868 research outputs found
A survey of orthopaedic journal editors determining the criteria of manuscript selection for publication
Background: To investigate the characteristics of editors and criteria used by orthopaedic journal editors in assessing submitted manuscripts. Methods: Between 2008 to 2009 all 70 editors of Medline listed orthopaedic journals were approached prospectively with a questionnaire to determine the criteria used in assessing manuscripts for publication. Results: There was a 42% response rate. There was 1 female editor and the rest were male with 57% greater than 60 years of age. 67% of the editors worked in university teaching hospitals and 90% of publications were in English.The review process differed between journals with 59% using a review proforma, 52% reviewing an anonymised manuscript, 76% using a routine statistical review and 59% of journals used 2 reviewers routinely. In 89% of the editors surveyed, the editor was able to overrule the final decision of the reviewers.Important design factors considered for manuscript acceptance were that the study conclusions were justified (80%), that the statistical analysis was appropriate (76%), that the findings could change practice (72%). The level of evidence (70%) and type of study (62%) were deemed less important. When asked what factors were important in the manuscript influencing acceptance, 73% cited an understandable manuscript, 53% cited a well written manuscript and 50% a thorough literature review as very important factors. Conclusions: The editorial and review process in orthopaedic journals uses different approaches. There may be a risk of language bias among editors of orthopaedic journals with under-representation of non-English publications in the orthopaedic literature
The challenge of liberalising airline competition in a less developed country: The case of Nepal
A new wave of liberalisation of airline markets is taking place in less devel oped nations, although the initial motivation in most cases is to supplement the capacity of the governmentâs own airline. Liberalisation tends to begin with free market entry and a strong interest in privatisation whilst other regulatory controls are maintained. This position is untenable and policy makers in the less developed countries are having to learn quickly without the benefit of the detailed analyses that preceded liberalisation in the developed countries. This set of circumstances is illustrated with an examination of the situation in Nepal where, until recently, the Government's own airline enjoyed a monopoly. Though the entry of private sector airlines in Nepal has added capacity and improved services, challenges remain to be addressed. This paper explores these problems and focuses on the lessons that policy makers in the less developed countries can draw from experiences elsewhere
Systematic overview of economic evaluations of health-related rehabilitation
Background: Health related rehabilitation is instrumental in improving functioning and promoting participation by people with disabilities. To make clinical and policy decisions about health-related rehabilitation, resource allocation and cost issues need to be considered. Objectives: To conduct an overview of systematic reviews (SRs) on economic evaluations of health-related rehabilitation. Methods: We searched multiple databases to identify relevant SRs of economic evaluations of health-related rehabilitation. Review quality was assessed by AMSTAR checklist. Results: We included 64 SRs, most of which included economic evaluations alongside randomised controlled trials (RCTs). The review quality was low to moderate (AMSTAR score 5-8) in 35, and high (score 9-11) in 29 of the included SRs. The included SRs addressed various health conditions, including spinal or other pain conditions (n=14), age-related problems (11), stroke (7), musculoskeletal disorders (6), heart diseases (4), pulmonary (3), mental health problems (3), and injury (3). Physiotherapy was the most commonly evaluated rehabilitation intervention in the included SRs (n=24). Other commonly evaluated interventions included multidisciplinary programmes (14); behavioural, educational or psychological interventions (11); home-based interventions (11); complementary therapy (6); self-management (6); and occupational therapy (4). Conclusions: Although the available evidence is often described as limited, inconsistent or inconclusive, some rehabilitation interventions were cost-effective or showed cost-saving in a variety of disability conditions. Available evidence comes predominantly from high income countries, therefore economic evaluations of health-related rehabilitation are urgently required in less resourced settings
Diffuse Ultra-High-Energy Gamma-Ray Emission From TeV Halos
The LHAASO Collaboration has recently reported a measurement of the diffuse
gamma-ray emission from the Galactic Plane at energies between 10 TeV and 1
PeV. While this emission is brighter than that expected from cosmic-ray
interactions in the interstellar medium alone, we show that the intensity,
spectrum, and morphology of this excess are in good agreement with that
predicted from the "TeV halos" which surround the Milky Way's pulsar
population. These results support the conclusion that TeV halos dominate the
ultra-high-energy sky, and that these objects convert of their total
spindown power into very-high and ultra-high-energy photons
A different kind of story: pedagogy of hope at The Ration Shed Museum, Cherbourg
In recounting the history of Cherbourg as an Aboriginal settlement, the Ration Shed Museum presents some traumatic narratives. It paints a picture of violent geographic and cultural dislocation, crude living conditions, forced labour and administrative oppression by infusing historical artefacts with the personal recollections of Cherbourg residents. The intent behind the Ration Shed Museum itself, however, is something quite different: its curators want to tell a story that speaks of hope for this communityâs future, and to work towards some form of reconciliation. They do this by actively engaging with the âterrible giftâ of the past in the present, and by providing spaces for encounters that can lead to open discussions of difficult social issues and celebrations of contem- porary Cherbourg life. This article draws on ethnographic interviews and observational data alongside the theoretical work of Roger I. Simon and Andrea Witcomb to describe how the Ration Shed Museum engages its community and visitors in a dual process of both understanding Cherbourgâs history and reframing traumatic narratives to enact a pedagogy of hope
Validation Française de lâĂchelle de la PersonnalitĂ© Temporelle (French Validation of the Time Personality Indicator)
RĂSUMĂ
Certains auteurs ont dĂ©veloppĂ© un intĂ©rĂȘt pour la comprĂ©hension des aptitudes associĂ©es Ă la gestion du temps. Ainsi, plusieurs dĂ©finitions thĂ©oriques ont Ă©tĂ© proposĂ©es afin de mieux cerner ce concept et une
multitude de questionnaires a Ă©tĂ© dĂ©veloppĂ©e afin de le mesurer. La prĂ©sente Ă©tude visait Ă valider la traduction française dâun de ces outils, soit le Time
Personality Indicator (TPI). Des analyses exploratoires et confirmatoires ont Ă©tĂ© effectuĂ©es sur lâensemble des donnĂ©es recueillies auprĂšs de 1 267 Ă©tudiants et employĂ©s de lâUniversitĂ© Laval ayant complĂ©tĂ© la version française du TPI ainsi que dâautres mesures de la personnalitĂ©. Les rĂ©sultats ont rĂ©vĂ©lĂ© quâune solution Ă huit facteurs permet de mieux dĂ©crire les donnĂ©es de lâĂ©chantillon. La discussion prĂ©sente les raisons pour lesquelles la version française du TPI est valide, identifie certaines limites de la prĂ©sente Ă©tude et souligne lâutilitĂ© de cet outil pour la recherche sur la gestion du temps.
(ABSTRACT: Numerous authors have developed an interest towards the understanding of the abilities
related to time management. As a consequence, multiple theoretical definitions have
been proposed to explain time management. Likewise, several questionnaires have been
developed in order to measure this concept. The aim of this study was to validate a French version of one of these tools, namely the Time Personality Indicator (TPI). The French
version of the TPI and other personality questionnaires were completed by 1267 students
and employees of Université Laval. The statistical approach used included exploratory
and confirmatory analyses. Results revealed that an eight factor model provided a better
adjustment to the data. The discussion provides arguments supporting the validity of the
French version of the TPI and underlines the importance of such a tool for the research on
time management
An internet-based intervention with brief nurse support to manage obesity in primary care (POWeR+): a pragmatic, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial
Background
The obesity epidemic has major public health consequences. Expert dietetic and behavioural counselling with intensive follow-up is effective, but resource requirements severely restrict widespread implementation in primary care, where most patients are managed. We aimed to estimate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an internet-based behavioural intervention (POWeR+) combined with brief practice nurse support in primary care.
Methods
We did this pragmatic, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial at 56 primary care practices in central and south England. Eligible adults aged 18 years or older with a BMI of 30 kg/m2 or more (or â„28 kg/m2 with hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, or diabetes) registered online with POWeR+âa 24 session, web-based, weight management intervention lasting 6 months. After registration, the website automatically randomly assigned patients (1:1:1), via computer-generated random numbers, to receive evidence-based dietetic advice to swap foods for similar, but healthier, choices and increase fruit and vegetable intake, in addition to 6 monthly nurse follow-up (control group); web-based intervention and face-to-face nurse support (POWeR+Face-to-face [POWeR+F]; up to seven nurse contacts over 6 months); or web-based intervention and remote nurse support (POWeR+Remote [POWeR+R]; up to five emails or brief phone calls over 6 months). Participants and investigators were masked to group allocation at the point of randomisation; masking of participants was not possible after randomisation. The primary outcome was weight loss averaged over 12 months. We did a secondary analysis of weight to measure maintenance of 5% weight loss at months 6 and 12. We modelled the cost-effectiveness of each intervention. We did analysis by intention to treat, with multiple imputation for missing data. This trial is registered as an International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial, number ISRCTN21244703.
Findings
Between Jan 30, 2013, and March 20, 2014, 818 participants were randomly assigned to the control group (n=279), the POWeR+F group (n=269), or the POWeR+R group (n=270). Weight loss averaged over 12 months was recorded in 666 (81%) participants. The control group lost almost 3 kg over 12 months (crude mean weight: baseline 104·38 kg [SD 21·11; n=279], 6 months 101·91 kg [19·35; n=136], 12 months 101·74 kg [19·57; n=227]). The primary imputed analysis showed that compared with the control group, patients in the POWeR+F group achieved an additional weight reduction of 1·5 kg (95% CI 0·6â2·4; p=0·001) averaged over 12 months, and patients in the POWeR+R group achieved an additional 1·3 kg (0·34â2·2; p=0·007). 21% of patients in the control group had maintained a clinically important 5% weight reduction at month 12, compared with 29% of patients in the POWeR+F group (risk ratio 1·56, 0·96â2·51; p=0·070) and 32% of patients in the POWeR+R group (1·82, 1·31â2·74; p=0·004). The incremental overall cost to the health service per kg weight lost with the POWeR+ interventions versus the control strategy was ÂŁ18 (95% CI â129 to 195) for POWeR+F and âÂŁ25 (â268 to 157) for POWeR+R; the probability of being cost-effective at a threshold of ÂŁ100 per kg lost was 88% and 98%, respectively. No adverse events were reported.
Interpretation
Weight loss can be maintained in some individuals by use of novel written material with occasional brief nurse follow-up. However, more people can maintain clinically important weight reductions with a web-based behavioural program and brief remote follow-up, with no increase in health service costs. Future research should assess the extent to which clinically important weight loss can be maintained beyond 1 year
Lithium Subhydrides Under Pressure and their Superatom-Like Building Blocks
Evolutionary structure searches are used to predict a new class of compounds
in the lithium--rich region of the lithium/hydrogen phase diagram under
pressure. First principles computations show that LimH, 4<m<9, are stabilized
with respect to LiH and Li between 50-100 GPa. The building block of all of the
lithium subhydrides is an Li8H cluster, which can be thought of as a
superalkali. The geometries and electronic structures of these phases is
analogous to that of the well-known alkali metal suboxides.Comment: ChemPlusChem, accepte
CO2 as a reaction ingredient for the construction of metal cages:a carbonate-panelled [Gd6Cu3] tridiminished icosahedron
A CO32--panelled [(Gd6Cu3II)-Cu-III] cage conforming to a tridiminished icosahedron is synthesised by bubbling CO2 through a solution of Gd-III and Cu-II ions
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