Continuing education: The 1998 survey of the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons

The document attached has been archived with permission from the Australian Dental Association. An external link to the publisher’s copy is included.Background: Continuing education (CE) is an essential professional activity. In the last decade, CE has been actively pursued by the medical profession in Australia and abroad. However, the uptake of CE in dentistry has been much slower and there is minimal Australian data on dental CE. Methods: To determine the level of CE activity, in 1998, postal questionnaires were sent to all fellows of the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons. The responses were analysed. Results: There was a high reponse rate (90 per cent) but a moderate usable rate (54 per cent). The results show a biphasic distribution between high and low CE activity. The average amount of activity of those involved in CE was 116 hours per year, above the usually accepted minimum of 100 hours/year. Some groups, particularly members of the specialist divisions of oral and maxillofacial surgeons (215 hours) and periodontists (205 hours), have high levels of CE. However, approximately 25 per cent of college fellows reported little or no CE activity. The survey revealed that inactive fellows are more likely to be older and in general practice. Inactive fellows were also tardy in replying to the questionnaire. Conclusion: The high activity CE group needs to be recognised and encouraged to continue. Specific plans to help the low CE activity group should be developed. Although these findings relate directly to the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons, they are presented as they have implications for the dental profession at large.P Sambrook, D Thomson, R Bastiaan and A Gos

Knee kinematics of total knee replacement patients: pre and post operative analysis using computer generated images

This project aims to show a comparison of knee kinematics in pre- and post-operative knee replacement surgery, using computer animation to represent a patient specific model of the knee joint interactions under every day conditions

A conserved and essential basic region mediates tRNA binding to the Elp1 subunit of the <em>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</em> Elongator complex

Elongator is a conserved, multi-protein complex discovered in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, loss of which confers a range of pleiotropic phenotypes. Elongator in higher eukaryotes is required for normal growth and development and a mutation in the largest subunit of human Elongator (Elp1) causes familial dysautonomia, a severe recessive neuropathy. Elongator promotes addition of mcm(5) and ncm(5) modifications to uridine in the tRNA anticodon ‘wobble’ position in both yeast and higher eukaryotes. Since these modifications are required for the tRNAs to function efficiently, a translation defect caused by hypomodified tRNAs may therefore underlie the variety of phenotypes associated with Elongator dysfunction. The Elp1 carboxy-terminal domain contains a highly conserved arginine/lysine-rich region that resembles a nuclear localization sequence (NLS). Using alanine substitution mutagenesis, we show that this region is essential for Elongator's function in tRNA wobble uridine modification. However, rather than acting to determine the nucleo-cytoplasmic distribution of Elongator, we find that the basic region plays a critical role in a novel interaction between tRNA and the Elp1 carboxy-terminal domain. Thus the conserved basic region in Elp1 may be essential for tRNA wobble uridine modification by acting as tRNA binding motif

Sequence variation in the haemagglutinin-neuraminidase gene of human parainfluenza virus type 3 isolates in the UK

The sequence variation in a 934 base-pair region of the gene encoding the haemagglutinin-neuraminidase of five human parainfluenza virus type 3 (HPIV3) isolates was determined together with that of a prototype UK strain. All of the clinical isolates were from the Manchester area of the UK and were obtained in 1990. 1991 and 1993. The gene segment was amplified by the polymerase chain reaction using HPIVB-specific oligonucleotide primers. The nucleotide homology of the strains was high, around 99% and specific differences in the UK sequences when compared with that of the US prototype strain were identified. In addition, a number of isolate-specific differences were seen. No correlation was detected between the observed nucleotide mutations and the year of isolation, which supports the hypothesis that HPIV3 shows cocirculation of a heterogeneous population of viruses rather than varying with time in a linear fashion. However, the data suggested that geographically-defined genetic lineages of HPIV3 may exist

Investigating the use of Inclusive Language in Chile

This study explores and documents a variety of inclusive language devices (or gender-neutral language devices) used in contemporary Chilean Spanish, comparing them with the inclusive pan-ethnic term ‘Latinx’ as documented by Salinas (2020) in the United States higher education context. This study aims to uncover and document attitudes towards inclusive language, how these vary in society, and the reasons behind the recent rise in prominence of inclusive language in Chile, at least in certain societal groups. This study analyse s qualitative data gathered through semi-structured interviews in order to (1) discover which inclusive language devices are used in Chile, and (2) explore how individuals understand, interpret, and use a variety of inclusive language devices. Based on the findings of the qualitative data, this study analyses quantitative data gathered from Twitter and blog posts published in Chile using the trend tracking tool, Talk Walker, with the aim of establishing the extent to which the inclusive language devices which involve replacing the final ‘o’ or ‘a’ indicating gender in nouns with either ‘@’, ‘x’ or ‘e’ are used online, in a largely informal and non-academic environment. The study then compares these results from social media to the use of inclusive noun endings in academic writing from the Universidad de Chile’s website, to explore the extent to which different inclusive language devices are used in Chilean academia. Finally, this study discusses the results of the data in relation to Salinas’ (2017) conceptualisation of voces perdidas and voces de poder to determine to what extent the use of inclusive language in Chile is reflective of grass-roots desire for increased linguistic representation, or whether it is a top-down process imposed by an external force. The results of this study indicate that in Chile, inclusive language tends to be used largely by younger generations in informal spaces, however there is some desire to use inclusive language in higher education settings. Individuals do not largely believe that inclusive language has been ‘imposed’ upon Chile and believe that it comes from a desire for inclusivity. Understandings of whether inclusive language aims to include ‘everyone’ without prioritising the masculine grammatical gender or whether it aims to represent non-binary and gender non-conforming people vary

Beyond the reef: the influence of seascape structure on the composition and function of tropical fish communities

Katie Sambrook investigated how seascape structure affects the composition and function of tropical fish communities. She found that many fishes use multiple habitats and that the spatial arrangement of habitats shape ecological patterns and processes. Her findings highlight the need to incorporate seascape ecology into future management and conservation strategies

Quarterly intravenous injection of ibandronate to treat osteoporosis in postmenopausal women

Osteoporosis is a chronic condition that generally requires long-term therapy for fracture risk reduction to become apparent. Although the bisphosphonates have made a major contribution to how clinicians manage osteoporosis, compliance with therapy has generally been less in the real-world setting than seen in clinical trials. Less-frequently administered dosage regimens or nonoral routes may enhance compliance and so maximize the therapeutic benefit of bisphosphonates. Ibandronate is a nitrogen-containing bisphosphonate, whose high potency allows it to be administered orally or intravenously with extended dosing intervals. This paper will review the role of intravenous ibandronate in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis

Tumour necrosis factor blockade and the risk of osteoporosis: back to the future

Osteoporosis is a common clinical problem, especially in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A reduction in bone mineral density (BMD) of the axial and appendicular skeleton ranging from 7% to 15% has been reported in RA in studies employing a variety of densitometric techniques. Reports consistent with a beneficial effect of tumour necrosis factor blockade on BMD have begun to emerge in recent years, and in Arthritis Research and Therapy, a case control study reports that patients treated with infliximab for RA had preservation of BMD in the lumbar spine and femoral neck compared to those treated with methotrexate

The optical munitions industry in Great Britain 1888-1923

This study examines in detail for the first time the emergence and development of a highly specialised sector of British manufacturing industry, charting its evolution and explaining its growth predominantly through scrutiny of original source material relating to the key actors in the story. It proposes that after 1888 Britain produced an optical munitions manufacturing structure which succeeded in dominating production of the most militarily important and commercially valuable instrument in the field, and which by 1914 had achieved an hegemonical position in the international marketplace. The study also overturns the conclusions of the previous brief scholarship on the topic, asserting that the industry responded well to the challenges of the Great War and going on to show that there was a difficult, but ultimately successful translation back to peace. This largely ignored branch of British technological manufacturing performed effectively and ran counter to notions of the relative decline or comparative failure of industries in the sector, and the narrative puts forward reasons to explain that success. To do this, the account employs a methodology embracing a combination of theories and models of historical explanation to demonstrate reasons for the industry’s path and to test the interpretations put forward