Actively Addressing Systemic Racism Using a Behavioral Community Approach

Recent police brutality and related violence against Black people, coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic, has further evidenced the disproportionate impact of systemic racism in our institutions and across society. In the United States, the alarming mortality rates for Black people due to police violence and COVID-19 related deaths are clear demonstrations of inequities within a long history of disparate outcomes. In understanding systemic racism, it is essential to consider how it is embedded within society and across socio-ecological levels. The Social-Ecological Model (SEM) is used to examine conditions within the environment that maintain systemic racism, including within our field and discipline. A behavioral-community approach for examining racism aids in determining points of intervention across multiple ecological levels that may contribute to behavior change, including with behaviorists. The science of behavior is well-suited to help examine the contingencies governing behaviors within and across systems, which is pivotal for addressing operant behaviors to influence long-term behavior change. This paper calls on the behavioral community to address systemic racism within our environments and systems of influence to contribute to a more equitable community. Systemic racism, including within the context of anti-Blackness, is examined by considering behavior change strategies that can be supported by behaviorists across socio-ecological levels. Tools for collaborative action are provided to support behaviorists in demonstrating the skills needed across a continuum of behaviors from allyship to anti-racism to actively address systemic racism

Efficacy and patient satisfaction with autoadjusting CPAP with variable expiratory pressure vs standard CPAP: a two-night randomized crossover trial

Expiratory pressure relief (C-Flex) technology monitors the patient’s airflow during expiration and reduces the pressure in response to the patient. Increased comfort levels associated with C-Flex therapy have potential to improve patient adherence to therapy. The purpose of this study was to assess the combination of autoadjusting CPAP (APAP) and C-Flex in terms of (1) treatment efficacy, and (2) patient preference when compared to standard CPAP. Fifteen patients who had previously undergone formal CPAP titration polysomnography were treated with either one night of the APAP with C-Flex or one night of conventional CPAP, in a crossover trial. Patient satisfaction levels were recorded using visual analog scales (VAS) on the morning after the study. Mean patient age was 50 ± 12 years, body mass index (BMI) was 36 ± 6 kg/m(2), baseline AHI was 53 ± 31 events/h, and CPAP Pressure was 11 ± 2 cm/H(2)O. APAP with C-Flex was as effective as CPAP, with no differences detected in sleep latency (17 ± 5 vs 12.3 ± 3 min, p = 0.4), or respiratory indices (AHI of 4.2 ± 2 vs 2.4 ± 0.7 events/h, p = 0.1). VAS scores (scale 0–10) indicated a trend towards increased patient satisfaction while using APAP with C-Flex (7.9 vs 7.2, p = 0.07). 10 patients expressed a preference for APAP with C-Flex (VAS, 0 to10) over standard CPAP (total positive score of 68, mean score of 4.8 ± 4.3). One patient expressed no preference. Four patients expressed a preference for CPAP (total positive score of 13, mean score of 0.9 ± 1.9) (APAP with C-Flex vs standard CPAP, p < 0.01 paired t test). APAP with C-Flex eliminates sleep disordered breathing as effectively as standard CPAP. Patients indicated a preference for APAP with C-Flex suggesting a possible advantage in terms of patient adherence for this mode of treatment

Button versus buttonless castings for removable partial denture frameworks

Casting removable partial dentures (RPDs) without completely filling the sprue channels and generating casting buttons would result in saving metal and making more defect-free castings. This investigation tested whether a complete and sound RPD casting can be obtained when a minimal amount of metal is used, A factorial experimental design, three spruing methods, two metal feeding directions, and two different weights of metal were used to cast 60 Kennedy class II, modification 1 RPDs. The metal used to cast each framework was either enough to result in a full button or in no button. Visual and radiographic examinations and counting of defects were made by two independent operators who were unaware of the spruing method, feeding direction, or amount of metal used to make the framework. The completeness of the casting and the presence of porosities were evaluated for clasps, major connectors, and meshworks. The use of minimal metal to cast RPDs was equally as successful as using enough for a full button, provided that the appropriate spruing arrangement and metal feeding direction were chosen. Indirect metal feeding for maxillary RPDs was successful with the proper spruing arrangement.King Saud Universit

Patient Reported Kneeling Ability in Fixed and Mobile Bearing Knee Arthroplasty

© 2015 Elsevier Inc. Kneeling is an important function of the knee joint required for many daily activities. Bearing type is thought to influence functional outcome following UKA and TKA. Self-reported kneeling ability was recorded in 471 UKA and 206 TKA patients with fixed or mobile bearing implants. Kneeling ability was recorded from the Oxford Knee Score question 7. The self-reported ability to kneel was similar in patients with fixed and mobile bearing UKA implants following surgery. In TKA, greater proportions of patients were able to kneel in the fixed compared to the mobile bearing groups up to two years after surgery indicating that self-reported kneeling ability is enhanced in fixed compared to mobile bearing TKA

Analyzing the Spatial Correspondence between Different Date Fruit Cultivars and Farms&rsquo; Cultivated Areas, Case Study: Al-Ahsa Oasis, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Diversity in date palm (DP) cultivars plays a crucial role in the agroecosystems of several countries, such as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). This study aims to map and analyze the spatial distribution of the most grown DP cultivars (Khlas, Ruziz, and Shishi) in the Al-Ahsa oasis in the KSA and to highlight their spatial correlation with the corresponding cultivated patches within farms. Descriptive and spatial data on 288 farms were analyzed using GIS, data curation, cross-TAB statistics, clustering maps, and spatial autocorrelation techniques. The obtained results revealed that most of the oasis&rsquo;s DP farms are within a cultivated area of &lt;500 m2. The larger cultivated areas are mostly in the oasis&rsquo;s northern and central subregions, agreeing with the spatial distribution of trees. In total, 56.9% of the studied farms grew the cultivars together within the least rank (&lt;500 m2) of cultivated area, having the greatest tendency for DP cultivation. Khlas was the most dominant cultivar being the least absent from cultivation with 3.1% compared to Ruziz (31.9%) and Shishi (37.8%). The spatial distribution of DP plantations in the oasis was also consistent with the spatial variation in soils and irrigation water salinity, necessitating the need for special agricultural extension programs. In conclusion, these outcomes indicate that this study is essential for DP sustainability, growers, authorities, and policy makers

Analyzing the Spatial Correspondence between Different Date Fruit Cultivars and Farms’ Cultivated Areas, Case Study: Al-Ahsa Oasis, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Diversity in date palm (DP) cultivars plays a crucial role in the agroecosystems of several countries, such as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). This study aims to map and analyze the spatial distribution of the most grown DP cultivars (Khlas, Ruziz, and Shishi) in the Al-Ahsa oasis in the KSA and to highlight their spatial correlation with the corresponding cultivated patches within farms. Descriptive and spatial data on 288 farms were analyzed using GIS, data curation, cross-TAB statistics, clustering maps, and spatial autocorrelation techniques. The obtained results revealed that most of the oasis’s DP farms are within a cultivated area of 2. The larger cultivated areas are mostly in the oasis’s northern and central subregions, agreeing with the spatial distribution of trees. In total, 56.9% of the studied farms grew the cultivars together within the least rank (2) of cultivated area, having the greatest tendency for DP cultivation. Khlas was the most dominant cultivar being the least absent from cultivation with 3.1% compared to Ruziz (31.9%) and Shishi (37.8%). The spatial distribution of DP plantations in the oasis was also consistent with the spatial variation in soils and irrigation water salinity, necessitating the need for special agricultural extension programs. In conclusion, these outcomes indicate that this study is essential for DP sustainability, growers, authorities, and policy makers