Anatomical Study of Vastus Medialis Obliquus Orientation in Relation to the Superior Pole of the Patella

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to determine an optimal electrode site of the vastus medialis obliquus (VMO) from a predetermined landmark on the patella. Subjects. Twelve cadavers (6 male, 6 female), aged 30 to 86 years (x = 66.3), from Anatomy: PT 322 lab were utilized for data collection. Methods. The following three measurements were taken on the lower extremities of the cadavers using a transparent double axis grid: 1) distance from the superior patellar pole to the adductor magnus tendon 2) distance from the superior patellar pole to the center point of the VMO and 3) the number and location of 1 cm2 boxes that would definitely correspond to VMO fibs-rs. The origin (0,0) was superimposed over the superior patellar pole with the x axis parallel and the y axis perpendicular to the long axis of the femur. A second data collection on 12 of the same specimens was used to analyze intratester reliability. Results. The Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient for the first distance produced an r value of .42 and an r value of .84 for second distance. The average length from the superior patellar pole to the adductor magnus tendon was 6.40 cm (s = .59) and the average length from the superior patellar pole to the center point of the VMO was 4.58 cm (s = .67). The percentage of the total distance from the superior patellar pole to the adductor magnus tendon which corresponded to the center point of VMO fibers on the y axis was 71.6%. Therefore, the optimal electrode site on the VMO was determined to be at the 71.6% mark on the y axis and one and a half cm along the x axis from this point. Conclusion. Several factors appeared to have affected the reliability scores, however this was the initial trial for the device utilized and more research with this method is required. An optimal site for electrode placement on the VMO was determined which may prove beneficial for further studies in this area

Reasoned Verdicts: Oversold?

Jurors are lay fact-finders, untrained in the complexities of law and legal rules, and yet reasoned verdicts require that their reasons conform precisely to the law. This difficulty is the impetus for additional interaction with the court, as jurors must often call on legal assistance when drafting their verdicts. This necessity undermines the independence and power of jurors and opens the door for external pressures and biases to encroach on jurors’ decisions. When judges overturn jury verdicts that they consider insufficiently reasoned, judges substitute their judgments for those of the jurors. In addition, reasoned verdicts may lead to post hoc rationalizing rather than predecisional reasoning, and can be subject to poor framing and question construction. Ultimately, it seems a worthy goal to maximize jurors’ decision making while insulating such decisions from external influences. Requiring reasons of jurors may well change how jurors make decisions, but without empirical research, we cannot know if these changes are for the better. Requiring reasons of jurors may not be the panacea we desire, but it seems clear that it will undermine the independence of jurors and juries

Reasoned Verdicts: Oversold?

Jurors are lay fact-finders, untrained in the complexities of law and legal rules, and yet reasoned verdicts require that their reasons conform precisely to the law. This difficulty is the impetus for additional interaction with the court, as jurors must often call on legal assistance when drafting their verdicts. This necessity undermines the independence and power of jurors and opens the door for external pressures and biases to encroach on jurors’ decisions. When judges overturn jury verdicts that they consider insufficiently reasoned, judges substitute their judgments for those of the jurors. In addition, reasoned verdicts may lead to post hoc rationalizing rather than predecisional reasoning, and can be subject to poor framing and question construction. Ultimately, it seems a worthy goal to maximize jurors’ decision making while insulating such decisions from external influences. Requiring reasons of jurors may well change how jurors make decisions, but without empirical research, we cannot know if these changes are for the better. Requiring reasons of jurors may not be the panacea we desire, but it seems clear that it will undermine the independence of jurors and juries

Multi-touch tables and collaborative learning

Steve Higgins is a professor of Education at Durham University. His main research interests are in the pedagogy of educational technology in schools and the use of evidence in education. Dr Emma Mercier is a research associate in the School of Education at Durham University. She has a particular interest in the role of collaboration in learning and the working of interdisciplinary teams. Professor Liz Burd's research focus is to gain an improved understanding that will increase the accountability of software development and change processes. She is also interested in Computer Science education and the role of assessment in higher education more widely. Andrew Joyce-Gibbons is a former primary school teacher and a doctoral student in the School of Education at Durham University. His research interest is in the role of the teacher in supporting effective group work, particularly in technology-enhanced learning settings

Characterization of mild whole-body hyperthermia protocols using human breast, ovarian, and colon tumors grown in severe combined immunodeficient mice.

OBJECTIVE: We have shown that one treatment of fever-like whole body hyperthermia (WBH) on mice bearing human breast tumors results in a tumor growth delay. Our goal was to repeat this study in mice bearing human ovarian or colon tumors. We further evaluated this WBH protocol by performing multiple and interrupted WBH treatments. METHODS: Human tumors were grown in severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice. For WBH, core body temperatures were maintained at 39.8+/-0.2 degrees C for 6-8 hours. Multiple treatments were given 6-7 days apart. Interrupted WBH consisted of three 2-hour heatings, 15 minutes apart. Tumor growth time (TGT) was the number of days to grow 1.5 or 2 times in volume. RESULTS: For WBH-treated ovarian tumors, TGT was 12+/-1.2d, compared with 5.0+/-0.1d for untreated mice (P < 0.05). For colon tumors with one WBH treatment TGT was 4.4+/-1.1d. Two and three treatments had TGTs of 9+/-2.3d and 8+/-1.6d. For the untreated tumors, TGT was 2+/-0.7d (P < 0.01 for one, two, and three treatments). Histological examination indicated that one and two treatments were associated with cellular damage within the tumors. With a slower growing colon tumor, the TGT was 24+/-3.3d with three WBH treatments, compared with 14+/-1.8d for controls (P < 0.01). The TGT of breast tumors treated with interrupted WBH was not significantly different than the noninterrupted, with TGT of 7.3+/-0.8d and 6.2+/-1.0d, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These data illustrate that WBH causes a tumor growth delay in mice bearing human ovarian and colon tumors. This response is enhanced with a second treatment of WBH. Interrupted and noninterrupted WBH give comparable anti-tumor results. We will continue to evaluate WBH in various animal models to optimize its potential for clinical administration and maximize the anti-tumor response

On homothetic cosmological dynamics

We consider the homogeneous and isotropic cosmological fluid dynamics which is compatible with a homothetic, timelike motion, equivalent to an equation of state $\rho + 3P = 0$. By splitting the total pressure $P$ into the sum of an equilibrium part $p$ and a non-equilibrium part $\Pi$, we find that on thermodynamical grounds this split is necessarily given by $p = \rho$ and $\Pi = - (4/3)\rho$, corresponding to a dissipative stiff (Zel'dovich) fluid.Comment: 8 pages, to be published in Class. Quantum Gra