‘It’s too late’. Is it really? Considerations for amblyopia treatment in older children

In recent years, media coverage has demonstrated instances in which families of children aged 7 and older, newly diagnosed with strabismic and/or anisometropic amblyopia through community eyecare services, were told it was ‘too late’ for their child to effectively respond to conventional amblyopia treatment (occlusion or atropine penalisation). Formal guidance pertaining to binocular vision anomalies from eyecare professional bodies does not specifically make reference to a child’s age, beyond stating the importance of early diagnosis and treatment of strabismus/amblyopia. However, there have been many changes in the way we view the recovery period for amblyopia, and it is well demonstrated both within literature and clinical practice that conventional treatment can improve amblyopic eye visual acuity in children beyond the age of 7 years. The occurrence of these media described cases within the community eyecare sphere would suggest it is worthwhile revisiting the literature on the subject of amblyopia treatment in older children (aged 7+ years), to address misconceptions and place in the spotlight current considerations facing clinicians when treating newly diagnosed amblyopia within this age group. This perspective review provides an evidence-based update covering the various considerations associated with treatment of amblyopia in older children, along with recent amblyopia treatment advances that could have an impact on treatment prospects for this patient group. Considerations include the risks, benefits and efficacy of treating newly diagnosed amblyopia in older children, monitoring density of suppression to mitigate intractable diplopia risk, and recent findings regarding binocular treatments for amblyopia

Understanding the Green Workforce

One initiative to improve environmental conditions is prioritizing the Green Workforce. The Green workforce is an economic approach to combating climate change. The Green Workforce refers to jobs that help us advance towards a more sustainable society and help us transition from the over-dependence on oil towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions. A Green workforce can bring in millions of new jobs and opportunities.https://digital.sandiego.edu/npi-sdlife/1006/thumbnail.jp

Quantum Revivals in a Periodically Driven Gravitational Cavity

Quantum revivals are investigated for the dynamics of an atom in a driven gravitational cavity. It is demonstrated that the external driving field influences the revival time significantly. Analytical expressions are presented which are based on second order perturbation theory and semiclassical secular theory. These analytical results explain the dependence of the revival time on the characteristic parameters of the problem quantitatively in a simple way. They are in excellent agreement with numerical results

Light and space in the figure, still-life and landscape

The landscape, the figure and the still-life exist as living forms and ideas. Each imparts to its constituent parts an essential and integral order reflecting contrast, growth, change and temporal movements and harmonies. The substance of such a scheme surely defines the existence of a living presence and the collective dialogue establishes a rhythm of form, light and space. I maintain a position as an observer and interpreter of the movements and procession of events in each situation. As light shifts, expands, blends and contains, I try to follow its path, attempt to see its completeness in each situation. As a scheme reveals itself to me, I hold fast to the form and the flow of light that engages my vision. The area in question may be small, but one, nevertheless, that seems to have a harmony of space and form. Some parts are strongly defined, others seem to disappear or be barely present. This soft range of tone is most crucial to an appreciation of the strength of light and the sensitive relationships that can be formed by its presence. To observe such subtle tonalities and movements, I attempt to empathize as much as possible with each situation as it appears. To this end, I become part of a larger and more substantive function in respect to a final vision, a participant, an extension of the vision that directs my purpose

Testing of skid resistances of hard floor surfaces using various shoe heel materials

The purposes of this study were as follows: 1. To determine the coefficients of friction between hard floor surfaces (ceramic tile, terrazzo, concrete, and aggregate) and various heel materials (leather, rubber, rubber crepe, Neolite, and nylon). 2. To determine the effect of three different floor polishes (standard, clear, and skid resistant) on the coefficients of friction of hard floor surfaces. 3. To determine the effect of applied moisture on the coefficients of friction of unpolished and polished hard floor surfaces. A friction testing apparatus was used to measure the force of kinetic friction of the unpolished and polished hard floor surface materials with various heel materials. A weight load of 25 pounds was used on each heel. The new, worn, and polished floor materials were tested dry and with moisture applied

The development of a program of survival swimming and lifesaving to be taught as a part of beginning and intermediate courses in swimming

Every year more people participate in some form of water activity than any other sport. (7:35-36) The millions of people who swim, dive, boat, fish, water ski, and skin dive give ample evidence to the popularity of water sports. This popularity, however, is not paralled with the swimming skill that should accompany it. "About 90 per cent of the individuals participating in all forms of aquatic experiences have to be classified as extremely poor swimmers." (7:35) This becomes rather astounding when one stops to think that unintelligent participation in aquatics is extremely hazardous and can easily result in death. (13:76) This hazard stems from the fact that man does not naturally belong in the water. Man's whole physical make-up including posture, shape and arrangement of limbs, specific gravity, respiration, and body temperature has been developed and arranged for terrestial living. (4:1) Nevertheless, through the ages, man's unbounded curiosity has drawn him to the water where he has found comfort, relaxation and enjoyment. His "dominant will and a marvelously adaptable brain and physical structure . , . have prompted him to develop a form of locomotion suited to his needs in this new element. (4:1

Dark matters: gothic landscape and women’s writing in the 19th and 20th century British novel

This work traces a connection between gothic narratives, noted for their particular depictions of carceral and sublime landscapes, and a women's rhetorical tradition elided by Plato and Aristotle. In order to accomplish this work, I follow Krista Ratcliffe in reading Virginia Woolf as a rhetorical theorist, one specifically interested in alternative narrative structures which facilitate women's writing. I argue that Woolf analyzes the process of composition in order to suggest material and bodily rhetorics, what I call androgynous rhetoric, as a mechanism for overcoming phallogencentrism. By connecting Woolf's androgynous rhetorics to a series of specific spatial markers also located in Plato, I question a literary tradition which contains gothic within problematic eighteenth- and nineteenth-century texts and a rhetorical tradition which limits gothic to a genre of literary study. Specifically, I interrogate gothic novels by Ann Radcliffe and Mary Shelley, locate gothic moments within the work of Jane Austen, examine Charlotte Bronte's gothic spaces and culminate in an examination of Woolf's most relevant novel: Orlando. My work rereads gothic writing across the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in order to reclaim gothic as a specific narrative strategy, one which reflects an embodied, explicitly feminist aesthetic. Therefore, I argue that gothic is not a genre or a particular feature of plot, character or even setting, but is a process of both invention and arrangement, one which allows women to write and reflects specifically feminist approaches to argument

On the Geometric Motivation of Basic Regression Theory

21 pages, 1 article*On the Geometric Motivation of Basic Regression Theory* (Berry, Calvin) 21 page

Moments of awareness

The history of writing would be enriched if it were known who wrote or told the first story. Yet, it hardly need be imagined that the first story was short, and that the first art form — the transformation of reality through means of the imagination — was the tale or brief story. It is one genre that has had many changes and any effort to classify it rigidly spells failure, for immediately there is the discovery of some classic which defies the rules. But this is not unusual; any attempt to catalogue forms of artistic expression is post facto; hence, more for the critic than for the creator

The effects of an acute exercise bout on GH and IGF-1 in prediabetic and healthy African Americans: A pilot study investigating gene expression

The incidence of pre-diabetes (PD) and Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2D) is a worldwide epidemic. African American (AA) individuals are disproportionately more likely to become diabetic than other ethnic groups. Over the long-term, metabolic complications related to diabetes result in significant alterations in growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). Considering the limited exercise-related studies in the area of gene expression changes with disease progression, the objective of this study was to examine differences in exercise-induced gene expression related to the GH and IGF-1 pathways in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of healthy (CON) and PD AA individuals. Design: Ten subjects [5 PD (age = 35±9.3 yr, BMI = 32.1±4.0, FBG = 101.8±1.3 mg/dl) and 5 CON (age = 31±9.4 yr, BMI = 29.4±5.2, FBG = 82.8±9.7 mg/dl)] had blood drawn for RNA isolation prior to exercise (Pre), immediately following acute moderate intensity exercise on a treadmill (Post-1), 6-hours post (Post-6), and 24-hours post (Post-24). Isolation of mRNA from PBMCs was performed using ficoll separation, while the profiling of mRNA expression was performed using Illumina beadchip arrays with standard protocols. Scan results were statistically analyzed for a specific list of genes related to GH and IGF-1. GH and IGF-1 protein levels were also assessed in each sample. To address issues of normality, all GH and IGF-1 data were log-transformed prior to analysis. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results: Group differences for GH2 variant 2 (p = 0.070) and GH2 variant 3 (p = 0.059) were coupled with significant alterations in IGF-1 mRNA over time (p = 0.024). A significant interaction between group and time was observed for GHRH mRNA (p = 0.008). No group differences were observed in GH AUC (p = 0.649), ?GH (p = 0.331), GHrec (p = 0.294), or IGF-1 AUC (p = 0.865), representing a similar exercise-induced GH and IGF-1 response for both groups. Conclusions: Analysis of GH and IGF-1 related-gene expression indicates that mild elevations in fasting blood glucose and exercise-induced alterations in gene expression are impacted by the prediabetic state