Developing heuristics for Web communication: an introduction to this special issue

This article describes the role of heuristics in the Web design process. The five sets of heuristics that appear in this issue are also described, as well as the research methods used in their development. The heuristics were designed to help designers and developers of Web pages or sites to consider crucial communicative aspects of Web site design. Also previewed is a sixth article that presents a framework for characterizing and analyzing the broad variety of heuristics that are available for Web designers

Simulating the impact of centralization of prostate cancer surgery services on travel burden and equity in the English National Health Service: A national population based model for health service re-design.

INTRODUCTION: There is limited evidence on the impact of centralization of cancer treatment services on patient travel burden and access to treatment. Using prostate cancer surgery as an example, this national study analysis aims to simulate the effect of different centralization scenarios on the number of center closures, patient travel times, and equity in access. METHODS: We used patient-level data on all men (n = 19,256) undergoing radical prostatectomy in the English National Health Service between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2014, and considered three scenarios for centralization of prostate cancer surgery services A: procedure volume, B: availability of specialized services, and C: optimization of capacity. The probability of patients travelling to each of the remaining centers in the choice set was predicted using a conditional logit model, based on preferences revealed through actual hospital selections. Multivariable linear regression analysed the impact on travel time according to patient characteristics. RESULTS: Scenarios A, B, and C resulted in the closure of 28, 24, and 37 of the 65 radical prostatectomy centers, respectively, affecting 3993 (21%), 5763 (30%), and 7896 (41%) of the men in the study. Despite similar numbers of center closures the expected average increase on travel time was very different for scenario B (+15 minutes) and A (+28 minutes). A distance minimization approach, assigning patients to their next nearest center, with patient preferences not considered, estimated a lower impact on travel burden in all scenarios. The additional travel burden on older, sicker, less affluent patients was evident, but where significant, the absolute difference was very small. CONCLUSION: The study provides an innovative simulation approach using national patient-level datasets, patient preferences based on actual hospital selections, and personal characteristics to inform health service planning. With this approach, we demonstrated for prostate cancer surgery that three different centralization scenarios would lead to similar number of center closures but to different increases in patient travel time, whilst all having a minimal impact on equity

Eye movements in patients with Whiplash Associated Disorders: a systematic review

textabstractBackground: Many people with Whiplash Associated Disorders (WAD) report problems with vision, some of which may be due to impaired eye movements. Better understanding of such impaired eye movements could improve diagnostics and treatment strategies. This systematic review surveys the current evidence on changes in eye movements of patients with WAD and explains how the oculomotor system is tested. Methods: Nine electronic data bases were searched for relevant articles from inception until September 2015. All studies which investigated eye movements in patients with WAD and included a healthy control group were screened for inclusion. Qualifying studies were retrieved and independently assessed for methodological quality using the Methodology Checklists provided by the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network. Results: Fourteen studies out of 833 unique hits were included. Ten studies reported impaired eye movements in patients with WAD and in four studies no differences compared to healthy controls were found. Different methods of eye movement examination were used in the ten studies: in five studies, the smooth pursuit neck torsion test was positive, in two more the velocity and stability of head movements during eye-coordination tasks were decreased, and in another three studies the cervico-ocular reflex was elevated. Conclusions: Overall the reviewed studies show deficits in eye movement in patients with WAD, but studies and results are varied. When comparing the results of the 14 relevant publications, one should realise that there are significant differences in test set-up and patient population. In the majority of studies patients show altered compensatory eye movements and smooth pursuit movements which may impair the coordination of head and eyes

Markante Friezen - Bij wijze van inleiding

Dit stuk is de inleiding tot een bundel studies van Anthonia ('Tony') Feitsma over de Nederlands-Friese taalkundige Joast Hiddes Halbertsma (1789-1869). Het boek bevat artikelen in het Fries, Nederlands, Engels en Duits. In deze inleiding wordt een schets gegeven van leven en werk van Tony Feitsma. Tevens wordt de inhoud van de bundel nader gekarakteriseerd en de positie van Halbertsma in de contemporaine linguïstiek aangegeven

Formulation of poorly water-soluble drugs via coacervation : a pilot study using febantel

A

Systemic, pulmonary and coronary haemodynamic actions of the novel dopamine receptor agonist in awake pigs at rest and during treadmill exercise Z1046

1. In view of the potential therapeutic application of specific dopamine receptor agonists in the treatment of hypertension and left ventricular dysfunction, we investigated the cardiovascular actions of the novel mixed D1/D2 dopamine receptor agonist Z1046 in awake pigs at rest and during treadmill exercise. 2. Thirteen swine were chronically instrumented under sterile conditions for measurement of systemic, pulmonary, and coronary haemodynamics. Regional blood flows were determined with the radioactive microsphere technique. 3. Z1046 (1, 10, 100 μg kg-1, i.v.) produced dose-dependent reductions in central aortic blood pressure (up to 27 ± 3%, P ≤ 0.05) in awake resting pigs which was accompanied by only minimal reflex activation of the sympathetic nervous system. The hypotensive response was principally the result of peripheral vasodilatation (system vascular resistance decreased up to 35 ± 4%, P ≤ 0.05), which was located in the cerebral, coronary, renal, mesenteric, adrenal, splenic and skeletal muscular vascular beds (vascular resistance decreased up to 30-40% after the highest dose in these beds). Only in the cerebral and mesenteric bed was the vasodilatation sufficiently large to overcome the decrease in blood pressure and result in an increased blood flow; the vasodilatation in the coronary bed was most likely due to autoregulation as neither coronary blood flow nor myocardial oxygen demand were changed significantly by Z1046. The systemic vasodilatation that was caused by the highest i.v. dose (100 μg kg-1) was accompanied by transient and minor increases in heart rate (15 ± 5%, P ≤ 0.05) and cardiac output (15 ± 5%, P ≤ 0.05) whereas after 10 μg kg-1, i.v., a slight decrease in cardiac output also contributed to the hypotension. Z1046 had no effect on pulmonary vascular resistance. 4. The systemic vasodilator responses to Z1046 (100 μg kg-1, i.v.) were sustained during treadmill exercise (2-4 km h-1 which produced heart rates of up to 233 ± 10 beats min-1), but with increasing treadmill speed attenuation of the exercise-induced increase in heart rate (-11 ± 3%, P ≤ 0.05) and hence cardiac output (-10 ± 3%, P ≤ 0.05) (as stroke volume was not altered by Z1046) contributed significantly to a lower aortic blood pressure (-20 ± 3%, P ≤ 0.05). Z1046 had no effect on pulmonary vascular resistance during exercise. 5. Oral administration of Z1046 (0.5, 1.5 mg kg-1) produced a fall in central aortic blood pressure (up to 15 ± 3%, P ≤ 0.05), which developed gradually during the first 90 min and lasted up to 4 h after administration, again with negligible changes in heart rate and LVdP/dt(max). 6. Neither non-selective α- and β-adrenoceptor blockade, nor selective α2-adrenoceptor blockade altered the vasodilator actions of Z1046, but non-selective α- and β-adrenoceptor blockade abolished the cardiac responses to dopamine receptor stimulation, suggesting that its cardiac actions were principally caused by D2-receptor-mediated inhibition of catecholamine release, whereas the vasodilator response was probably the result of vascular D1-receptor stimulation. 7. In conclusion, the novel dopamine receptor agonist Z1046 is an effective blood pressure lowering agent that elicits minimal reflex activation of the sympathetic nervous system in awake resting pigs. Systemic vasodilatation was not affected by combined α- and β-adrenoceptor blockade, which is consistent with a predominantly D1 receptor-dependent vasodilator mechanism. The hypotensive effect is maintained during treadmill exercise during which systemic vasodilatation and a lower cardiac output both contribute to the blood pressure lowering actions of Z1046. The cardiovascular profile of this orally active compound warrants further investigation of this class of drugs in experimental and clinical hypertension.</p

Systemic, pulmonary and coronary haemodynamic actions of the novel dopamine receptor agonist in awake pigs at rest and during treadmill exercise Z1046

1. In view of the potential therapeutic application of specific dopamine receptor agonists in the treatment of hypertension and left ventricular dysfunction, we investigated the cardiovascular actions of the novel mixed D1/D2 dopamine receptor agonist Z1046 in awake pigs at rest and during treadmill exercise. 2. Thirteen swine were chronically instrumented under sterile conditions for measurement of systemic, pulmonary, and coronary haemodynamics. Regional blood flows were determined with the radioactive microsphere technique. 3. Z1046 (1, 10, 100 μg kg-1, i.v.) produced dose-dependent reductions in central aortic blood pressure (up to 27 ± 3%, P ≤ 0.05) in awake resting pigs which was accompanied by only minimal reflex activation of the sympathetic nervous system. The hypotensive response was principally the result of peripheral vasodilatation (system vascular resistance decreased up to 35 ± 4%, P ≤ 0.05), which was located in the cerebral, coronary, renal, mesenteric, adrenal, splenic and skeletal muscular vascular beds (vascular resistance decreased up to 30-40% after the highest dose in these beds). Only in the cerebral and mesenteric bed was the vasodilatation sufficiently large to overcome the decrease in blood pressure and result in an increased blood flow; the vasodilatation in the coronary bed was most likely due to autoregulation as neither coronary blood flow nor myocardial oxygen demand were changed significantly by Z1046. The systemic vasodilatation that was caused by the highest i.v. dose (100 μg kg-1) was accompanied by transient and minor increases in heart rate (15 ± 5%, P ≤ 0.05) and cardiac output (15 ± 5%, P ≤ 0.05) whereas after 10 μg kg-1, i.v., a slight decrease in cardiac output also contributed to the hypotension. Z1046 had no effect on pulmonary vascular resistance. 4. The systemic vasodilator responses to Z1046 (100 μg kg-1, i.v.) were sustained during treadmill exercise (2-4 km h-1 which produced heart rates of up to 233 ± 10 beats min-1), but with increasing treadmill speed attenuation of the exercise-induced increase in heart rate (-11 ± 3%, P ≤ 0.05) and hence cardiac output (-10 ± 3%, P ≤ 0.05) (as stroke volume was not altered by Z1046) contributed significantly to a lower aortic blood pressure (-20 ± 3%, P ≤ 0.05). Z1046 had no effect on pulmonary vascular resistance during exercise. 5. Oral administration of Z1046 (0.5, 1.5 mg kg-1) produced a fall in central aortic blood pressure (up to 15 ± 3%, P ≤ 0.05), which developed gradually during the first 90 min and lasted up to 4 h after administration, again with negligible changes in heart rate and LVdP/dt(max). 6. Neither non-selective α- and β-adrenoceptor blockade, nor selective α2-adrenoceptor blockade altered the vasodilator actions of Z1046, but non-selective α- and β-adrenoceptor blockade abolished the cardiac responses to dopamine receptor stimulation, suggesting that its cardiac actions were principally caused by D2-receptor-mediated inhibition of catecholamine release, whereas the vasodilator response was probably the result of vascular D1-receptor stimulation. 7. In conclusion, the novel dopamine receptor agonist Z1046 is an effective blood pressure lowering agent that elicits minimal reflex activation of the sympathetic nervous system in awake resting pigs. Systemic vasodilatation was not affected by combined α- and β-adrenoceptor blockade, which is consistent with a predominantly D1 receptor-dependent vasodilator mechanism. The hypotensive effect is maintained during treadmill exercise during which systemic vasodilatation and a lower cardiac output both contribute to the blood pressure lowering actions of Z1046. The cardiovascular profile of this orally active compound warrants further investigation of this class of drugs in experimental and clinical hypertension.</p

Compact mass flow meter based on a micro coriolis flow sensor

In this paper we demonstrate a compact ready-to-use micro Coriolis mass flow meter. The full scale flow is 1 g/h (for water at a pressure drop < 1 bar). It has a zero stability of 2 mg/h and an accuracy of 0.5% reading for both liquids and gases. The temperature drift between 10 and 50 °C is below 1 mg/h/°C. The meter is robust, has standard fluidic connections and can be read out by means of a PC or laptop via USB. Its performance was tested for several common gases (hydrogen, helium, nitrogen, argon and air) and liquids (water and isopropanol). As in all Coriolis mass flow meters, the meter is also able to measure the actual density of the medium flowing through the tube. The sensitivity of the measured density is ~1 Hz.m3/kg