Freeze dried factor VIII concentrate of intermediate purity is widely accepted as the product of choice in the treatment of haemophilia A, yet supply of this material from National resources is inadequate. Substantial loss of factor VIII can occur during the production process and a point of major loss exists when plasma is thawed for removal of cryoprecipitate. The scale of operation is important since little or no loss occurs on small-volume thawing (i.e. 1-2ml) due to the shorter time of exposure to damaging conditions such as extremes of pH and ionic strength or enzyme attack. To overcome this the rate of thaw must be maximised within the constraint provided by factor VIII solubility, which is temperature dependent.To design a satisfactory process we have used pilot-scale equipment to study continuous thawing, utilising fluid removal for temperature control. For batch thawing of crushed plasma, at a rate of 20 1/hr, plasma temperatures ranged up to 7°C but for continuou thawing remained below 1.2°C. A thawing rate of 80 1/hr has been achieved with the temperature held below 2°C throughout. Plasma pools of up to 150 litres in volume have been handled in this way with a mean residence time of 12 minutes and this has encouraged us to design prototype equipment for use with fresh frozen plasma.

Beginning in the mid-20th century, traditional educational models were challenged by educational experts. The traditional model of instruction is what is known as teacher guided instruction or direct instruction. The current focus in education moved to student centered learning or problem based learning (PBL). Given these pedagogical discussions, Sugata Mitra asked the question, "Do we need teachers?" and developed the term Self-Organized Learning Environments (SOLE) to describe self-directed learning. The idea behind a SOLE is independent learning among students as they work at their own pace, while satisfying their own goals and objectives. One doctoral level class, composed of deaf students, used this strategy for a beginning level course. Findings showed that students needed a bit more structure in the beginning of the course, but then they were able to direct their own learning in ways that went beyond the bounds of traditional learning. This strategy is suggested as a possible motivational one for deaf students who often employ more passive learning strategies.