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There exists a high burden of oral diseases. Yet, the utilization of oral health care remains low. Understanding how, when, and why/why not individuals utilize dental healthcare resources is essential for planning health services and developing policies as it reflects the population's oral health needs, helps allocate resources efficiently, and formulate policies that are tailored to address their needs.

Extant literature in corporate social responsibility (CSR) is broad and prevailed by empirical studies, but the conceptual understanding of the relationship between the firm's knowledge of social responsibility and practices seems scanty. The literature evidence that tried to classify firms based on their CSR personality from a knowledge perspective is quite limited, and hence the motivation of the research gap in this paper. The paper develops a conceptual level matrix model based on the review of pertinent theoretical work of stakeholder theory in the context of social responsibility literature. Following on, a matrix typology of four CSR personality types of defectors, accidentals, hypocrites, and apostles are proposed in the paper. As the study is at a conceptual level, future research could empirically test and refine the CSR personality typologies model in multiple contexts. Finally, some concluding remarks on the need for an understanding of the typology of firms based on CSR practices and knowledge (i.e., know-how) and related implications are presented.

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate if bioceramic sealers had superior sealing properties to epoxy resin-based sealers.

Early Childhood Caries and malnutrition have a bi-directional relationship and are significant public health concerns. Objective of the study was to assess the effectiveness of the Common Health/Risk Factor Approach based intervention in improving early childhood oral health and malnutrition in preschool and primary school tribal children.

OBJECTIVE--To examine ankle-brachial index (AB1) abnormalities in patients with type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS--An ABI was obtained in 2,240 patients in the Bypass [...]

OBJECTIVE--To evaluate the association of successive percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) modalities with balloon angioplasty (BA), bare-metal stent (BMS), drug-eluting stents (DES), and pharmacotherapy over the last 3 decades with outcomes [...]

OBJECTIVE--To investigate whether parental family history of diabetes influences cardiovascular outcomes in type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS--We studied 1,294 type 2 diabetic patients (mean age 64.1 years, 51.2% [...]

AbstractBackground:Chengannur, a town in the south Indian state of Kerala, was 1 of the worst affected towns during the floods of 2018. Post-flood, Kerala state was under the threat of many infectious diseases including leptospirosis, but did not report any leptospirosis infections.Objectives:This study was conducted with the following objectives: (1) Assess the knowledge, attitude and practices regarding the prevention of leptospirosis among the flood affected population and Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) of Chengannur; and (2) Analyze the factors responsible for and contributing to leptospirosis control in the area post flood.Methodology:A cross-sectional questionnaire based observational study was conducted among 2 groups: the flood affected population, and ASHA. The questionnaire was divided into 3 parts. Part A contained the socio-demographic information. Part B contained questions on assessment of knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding the prevention, and control of leptospirosis. Part C was only for the ASHA involved.Results:The final sample size was 331 (244 from the general population and 87 ASHAs). With respect to knowledge, attitude, and practice, the responses were dichotomized into correct and wrong responses. The mean knowledge score was 9.01 ± 1.08 (maximum score of 10), mean attitude score was of 3.61 ± 0.55 (maximum score of 4) and the mean practice score was 4.12 ± 1.05 (maximum score of 5).Conclusion:Knowledge and attitude scores did not significantly differ between the general population and ASHA, but the practice score showed a higher score among the ASHA, all of which could have probably contributed to the prevention of a leptospirosis outbreak in the region.

********** I will walk you through the process of creating a simple Web application in WebSphere Studio, deploying it in a remote WebLogic server, and using the remote debugging features […]

This systematic review was designed to measure the pooled prevalence of morphological variations in the root canal of permanent incisors and canines among Asian adults.

Compressor stations utilizing large-bore natural gas engines transport natural gas through pipelines worldwide. One emission class regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are non-methane, non-ethane, non-aldehyde hydrocarbons. The combination of a Gas Chromatograph (GC) and a Flame Ionization Detector (FID) can measure VOCs, following EPA Method 18/25A. The Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR) also measures VOCs, following EPA Method 320. Multiple VOC calculation techniques are utilized, some combining measurements from separate analyzers. Two basic methods of extracting exhaust gas are direct extraction and Tedlar bag sampling. In this study various VOC quantification methods are evaluated. Exhaust gas was sampled from a Cooper Bessemer GMV lean burn engine and a Caterpillar G3304 rich burn engine. The GMV was tested in three configurations: open chamber spark ignition, pre-combustion chamber (PCC) ignition, and PCC ignition with high-pressure fuel injection. Ignition timing sweeps were performed on both engines and a fuel variability test was performed on the GMV. Results showed that the Gasmet and MKS FTIRs’ (Method 320) VOC measurements deviate significantly from the HP GC when measuring low molar concentrations, albeit below regulatory limits. A common VOC quantification approach is subtracting the sum of methane and ethane FTIR measurements from a total hydrocarbon measurement utilizing a FID. This method produces uncertainties of 190% and overestimates VOC concentration by an average of 100%. The Tedlar bag sampling method produced VOC measurements within −2% of the direct extraction for method.

We designed this systematic review of the available literature to measure the pooled prevalence of periodontal disease among Indian adults.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of different commercially available complex implant macro designs on stress distributions using Finite element analysis. The experiment is done under varying simulated bone conditions to provide reference for clinical application.

To assess the effectiveness of an oral health curriculum intervention in reducing dental caries increment and improving oral hygiene behaviour among high school children in grades 8 to 10 of the Ernakulam district in Kerala, India.

An 18-year-old man with normal birth and development and a negative family history complained of nonprogressive clumsiness and posturing of his left hand since early childhood. His left limbs were shorter than his right but showed no evidence of atrophy (eFigure 1, A-C, links.lww.com/WNL/B902). Examination revealed dystonic posturing with mirror dystonia of the left hand and subtle mirror movements in his feet (Video 1). MRI of the brain showed right hemiatrophy of the midbrain, bilateral cortical activation with unilateral finger taps on fMRI, and normal corticospinal tract decussation (Figure, A-F). Levodopa response was present, suggesting dopaminergic denervation due to a congenital hemi-midbrain insult.1This case represents hemidystonia-hemiatrophy syndrome.2Subtle limb shortening and mirror dystonia can aid in diagnosis.

Worldwide sales of smartphones totaled 968 million units in 2013, a 42.3% increase when compared to 2012 statistics [1]. International Data Corporation predicted that this number will have risen to 1.2 billion units in 2014 and 1.7 billion units by 2018 [7]. These statistics distinctly reveal that copious existing smartphone users upgraded or bought new units in 2013. Therefore, smartphone users who upgraded their phones in 2013 were most likely not satisfied with their device, their smartphone stopped working properly, or a new smartphone arrived with appealing technological features, encouraging the replacement of the existing device. According to the manufacturer, the average life of a smartphone is five to seven years. However, the actual duration for which a smartphone is used is much fewer than that.

The 2012 Guidelines for Diagnosis and Management of Patients with Stable Ischemic Heart Disease recommend intensive antianginal and risk factor treatment (optimal medical management [OMT]) before considering revascularization to relieve symptoms. The Bypass Angioplasty Revascularization Investigation 2 Diabetes (BARI 2D) trial randomized patients with ischemic heart disease and anatomy suitable to revascularization to (1) initial OMT with revascularization if neededor (2) initial revascularization plus OMT and found no difference in major cardiovascular events. Ultimately, however, 37.9% of the OMT group was revascularized during the 5-year follow-up period.

Mean blood glucose (BG) during acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is an important predictor of inpatient mortality but does not capture glucose variability (GV), which has been shown to be independently associated with mortality in critically ill patients. Whether GV is associated with in-hospital mortality during AMI, after accounting for mean BG, is unknown.

Recently, there has been increased interest in leveraging observational studies for comparative effectiveness research. Without robust and valid risk adjustment, however, findings from these nonrandomized studies may remain biased. Previous studies examining long-term mortality with drug-eluting stents (DESs) have demonstrated discordant results between randomized trials and observational studies. To examine the impact of treatment selection bias on these findings, we used data from a prospective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) registry (EVENT Evaluation of Drug Eluting Stents and Ischemic Events) to compare clinical outcomes between DESs and bare metal stents (BMSs) using conventional (multivariable regression and propensity matching) and novel (instrumental variable analysis) risk-adjustment techniques.

We have implemented a commercial enterprise-grade system for providing fault-tolerant virtual machines, based on the approach of replicating the execution of a primary virtual machine (VM) via a backup virtual machine on another server. We have designed a complete system in VMware vSphere 4.0 that is easy to use, runs on commodity servers, and typically reduces performance of real applications by less than 10%. In addition, the data bandwidth needed to keep the primary and secondary VM executing in lockstep is less than 20 Mbit/s for several real applications, which allows for the possibility of implementing fault tolerance over longer distances. An easy-to-use, commercial system that automatically restores redundancy after failure requires many additional components beyond replicated VM execution. We have designed and implemented these extra components and addressed many practical issues encountered in supporting VMs running enterprise applications. In this paper, we describe our basic design, discuss alternate design choices and a number of the implementation details, and provide performance results for both micro-benchmarks and real applications

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has witnessed rapid technological advancements, resulting in improved safety and effectiveness over time. Little, however, is known about the temporal impact on patient-reported symptoms and quality of life after PCI.

Low values of ankle–arm systolic blood pressure ratio predict mortality and cardiovascular events. High values, associated with arterial calcification, also carry risk for mortality. We focus on the extent to which low and high ankle–arm index values as well as noncompressible arteries are associated with mortality and cardiovascular events, including stroke in older adults.

AbstractThis study was interested in determining whether ethnicity-based cultural differences affected knowledge usage in today's multicultural organizations. Our empirical study uses a psychology-based approach to measure what we refer to as implicit managerial knowledge of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) workers within three Australian organizations. The research instrument captures responses to various ICT workplace scenarios in order to determine and compare the different ways in which people make use of the implicit knowledge they use to manage themselves and others. Using the culture-based literature to assist with interpretation of the data, we have identified a number of themes and their characteristics and brought these together to provide a comprehensive model for understanding cultural influences. This model can be used to better appreciate why and perhaps anticipate how an individual's implicit managerial knowledge will be used in responding to everyday workplace situations. Such an understanding will assist organizations to develop appropriate and effective knowledge management strategies.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates are a class of biodegradable polymers that may be used more as environmentally friendly materials if their mechanical properties can be improved. We approached this goal by modifying poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐3‐hydroxyvalerate) with a well‐established processing technique involving crosslinking the polymer chains and then drying a swollen gel of the network under uniaxial strain. The mechanical properties of the resulting oriented films were determined in continuous extension as a function of the degree of crosslinking and the extent of strain during the drying process. Crosslinking invariably improved the toughness. Similarly, the subsequent orientation of the process generally increased the toughness as well, but in some cases, a reduction in the extensibility offset the increase in the ultimate stress at break and yielded reduced values of the toughness. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 95: 1519–1523, 2005

Abstract: Time-series wind and wave measurements were carried out onboard INS Sagardhwani in the central Bay of Bengal during BOBMEX-99. Various other marine meteorological and oceanographic measurements relevant to monsoon studies were also collected simultaneously. The observed variations of wind and waves and the associated mixed layer depth (MLD) variability based on both temperature and density criteria at 3 hourly intervals are presented in this paper as a case study. At the time-series location (13‡N, 87‡E) wind varied between 6 and 16m/s and the predominant direction was southwesterly. The significant wave height and period varied from 1.9 to 3.7m and 8 to 13 s respectively. Some of the available statistical predictive methods for the determination of MLD by forced mixing are utilized to test the extent of mechanical mixing within the top layer of water by the local wind and wave activity. The same is extended to formulate a new empirical relation for gross estimation of effective depth within which the sound energy is generally trapped during its transmission in the surface duct. The present analysis aiming for estimation of observed MLD variability (35 to 75 m) using the suggested simple empirical relation reveals that, the mixed layer variability observed during the experiment depends on both local ocean variability as well as remote forcing as reported earlier.

Coronary artery ectasia, a variant of coronary atherosclerosis, is a relatively rare entity. Review of literature did not reveal an exclusive study on isolated ectasia. We decided to analyse the clinical presentation and angiographic prevalence of this subset. A retrospective study of patients who underwent coronary angiogram in our institute over the past six years was carried out and the epidemiological, clinical and angiographic characteristics of patients with isolated ectasia were analysed. Distribution of ectasia was with a modification of the Markis classification. Among 6938 angiograms analysed, 134 (2%) had isolated ectasia. Of the 118 symptomatic patients, 34 (25%) had a history of or presented with infarction, with correlation between the territory of infarction and the ectatic vessel in 32 patients. Of 62 patients with lipid abnormality, Hypertriglyceridemia in 42 (65%) was the most common. The left anterior descending artery was the most common vessel involved. Diffuse ectasia most commonly involved the right coronary artery. One patient had spontaneous coronary dissection. There is a relatively high prevalence of isolated coronary ectasia with predominant involvement of the right coronary vessel when diffuse and the left anterior descending artery when discrete. This entity is not innocuous and warrants a detailed study on the available management options.

From May 1995 through October 2001, 19 infants less than 90 days old underwent surgical correction of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection. In 15 babies with isolated total anomalous pulmonary venous connection, there was one operative death. In 4 with complex anomalies, there were 2 operative deaths. The vertical vein was not ligated in 6 cases for various reasons. Two patients died during reoperation for early pulmonary venous obstruction. In the late follow-up, 2 babies required reoperation for late anastomotic stricture; one needed additional balloon dilatation. Of the 14 surviving patients, one had a small residual gradient and infrequent supraventricular tachycardia, the others were asymptomatic and without gradients. Surgical correction of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection can be carried out in early infancy with low mortality and morbidity. However, associated complex cardiac anomalies and small caliber pulmonary arteries and veins carry higher risks. Recurrent pulmonary venous obstruction and diffuse pulmonary vein stenosis are causes of early reoperation and poor surgical outcome.

A retrospective analysis of repair of aortic coarctation in young infants was conducted. Between April 1997 and December 2000, 21 patients under 4 months of age underwent repair of coarctation. Their mean age and weight were 41 ± 42 days (range, 2 to 120 days) and 3.6 ± 0.7 kg (range, 2.6 to 4.9 kg). The indications for surgery were congestive heart failure and/or shock. Diagnosis was made by 2-dimensional echocardiography with Doppler color flow imaging. Preoperative gradients ranged from 25 to 100 mm Hg. Aortic arch hypoplasia was present in 8 patients; 7 patients also had ventricular septal defect. Wide excision of the coarctation segment with extended end-to-end anastomosis was performed in 20 patients, while 1 required a Gore-Tex interposition graft between the left common carotid artery and the descending aorta. Subclavian angioplasty was performed to augment the anastomosis in 1 patient. There was no early mortality. One patient died 2 months after surgery. Follow-up examination revealed recoarctation in 5 patients (23.8%), all of whom underwent successful balloon dilatation. In conclusion, wider excision of the coarctation with extended end-to-end anastomosis reduces the chances of recoarctation. Percutaneous balloon angioplasty for treating recoarctation is effective in immediately reducing pressure gradients.

Pure and iodine-doped polyaniline thin films are prepared by ac plasma polymerization technique. Doping of iodine is carried out in situ as well as by employing iodine chamber methods. The structural analyses of pure and iodine-doped polyaniline thin films are carried out by FTIR spectroscopic studies. Optical bandgaps of these films are evaluated from UV-VIS absorption studies. Direct and indirect transition energy gaps are determined from Tauc plots. The structural changes of polyaniline upon doping and the reduction of optical bandgap are explained on the basis of the results obtained from FTIR spectroscopic and UV-VIS absorption studies.

Polyaniline thin films were prepared by ac plasma polymerization technique. Capacitance, dielectric loss, dielectric constant and ac conductivity of these films were investigated in the frequency range from 100 Hz to 1 MHz and in the temperature range from 300 to 373 K. Capacitance and dielectric loss decreased with frequency and increased with temperature. This type of behaviour was found to be in good agreement with an existing model. The ac conductivity σ(ω) was found to vary as ω^s with the index s⩽1. Annealing of polyaniline thin films in high vacuum at 373 K for 1 h was found to reduce the dielectric loss. FTIR studies reveal that the aromatic ring is retained in the polyaniline thin films, which enhances the thermal stability of the polymer films.

The spectroscopic study of excited molecular cationCS2+(Ã2πu) by a different method is presented. In this technique the decay of excited states is monitored by measuring the photons emitted. The peaks in the photon spectrum would correspond to the energy levels of the ion. The vibrational-vibrational, vibrational-electronic interactions have been observed. Symmetry forbidden excitation of one quantum of bending vibration is observed which gives unperturbed value for the bending vibration. The Renner-Teller splitting for the δgand Σg-components of the bending mode (v2′= 1) in the upper excited Ã2πustate has been observed. A tentative vibrational analysis of the Ã→X system has been made.

The pharmacodynamics of nifedipine administered via the oral mucosa was investigated in hypertensive patients. The effect of two buccoadhesive formulations, tablets and films, was compared with the commercially available sublingual capsule in a complete cross-over study in six patients. All three formulations elicited onset of action 10 min after administration. The sublingual capsule and the buccoadhesive film revealed peak response at 30 min. The buccoadhesive tablet, however, exhibited a delayed peak response at 45 min. Analysis of variance indicated that, although time-dependent differences in the formulations were suggested, there was no significant difference in the overall effect produced by the three formulations. The results of the study suggest that the buccoadhesive formulations of nifedipine were comparable in performance with the sublingual capsule.

Sulfur atoms are produced in the excited 3s23p41D2 and 3s23p41S0 levels by two-photon photodissociation of CS2 in the gas phase in the region 285–305 nm. These excited atoms are detected by three-photon (two to resonance) ionisation at selected laser wavelengths. Many new transitions have been observed which have not been reported previously. The new “dark” states that have been accessed by two-photon absorption have been characterised and the energy levels with respect to the ground 3P2 state have been determined. Configuration interaction between 6p3P1, 6p5P1, and 4p'1P1 states, and also between 6p3P2, 6p5P2, and 4p'1D2 states has been observed. It is found that intermediate states reached from the 1S0 level through two-photon absorption lie above the first ionisation potential of S+(4S0). It is proposed that autoionisation into the 4S0+e- continuum is a dominant mechanism in the decay of these levels, although ionisation by a further photon absorption is not ruled out.

Summary: A case of multiple lymphoid polyposis of the colon and terminal ileum occurring in a family of familial polyposis is presented. Only one other such case has been reported. Other cases where an association between the conditions was mentioned are reviewed. There is a genetic factor in the etiology of the condition, and a definite link with familial, polyposis of the colon is found to exist. Differentiation of the conditions on clinical grounds could be very difficult.

Abstract: A case of spontaneous colocutaneous fistula arising from the transverse colon is reported and the literature is reviewed.

Nifedipine-Polyethylene glycol solid dispersions were prepared by melting or fusion method in order to improve nifedipine solubility in the aqueous body fluids. The dissolution rate of the drug was markedly increased in these solid dispersion systems. The increase in dissolution was a function of the ratio of drug to polyethylene glycol used and the molecular weight of polyethylene glycol. The dissolution rate was compared with a 10% w/w physical mixture of drug with polyethylene glycol.The physical state of nifedipine after fusion was determined by X-ray crystallography on the pure drug and on the solidified melts. The X-ray diffraction studies indicated that nifedipine in the solid dispersion which was obtained by sudden cooling of the melt, was in the thermodynamically unstable metastable form. It was established that the slow cooling of the melt as well as powdering of solid dispersion resulted in the emergence of crystallinity.The effect of aging on nifedipine-polyethylene glycol 6000 solid dispersions has been investigated. After storage at room temperature for six months, solid dispersions showed no change in the dissolution rate and the X-ray diffraction pattern showed slight enhancement in crystallinity.

Infrared laser multiple photon excitation/dissociation of Thiophene (Th) was studied as a function of Th pressure, laser pulse energy, pulse duration and added buffer gas. While the excitation process was probed via optoacoustic technique, the stable reaction products were analyzed by IR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Although C2H2 and CH3C=CH were the major hydrocarbon products under all experimental conditions, the distribution of these, as well as higher hydrocarbons of lower yield, was found to be very much dependent upon the experimental conditions. The laser induced reaction under dielectric breakdown conditions with either high substrate pressure or laser energy produced significant amount of CS2 and unidentified polymer as well. We propose a mechanism involving breakage of the C-S bond in Th to form an unstable 1,5-diradical which further decomposed via different channels. However, at higher substrate pressures, radical-Th reactions complicated the overall chemistry of the system. Evidences for collisional energy-pooling and rotational hole-filling were also obtained.