A Calanais myth and an alignment of the east stone-row with both the rising of the Pleiades and crossovers of Venus at sunrise on the summer solstices

Acknowledgements My thanks to Stefan Sagrott of Historic Environment Scotland for his help in obtaining Patrick Ashmore’s data and to David Forrest, School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, for providing a copy of David Tait’s map of Calanais.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

A randomised controlled trial investigating the effect of nutritional supplementation on visual function in normal, and age-related macular disease affected eyes: design and methodology [ISRCTN78467674]

BACKGROUND: Age-related macular disease is the leading cause of blind registration in the developed world. One aetiological hypothesis involves oxidation, and the intrinsic vulnerability of the retina to damage via this process. This has prompted interest in the role of antioxidants, particularly the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, in the prevention and treatment of this eye disease. METHODS: The aim of this randomised controlled trial is to determine the effect of a nutritional supplement containing lutein, vitamins A, C and E, zinc, and copper on measures of visual function in people with and without age-related macular disease. Outcome measures are distance and near visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, colour vision, macular visual field, glare recovery, and fundus photography. Randomisation is achieved via a random number generator, and masking achieved by third party coding of the active and placebo containers. Data collection will take place at nine and 18 months, and statistical analysis will employ Student's t test. DISCUSSION: A paucity of treatment modalities for age-related macular disease has prompted research into the development of prevention strategies. A positive effect on normals may be indicative of a role of nutritional supplementation in preventing or delaying onset of the condition. An observed benefit in the age-related macular disease group may indicate a potential role of supplementation in prevention of progression, or even a degree reversal of the visual effects caused by this condition

Testing a rating scale of video-taped consultations to assess performance of trainee nurse practitioners in general practice

Background: Nurse practitioners (NPs) in the United Kingdom are taking on some of the consultation work previously done by general practitioners (GPs) without there being any established professional standards that they must achieve before doing so. There is a need to develop and test methods of assessing their consultation performance for reasons of professional accreditation and patient safety. Aims: 1. To make independent summative assessments of trainee nurse practitioners\u27 (TNPs) consultation performance. 2. To assess the validity and reliability of an existing video-taped assessment tool. Method: Four TNPs taking part in the EROS (extended roles of staff) study video recorded seven or eight consecutive consultations with typical patients during one surgery. Each consultation was rated nine times by members of a panel comprising eight independent GP trainers, four NPs and the GPs and TNPs in the EROS practices. A rating scale developed by Cox & Mulholland was used for the purpose. Results: Eight of the 37 items and four consultations had more than 10% missing data, mean = 7-7 items per rater. Factor analysis yielded a single factor solution explaining 32-6% of the variance and indicated that items could be summed to provide a single score. Internal consistency was high, alpha coefficient = 0.92. Individual differences between raters in scoring consultations were taken into account in providing a score for each consultation. Scores obtained were found to cluster at the positive end of the distribution indicating a high level of performance. Greater differences were found between scorers than between consultations. Conclusions: This instrument is appropriate for scoring NP consultations and this small sample was rated as showing a uniformly high standard of performance. Some items could be deleted since they do not feature in the range of consultations currently performed. If this or a similar tool was to be adopted more widely for summative rating purposes then it should be tested rigorously for validity and reliability, training should be given to raters and criteria provided by which to make judgements

British Risorgimento II - Temperie politica e rappresentazioni simboliche

Il volume si pone a compimento del progetto PRIN 2008 British Risorgimento: rappresentazioni e interazioni britanniche nel processo di unificazione nazionale italiana, che ha coinvolto in un complesso itinerario d’indagine studiosi provenienti dalle Università di Bologna, Bari, Firenze, Roma La Sapienza e Parma. Come l’indice dei contributi mette in chiara evidenza, il progetto ha sviluppato molteplici direttrici di ricerca, sia nell’ambito privilegiato degli studi inglesi, sia in una più ampia prospettiva transnazionale e quindi pluridisciplinare, esplorando le modalità attraverso le quali il formarsi/decostruirsi di poetiche, di categorie e di identità, entra in relazione con le più ampie dinamiche di ordine culturale e politico che definiscono il quadro storico relativo all’arco temporale proposto, il periodo 1770- 1870