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The Landscape Character Assessment (LCA) method from the UK has proven effective in identifying landscape values and characteristics through a comprehensive mapping process. However, it is predominantly expert-led and lacks an evaluation of scenery, hindering the inclusion of the broader community's preferences and visual attachment to their landscape. In Australia, the application of the Scenic Amenity Methodology (SAM) using Geographical Information System (GIS) mapping has engaged communities but has often overlooked the importance of landscape character. To overcome these limitations, this study presents an innovative scenic assessment methodology, referred to as modified Scenic Amenity Methodology (modified SAM). The methodology establishes landscape character types (LCTs) to map scenic preference ratings derived from community photo surveys. Simultaneously, it incorporates the visual exposure of the landscape from publicly accessible viewpoints, modelled using a Digital Elevation Model (DEM). The combination of scenic preferences and visual exposure enables mapping of the scenic amenity values held by the community. This methodology was first trialled in Bundaberg, then Cairns, the Whitsunday Islands, and, most recently, Toowoomba in Queensland, Australia. This paper presents the results of the Toowoomba study and reports on the challenges and limitations of informing landscape character type (LCT) values through a public photo survey, developing a scenic preference map from ratings of photos across a region, a map of the visual exposure of landscape elements from key public viewing locations, and, ultimately, a map of scenic amenity values across the Toowoomba Region. It indicates that integrating previous LCA approaches with public participation through community preferences is indeed feasible for regional landscape planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is some good, though limited, evidence of community space in northern Iberia in the later tenth century. These are the spatial zones which were defined by the remit of local meetings at which business was transacted. There is no evidence that court cases were heard at such meetings. Rather, court cases were held at places associated with kings, places associated with powerful landowners and churches. All of these places were used by their own proper communities whereas for court cases they were used by a temporary judicial community that was convened to deal with a case. As ever, communities were multiple and overlapping and community space could be used by different communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The societal changes in the peasantry in the tenth and eleventh centuries in Northern Spain are assessed. The extension of the power of lordship would lead to the revival of social power in villages.

This is an overview of the range of gardens, garden plants and garden work in early medieval Spain and Portugal, and of the kinds of relevant source material available. There were different kinds of garden, from the architectural gardens of Andalusī rulers and officials to peasant plots in the countryside. Fine gardens were closely associated with an elite and were southern rather than northern. Productive gardens could be found all over the peninsula; vegetables were clearly grown in them, with the emphasis on pulses, but they constituted a small proportion of produce. Fruits were exceptionally important as a source of vitamins, sugar and mineral salts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous human imaging studies manipulating attention or expectancy have identified the periaqueductal gray (PAG) as a key brainstem structure implicated in endogenous analgesia. However, animal studies indicate that PAG analgesia is mediated largely via caudal brainstem structures, such as the rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM) and locus coeruleus (LC). To identify their involvement in endogenous analgesia, we used brainstem optimized, whole-brain imaging to record responses to concurrent thermal stimulation (left forearm) and visual attention tasks of titrated difficulty in 20 healthy subjects. The PAG, LC, and RVM were anatomically discriminated using a probabilistic atlas. Pain ratings disclosed the anticipated analgesic interaction between task difficulty and pain intensity (p < 0.001). Main effects of noxious thermal stimulation were observed across several brain regions, including operculoinsular, primary somatosensory, and cingulate cortices, whereas hard task difficulty was represented in anterior insular, parietal, and prefrontal cortices. Permutation testing within the brainstem nuclei revealed the following: main effects of task in dorsal PAG and right LC; and main effect of temperature in RVM and a task x temperature interaction in right LC. Intrasubject regression revealed a distributed network of supratentorial brain regions and the RVM whose activity was linearly related to pain intensity. Intersubject analgesia scores correlated to activity within a distinct region of the RVM alone. These results identify distinct roles for a brainstem triumvirate in attentional analgesia: with the PAG activated by attentional load; specific RVM regions showing pronociceptive and antinociceptive processes (in line with previous animal studies); and the LC showing lateralized activity during conflicting attentional demands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electro-acupuncture (EA) treatments are commonly used for post-operative or musculoskeletal pain in dogs, but few randomized controlled trials have examined the acute and chronic effects of such treatments. Eighteen client-owned dogs presenting for surgical recheck 1-month post-cranial cruciate ligament repair were randomized to a control group or EA group that received 30 minutes of EA at a frequency of 2-100 Hz at ST-36, ST-34, GB-34, GB-30, BL-40, GV-20 and Baihui- E. A blinded evaluator collected goniometric range of motion values and gait analysis data before and immediately after treatment. Enrolled dogs had decreased stance time, weight-bearing and tarsal range of motion in the affected limb, compared to the contralateral pelvic limb, prior to treatment. The EA procedure resulted in a statistically significant reduction in the stance time of the affected limb, whereas there was no change in the control group. No range of motion and gait analysis benefits of 1 EA treatment was found in this study. Additional studies with larger sample sizes are needed to evaluate the delayed effects of EA, the influence of different acupuncture points and protocols and the effect of multiple treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study includes some of the comments from a small piece of quantitative research conducted in a British Further Education College. It was designed to investigate young people's experience of a Dance and Movement Psychotherapy intervention in relation to their body awareness and their body image. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This case report describes a patient with Charcot neuroarthropathy, which has developed as a complication of his type 2 diabetes. The case is further complicated by a persistent neuropathic plantar foot ulcer. Charcot deformity significantlyincreases the chance of ulcers developing. In cases of ulceration, prompt treatment from a specialist multidisciplinary team is vital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. The objective of this consensus paper is to provide practical guidance on why and how aripiprazole, with its distinct pharmacological and side effect profile, should be used for treatment of acute bipolar mania. Methods. An advisory panel of UK healthcare professionals, with extensive experience of prescribing aripiprazole for acute bipolar mania, met to discuss its use in this setting. Results. The panel agreed that aripiprazole is effective in treating bipolar mania when prescribed and dosed appropriately, in both the short and long term, as monotherapy or in combination with a mood stabilizer. Unlike other atypical agents, aripiprazole has antimanic effects that are not associated with sedation, which is beneficial for patients, particularly in the long term. If rapid tranquillization is required when initiating aripiprazole in acutely disturbed patients, short-term coprescription of a benzodiazepine is recommended. Most side effects associated with aripiprazole occur within the first 1−3 weeks and are usually transient and easily treatable. Aripiprazole poses low risk of metabolic side effects, sexual dysfunction, and anhedonia, which can facilitate treatment adherence and help improve clinical outcomes. Conclusions. Aripiprazole is an effective first-line treatment for acute bipolar mania with a favorable safety/tolerability profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides a comparison of 9th and 10th century land management in eastern Brittany, France and northern Iberia to land management by the Carolingians. Topics on Brittany, including peasant (plebs) land ownership, the serfs' relationship with free peasants, the aristocratic accumulation of multiple farms, are discussed. The intensification of agriculture in Northern Iberia during the 10th century, including the clearing of land for farming, peasants' cultivation of monastic lands and the acquisition of ecclesiastical property by aristocrats, is also discussed.

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Typical antipsychotics are effective in the management of schizophrenia, but are associated with troublesome adverse effects which may lead to treatment discontinuation and relapse. Long-acting depot formulations of these drugs improve patient compliance, but do not reduce the incidence of adverse effects. There is evidence to suggest that newer atypical antipsychotic drugs have a reduced propensity to induce movement disorders and are associated with a modest reduction in relapse rates. The introduction of risperidone long-acting injection (RLAI) provided clinicians with the first long-acting formulation of an atypical antipsychotic. Objective. The aim of this study was to investigate the outcomes of patients from an acute mental health trust who received RLAI during the 18-month period following its licensing in the UK in order to examine measures of clinical effectiveness, and reasons for treatment discontinuation. Methods. Data were collected retrospectively from medical notes. Results. Fifty-nine patients were included in the study, and at the time of data collection 32 (54%) had discontinued treatment. The most common reason for discontinuation was lack of effectiveness, although all of the patients who discontinued due to lack of response were treatment resistant. RLAI appeared to be well tolerated, with only 12% of patients discontinuing due to adverse effects. Thirty-eight percent of the patients treated with RLAI showed a good response as measured by discharge from inpatient setting, and of the 22 outpatients at time of data collection, five had one re-hospitalisation during the study period. Conclusion. This study concludes that RLAI appears to be well tolerated, and shows some effectiveness in the treatment of schizophrenia, but may not be effective for patients who are treatment resistant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Provides information on a study that compared three types of noxious stimuli applied to various anatomic areas of anesthetized dogs and rabbits for determination of the minimum alveolar concentration. Methodology of the study; Results and discussion on the study; Conclusions.

Objective: The primary objectives of this study are to (1) compare the inter- and intra-observer reliability of thoracic limb circumference measurement methods in sound dogs, and (2) determine the most reliable thoracic limb positioning and location on the thoracic limb for performing circumferential measurements., Methods: Thoracic limbs of 10 apparently sound dogs (20 limbs) were blindly and independently measured by 3 observers. Triplicate measurements were performed with dogs in lateral recumbency at 50 and 70% brachial (Br) length (length between the greater tubercle and lateral humoral epicondyle) and 25% ABr length (length between the lateral humeral epicondyle and ulnar styloid process), both with the elbow extended and at an approximate weight-bearing (WB) angle. Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) were used for data analysis with a p  < 0.05 being significant., Results: All measures had significantly good to excellent intra- (ICC 0.836-0.994, p  < 0.001) and inter-observer reliability (ICC 0.834-0.996, p  < 0.001). Inter-observer reliability was excellent at 25% ABr extended and WB positions, and at 50% Br WB position, with a wider confidence interval at the latter location. Intra-observer reliability was excellent across all observers for 25% ABr extended and WB, and 50% Br WB positions, also with a wider confidence interval at the latter location., Conclusion: Circumferential measurement of the canine thoracic limb was most reliable at 25% ABr length with the elbow either in an extended or WB position., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Deabold, Harriz, Madeiros, Davies, Shmalberg and Miscioscia.)

On the basis of the structure of the CVIM tetrapeptide substrate of mammalian protein farnesyltransferase, a series of imidazole-containing peptidomimetics was designed and synthesized, and their inhibition activity against Trypanosoma brucei protein farnesyltransferase (TbPFT) was evaluated. Peptidomimetics where the 5-position of the imidazole ring was linked to the hydrophobic scaffold showed over 70% inhibition activity at 50 nM in the enzyme assay, whereas the corresponding C-4 regioisomers were less potent. The ester prodrug 23 was found to be a potent inhibitor against cultured Trypanosoma brucei brucei and Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense cells with ED(50) values of 0.025 and 0.0026 microM, respectively. Furthermore, introducing a second imidazole group into 23 led to 31, which showed the highest inhibition activity against the parasite with an ED(50) of 0.0015 microM. The potency of the TbPFT inhibitors and the cytotoxicity of the corresponding esters to T. brucei cells were shown to be highly correlated. These studies validate TbPFT as a target for the development of novel therapeutics against African sleeping sickness.