Locality, luck and family ornaments

Collecting ornaments is a popular pastime in Britain. This paper looks at cheaply produced collectables and the meanings and values attributed to private collections by their owners, who lovingly tend to them. Fieldwork consisted of ethnographic research conducted in 2004 and 2005 among people aged 60 and over in a town on the South Cheshire–North Staffordshire border, close to the heart of British ceramic production – Moorland, Wedgwood-Waterford, Argyle, Royal Stratford.1 In particular, the paper focuses on so-called ‘lucky’ ornaments and figurines, especially the ‘whimsy’ – a small fanciful object or trinket created by a glass-blower or potter – and on how the rituals associated with collecting help to maintain the family and its social relationships

High Birefringence Liquid Crystals For Optical Communications

High birefringence (Δn \u3e 0.4) nematic liquid crystals are particularly attractive for infrared applications because they enable a thinner cell gap to be used for achieving fast response time and improved diffraction efficiency. In this thesis, the mesomorphic and electro‐optic properties of several new fluorinated isothiocyanate (NCS) terphenyl and phenyl tolane single compounds and mixtures are reported. The single compounds demonstrated Δn~0.35‐0.52 in the visible spectral region at room temperature and exhibit relatively low viscosity. It was found that lateral fluorine substitutions and short alkyl chains eliminate smectic phase and lower the melting temperature of the single compounds. However, the consequence of using highly conjugated compounds to improve electro‐optic properties is that the nematic phase is exhibited at high temperatures, over 100°C, and therefore single compounds cannot be used for device applications. Therefore, several mixtures based on the terphenyl and phenyl‐tolane compounds were formulated and evaluated. The purpose of mixtures is to find the optimum balance between electro‐optic performance and the mesomorphic properties that determine the operating temperature range. It was found that mixture formulations greatly improved mesomorphic properties to produce nematic phase at or near room temperature and suppressed smectic phase to below 0°C or eliminating completely. The analysis presented evaluates the benefits of lowering the operating temperature versus the consequence of degrading the electro‐optic properties

Using Google Trends for Search Engine Optimization of Extension Internet Content

Google Trends can be a useful tool for Extension professionals in determining online interest in search terms. By knowing this information, online Extension content can be tailored to attract increased Internet traffic from search engines. An example comparison of cattle nutrition\u27 and similar search terms shows widely varying search interest amongst these terms in the United States from 2011 through 2014. Differences in search term popularity among locations and over time are also worth noting. This demonstrates the importance of making informed wording choices that consider search engine optimization when preparing Extension content for online distribution

Use of an Internet-Based Hay Directory in Beef Cattle Extension Programming

Commodity directories are often considered services but can also be used to collect current information for use in Extension programming efforts. An Internet-based hay directory was established in response to beef cattle producer requests. Mississippi Hay Directory listing criteria and submission methods were chosen by Extension personnel to collect statewide hay production demographics and producer communication method use information. Analysis of directory listings over a 2-year period provided Extension personnel with valuable information for future producer education efforts. Directory evaluation results indicate that it was successful in achieving its objectives. Directory use by producers exceeded expectations and continues to expand

Mining morals, muck and Akan gold in New York City

Among Akan spirit preachers at shrines in New York, gold and gold weights are at the centre of the creation of new moral topographies in a fluid and contested context. In a get-rich-quick New York marketplace, the preachers appeal to an understanding of gold that is contained within Akan values and ethical codes surrounding economic responsibility and social obligation. Remaking Manhattan's ethical geographies from the standpoint of a transnational Akan morality, occult narratives offer a different reading that links the moral dirt of the landfill sites of Manhattan with that of the rivers and forests polluted by cyanide, sulphuric acid and other mining chemicals in Obuasi, Ghana, a centre of gold mining. The paper plots a map of muck and morals as shrine discourses about gold provide a critical commentary on the moral conventions of wealth creation, accumulation and desire among a diasporic community

Effects of cholesterol-lowering with simvastatin on stroke and other major vascular events in 20536 people with cerebrovascular disease or other high-risk conditions.

BACKGROUND: Lower blood cholesterol concentrations have consistently been found to be strongly associated with lower risks of coronary disease but not with lower risks of stroke. Despite this observation, previous randomised trials had indicated that cholesterol-lowering statin therapy reduces the risk of stroke, but large-scale prospective confirmation has been needed. METHODS: 3280 adults with cerebrovascular disease, and an additional 17256 with other occlusive arterial disease or diabetes, were randomly allocated 40 mg simvastatin daily or matching placebo. Subgroup analyses were prespecified of first "major vascular event" (ie, non-fatal myocardial infarction or coronary death, stroke of any type, or any revascularisation procedure) in prior disease subcategories. Subsidiary outcomes included any stroke, and stroke sub-type. Comparisons are of all simvastatin-allocated versus all placebo-allocated participants (ie, "intention-to-treat"), which yielded an average difference in LDL cholesterol of 1.0 mmol/L (39 mg/dL) during the 5-year treatment period. FINDINGS: Overall, there was a highly significant 25% (95% CI 15-34) proportional reduction in the first event rate for stroke (444 [4.3%] simvastatin vs 585 [5.7%] placebo; p<0.0001), reflecting a definite 28% (19-37) reduction in presumed ischaemic strokes (p<0.0001) and no apparent difference in strokes attributed to haemorrhage (51 [0.5%] vs 53 [0.5%]; rate ratio 0.95 [0.65-1.40]; p=0.8). In addition, simvastatin reduced the numbers having transient cerebral ischaemic attacks alone (2.0% vs 2.4%; p=0.02) or requiring carotid endarterectomy or angioplasty (0.4% vs 0.8%; p=0.0003). The reduction in stroke was not significant during the first year, but was already significant (p=0.0004) by the end of the second year. Among patients with pre-existing cerebrovascular disease there was no apparent reduction in the stroke rate, but there was a highly significant 20% (8-29) reduction in the rate of any major vascular event (406 [24.7%] vs 488 [29.8%]; p=0.001). The proportional reductions in stroke were about one-quarter in each of the other subcategories of participant studied, including: those with coronary disease or diabetes; those aged under or over 70 years at entry; and those presenting with different levels of blood pressure or lipids (even when the pretreatment LDL cholesterol was below 3.0 mmol/L [116 mg/dL]). INTERPRETATION: Much larger numbers of people in the present study suffered a stroke than in any previous cholesterol-lowering trial. The results demonstrate that statin therapy rapidly reduces the incidence not only of coronary events but also of ischaemic strokes, with no apparent effect on cerebral haemorrhage, even among individuals who do not have high cholesterol concentrations. Allocation to 40 mg simvastatin daily reduced the rate of ischaemic strokes by about one-quarter and so, after making allowance for non-compliance in the trial, actual use of this regimen would probably reduce the stroke rate by about a third. HPS also provides definitive evidence that statin therapy is beneficial for people with pre-existing cerebrovascular disease, even if they do not already have manifest coronary disease

Characteristics of Effective Teaching in Physician Assistant Programs from the Students\u27 Perspective

Purpose: This qualitative study aims to identify the characteristics physician assistant (PA) students find most important for effective teaching by faculty in physician assistant programs. With this information, physician assistant faculty can enhance their teaching effectiveness in the classroom and optimize the environment for student learning. Faculty may also use the data obtained from this study to increase the likelihood of their retention or promotion as student input regarding teaching effectiveness is frequently one of the variables used in faculty evaluations. Methods: Physician assistant students from three physician assistant programs were emailed a survey that asked for their response to an open-ended question: “What are the most important qualities or characteristics for physician assistant faculty to possess for effective teaching in a physician assistant program?” The responses were categorized using Marsh’s Students’ Evaluation of Educational Quality framework. Results: Respondents most frequently listed individual words or phrases that corresponded to the categories of individual rapport and organization. Conclusions: Physician assistant faculty who possess good individual rapport and organizational skills are more likely to be viewed as effective teachers by physician assistant students. Faculty that are lacking those skills could enhance their teaching effectiveness and the opportunity for advancement in their physician assistant program by improving their individual rapport with students and their organizational skills

A comprehensive analysis of APOE genotype effects on human brain structure in the UK Biobank

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) risk is increased in carriers of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 allele and decreased in ε2 allele carriers compared with the ε3ε3 genotype. The aim of this study was to determine whether: the APOE genotype affects brain grey (GM) or white matter (WM) structure; and if differences exist, the age when they become apparent and whether there are differential effects by sex. We used cross-sectional magnetic resonance imaging data from ~43,000 (28,494 after pre-processing) white British cognitively healthy participants (7,446 APOE ε4 carriers) aged 45–80 years from the UK Biobank cohort and investigated image-derived phenotypes (IDPs). We observed no statistically significant effects of APOE genotype on GM structure volumes or median T2* in subcortical structures, a measure related to iron content. The volume of white matter hyperintensities differed significantly between APOE genotype groups with higher volumes in APOE ε4ε4 (effect size 0.14 standard deviations [SD]) and ε3ε4 carriers (effect size 0.04 SD) but no differences in ε2 carriers compared with ε3ε3 carriers. WM integrity measures in the dorsal (mean diffusivity [MD]) and ventral cingulum (MD and intracellular volume fraction), posterior thalamic radiation (MD and isotropic volume fraction) and sagittal stratum (MD) indicated lower integrity in APOE ε4ε4 carriers (effect sizes around 0.2–0.3 SD) and ε3ε4 (effect sizes around 0.05 SD) carriers but no differences in ε2 carriers compared with the APOE ε3ε3 genotype. Effects did not differ between men and women. APOE ε4 homozygotes had lower WM integrity specifically at older ages with a steeper decline of WM integrity from the age of 60 that corresponds to around 5 years greater “brain age”. APOE genotype affects various white matters measures, which might be indicative of preclinical AD processes. This hypothesis can be assessed in future when clinical outcomes become available

ASCEND-Eye: effects of aspirin on diabetic retinopathy

Purpose: Preclinical studies support a protective role for aspirin in early diabetic retinopathy (DR), but the findings from randomized trials are limited. We present randomized evidence for the efficacy and safety of aspirin on DR outcomes. Design: A sub-study of the ASCEND (A Study of Cardiovascular Events iN Diabetes) double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of 100mg aspirin daily for the primary prevention of serious cardiovascular events in people with diabetes. Participants: 15,480 UK adults at least 40 years of age with diabetes. Methods: Linkage to electronic NHS Diabetic Eye Screening Programme records in England and Wales, and confirmation of participant-reported eye events via medical record review. Logrank methods were used for intention-to-treat analyses of time until the first primary efficacy and safety outcomes. Main Outcome Measures: The primary efficacy endpoint was the first post-randomization record of referable disease, a composite of referable retinopathy (R2 or R3a/s) or referable maculopathy (M1) based on the grading criteria defined by the UK National Screening Committee. The primary safety outcome was the first sight-threatening eye bleed, defined as clinically significant bleeding in the eye that resulted in unresolved visual loss or required an urgent intervention such as laser photocoagulation, vitreoretinal surgery, intraocular injection, or both. Results: Linkage data were obtained for 7360 participants (48% of those randomized in ASCEND). During their mean follow-up of 6.5 years, 539 [14.6%] had a referable disease event in the aspirin group, compared to 522 [14.2%] in the placebo group (rate ratio 1.03; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.91-1.16; P = 0.64). There was no statistically significant between-group difference in the proportions of sight-threatening eye bleed events (57 [0.7%] and 64 [0.8%] participants, respectively; rate ratio 0.89; 95% CI: 0.62-1.27). Discussion: These data exclude any clinically-meaningful benefits of aspirin for diabetic retinopathy but give reassurance regarding the ophthalmological safety of aspirin