 local education authorities in England, working collaboratively with university tutors, over a period of three years. The common aim of all the projects was to explore practical ways of nurturing the gifts and talents of children aged four–seven years. The project was funded by the Department of Education and Skills in England as part of the government's gifted and talented programme. The project teachers felt that their understanding of issues relating to nurturing the gifts and talents of younger children was enhanced through their engagement in the project. It was possible to map the findings of the projects to the English government's National Quality Standards for gifted and talented education which include: (1) identification; (2) effective provision in the classroom; (3) enabling curriculum entitlement and choice; (4) assessment for learning; (5) engaging with community, families and beyond. The findings are also analysed within the framework of good practice in educating children in the first years of schooling. Participating practitioners felt that action research offered them a suitable methodology to explore the complexity of the topic of giftedness through cycles of planning, action and reflection and personal theory building

Solid solubility and charge compensation/exchange mechanisms in Ga- or Mn-Doped CeO<inf>2</inf> thin films on 3D printed biomedical titanium alloy

CeO2 films doped with 0–9 mol% Ga/Mn were fabricated by spin coating on 3D-printed Ti6Al4V, calcined at 650 °C for 2 h, and characterised by TEM, FESEM, 3D laser scanning confocal microscopy, GAXRD, and XPS. The results depend on the roles of several factors: (1) Sol-gel precursor viscosity affected pore filling and surface coverage. (2) Lattice contraction and resultant intervalence charge transfer increased the Ce3+ concentration as a minority effect. (3) Substitutional solid solubility and associated redox charge compensation controlled the defect equilibria, which highlight the majority role of this solid solubility mechanism in decreasing the Ce3+ concentration. (4) Electronegativity played a negligible role in affecting the valences but was important in initiating intervalence charge transfer. (5) Multivalence charge transfer combined electron exchanges between film matrix, dopants, and Ti substrate. The present work provides a foundation to interpret the effects of extrinsic effects from both dopant and substrate on the properties of films

Applying sense-making to integrated health IT: Renal care in the UK and Sweden

Information technology (IT) in healthcare combines opportunities for improved integrated healthcare delivery with barrierswhich include clinician resistance and low adoption rates. While national level initiatives are taken to promote electronichealthcare (e-health), it is at the grassroots level that their outcomes unfold. This paper employs sense-making theory toextend prior research on the implementation of health IT by investigating the introduction of IT into renal care units in theUK and Sweden. Issues such as management support, user training, usability of systems and perceived benefits of technologywere found to have a direct impact on users’ sense-making processes. The manner in which people make sense of imposedsystems has far reaching effects, as the gap between intended results and actual outcomes is not limited to disparities betweenmicro-level end-users alone, but spans multiple levels including higher authorities, as well as individuals at the grassrootslevel

Climate change and Small Island developing states

About one fifth of all politically independent countries are Small Island Developing States (SIDS). These are to be found in all regions of the world, but most of them are located in the South Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. One of the greatest challenges to the sustainable development faced by these states relates to climate change. A matter of great concern for these states is that although they contribute very little to global warming, they are the ones that will be harmed most by the effects of climate change.peer-reviewe

Photoelectrochemical Properties of WO3 Thin Films Prepared by Electrodeposition

AbstractTungsten trioxide (WO3) thin films were synthesised by electrodeposition using peroxotungtic acid as the precursor electrolyte solution for use as photoanodes in a photoelectrochemical cell for solar hydrogen applications. The films were coated at deposition potentials varying from 0.30 to 0.90V versus Ag/AgCl in order to study the effect of the potential on the mineralogical, morphological, optical, and photoelectrochemical properties of the nanoparticulate films. The films were composed of monoclinic WO3, the degree of crystallinity and preferred orientation of the orthogonal planes of which increased with deposition potential and associated film thickness. In contract, increasing the deposition potential had a minimal impact on the particle sizes, which were in the range ∼80-90nm. While films deposited at the potential range of 0.30 to 0.60V showed controlled nanostructures with thicknesses in the range 168-431nm, increasing the deposition potential from 0.70 to 0.90V resulted in rapid increase in film, which led to cracking from drying stress. Linear voltammetry data suggested that the optimal potential for the deposition of stable films was in the range 0.37 to 0.60V. However, the data for the film deposited at a potential of 0.30V indicated a film of high quality. Further, the data for the film deposited at a potential of 0.60V indicated a film of a low quality and so this voltage represents a transition point for stable-unstable film growth and unstressed-stressed nanostructure from drying. The trends in the optical transmission properties showed that the photocatalytic activity of the films could be expected to decrease with increasing potential, thickness, and crystallinity. That is, the band gap and projected absorption edge exhibited a red shift. This was attributed to the relative effects of the surface and volume band gaps, in which the latter would increase relative to the former with increasing thickness. The photocurrent densities reflected the effects of increasing solid volume and decreasing band gap with increasing film thickness. The exception was the reduced performance of the film deposited at the potential of 0.60 V. This outcome was attributed to the competition between the photogeneration and recombination of electron-hole pairs, where the potential of 0.60V represents the transition point described above