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Author Patricia Polacco's children's books feature stories of families, that are passed down from a grandmother, that emphasize diverse communities, that contain magic or a miracle and that help raise social consciousness. The stories are quick paced and provocative and are enhanced in powerful, satisfying ways through lively pencil, watercolor or gouache illustrations in bright colors. Much of her work is drawn from family memories. Polacco has earned the respect and admiration of readers of all ages. The author and her books are evaluated.

Most of the uranium in uranium-contaminated soils exist as discrete particulates of hexavalent uranium, including phosphates, hydroxides and ill-defined organic complexes. This can be gleaned from data derived from a combination of X-ray absorption, optical luminescence and Raman vibrational spectroscopies applied on contaminated soils from the Dept. of Energy's former uranium facility in Fernald, OH. Complementary spectroscopic techniques allowed the identification of specific chemical forms of uranium in the soil, namely, autenite-like and schoepite-like phases.

The decline in policy modeling and analysis is traced to the increasingly broader and more complex issues involved and the scarcity of resources, time, money and people. To counter this negative trend, a thorough, conscious effort is urged to deal with the wide range of tasks required in modeling and the related interactions of the staff. Improvements at all levels are seen to lead to greater opportunities for research organization staff and to enhance overall quality.

We study an analog of Serre's modularity conjecture for projective representations ...:Gal(.../K)→PGL2(k), where K is a totally real number field. We prove cases of this conjecture when k=F5. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background We aimed to assess the oral health status and risk factors for dental caries and periodontal disease among Sudanese adults resident in Khartoum State. To date, this information was not available to health policy planners in Sudan. Methods A descriptive population-based survey of Sudanese adults aged ≥ 16 years was conducted. After stratified sampling, 1,888 adult patients from public dental hospitals and dental health centres scattered across Khartoum State, including different ethnic groups present in Sudan, were examined in 2009-10. Data were collected using patient interviews and clinical examinations. Dental status was recorded using the DMFT index, community periodontal index (CPI), and a validated tooth wear index. Results Caries prevalence was high, with 87.7% of teeth examined having untreated decay. Periodontal disease increased in extent and severity with age. For 25.8% of adults, tooth wear was mild; 8.7% had moderate and 1% severe toothwear. Multivariate analysis revealed that decay was less prevalent in older age groups but more prevalent in southern tribes and frequent problem based attenders; western tribes and people with dry mouths who presented with less than18 sound, untreated natural teeth (SUNT). Older age groups were more likely to present with tooth wear; increasing age and gender were associated with having periodontal pocketing ≥ 4 mm. Conclusions The prevalence of untreated caries and periodontal disease was high in this population. There appear to be some barriers to restorative dental care, with frequent use of dental extractions to treat caries and limited use of restorative dentistry. Implementation of population-based strategies tailored to the circumstances of Sudanese population is important to improve oral health status in Sudan.

Abstract Background Infliximab is usually administered by two monthly intravenous (iv) infusions, therefore requiring visits to hospital. Adalimumab is administered by self subcutaneous (sc) injections every other week. Both of these anti-TNF drugs appear to be equally efficacious in the treatment of Crohn's Disease and therefore the decision regarding which drug to choose will depend to some extent on patient choice, which may be based on the mode of administration. The aims of this study were to compare preferences in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) patients for two currently available anti-TNF agents and the reasons for their choices. Methods An anonymous questionnaire was distributed to IBD patients who had attended the Gastroenterology service (Ulster Hospital, Dundonald, Belfast, N. Ireland. UK) between January 2007 and December 2007. The patients were asked in a hypothetical situation if the following administering methods of anti-TNF drugs (intravenous or subcutaneous) were available, which drug route of administration would they choose. Results One hundred and twenty-five patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were issued questionnaires, of these 78 questionnaires were returned (62 percent response). The mean age of respondent was 44 years. Of the total number of respondents, 33 patients (42 percent) preferred infliximab and 19 patients (24 percent) preferred adalimumab (p = 0.07). Twenty-six patients (33 percent) did not indicate a preference for either biological therapy and were not included in the final analysis. The commonest reason cited for those who chose infliximab (iv) was: "I do not like the idea of self-injecting," (67 percent). For those patients who preferred adalimumab (sc) the commonest reason cited was: "I prefer the convenience of injecting at home," (79 percent). Of those patients who had previously been treated with an anti-TNF therapy (n = 10, all infliximab) six patients stated that they would prefer infliximab if given the choice in the future (p = 0.75). Conclusions There was a trend towards patient preference for infliximab (iv) treatment as opposed to adalimumab (sc) in patients with IBD. This difference may be due to the frequency of administration, mode of administration or differing 'times in the market-place', as infliximab had been approved for a longer period of time in Crohn's disease. Further studies are required in IBD patients to investigate whether patient choice will affect compliance, patient satisfaction and efficacy of treatment with anti-TNF therapies.

This umbrella review appraised existing systematic reviews and meta‐analysis to establish the impact of periodontal disease and therapy on general and oral health‐related quality of life. A systematic electronic literature search was carried out in accordance with the PRISMA guideline up to January 2020 using PubMed, LIVIVO, EMBASE and OpenGrey (PROSPERO CRD 42020163831). Hand searching was performed through the reference lists of periodontal textbooks and related journals. All English language‐based systematic reviews and meta‐analysis that assessed the impact of periodontal disease and treatment interventions on general and oral health‐related quality of life were included. Overall, eight articles met the inclusion criteria and their methodological quality was assessed using the AMSTAR2 criteria. Two systematic reviews showed a significant impact of oral conditions on general health‐related quality of life, although the specific impact of periodontal disease remains inconclusive. Three systematic reviews established a negative impact of periodontal disease on oral health‐related quality of life. Another three systematic reviews concluded that periodontal treatment can improve oral health‐related quality of life. Oral conditions, like periodontal disease, can impact the general health‐related quality of life. Periodontal disease is negatively correlated with oral health‐related quality of life, although treatment interventions can improve self‐reported quality of life. In view of the heterogeneity of generic instruments currently utilized to assess the self‐reported quality of life of periodontal patients, the development of a general and oral health‐related quality of life instrument specific for periodontal disease is strongly recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We revisit the paper [Automorphy lifting for residually reducible $l$ -adic Galois representations, J. Amer. Math. Soc. 28 (2015), 785–870] by the third author. We prove new automorphy lifting theorems for residually reducible Galois representations of unitary type in which the residual representation is permitted to have an arbitrary number of irreducible constituents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Ageing is associated with a multitude of healthcare issues including dementia, depression, frailty, morbidity associated with chronic disease and high healthcare utilisation. With Singapore’s population projected to age significantly over the next two decades, it has become increasingly important to understand the disease burden and etiological process among older adults. The Community Health and Intergenerational study aims to holistically examine ageing in place by investigating the resilience and vulnerability factors of the ageing process in the biological, psychological and social domains within the environment. Methods and analysis Using a cohort multiple randomised controlled trial design, comprehensive health profiles of community-dwelling older adults will be collected. The objective is to recruit 1000 participants (aged 60–99 years) living in the western region of Singapore within a period of 3 years (2018–2020). Assessments include basic sociodemographic, physical health and function (cardiac, oral and blood profiles and visual function), cognitive functioning, daily functioning, physical fitness, emotional state, free-flowing speech, sleep quality, social connectedness, caregiver burden, intergenerational communication, quality of life, life satisfaction, attitudes to ageing and gratitude and compassion. Results from the cohort will enable future studies to identify at-risk groups and develop interventions to improve the physical and mental health and quality of life of older adults. Ethics and dissemination Approval of the cohort study by the National University of Singapore Institutional Review Board (NUS-IRB Reference code: H-17-047) was obtained on 12 October 2017. Written consent will be obtained from all participants. Findings from the cohort study will be disseminated by publication of peer-reviewed manuscripts, presentations at scientific meetings and conferences with local stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2019, the Faculty of Dentistry celebrated its 90th anniversary. Since its beginning, the Faculty has grown from strength to strength and its efforts at nurturing generations of oral healthcare professionals have evolved. Such growth and evolution ensure that the Faculty's mission of education remains contemporaneous, effective and relevant to future-proof its graduates to play an instrumental role in helping the population achieve good oral health. This article documents the Faculty's early years; highlights its journey and educational endeavours which have transformed teaching and learning in dentistry. It also sheds light on key drivers of change which will shape the way the Faculty seeks to transform dental education for the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]