SCIENCES SERVICES, MANAGEMENT AND ENGINEERING: ONE ANSWER TO THE EMERGENT SERVICES SECTOR

The sector services are already the most important in the economy of the developed societies. In spite of it, the discussion on the professional management goes very late regarding the social and economic necessities of the organizations and the society. As part of this society, the University needs to elaborate answers to the demands of this emergent sector. At the beginning of this century a combined university and managerial discussion originated an academic new discipline: "Science, management and engineering of the services (SSME). In this work the role of the university in the development of this Science is presente

A comparison of two-coloured filter systems for treating visual reading difficulties

Copyright @ 2013 Informa UK Ltd.Purpose: Visual disturbances that make it difficult to read text are often termed “visual stress”. Coloured filters in spectacles may help some children overcome reading problems that are often caused by visual stress. It has been suggested that for optimal effect each child requires an individually prescribed colour for each eye, as determined in systems such as the “Harris Foundation” coloured filters. Alternatively, it has been argued that only blue or yellow filters, as used in the “Dyslexia Research Trust” (DRT) filter system, are necessary to affect the underlying physiology. Method: A randomised, double blind trial with 73 delayed readers, was undertaken to compare changes in reading and spelling as well as irregular and non-word reading skills after 3 months of wearing either the Harris or the DRT filters. Results: Reading improved significantly after wearing either type of filter (t = −8.4, p < 0.01), with 40% of the children improving their reading age by 6 months or more during the 3 month trial. However, spelling ability (t = 2.1, p = 0.05) and non-word reading (f = 4.7, p < 0.05) improved significantly more with the DRT than with the Harris filters. Conclusion: Education and rehabilitation professionals should therefore, consider coloured filters as an effective intervention for delayed readers experiencing visual stress

Synchronous congenital nasal piriform aperture stenosis and atresia : A rare accompaniment of mid-facial dystosis and cause of neonatal upper airway obstruction

Congenital nasal piriform aperture stenosis (CNPAS) is a recently distinguished clinical entity that causes airway compromise in neonate as a result of a narrowing of the nasal piriform aperture. It may be bilateral or unilateral. Often considered as a form of holoprosencaphaly. Being the narrowest part of the nasal airway, any slight reduction in its cross sectional area will profoundly increase the nasal airway resistance with the attendant clinical challenges. Readily making an accurate clinical diagnosis may be very challenging when CNPAS occurs in the setting of a craniofacial dysostosis. This communiqué is aimed at increasing awareness among clinicians involved in paediatric care of the clinical entity congenital nasal piriform aperture stenosis and atresia presenting atypically as synchronous disorder with midfacial dysostosis. Hence, it should be kept in mind as a rare mimicker of bilateral choanal atresia and requires mandatory high resolution computerized tomography to confirm the diagnosis