A Cartesian co-ordinate system for representing the second to fifth metacarpals in the human hand

Description: This is tha authors' PDF version of an article published in Radiography© 2004. The definitive version is available at www.elsevierhealth.comPurpose The use of hand radiographs has both clinical and anthropometric applications. However, a method for converting standard bony points within the metacarpus to Cartesian co-ordinates does not exist. Methods A simple method for converting standard bony points of the second to fifth metacarpals to Cartesian co-ordinates is described for the first time. Results Using a small set of measurements and treating these with equations of known voracity, this method is accurate and allows the metacarpus to be interro¬gated via a much wider range of geometrical techniques than has so far been available. Conclusions This method allows naked-eye assessments to be supported or re¬placed by metrical evaluations. It is likely to have both clinical and anthropometric uses.University of Liverpool research development grant

Elementary Principal and Teacher Perceptions of the Quality and Accuracy of Teacher Evaluation Ratings: A Causal-Comparative Study

The purpose of this study was to compare perceptions of elementary principals and teachers in the state of Michigan regarding the quality and accuracy of performance evaluation ratings. Since evaluation reforms were enacted in 2011, student achievement has declined in the state. However, 98% of Michigan teachers are rated effective or highly effective on their annual performance evaluations. The sample of 104 principals and 80 teachers in public elementary schools in Michigan completed complementary surveys to measure perceptions of quality and accuracy of annual performance evaluations, as well as the use of teacher evaluations. Survey results indicated a statistically significant difference regarding quality of teacher evaluations, with principals having more positive perceptions than teachers. A general agreement was found between principals and teachers regarding the accuracy of evaluation ratings. Principal’s perceptions were generally more favorable than teachers regarding the use of teacher evaluations for recommending professional development, teacher retention, teacher tenure, and teacher dismissal. Although evaluative feedback is used to identify strengths and weaknesses and make recommendations regarding professional development to correct weaknesses, some teachers may feel that this use of evaluation ratings is not appropriate. Findings suggested that teachers also may perceive that evaluation ratings should not be used to make personnel decisions, while principals might have perceived that teacher performance should be an important consideration in making retention decisions regarding a teacher. Further research is needed to determine if middle and high school principals and teachers have similar perceptions

An artificial intelligence approach to job-shop scheduling

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 1984.MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND DEWEY.Bibliography: leaf 52.by George L. Clemmer, II.M.S

Conflict and Remembrance in Franco-Algerian Literature, 1981-1999

The Algerian War of Independence (1954-62), which brought an end to over a century of French colonial dominance in Algeria, is widely viewed as one of the most violent wars of decolonisation, the repercussions of which continue to prove pertinent to contemporary French society. After a thirty-seven year period of widely acknowledged state amnesia in France, the French government finally recognised the Franco-Algerian conflict as a war in 1999. This phase of forgetting persisted in spite of the visible reminder constituted by the sizeable population of Algerian origin living in France: a population that bears the legacy and memory of the war and transmits it to subsequent generations. The hesitation of the state to confront its colonial past in this way has exacerbated the sense of exclusion of France’s Algerian population, and has hindered its capacity to integrate into French society. Through a study of literature, this thesis addresses these issues of remembrance and exclusion. Taking as its primary corpus novels by four authors who embody the divisive past shared by France and Algeria – Azouz Begag, Mehdi Charef, Mounsi, and Leïla Sebbar – this study investigates the ways in which Franco-Algerian literature has represented the marginalisation of France’s ethnic Algerian population, and posited routes of escape from this marginalisation. Furthermore, it analyses the extent to which the primary texts challenge the history of silence maintained for so long by the French government, and bring to light instead a complex, plural historical narrative as opposed to the monolithic version of history put forward by the state. By examining texts published between 1981 and 1999, the thesis traces the increased presence of the children of Algerian migrants in French society during the 1980s, which leads into a greater attention to history and a wave of remembrance in the 1990s, prefiguring the eventual official acknowledgment of the Algerian War by the French government in 1999

The Effects Of Exercise Mode And Intensity On Energy Expenditure During And After Exercise In Resistance Trained Males

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of exercise mode and intensity on energy expenditure (EE) during and after five time-matched aerobic and resistance exercise protocols in resistance trained males. Methods: 14 resistance trained males (mean ± SD; age = 24.2 ± 4.0 yr; body mass = 84.7 ± 13.3 kg; height = 181.2 ± 8.8 cm; and body fat = 15.9 ± 4.6%) completed five separate protocols: continuous aerobic (continuous), high intensity interval aerobic (HIIT), strength endurance (2x20), traditional resistance (3x10), and high intensity resistance (4x6). EE was measured before, during, immediately post (0-30 minutes), and delayed post exercise (60-90 minutes). Results: No significant differences in exercise EE were seen between aerobic protocols, both of which were significantly greater (p\u3c0.0001) than all three resistance protocols. When comparing exercise EE across resistance protocols, the 4x6 protocol was significantly greater than the 3x10 and 2x20 protocols by 38 ± 10 kcal (p=0.04) and 67 ± 8 kcal (p\u3c0.001), respectively. In the 30 minutes following exercise, a 6.2% mean increase in EE was seen following the 2x20 protocol (p\u3c0.05) compared to baseline. In the 60-90 minutes post-exercise, the 3x10, 4x6, and HIIT protocols showed significant average reductions in EE of 10.7%, 8.7%, and 7.1% (p\u3c0.05) compared to baseline, respectively. The combined EE from during and after exercise resulted in the same rank order as during exercise (least to greatest: 2x20, 3x10,4x6, continuous, and HIIT). Conclusion: Continuous and HIIT aerobic protocols were responsible for the greatest EE during exercise when compared to the resistance protocols. Within resistance protocols, intensity was associated with an increase in exercise EE. Despite the reductions in EE 60-90 minutes post exercise observed in the 3x10, 4x6, and HIIT protocols, exercise EE was the greatest contributor to total EE measured during and after exercise. These results can potentially be used when designing exercise training programs in order to monitor EE and avoid negative effects of potential energy deficits