Ruler for making navigational computations

An extensive ruler used as a computer in navigation to calculate travel time between map points or to calculate ground speed is described. The ruler has a time scale that can be adjusted at length to equal map distances travelled at a designated speed in a time period such as sixty minutes. A means for fixing the length of the ruler is also provided

Inhalational or total intravenous anaesthesia: is total intravenous anaesthesia useful and are there economic benefits?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The comparison of inhalational and intravenous anaesthesia has been the subject of many controlled trials and meta-analyses. These reported diverse endpoints typically including measures of the speed and quality of induction of anaesthesia, haemodynamic changes, operating conditions, various measures of awakening, postoperative nausea and vomiting and discharge from the recovery area and from hospital as well as recovery of psychomotor function. In a more patient-focused Health Service, measures with greater credibility are overall patient satisfaction, time to return to work and long-term morbidity and mortality. In practice, studies using easier to measure proxy endpoints dominate - even though the limitations of such research are well known. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent study endpoints are more ambitious and include impact on survival from cancer and the possibility of differential neurotoxic impact on the developing brain and implications for neuro-behavioural performance. SUMMARY: Economic analysis of anaesthesia is complex and most published studies are naive, focusing on drug acquisition costs and facility timings, real health economics are much more difficult. Preferred outcome measures would be whole institution costs or the ability to reliably add an extra case to an operating list, close an operating room and reduce the number of operating sessions offered or permanently decrease staffing. Alongside this, however, potential long-term patient outcomes should be considered

Health Disparities in Colorectal Cancer Screening in United States: Race/ethnicity or Shifting Paradigms?

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States. The incidence, mortality, and screening vary by race/ethnicity, with African Americans and Hispanics being disproportionately represented. Early detection through screening prolongs survival and decreases mortality. CRC screening (CRCS) varies by race/ethnicity, with lower prevalence rates observed among minorities, but the factors associated with such disparities remain to be fully understood. The current study aimed to examine the ethnic/racial disparities in the prevalence of CRCS, and the explanatory factors therein in a large sample of U.S. residents, using the National Health Interview Survey, 2003. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, epidemiologic design was used with a chi squareto assess the prevalence of CRCS, while a survey logistic regression model was used to assess the odds of being screened. Results: There was a significant variability in CRCS, with minorities demonstrating lower prevalence relative to Caucasians χ2 (3) = 264.4, p\u3c 0.0001. After controlling for the covariates, racial/ethnic disparities in CRCS persisted. Compared to Caucasians, African Americans/Blacks were 28% (adjusted prevalence odds ratio [APOR] = 0.72, 99% CI, 0.60-0.80), while Hispanics 33% (APOR, 0.67, 99% CI, 0.53-0.84) and Asians 37% (APOR, 0.63, 99% CI, 0.43-0.95) were less likely to be screened for CRC. Conclusion: Among older Americans, racial/ethnic disparities in CRCS exist, which was unexplained by racial/ethnic variance in the covariates associated with CRCS. These findings recommend further studies in enhancing the understanding of confounders and mediators of disparities in CRCS and the application of these factors including the health belief model in improving CRCS among ethnic/racial minorities

Competition and productivity: a review of evidence

Does competition spur productivity? And if so, how does it do so? These have long been regarded as central questions in economics. This essay reviews the literature that makes progress toward answering both questions.Competition ; Monopolies ; Productivity

Competition at work : railroads vs. monopoly in the U.S. shipping industry

This study primarily establishes two things: (1) that monopoly has been pervasive in the U.S. water transportation industry in both the 19th and 20th centuries and has led to prices above competitive levels and the adoption of inefficient technologies and (2) that the competition of railroads has greatly weakened this monopolistic tendency, leading to lower water transport prices and fewer inefficient technologies. The study establishes these points using standard economic theory and extensive historical U.S. data on the behavior of unions and shipping companies. These gains from competition have been ignored by researchers studying the contribution of railroads to U.S. economic growth. Researchers have assumed that if railroads had not been developed, the long-distance transportation industry would have been competitive. This study shows that it would not have been. The quantitative estimates of previous studies thus are likely to have significantly understated the gains from the development of railroads.Transportation ; Monopolies

Resistance to new technology and trade between areas

Historically, competition, or the extension of markets, has repeatedly brought tremendous increases in wealth. However, there is still plenty of uncertainty among economists as to why that is so. This article develops a model in which competition, modeled as the movement of goods between two areas, reduces resistance to new technology and, hence, leads to increased technology adoption and wealth. Here, the extension of markets leads to wealth increases because it reduces activities that block the use of new, more productive technology.Free trade ; Technology

Let’s Be Friends: Black Theology, Climate Change, and Trust

Climate change is a worldwide issue with ramifications for all ethnic groups. Yet, there is a dearth of engagement of climate change issues by Black theology and Black churches, even though the effects of climate change are predicted to affect African Americans and other racial minorities to a greater extent than other groups. Given the history of mistrust of the uses of scientific research and practices that have themselves caused negative impacts within the African American communities (e.g., Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment), this disconnect is not surprising. Furthermore, some view the attention given to anything other than criminal justice reform, police brutality, and other social issues only serves to distract from the main issues facing African Americans. This article brings Black Theology into conversation with the climate change movement via the bioethical issue of trust ethics. The author both demonstrates the direct threats climate change poses to African Americans as well as proffers pathways for a crucial partnership between Black theologians, churches, and climate change advocates

Redemptive Suffering and Christology in African American Christian Theology

In this paper, based on a presentation delivered at the 2009 Annual Meeting at the Atlanta University Center, Holmes engages the debate over the redemptive nature of suffering in Christianity. Are evil, suffering, and oppression redemptive, thereby bringing us closer to the divine? Or, are suffering and oppression detrimental to the salvific nature of Christ’s liberation? Holmes explores the religious and philosophical literary tradition of redemptive suffering, especially as interpreted in African American religious thought, and shows us that the answers to these questions are complex and multifaceted

A Retreat Located Near the Pueblos of Laguna and Acoma

The pueblos of Laguna and Acoma, acting as a joint venture have proposed a retreat to be designed and built upon a portion of their land with the hopes that it might help alleviate their present poor financial status