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There have been many studies that have supported the teaching of grammar and many that have not, mainly because grammar teaching did not seem to have a marked improvement on students' writing. In English speaking countries, traditional grammar ceased to be taught in the late 1960s after the Dartmouth Conference of 1966, which proved to be a catalyst for change in government policy in those countries. As a consequence, grammar has been taught in a progressively attenuated manner since that time. Australia has now inaugurated a national curriculum requiring teachers to teach grammar. The question is whether, after almost 50 years of this situation, teachers are equipped to fulfil this requirement. As this policy has been instrumental in the preparation of teachers in different educational sectors (in domestic school settings and in international English teaching settings), this study was conducted with a group of teachers in an English language teaching centre attached to an Australian university, providing tuition for international students intending to pursue tertiary studies through the medium of English language. The aim of this study was to discover whether teachers of English at the language teaching centre experience difficulties in their own understanding of English traditional grammar, and, if so, which aspects of grammar cause them particular difficulty. Those grammar items identified as problematic would be included in a professional development program specifically devised for teachers at that centre. Teachers' views on the importance of grammar were also canvassed. The study was conducted as an action research project, employing a mixed method approach with collection of both quantitative and qualitative data. The study was carried out in three distinct phases. This study was a sequential one, with each phase analysed before the next phase began, and with each phase informing the subsequent one. Instruments used in the three phases were (i) inventories; (ii) surveys; and (iii) semi-structured interviews. The study had five major findings, the first and most important of which was that many of the respondents showed a lack of understanding of certain aspects of grammar. There was also some evidence regarding lack of confidence in this area. Teaching grammar in context was the most preferred method among the respondents. The findings fulfilled the study objectives which included gaining teacher views on the significance and importance of grammar knowledge in TESOL teaching; discovering any gaps in the respondents' grammar knowledge; and devising a professional development program in grammar specifically tailored to their needs. Some of the implications resulting from this study are that: (i) universities should take a more visible and concerted lead in teaching grammar to student teachers to better prepare them for (a) teaching grammar in domestic schools to fulfil the aspirations of the new Australian Curriculum; and (b) teaching grammar to international students, who expect their teachers to impart sound grammar knowledge to them; (ii) all teaching institutions (both schools for domestic students and English teaching centres for international students at tertiary level) should provide professional development in grammar for current teachers.

Objectives - To assess the health impact of hip pain at the time of first presentation to primary care, and the influence on this of radiographic evidence of osteoarthritis. Subjects and methods - Cross sectional survey of 195 patients (63 male, 132 female), aged 40 years and over, presenting with a new episode of hip pain, recruited from 35 general practices across the UK. Health status at presentation was determined by a structured questionnaire on symptoms, healthcare use, and health related quality of life (SF-36). Pelvic radiographs were assessed blindly for hip osteoarthritis using standard scoring systems. Results - The overall impact on health was substantial. Before their first consultation, three quarters of patients needed analgesics, half used topical creams or ointments, and one in eight used a walking stick. Most of these impact measures were, however, unrelated to the degree of radiographic change, though use of a walking stick was increased in those with the most severe damage. Health status, as judged by the SF-36, was also impaired for measures of physical function and pain, but the impact on the 'mental health', 'general health', and 'vitality' dimensions was small. There was a weak relation between the SF-36 scores and radiographic change, with many domains unrelated to the severity of radiographic damage. Conclusions - This study is the first to show the therapeutic impact and pattern of impairment in health status resulting from hip pain at the time of first presentation to the healthcare services. Unlike many regional pain syndromes seen in primary care, such as back pain, hip pain does not impact on wider aspects of quality of life, such as general health status, mental health, or vitality. Furthermore, any impact of hip pain in this group is not markedly influenced by the degree of structural damage. Further follow up is required to determine whether such damage influences the persistence of any adverse impact.

The use of non-invasive geophysical techniques is becoming increasingly important in archaeological site studies as a means to increase the efficiency of excavation and to thereby avoid unnecessary disturbance. Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) surveys were performed over an orthogonal grid in order to guide the decision-making process for planning excavation at a Roman site in Pollena Trocchia (Italy), located just off the NW flank of Somma-Vesuvius. Archaeological planning for this site is complicated by contextual disruption and intermittent backfill, sometimes exacerbated by its proximity to building sites and by its use as a landfill, and by prior archaeological excavation and subsequent remediation. From a geophysical point of view, the site at Pollena Trocchia provided an ideal test-bed for visualization experiments (a) because the ground surface was readily cleared and smoothed by earth-moving machinery and (b) because the soil derived from geologically recent volcanic ash was dry at the time of the survey. State-of-the-art geophysical visualization techniques were applied to the pseudo-3D GPR data using conventional displays, seismic attribute analysis, and waveform connectivity schemes as employed in petroleum exploration. In this way, we assess the value of applying strategies adapted from industrial 3D seismic imaging to the problem of defining the effects of previous disturbance at a complex archaeological site.

Thyroid cancer is one of the rarest forms of cancer, yet there are wide variations in the degree of malignancy, ranging from the most rapidly fatal to the relatively benign. This is almost entirely dependent on the histological type. Generally speaking, data available on changing trends of incidence and mortality are subject to reservation, dependent on the degree to which they have been influenced by changing diagnostic criteria and the precision of histopathological description. Nevertheless, there is evidence that mortality is slowly decreasing, while incidence is slowly increasing. The purpose of this review is to try to interpret the temporal trends of incidence and mortality rates for thyroid carcinoma in the last 3 decades in light of the problems arising from changes in diagnostic standards and histological classification regarding thyroid neoplasms. Attention is also drawn to the implications, from a public health viewpoint, of the present intensive detection and treatment of occult thyroid carcinomas.

Objective:\ud \ud To summarize the latest evidence on head and neck cancer epidemiology from the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology (INHANCE) consortium.\ud \ud Subjects and Methods:\ud \ud INHANCE was established in 2004 to elucidate the etiology of head and neck cancer through pooled analyses of individual‐level data on a large scale. We summarize results from recent INHANCE‐based publications updating our 2015 overview.\ud \ud Results:\ud \ud Seventeen papers were published between 2015 and May 2020. These studies further define the nature of risks associated with tobacco and alcohol, and occupational exposures on head and neck cancer. The beneficial effects on incidence of head and neck cancer were identified for good oral health, endogenous and exogenous hormonal factors, and selected aspects of diet related to fruit and vegetables. INHANCE has begun to develop risk prediction models and to pool follow‐up data on their studies, finding that ~30% of cases had cancer recurrence and 9% second primary cancers, with overall‐ and disease‐specific 5‐year‐survival of 51% and 57%, respectively.\ud \ud Conclusions:\ud \ud The number and importance of INHANCE scientific findings provides further evidence of the advantages of large‐scale internationally collaborative projects and will support the development of prevention strategies.