160 research outputs found
Long-term changes in pharyngeal airway dimensions following activator-headgear and fixed appliance treatment
The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in the pharyngeal airway in growing children and adolescents and to compare these with a group of children who received activator-headgear Class II treatment. The sample consisted of 64 children (32 males and 32 females), 32 had a combined activator-headgear appliance for at least 9 months (study group) followed by fixed appliance therapy in most patients, while the other half received only minor orthodontic treatment (control group). Lateral cephalograms before treatment (T1, mean age 10.4 years), at the end of active treatment (T2, mean age 14.5 years), and at the long-term follow-up (T3, mean age 22.1 years) were traced and digitized. To reveal the influence of somatic growth, body height measurements were also taken into consideration. A two-sample t-test was applied in order to determine differences between the groups. At T1, the study group had a smaller pharynx length (P = 0.030) and a greater ANB angle (P < 0.001) than the controls. The pharyngeal area and the smallest distance between the tongue and the posterior pharyngeal wall also tended to be smaller in the study group. During treatment (T1-T2), significant growth differences between the two groups were present: the study group had a greater reduction in ANB (P < 0.001) and showed a greater increase in pharyngeal area (P = 0.007), pharyngeal length (P < 0.001) and the smallest distance between the tongue and the posterior pharyngeal wall (P = 0.038). At T2, the values for the study group were similar to those of the control group and remained stable throughout the post-treatment interval (T2-T3). Activator-headgear therapy has the potential to increase pharyngeal airway dimensions, such as the smallest distance between the tongue and the posterior pharyngeal wall or the pharyngeal area. Importantly, this increase seems to be maintained long term, up to 22 years on average in the present study. This benefit may result in a reduced risk of developing long-term impaired respiratory functio
Academic experience satisfaction of pharmacy and dentistry students
Objective: To assess the psychometric properties of the Academic Experience
Satisfaction Scale (ESEA) applied to Pharmacy and Dentistry students and investigate the
effect of demographic and course-related characteristics on the ESEA factors.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. Academic satisfaction was assessed by the
ESEA. Construct validity was measured by confirmatory factor analysis (CFI, TLI, RMSEA).
The composite reliability (CR) and the ordinal α were estimated. Structural model was
elaborated considering demographic and course-related characteristics as the
independent variable and ESEA factors as the dependent variables. The model fit and
path estimates significance (β) were evaluated (z test; α = 5%). Results: 544 students
participated in the study (70.0% female; mean age: 21.4 ± 2.4 years; 52.4% dental
students). ESEA showed adequate fit to the data (CFI = 0.90; TLI = 0.90; RMSEA = 0.064,
CR and α ≥ 0.88). In general, students reported being satisfied with their academic
experience. Dental students and those from the first and second years of the course
showed greater satisfaction with the academic experience. Sex did not have a significant
impact on any of the scale's factors. Conclusion: ESEA produced valid and reliable
data. Course-related characteristics, but not demographic characteristics, significantly
affected the academic experience of students.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Impact of body and orofacial appearance on life satisfaction among Brazilian adults
Aims
1. to elaborate a general model of physical appearance taking into account body image (BI)
and orofacial appearance (OA) components; and 2. to evaluate the impact of BI and OA on
life satisfaction among Brazilian adults.
Methods
This is a cross-sectional observational study. The cognitive, behavioral, affective, and satisfaction/
dissatisfaction aspects of BI, the satisfaction and psychosocial impact of OA, and life
satisfaction were evaluated by self-reported psychometric scales. Principal Component
Analysis and Parallel Analysis were performed. Structural equation models were elaborated
to estimate the impact of BI and OA on life satisfaction. The fit of the models was verified
and the significance of the path estimates (β) was evaluated using z-tests (α = 5%).
Results
A total of 1,940 individuals participated in the study (age: mean = 24.8, standard deviation =
5.7 years; females = 70.1%). In the male sample, three physical appearance factors were
retained (OA, cognitive and behavioral components of BI, and affective and satisfaction/dissatisfaction
components of BI). In the female sample, two factors were retained (OA and all
components of BI). All factors had significant impact on life satisfaction (β = |0.26|-|0.48|,
p<0.001) in both samples. Individuals dissatisfied with BI and OA had lower levels of life satisfaction.
For men, the affective and satisfaction components of BI had a greater impact on
life satisfaction (β = 0.48, p<0.001) than the other factors (β =] -0.30;-0.25[, p<0.001). For
women, both BI and OA had a similar impact (BI: β = -0.30, p<0.001; OA: β = -0.32,
p<0.001). Conclusion
BI and OA formed distinct clusters in the physical appearance evaluation. Physical appearance
was perceived differently by men and women, fostering discussion about the sociocultural
construction of the body. BI and OA had a significant impact on life satisfaction and
should be considered in assessment and treatment protocols.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
No self-similar aggregates with sedimentation
Two-dimensional cluster-cluster aggregation is studied when clusters move
both diffusively and sediment with a size dependent velocity. Sedimentation
breaks the rotational symmetry and the ensuing clusters are not self-similar
fractals: the mean cluster width perpendicular to the field direction grows
faster than the height. The mean width exhibits power-law scaling with respect
to the cluster size, ~ s^{l_x}, l_x = 0.61 +- 0.01, but the mean height
does not. The clusters tend to become elongated in the sedimentation direction
and the ratio of the single particle sedimentation velocity to single particle
diffusivity controls the degree of orientation. These results are obtained
using a simulation method, which becomes the more efficient the larger the
moving clusters are.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figure
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