Accuracy of intracranial pressure monitoring : systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction: Intracranial pressure (ICP) measurement is used to tailor interventions and to assist in formulating the prognosis for traumatic brain injury patients. Accurate data are therefore essential. The aim of this study was to verify the accuracy of ICP monitoring systems on the basis of a literature review. Methods: A PubMed search was conducted from 1982 to 2014, plus additional references from the selected papers. Accuracy was defined as the degree of correspondence between the pressure read by the catheter and a reference "real" ICP measurement. Studies comparing simultaneous readings from at least two catheters were included. Drift was defined as the loss of accuracy over the monitoring period. Meta-analyses of data from the studies were used to estimate the overall mean difference between simultaneous ICP measurements and their variability. Individual studies were weighted using both a fixed and a random effects model. Results: Of 163 articles screened, 83 compared two intracranial catheters: 64 reported accuracy and 37 drift(some reported both). Of these, 10 and 17, respectively, fulfilled the inclusion criteria for accuracy and zero drift analysis. The combined mean differences between probes were 1.5mmHg (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.7-2.3) with the random effects model and 1.6mmHg (95% CI 1.3-1.9) with the fixed effects model. The reported mean drift over a long observation period was 0.75mmHg. No relation was found with the duration of monitoring or differences between various probes. Conclusions: This study confirms that the average error between ICP measures is clinically negligible. The random effects model, however, indicates that a high percentage of readings may vary over a wide range, with clinical implications both for future comparison studies and for daily care

Digital media in primary schools: literacy or technology? Analyzing government and media discourses

This article examines the political and the media discourses concerning the Portuguese governmental program responsible for delivering a laptop named “Magalhães” to all primary school children. The analysis is based on the official documents related to the launch and development of the initiative as well as the press coverage of this topic. The main purpose is to recognize the dominant public discourses and to find out what the media select for the debate in the public sphere. This analysis was done with a particular focus on the critical media literacy framework. The results reveal that the press highlighted the negative aspects of that program and that this framing could have a strong impact on how it was accepted and understood by the public opinion. Analysis also reveals that the governmental initiative was predominantly driven by technological objectives, in particular the access to technology, rather than media literacy objectives.The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This paper is part of a three years project named "Navigating with 'Magalhaes': Study on the Impact of Digital Media in Schoolchildren" funded by FCT - Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) and co-funded by FEDER - Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (ERDF: European Regional Development Fund) through COMPETE - Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade (Operational Competitiveness Programme)

Current Policy Developments in European Media Literacy

In August of 2009, the European Commission issued a formal recommendation on media literacy adding to a series of initiatives underway since 2006 to build a comprehensive European media literacy policy (Commission of the European Communities 2009). Media literacy is now a well-established concept referring to the ability to critically understand and use media in a variety of contexts (see Aufderheide 1997). Recognising that the way people use media is changing and that the volume of information received is enormous, the Commission notes that all citizens need to have the ability to access, analyse and evaluate images, sounds and texts on a daily basis especially if they are to use traditional and new media to communicate and create media content. As such, the recommendation urges the media industry and member states to do more to increase people\u27s awareness of the need for media literacy across all media forms including advertising, cinema and online, and to ensure that citizens do not get left behind in the fast moving media landscape. The level of interest shown by the European Commission in media literacy might seem surprising given that more often than not it is seen as interested in only supporting market dimensions of media. This papers therefore asks what has prompted this interest and identifies possible benefits to researchers and educators

Early stage oxidation of AISI 304 stainless steel: Role of temperature and oxygen pressure

We address the nucleation and growth features of transient films produced in the initial stages of austenitic stainless steel oxidation, prior to the establishment of the steady-state oxide, as well as the effect of temperature and atmosphere composition on the oxidation process. Specimens of cold rolled AISI 304 strips were isothermally oxidised in the temperature range between 700 and 1200°C under controlled atmosphere conditions (air or O2/N2 gas mixtures) for time intervals ranging between a few seconds and a maximum of 1200 seconds. Thermogravimetric experiments were conducted only for the higher temperatures (≥1000°C) where mass gain can be appreciated for such short oxidation times. The thickness, composition and morphological characterisation of the oxide films present on the oxidised specimens were carried out by using glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy (GDOES) and by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The experimental results indicate the occurrence of different oxidation behaviour for AISI 304 which depend on temperature and on oxygen pressure. AISI 304 is able to form a protective oxide layer rich in Cr2O3 upon isothermal oxidation when the atmosphere is rich in oxygen (air or O2-N2 gas mixture with 3% or 9% O2) and for temperatures higher than 1000°C. The role of the oxygen concentration seems to be negligible in the low temperature range 700-900°C