The effect of corneal thickness and corneal curvature on pneumatonometer measurements

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of corneal topography and thickness on intraocular pressure (IOP) and pulse amplitude (PA) as measured using the Ocular Blood Flow Analyzer (OBFA) pneumatonometer (Paradigm Medical Industries, Utah, USA). Methods. 47 university students volunteered for this cross-sectional study: mean age 20.4 yrs, range 18 to 28 yrs; 23 male, 24 female. Only the measurements from the right eye of each participant were used. Central corneal thickness and mean corneal radius were measured using Scheimpflug biometry and corneal topographic imaging respectively. IOP and PA measurements were made with the OBFA pneumatonometer. Axial length was measured using A-scan ultrasound, due to its known correlation with these corneal parameters. Stepwise multiple regression analysis was used to identify those components that contributed significant variance to the independent variables of IOP and PA. Results. The mean IOP and PA measurements were 13.1 (SD 3.3) mmHg and 3.0 (SD 1.2) mmHg respectively. IOP measurements made with the OBFA pneumatonometer correlated significantly with central corneal thickness (r = +0.374, p = 0.010), such that a 10 mm change in CCT was equivalent to a 0.30 mmHg change in measured IOP. PA measurements correlated significantly with axial length (part correlate = -0.651, p < 0.001) and mean corneal radius (part correlate = +0.459, p < 0.001) but not corneal thickness. Conclusions. IOP measurements taken with the OBFA pneumatonometer are correlated with corneal thickness, but not axial length or corneal curvature. Conversely, PA measurements are unaffected by corneal thickness, but correlated with axial length and corneal radius. These parameters should be taken into consideration when interpreting IOP and PA measurements made with the OBFA pneumatonometer.

Non sexist-translation and/in social change: gender issues in translation

Following centuries of feminist struggle, centuries which have born witness to the close relationship between linguistic discrimination and social reality, there is a growing tendency in modern society to acknowledge the vital role played by language in overcoming gender discrimination. Political institutions are currently compensating by instituting the use of non-sexist language through legislative guidelines, and this makes an important contribution to social reform for equality between the sexes. Seeing that translation is so important for the creation of the collective identities on which modern global society depends, it is clear that non-sexist translation is crucial if there is to be non-sexist language. In this article I examine the potential of non-sexist translation in the struggle for gender equality from a both a theoretical and a practical viewpoint, and I end with a critical evaluation of non-sexist translation methods.

The geometric correction and registration of airborne line-scanned imagery for temporal thermal studies

This thesis begins by providing a review of techniques for interpreting the thermal response at the earth's surface acquired using remote sensing technology. Historic limitations in the precision with which imagery acquired from airborne platforms can be geometrically corrected and co-registered has meant that relatively little work has been carried out examining the diurnal variation of surface temperature over wide regions. Although emerging remote sensing systems provide the potential to register temporal image data within satisfactory levels of accuracy, this technology is still not widely available and does not address the issue of historic data sets which cannot be rectified using conventional parametric approaches. In overcoming these problems, the second part of this thesis describes the development of an alternative approach for rectifying airborne line-scanned imagery. The underlying assumption that scan lines within the imagery are straight greatly reduces the number of ground control points required to describe the image geometry. Furthermore, the use of pattern matching procedures to identify geometric disparities between raw line-scanned imagery and corresponding aerial photography enables the correction procedure to be almost fully automated. By reconstructing the raw image data on a truly line-by-line basis, it is possible to register the airborne line-scanned imagery to the aerial photography with an average accuracy of better than one pixel. Providing corresponding aerial photography is available, this approach can be applied in the absence of platform altitude information allowing multi-temporal data sets to be corrected and registered.

Remote sensing applied to land use and erosion hazard studies in Jamaica

The northern half of the parish of St. Catherine in Jamaica was selected as a test area to study, by means of remote sensing, the problems of soil erosion in a tropical environment. An initial study was carried out to determine whether eroded land within this environment could be successfully interpreted and mapped from the available 1: 25,000 scale aerial photographs. When satisfied that a sufficiently high percentage of the eroded land could be interpreted on the aerial photographs the main study was initiated. This involved interpreting the air photo cover of the study area for identifying and classifying land use and eroded land, and plotting the results on overlays on topographic base maps. These overlays were then composited with data on the soils and slopes of the study area. The areas of different soil type/slope/land use combinations were then measured, as was the area of eroded land for each of these combinations. This data was then analysed in two ways. The first way involved determining which of the combinations of soil type, slope and land use were most and least eroded and, on the basis of this, to draw up recommendations concerning future land use. The second analysis was aimed at determining which of the three factors, soil type, slope and land use, was most responsible for determining the rate of erosion. Although it was possible to show that slope was not very significant in determining the rate of erosion, it was much more difficult to separate the effects of land use and soil type. The results do, however, suggest that land use is more significant than soil type in determining the rate of erosion within the study area.

Guilty as charged? The effect of interpreting on interviews with suspects

The ways in which an interpreter affects the processes and, possibly, the outcomes of legal proceedings has formed the focus of much recent research, most of it centred upon courtroom discourse. However comparatively little research has been carried out into the effect of interpreting on the interview with a suspect, despite its 'upstream' position in the legal process and vital importance as evidence. As a speech event in the judicial system, the interview differs radically from that which takes place 'downstream', that is, in court. The interview with suspect represents an entirely different construct, in which a range of registers is apparent, and participants use distinctive means to achieve their institutional goals. When a transcript of an interpreter-mediated interview is read out in court, it is assumed that this is a representation of an event, which is essentially identical to a monolingual interview. This thesis challenges that assumption. Using conservation analytic techniques, it examines data from a corpus of monolingual and interpreter-mediated, taped interviews with suspects, in order to identify potentially significant interactional differences and describe ways in which the interpreter affects the processes and may affect the outcomes of the interview. It is argued that although individually, the interactional differences may appear slight, their cumulative effect is significant, particularly since the primary participants in the event are unaware of the full force of the interpreting effect. Finally, the thesis suggests that the insights provided by linguistic analysis of the interpreting on interviews may provide the basis for training, both for interpreters themselves, and for officers in techniques for interpreter-mediated interviews.

Knowledge, capabilities and manufacturing innovation: a US-Europe comparison

In this paper we report a comparative analysis of the factors which contribute to the innovation performance of manufacturing firms in the US state of Georgia, and three European regions, the UK regions of Wales and the West Midlands, and the Spanish region of Catalonia. We consider the factors which shape firms’ ability to generate new products and processes and undertake various forms of organisational and structural change. We are particularly concerned with how firms collect the knowledge on which they base their innovation and their effectiveness in translating that knowledge into new innovations. Three main empirical conclusions result. First, US firms have more widespread links to external knowledge sources than those in Europe and notably the universities make a greater contribution to innovation in the US than in Europe. Second, UK firms prove more effective at capturing synergies between their innovation activities than US and Catalan firms. Third, firms’ operating environment proves more conducive to innovation in the US than in either the UK regions or Catalonia. Our results suggest the potential for mutual learning. For the UK there are lessons in terms of the way in which the universities in Georgia are supporting innovation. For firms in Georgia and in Catalonia the potential lessons are more strategic or organisational and relate to how they can better capture potential synergies between their innovation activities.

Non-English-speaking defendants in the magistrates court:a comparative study of face-to-face and prison video link interpreter-mediated hearings in England

This study compares interpreter-mediated face-to-face Magistrates Court hearings with those conducted through prison video link in which interpreters are located in court and non- English-speaking defendants in prison. It seeks to examine the impact that the presence of video link has on court actors in terms of interaction and behaviour. The data comprises 11 audio-recordings of face-to-face hearings, 10 recordings of prison video link hearings, semistructured interviews with 27 court actors, and ethnographic observation of hearings as viewed by defendants in Wormwood Scrubs prison in London. The over-arching theme is the pervasive influence of the ecology of the courtroom upon all court actors in interpretermediated hearings and thus on the communication process. Close analysis of the court transcripts shows that their relative proximity to one another can be a determinant of status, interpreting role, mode and volume. The very few legal protocols which apply to interpretermediated cases (acknowledging and ratifying the interpreter, for example), are often forgotten or dispensed with. Court interpreters lack proper training in the specific challenges of court interpreting, whether they are co-present with the defendant or not. Other court actors often misunderstand the interpreter’s role. This has probably come about because courts have adjusted their perceptions of what they think interpreters are supposed to do based on their own experiences of working with them, and have gradually come to accept poor practice (the inability to perform simultaneous interpreting, for example) as the norm. In video link courts, mismatches of sound and image due to court clerks’ failure to adequately track current speakers, poor image and sound quality and the fact that non-English-speaking defendants in pre-and post-court consultations can see and hear interpreters but not their defence advocates are just some of the additional layers of disadvantage and confusion already suffered by non- English-speaking defendants. These factors make it less likely that justice will be done.

Impact of just-in-time on job content, employee attitudes and well-being:a longitudinal study

Just-in-time (JIT) production systems are increasingly being seen as a vital way for manufacturing organizations to enhance their competitiveness. A number of commentators have suggested that this will simplify jobs and reduce employee well-being. This paper presents a conceptual framework for interpreting the effects of JIT and reports findings from a study of the impact of JIT on the content of workers'jobs and on job satisfaction and psychological strain. The introduction of JIT led to a reduction in control over work timing, an increase in production pressure, and a drop in job satisfaction. Contrary to claims in the literature, no changes were found in control over work methods, other aspects of cognitive demands and skill use, and in psychological strain. The study shows that JIT can be implemented without radical changes in job content or adverse impact in terms of employee strain, and the implications of these findings are discussed.

'I'd like to know what causes it, you know, anything I've done?' Are we meeting the information and support needs of patients with macular degeneration? A qualitative study

Objective: To examine patients' experiences of information and support provision for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in the UK. Study design: Exploratory qualitative study investigating patient experiences of healthcare consultations and living with AMD over 18 months. Setting: Specialist eye clinics at a Birmingham hospital. Participants: 13 patients diagnosed with AMD. Main outcome measures: Analysis of patients' narratives to identify key themes and issues relating to information and support needs. Results: Information was accessed from a variety of sources. There was evidence of clear information deficits prior to diagnosis, following diagnosis and ongoing across the course of the condition. Patients were often ill informed and therefore unable to self-advocate and recognise when support was needed, what support was available and how to access support. Conclusions: AMD patients have a variety of information needs that are variable across the course of the condition. Further research is needed to determine whether these experiences are typical and identify ways of translating the guidelines into practice. Methods of providing information need to be investigated and improved for this patient group.

Interpreting adverse signals in diabetes drug development programs

Detection and interpretation of adverse signals during preclinical and clinical stages of drug development inform the benefit-risk assessment that determines suitability for use in real-world situations. This review considers some recent signals associated with diabetes therapies, illustrating the difficulties in ascribing causality and evaluating absolute risk, predictability, prevention, and containment. Individual clinical trials are necessarily restricted for patient selection, number, and duration; they can introduce allocation and ascertainment bias and they often rely on biomarkers to estimate long-term clinical outcomes. In diabetes, the risk perspective is inevitably confounded by emergent comorbid conditions and potential interactions that limit therapeutic choice, hence the need for new therapies and better use of existing therapies to address the consequences of protracted glucotoxicity. However, for some therapies, the adverse effects may take several years to emerge, and it is evident that faint initial signals under trial conditions cannot be expected to foretell all eventualities. Thus, as information and experience accumulate with time, it should be accepted that benefit-risk deliberations will be refined, and adjustments to prescribing indications may become appropriate. © 2013 by the American Diabetes Association.

Investigating the process of translation:humour translation norms, strategies and approaches in children's literature

Research in the present thesis is focused on the norms, strategies,and approaches which translators employ when translating humour in Children's Literature from English into Greek. It is based on process-oriented descriptive translation studies, since the focus is on investigating the process of translation. Viewing translation as a cognitive process and a problem soling activity, this thesis Think-aloud protocols (TAPs) in order to investigate translator's minds. As it is not possible to directly observe the human mind at work, an attempt is made to ask the translators themselves to reveal their mental processes in real time by verbalising their thoughts while carrying out a translation task involving humour. In this study, thirty participants at three different levels of expertise in translation competence, i.e. tn beginner, ten competent, and ten experts translators, were requested to translate two humourous extracts from the fictional diary novel The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 ¾ by Sue Townsend (1982) from English into Greek. As they translated, they were asked to verbalise their thoughts and reason them, whenever possible, so that their strategies and approaches could be detected, and that subsequently, the norms that govern these strategies and approaches could be revealed. The thesis consists of four parts: the introduction, the literature review, the study, and the conclusion, and is developed in eleven chapters. the introduction contextualises the study within translation studies (TS) and presents its rationale, research questions, aims, and significance. Chapters 1 to 7 present an extensive and inclusive literature review identifying the principles axioms that guide and inform the study. In these seven chapters the following areas are critically introduced: Children's literature (Chapter 1), Children's Literature Translation (Chapter 2), Norms in Children's Literature (Chapter 3), Strategies in Children's Literature (Chapter 4), Humour in Children's Literature Translation (Chapter 5), Development of Translation Competence (Chapter 6), and Translation Process Research (Chapter 7). In Chapters 8 - 11 the fieldwork is described in detail. the piolot and the man study are described with a reference to he environments and setting, the participants, the research -observer, the data and its analysis, and limitations of the study. The findings of the study are presented and analysed in Chapter 9. Three models are then suggested for systematising translators' norms, strategies, and approaches, thus, filling the existing gap in the field. Pedagogical norms (e.g. appropriateness/correctness, famililarity, simplicity, comprehensibility, and toning down), literary norms (e.g. sound of language and fluency). and source-text norms (e.g. equivalence) were revealed to b the most prominent general and specific norms governing the translators'  strategies and approaches in the process of translating humour in ChL. The data also revealed that monitoring and communication strategies (e.g. additions, omissions, and exoticism) were the prevalent strategies employed by translators. In Chapter 10 the main findings and outcomes of a potential secondary benefit (beneficial outcomes) are discussed on the basis of the research questions and aims of the study, and implications of the study are tackled in Chapter 11. In the conclusion, suggestions for future directions are given and final remarks noted.

Translating specialised texts:an overview of key factors involved in translator training for specialized translation

Translators wishing to work on translating specialised texts are traditionally recommended to spend much time and effort acquiring specialist knowledge of the domain involved, and for some areas of specialised activity, this is clearly essential. For other types of translation-based, domain-specific of communication, however, it is possible to develop a systematic approach to the task which will allow for the production of target texts which are adequate for purpose, in a range of specialised domains, without necessarily having formal qualifications in those areas. For Esselink (2000) translation agencies, and individual clients, would tend to prefer a subject expert who also happens to have competence in one or more languages over a trained translator with a high degree of translation competence, including the ability to deal with specialised translation tasks. The problem, for the would-be translator, is persuading prospective clients that he or she is capable of this. This paper will offer an overview of the principles used to design training intended to teach trainee translators how to use a systematic approach to specialised translation, in order to extend the range of areas in which they can tackle translation, without compromising quality or reliability. This approach will be described within the context of the functionalist approach developed in particular by Reiss and Vermeer (1984), Nord (1991, 1997) inter alia.