3,148 research outputs found
Assessment of the Calibration of Periodontal Diagnosis and Treatment Planning Among Dental Students at Three Dental Schools
Calibration in diagnosis and treatment planning is difficult to achieve due to variations that exist in clinical interpretation. To determine if dental faculty members are consistent in teaching how to diagnose and treat periodontal disease, variations among dental students can be evaluated. A previous study reported high variability in diagnoses and treatment plans of periodontal cases at Indiana University School of Dentistry. This study aimed to build on that one by extending the research to two additional schools: Marquette University School of Dentistry and West Virginia University School of Dentistry. Diagnosis and treatment planning by 40 third- and fourth-year dental students were assessed at each of the schools. Students were asked to select the diagnosis and treatment plans on a questionnaire pertaining to 11 cases. Their responses were compared using chi-square tests, and multirater kappa statistics were used to assess agreement between classes and between schools. Logistic regression models were used to evaluate the effects of school, class year, prior experience, and GPA/class rank on correct responses. One case had a statistically significant difference in responses between third- and fourth-year dental students. Kappas for school agreement and class agreement were low. The students from Indiana University had higher diagnosis and treatment agreements than the Marquette University students, and the Marquette students fared better than the West Virginia University students. This study can help restructure future periodontal courses for a better understanding of periodontal diagnosis and treatment planning
Design and implementation of an integrated surface texture information system for design, manufacture and measurement
The optimised design and reliable measurement of surface texture are essential to guarantee the functional performance of a geometric product. Current support tools are however often limited in functionality, integrity and efficiency. In this paper, an integrated surface texture information system for design, manufacture and measurement, called âCatSurfâ, has been designed and developed, which aims to facilitate rapid and flexible manufacturing requirements. A category theory based knowledge acquisition and knowledge representation mechanism has been devised to retrieve and organize knowledge from various Geometrical Product Specifications (GPS) documents in surface texture. Two modules (for profile and areal surface texture) each with five components are developed in the CatSurf. It also focuses on integrating the surface texture information into a Computer-aided Technology (CAx) framework. Two test cases demonstrate design process of specifications for the profile and areal surface texture in AutoCAD and SolidWorks environments respectively
A Statement on the Appropriate Role for Research and Development in Climate Policy
This statement is issued by a group of economists and scientists which met at Stanford University on October 18, 2008 to discuss the role of research and development (R&D) in developing effective policies for addressing the adverse potential consequences of climate change. We believe that climate change is a serious issue that governments need to address. We also believe that research and development needs to be a central part of governmentsâ strategies for responding to this challenge. Solutions to manage long-term risks will require the development and global deployment of a range of technologies for energy supply and end-use, land-use, agriculture and adaptation that are not currently commercial. A key potential benefit of focused scientific and technological research and development investment is that it could dramatically reduce the cost of restricting greenhouse gas emissions by encouraging the development of more affordable, better performing technologies.
Alignment facility and software for single crystal time of flight neutron spectroscopy
An instrument and software algorithm is described for the purpose of
characterization of large single crystals at the Alignment Facility (ALF) of
the ISIS spallation neutron source. We describe a method for both
characterizing the quality of the sample and also aligning it in a particular
scattering plane. We present a software package written for this instrument and
demonstrate its utility by way of an example of the structural characterization
of large singles crystals of Pb(MgNb)O. We suggest
extensions and modifications of characterization instruments for future
improved beamlines. It is hoped that this software will be used by the neutron
user community for pre characterizing large single crystals for spectroscopy
experiments and that future facilities will include such a facility as part of
the spectroscopy suite at spallation neutron sources.Comment: (6 pages, 7 figures, to be published in Journal of Applied
Crystallography); The software package can be found at
https://github.com/CSTOCK3/ALF-Analysis-Software. Please email comments to
the author
Integrating stakeholders' perspectives and spatial modelling to develop scenarios of future land use and land cover change in northern Tanzania.
Rapid rates of land use and land cover change (LULCC) in eastern Africa and limited instances of genuinely equal partnerships involving scientists, communities and decision makers challenge the development of robust pathways toward future environmental and socioeconomic sustainability. We use a participatory modelling tool, Kesho, to assess the biophysical, socioeconomic, cultural and governance factors that influenced past (1959-1999) and present (2000-2018) LULCC in northern Tanzania and to simulate four scenarios of land cover change to the year 2030. Simulations of the scenarios used spatial modelling to integrate stakeholders' perceptions of future environmental change with social and environmental data on recent trends in LULCC. From stakeholders' perspectives, between 1959 and 2018, LULCC was influenced by climate variability, availability of natural resources, agriculture expansion, urbanization, tourism growth and legislation governing land access and natural resource management. Among other socio-environmental-political LULCC drivers, the stakeholders envisioned that from 2018 to 2030 LULCC will largely be influenced by land health, natural and economic capital, and political will in implementing land use plans and policies. The projected scenarios suggest that by 2030 agricultural land will have expanded by 8-20% under different scenarios and herbaceous vegetation and forest land cover will be reduced by 2.5-5% and 10-19% respectively. Stakeholder discussions further identified desirable futures in 2030 as those with improved infrastructure, restored degraded landscapes, effective wildlife conservation, and better farming techniques. The undesirable futures in 2030 were those characterized by land degradation, poverty, and cultural loss. Insights from our work identify the implications of future LULCC scenarios on wildlife and cultural conservation and in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and targets by 2030. The Kesho approach capitalizes on knowledge exchanges among diverse stakeholders, and in the process promotes social learning, provides a sense of ownership of outputs generated, democratizes scientific understanding, and improves the quality and relevance of the outputs
A Chandra study of the large-scale shock and cool filaments in Hydra A: Evidence for substantial gas dredge-up by the central outburst
We present the results of a Chandra study of the Hydra A galaxy cluster,
where a powerful AGN outburst created a large-scale cocoon shock. We
investigated possible azimuthal variations in shock strength and shape, finding
indications for a weak shock with a Mach number in the range ~1.2-1.3. We
measured the temperature change across the shock front. However, the detection
of a temperature rise in the regions immediately inside of the front is
complicated by the underlying temperature profile of the cluster atmosphere. We
measured the global temperature profile of the cluster up to 700 kpc, which
represents the farthest measurement obtained with Chandra for this cluster. A
"plateau" in the temperature profile in the range ~70-150 kpc indicates the
presence of cool gas, which is likely the result of uplift of material by the
AGN outburst. After masking the cool filaments visible in the hardness ratio
map, the plateau disappears and the temperature profile recovers a typical
shape with a peak around 190 kpc, just inside the shock front. However, it is
unlikely that such a temperature feature is produced by the shock as it is
consistent with the general shape of the temperature profiles observed for
relaxed galaxy clusters. We studied the spectral properties of the cool
filaments finding evidence that ~10^11 M_sun of low-entropy material has been
dredged up by the rising lobes from the central 30 kpc to the observed current
position of 75-150 kpc. The energy required to lift the cool gas is >~2.2 x
10^60 erg, which is comparable to the work required to inflate the cavities and
is ~25% of the total energy of the large-scale shock. Our results show that the
AGN feedback in Hydra A is acting not only by directly heating the gas, but
also by removing a substantial amount of potential fuel for the SMBH.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ (version with
full resolution figures available at
http://www.bo.astro.it/~myriam/files/papers/gitti-hydra.pdf
Serengeti's futures: Exploring land use and land cover change scenarios to craft pathways for meeting conservation and development goals
Rapid land use transformations and increased climatic uncertainties challenge potential sustainable development pathways for communities and wildlife in regions with strong economic reliance on natural resources. In response to the complex causes and consequences of land use change, participatory scenario development approaches have emerged as key tools for analyzing drivers of change to help chart the future of socio-ecological systems. We assess stakeholder perspectives of land use and land cover change (LULCC) and integrate co-produced scenarios of future land cover change with spatial modeling to evaluate how future LULCC in the wider Serengeti ecosystem might align or diverge with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union's Agenda 2063. Across the wider Serengeti ecosystem, population growth, infrastructural development, agricultural economy, and political will in support of climate change management strategies were perceived to be the key drivers of future LULCC. Under eight scenarios, declines in forest area as a proportion of total land area ranged from 0.1% to 4% in 2030 and from 0.1% to 6% in 2063, with the preservation of forest cover linked to the level of protection provided. Futures with well-demarcated protected areas, sound land use plans, and stable governance were highly desired. In contrast, futures with severe climate change impacts and encroached and degazetted protected areas were considered undesirable. Insights gained from our study are important for guiding pathways toward achieving sustainability goals while recognizing societies' relationship with nature. The results highlight the usefulness of multi-stakeholder engagement, perspective sharing, and consensus building toward shared socio-ecological goals
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