A survey of factors influencing career preference in new-entrant and exiting medical students from four UK medical schools

Our thanks to Professor Gillian Needham and Dr Murray Lough for their encouragement and support, and their comments on an earlier draft of this manuscript. Our thanks also to NHS Education for Scotland [NES] for funding, and the Scottish Medical Deans Education Group [SMDEG] for supporting this project. We are grateful to all the students who gave their time to complete the survey questionnaire and to those who helped organise and carry out data collection.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

An automated method for comparing motion artifacts in cine four-dimensional computed tomography images.

The aim of this study is to develop an automated method to objectively compare motion artifacts in two four-dimensional computed tomography (4D CT) image sets, and identify the one that would appear to human observers with fewer or smaller artifacts. Our proposed method is based on the difference of the normalized correlation coefficients between edge slices at couch transitions, which we hypothesize may be a suitable metric to identify motion artifacts. We evaluated our method using ten pairs of 4D CT image sets that showed subtle differences in artifacts between images in a pair, which were identifiable by human observers. One set of 4D CT images was sorted using breathing traces in which our clinically implemented 4D CT sorting software miscalculated the respiratory phase, which expectedly led to artifacts in the images. The other set of images consisted of the same images; however, these were sorted using the same breathing traces but with corrected phases. Next we calculated the normalized correlation coefficients between edge slices at all couch transitions for all respiratory phases in both image sets to evaluate for motion artifacts. For nine image set pairs, our method identified the 4D CT sets sorted using the breathing traces with the corrected respiratory phase to result in images with fewer or smaller artifacts, whereas for one image pair, no difference was noted. Two observers independently assessed the accuracy of our method. Both observers identified 9 image sets that were sorted using the breathing traces with corrected respiratory phase as having fewer or smaller artifacts. In summary, using the 4D CT data of ten pairs of 4D CT image sets, we have demonstrated proof of principle that our method is able to replicate the results of two human observers in identifying the image set with fewer or smaller artifacts

Describing, predicting and explaining adherence to total skin self-examination (TSSE) in people with melanoma : a 12-month longitudinal study

Funding This work was supported by a grant from a Cancer Research UK Population Research Committee project award (C10673/A21685).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Objective `Safe' Grazing Capacities for South-West Queensland Australia: Development of a Model for Individual Properties

Few tools are available to assist graziers, land administrators and financiers in making objective grazing capacity decisions on Australian rangelands, despite existing knowledge regarding stocking rate theory and the impact of stocking rates on land condition. To address this issue a model for objectively estimating 'safe' grazing capacities on individual grazing properties in south-west Queensland was developed. The method is based on 'safe' levels of utilisation (15%-20%) by domestic livestock of average annual forage grown for each land system on a property. Average annual forage grown (kglha) was calculated as the product of the rainfall use efficiency (kglhdmm) and average annual rainfall (mm) for a land system. This estimate included the impact of tree and shrub cover on forage production. The 'safe' levels of forage utilisation for south- west Queensland pastures were derived from the combined experience of (1) re-analysis of the results of grazing trials, (2) reaching a consensus on local knowledge and (3) examination of existing grazing practice on 'benchmark' grazing properties. We recognise the problems in defining, determining and using grazing capacity values, but consider that the model offers decision makers a tool that can be used to assess the grazing capacity of individual properties

Relationship between sociodemographic factors and specialty destination of UK trainee doctors:a national cohort study

We are grateful to UKMED for releasing the data for this project. We also are grateful to the following for their support of the application to UKMED for this and other research projects: Dr Sally Curtis (University of Southampton, UK), Dr Sandra Nicholson (Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, UK). We thank Daniel Smith and Andy Knapton of the General Medical Council of the UK for their support for the application and throughout the project, particularly regarding data linkage and troubleshooting.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Structure–property insights into nanostructured electrodes for Li-ion batteries from local structural and diffusional probes

Microwave heating presents a faster, lower energy synthetic methodology for the realization of functional materials. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that employing this method also leads to a decrease in the occurrence of defects in olivine structured LiFe1−xMnxPO4. For example, the presence of antisite defects in this structure precludes Li+ diffusion along the b-axis leading to a significant decrease in reversible capacities. Total scattering measurements, in combination with Li+ diffusion studies using muon spin relaxation (μ+SR) spectroscopy, reveal that this synthetic method generates fewer defects in the nanostructures compared to traditional solvothermal routes. Our interest in developing these routes to mixed-metal phosphate LiFe1−xMnxPO4 olivines is due to the higher Mn2+/3+ redox potential in comparison to the Fe2+/3+ pair. Here, single-phase LiFe1−xMnxPO4 (x = 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1) olivines have been prepared following a microwave-assisted approach which allows for up to 4 times faster reaction times compared to traditional solvothermal methods. Interestingly, the resulting particle morphology is dependent on the Mn content. We also examine their electrochemical performance as active electrodes in Li-ion batteries. These results present microwave routes as highly attractive for reproducible, gram-scale syntheses of high quality nanostructured electrodes which display close to theoretical capacity for the full iron phase

Interferometry

The following recommended programs are reviewed: (1) infrared and optical interferometry (a ground-based and space programs); (2) compensation for the atmosphere with adaptive optics (a program for development and implementation of adaptive optics); and (3) gravitational waves (high frequency gravitational wave sources (LIGO), low frequency gravitational wave sources (LAGOS), a gravitational wave observatory program, laser gravitational wave observatory in space, and technology development during the 1990's). Prospects for international collaboration and related issues are also discussed

Collecting, analyzing and archiving of ground based infrared solar spectra obtained from several locations

The infrared solar spectrum as observed from the ground under high resolution contains thousands of absorption lines. The majority of these lines are due to compounds that are present in the Earth's atmosphere. Ground based infrared solar spectra contain information concerning the composition of the atmosphere at the time the spectra were obtained. The objective of this program is to record solar spectra from various ground locations, and to analyze and archive these spectra. The analysis consists of determining, for as many of the absorption lines as possible, the molecular species responsible for the absorption, and to verify that current models of infrared transmission match the observed spectra. Archiving is an important part of the program, since a number of the features in the spectra have not been identified. At some later time, when the features are identified, it will be possible to determine the amount of that compound that was present in the atmosphere at the time the spectrum was taken