A literature review of horn and horn-like structures in vertebrates to correlate placement to function, behavior, and niche.

In this paper, the true horns of bovids are compared to the many horn-like structures found throughout the animal kingdom. Literary sources were reviewed for a variety of horn-like structures. The review was limited to extinct and extant terrestrial vertebrates. 3D models of these organisms\u27 skulls and “horns” were created or acquired and 3D printed at the same scale to illustrate their differences and similarities and to analysis of their comparative size easier between large and small genera

Y-Comm: a global architecture for heterogeneous networking.

In the near future mobile devices with several interfaces will become commonplace. Most of the peripheral networks using the Internet will therefore employ wireless technology. To provide support for these devices, this paper proposes a new framework which encompasses the functions of both peripheral and core networks. The framework is called Y-Comm and is defined in a layered manner like the OSI model

Shear rheological properties of fresh human faeces with different moisture content

Dry sanitation requires the handling of faeces, which vary in age and degree of transformation. Rheological data are necessary to support the design of equipment to handle faeces. The rheological properties of fresh human faeces were measured using a variable-speed rotational rheometer. Samples were further tested for moisture content, total solids, volatile content, and ash content. Faecal samples were found to have a yield stress; there was a decrease in apparent viscosity with increasing shear rate. For any given shear rate, higher apparent viscosities are associated with lower moisture contents. Across a range of water contents of 58.5% to 88.7%, apparent viscosities of 27 Pa∙s to 2 014 Pa∙s were measured at a shear rate of 1 s-1. During constant shear tests, the apparent viscosity of all faeces was found to decrease asymptotically, where the minimum apparent viscosity value increased with decreasing moisture content. A structural recovery test indicates that human faeces are thixotropic in behaviour, where the viscosity permanently decreases to 0.5% of the initial value after a 20 s exposure to a shear rate of 10 s-1. A linear relationship between viscosity and temperature was found, with a recorded 30.6% decrease in viscosity for a 35.6 °C increase in temperature from 13.4°C.Keywords: Human stool, mechanical properties, water content, flow curve, viscosity, yield stres

The characteristics, experiences and perceptions of naturopathic and herbal medicine practitioners: Results from a national survey in New Zealand

© Cottingham et al.; licensee BioMed Central. Background: Despite the popularity of naturopathic and herbal medicine in New Zealand there remains limited data on New Zealand-based naturopathic and herbal medicine practice. Methods: An online survey (covering 6 domains: demographics; practice characteristics; research; integrative practice; regulation and funding; contribution to national health objectives) was administered to naturopaths and herbal medicine practitioners. From a total of 338 naturopaths and herbal medicine practitioners, 107 responded providing a response rate of 32%. Data were statistically analysed using STATA. Results: A majority of the naturopaths and herbal medicine practitioners surveyed were female (91%), and aged between 45 and 54 years. Most practiced part-time (64%), with practitioner caseloads averaging 8 new clients and over 20 follow-up clients per month. Conclusions: There is a need for greater understanding and communication between practitioners of conventional care and naturopathic and herbal medicine which could support informed, coordinated and effective health provision within the New Zealand health care system. There is a need for further in-depth research examining naturopaths and herbal medicine practitioners' perceptions and practices, to provide insights of benefit to all those practising and managing health services as well as those directing health policy in New Zealand

Factorization fits to charmless strangeless B decays

We present fits to charmless strangeless hadronic B decay data for mean branching ratios and CP-violating asymmetries using the QCD factorization model of Beneke et al. Apart from one CP-violating parameter, the model gives a very good representation of 26 measured data. We find the CKM angle alpha = (93.5 +/- 8.4 -1.3) degrees and to be quite stable to plausible "charming penguin" corrections.Comment: 4 pages, LaTeX, Minor changes to text, references adde

The Workforce Investment Act: Implementation Experiences and Evaluation Findings

This volume examines WIA’s objectives and the evidence on program performance and impact. The chapters are organized into five general areas: 1) understanding WIA, 2) program implementation, 3) performance management, 4) impact evaluations, and 5) future evaluation choices.https://research.upjohn.org/up_press/1227/thumbnail.jp

The characteristics, experiences and perceptions of registered massage therapists in New Zealand: Results from a national survey of practitioners

© 2018, Multimed Inc. All rights reserved. Background: Massage therapy is widely recognized as offering many health benefits, with a growing number of studies finding it has value in stress management, pain reduction, and overcoming physical limitations. However, there are few studies of massage therapists practices and perceptions in New Zealand and internationally. This paper reports the findings from the first national survey examining the characteristics, perceptions, and experiences of New Zealand-based massage therapists on a range of aspects related to their role and practices. Purpose: This study sought to ascertain the characteristics, experiences, and perceptions of massage therapists in New Zealand, particularly in the aspects of: integration of health care; attitudes and practices related to research; and evidence and attitudes to registration. Setting: Massage practice in New Zealand (nationwide survey). Participants: Members of Massage New Zealand (a massage practitioners association). Research Design: Massage practitioners were surveyed online, using a 65-part questionnaire, on a range of characteristics of their practices and their attitudes to research, integration, and registration. Statistical analysis was performed using STATA. Statistical significance was set at 0.05. Main Outcome Measures: Four hundred massage therapists (MTs) were invited to participate and 115 responded, providing a response rate of 29%. MTs valued research (95%) and perceived that it had an impact for their practices (88%). Significant correlations were found for research value and: mean case-load (p = .009) and level of academic qualification (p = .004). The majority of MTs (79%) supported integration with conventional practitioners, and 83% referred clients to general practitioners, with 75% receiving referrals from general practitioners. Ninety-three percent of MTs supported registration, with 67% of those supporting statutory registration. Conclusion: Massage practitioners perceive that they make a significant contribution to health care, but area of practice, such as research, and referral and integration into mainstream health care require more in-depth investigation