Understanding what it means to be “Charcot foot health literate”

Described as a “Cinderella condition”, Charcot foot is little understood within the non-specialist medical community. In this article, Benjamin Bullen (Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff, UK) presents a multidimensional conceptualisation of health literacy and underlines the importance of developing knowledge on the subject of Charcot foot, especially for the treatment of “At-risk” patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy

Property rights and wildlife utilisation : generating incentives for conservation and economic development : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Economics at Massey University

The accelerating depletion of natural resources (biological diversity) range from degraded ecosystems, endangered species, and loss of genetic resources. This depletion has raised concern over future human economic welfare among other things Conservation strategies have been implemented to preserve remaining biological diversity. The focus of this thesis is on conservation strategies to halt the loss of wild species. Protected areas and trade bans are the most recognised conservation measures. These strategies have their limitations however. This study will argue that increasingly the preservation of remaining wild species will be through economic incentives, specifically at the local community level. If we are serious about saving wild species, our behaviour towards the utilisation of wildlife must change. A recent innovative idea is to look upon conservation as a form of economic development. Strategies that can lead to the successful implementation of this concept include conservation partnerships that actively involve local communities especially in developing countries, and the commercial and sustainable use of wild species. Underlying the effectiveness and efficiency of these strategies are property right institutions and markets. Economic theory argues that natural resources will be protected only if direct economic benefits accrue to those most responsible for the care of these resources. In essence, the wise management of biological diversity must generate conservation and economic development benefits. This study examines and discusses the above issues

A problem based / experiential learning approach to teaching maintenance engineering

Good maintenance practice lies at the heart of a manufacturing industry being able to retain its production capabilities and to ensure the integrity of increasingly complex systems. Consequences of system failure can exceed mere monetary penalties to include the well being of staff. From an engineering education perspective, rapid development in technology in parallel with the evolution of traditional engineering disciplines, necessitates the utilization of innovative ways to teach non-traditional or interdisciplinary topics like maintenance. Another challenge in this context, is the ability to allocate time and physical resources in ever more condensed engineering curricula whilst making the learning process engaging for students. This paper details a recent trial to teach a short undergraduate course on maintenance within a mechanical engineering degree where students also look at some safety considerations associated with maintenance practice. A combined Problem Based Learning/Experiential Learning approach applied to machine tool maintenance was adopted using resources readily available in most engineering schools

Community pharmacy as an effective teaching and learning environment: Student perspectives from a UK MPharm programme

Introduction: In order to increase new pharmacists' preparedness for clinical practice, pharmacy education in the United Kingdom (UK) is moving towards a five-year integrated degree incorporating the pre-registration year into the undergraduate programme. The purpose of this research is to explore masters of pharmacy (MPharm) student attitudes towards experiential learning and assess community pharmacy as a teaching and learning environment. Methods: MPharm students (n=857) at one UK pharmacy school were invited to complete an online questionnaire. Responses were statistically analysed while open comments were thematically analysed. Results: Students were positive about placement organisation, with over 80% agreeing the pharmacist and support staff were enthusiastic and well-prepared. However, 62% of respondents felt they were unable to interact with patients on placements and instead spent time completing pre-determined learning tasks. Seventy-seven percent felt these tasks limited real “hands-on” experiences. Although 78% of respondents believed placements provided a valuable learning experience, only 18% thought placements prepared them for post-graduate employment. Conclusions: Community pharmacy environments are often busy and unpredictable, and experiential learning should be designed to allow better exposure to clinical practice with less predefined learning. Placements should allow for more collaborative working between universities and employers and incorporate the use of learning standards. This would represent a move towards a five-year integrated degree and a better understanding of the associated challenges involved

FARM LEVEL IMPACTS OF THE 2002 FARM BILL ON A GEORGIA AND NORTH CAROLINA FARM

The 2002 Farm Bill eliminates the peanut quota program and establishes a marketing loan program for peanuts. A Georgia and North Carolina peanut model farm are developed to examine farm level impacts of program changes. Results indicate more revenue derived from the government and an increase in net farm income.Agricultural and Food Policy,

Generalized Convexity and Inequalities

Let R+ = (0,infinity) and let M be the family of all mean values of two numbers in R+ (some examples are the arithmetic, geometric, and harmonic means). Given m1, m2 in M, we say that a function f : R+ to R+ is (m1,m2)-convex if f(m1(x,y)) < or = m2(f(x),f(y)) for all x, y in R+ . The usual convexity is the special case when both mean values are arithmetic means. We study the dependence of (m1,m2)-convexity on m1 and m2 and give sufficient conditions for (m1,m2)-convexity of functions defined by Maclaurin series. The criteria involve the Maclaurin coefficients. Our results yield a class of new inequalities for several special functions such as the Gaussian hypergeometric function and a generalized Bessel function.Comment: 17 page