The prevalence and experience of oral diseases in Adelaide nursing home residents

The document attached has been archived with permission from the Australian Dental Association. An external link to the publisher’s copy is included.Background: The twenty-first century will see the evolution of a population of dentate older Australians with dental needs very different from those of older adults in past years. This study provided comprehensive information concerning oral disease prevalence in older South Australian nursing home residents. Methods: This paper presents cross-sectional baseline results. Results: Most of the 224 residents, from seven randomly selected nursing homes, were functionally dependent, medically compromised, cognitively impaired and behaviourally difficult older adults who presented many complex challenges to carers and to dental professionals. Two-thirds (66 per cent) were edentulous with many dental problems and treatment needs. Dentate residents had a mean of 11.9 teeth present, higher than previously reported. The prevalence and experience of coronal and root caries and plaque accumulation was very high in dentate residents; especially males, those admitted more than three years previously, those who ate fewer food types and those who were severely cognitively impaired. These residents had more retained roots, decayed teeth and missing teeth, and fewer filled teeth when compared with data for community-dwelling older adults. Conclusions: This study highlighted the poor oral health status of these nursing home residents and the great impact of dementia on their high levels of oral diseases.JM Chalmers, C Hodge, JM Fuss, AJ Spencer, KD Carte

Wall Crossing, Quivers and Crystals

We study the spectrum of BPS D-branes on a Calabi-Yau manifold using the 0+1 dimensional quiver gauge theory that describes the dynamics of the branes at low energies. The results of Kontsevich and Soibelman predict how the degeneracies change. We argue that Seiberg dualities of the quiver gauge theories, which change the basis of BPS states, correspond to crossing the "walls of the second kind." There is a large class of examples, including local del Pezzo surfaces, where the BPS degeneracies of quivers corresponding to one D6 brane bound to arbitrary numbers of D4, D2 and D0 branes are counted by melting crystal configurations. We show that the melting crystals that arise are a discretization of the Calabi-Yau geometry. The shape of the crystal is determined by the Calabi-Yau geometry and the background B-field, and its microscopic structure by the quiver Q. We prove that the BPS degeneracies computed from Q and Q' are related by the Kontsevich Soibelman formula, using a geometric realization of the Seiberg duality in the crystal. We also show that, in the limit of infinite B-field, the combinatorics of crystals arising from the quivers becomes that of the topological vertex. We thus re-derive the Gromov-Witten/Donaldson-Thomas correspondence

Liminal Roles as a Source of Creative Agency in Management: The Case of Knowledge-Sharing Communities

Studies suggest that the experience of liminality – of being in an ambiguous, ‘betwixt and between’ position – has creative potential for organizations. We contribute to theory on the link between liminality and creative agency through a study of the coordinators of ‘knowledge-sharing communities’; one of the latest examples of a ‘neo-bureaucratic’ practice that seeks to elicit innovative responses from employees while intensifying control by the organization. Through a role-centred perspective, our study found that both the structural and interpretive aspects of coordinators’ role enactments promoted a degree of creative agency. ‘Front-stage’ and ‘back-stage’ activities were developed to meet the divergent expectations posed by senior management and community members, and the ambiguity of their roles prompted an array of different role interpretations. Our findings contribute to theory by showing how the link between liminality and creative agency is not confined to roles and spaces (consultancy work, professional expertise) that are positioned across organizational boundaries, or free from norms and expectations, but may also apply to roles that are ambiguously situated within organizational contexts and which are subject to divergent expectations. This shows how neo-bureaucratic forms may be both reproduced and renewed through the creative responses of individual managers

A Mathematical model for Astrocytes mediated LTP at Single Hippocampal Synapses

Many contemporary studies have shown that astrocytes play a significant role in modulating both short and long form of synaptic plasticity. There are very few experimental models which elucidate the role of astrocyte over Long-term Potentiation (LTP). Recently, Perea & Araque (2007) demonstrated a role of astrocytes in induction of LTP at single hippocampal synapses. They suggested a purely pre-synaptic basis for induction of this N-methyl-D- Aspartate (NMDA) Receptor-independent LTP. Also, the mechanisms underlying this pre-synaptic induction were not investigated. Here, in this article, we propose a mathematical model for astrocyte modulated LTP which successfully emulates the experimental findings of Perea & Araque (2007). Our study suggests the role of retrograde messengers, possibly Nitric Oxide (NO), for this pre-synaptically modulated LTP.Comment: 51 pages, 15 figures, Journal of Computational Neuroscience (to appear

Tailored education for older patients to facilitate engagement in falls prevention strategies after hospital discharge—A pilot randomized controlled trial

Background The aims of the study were to evaluate the effect of providing tailored falls prevention education in hospital on: i) engagement in targeted falls prevention behaviors in the month after discharge: ii) patients’ self-perceived risk and knowledge about falls and falls prevention strategies after receiving the education. Methods A pilot randomized controlled trial (n = 50): baseline and outcome assessments conducted by blinded researchers. Participants: hospital inpatients 60 years or older, discharged to the community. Participants were randomized into two groups. The intervention was a tailored education package consisting of multimedia falls prevention information with trained health professional follow-up, delivered in addition to usual care. Outcome measures were engagement in falls prevention behaviors in the month after discharge measured at one month after discharge with a structured survey, and participants’ knowledge, confidence and motivation levels before and after receiving the education. The feasibility of providing the intervention was examined and falls outcomes (falls, fall-related injuries) were also collected. Results Forty-eight patients (98%) provided follow-up data. The complete package was provided to 21 (84%) intervention group participants. Participants in the intervention group were significantly more likely to plan how to safely restart functional activities [Adjusted odds ratio 3.80, 95% CI (1.07, 13.52), p = 0.04] and more likely to complete other targeted behaviors such as completing their own home exercise program [Adjusted odds ratio 2.76, 95% CI (0.72, 10.50), p = 0.14] than the control group. The intervention group was significantly more knowledgeable, confident and motivated to engage in falls prevention strategies after receiving the education than the control group. There were 23 falls (n = 5 intervention; n = 18 control) and falls rates were 5.4/1000 patient days (intervention); 18.7/1000 patient days (control). Conclusion This tailored education was received positively by older people, resulted in increased engagement in falls prevention strategies after discharge and is feasible to deliver to older hospital patients. Trial registration The study was registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry; ACTRN12611000963921 on 8th November 2011

"I'm not being rude, I'd want somebody normal" Adolescents' perception of their peers with Tourette's syndrome; an exploratory study

Background: Tourette’s syndrome (TS) is a highly stigmatised condition, and typically developing adolescents’ motives and reason for excluding individuals with TS have not been examined. Aims: The aim of the study was to understand how TS is conceptualised by adolescents and explore how individuals with TS are perceived by their typically developing peers. Method: Free text writing and focus groups were used to elicit the views of twenty-two year ten students from a secondary school in South East England. Grounded theory was used to develop an analytical framework. Result: Participants’ understanding about the condition was construed from misconceptions, unfamiliarity and unanswered questions. Adolescents who conceived TS as a disorder beyond the individual’s control perceived their peers as being deprived of agency and strength and as straying from the boundaries of normalcy. People with TS were viewed as individuals deserving pity, and in need of support. Although participants maintained they had feelings of social politeness towards those with TS, they would avoid initiating meaningful social relationships with them due to fear of “social contamination”. Intergroup anxiety would also inhibit a close degree of social contact. Participants that viewed those with TS as responsible for their condition expressed a plenary desire for social distance. However, these behavioural intentions were not limited to adolescents that elicited inferences of responsibility to people with TS, indicating that attributional models of stigmatisation may be of secondary importance in the case of TS. Implications for interventions to improve school belonging among youths with TS are discussed

Methods to study splicing from high-throughput RNA Sequencing data

The development of novel high-throughput sequencing (HTS) methods for RNA (RNA-Seq) has provided a very powerful mean to study splicing under multiple conditions at unprecedented depth. However, the complexity of the information to be analyzed has turned this into a challenging task. In the last few years, a plethora of tools have been developed, allowing researchers to process RNA-Seq data to study the expression of isoforms and splicing events, and their relative changes under different conditions. We provide an overview of the methods available to study splicing from short RNA-Seq data. We group the methods according to the different questions they address: 1) Assignment of the sequencing reads to their likely gene of origin. This is addressed by methods that map reads to the genome and/or to the available gene annotations. 2) Recovering the sequence of splicing events and isoforms. This is addressed by transcript reconstruction and de novo assembly methods. 3) Quantification of events and isoforms. Either after reconstructing transcripts or using an annotation, many methods estimate the expression level or the relative usage of isoforms and/or events. 4) Providing an isoform or event view of differential splicing or expression. These include methods that compare relative event/isoform abundance or isoform expression across two or more conditions. 5) Visualizing splicing regulation. Various tools facilitate the visualization of the RNA-Seq data in the context of alternative splicing. In this review, we do not describe the specific mathematical models behind each method. Our aim is rather to provide an overview that could serve as an entry point for users who need to decide on a suitable tool for a specific analysis. We also attempt to propose a classification of the tools according to the operations they do, to facilitate the comparison and choice of methods.Comment: 31 pages, 1 figure, 9 tables. Small corrections adde

A Multispecialty Evaluation of Thiel Cadavers for Surgical Training

Background: Changes in UK legislation allow for surgical procedures to be performed on cadavers. The aim of this study was to assess Thiel cadavers as high-fidelity simulators and to examine their suitability for surgical training. Methods: Surgeons from various specialties were invited to attend a 1 day dissection workshop using Thiel cadavers. The surgeons completed a baseline questionnaire on cadaveric simulation. At the end of the workshop, they completed a similar questionnaire based on their experience with Thiel cadavers. Comparing the answers in the pre- and post-workshop questionnaires assessed whether using Thiel cadavers had changed the surgeons’ opinions of cadaveric simulation. Results: According to the 27 participants, simulation is important for surgical training and a full-procedure model is beneficial for all levels of training. Currently, there is dissatisfaction with existing models and a need for high-fidelity alternatives. After the workshop, surgeons concluded that Thiel cadavers are suitable for surgical simulation (p = 0.015). Thiel were found to be realistic (p < 0.001) to have reduced odour (p = 0.002) and be more cost-effective (p = 0.003). Ethical constraints were considered to be small. Conclusion: Thiel cadavers are suitable for training in most surgical specialties

lincRNAs act in the circuitry controlling pluripotency and differentiation

Although thousands of large intergenic non-coding RNAs (lincRNAs) have been identified in mammals, few have been functionally characterized, leading to debate about their biological role. To address this, we performed loss-of-function studies on most lincRNAs expressed in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells and characterized the effects on gene expression. Here we show that knockdown of lincRNAs has major consequences on gene expression patterns, comparable to knockdown of well-known ES cell regulators. Notably, lincRNAs primarily affect gene expression in trans. Knockdown of dozens of lincRNAs causes either exit from the pluripotent state or upregulation of lineage commitment programs. We integrate lincRNAs into the molecular circuitry of ES cells and show that lincRNA genes are regulated by key transcription factors and that lincRNA transcripts bind to multiple chromatin regulatory proteins to affect shared gene expression programs. Together, the results demonstrate that lincRNAs have key roles in the circuitry controlling ES cell state.Broad InstituteHarvard UniversityNational Human Genome Research Institute (U.S.)Merkin Family Foundation for Stem Cell Researc

IceCube-Gen2: A Vision for the Future of Neutrino Astronomy in Antarctica

20 pages, 12 figures. Address correspondence to: E. Blaufuss, F. Halzen, C. Kopper (Changed to add one missing author, no other changes from initial version.)20 pages, 12 figures. Address correspondence to: E. Blaufuss, F. Halzen, C. Kopper (Changed to add one missing author, no other changes from initial version.)20 pages, 12 figures. Address correspondence to: E. Blaufuss, F. Halzen, C. Kopper (Changed to add one missing author, no other changes from initial version.)The recent observation by the IceCube neutrino observatory of an astrophysical flux of neutrinos represents the "first light" in the nascent field of neutrino astronomy. The observed diffuse neutrino flux seems to suggest a much larger level of hadronic activity in the non-thermal universe than previously thought and suggests a rich discovery potential for a larger neutrino observatory. This document presents a vision for an substantial expansion of the current IceCube detector, IceCube-Gen2, including the aim of instrumenting a $10\,\mathrm{km}^3$ volume of clear glacial ice at the South Pole to deliver substantial increases in the astrophysical neutrino sample for all flavors. A detector of this size would have a rich physics program with the goal to resolve the sources of these astrophysical neutrinos, discover GZK neutrinos, and be a leading observatory in future multi-messenger astronomy programs