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Objectives: To assess the intra‐ and interobserver reproducibility of fetal biometry measurements obtained by trainee (junior) and experienced sonographers (senior) in the contest of two training programs in obstetric ultrasound. Methods: This was a prospective study on 192 women recruited ensuring an even distribution throughout gestation (18–41 weeks), at University College London Hospital (UCLH), England (87 cases), and at Maternité Regionale Universitaire de Nancy (MRUN), France (105 cases). The training took place in two training centers with experience in ultrasound training and subspecialist training in fetal medicine. Measurements for head circumference (HC), abdominal circumference (AC), and femur length (FL) were obtained twice by junior and senior sonographers, blind to their own and each other's measurements. Differences between and within sonographers were expressed in millimeters and as a percentage of fetal dimensions. Reproducibility was assessed using Bland–Altman plots. Results: Reproducibility was overall high with 95% confidence intervals (CI) within <6% for intraobserver and <8% for interobserver reproducibility. Intraobserver reproducibility was lower within junior than within senior sonographers' measurements for HC (95% CI: <4% versus <3%) and FL (95% CI: <6% and < 5%). Intraobserver reproducibility was similar between the two centers/training programs (AC 95% CI: <6%). Cumulative interobserver reproducibility in both centers was similar to the reproducibility within a single site (95% CI: <5%, <8%, and <7% for HC, AC, and FL, respectively). Conclusions: Reproducibility of fetal biometry measurement was high in centers with structured training programs regardless of sonographers' experience. Reproducibility was higher in sonographers who completed the training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Popular culture presents a deep‐rooted perception of medieval warhorses as massive and powerful mounts, but medieval textual and iconographic evidence remains highly debated. Furthermore, identifying warhorses in the zooarchaeological record is challenging due to both a paucity of horse remains relative to other domesticates, and the tendency of researchers to focus on osteological size, which makes it difficult to reconstruct in‐life usage of horses and activity related changes. This paper presents the largest zooarchaeological dataset of English horse bones (n = 1964) from 171 unique archaeological sites dating between AD 300 and 1650. Using this dataset alongside a modern comparative sample of known equids (n = 490), we examine trends in size and shape to explore how the skeletal conformation of horses changed through time and reflected their domestic, elite and military roles. In addition to evidencing the generally small stature of medieval horses relative to both earlier and later periods, we demonstrate the importance of accurately exploring the shape of skeletal elements to describe the morphological characteristics of domestic animals. Furthermore, we highlight the need to examine shape variation in the context of entheseal changes and biomechanics to address questions of functional morphology and detect possible markers of artificial selection on past horses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A bstract Background: To establish whether simulated keratometry values obtained by corneal mapping (videokeratography) would provide a superior refractive outcome to those obtained by Zeiss IOLMaster (partial coherence interferometry) in routine cataract surgery. Design: Prospective, non-randomized, single-surgeon study set at the The Royal United Hospital, Bath, UK, District General Hospital. Participants: Thirty-three patients undergoing routine cataract surgery in the absence of significant ocular comorbidity. Methods: Conventional biometry was recorded using the Zeiss IOLMaster. Postoperative refraction was calculated using the SRK/T formula and the most appropriate power of lens implanted. Preoperative keratometry values were also obtained using Humphrey Instruments Atlas Version A6 corneal mapping. Main Outcome Measures: Achieved refraction was compared with predicted refraction for the two methods of keratometry after the A-constants were optimized to obtain a mean arithmetic error of zero dioptres for each device. Results: The mean absolute prediction error was 0.39 dioptres (standard deviation 0.29) for IOLMaster and 0.48 dioptres (standard deviation 0.31) for corneal mapping ( P = 0.0015). Keratometry readings between the devices were highly correlated by Spearman correlation (0.97). The Bland-Altman plot demonstrated close agreement between keratometers, with a bias of 0.0079 dioptres and 95% limits of agreement of −0.48-0.49 dioptres. Conclusions: The IOLMaster was superior to Humphrey Atlas A6 corneal mapping in the prediction of postoperative refraction. This difference could not have been predicted from the keratometry readings alone. When comparing biometry devices, close agreement between readings should not be considered a substitute for actual postoperative refraction data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents abstracts of various research papers that were presented at the meeting of The Society for Experimental Optometry at Birmingham, England on July 15-16, 1991. Some of the papers presents are "Effects of Different Ocular Fixation Conditions on A-Scan Ultrasound Biometry Measurements," by C.F. Steel, D.P. Crabb and D.F. Edgar, "The Accuracy of Pallor Boundary Tracking in a Computerized Optic Nerve Head Assessment System," by Michael J. Cox and Ivan C.J. Wood, and "Topography of Visual Evoked Magnetic Responses to Pattern Shift, Pattern Onset and Flash Stimuli," by A. Slaven, C. Degg and R.A. Armstrong.