The first dental visit: knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of North Carolina dentists regarding physician referral guidelines

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to (1) assess the knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of North Carolina (NC) dentists regarding infant and toddler dental referral guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and (2) to determine factors among this population that influence embracement of these guidelines. One thousand general dentists in NC were randomly selected to participate. The primary outcome variable was acceptance of children referred for the age one dental visit, therefore allowing physicians to comply with referral guidelines. Significant predictors of referral acceptance included correct knowledge about the guideline (OR = 2.0, 95%CI 1.2-3.3), increased confidence in providing preventive care to infants and toddlers (OR = 2.6, 95%CI 1.3 - 4.9), and agreement that parents see importance in dental referrals (OR = 2.1, 95%CI 1.2-3.6). This study identifies factors that influence acceptance of physician referrals for the age one dental visit among NC dentists, that can lead to development of interventions to maximize availability of a dental home for young children

An exploratory study looking at the relationship marketing techniques used in the music festival industry

There are current issues and trends in the music festival market, which may affect the success of an event, and market saturation is at the forefront of these issues. Previous literature, maintaining the need for a marketing approach to festivals, identifi es the need for maintaining strong stakeholder relationships in order to succeed in a business environment; attention has been focused to the theory of relationship marketing (RM) because of the recognition that this practice is complementary to the marketing of festivals. The very nature of the music festival as an annual, usually, 4-day event means that effective marketing is needed to keep connections with the consumer throughout the year. This article focuses on the RM techniques utilised within the music festival industry from the viewpoint of the festival organiser in an attempt to establish how festival organisations value and monitor organisational relationships. This article explores the extent to which these relationships are valued and managed; furthermore, the variations between these intricate relationships are considered by focusing on those held with the organisation ’ s consumers and sponsors, the results of which have provided the ability to establish the importance and relevance of RM to the industry and further identify the marketing communication methods employed to establish and maintain such relationships. In-depth, convergent interviews have been conducted with a segment of music festival organisers from a range of events. The results have been integrated with the study of current literature to best exemplify these issues. It has been established that RM has a strong role in today ’ s commercial and independent music festival industry; technological advances are enabling the organiser to support online relationships further and increase consumer loyalty. There is a need to expand the research further because of the complexity of organisational relationships and the varying categories of festivals

High glucose up-regulates ENaC and SGK1 expression in HCD-cells

Background/Aim: Diabetic nephropathy is associated with progressive renal damage, leading to impaired function and end-stage renal failure. Secondary hypertension stems from a deranged ability of cells within the kidney to resolve and appropriately regulate sodium resorption in response to hyperglycaemia. However, the mechanisms by which glucose alters sodium re-uptake have not been fully characterised. Methods: Here we present RT-PCR, western blot and immunocytochemistry data confirming mRNA and protein expression of the serum and glucocorticoid inducible kinase (SGK1) and the a conducting subunit of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) in a model in vitro system of the human cortical collecting duct (HCD). We examined changes in expression of these elements in response to glucose challenge, designed to mimic hyperglycaemia associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Changes in Na+ concentration were assessed using single-cell microfluorimetry. Results: Incubation with glucose, the Ca2+-ionophore ionomycin and the cytokine TGF-beta 1 were all found to evoke significant and time-dependent increases in both SGK1 and alpha ENaC protein expression. These molecular changes were correlated to an increase in Na+-uptake at the single-cell level. Conclusion: Together these data offer a potential explanation for glucose-evoked Na+-resorption and a potential contributory role of SGK1 and ENaCs in development of secondary hypertension, commonly linked to diabetic nephropathy

Effects of Progesterone or Progesterone and GnRH Administration on Blood Serum Progesterone, Estradiol and Luteinizing Hormone in Prepuberal Beef Heifers

A study using twelve prepuberal Angus heifers was conducted to determine the effects that synthetic progesterone with or without gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) had on blood serum concentrations of progesterone, estradiol, and luteinizing hormone (LH) over a 48-hour period. Four heifers were given an implant containing the synthetic progestogen norgestomet for 9 days. Four other heifers were given a similar implant and also received an injection of GnRH after implant removal. The remaining four heifers served as controls and received no treatment. Serum progesterone and estradiol concentrations did not differ between treatments (P\u3e .8). Heifers receiving norgestomet and GnRH had increased levels of serum luteinizing hormone (LH) during the 4.5 hours following the injection (P\u3c .0001). Serum LH concentrations in heifers treated with norgestomet only did not differ from those of controls

Effects of Administering Progesterone or Progesterone and GnRH on Age at Pubery in Crossbred Beef Heifers

A study using 143 replacement beef heifers was conducted over a 3-year period to determine the effects that progesterone or progesterone and gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) would have on age at puberty in beef heifers. Progesterone treated heifers were 21.8 and 38.9 days younger (P\u3c.05) at puberty than control heifers in the first 2 years of the study, while progesterone plus GnRH treated heifers were 35.4 days (P\u3c.01) and 31.2 days (P\u3c.05) younger than controls. No difference (P\u3e.05) in age at puberty was detected between groups in the third year. While progesterone and progesterone plus GnRH treated heifers had a higher conception rate (P\u3c.01) to Al than controls in the first year of the study, calving records showed they experienced a higher rate of embryonic loss. However, calving rate still remained higher than in the control group. These differences were not observed in the second year and calving data for the final year of the study is currently not available

A Close Binary Star Resolved from Occultation by 87 Sylvia

The star BD+29 1748 was resolved to be a close binary from its occultation by the asteroid 87 Sylvia on 2006 December 18 UT. Four telescopes were used to observe this event at two sites separated by some 80 km apart. Two flux drops were observed at one site, whereas only one flux drop was detected at the other. From the long-term variation of Sylvia, we inferred the probable shape of the shadow during the occultation, and this in turn constrains the binary parameters: the two components of BD+29 1748 have a projected separation of 0.097" to 0.110" on the sky with a position angle 104 deg to 107 deg. The asteroid was clearly resolved with a size scale ranging from 130 to 290 km, as projected onto the occultation direction. No occultation was detected for either of the two known moonlets of 87 Sylvia.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables; submitted to the PAS

Barriers to Pediatricians’ Adherence to American Academy of Pediatrics Oral Health Referral Guidelines: North Carolina General Dentists’ Opinions

Purpose—The purposes of this study were to: (1) assess knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of North Carolina general dentists (GDs) regarding American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) dental referral guidelines; and (2) determine factors that influence pediatricians’ ability to comply with AAP guidelines. Methods—One thousand GDs were surveyed to determine barriers toward acceptance of physician referrals of infants and toddlers. The primary outcome using ordered logistic regression was GDs’ acceptance of children described in five case scenarios, with different levels of risk and oral health status. Results—GDs believed pediatricians should refer patients at risk for caries to a dentist. While 61 to 75 percent of GDs were willing to accept low caries risk referrals of infants and toddlers, only 35 percent would accept referrals when caries was present. Predictors of referral acceptance were correct knowledge about AAP guidelines (OR=2.0, 95%CI=1.2-3.3), confidence in pro- viding preventive care to infants and toddlers (OR=2.6, 95%CI=1.3-4.9), and agreement that parents see importance in dental referrals (OR=2.1, 95% CI=1.2-3.6). Conclusions—This study identified factors influencing acceptance of pediatrician referrals for the age one dental visit among North Carolina GDs and highlighted challenges pediatricians face in referring young children for dental care

Ambiguity, complexity and dynamics in the membership of collaboration

This paper is concerned with the role that membership structures of inter-organizational collaborations have on the achievement of collaborative advantage in the context of tackling social issues. Based on action research involving participants in a wide variety of collaborative situations, the paper aims to explore the nature of the membership of collaborations in practice. A picture of membership is built up from two perspectives. The first considers the structure of collaboration, and argues that ambiguity and complexity in structure may be demonstrated over many dimensions. The second adds another layer of complication through exploring the dynamics of the way in which membership structures change over time. The paper concludes by examining the implications for practitioners and policy makers of this picture in terms of its effect on the design of collaborations and on the factors which tend to lead to collaborative inertia instead of collaborative advantage