Effect of gender and Frankfort mandibular plane angle on orthodontic space closure:A randomized controlled trial

Structured Abstract: Objectives: To determine the effect of gender and Frankfort mandibular plane angle (FMPA) on extraction space closure. Setting and Sample Population: A single district general hospital. The sample population were 11- to 18-year-olds undergoing upper and lower fixed appliance therapy following the loss of a premolar in each quadrant. Methods: A total of 100 patients undergoing upper and lower fixed appliance therapy following the loss of four premolars were randomized with stratification on two age ranges (11-14 years and 15-18 years) and three FMPAs (high, medium and low). Allocation was to one of three treatment groups: conventional, active or passive self-ligating brackets, with an allocation ratio of 1:2:2. All subjects were treated using the same archwire sequence and space closing mechanics. Space closure was measured on models taken every 12 weeks throughout treatment. All measurements were taken by one operator, blinded to bracket type. Results: A total of 98 patients were followed to completion. Data were analysed using linear mixed models and demonstrated no statistically significant difference between bracket types with respect to space closure. Therefore, the data were pooled to determine the effect of gender and FMPA on space closure. At all stages of space closure, there was a significant effect of gender (results are presented as effect size, lower and upper 95% confidence intervals and probability), that is passive [1.064, 0.521, 1.607, 0.001], active [0.825, 0.312, 1.339, 0.002] and total space closure [1.029, 0.527, 1.531, 0.001]. There was no statistically significant effect of FMPA on space closure. Conclusions: Space closure during fixed appliance therapy is affected by gender but is unaffected by FMPA.</p

Fathers' experiences of supporting breastfeeding: challenges for breastfeeding promotion and education

Increasing breastfeeding rates is a strategic priority in the UK and understanding the factors that promote and encourage breastfeeding is critical to achieving this. It is established that women who have strong social support from their partner are more likely to initiate and continue breastfeeding. However, little research has explored the fathers' role in breastfeeding support and more importantly, the information and guidance he may need. In the current study, 117 men whose partner had given birth in the previous 2 years and initiated breastfeeding at birth completed an open-ended questionnaire exploring their experiences of breastfeeding, the information and support they received and their ideas for future breastfeeding education and promotion aimed at fathers and families. Overall, the findings showed that fathers were encouraging of breastfeeding and wanted to be able to support their partner. However, they often felt left out of the breastfeeding relationships and helpless to support their partner at this time. Many reported being excluded from antenatal breastfeeding education or being considered unimportant in post-natal support. Men wanted more information about breastfeeding to be directed towards them alongside ideas about how they could practically support their partner. The importance of support mechanisms for themselves during this time was also raised. The results highlight the need for health professionals to direct support and information towards fathers as well as the mother–infant dyad and to recognise their importance in promoting and enabling breastfeeding

Neoliberalisation and 'lad cultures' in higher education

This paper links HE neoliberalisation and ‘lad cultures’, drawing on interviews and focus groups with women students. We argue that retro-sexist ‘laddish’ forms of masculine competitiveness and misogyny have been reshaped by neoliberal rationalities to become modes of consumerist sexualised audit. We also suggest that neoliberal frameworks scaffold an individualistic and adversarial culture among young people that interacts with perceived threats to men’s privilege and intensifies attempts to put women in their place through misogyny and sexual harassment. Furthermore, ‘lad cultures’, sexism and sexual harassment in higher education may be invisibilised by institutions to preserve marketability in a neoliberal context. In response, we ask if we might foster dialogue and partnership between feminist and anti-marketisation politics

Diel turbidity cycles in a headwater stream: evidence of nocturnal bioturbation?

Purpose: A small number of recent studies have linked daily cycles in stream turbidity to nocturnal bioturbation by aquatic fauna, principally crayfish, and demonstrated this process can significantly impact upon water quality under baseflow conditions. Adding to this limited body of research, we use high-resolution water quality monitoring data to investigate evidence of diel turbidity cycles in a lowland, headwater stream with a known signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) population and explore a range of potential causal mechanisms. Materials and methods: Automatic bankside monitoring stations measured turbidity and other water quality parameters at 30-min resolution at three locations on the River Blackwater, Norfolk, UK during 2013. Specifically, we focused on two 20-day periods of baseflow conditions during January and April 2013 which displayed turbidity trends typical of winter and spring seasons, respectively. The turbidity time-series, which were smoothed with 6.5 hour Savitzky-Golay filters to highlight diel trends, were correlated against temperature, stage, dissolved oxygen and pH to assess the importance of abiotic influences on turbidity. Turbidity was also calibrated against suspended particulate matter (SPM) over a wide range of values via linear regression. Results and discussion: Pronounced diel turbidity cycles were found at two of the three sites under baseflow conditions during April. Spring night-time turbidity values consistently peaked between 21:00 and 04:00 with values increasing by ~10 nephelometric turbidity units (NTU) compared with the lowest recorded daytime values which occurred between 10:00 and 14:00. This translated into statistically significant increases in median midnight SPM concentration of up to 76% compared with midday, with night-time (18:00 – 05:30) SPM loads also up to 30% higher than that recorded during the daytime (06:00 – 17:30). Relating turbidity to other water quality parameters exhibiting diel cycles revealed there to be neither any correlation that might indicate a causal link, nor any obvious mechanistic connections to explain the temporal turbidity trends. Diel turbidity cycles were less prominent at all sites during the winter. Conclusions: Considering the seasonality and timing of elevated turbidity, visual observations of crayfish activity, and an absence of mechanistic connections with other water quality parameters, the results presented here are consistent with the hypothesis that nocturnal bioturbation is responsible for generating diel turbidity cycles under baseflow conditions in headwater streams. However, further research in a variety of fluvial environments is required to better assess the spatial extent, importance and causal mechanisms of this phenomenon

Clinical-pathological study on β-APP, IL-1β, GFAP, NFL, Spectrin II, 8OHdG, TUNEL, miR-21, miR-16, miR-92 expressions to verify DAI-diagnosis, grade and prognosis

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the most important death and disability cause, involving substantial costs, also in economic terms, when considering the young age of the involved subject. Aim of this paper is to report a series of patients treated at our institutions, to verify neurological results at six months or survival; in fatal cases we searched for βAPP, GFAP, IL-1β, NFL, Spectrin II, TUNEL and miR-21, miR-16, and miR-92 expressions in brain samples, to verify DAI diagnosis and grade as strong predictor of survival and inflammatory response. Concentrations of 8OHdG as measurement of oxidative stress was performed. Immunoreaction of β-APP, IL-1β, GFAP, NFL, Spectrin II and 8OHdG were significantly increased in the TBI group with respect to control group subjects. Cell apoptosis, measured by TUNEL assay, were significantly higher in the study group than control cases. Results indicated that miR-21, miR-92 and miR-16 have a high predictive power in discriminating trauma brain cases from controls and could represent promising biomarkers as strong predictor of survival, and for the diagnosis of postmortem traumatic brain injury

‘Why would you swap your nice warm van, where you can eat your butties and listen to the radio?’ Mainstreaming a niche of cycle logistics in the United Kingdom

Due to a high level of dependency on fossil fuels, transport is not only a priority for decarbonsation but also a particularly challenging sector to decarbonise. Significant low-carbon energy transitions in mobility will require changes in practices, technologies, infrastructure and policy. Cycle logistics is a growing economic sector. E-cargo bikes have the potential to replace some delivery and service journeys and to be used in combination with other transport modes to form a network of low-carbon deliveries. In comparison with conventional cargo bikes, e-cargo bikes are adapted with electric assist motors, thereby enabling the carriage of heavier loads over longer distances with lower physical strain on the rider. This study positions e-cargo bikes as an emerging technology within the Multilevel Perspective (MLP), a framework for understanding sustainable transitions that is structured around three levels: niche, regime and landscape. The Covid-19 pandemic has caused a landscape-level shock that has prompted an interest in increasing active travel and local deliveries. E-cargo bikes are a niche technology, and, although they respond to landscape-level trends, such as decarbonisation and air pollution reduction, the development of cycle logistics faces challenges stemming from the dominant automobility regime. There are limitations with e-cargo bikes themselves, although the technology and practice of e-cargo bike use are developing rapidly; there are factors that relate to the ability of the regime to accommodate and support the niche; there are considerations relating to practices and perceptions; and, finally, there are policy choices that reflect a lack of proactivity in encouraging and enabling e-cargo bike use. The paper explores experiences and perceptions of actual and potential e-cargo bike use and configures the MLP and the relationship between niche, regime(s) and landscape in relation to mobility transitions

Delivering the last mile : scoping the potential for E-cargo bikes

Transport is a major contributor to urban greenhouse gas emissions and therefore of priority in mitigating climate change. In responding to multiple pressures that include development, population growth and recent marked increases in online shopping, cities must identify new technologies to reduce emissions and improve freight efficiency, whilst enabling people and goods to reach their destinations. E-cargo bikes are an emerging technology with a low carbon footprint and lower running costs when compared with vans. They demonstrate increased potential to avoid contributing to, and being delayed by, traffic congestion. In comparison to conventional bikes, the combination of an electric-assist motor and larger frame offers the capacity to carry bulkier and heavier objects over longer distances. There is scope for businesses to use the vehicles for local deliveries and for the bikes to be used in connection with distribution hubs to provide a sustainable last mil

Vitamin D content of australian native food plants and australian-grown edible seaweed

Vitamin D has previously been quantified in some plants and algae, particularly in leaves of the Solanaceae family. We measured the vitamin D content of Australian native food plants and Australian-grown edible seaweed. Using liquid chromatography with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry, 13 samples (including leaf, fruit, and seed) were analyzed in duplicate for vitamin D2, vitamin D3, 25-hydroxyvitamin D2, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3. Five samples contained vitamin D2: raw wattleseed (Acacia victoriae) (0.03 µg/100 g dry weight (DW)); fresh and dried lemon myrtle (Backhousia citriodora) leaves (0.03 and 0.24 µg/100 g DW, respectively); and dried leaves and berries of Tasmanian mountain pepper (Tasmannia lanceolata) (0.67 and 0.05 µg/100 g DW, respectively). Fresh kombu (Lessonia corrugata) contained vitamin D3(0.01 µg/100 g DW). Detected amounts were low; however, it is possible that exposure to ultraviolet radiation may increase the vitamin D content of plants and algae if vitamin D precursors are present