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This paper describes a simple and interesting application of structural equation modeling for a single lecture in an undergraduate econometrics course to introduce students to the concept of using data to recover latent variables. The application centers around using hourly observations on ride wait times at Disney’s Magic Kingdom to infer how crowded it is at the theme park. Pedagogically, the material is presented in the context of the linear regression model, so the discussion works to enhance students’ understanding of core material, not to introduce new disparate methods. The application provides interesting economic-based insights, like which ride’s wait times are categorically most informative about how crowded it is at the park.

No difference in diagnostic performance was observed for breast cancer screening when comparing radiologist and radiographer (ie, technologist) readers in the National Health Service Breast Screening Program.

To assess the feasibility of a 30-minute education session for patients with patellofemoral pain on levels of catastrophizing and kinesiophobia. Randomised feasibility study Three sites within a single NHS Organisation in England. Thirty-one adult patients were screened for inclusion, resulting in twenty-four who had a clinical diagnosis of patellofemoral pain being randomised equally to either the intervention or control group. Participants were randomised to either control or intervention conditions; both received standardized physiotherapy while the intervention/experimental group received a 30-minute educational session addressing causes of pain, beliefs about noise that comes from the joint, the impact of the pain on activity, the influence of other family members’ experience and beliefs about knee pain. Intervention participants were also given an education leaflet: ‘Managing My Patellofemoral Pain’. recruitment, retention, intervention fidelity. Patient reported outcome measures (PROMs): Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score for patellofemoral pain and osteoarthritis (KOOS-PF), Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) and Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK). The study was successful in recruiting and retaining participants and was delivered as intended. In addition, sufficient clinical data were generated to calculate the required sample size for a future study of efficacy This study which featured a 30-minute education session targeting levels of catastrophizing and kinesiophobia is feasible and identified that the TSK may be the most appropriate PROMs for a future study of efficacy of this intervention. Allowing for a drop out of 20% as identified in similar studies, 86 participants (per arm) in a two-arm study would be required for a traditional randomised controlled trial design.

Sir: There are many examples of bad UK governance in the past few decades: being misled over the Iraq war in 2003; Hinkley Point's fantastically expensive electricity; 25 years or [...]

The return on educational investments has risen substantially in the past 30 years. While the primary focus has been on the college wage premium, new evidence shows that the value of going to college is affected by a host of other important educational decisions, each of which has a potentially large effect on future earnings. This Commentary examines the impact of two of these other decisions on earnings: the choice of a college major and the pursuit of an advanced degree. In some cases, differences in the college major premium are as large as the college wage premium itself., It is well documented that college graduates earn significantly higher wages on average than those with only a high school diploma. The college wage premium has been a central focus [...]

Since 1989, UMI has conducted an annual study to track the use of CD-ROM in the library industry, monitor market share levels, and identify trends. This year marks the first […]

Bil's Excellent Adventures In CD-ROM Technical Support: From Hindrance To Asset Throughout the 1980s, CD-ROM publishers tended to see technical support as a necessary evil. Today, it's a vital competitive […]

No difference was observed between the performance of 552 human readers and artificial intelligence when interpreting test sets from Personal Performance in Mammographic Screening, an external quality assurance assessment scheme.

Lose the doors on the chiller,' was one of the first pieces of advice I received from my wholesaler rep when 1 entered the industry back in January 2000. He [...]

I am thrilled that communities secretary Eric Pickles is the keynote speaker at the ACS Heart of the Community event on 2 November. He's a key figure in the new [...]

Go to any village or town with a busy high street anywhere in the UK and without doubt, you will find a thriving community. The two go hand in hand, [...]

It's very easy to buy into the doom and gloom that can grip the independent retail industry when times get tough. Perhaps we are our own worst enemies in this [...]

So the political party conference season is over for another year. The party faithful have gathered in Brighton, Manchester and Bournemouth to debate issues of policy and personality. The speeches [...]

This paper is based on the results of the research carried out by the PIARC Technical Committee B4 (Freight Transport and Inter-Modality, Working Group 3 (Urban freight management) in the 2008 - 2011 research cycle. This paper focuses on the procedure of planning, implementing and evaluating policy measures for urban freight transport. The title of the report indicating “Governance” is challenging in terms of the collaborative work necessary to solve difficult problems encountered by stakeholders. This paper provides the outline of guidance for the governance of urban freight transport in the public sector.

In many rodent laboratories, blood samples are collected from rats using the tail vein nick procedure and analyzed to quantify blood corticosterone levels as an indicator of stress. The standard method of corticosterone quantification often requires the collection of a relatively large volume of blood, followed by the extraction of the blood plasma. An alternative blood sampling method requires the collection of only a drop of blood on paper (the 'drop' method), minimizing handling of the animals, and does not require plasma extraction. The authors aimed to validate the drop method of blood sampling for use in corticosterone quantification. They induced stress in rats by cerebral ischemia, collected blood samples at various intervals using both the drop method and the plasma extraction method and then quantified corticosterone by radioimmunoassay. Corticosterone levels of the ischemic rats were compared with those of sham-operated rats and those of ischemic rats that had been given metyrapone, a glucocorticoid synthesis inhibitor, prior to vessel occlusion. Blood corticosterone levels in the samples obtained from the same animal using the two different methods were highly correlated for all rats. The authors further provide a regression model that can be used to predict plasma corticosterone values from those obtained from the drop blood samples. Quantification of corticosterone from only a small drop of blood has many practical and ethical advantages and should be considered as an alternative to standard methods.

With the introduction of digital breast screening across the UK, screeners need to learn how best to inspect these images. A key advantage over mammographic film is the facility to use workstation image manipulation tools. Forty two-view FFDM screening cases, representing malignant, normal and benign appearances were examined by fourteen radiologists and advanced practitioners from two UK screening centres. For half the cases, the mammography workstation image manipulation tools could be employed and for the other half these were not used. Participants classified each case and indicated whether an abnormality was present. Throughout the study the participants' visual search behaviour as well as their image manipulations was recorded. Whether or not image manipulation tools were used made very little difference to overall performance (t-test, p>.05) as confirmed by JAFROC analysis Figure-Of-Merit values of 0.816 and 0.838 (with and without tools respectively); performance not using tools was better. However, using tools significantly increased inspection time (p<0.5) as well as participants' confidence. Detailed examination of participants' image inspection behaviour elicited that the average time on each case in the different viewing conditions differed significantly between the high experienced readers and low experienced readers. The visual data analysis revealed that the participants made similar overall pattern of errors on both modalities. The visual search behaviour on both modalities are surprisingly similar.

The residual stress field in a compact tension specimen blank extracted from a non-stress-relieved thick section butt weld has been measured using neutron diffraction and the slitting method. Significant triaxial residual stresses were found in the specimen that is normally assumed to be stress free. Moreover the level of stress was sufficient to make a significant contribution to the crack driving force in creep crack growth tests. The benefits of using more than one measurement technique in such investigations are demonstrated.

The article presents information on depression. Over 12 million prescriptions for antidepressants are written each year in Australia. They have serious mind-altering effects and are often hard to get off, and some doctors believe they are being over-prescribed. According to psychiatrist Gordon Parker, sadness is being medicalised, and that the threshold for diagnosing clinical depression has become too low.

Several letters to the editor are presented in response to articles published in previous issues. It includes an article about the Country Lads in the July 2005 issue, "It Is Well With My Soul," in the August and November 2005 issues, an inquiry about the instrumental version of the song "Santa Claus" in the October 2005 issue and a discussion on the music recording "I'm Lonesome" in the October 2005 issue.

Reports the popularity of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in the U.S. Impact of the presence of UAV on uninhabited combat aerial vehicles; Advantages offered by the advancement on military operations; Progression on UAV sighted by the development of a lethal platform capable of precision strikes.

Purpose. Conjugation of bovine serum albumin (BSA) with riboflavin (BSA-riboflavin) increases its uptake into cultured epithelial cells. Our purpose was to determine whether transport of BSA-riboflavin across the intact distal pulmonary epithelium is also increased, and whether transcytosis plays a role.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article on the use of methyl aspartate as an ingredient of alcohol.

This paper describes a simple and interesting method to introduce and teach undergraduate students about preference estimation using random utility models. The example centers around estimating preferences over rides at Disneyland theme parks and uses actual stated-preference survey data. The lesson is designed to be self-contained in a single 90 minute lecture. Given the strong background that many undergraduate economic students have with consumer choice theory, introducing preference estimation as a real-world application into econometrics curriculum can be an enriching experience.

Previous whole genome methylation studies have examined homogeneous populations of tumours with biases inherent to manufacturer-specific array-based technologies. Subtle changes in pathways and genes can be lost because of these technologies and because of study-based noise artefacts. Meta-analysis of these datasets might reduce this heterogeneity and reveal novel insights. We aimed to carry out a meta-analysis of all publicly available genome-wide methylation array (GWMA) datasets in colorectal cancer.

We have developed a procedure for the preparation of small (40×40 µm2) window-type YBa2Cu3O7-?-Pb junctions with YSZ insulator and native tunnel barrier. We present the patterning technique of the two electrodes based on photolithography and wet etching. The nature of the barrier is found to be semiconducting. The tunneling measurements show gap-like feature of YBa2Cu3O7-?at 8.5 meV and some additional features related to Pb and YBa2Cu3O7-?phonon spectra.