Effectiveness of sensory modulation in treating sensory modulation disorders in adults with schizophrenia: a Systematic Literature Review

Sensory modulation, as a treatment for sensory modulation disorders in adults with psychiatric conditions, has been implemented by occupational therapists for more than two decades. The purpose of this systematic literature review was to evaluate published research evidence relating to this intervention. The aim of the study was to determine if there was established evidence for the effectiveness of sensory modulation in treating sensory modulation disorder in adults with schizophrenia and to identify any gaps in knowledge to guide further research. We utilized Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)’s levels of evidence and recommendation grading and the Rosalind Franklin Research Appraisal Instrument (RF-QRA) to review selected articles. The results were then summarized and reported utilizing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework. A total of 17 studies were included in the study. We concluded that there is preliminary evidence for the existence of sensory modulation disorder in schizophrenia and the effectiveness of sensory modulation interventions for reducing distress. We recommended further studies on the effectiveness of sensory modulation with better rigor and advise that guidelines be developed for use in practice by clinicians.Griffith Health, School of Applied PsychologyNo Full Tex

Pluralism without Genic Causes?

Since the fundamental challenge that I laid at the doorstep of the pluralists was to defend, with nonderivative models, a strong notion of genic cause, it is fatal that Waters has failed to meet that challenge. Waters agrees with me that there is only a single cause operating in these models, but he argues for a notion of causal ‘parsing’ to sustain the viability of some form of pluralism. Waters and his colleagues have some very interesting and important ideas about the sciences, involving pluralism and parsing or partitioning causes, but they are ideas in search of an example. He thinks he has found an example in the case of hierarchical and genic selection. I think he has not

A Comparison of Flexural Fracture of Three Different Nickel-Titanium Rotary File Systems

The purpose of this study was to compare the number of rotations to failure of three different rotary file systems. ProFile, Sequence, and Liberator files in sizes 25 and 40 with 0.04 taper were divided into groups of five and rotated against a grooved metal block mounted to a Universal testing machine at 31 and 34 degrees. Each file was rotated at 300 rpm until fracture occurred. The number of rotations to fracture were calculated. Use of a three-way ANOVA and Tukey\u27s HSD multiple comparison tests revealed significant differences for the angle of deflection, size, and type of file. An increased angle of deflection resulted in a decreased number of rotations to failure for all three file types. An increased size of file also resulted in a decreased number of rotations to failure in all the groups. Liberator and Sequence files required fewer rotations to failure than ProFiles in all groups tested except the size 25 files rotated at the less severe angle. ProFiles appear to be more resistant to flexural fracture than Liberator and Sequence files unless the files are of smaller size with a less severe curvature. Care should be taken to limit the number of uses when using larger size files, especially Liberator and Sequence files, around severe curvatures

Pluralism without Genic Causes?

Since the fundamental challenge that I laid at the doorstep of the pluralists was to defend, with nonderivative models, a strong notion of genic cause, it is fatal that Waters has failed to meet that challenge. Waters agrees with me that there is only a single cause operating in these models, but he argues for a notion of causal ‘parsing’ to sustain the viability of some form of pluralism. Waters and his colleagues have some very interesting and important ideas about the sciences, involving pluralism and parsing or partitioning causes, but they are ideas in search of an example. He thinks he has found an example in the case of hierarchical and genic selection. I think he has not

The regulation of genes involved in trichome development

Arabidopsis thaliana is an organism that can be used as a model for most of the processes that occur in flowering plants. The leaf hairs, or trichomes, of Arabidopsis thaliana are macroscopic single cells that have been used as a model system for cell fate determination, cell expansion, cell cycle regulation, cell wall deposition, as well as other processes. Initiation of the trichome cell fate is controlled by a complex of genes including GLABRA1 (GL1), TRANSPARENT TESTA GLABRA (TTG), and GLABRA3 (GL3). This work examines the role of GL3 in trichome initiation and uses plants expressing varying levels of GL3 to determine if genes involved in trichome development are regulated by GL3. Though several genes are given a cursory examination, the regulation of two genes, an α-carbonic anhydrase and a novel cell-cycle regulator called SIAMESE, are given a thorough examination. The α-carbonic anhydrase At2g28210 was previously not known to be involved in trichome development. Its involvement in trichome development was discovered with the aid of an enhancer trap line with robust reporter gene expression in developing trichomes. Pharmacological studies indicate that this α-carbonic anhydrase may play a role in trichome expansion. SIAMESE (SIM) was first identified in a mutant screen in the Larkin lab. This dissertation demonstrates that this gene encodes a novel type of cell-cycle regulator with several homologs in Arabidopsis and other plant species. SIM and one of its homologs in Arabidopsis were shown to be expressed in a trichome-dependent manner. These investigations shed new light into the molecular process of trichome development

Comparison of oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in cautery dehorned calves

Dehorning is a commonly performed husbandry procedure in cattle to limit injury and conform to modern facility design. Prior research provides evidence that dehorning results in increased nociception and stress through changes in behavioral, neuroendocrine, and physiological responses. Alterations in these actions allow investigators to evaluate pain and stress reducing practices. In addition to improved welfare strategies including institution of polled breeding programs and conducting the procedure on young animals, calves may benefit from the administration of analgesics including local anesthetics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and α2-agonists. Reviews of the literature have indicated a multimodal approach including local anesthetics and NSAIDs may be the optimal strategy to mitigate the negative response following dehorning. Since no analgesic products are currently labeled for cattle in the United States, providing an appropriate and effective analgesic remains challenging. As such, we have studied the pharmacokinetics and clinical efficacy of different NSAIDs in calves undergoing cautery dehorning. Initially, we evaluated the pharmacokinetics and clinical efficacy of firocoxib following cautery dehorning in calves. Although this NSAID was well absorbed orally in calves and inhibited prostaglandin for 48 h compared to placebo treated controls, minimal analgesic effects were observed using a study dose of 0.5 mg/kg. Subsequently we evaluated the pharmacokinetics and clinical efficacy of carprofen in a similar cautery dehorning study. Using the approved anti-inflammatory dose of 1.4 mg/kg in the European Union, oral carprofen was well absorbed and moderately inhibited prostaglandin for up to 96 h, however minimal analgesic effects were observed. Following descriptions of the pharmacokinetics and effects of oral carprofen and firocoxib, a comparison of four NSAIDs (carprofen, flunixin meglumine, firocoxib, and meloxicam) orally administered at 2.0 mg/kg was conducted as a field trial. Although responses indicative of pain and stress reduction varied among the treatment groups, evidence from the field trial indicate meloxicam may have superior potency compared to the other evaluated NSAIDs. Moreover, the use of oral meloxicam provides optimal analgesia for 24 h following a one-time dose of 2.0 mg/kg

From engagement to alignment : exploring enterprise architecture through the lens of design science

Information Systems Design Science (ISDS) as a research community is limited by a small number of research frameworks with considerable influence. The small triad of influential ISDS research, consisting of Walls, et al (1992), March and Smith (1995), and Hevner et al (2004) have primarily limited ISDS research to the positivist paradigm and the IT artifact. In contrast, Herbert Simon’s intentions for design science never had such restrictions and intended a broader perspective. This dissertation explores Simon’s intentions for design science, the Simonian stream of thought that includes The Sciences of the Artificial, as well as much of his most notable research, and offers an ‘informed view’ of design science in the tradition of Rortyian neopragmatism. Using this new lens of design science, a Bhaskarian critical realist treatment of human artifacts is also developed. Collectively, a Rortyian neopragmatist treatment for design science, and a Bhaskarian critical realist treatment of human artifacts are used as a lens to augment the Walls et al (1992) framework for Information Systems Design Theories (ISDT). An example of how to apply this lens is accomplished in Paper 2 of the dissertation. The ISDS lens is applied to the topic of Enterprise Architecture (EA). EA as vehicle for IS Alignment is well defined in terms of frameworks, artifacts, and methodology. However little is understood with respect to the discipline and practice of EA. Seeking to advance our understanding of effective vehicles for IS alignment, this research examines EA as an alignment practice and how it attempts to realize alignment. Specifically, we address the following question: How does EA manifest itself in organizations? This research employs an interpretivist epistemology in a manner quite distinct from ISDS research and thus provides contributions to academia in terms of methodology and insight on EA, and for practitioners who wish to mature an EA practice in their organization. Some of the main concepts discovered in the empirical study in Paper 2 are used to develop a practitioner-oriented framework for EA practice in Paper 3

Exploring Diverse Profiles Of Identity, Risk Taking, And Health Risk In Urban Black Emerging Adult Men

Young adult African-American men face some of the most challenging social and health disparities compared to other age, race, and gender groups. They must endure the stress of emerging adulthood through the intense and clashing demands of race and masculinity politics.  An unaddressed question in the literature is “Do distinct racial-gender identity subgroups of Black emerging adult men experience different patterns of risk taking and health risk?” Drawing on the baseline data of a “Barbershop-Based HIV/STD Risk Reduction for African American Young Men” (Jemmott, Jemmott, Coleman, Stevenson, & Ten Have, 2009; Jemmott, Jemmott, Lanier, Thompson, & Baker, 2017), a cluster-randomized comparison of two risk-reduction interventions (sexual health risk and violence retaliation) with 597 African American men aged 18 to 24, this secondary analysis study was conducted. Using the method of latent profile analysis, the results of this study found (a) four distinct identity profiles of Black men based on three key identity factors (manhood stress, hypermasculinity, and awareness of Black manhood vulnerabilities) representing distinct subgroups of Black men (diffuse, 4.5%; balanced, 62%; strained, 30%; and distressed, 3%); (b) demographic and emotional and protective factor differences among the profiles; and (c) behavioral outcome differences by profile in the health risk categories of violence, substance use, weapon exposure, alcohol use, and sexual health risk.  Findings suggest that the ways that young Black men engage in risk taking occur in complex but discernable patterns. Implications for the study of within-group variations in identity in shaping patterns of risk taking and health risk in emerging adult Black men are discussed

I Complexation of iron(II), cobalt(II), nickel(II) and copper(II) by hexadentate tripodal aminopyridyl chelators II Binding preferences for zinc(II) relative to nickel(II) and copper(II) in novel tetradentate aminopyridyl chelators

Chapter I. Effects of pyridyl-ring alkylation on complexation of Fe(II), Co(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II) by chelators based on cis,cis -1,3,5-triaminocyclohexane (tach) have been studied. The chelators studied are derivatives of tachpyr, where the ring substituents are 3-Me, 4-Me, 5-Me, 6-Me or 6-MeO (tach-x-Rpyr). Divalent complexes were synthesized for most combinations of the 4 metals and 5 chelators. Their bonding and structure were analyzed by UV/Vis/NIR spectroscopy, magnetic moment determination and single crystal X-ray crystallography. Steric repulsions between the 6-substituents result in substantially weakened metal-ligand interaction. Effects of these repulsions include bond angle and length distortions, decrease of coordination number to five, shifts of d-d electronic transitions to lower energies and spin-free complexes of the bound metal ion. Chapter II. Effects of iron-mediated oxidative dehydrogenation on tachpyr and derivatives were studied. Relative rates of iron-mediated oxidation were established for tachpyr and its 3-substituted derivatives as [Fe(tach-3-Mepyr)] 2+ \u3e [Fe(tachpyr)]2+ \u3e [Fe(tach-3-McOpyr)]2+ while no oxidation was seen for [Fe(tach6-Mepyr)]2+. The affinity of partially oxidized tachpyr derivatives over unoxidized derivatives towards Fe(II) was demonstrated. The lability of oxidized tachpyr derivatives was studied in an aerobic environment. Fully oxidized (trisimine) complexes were shown to be labile while partially oxidized (bisimine) complexes were determined to be inert. Chapter III. A series of tetradentate aminopyridyl ligands was synthesized in an attempt at developing a chelator that would bind in a four-coordinate (tetrahedral) fashion and possess zinc selectivity. The resulting 1,3-diaminopropane (pn) based chelators were complexed with divalent Ni, Cu and Zn and their complexes were analyzed by UV/Vis/NIR, IR and NMR spectroscopy as well as single-crystal X-ray crystallography. It was determined that methylation of the pyridine rings at the 6-position had a greater effect on ligand affinity towards Ni(II) than homologation of the aminopyridyl arms. The crystal structures of all the Zn(II) complexes showed the metal center to be six-coordinate with a nitrate anion bound in a bidentate fashion. However, in solution the zinc complexes showed signs of lower coordination numbers of either 4 or 5