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Introduction: Individual placental and umbilical cord morphometry have been previously identified to have an association with fetal growth. This study aims to identify which of the morphometric measurements in combination are associated with pregnancies with small for gestational age (SGA) infants using digital imaging of the delivered placenta.Material and methods: This study examined 1005 placentas from consecutively delivered singleton pregnancies in a tertiary center. Standardized images of each placenta were taken. Placental weight and thickness; umbilical cord length and diameter were measured on gross examination. Distance from the placental cord insertion site to placental margin, length and breadth of the placenta and placental chorionic surface area were measured digitally using ImageJ software. Logistic regression models and area under the curve (AUC) were used to identify the best subset of morphometric measurements to classify infants as SGA (<10th centile).Results: Overall, 141 (14%) infants were SGA. The morphometric measurements at delivery most strongly associated with the classification of infants as SGA were placental weight (AUC = 0.806) and placental surface area (AUC = 0.749). Of the potential antenatal morphometric measurements, umbilical cord diameters, both placental (AUC = 0.644) and fetal end (AUC = 0.629) were most strongly associated with SGA. A logistic regression model with maternal age, smoking status, current history of preeclampsia, umbilical cord length, placental weight, birthweight-to-placental weight ratio and umbilical cord diameter (placental end) had a sensitivity of 53% and a false-positive rate of 2% (AUC = 0.945) for the classification of infants as SGA.Conclusion: Placental and umbilical cord morphometry measured at delivery are different between SGA and non-SGA infants. Further studies are warranted to investigate the feasibility and accuracy of ultrasound to measure placental and umbilical cord morphometry during pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To audit the demand and radiation exposure of conventional radiography in a regional neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Ireland.Methods: A retrospective study of radiographs performed on all admissions to the NICU in University Maternity Hospital Limerick (UMHL) over 2 years.Results: A total of 1405 radiographs were performed on 506 infants. 153.5 radiographs per 1000 live births was the observed demand and 44% of radiographs were done out of hours. 47% of all radiographs were performed on infants <1500 g. Median number of radiographs per infant was one (IQR 1-2; range 1-39). Significant negative correlation was observed between number of radiographs and gestational age. Mean lung radiation doses estimated using published values for normal weight (>2500 g), very low birth weight (VLBW), and extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants based on the median number of chest X-rays were 31.7 µGym, 84.66 and 232.75 µGy, respectively.Conclusions: Conventional radiography remains a key diagnostic tool in neonatology particularly in VLBW and ELBW infants and is invaluable in supporting timely clinical decision making. Clinicians should be aware of the cost and potential hazards of neonatal radiography and is recommend that the cumulative radiation exposure among the ELBW and VLBW infants is monitored. Increasing awareness and standardisation of point-of-care ultrasonography could decrease the reliance on conventional radiography in neonatal units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Every student who enrols in a degree programme involving service mathematics in the University of Limerick in Ireland is given a mathematics diagnostic test. The diagnostic test was developed due to mathematics lecturers’ anxiety regarding students’ mathematical competency levels. Students receive the 40 question paper-based test in their first service mathematics lecture without prior notification. Initial analysis of students’ work revealed that many students were having difficulties with basic algebra and arithmetic in particular [Gill, O. 2006. “What Counts as Service Mathematics? An Investigation into the ‘Mathematics Problem’ in Ireland.” PhD diss., University of Limerick]. Further research highlighted the significant decline in diagnostic test performance and the changing profile of service mathematics students between 1998 and 2008 [Faulkner, Fiona, Ailish Hannigan, and Olivia Gill. 2010. “Trends in the Mathematical Competency of University Entrants in Ireland by Leaving Certificate Mathematics Grade.”Teaching Mathematics and Its Applications29 (2): 76–93]. One of the most notable changes to the student profile over time was the increase in mature students (non-standard students) entering service mathematics programmes. Although non-standard students had a lower mean performance in the diagnostic test, they were found to have a higher mean performance in some cases in service mathematics compared to standard students. This paper explores some of the possible reasons for such findings. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objectives:Most medical schools using progress tests (PTs) provide feedback by utilizing a traffic-light system of green (satisfactory), yellow (borderline) and red (unsatisfactory) categories. There is little research assessing students’ perceptions or usage of this feedback. Therefore this study proposed to determine the effectiveness of formative PTs at informing and supporting student progress. Methods:A mixed methods study was performed, involving a retrospective analysis of a results database to establish the predictive validity of PT categories and 11 semi-structured interviews to explore students’ perceptions of PT feedback in a graduate entry medical programme. Results:Quantitative analysis revealed that students who always scored green performed better in their summative exams and graduated with a higher final degree than those who received a yellow or red category at least once. Qualitative analysis revealed that just over half of the interviewed students perceived the PT as having informed their progress. Most participants agreed that the current feedback is insufficient and doesn’t guide their on-going learning. Conclusion:While this study demonstrated that the PT is a useful predictive tool for informing student progress, in its current format it’s not fulfilling a truly formative role and supporting student progress sufficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Evidence of deficiencies in basic mathematical skills of beginning undergraduates has been documented worldwide. Many different theories have been set out as to why these declines in mathematical competency levels have occurred over time. One such theory is the widening access to higher education which has resulted in a less mathematically prepared profile of beginning undergraduates than ever before. In response to this situation, the present study details the examination of a range of methods through which a student's mathematical performance in higher education could be predicted at the beginning of their third-level studies. Several statistical prediction methods were examined and the most effective method in predicting students’ mathematical performance was discriminant analysis. The discriminant analysis correctly classified 71.3% of students in terms of mathematics performance. An ability to carry out such a prediction in turn allows for appropriate mathematics remediation to be offered to students predicted to fail third-level mathematics. The results of the prediction of mathematical performance, which was carried out using a database consisting of over 1000 beginning undergraduates over a 3-year period, are detailed in this article along with the implications of such findings to educational policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Ireland's ‘mathematics problem’ is well-documented and extensively reported in the media and elsewhere (Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) 2008; Task Force on the Physical Sciences 2002). Concern primarily lies with post-primary students’ underperformance in mathematics coupled with a failure to make a successful transition to third level scientifically and mathematically orientated undergraduate courses. Teacher qualification is believed to be one of the most important factors affecting students’ mathematical learning. Research has demonstrated that students learn more from teachers who are skilled, experienced, and know what and how to teach (Darling-Hammond 2000). The aim of this study is to investigate the level of out-of-field teaching occurring in Irish post-primary mathematics classrooms and the deployment of these teachers in Irish second level school. Findings reveal that 48% of teachers teaching mathematics in this study are unqualified to do so and are primarily assigned Junior Cycle classes, non-exam years and Ordinary level or lower mathematics. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Hunt and Lawson 1 displayed the evidence of decline in the mathematical standards of first-year students in Coventry University between 1991 and 1995. Gill 2 sought to investigate if this was also the case in the University of Limerick (UL). The results of diagnostic tests administered to first-year undergraduates in the science and technology groups (service mathematics courses) between 1997 and 2002 displayed the evidence that the mathematical standard of students entering the university of Limerick service mathematics courses had declined over the 6 years studied. In this article, the authors revisit the university of Limerick database, which currently holds data for over 6200 students, to investigate current mathematical entry standards of students in service mathematics courses. The university of Limerick responses to the 'Mathematics Problem' are also described. Ireland presents a unique situation in terms of the mathematical homogeneity of its third-level students; most students enter via the same route, i.e. the Leaving Certificate, on completion of 13 years of formal mathematics education. However, while research results and coping mechanisms in terms of learning support are not generalizable, they are portable. It is hoped that mathematics educators worldwide can learn from the Irish situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]