5,293 research outputs found
Linking livestock production to human health - creating sustainability through farming
The main dietary risk factors associated with the early onset of the non-communicable diseases (cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer) would seem to be the over-consumption of dietary lipids and the under-consumption of dietary micronutrients. Consumer preference for lower fat, higher protein diets and for less saturated and more polyunsaturated fat has been around for a number of years. However, more recent clinical studies have indicated benefi cial (anti-infl ammatory) effects of increasing the omega-3: omega- 6 ratio of dietary PUFA and potential anti-cancer and -heart disease effects of increasing consumption of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). These factors are considered in relation to the fatty acid composition of milk and meat derived from organic systems. Animal products are also important sources of several micronutrients and recent information of the health benefi ts of increasing dietary selenium and iron are considered in relation to promoting organic animal products to the health-conscious consumer
A Firm-Specific Analysis of the Exchange-Rate Exposure of Dutch Firms
We examine the relationship between exchange-rate changes and stockreturns for a sample of Dutch firms over 1994-1998. We find that over50% of the firms are significantly exposed to exchange-rate risk.Furthermore, all firms with significant exchange-rate exposure benefitfrom a depreciation of the Dutch guilder relative to a trade-weightedcurrency index. This result confirms that firms in open economies,such as the Netherlands, exhibit significant exchange-rate exposure.We collect unique information on the most relevant individualcurrencies for each firm with respect to their influence on firmvalue. Our results indicate that the use of a trade-weighted currencyindex and the use of individual exchange rates are complements. Wealso measure the determinants of exchange-rate exposure. As expected,we find that firm size and the foreign sales ratio are significantlyand positively related to exchange-rate exposure. In contrast with ourhypothesis, off-balance hedging using derivatives has no significanteffects. Finally, in line with theory, we find that exposure issignificantly reduced through on-balance sheet hedging, i.e. throughforeign loans and by producing in factories abroad.risk management;The Netherlands;foreign exchange rates;international finance;exposure measurement
Increasing the quality of seismic interpretation
Acknowledgments E. Macrae was funded by an NERC Open CASE Ph.D. award (NE/F013728/1) with Midland Valley Exploration Ltd. as the industry partner. We thank 763 geoscientists for their participation, and in particular, the REs who gave their time freely to the project. M. Scott (University of Glasgow, UK) is thanked for assisting with the statistical analysis. Four reviewers are thanked for their constructive comments that improved the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD
Heart diseasae in pregnancy
A series of two hundred and twenty -five patients
with heart disease is reviewed, showing its incidence
in pregnancy to be 0.8 per cent, and its mortality
3.1 per cent.With better obstetrics and fewer deaths from
sepsis, heart disease is occupying a relatively more
prominent position as a cause of maternal deaths,
being the fourth most common cause in this series,
and accounting for 11.6 per cent of all maternal
deaths.Rheumatic fever was responsible for 93 per cent
of cases, and the mitral valve was the site of the
lesion in all but a few.Observation of patients with heart disease at
weekly intervals is recommended, owing to the danger
of their condition deteriorating and in order
immediately to observe any adverse change: and it is
recommended that all patients should be admitted for
one week about the twenty- eighth week, for rest and
assessment, and again seven to ten days before full
term. Antenatal care is one of the major factors
in lowering the mortality rate, and each visit of the
patient should include careful medical examination,
especially of her lung bases for the early crepitations, close questioning as to her daily routine and an assurance that she keeps within the limits of her
cardiac reserve. It is possible that the more
frequent examination and earlier advice and treatment
of the Group II patients may be the key to the
avoidance of the occasional failure in this group.Respiratory infections, however trivial, have
to be treated seriously, as they have a tendency to
resist ordinary treatment and may precipitate.heart
failure; anaemia, too, should be avoided, and, if
marked, a careful look-out kept for signs which might
suggest subacute endocarditis, and the patient should
be advised to report should she develop any new
symptom.The functional heart grouping of the American
Heart Association gives a good indication of the
cardiac reserve, and offers a common nomenclature for
reporting results.Some additional factors in assessment in individual cases, as suggested by Lamb (1934), may help
to lessen the dangers of cardiac decompensation and,
towards this end, the co- operation between the
cardiologist and the obstetrician is essential.A history of previous failure is a bad prognosti
sign, and, although there is an apparent recovery,
such patients should be regarded as group IV cases.
It may, in fact, be advisable, as regards the
obstetric treatment, to place the patient in the least favourable group to which she may have reached, no
matter what the improvement obtained with treatment,
or what more favourable group she may later occupy
during pregnancy.Spontaneous labour, aided, if necessary, by forceps,
would seem to be the best mode of delivery, and
is possible in the vast majority of cases; Caesarean
section being reserved for the presence of other
obstetrical complications, or, in some cases, where
surgical termination of the pregnancy is indicated.It has been noted in this series, that patients
with heart disease do not stand up well to prolonged
labour or to accouchement force, and, if these are
anticipated, a Caesarean section may be less of a risk
to the patient. Observation of the pulse and respiration
rates during the first stage of labour, as
recommended by Mendelson and Pardee (1942), and
immediate digitalisation, if necessary, may serve to
prevent decompensation developing.The anaesthetic which is best advised is morphia
for the first stage and pudendal block for the second
stage of labour, supplemented by a light gas and
oxygen and episiotomy when forceps are used.There is a definite place for therapeutic abortion
in the group III and IV patients; and in others,
rho have given a history of previous heart failure,
it is assessed individually.The selection of bad-risk cardiac patients
should be one at cardiac clinics, where they should
be advised against becoming pregnant: and this precaution
together with careful choosing of patients
who are to proceed with pregnancy and avoid decompensation,
with its attendant risks, can serve
greatly to lower the mortality rate. Gilchrist and
Murray Lyon (1933) say that one or two pregnancies do
not shorten the expectation of life in the cardiac:
and Jones (1944) advises against a third pregnancy.
These observations have shown, however, that, altho
pregnancy may not induce heart failure, it may leave
the heart severely crippled. It has been shown in
this series that patients who have changed to a less
favourable functional heart group during pregnancy
are more liable to show these adverse effects in
later years. No difference, however, in the age of
death has been shown in nulliparous and parous women.Of congenital lesions, unless there is persistent
cyanosis, which would justify advising against
pregnancy, or securing an early termination, the
patient is treated as for other heart lesions: the
exception being in those lesions where excess
straining must be avoided and when, therefore, a
Caesarean section should be performed.A guarded prognosis has to be given until the
end of the puerperium, since the majority of
fatalities occur then, and additional rest in
hospital should be advised for patients at this time.Before the patient leaves hospital, to assume the
extensive burdens of the care of her child, a full
opportunity should be taken to discuss with her the
domestic responsibilities which she has to meet:
and if indicated, as it is in most cases, arrangements
made whereby she may have the assistance of a
Home-help, such as is now available from most local
Authority Departments. Finally, a date is given to
the patient for attendance at a Cardiological clinic
for future advice and guidance
Mine and me: exploring the neural basis of object ownership.
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Structural and thermal response of 30 cm diameter ion thruster optics
Tabular and graphical data are presented which are intended for use in calibrating and validating structural and thermal models of ion thruster optics. A 30 cm diameter, two electrode, mercury ion thruster was operated using two different electrode assembly designs. With no beam extraction, the transient and steady state temperature profiles and center electrode gaps were measured for three discharge powers. The data showed that the electrode mount design had little effect on the temperatures, but significantly impacted the motion of the electrode center. Equilibrium electrode gaps increased with one design and decreased with the other. Equilibrium displacements in excess of 0.5 mm and gap changes of 0.08 mm were measured at 450 W discharge power. Variations in equilibrium gaps were also found among assemblies of the same design. The presented data illustrate the necessity for high fidelity ion optics models and development of experimental techniques to allow their validation
The sensory screen: phenomenology of visual perception in early European avant-garde film
At the beginning of the twentieth century, certain artists, writers, and
philosophers became intrigued by the profound ways in which filmic
images could pervade aspects of modern thought and experience. For
them, film had the potential to reveal radical new dimensions of
sensory phenomena. The early development of avant-garde film-making
in Europe is culturally crucial not only for its historical and conceptual
context of creative transition, but also for its dynamic exploration of
processes of visual perception. The central objective of this thesis is to
expose and engage these profound perceptual issues within the specific
sphere of graphic abstract film. The structural formation of the thesis
entails the confluencing of material for analysis into a sequence of key
areas comprising the central components of avant-garde cinematic
visualisation. The visual implications of each area are analysed in
specific depth, whilst acknowledging their respective interactivity.
Significantly, the research applies analytic theories of phenomenology
in order to focus incisively upon relevant early European avant-garde
filmic imagery. The potential vitality of a phenomenological
theorisation of early avant-garde film resides not only within their
historical contemporaneity, but at the epistemological level of the
mind's cognitive engagement with the realms of creative visualisation.
It is a system of analysis which aims to establish a nuanced
phenomenological theory of visual perception as a matter of prime
sustenance to historically crucial cinematic art forms
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Evaluating MI512: An information literacy course for PhD students
The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of a six-week information literacy course for research students that was redesigned following the librarians undertaking the Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching in Higher Education. The paper presents a case study and evaluation of the impact of a teaching programme. Findings — Research students appreciate and value the expertise of library staff and are prepared to devote considerable time to an information literacy programme. The programme received excellent feedback. There is no summative assessment associated with the course and so no quantitative measure of improvement in learning. The paper provides a model programme other librarians can adapt for use at their own institution. Extended doctoral level information literacy courses are relatively uncommon and demonstrates the benefit of this type of course, to research
Using a hypothetical scenario to assess public preferences for colorectal surveillance following screening-detected, intermediate-risk adenomas: annual home-based stool test vs. triennial colonoscopy
Background To assess public preferences for colorectal cancer (CRC) surveillance tests for intermediate-risk adenomas, using a hypothetical scenario. Methods Adults aged 45–54 years without CRC were identified from three General Practices in England (two in Cumbria, one in London). A postal survey was carried out during a separate study on preferences for different first-line CRC screening modalities (non- or full-laxative computed tomographic colonography, flexible sigmoidoscopy, or colonoscopy). Individuals were allocated at random to receive a pack containing information on one first-line test, and a paragraph describing CRC surveillance recommendations for people who are diagnosed with intermediate-risk adenomas during screening. All participants received a description of two surveillance options: annual single-sample, home-based stool testing (consistent with Faecal Immunochemical Tests; FIT) or triennial colonoscopy. Invitees were asked to imagine they had been diagnosed with intermediate-risk adenomas, and then complete a questionnaire on their surveillance preferences. Results 22.1 % (686/3,100) questionnaires were returned. 491 (15.8 %) were eligible for analysis. The majority of participants stated a surveillance preference for the stool test over colonoscopy (60.8 % vs 31.0 %; no preference: 8.1 %; no surveillance: 0.2 %). Women were more likely to prefer the stool test than men (66.7 % vs. 53.6 %; p = .011). The primary reason for preferring the stool test was that it would be done more frequently. The main reason to prefer colonoscopy was its superiority at finding polyps. Conclusions A majority of participants stated a preference for a surveillance test resembling FIT over colonoscopy. Future research should test whether this translates to greater adherence in a real surveillance setting
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