357 research outputs found
100 Questions About Women and Politics
No full textBook review by Erin Tolley of 100 Questions About Women and Politics, author Manon Tremblay
Syntheses of selectively fluorinated cyclodecenones: the first deployment of the neutral oxy-Cope rearrangement in organofluorine chemistry
No full textMetallated haloalkenes were used to open epoxides in moderate to good yield. The homoallylic alcohols obtained underwent Swern oxidation to afford three ??-difluorinated ?,?-enones, which reacted with either vinyllithium, 2-lithio-2H-dihydropyran or another metallated haloalkene to afford substituted trans-1,2-divinylcyclohexanols of different degrees of stability. These intermediates underwent neutral thermal oxy-Cope rearrangements when heated in xylene in Ace(R) tubes. The first-formed enols ketonised without loss of HF to afford a range of cyclodecenones in moderate to good yield; X-ray crystallography was used extensively for product characterisation. All substrates rearranged more rapidly than a cis/trans mixture of 1,2-divinylcyclohexanols
Clinical applications of Telerobotic ENT-Head and Neck surgery
No full textAbstractObjectiveTo review the published clinical data in Telerobotic ENT-Head and Neck surgery, evaluate the benefit of existing clinical applications and identify areas for potential development.MethodsA qualitative review was performed of publications in PubMed, Medline and the Cochrane Database identified from the following keyword searches: Telerobotic/Robotic ENT, Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck surgery, Thyroid and Parathyroid surgery. Preclinical studies and non-clinical review articles were excluded.ResultsForty-five publications were identified including 7 review articles. Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) was reported in 20 clinical studies, robotic-assisted thyroidectomy in 13 studies, parathyroidectomy in 4 studies and skull base surgery in 1 study. The majority of TORS publications relate to oropharyngeal malignancy which were Stage III and IV. Clinical benefits include avoidance or dose reduction of adjuvant chemoradiotherapy and improved swallow function. The primary clinical advantage of robotic-assisted neck surgery is the avoidance of a neck scar. The learning curve for robotic thyroidectomy is 50 cases. Body habitus is an important factor for assessment of robotic feasibility in transoral and neck surgery.ConclusionThe application of robotic-assisted parathyroidectomy, thyroidectomy and TORS suggests promising improvements in patient care. Randomised control trials are needed to assess clinical outcome, cost effectiveness and patient benefit in the existing applications. Continued development of robotic technology will expand the viable clinical applications in this specialty
Research, Analysis and Insight into National Standards (RAINS) Project. First Report: Researching Schools’ Enactments of New Zealand’s National Standards Policy
No full textThis is the first report of the Research, Analysis and Insight into National Standards (RAINS) project, one year into a three-year study of the introduction of National Standards into New Zealand primary and intermediate schools
Rhampholeon (Rhinodigitum) hattinghi Tilbury & Tolley, 2015, sp. nov.
No full textRhampholeon (Rhinodigitum) hattinghi sp. nov. Synonymy: Rhampholeon boulengeri Tilbury 2010. Holotype. PEM-R 19194, an adult male with everted hemipenes, collected by Colin Tilbury and Isak Hattingh on 21 st March 2010, from path side vegetation at 1700 metres a.s.l., Mount Nzawa, Moba District, Katanga Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo (6 ° 51.07 ’ S; 29 ° 35.87 ’ E). Paratypes. PEM-R 19193, adult male; PEM-R 19195, adult male, PEM-R 19196, adult female; PEM-R 19197, adult female; PEM-R 19198, adult female; all collected on the same date and locality as the holotype. Diagnosis. Due to its markedly bicuspid claws, amelanotic parietal peritoneum and acalyculate bag-like hemipenes with dual apical horns, this taxon can be placed within the sub-genus Rhampholeon (Rhinodigitum) Matthee et al. 2004. In spite of the remarkably conserved external morphology within this genus, this new taxon is easily distinguishable from congeners by virtue of the following identifying characteristics: The consistent absence of deep mite pockets (or pits) in the inguinal flexure distinguishes this taxon from Rh. beraduccii Mariaux & Tilbury and the six species of the Rh. platyceps Günther complex (Branch et al. 2014), including Rh. platyceps, Rh. chapmanorum Tilbury, Rh. maspictus Branch et al., Rh. tilburyi Branch et al., Rh. bruessoworum Branch et al. and Rh. nebulauctor Branch et al.; the presence of deep pits in the axillae of this taxon distinguishes it from Rh. nchisiensis Loveridge and Rh. acuminatus Mariaux & Tilbury; the relatively smooth supra-orbital and canthal crests distinguish this taxon from Rh. boulengeri, Rh. uluguruensis Tilbury & Emmrich and Rh. moyeri Menegon et al., in all of which a peaked cluster of tubercles forms distinct protuberances above the eye and the nasal aperture (Fig. 5). Description of Holotype. Snout-vent 56mm, tail 11mm. Body habitus leaf like - typical of all other Rhampholeon (Rhinodigitum) species. Head short, casque flattened, top of head shallowly concave. The lateral crests are studded with several prominent tubercles. Parietal crest indistinct, indicated by a short row of 3 marginally enlarged tubercles. The supra-optic ridge gathers into a low cluster of tubercles anteriorly above each eye, but without forming a supra-optic horn. The two supra-orbital ridges are connected to each other by a series of 18 inter-orbital tubercles arranged in a shallow V across the top of the head. The canthal ridges are formed by a row of enlarged, relatively smooth tubercles which terminate anteriorly at the base of a small, finely tuberculated stump-like process that barely projects off the anterior end of the snout. The nares open posteriorly, from a small bulge at a point roughly one third of the distance between the anterior orbital rim and the front of the maxilla. A distinct temporal crest arises from the mid post-orbital rim and consists of 5 tubercles on the right and six tubercles on the left, of which the most posterior is the largest. Three large sub-conical tubercles are spaced along the inferoposterior rim of the orbit. A prominent tubercle is situated just above the mouth in line with the posterior orbital rim. The dorsal vertebral line is weakly crenulated, fading to smooth over the pelvic region. The dorsal margin of the tail is likewise smooth. Deep axillary mite pockets (or pits) are present, whilst the inguinal flexures are smooth. The background scalation of the body, tail, limbs and belly is composed of tightly packed sub-homogeneous, stellate-edged tubercles. The gular region of the throat extending to between the front limbs is studded with many small conical tubercles. These also are found on the belly, underside of the tail and the underside and particularly on the outer-surface of the limbs. The sides of the body have regularly-spaced, enlarged conical tubercles, with three particularly enlarged cones situated in a row at midbody, the first sited above the shoulder, the second at midbody, and the last just before the pelvis. Claws are markedly biscuspid, several prominent palmar and plantar accessory spines are seen at the base of the toes, and the outer soles of the feet are relatively spinose whilst the inner soles are smooth with a cobblestone appearance. Colour in life. Adult male (Figs 6 & 7). Top of head and snout dark brown extending to cover the sides of the snout above the line of the mouth and to a lesser extent the eyeball and superior temporal zone. Eyeball with dark radiations especially prominent over the upper half of the eyeball. Gular region off-white. Body light brown mottled with olive green. Five dark blotches are spaced along the dorsal vertebral ridge, and a broad dark blotch is also located over the dorsum of the tail. Two thin dark green stripes, originating from the second and third vertebral blotches, extend infero-posteriorly over the flanks. Three dark spots are arrayed along the flank, each spot centred over a prominent conical tubercle. The inner sides of the fore and hind limbs pale orange. A prominent white spot is located on each side of the tail. Adult female stress pattern (Fig. 8). Dorsal ridge orange from the tip of the casque to the tip of the tail. Flanks speckled with small orange spots and three large white spots on the flanks, each surround an enlarged conical tubercle. Sides of head and gular region flecked in white, sometimes forming short vertical stripes. Eyeball dark and speckled with light blue tubercles. Lateral flank stripes dark but heavily flecked with light blue. Hemipenes. Short bag-like, truncus acalyculate; a pair of short, broad-based apical horns incurving above the sulcus spermaticus (Fig. 9). The upper surface of the horns is covered in closely packed thorn-like papillae, much like a pineapple skin. Fourteen papillae are arranged in a proximal or basal cluster terminating in a distal row of two papillae. Inferior to each apical horn, a prominent balloon-like membranous evagination billows anteriorly. Sexual Dimorphism. Apart from the prominent hemipenal bulges there is little sexual dimorphism evident in the type series (Table 4). In males the tail comprises between 16–23 % of the total length whilst in females it is between 14–18 % of total length. Number Sex Length Rp Casque/snout Sub-orbital Axil pit Inguinal pit (mm) (mm) rows *= Holotype, measurements in millimetres; s-v = snout-vent length; Io tub = inter-orbital tubercles; Io diam = interorbital diameter; Length Rp = length of rostral process; Sub-orbital rows = number of rows of tubercles between the inferior orbital rim and the upper labials; na = not measured. Variation. In the paratypes the parietal crest was either absent, or merely indicated as in the holotype. The supra-orbital crest is relatively smooth in all specimens, only forming a low cluster of tubercles in 2 specimens at the point where the inter-orbital tubercles terminate above the eye. The soles of the feet may vary from relatively smooth to a sub-acuminate field of tubercles. The hemipenes of PEM-R 19193 and PEM-R 19195 do not differ in any substantial way from that of the holotype. Reproduction. The parietal peritoneum in the abdominal cavity of the largest female (PEM-R 19198) was unpigmented and the fallopian tubes each held a single egg measuring 6.4mm x 5.6mm. Habitat. All specimens were found in closed canopy Afrotemperate montane forest on low vegetation alongside a path. Perch heights varied from a few centimetres up to 50 cm from the ground. Etymology. Named for Isak Hattingh, who enthusiastically but unwittingly agreed to accompany the first author on a trip which tested many boundaries. He never complained once.Published as part of Tilbury, Colin R. & Tolley, Krystal A., 2015, Contributions to the herpetofauna of the Albertine Rift: Two new species of chameleon (Sauria: Chamaeleonidae) from an isolated montane forest, south eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, pp. 345-364 in Zootaxa 3905 (3) on pages 355-359, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3905.3.2, http://zenodo.org/record/24051
Application of computational methods as an adjunct to upper airway assessment
No full textThis work comprises of an investigation into the application of virtual geometric reconstruction and computational fluid dynamics to the upper respiratory tract, to investigate how their anatomical form affects airflow and to examine the potential of 3D modelling of the airway as a potential surgical adjunct. For the latter purpose, the technology would need to have the ability to produce clinically relevant flow information in a timely, cost-effective fashion. Furthermore, it would need to ensure accurate model reproducibility, with specified limits to inter-user variability; thereby reducing costly post-processing in order for computational simulations to be performed.
In this work, computational analysis of airway flow is subjected to critical assessment, examining each stage in the process of model building, testing and validation. The first stage is that of translating clinical scan data (usually CT or MRI) into a virtual 3D model for geometric analysis and flow simulation. In defining the airway geometry, key issues are variations in the quality of scan data, together with variations in the procedures used for image analysis and segmentation. Either may compromise the accuracy and the reproducibility of results and some of the results to be presented will indicate that there is a need for systematic research into threshold choices used for image segmentation of both normal and pathological geometries. A further issue is dynamic airway movement: most current scan data does not capture such data, but examples are shown to indicate the scale of such neglected effects.
Having obtained a virtual anatomy, in the following stage computational fluid dynamics simulations can be performed to assess flow dynamics. Even though 3D virtual modelling is already used clinically by cardiothoracic and maxillofacial surgeons, knowledge of specificity and sensitivity of measures applied to geometries as complex as the nasal airway as indicators of physiological performance or markers of pathology is still unknown (Rao and Menon, 2015, Saad et al., 2013). In particular, uncertainties in determining the original geometry affect the predictions of flow, which is an issue as yet scarcely addressed. Here, results of a pilot study detailing a methodology to investigate the scale of such effects in computational prediction of nasal airway flows will be described.
Whilst completing the two stages, namely model building and computational simulation provide the required output of air flow prediction, a third stage necessary for developing the technology is validation. In this work, an experimental procedure based on rapid prototype manufacture of replica airways, introduced as part of an investigation of the effects of glottis aperture on pressure loss in the trachea, provides a means for validating the computational methodology. Indeed, such replica models may offer an alternative to computational methodologies for more complex problems.
Finally, the processes by which models are created and simulations performed are discussed in the context of requirements for validation and streamlining of the process for clinical acceptability.Open Acces
Patient-reported visual function outcomes improve after ranibizumab treatment in patients with vision impairment due to diabetic macular edema: randomized clinical trial
No full textFew data are available on relative changes in vision-related function after treatment for diabetic macular edema (DME). To determine the impact of intravitreal ranibizumab, 0.5 mg, compared with laser on patient-reported visual function. Phase 3, randomized, double-masked, 12-month study (RESTORE). Outpatient retina practices in Australia, Canada, and Europe. Patients 18 years or older with type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus and visual impairment due to DME. Patients were randomized to ranibizumab plus sham laser (n = 116), ranibizumab plus laser (n = 118), or sham injections plus laser (n = 111). Ranibizumab and sham injections were given for 3 consecutive months then as needed; laser or sham laser treatment was given at baseline then as needed. National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire 25 (NEI VFQ-25) scores at 0, 3, and 12 months for patients receiving 1 or more study treatments with 1 or more postbaseline NEI VFQ-25 assessments and last observation carried forward for missing data. Mean baseline NEI VFQ-25 composite scores were 72.8, 73.5, and 74.1 in the ranibizumab, laser, and ranibizumab plus laser groups, respectively. At 12 months, the mean composite scores (95% CIs) improved by 5.0 (ranibizumab vs laser, 2.6 to 7.4; P = .01 vs laser) and 5.4 (ranibizumab plus laser vs laser alone, 3.3 to 7.4; P = .004 vs laser) from baseline in the ranibizumab and ranibizumab plus laser groups, respectively, compared with 0.6 (-1.8 to 3.0) for the laser group. Near activities scores improved by 9.0 (ranibizumab vs laser, 5.0 to 13.0; P = .01) and 9.1 (ranibizumab plus laser vs laser, 5.6 to 12.6; P = .006) compared with 1.1 (-3.0 to 5.2) for the laser group, whereas distance activities scores improved by 5.3 (ranibizumab vs laser, 1.8 to 8.9; P = .04) and 5.6 (ranibizumab plus laser vs laser, 2.3 to 9.0; P = .03) compared with 0.4 (-3.1 to 3.8) for the laser group. Patients with better baseline visual acuity or lower central retinal thickness had greater improvements with ranibizumab treatment compared with laser in composite and some subscale scores compared with patients with worse visual acuity or higher central retinal thickness. These data provide vision-related, patient-reported outcome evidence that mirrors visual acuity outcomes and supports benefits from ranibizumab or ranibizumab plus laser treatment for patients with DME and characteristics similar to those enrolled in this randomized clinical trial. clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT0068780
Researching amid the heat and noise of political debate
No full textThis article discusses the everyday politics surrounding research on a controversial government policy. The research in question is the Research, Analysis and Insight into National Standards (RAINS) project on National Standards in New Zealand primary schools being undertaken by the author. This three-year study was funded by the New Zealand primary teachers' union, the NZEI, an organisation opposed to the National Standards policy. The project was quickly attacked by a cabinet minister and the media but there have also been significant accomplishments in carrying out and reporting the research and in relevant activism. As the article discusses the political setbacks and successes while undertaking the research, it reflects on issues such as research funding, research 'independence', the reporting of findings from controversial research projects, the tensions between being a researcher and an activist and the importance of supportive networks. The article provides a case study of how challenges to the legitimacy of research and academic involvement in public debate may need to be anticipated and addressed by researchers much like other aspects of their work
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