Evidence for Spinozan "Unbelieving" in the Right Inferior Prefrontal Cortex.

Humans can think about possible states of the world without believing in them, an important capacity for high-level cognition. Here, we use fMRI and a novel "shell game" task to test two competing theories about the nature of belief and its neural basis. According to the Cartesian theory, information is first understood, then assessed for veracity, and ultimately encoded as either believed or not believed.

Does the All Wales Universal Orthodontic Referral Form enable accurate triage of new NHS orthodontic patients? A service evaluation.

Introduction This study was designed to investigate the accuracy of clinical information provided by referring general dental practitioners (GDPs) following the introduction of a standardised referral form across Wales (the All Wales Universal Orthodontic Referral Form [AWUORF]) and to see whether the information given could be reliably used to screen the referrals.Aim To evaluate whether priority cases were being readily identified and whether inappropriate referrals could be minimised, thereby potentially reducing waiting lists.Method A service evaluation involving the retrospective study of 200 consecutive referrals to a specialist practice over a three-month period.

Factors associated with unplanned readmissions within 1 day of acute care discharge: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Unplanned hospital readmissions are a quality and safety indicator. In Australian, 8% to 11.1% of unplanned readmissions occur ≤1 day of acute care discharge.

Factors associated with unplanned readmissions in a major Australian health service.

Objective The aim of the present study was to gain an understanding of the factors associated with unplanned hospital readmission within 28 days of acute care discharge from a major Australian health service. Methods A retrospective study of 20575 acute care discharges from 1 August to 31 December 2015 was conducted using administrative databases. Patient, index admission and readmission characteristics were evaluated for their association with unplanned readmission in ≤28 days.

Re-shaping NHS orthodontic provision - the North Wales experience.

The orthodontic service provision within North Wales, in common with many areas of the United Kingdom, was experiencing increasing waiting times for assessment and treatment. Reasons for this included an increasing population, patient demand and fixed NHS contracted orthodontic provision. In addition to these universal challenges, the geography of North Wales contributed to difficulties in accessing care.

Inferring action structure and causal relationships in continuous sequences of human action.

In the real world, causal variables do not come pre-identified or occur in isolation, but instead are embedded within a continuous temporal stream of events. A challenge faced by both human learners and machine learning algorithms is identifying subsequences that correspond to the appropriate variables for causal inference. A specific instance of this problem is action segmentation: dividing a sequence of observed behavior into meaningful actions, and determining which of those actions lead to effects in the world.

Pilot testing an educational intervention to improve communication with patients with dementia.

Approximately one quarter of all hospitalized patients over age 75 years have a secondary diagnosis of dementia. A unique hospital-wide program to encourage appropriate communication techniques with patients who have dementia was provided to all departments of a hospital. Evaluation indicated improvement in some communication techniques.

The special needs of the hospitalized patient with dementia.

As the population ages, the number of patients with dementia will increase rapidly. Nurses caring for patients with dementia will need knowledge of interventions for communicating; managing agitation, nutrition, hygiene, and pain; providing spiritual care; and determining decision-making capacity.

Development of an evidence-based protocol for reduction of indwelling urinary catheter usage.

Studies indicate 40% of indwelling urinary catheters are unnecessary in hospitalized patients (Gardam, Amihod, Orenstein, Consolacion, & Miller, 1998; Gokula, Hickner, & Smith, 2004). The results of a protocol developed to limit catheter use are described.

A randomized clinical trial comparing 'one-step' and 'two-step' orthodontic bonding systems.

Objective: The primary objective of this prospective clinical trial was to assess the clinical bond failure rates of orthodontic brackets bonded using a self-etching primer (SEP), compared with brackets bonded using a conventional acid-etched technique with control adhesive (Transbond). A secondary aim was to investigate whether characteristics of the operator, patient or tooth bonded had any influence on bracket failure.

Design: Single-centre randomized controlled clinical trial.

Orthodontic movement of two root fractured teeth: a case report.

Aim: To illustrate significant tipping orthodontic movement of root fractured teeth.

Summary: As the frequency of root fractured maxillary teeth is related to increased overjet and reduced lip coverage, orthodontic treatment may increase lip coverage and reduce the risk of trauma or its severity. It may also be necessary to move previously traumatized teeth.

The effect of altered pitch length on performance and technique in junior fast bowlers.

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of pitch length (20.12 m [full length], 18 m and 16 m) on the fast bowling performance and technique of junior cricketers. Performance measures included ball release speed and accuracy, while technique variables evaluated were those shown to be related to the aetiology of lower back injury.

Reduced binocular beat visual evoked responses and stereoacuity in patients with Duane syndrome.

Purpose: To study the effects that the abnormal eye movements of patients with Duane retraction syndrome have on the development of binocular function.

Methods: Pattern reversal visual evoked responses (VEPs) to 15-minutes-of-arc and 60-minutes-of-arc checks and binocular beat VEPs to diffuse sinusoidally modulated 18- and 20-Hz stimuli were recorded in 10 patients with Duane retraction syndrome who maintain binocular function by using an abnormal head posture. Visual acuity, stereoacuity, and eye movements were measured.

Bcl-2, Fas and caspase 3 expression in endometrium from levonorgestrel implant users with and without breakthrough bleeding.

Women using the progestin-only contraceptive Norplant often suffer from unpredictable bouts of breakthrough bleeding, which usually occurs from a thin atrophic endometrium. The role of cellular apoptosis in the endometrial response to Norplant has not been investigated. The aim of the present study was to use immunohistochemistry to produce semi-quantitative scores for expression of the apoptosis-related proteins Bcl-2, Fas and caspase 3 in endometrium from 16 controls and 42 women using Norplant with minimal or major breakthrough bleeding problems.

Perivascular smooth muscle alpha-actin is reduced in the endometrium of women with progestin-only contraceptive breakthrough bleeding.

It has been shown that the endometrium of women using progestin-only contraceptives has increased vascular fragility, although the structural basis for this weakness is unknown, as is its role in breakthrough bleeding (BTB). Perivascular cells such as pericytes and vascular smooth muscle cells surround capillaries during the maturation process following angiogenesis, and act to strengthen and stabilize the vessels. The aim of the present study was to quantify endometrial perivascular smooth muscle alpha-actin (alphaSMA) expression in women using Norplant with and without BTB problems, and compare it to controls.

A study of transposed canines in a sample of orthodontic patients.

Tooth transposition is a positional interchange of two adjacent teeth. The most commonly transposed tooth is the permanent canine with either the first premolar or lateral incisor. The records of 54 subjects with transposed canines, both maxillary and mandibular, were collected.

The provision of orthodontic treatment: some ethical considerations.

The majority of orthodontic procedures are elective, aimed at reorganising structures placed by nature in an area of stability. Although these structures are expressions of normal biological diversity, the costs and long-term benefits of treatment are generally accepted by society. In light of this, it is vital to provide orthodontic treatment that is done to the highest possible standard, using techniques based on a sound scientific basis, recognising that the main reason for the treatment is to improve a patient's self-esteem.

Effects of hyperthermia on bone. I. Heating rate patterns induced by microwave irradiation in bone and muscle phantoms.

We describe the initial heating rate patterns generated by microwave irradiation of 915 MHz, with constant power output, in muscle-equivalent phantoms containing a freshly excised bone, and compared with those in phantoms consisting of muscle-equivalent gel only. At 1 cm depth the muscle was cooler in the centre of the field when bone was present underneath. Also, the orientation of the bone in the field had a pronounced effect on the heating rate profiles in the overlying muscle: when the long axis of the bone was parallel to E field, a hot area in the centre of the field was observed; after rotation of the applicator by 90 degrees so that the long axis of the bone was perpendicular to the E field, more homogeneous heating was obtained along most of the field.

The effects of disposable and custom-made impression trays on the accuracy of impressions.

This study indicates that some non-rigid impression trays, including disposable plastic trays and custom-made acrylic resin trays, may produce unreliable results when used with some medium-bodied elastomers. The study does not question the well-documented clinical accuracy of these elastomers when they are used with rigid trays. Disposable plastic trays are found to be acceptable when used with a combination of reversible and non-reversible hydrocolloid impression materials.

Multiple-copy genes: production and modification of monomeric peptides from large multimeric fusion proteins.

A vector system has been designed for obtaining high yields of polypeptides synthesized in Escherichia coli. Multiple copies of a synthetic gene encoding the neuropeptide substance P (SP) (Arg-Pro-Lys-Pro-Gln-Gln-Phe-Phe-Gly-Leu-Met-NH2) have been linked and fused to the lacZ gene. Each copy of the SP gene was flanked by codons for methionine to create sites for cleavage by cyanogen bromide (CNBr).

Persistence and convergence of ecosystems: an analysis of some second order difference equations.

Three second order difference equation models are analyzed and numerical solutions computed. It is shown that two concepts of ecosystem stability, the local property of convergence and the global property of persistence, do not coincide, and that the exislity are obtained and shown as parameter space diagrams. Examples of solution trajectories representative of different regions of this space are computed and discussed.