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Glass in Architecture from the Pre- to the Post-Industrial Era: Production, Use and Conservation
No full textAt once ubiquitous and unique, glass is found in architecture from the secular to sacred, and the monumental to mundane. This volume analyzes how flat glass came to be a key building material developing from craft tradition to patented technology, exploring its diverse applications and effects, as well as the involvement of expertise spanning from the humanities to the applied sciences. With contributions from curators, art and architectural historians, and conservation specialists, this timely collection reflects upon the historical evolution of glass throughout Europe and across the built environment, particularly since the 18th century. From the manufacture of sheet glass in pre-industrial times to today’s possibilities of repair and reuse of insulating glazing, the book highlights the importance of preserving this fragile heritage
Tablet app-based dexterity training in multiple sclerosis (TAD-MS): a randomized controlled trial.
No full textPURPOSE
Mobile health applications (mHealth apps) may lead to health benefits. In recent years, the use of apps in multiple sclerosis (MS) has increased. Apps to train and improve dexterity in MS are scarce. This study investigated the effectiveness of a tablet app-based home-based training to improve dexterity in individuals with MS.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
In a randomized controlled trial, two standardized 4-week home-based interventions focussing on different aspects of dexterity and upper limb function were compared. Assessments were done at baseline, post-intervention and 12-week follow-up. The primary endpoint was the Arm Function in Multiple Sclerosis Questionnaire, a dexterity-related measure of patient-reported activities of daily living. Secondary endpoints were dexterous function, grip strength and health-related quality of life.
RESULTS
Forty-eight individuals were randomly assigned to a tablet app-based program (n = 26) or a control strengthening exercise program (n = 22). No significant differences were found for the primary endpoint (p = 0.35). Some significant differences in favour of the app-group were found in fine coordinated finger movements and strength. No significant differences were found at the 12-week follow-up for all endpoints. Adherence in both groups was above 90%.
CONCLUSIONS
App-based training was not superior compared to a control strengthening exercise program concerning the arm- and hand function from the participant's perspective. However, app-based training was found to be effective in improving specific dimensions (finger movements and strength), and can easily be applied at home. Therefore, individuals living with MS with impaired dexterity should consider app-based training.
CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION
Clinicaltrials.gov NCT03369470
Characteristics of emergency general surgery services in Switzerland: a nationwide survey.
Get PDFOBJECTIVE
Running an emergency general surgery (EGS) service is challenging and requires significant personnel and institutional resources. The aim of this study was to achieve a nationwide overview of the individual EGS service organizations in public hospitals in Switzerland.
METHODS
All Swiss public hospitals with a surgical and emergency department were included and contacted by telephone. General surgeons were interviewed between December 2021 and January 2022 using a standardized questionnaire.
RESULTS
Seventy-two out of 79 public hospitals in Switzerland (91.1%) agreed to the survey. They employed 1,581 surgeons in 19 (26.4%) hospitals with 600 beds. The median number of surgeons per hospital was 20.5 (IQR 13.0-29.0). Higher level of care (intermediate or intensive care unit) was significantly less available in small hospitals ( 600 beds). With increasing hospital size, there was a significant increase in the number of surgical units where EGS and orthopedic trauma surgery were covered by two separate teams (21.1% vs. 43.6% vs. 85.7% vs. 100%, p = 0.035). The median number of surgeons on-call per hospital and per 24 h was 5.0 (IQR 3.3-6.0).
CONCLUSION
Lack of higher level of care in small hospitals, limited emergency OR capacity and short rotations of on-call teams are major drawbacks of many current EGS systems in Switzerland. Centralization of critically ill EGS patients and reorganization of surgical on-call systems to designated acute care surgery teams should be considered
Postpartum hemorrhage and postpartum depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.
Get PDFOBJECTIVE
To assess the postpartum depression (PPD) risk in women with postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) and moderators.
METHODS
We identified observational studies of PPD rates in women with versus without PPH in Embase/Medline/PsychInfo/Cinhail in 09/2022. Study quality was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa-Scale. Our primary outcome was the odds ratio (OR, 95% confidence intervals [95%CI]) of PPD in women with versus without PPH. Meta-regression analyses included the effects of age, body mass index, marital status, education, history of depression/anxiety, preeclampsia, antenatal anemia and C-section; subgroup analyses were based on PPH and PPD assessment methods, samples with versus without history of depression/anxiety, from low-/middle- versus high-income countries. We performed sensitivity analyses after excluding poor-quality studies, cross-sectional studies and sequentially each study.
RESULTS
One, five and three studies were rated as good-, fair- and poor-quality respectively. In nine studies (k = 10 cohorts, n = 934,432), women with PPH were at increased PPD risk compared to women without PPH (OR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.13 to 1.44, p < 0.001), with substantial heterogeneity (I2 = 98.9%). Higher PPH-related PPD ORs were estimated in samples with versus without history of depression/anxiety or antidepressant exposure (OR = 1.37, 95%CI = 1.18 to 1.60, k = 6, n = 55,212, versus 1.06, 95%CI = 1.04 to 1.09, k = 3, n = 879,220, p < 0.001) and in cohorts from low-/middle- versus high-income countries (OR = 1.49, 95%CI = 1.37 to 1.61, k = 4, n = 9197, versus 1.13, 95%CI = 1.04 to 1.23, k = 6, n = 925,235, p < 0.001). After excluding low-quality studies the PPD OR dropped (1.14, 95%CI = 1.02 to 1.29, k = 6, n = 929,671, p = 0.02).
CONCLUSIONS
Women with PPH had increased PPD risk amplified by history of depression/anxiety, whereas more data from low-/middle-income countries are required
Higher striatal glutamate in male youth with internet gaming disorder.
Get PDFInternet gaming disorder (IGD) was included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) as a research diagnosis, but little is known about its pathophysiology. Alterations in frontostriatal circuits appear to play a critical role in the development of addiction. Glutamate is considered an essential excitatory neurotransmitter in addictive disorders. This study's aim was to investigate striatal glutamate in youth with IGD compared to healthy controls (HC). Using a cross-sectional design, 25 adolescent male subjects fulfilling DSM-5 criteria for IGD and 26 HC, matched in age, education, handedness and smoking, were included in the analysis. A structural MPRAGE T1 sequence followed by a single-voxel magnetic resonance spectroscopy MEGA-PRESS sequence (TR = 1500 ms, TE = 68 ms, 208 averages) with a voxel size of 20 mm3 were recorded on 3 T Siemens Magnetom Prisma scanner. The voxel was placed in the left striatum. Group comparison of the relative glutamate and glutamine (Glx) was calculated using regression analysis. IGD subjects met an average of 6.5 of 9 DSM-5 IGD criteria and reported an average of 29 h of weekly gaming. Regression analysis showed a significant group effect for Glx, with higher Glx levels in IGD as compared to HC (coef. = .086, t (50) = 2.17, p = .035). Our study is the first to show higher levels of Glx in the striatum in youth with IGD. The elevation of Glx in the striatum may indicate hyperactivation of the reward system in IGD. Thus, results confirm that neurochemical alterations can be identified in early stages of behavioral addictions
Von „David und Jonathan“ zum „Gay Giur College“: Zur Attraktivität reformjüdischer Gemeinschaften für die LGBTQ+ Community
No full textColor and translucency of milled polymethyl methacrylate crowns on non-tooth-colored interim abutments with different surface treatments.
Get PDFSTATEMENT OF PROBLEM
The interim rehabilitation of implants has become a necessity, particularly for those placed in the esthetic regions. However, the optical properties of computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD-CAM) polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) crowns on interim abutments with different surface treatments are unclear.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this in vitro study was to investigate the color and translucency of CAD-CAM PMMA crowns when different surface treatments were used on titanium interim abutments.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
A maxillary dentate stone cast with a narrow-diameter implant analog at the left lateral incisor site was used. Three titanium interim abutments (blue) were divided into 3 groups according to the surface treatment they received: control (steam cleaning), opaqued (120-μm Al2O3 airborne-particle abrasion and opaque application), and airborne-particle abraded (120-μm Al2O3). Thirty PMMA crowns (A2 shade) were milled (n=10). The color coordinates of the crown-interim abutment pairs and a shade tab (A2) were measured by using a colorimeter. The color differences (ΔE00) between the crowns and the shade tab and the relative translucency parameter (RTP) values of the crowns were calculated by using the CIEDE2000 formula. One-way ANOVA was used to analyze the ΔE00 and RTP values with subsequent Tukey honestly significant difference tests (α=.05).
RESULTS
The abutment surface treatment significantly affected the ΔE00 of interim crowns from the shade tab (P<.001), but no significant effect was found on RTP (P=.26). The control group had the highest ΔE00 from the shade tab (P≤.011). No significant difference (P=.14) was found between the opaqued and the ΔE00 of the airborne-particle abraded groups from the shade tab.
CONCLUSIONS
The surface treatments of interim abutments affected the color of CAD-CAM PMMA crowns, which differed from that of the shade tab. The color of crowns on opaqued or airborne-particle abraded interim abutments was closer to the color of the shade tab. Abutment surface treatments did not affect the translucency of crown-interim abutment pairs
How Does the Provision of Childcare Services Affect Mothers’ Employment Intentions? Empirical Evidence from a Conjoint Experiment
Get PDFNumerous studies have demonstrated that the provision of early childhood education and childcare services (ECEC) is associated with higher women’s participation in the labor market. However, many questions about the causal relationship between the supply of childcare and patterns of female employment remain open. In an effort to overcome common endogeneity problems, we conducted a conjoint experiment in Switzerland, which enables us to analyze mothers’ employment intentions in different – and even in some hypothetical – contexts. Our results demonstrate that improving the provision of ECEC services does affect mothers’ intentions to engage in paid labor. Nevertheless, mothers comprise a heterogeneous group. As expected, ECEC services’ effects are limited for mothers with comparatively high levels of employment. In contrast, mothers with low levels of employment are quite reactive to changing policy contexts, especially if external childcare spots for preschoolers become affordable. Notably, elasticity is present not only in the behavior of women with preferences for supplementary, external childcare, but also in that of women with preferences for parental or home-centered childcare. Our study thus highlights childcare policies’ potential to change the patterns of female employment in contexts marked by persistent traditional gender roles and limited childcare provision
Surface roughness and stainability of new‑generation denture base materials after brushing and coffee thermocycling
Get PDFMulti-focal Stimulation of the Cortico-cerebellar Loop During the Acquisition of a Novel Hand Motor Skill in Chronic Stroke Survivors.
Get PDFImpairment of hand motor function is a frequent consequence after a stroke and strongly determines the ability to regain a self-determined life. An influential research strategy for improving motor deficits is the combined application of behavioral training and non-invasive brain stimulation of the motor cortex (M1). However, a convincing clinical translation of the present stimulation strategies has not been achieved yet. One alternative and innovative approach is to target the functionally relevant brain network-based architecture, e.g., the dynamic interactions within the cortico-cerebellar system during learning. Here, we tested a sequential multifocal stimulation strategy targeting the cortico-cerebellar loop. Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) was applied simultaneously to a hand-based motor training in N = 11 chronic stroke survivors during four training sessions on two consecutive days. The tested conditions were: sequential multifocal (M1-cerebellum (CB)-M1-CB) vs. monofocal control stimulation (M1-sham-M1-sham). Additionally, skill retention was assessed 1 and 10 days after the training phase. Paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation data were recorded to characterize stimulation response determining features. The application of CB-tDCS boosted motor behavior in the early training phase in comparison to the control condition. No faciliatory effects on the late training phase or skill retention were detected. Stimulation response variability was related to the magnitude of baseline motor ability and short intracortical inhibition (SICI). The present findings suggest a learning phase-specific role of the cerebellar cortex during the acquisition of a motor skill in stroke and that personalized stimulation strategies encompassing several nodes of the underlying brain network should be considered
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