Cephalometric determinants of successful functional appliance therapy

This retrospective study was undertaken to determine the presence of any features on a pretreatment lateral cephalogram that may be used to predict the success of improvement in the sagittal dental base relationship during functional appliance therapy in patients with a Class II skeletal pattern. Seventy-two patients judged to have been successfully treated with a functional appliance were selected for the study. Pre- and posttreatment radiographs were analyzed and the change in the ANB angle was used to determine the skeletal response to treatment. Within the total sample size of 72 patients, two groups were selected. One group of 13 patients who demonstrated a reduction in ANB angle of 3.0° or more were identified as the skeletal group. A second group of 15 patients who demonstrated a change in ANB angle equal to or less than 0.5° were identified as the nonskeletal group. Statistical analysis of these two groups revealed the presence of skeletal and dentoalveolar differences on the pretreatment lateral cephalogram. In the skeletal group, which responded with a favorable skeletal change, the mandible was smaller both in length (P < .01) and ramus height (P < .05) and the anterior and posterior lower face heights were smaller (P < .05). The cranial base was also smaller when compared with the respective lengths in the nonskeletal group

Wave impacts on rectangular structures

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.There is a good deal of uncertainty and sensitivity in the results for wave impact. In a practical situation, many parameters such as the wave climate will not be known with any accuracy especially the frequency and severity of wave breaking. Even if the wave spectrum is known, this is usually recorded offshore, requiring same sort of (linear) transfer function to estimate the wave climate at the seawall. What is more, the higher spectral moments will generally be unknown. Wave breaking, according to linear wave theory, is known to depend on the wave spectrum, see Srokosz (1986) and Greenhow (1989). Not only is the wave climate unknown, but the aeration of the water will also be subject to uncertainty. This affects rather dramatically the speed of sound in the water/bubble mixture and hence the value of the acoustic pressure that acts as a maximum cutoff for pressure calculated by any incompressible model. The results are also highly sensitive to the angle of alignment of the wave front and seawall. Here we consider the worst case scenario of perfect alignment. Given the above, it seems sensible to exploit the simple pressure impulse model used in this thesis. Thus Cooker (1990) proposed using the pressure impulse P(x, y) that is the time integral of the pressure over the duration of the impact. This results in a simplified, but much more stable, model of wave impact on the coastal structures, and forms the basis of this thesis, as follows: Chapter 1 is an overview about this topic, a brief summary of the work which will follow and a summary of the contribution of this thesis. Chapter 2 gives a literature review of wave impact, theoretically and experimentally. The topics covered include total impulse, moment impulse and overtopping. A summary of the present state of the theory and Cooker’s model is also presented in Chapter 2. In Chapter 3 and Chapter 4, we extend the work of Greenhow (2006). He studied the berm and ditch problems, see Chapter 3, and the missing block problem in Chapter 4, and solved the problems by using a basis function method. I solve these problems in nondimensionlised variables by using a hybrid collocation method in Chapter 3 and by using the same method as Greenhow (2006) in Chapter 4. The works are extended by calculating the total impulse and moment impulse, and the maximum pressure arising from the wave impact for each problem. These quantities will be very helpful from a practical point of view for engineers and designers of seawalls. The mathematical equations governing the fluid motion and its boundary conditions are presented. The deck problem together with the mathematical formulation and boundary conditions for the problem is presented in Chapters 5 and 6 by using a hybrid collocation method. For this case, the basis function method fails due to hyperbolic terms in these formulations growing exponentially. The formulations also include a secular term, not present in Cooker’s formulation. For Chapter 5, the wave hits the wall in a horizontal direction and for Chapter 6, the wave hits beneath the deck in a vertical direction. These problems are important for offshore structures where providing adequate freeboard for decks contributes very significantly to the cost of the structure. Chapter 7 looks at what happens when we have a vertical baffle. The mathematical formulation and the boundary conditions for four cases of baffles which have different positions are presented in this chapter. We use a basis function method to solve the mathematical formulation, and total impulse and moment impulse are investigated for each problem. These problems are not, perhaps, very relevant to coastal structures. However, they are pertinent to wave impacts in sloshing tanks where baffles are used to detune the natural tank frequencies away from environmental driving frequencies (e.g ship roll due to wave action) and to damp the oscillations by shedding vortices. They also provide useful information for the design of oscillating water column wave energy devices. Finally, conclusions from the research and recommendations for future work are presented in Chapter 8.This work is funded by the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia and Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Malaysia

A STUDY ON THE EFFICACY OF ISLAMIC PAWN BROKING SERVICES IN FULFILLING SOCIO –ECONOMIC NEEDS: A CASE OF TWO CITIES-KUANTAN AND KUALA TERENGGANU IN MALAYSIA

In this paper we aim to examine the effectiveness of Al-Rahnu (Islamic pawn broking) services in fulfilling and enhancing socio-economic needs of its users as an alternative source of managing short term cash flow problem. To achieve our objectives we conducted a survey in two cities of Malaysia: Kuantan and Kuala Terengganu in the states of Pahang and Terengganu respectively. A sample of 128 users of Ar-Rahnu services were used to collect data through distributing a semi-structured questionnaire. The results were analyzed via the cross tabulation using excel spreadsheets. The findings from this study revealed that the community, especially the Malay ethnicity found Al-Rahnu services effective in fulfilling their needs of getting access to small short term loans with fast and hassle freeway and hence making them loyal to Al-Rahnu services. This implies that the Ar-rahnu services are well accepted as a better mean to ease short term financial difficulties and hence able to empower socio-economic needs of the people. The fulfillment of needs are derived from two main components of Al-Rahnu survey questions i.e. the loan tenure and the loan sufficiency

Transcriptome sequencing of Mycosphaerella fijiensis during association with Musa acuminata reveals candidate pathogenicity genes

Figure S4. Phylogenetic tree of fusicoccadiene synthase protein sequences. A maximum likelihood tree was created of the M. fijiensis fusicoccadiene synthase sequence and its top 50 hits using blastp with the non-redundant protein sequence database on NCBI. Bootstrap values are indicated on the tree, and the scale bar of branch lengths indicate substitutions per site. A description of each blast hit is shown, along with an abbreviation for species. Ab = Alternaria brassicicola; Ac = Acremonium chrysogenum; Af = Aspergillus flavus; Ak = Aspergillus kawachii; An = Aspergillus niger; Ao = Aspergillus oryzae; Ar = Aspergillus ruber; Bm = Bipolaris maydis; Bo = Bipolaris oryzae; Bp = Baudoinia panamericana; Bs = Bipolaris sorokiniana; Bv = Bipolaris victoriae; Bz = Bipolaris zeicola; Cg = Chaetomium globosum; Ci = Coccidioides immitis; Cp = Coccidioides posadasii; Da = Diaporthe amygdali; Fg = Fusarium graminearum; Fp = Fusarium pseudograminearum; Gl = Gymnopus luxurians; Mo = Magnaporthe oryzae; Mp = Macrophomina phaseolina; Nf = Neosartorya fischeri; Nu = Neosartorya udagawae; Om = Oidiodendron maius; Pp = Pseudogymnoascus pannorum; Ptt = Pyrenophora teres f. teres; Tc = Talaromyces cellulolyticus; Ti = Talaromyces islandicus; Tm = Talaromyces marneffei; To = Tolypocladium ophioglossoides; Ts = Talaromyces stipitatus; Tt = Thielavia terrestris. (TIF 303 kb

Sexual Scripts and Sexual Risk Behaviors Among Black Heterosexual Men: Development of the Sexual Scripts Scale

Sexual scripts are widely shared gender and culture-specific guides for sexual behavior with important implications for HIV prevention. Although several qualitative studies document how sexual scripts may influence sexual risk behaviors, quantitative investigations of sexual scripts in the context of sexual risk are rare. This mixed methods study involved the qualitative development and quantitative testing of the Sexual Scripts Scale (SSS). Study 1 included qualitative semi-structured interviews with 30 Black heterosexual men about sexual experiences with main and casual sex partners to develop the SSS. Study 2 included a quantitative test of the SSS with 526 predominantly low-income Black heterosexual men. A factor analysis of the SSS resulted in a 34-item, seven-factor solution that explained 68% of the variance. The subscales and coefficient alphas were: Romantic Intimacy Scripts (α = .86), Condom Scripts (α = .82), Alcohol Scripts (α = .83), Sexual Initiation Scripts (α = .79), Media Sexual Socialization Scripts (α = .84), Marijuana Scripts (α = .85), and Sexual Experimentation Scripts (α = .84). Among men who reported a main partner (n = 401), higher Alcohol Scripts, Media Sexual Socialization Scripts, and Marijuana Scripts scores, and lower Condom Scripts scores were related to more sexual risk behavior. Among men who reported at least one casual partner (n = 238), higher Romantic Intimacy Scripts, Sexual Initiation Scripts, and Media Sexual Socialization Scripts, and lower Condom Scripts scores were related to higher sexual risk. The SSS may have considerable utility for future research on Black heterosexual men’s HIV risk

Sexual Scripts and Sexual Risk Behaviors Among Black Heterosexual Men: Development of the Sexual Scripts Scale

Sexual scripts are widely shared gender and culture-specific guides for sexual behavior with important implications for HIV prevention. Although several qualitative studies document how sexual scripts may influence sexual risk behaviors, quantitative investigations of sexual scripts in the context of sexual risk are rare. This mixed methods study involved the qualitative development and quantitative testing of the Sexual Scripts Scale (SSS). Study 1 included qualitative semi-structured interviews with 30 Black heterosexual men about sexual experiences with main and casual sex partners to develop the SSS. Study 2 included a quantitative test of the SSS with 526 predominantly low-income Black heterosexual men. A factor analysis of the SSS resulted in a 34-item, seven-factor solution that explained 68% of the variance. The subscales and coefficient alphas were: Romantic Intimacy Scripts (α = .86), Condom Scripts (α = .82), Alcohol Scripts (α = .83), Sexual Initiation Scripts (α = .79), Media Sexual Socialization Scripts (α = .84), Marijuana Scripts (α = .85), and Sexual Experimentation Scripts (α = .84). Among men who reported a main partner (n = 401), higher Alcohol Scripts, Media Sexual Socialization Scripts, and Marijuana Scripts scores, and lower Condom Scripts scores were related to more sexual risk behavior. Among men who reported at least one casual partner (n = 238), higher Romantic Intimacy Scripts, Sexual Initiation Scripts, and Media Sexual Socialization Scripts, and lower Condom Scripts scores were related to higher sexual risk. The SSS may have considerable utility for future research on Black heterosexual men’s HIV risk

Benthic and Substrate Category Profile of Coral Reef in Labuan Pandan Waters, East Lombok

Coral reefs are unique ecosystems and only occur in the tropics area. One of the coral reef distribution in Indonesia is Lombok Island. The coral reefs in Lombok Island under degradation conditions caused by natural and human activities. The purpose of this study was to provide an overview of the benthic profile and substrate of coral reefs in the Labuhan Pandan waters, Eastern Lombok. Observations were conducted in March 2019 at 5 stations using the Underwater Photo Transect (UPT) method. The results showed that in general benthic coral reefs were dominated by Acropora Branching (35.40%) then followed by Soft Coral (20.89%), DCA (14.08%), Coral Foliose (11.07%), Rubble (7.36%) and Halimeda (2.77%). The highest percentage of Acropora Branching were found at KND_01 station (63.33%) followed by PTG_01 (49.13%), PTG_02 (31.18%), BDR_01 (21.73%), and PTG_03 (11.00%). The highest DCA percentage was found at BDR_01 station (29.27%) while Soft Coral was found dominant at PTG_02 (47.67%). Halimeda was only found in PTG_02 (1.87%) and PTG_03 (12.00%). Differences in the composition of benthic and substrate may be caused by differences in water conditions at each station

Failure of eruption of permanent molars: a diagnostic dilemma

Background: Limited studies have proposed protocols for the management of failure of eruption (FOE) of permanent molars with no clear consensus or guidelines. Accurate diagnosis is challenging but key for successful management. Aims: Confirm key diagnostic criteria that will aid diagnostic differentiation between primary failure of eruption (PFE) and mechanical failure of eruption (MFE) of permanent molars and identify successful management strategies. Design: Retrospective descriptive study. Patients diagnosed with FOE of permanent molars (excluding impaction) between January 2003 and December 2013 were identified. Patient details and clinical and radiological features of FOE were recorded. Two examiners analysed the data. A diagnosis of PFE or MFE was made based on a combination of current protocols. Management strategies for each were identified and reported as satisfactory/unsatisfactory. Results: Thirty-one patients met the inclusion criteria. Fifteen were classified as PFE and 14 as MFE. One patient was too young to confirm diagnosis, and one patient had delayed eruption. A total of 26% of cases were misdiagnosed which led to unsuccessful orthodontic management. Conclusion: We propose a protocol based on the results of this study coupled with existing protocols in the form of a simple flow diagram to aid accurate diagnosis and management of this rare and challenging clinical problem

The Men's Safer Sex (MenSS) trial: protocol for a pilot randomised controlled trial of an interactive digital intervention to increase condom use in men

Sexually transmitted infections (STI) are a major public health problem. Condoms provide effective protection but there are many barriers to use. Face-to-face health promotion interventions are resource-intensive and show mixed results. Interactive digital interventions may provide a suitable alternative, allowing private access to personally tailored behaviour change support. We have developed an interactive digital intervention (the Men's Safer Sex (MenSS) website) which aims to increase condom use in men. We describe the protocol for a pilot trial to assess the feasibility of a full-scale randomised controlled trial of the MenSS website in addition to usual sexual health clinical care