We demonstrate how the re-marker and reporter facility of the DEWIS e-Assessment system facilitates the capture, analysis and reporting of student errors using two case studies: logarithms and indices for first-year computing students at the University of the West of England, and Sturm–Liouville problems for second-year mathematics students at Leeds University. The differences in approach needed for error capture for commonly used numerical or algebraic answer inputs are discussed and shown to facilitate efficient capture and reporting of student errors. Not only does such information provide a way to tailor question feedback to address these errors for use by future students, but can be made available to current students by re-marking their answers using the newly identified errors and hence making the improved feedback available to them too.

This paper describes a novel force acquisition system capable of measuring the force profiles of high-energy short-duration impacts. This force acquisition system was used to test dynamically a cricket leg guard and to create a contour map of the peak transmitted forces across the garment's surface. The cricket leg guard was found to provide most protection in the central shin and knee regions, areas most likely to be impacted normally and so to receive the highest-energy impacts. The use of this system will enable a dynamic test procedure to be developed to mimic impact conditions encountered during a game, allowing optimization of cricket pad designs for specific impacts.

We use the semiclassical approximation in perturbative scalar quantum electrodynamics to calculate the quantum correction to the Larmor radiation formula to first order in Planck's constant in the nonrelativistic approximation, choosing the initial state of the charged particle to be a momentum eigenstate. We calculate this correction in two cases: in the first case the charged particle is accelerated by a time-dependent but space-independent vector potential whereas in the second case it is accelerated by a time-independent vector potential which is a function of one spatial coordinate. We find that the corrections in these two cases are different even for a charged particle with the same classical motion. The correction in each case turns out to be nonlocal in time in contrast to the classical approximation.

We investigate the physics of a charged scalar particle moving in conformally flat spacetime with the conformal factor depending only on time in the framework of quantum electrodynamics (QED). In particular, we show that the radiation-reaction force derived from QED agrees with the classical counterpart in the limit h -> 0 using the fact that to lowest order in h the charged scalar field theory with mass m in conformally flat spacetime with conformal factor Omega(t), which we call Model B, is equivalent to that in flat spacetime with a time-dependent mass m Omega(t), which we call Model A, at tree level in this limit. We also consider the one-loop QED corrections to these two models in the semiclassical approximation. We find nonzero one-loop corrections to the mass and Maxwell's equations in Model A at order h(-1). This does not mean, however, that the corresponding one-loop corrections in Model B are nonzero because the equivalence of these models through a conformal transformation breaks down at one loop. We find that the one-loop corrections vanish in the limit h -> 0 in Model B.

Clinical OtolaryngologyVolume 33, Issue 2 p. 178-178 Wooden sandwich method for tympanoplasty graft preparation J.H.K. Kong, J.H.K. Kong Department of Neurotology, Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, SydneySearch for more papers by this authorP.J. Walker, P.J. Walker Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, John Hunter Children’s Hospital, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.E-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this author J.H.K. Kong, J.H.K. Kong Department of Neurotology, Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, SydneySearch for more papers by this authorP.J. Walker, P.J. Walker Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, John Hunter Children’s Hospital, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.E-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this author First published: 18 April 2008 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-4486.2008.01630.xCitations: 1Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL No abstract is available for this article.Citing Literature Volume33, Issue2April 2008Pages 178-178 RelatedInformation

This study was conducted to determine the effect of direct consignment compared with saleyard marketing on beef quality and palatability. A total of 258 cattle (mean carcass weight 227 ± 19 kg) from nine vendor properties in Victoria, Australia were used. From each vendor group (about 30 cattle/vendor), half were either: (1) processed through a saleyard and then sent to the abattoir or (2) directly consigned to the abattoir. All cattle were slaughtered at the same abattoir and the lairage and postslaughter management of the cattle and their carcasses was standardised. The cattle that had been directly consigned were slaughtered the day after dispatch from the property, whereas saleyard cattle were slaughtered 2 days after dispatch. Striploin (longissimus lumborum) samples were evaluated 1 day postslaughter and after 14 days aging. Overall, marketing method had only a small impact on the various meat quality measures and palatability. A significant vendor × marketing method interaction was found for most traits including muscle glycogen (semimembranosus and semitendinosus), pH (1, 3 and 24 h postslaughter), L*, a* and b* colour values and consumer panel scores [tenderness, flavour and combined score (MQ4)]. Juiciness scores were unaffected by marketing method but were significantly influenced by vendor group (P < 0.001). For MQ4 score, there was a general trend showing that steaks from cattle that had been marketed through the saleyard had marginally lower MQ4 scores than those that had been directly consigned in five of the eight groups. However, this trend was only significant for two of the five groups. A significant three-way interaction between vendor group × marketing method × aging duration was found for shear force (P < 0.001) and cooking loss percentage (P < 0.001). The effect of marketing method on shear force was generally small and not always statistically significant but there was a trend indicating that saleyard marketing resulted in slightly higher shear forces at either 1 or 14 days postslaughter for the majority of the vendor groups. It was concluded that marketing method had a small but variable impact on palatability and meat quality.

BACKGROUND:Inflammation is a significant component of atherosclerosis lesions. Bacteria, including periodontopathogens, have been demonstrated in atherosclerotic plaques and cross-reactivity of the immune response to bacterial GroEL with human heat shock protein 60 has been suggested as a link between infections and atherosclerosis.METHODS:In this study, the nature of the inflammatory infiltrate and the presence of human heat shock protein 60 and GroEL were examined in 31 carotid endarterectomy specimens. Additionally, monoclonal antibodies were used to detect the presence of six bacteria, including those implicated in periodontal disease.RESULTS:The inflammatory cell infiltrate of the lesions was dominated by CD14(+) macrophages and CD4(+) T cells. Most cells of the infiltrate as well as the endothelium were HLA-DR(+), indicating activation; however, there was an absence of CD25 expression, demonstrating that the activated T cells were not proliferating. Few CD1a(+) and CD83(+) cells were noted. Human heat shock protein 60 expression was evident on endothelial cells and cells with the appearance of smooth muscle cells and lymphocytes. GroEL and bacteria were detected within intimal cells. Chlamydia pneumoniae, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Tannerella forsythia, Prevotella intermedia, and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans were found in 21%, 52%, 34%, 34%, 41%, and 17% of arteries, respectively.CONCLUSION:These results give evidence for a specific immune response associated with atherosclerosis. Whether bacteria initiate the observed inflammation in atherosclerotic lesions is not clear; however, the present study shows that maintenance of inflammation may be enhanced by the presence of periodontopathic bacteria.

Courses in mechanical engineering usually introduce the theory of axial-flow turbo-machines in terms of simple velocity triangles representing the bulk flow of ideal compressible fluid through the blade passages. A distinctive practical difference, peculiar to steam turbines (ST), is the presence of liquid-water in the flow field.The steam wetness in such turbines is widely known to be doubly-damaging, leading to both loss of efficiency and to mechanical damage (erosion, etc.) of the machine components. Over recent decades, a whole new field of mechanical engineering science has evolved on the subject of wetness in steam turbines, and general practices have been established within the industry. This article reviews the general effects that are of major importance to the turbine designer/engineer, power plant operator, and especially to researchers in this field.

Optimizing the aerodynamic design of turbine blades is a compromise between a large number of issues. These can be grouped into three areas:(a) aerodynamic compromises; e.g. increasing the pitch-chord ratio improves profile loss but worsens secondary loss,(b) mechanical constraints; e.g. the pitch-chord ratio affects the strength of a profile, which for a given unsteady stress level determines the width and hence strongly influences the secondary loss,(c) costs; e.g. increasing the number of stages improves performance but also increases the cost of the turbine. It can also affect rotor stability and even the size of the turbine hall.Some of the issues are difficult to quantify and may vary from day to day. For example, the marginal manufacturing cost of a given design will depend on the load on particular machine tools. Therefore the approach of a manufacturer evolves from experience. However, many other issues can be addressed systematically to achieve near optimum designs. This paper explores the aerodynamic design of low-reaction steam turbine blades and describes the technical arguments that lead to design decisions. Where the decision depends on cost and mechanical constraints these are also explored. A typical low-reaction stage is shown schematically in Fig. 1. The paper will concentrate on the design of short and intermediate height blades typically used in HP and IP cylinders and in the early stages of LP cylinders. In practice, long blades typically used in the later stages of LP cylinders are fairly similar for both 'reaction' and 'impulse' design manufacturers.

Summary This paper discusses recent work by the authors which has investigated the nutritional regulation of glycogen concentration in skeletal muscle of sheep and cattle. Several experiments are summarised which show a clear relationship between the level of glycogen in muscle and the intake of metabolisable energy. This translates into strong seasonal effects on muscle glycogen in pasture fed cattle. The clear message is that animals destined for slaughter should be on a high plane of nutrition as this will contribute to an increased muscle glycogen at slaughter and so help alleviate the problem of dark cutting meat. Shortnterm regulation of glycogen is more problematical since the rate of glycogen repletion in skeletal muscle is relatively slow and the scope for rapid dietary change in ruminants is constrained by the need to allow rumen adaptation to high starch/sugar diets. However the sudden introduction of a high energy diet (based on cereal grain) in the presence of a erumen modifieri to reduce ruminal acidosis can increase muscle glycogen concentration within one week of feeding. The ability to further modify glycogen level in skeletal muscle using carbohydrate and electrolyte products is discussed. In particular the possibility of using oral glycerol/propylene glycol as a meaning for increasing blood glucose and so glycogen synthesis is proposed. An experiment to examine the effectiveness of MgO as a means for reducing the stress response is also discussed.

Volume 2 of The MOCVD Challenge continues the detailed account of MOCVD started in the first volume. Again, the approach is very personal and highly selective. The book is strong, written with depth, and up to date in the areas in which the author has made a notable contribution. In other areas the tone is less assured, with recent work and developments being barely mentioned. The book is possibly trying to do too many things - to cover the basics of MOCVD growth and to cover the very large amount of literature on the properties of grown materials in the GaInAsP-GaAs area. The order of the chapters in this volume is somewhat strange. It is odd to cover the relatively recently developed in situ analytical techniques for MOCVD (chapter 3) in depth before the discussion of the basic growth parameters of GaAs (chapter 5). This is not a book to sit down and read through in its entirety as presented if a systematic survey of the growth of the MOCVD process is required. The basics of MOCVD have been covered better elsewhere, and there is relatively little discussion of the newer large-scale types of reactors now being used by industry. The chapter devoted to in situ techniques is worthwhile and interesting but does tend to suggest that the RDS method is the only solution; scant attention is given to alternatives such as laser light scattering or spectral reflectance. By contrast, the chapter on ex situ techniques (TEM, XRD etc) feels out of place in this volume and adds nothing new. The rest of the book gives detailed accounts of various areas of current research, such as GaAs-based lasers, optical devices and heterojunctions, and will be very useful as a reference point for work in these areas, although the account is heavily selective using a lot of the author's own data. Overall, the book is a useful addition to the small number of texts dedicated to MOCVD.

The objective of this study was to prospectively evaluate the quality of palliation of 103 patients presenting to a joint oesophageal cancer clinic while recording the outcome in terms of treatment, morbidity, mortality and long-term survival. Twenty-five patients underwent surgical resection (S), 22 radical radiotherapy (RR), 30 palliative radiotherapy (PR), 13 intubation (I) and 13 had no treatment (NT). The quality of palliation was quantified by plotting a score out of 100 on a graph at each visit for Karnofsky performance, severity of pain and swallowing ability, then calculating the area under each curve created using an algorithm, Simpson's discrete approximation. Efficiency of palliation was estimated by comparing the area calculated to the maximum that could be achieved during the time frame being studied. The incidence of stricture (benign and malignant) was 16% after surgery and 50% after radical radiotherapy. Treatment mortality was as follows: RR, 0; S, 1 (4%); PR, 3 (7%); and I, 0. The median survival was 26 months after surgery and 16 months after radical radiotherapy. It was 6 months for palliative radiotherapy, 4 months for intubation and 4 months for no treatment. The difference in swallowing was the only statistical difference in the quality of palliation of patients having surgery and radical radiotherapy, there being no differences in patients having palliative measures.

The specific heat of the hyperfine-enhanced nuclear spin system in Cs2NaHoCl6 was measured between 0.9 mK and 1.5 K. At about 1.5 mK a sharp peak of the specific heat was observed. Thermodynamic considerations are given. At higher temperatures the result can be understood by the removal of two levels of the Γ3 doublet, suggesting crystal distortion from the cubic structure.

Delayed hypersensitivity skin test reaction was evaluated using Multitest CMI, an implement which provides seven standardized antigens in a single application. Eighty-two patients requiring Total Parenteral Nutrition for a variety of conditions were studied. The incidence of anergy was 65%. Seven anergic patients died, but there were no deaths in the reactive group, this difference being significant (P = 0.04). There was a significant association of anergy with carcinoma (P = 0.007) and anergic patients with carcinoma had a significantly greater risk of dying than reactive patients without carcinoma (P = 0.038). Anergic patients also had significantly lower nutritional parameters of serum albumin (P = 0.04), transferrin (P less than 0.001), absolute lymphocyte count (P = 0.009) and mid-arm muscle circumference (P = 0.02) compared to the reactive group.

By adiabatic demagnetization experiments, antiferromagnetic ordering of the enhanced nuclear spin system of Ho in Cs2NaHoCl6 was observed at 1.5 mK. The ac magnetic susceptibility and specific heat of the nuclear spin system were measured in the ordered state. Discussions are made on the molecular field of the antiferromagnetic state.

Elpasolite compounds with the formula Cs 2 NaLnCl 6 , where Ln is a lantha­nide ion, have the cubic structure Fm3m (O 5 h ) at room temperature, but some compounds (La, Ce, Pr, Nd) are known to have phase transitions at temperatures between 100 and 160 K to a lower symmetry (Anistratov et al . 1978, Nevald et al . 1979). On the other hand, Cs 2 NaHoCl 6 remains cubic at least down to 0.6 K (Bleaney et al . 1981 a ), although its ground state is a Γ 3 doublet. The compounds of the non-Kramers ions Pr 3+ , Tb 3+ , Tm 3+ have singlet states Γ 1 and we have investigated the enhanced n. m. r. spectra at low temperatures of 141 Pr ( I = 5/2), 159 Tb ( I = 3/2) and 169 Tm ( I = 1/2). The results are interpreted in terms of a predominantly cubic field with a small tetragonal distortion which splits the first excited state, the triplet Γ 4 . The magnitude of this splitting and its sign are consistent with a small elongation along the tetragonal axis for Cs 2 NaPrCl 6 . A novel feature is that the sign of the nuclear electric quadrupole interaction for Pr can be deduced from variations in the line width, ascribed to small, linked variations in the values of P and γ .

Elpasolite compounds with the formula Cs2NaLnCl6, where Ln is a lanthanide ion, have the cubic structure Fm3m (O5h) at room temperature, but some compounds (La, Ce, Pr, Nd) are known to have phase transitions at temperatures between 100 and 160 K to a lower symmetry (Anistratov et al. 1978, Nevald et al. 1979). On the other hand, Cs2NaHoCl6 remains cubic at least down to 0.6 K (Bleaney et al. 1981a), although its ground state is a Γ3 doublet. The compounds of the non-Kramers ions Pr3+, Tb3+, Tm3+ have singlet states Γ1 and we have investigated the enhanced n. m. r. spectra at low temperatures of 141Pr (I = 5/2), 159Tb (I = 3/2) and 169Tm (I = 1/2). The results are interpreted in terms of a predominantly cubic field with a small tetragonal distortion which splits the first excited state, the triplet Γ4. The magnitude of this splitting and its sign are consistent with a small elongation along the tetragonal axis for Cs2NaPrCl6. A novel feature is that the sign of the nuclear electric quadrupole interaction for Pr can be deduced from variations in the line width, ascribed to small, linked variations in the values of P and γ.