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Objective·To analyze the anatomical and macroscopic characteristics of the pterygopalatine suture (PPS) in Chinese population using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) technology, and to preliminarily investigate its developmental pattern and its association with the correction of maxillary underdevelopment.Methods·A total of 134 CBCT images, taken from July to August 2023 at Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, were categorized into six age groups. The PPS landmarks were utilized to determine the overall transverse position (XPPS), sagittal position (YPPS), insertion angle (IAP), insertion width of the pyramidal process (IWP), and insertion depth of the pyramidal process (IDP). The pterygomaxillary junction was identified through multiplanar observations. Regression analysis was performed to assess the correlation of these parameters with age and gender, and pairwise comparisons were made to determine the stable age range for parameter changes. Paired t-tests and paired chi-squared tests were conducted to analyze the bilateral parameter differences.Results·Results showed that YPPS and IDP did not exhibit significant correlation with age, whereas XPPS, IAP, IWP, and the incidence of pterygomaxillary fusion were significantly positively correlated with age (P

Studies have often focused on promoting students' basic psychological needs to support their learning in K-12 education and even in college education, although less work has been performed to determine the ways in which the needs are fulfilled in graduate school education. The current study examined reports by 11 graduate students who were preservice and in-service teachers with different backgrounds and experiences to determine whether their relatedness needs were satisfied in a teacher education class. Remarkably, the need for relatedness (i.e., the "psychological sense of being with others in secure communion or unity" [Deci & Ryan, 2002, p. 7]) has received less attention in the literature relative to the needs for competence and autonomy as noted by Hutman, Konieczna, Kerner, Armstrong, and Fitzpatrick (2012). This study explores how the students report different fulfillment of relatedness needs intertwined with their identities as participating learners based on the frameworks of identities-in-practice and identities-in-discourse (e.g., Norton & Toohey, 2011; Varghese et al., 2005). The authors argue that the students' "psychological sense of being with others in secure communion or unity" (Deci & Ryan, 2002, p. 7) could be accounted for by exploring the students' identities in social and cultural contexts based on the preceding frameworks.

This study explores the effects of temporal reframing of price (TRP), a strategy presenting the total cost of a product or service in smaller, segmented amounts (e.g., $1 per day rather than $365 in total), and its potential to intensify consumers' feelings of being misled, thereby negatively impacting their attitudes toward the product. While previous research has underscored the benefits of TRP, such as lowering perceived costs and enhancing perceived benefits through heuristic information processing, the current study, informed by theories of heuristic versus systematic processing and attribution theory, investigates whether TRP leads to increased feelings of manipulation by deviating from conventional category‐specific temporal frames of pricing. Through two experiments, we find that such deviations may prompt consumers to view TRP as manipulative, subsequently heightening feelings of being misled, especially at higher price levels, whereas lower price levels could diminish the scrutiny applied to marketers' intentions. Additionally, this study demonstrates that feelings of being misled mediate the relationship between the presentation of price information and product attitude, highlighting the potential risks of employing TRP strategies. The paper discusses optimal situations for implementing TRP, aiming to navigate its strategic use effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies on IT (Information Technology) outsourcing reveal the growing trend and widely accepted management practice of IT outsourcing in the public sector. To achieve more from this practice it is essential to identify and examine the success factors. In this regard, this study conducts an empirical investigation on IT outsourcing projects for e-government. A framework is proposed and 13 IT outsourcing success factors from the private sector are identified through a literature review. The framework demonstrates the impact of four categories, organizational environment, contract/project characteristics, project management, and partnership management on IT outsourcing. A survey of IT managers responsible for managing IT outsourcing projects in Korean government organizations was conducted and 178 IT outsourcing projects for e-government initiated by 56 different government organizations were analyzed. The findings are then compared with general beliefs on IT outsourcing in the private sector. Findings and lessons from the empirical investigation of this study provide useful guidelines for IT managers in the public sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To analyze the opening of mid-palatal suture, transverse changes in dental and dentoalveolar measurements and shift of midfacial bony structures induced by maxillary skeletal expansion (MSE) with cone-beam CT (CBCT), and to evaluate the effect of maxillary skeletal expansion and its influence on adjacent bony structures in adults., Methods: The study sample consisted of 12 adult patients with maxillary transverse deficiency (4 males, 8 females) at a mean age of (21.17±4.13) years old. All patients were treated with MSE. After treatment, the posterior crossbite was corrected, and the width of the maxillary arch was achieved the optimal width. Pre- and post-treatment CBCT exams were taken before and after MSE treatment. Multiplanar coronal and axial slices obtained from CBCT images were used to measure the changes in transverse widths, angular changes and tooth inclination with Dolphin Imaging 11.9. SPSS 26.0 software package was used for statistical analysis., Results: After MSE treatment, the anterior nasal spine width increased by (2.38±1.01) mm, posterior nasal spine width increased by (2.25±1.08) mm (P<0.01). The inter-crown and inter-apex distance at the first molar increased by (5.56±1.38) mm and (4.14±1.29) mm, respectively (P<0.01). No significant difference was seen in terms of tooth inclination of the first molar(P>0.05). Pterygoid process angle, pterygoid process width, anterior inter-maxillary distance, upper and lower inter-zygomatic distance were significantly larger after treatment (P<0.01), while the inter-temporal distance and bilateral zygomaticomaxillary angle remained unchanged(P>0.05)., Conclusions: MSE has a favorable effect in adult patients with parallel skeletal expansion of the mid-palatal suture achieved after expansion. The teeth present with certain buccal inclination but show no significant movement relative to the alveolar bone. The midfacial bony structures also shift in three-dimensional under the effect of the expansion force.