The construction and evaluation of an inventory test in arithmetic for grade six

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston University Includes sample test in envelope

Efficacy and safety of a subacromial continuous ropivacaine infusion for post-operative pain management following arthroscopic rotator cuff surgery: A protocol for a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Major shoulder surgery often results in severe post-operative pain and a variety of interventions have been developed in an attempt to address this. The continuous slow infusion of a local anaesthetic directly into the operative site has recently gained popularity but it is expensive and as yet there is little conclusive evidence that it provides additional benefits over other methods of post-operative pain management.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>This will be a randomised, placebo-controlled trial involving 158 participants. Following diagnostic arthroscopy, all participants will undergo arthroscopic subacromial decompression with or without rotator cuff repair, all operations performed by a single surgeon. Participants, the surgeon, nurses caring for the patients and outcome assessors will be blinded to treatment allocation. All participants will receive a pre-incision bolus injection of 20 mls of ropivacaine 1% into the shoulder and an intra-operative intravenous bolus of parecoxib 40 mg. Using concealed allocation participants will be randomly assigned to active treatment (local anaesthetic ropivacaine 0.75%) or placebo (normal saline) administered continuously into the subacromial space by an elastomeric pump at 5 mls per hour post-operatively. Patient controlled opioid analgesia and oral analgesics will be available for breakthrough pain. Outcome assessment will be at 15, 30 and 60 minutes, 2, 4, 8, 12, 18 and 24 hours, and 2 or 4 months for decompression or decompression plus repair respectively.</p> <p>The primary end point will be average pain at rest over the first 12-hour post-operative period on a verbal analogue pain score. Secondary end points will be average pain at rest over the second 12-hour post-operative period, maximal pain at rest over the first and second 12-hour periods, amount of rescue medication used, length of inpatient stay and incidence of post-operative adhesive capsulitis.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>The results of this trial will contribute to evidence-based recommendations for the effectiveness of pain management modalities following arthroscopic rotator cuff surgery. If the local anaesthetic pain-buster provides no additional benefits over placebo then valuable resources can be put to better use in other ways.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>Australian Clinical Trials Register Number ACTR12606000195550</p

Biogenic sulphur emissions and inferred non-sea-salt-sulphate cloud condensation nuclei in and around Antarctica.

Accumulation mode aerosol properties and biogenic sulphur emissions over the South Atlantic and Antarctic Oceans are examined. Two contrasting air masses, polar and maritime, each possessing distinct aerosol properties, were encountered during the summer months. By examining aerosol volatile properties, polar air masses arriving from the Antarctic continent were shown to consist primarily Of H2SO4 in the accumulation mode size range, with inferred NH+ 4 to SO= 4 molar ratios close to zero. By comparison, air masses of temperate maritime origin were significantly neutralized with molar ratios of ≈1. These results suggest a deficit of ammonia in polar air masses compared with that in maritime air masses. Dimethyl sulphide (DMS) exhibited no correlation with its putative aerosol oxidation products, although spatial coherence in atmospheric concentrations of DMS, methane sulphonic acid (MSA), and non-sea-salt (nss)-sulphate mass was observed. Volatility analysis, used to infer nss-sulphate cloud condensation nuclei (nss-sCCN) active at a supersaturation of ≈0.2%, indicates that nss-sCCN mass and number concentration were best correlated with MSA mass (r≈0.63). Aerosol volatility identified the presence of MSA in submicron non-sea-salt aerosol; however, its contribution to the aerosol mass was small relative to the contribution of sulphuric acid and ammonium bisulphate/sulphate aerosol. The marine sulphur cycle appears strongly coupled to the sea-salt cycle with, typically, 80–90% of nss-sulphate thought to be internally mixed with sea-salt aerosol. During the austral Summer of 1992/1993, a period of strong biological productivity in the Weddell Sea and sub-Antarctic Ocean, particularly during ice-melt, the cruise-average DMS flux of 61 μg m−2 d−1 corresponded to a very modest average nss-sCCN concentration of 21 cm−3. Observed peak values of DMS flux and inferred nss-CCN concentrations during the cruise were 477 μg m−2 d−1 and 64 cm−3, respectively. Events of new particle formation were identified in the Weddell Sea and occurred under conditions of high DMS flux and low aerosol surface area

What's wrong with democracy at the moment, and why it matters for research and education

The article provides historical and political background to contemporary issues facing education and research. In doing so, it argues that there has been a fundamental inversion of democracy. What this means is that instead of democracy providing a political framework for the voices of people, it is employed as a cover for the interests of the wealthy. The article explores this inversion, drawing upon the theoretical insights of the Annaliste school of history and its contemporary expression in the work of such people as David Harvey and Immanuel Wallerstein. It is argued that, rather than an effective public historically emerging, there is what Walter Lipmann in 1927 called a 'phantom public' whose views, beliefs and conduct are open to manipulation. He called it the 'manufacture of consent'. The article explores the implications of the transformations of the economic and political scenes in conjunction with this shaping of public opinion for both research and education

Diversity and ecology of edible mushrooms from Patagonia native forests, Argentina

Forests from the Patagonian Andes of Argentina offer a very interesting although little known and exploited variety of edible wild mushrooms so far. In this work, 12 selected species of wild mushrooms from these forests, which have been reported as edible (Hydropus dusenii, Cyttaria hariotii, Fistulina antarctica, F. endoxantha, Grifola gargal, Cortinarius magellanicus complex, C. xiphidipus, Lepista nuda, Lycoperdon perlatum, Macrolepiota procera, Ramaria patagonica, and Aleurodiscus vitellinus), were investigated. Registers of effective consumption and bibliography on their traditional knowledge were used as a reference, leaving aside some much studied taxa, such as Morchella spp. (Pildain et al., Fungal Biol 118: 755–763, 2014), and some others that were very infrequently detected. We went deep in the study on the ecological and organoleptic characteristics of each species. A brief morphological description, substrates, way of life, and fruiting habits, is presented along with organoleptic characteristics. The ecological analysis included the evaluation of the environmental variables associated with their fructification, phenology, availability, and finding frequency. Species with the longest fruiting period were F. antarctica, R. patagonica, and C. magellanicus complex, from mid-March to mid-May, being also the most frequent, along with C. hariotii. Detection of narrow value ranges for certain environmental variables associated with the fruiting of humic and mycorrhizal species, such as the presence of wood debris, organic matter percentage, mulch distribution, and tree cover, suggests that fruiting of these species would be affected by not necessarily drastic changes of these parameters. Information generated in this work seeks to favor local development by promoting the sustainable use of wild edible mushrooms through innovative activities, such as mycogastronomy and mycotourism, linked with the important tourist profile of Patagonia.Fil: Barroetaveña, Carolina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia "San Juan Bosco". Facultad de Ingeniería - Sede Esquel. Departamento de Ingeniería Forestal; Argentina. Centro de Investigación y Extensión Forestal Andino Patagónico; ArgentinaFil: Toledo, Carolina Veronica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Centro de Investigación y Extensión Forestal Andino Patagónico; Argentin