Estudio comparativo de la remoción de Hidróxido de Calcio entre irrigación sónica y limas XP-ENDO Finisher, en canales radiculares curvos, Santiago de Chile, Abril 2017

Tesis (Cirujano Dentista)Objetivos: Determinar el protocolo de remoción de Ca (OH)2 más eficiente entre irrigación sónica e instrumentación mecanizada, en canales radiculares curvos de sección transversal circular. Métodos: De un total de 120 molares mandibulares, se seleccionaron 92 muestras los cuáles presentaban canales con curvatura moderada. Estos canales fueron instrumentados con limas Protaper Universal® a -2 milimetros de LT, alternando irrigación con 3 ml de hipoclorito de sodio al 5,25%. Se irrigó con EDTA por 1 minuto, para ser finalmente enjuagados con hipoclorito de sodio. Luego de instrumentadas las muestras fueron medicadas con mezcla estandarizada de Ultracal XS® y tinta china negra. Posterior a la medicación las muestras fueron separadas en 3 grupos aleatoriamente según el sistema de remoción utilizado (XP ENDO Finisher®, Endoactivator ® y Técnica Convencional manual). El área cubierta por Ca (OH)2 fue observada y delimitada a través de un microscopio óptico asociado a un software computarizado (Micrometrics). Resultados: El área de Ca (OH)2 residual obtenida por cada grupo tuvo un nivel significancia de P > 0.05, por lo que no existen diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre ellos. Limas XP ENDO Finisher® mostraron leve tendencia a la remoción total de Ca (OH)2 por sobre los otros grupos, pero al ser un N pequeño no alcanza a ser representativo para generar una diferencia significativa. Conclusiones: Sí bien no existe ningún sistema que remueva la totalidad del Ca (OH)2 en canales radiculares con curvatura moderada, estos sistemas logran removerlo parcialmente sin generar diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre ellos

ERM Annual report 2014: Restructuring in the public sector

In the immediate aftermath of the recession in 2008, employment in the public sector continued to grow, helping to sustain demand in the European economy. However, by 2010, significant restructuring was underway in the public sector in several Member States. In contrast to restructuring in the private sector, public sector restructuring affects much of the population, and so generates a great deal of political interest and some controversy. It is also particularly complicated, and often problematic – not least on account of the numbers of people involved, the tradition of strong employment protection and high levels of trade union representation

Absence of a Finite-Temperature Melting Transition in the Classical Two-Dimensional One-Component Plasma

Vortices in thin-film superconductors are often modelled as a system of particles interacting via a repulsive logarithmic potential. Arguments are presented to show that the hypothetical (Abrikosov) crystalline state for such particles is unstable at any finite temperature against proliferation of screened disclinations. The correlation length of crystalline order is predicted to grow as $\sqrt{1/T}$ as the temperature $T$ is reduced to zero, in excellent agreement with our simulations of this two-dimensional system.Comment: 3 figure

Count me in: an inclusive approach towards patient recruitment for clinical research studies in the NHS

Background: Participation in clinical research is associated with better patient outcomes and higher staff retention and satisfaction rates. Nevertheless, patient recruitment to mental health studies is challenging due to a reliance on clinician or patient referrals (standard approach). To empower patients and make healthcare research more equitable, we explored a novel researcher-led approach, called ‘Count Me In’ (CMI). Objective: To evaluate a 12-month implementation of CMI in a routine clinical setting. Methods: CMI was launched in August 2021 in a mental health National Health Service (NHS) Trust in England. Patients (aged 18+) learnt about CMI at their initial clinical appointment. Unless they opted out, they became contactable for research (via research informatics searches). Findings: After 12 months, 368 patients opted out and 22 741 became contactable through CMI, including 2716 through the standard approach and 20 025 through electronic searches (637% increase). Of those identified via electronic searches, 738 were contacted about specific studies and 270 consented to participate. Five themes were identified based on patient and staff experiences of CMI: ‘level of awareness and accessibility of CMI’, ‘perceptions of research and perceived engagement with CMI’, ‘inclusive research practice’, ‘engagement and incentives for research participation’, and ‘relationships between clinical and research settings’. Conclusions: CMI (vs standard) led to a larger and diverse patient cohort and was favoured by patients and staff. Yet a shift in the NHS research culture is needed to ensure that this diversity translates to actual research participation. Clinical implications: Through collaboration with other NHS Trusts and services, key funders (National Institute for Health and Care Research) and new national initiatives (Office for Life Sciences Mental Health Mission), CMI has the potential to address recruitment challenges through rapid patient recruitment into time-sensitive country-wide studies

Simulations of Two-Dimensional Melting on the Surface of a Sphere

We have simulated a system of classical particles confined on the surface of a sphere interacting with a repulsive $r^{-12}$ potential. The same system simulated on a plane with periodic boundary conditions has van der Waals loops in pressure-density plots which are usually interpreted as evidence for a first order melting transition, but on the sphere such loops are absent. We also investigated the structure factor and from the width of the first peak as a function of density we can show that the growth of the correlation length is consistent with KTHNY theory. This suggests that simulations of two dimensional melting phenomena are best performed on the surface of a sphere.Comment: 4 eps figure

Monitoring and managing restructuring in the 21st century: ERM Annual report 2013

The 2013 annual report from the European Restructuring Monitor (ERM) presents a retrospective of over a decade of measuring the impact of large-scale restructuring activity in Europe. Based on a database containing details of over 16,000 large-scale restructuring events– each generally involving at least 100 job losses or gains – it paints a picture of restructuring trends across the EU Member States. The report sets out to compare activity in the period leading up to the economic and financial crisis (2003–2008) with the post-crisis period (2008–2013), in order to identify changes in restructuring practices and to pinpoint the sectors that have been disproportionately affected, in employment terms, by the global recession. Also included is a critical assessment of all ERM activities, including the two newer policy-oriented databases: public support instruments and restructuring legislation. Finally, the report places the spotlight on the phenomenon of offshoring, charting the decline in offshoring activity by European firms since the onset of the crisis

Informing National Health Service patients about participation in clinical research: A comparison of opt-in and opt-out approaches across the United Kingdom

Objective: Recruitment to clinical research in the NHS remains challenging. One barrier is accessing patients to discuss research participation. Two general approaches are used in the UK to facilitate this: an ‘opt-in’ approach (when clinicians communicate research opportunities to patients) and an ‘opt-out’ approach (all patients have the right to be informed of relevant research opportunities). No evidence-based data are available, however, to inform the decision about which approach is preferable. This study aimed to collect information from ‘opt-in’ and ‘opt-out’ Trusts and identify which of the two approaches is optimal for ensuring NHS patients are given opportunities to discuss research participation. Method: This sequential mixed methods study comprised three phases: (1) an Appreciative Inquiry across UK Trusts, and (2) online surveys and (3) focus groups with NHS staff and patients at a representative mental health Trust. Results: The study was conducted between June and October 2019. Out of seven NHS Mental Health Trusts contacted (three ‘opt-out’ and four ‘opt-in’), only four took part in phase 1 of the study and three of them were ‘opt-out’ Trusts. Benefits of an ‘opt-out’ approach included greater inclusivity of patients and the removal of research gatekeepers, whilst the involvement of research-active clinicians and established patient-clinician relationships were cited as important to ‘opt-in’ success. Phase 2 and 3 were conducted at a different Trust (Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, OHNHSFT) which was using an ‘opt-in’ approach. Of 333 staff and member survey responders, 267 (80.2%) favoured moving to an ‘opt-out’ approach (phase 2). Nineteen staff and 16 patients and carers participated in focus groups (phase 3). Concern was raised by staff regarding the lack of time for clinical research, with clinical work taking precedence over research; patients were concerned about a lack of research activity; all considered research to be beneficial and were supportive of a move to ‘opt-out’. Conclusion: Findings suggest that ‘opt-out’ is more beneficial than ‘opt-in’, with the potential to vastly increase patient access to research opportunities and to enable greater equality of information provision for currently marginalised groups. This should ensure that healthcare research is more representative of the entire population, including those with a mental health diagnosis