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Background Business intelligence can give businesses the ability to understand their strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement and can help reduce uncertainty in the decision-making process. With the increasing use of electronic dental records creating more and more dental data each day, it is an opportune time to determine if the data can be coupled with business intelligence systems to improve the management decision-making process in dental organizations to result in service improvement. Methods A scoping review was performed to map the research on the use of business intelligence in dental organizations and to identify any gaps in the existing literature. This scoping review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-Scr) framework. The following databases were searched: Medline, Embase, Emcare, Cinahl, Informit, Web of Science, and Scopus. Data extracted from the articles included the organization type, purpose/aims, the software utilized, data sources utilized, outcomes measured, decision-makers involved, service benefit type, and service improvements. Results In all, 945 articles were found during the search strategy, with 25 articles selected for full-text review. Of these 25 articles, only 3 met the final inclusion in this review. All three included articles were centered around dental school organizations and all situated in the United States. All three articles demonstrated a benefit from management decision-makers utilizing business intelligence systems for improving service efficiency. Conclusion There is limited evidence to show that managers utilizing business intelligence systems in dental school organizations can lead to improvements in the organization's services. There was no evidence to support the use of a business intelligence system in other types of dental organizations. More research is required in this area.

There is wide agreement on the need for systems thinking to address complexity in chronic disease prevention but there is insufficient understanding of how such approaches are operationalised in prevention research. Ison and Straw propose that to address complexity, the right balance must be struck between ‘systemic’ and ‘systematic’ paradigms. We examined the nature and characteristics of this relationship in a series of six qualitative case studies of prevention research. Data comprised 29 semi-structured interviews with 16 participants, and online documents. The analysis combined inductive methods from grounded theory with a theoretically informed framework analysis. Systemic and systematic ways of working varied across each case as a whole, and within the dimensions of each case. Further, the interplay of systemic and systematic approaches was described along a dynamic continuum of variable proportions, with greater emphasis on systemic aspects balanced by less focus on the systematic, and vice versa. By expanding the boundaries for exploring prevention research, we gained empirical understanding of the potential and scope of systemic and systematic paradigms for addressing complexity in prevention research. There is inherent value in being more explicitly conscious and bilingual in both systemic and systematic paradigms so that their respective value and strengths may be utilised. Our findings propose a coherent theoretical frame to better understand existing approaches for addressing complexity in prevention research.

GPR18, GPR55 and GPR119 (provisional nomenclature), although showing little structural similarity to CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors, respond to endogenous agents analogous to the endogenous cannabinoid ligands, as well as some natural/synthetic cannabinoid receptor ligands [104]. Although there are multiple reports to indicate that GPR18, GPR55 and GPR119 can be activated in vitro by N-arachidonoylglycine, lysophosphatidylinositol and N-oleoylethanolamide, respectively, there is a lack of evidence for activation by these lipid messengers in vivo. As such, therefore, these receptors retain their orphan status.

Traditional methods for the assembly of functionalised DNA structures, involving enzyme restriction and modification, present difficulties when working with small DNA fragments (

Certain foods are more vulnerable to foodborne pathogen growth and formation of toxins than others. Lack of time and temperature control for these foods can result in the growth of pathogens, such as Listeria monocytogenes, and lead to foodborne outbreaks. The Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Food Code classifies these foods as time/temperature control for safety (TCS) foods and details safe cooking, holding, and storing temperatures for these foods. The FDA Food Code also includes a date-marking provision for ready-to-eat TCS foods that are held for >24 h. The provision states that these foods should not be held in refrigeration for >7 days and should be marked with the date or day by which the food should be “consumed on the premises, sold, or discarded.” To learn more about restaurants' date-marking practices, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Environmental Health Specialists Network (EHS-Net) conducted observations and manager interviews in 359 restaurants in 8 EHS-Net jurisdictions. Managers reported that they date marked ready-to-eat TCS foods more often than data collectors observed this practice (91% vs. 77%). Observation data showed almost a quarter of study restaurants did not date-mark ready-to-eat TCS foods. In addition, restaurants with an internal date-marking policy date marked 5.04 times more often than restaurants without such a policy and chain restaurants date marked 1.24 times more often than independently owned restaurants. These findings suggest that regulators and the retail food industry may improve food safety and lower the burden of foodborne illness in the United States if they target interventions to independent restaurants and encourage strong date-marking policies.

The following article describes how one organization, the Coady International Institute, met multiple monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning objectives while still staying true to its roots in transformative adult education. The Learning from Stories of Change (LSC) methodology brought together stories-based techniques with aspects of the Most Significant Change and the SenseMaker frameworks. The combination of methods was designed to facilitate reflection and a degree of participatory analysis in an online environment that reached over 400 graduates in 64 countries. It produced a rich set of data that provided key insights into program design and confirmed the transformative adult education model—particularly, that increases in knowledge and skills must be accompanied by changes in attitudes and motivations in order to make the leap from concepts to practice. This leads to individual behavioral changes that will in turn initiate positive social change in communities around the world.

IntroductionStrengthening systems for chronic disease prevention is essential. Leadership for systems change is an important key to strengthening systems. Leadership in prevention research for supporting systems change remains a relatively abstract concept and there is limited empirical information about the leadership practices of prevention research teams when viewed through a complexity lens. In this paper we examine and describe some systems leadership practices for creating change through prevention research, as identified in a series of six case studies.MethodsA qualitative approach incorporating semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and document review was used to facilitate an in-depth investigation of the research topic.ResultsSeveral researcher practices for enhancing research impact in the prevention of chronic disease were distilled from the data pertaining to how they sought to create change. These included persuasive communication, compassion and deep listening, reflective practice, and embedding themselves within the systems they sought to change.DiscussionThe findings provide insights that may assist prevention researchers and other practitioners dedicated to creating change in chronic disease prevention.

The Martian nakhlite meteorites, which represent multiple events that belong to a single magma source region represent a key opportunity to study the evolution of Martian petrogenesis. Here 16 of the 26 identified nakhlite specimens are studied using coupled electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and emplacement end-member calculations. EBSD was used to determine shape preferred orientation (SPO) of contained augite (high Ca-clinopyroxene) phenocrysts by considering their crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO). Parameters derived from EBSD, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) data were used in basic emplacement models to assess their dominant mechanism against three end-member scenarios: thermal diffusion, crystal settling, and crystal convection. Results from CPO analyses indicate low intensity weak-moderate CPO. In all samples, a consistent foliation within the axes of augite are observed typically coupled with a weaker lineation CPO in one of the other crystallographic axes. These CPO results agree best with crystal settling being the dominant emplacement mechanism for the nakhlites. Modelled crystal settling results identify two distinguishable groups outside of the model’s resolution indicating the presence of secondary emplacement mechanisms. Comparison of the two identified groups against petrofabric, geochemical, and age parameters indicate random variability between individual meteorites. Therefore, coupled petrofabric and emplacement modelling results identify an overarching characteristic of a dominant crystal settling emplacement mechanism for the nakhlite source volcano despite exhibiting random variation with each discharge through time.

Background and Objectives Parasternal intercostal ultrasound morphology reflects spirometric COPD severity. Whether this relates to the systemic nature of COPD or occurs in response to hyperinflation is unknown. We aimed to assess changes in ultrasound parasternal intercostal muscle quantity and quality (echogenicity) in response to relief of hyperinflation. We hypothesised that reduction in hyperinflation following endobronchial valve (EBV) insertion would increase ultrasound parasternal thickness and decrease echogenicity. Methods In this prospective cohort study, eight patients with severe COPD underwent evaluation of health-related quality of life, lung function, and sonographic thickness of 2nd parasternal intercostal muscles and diaphragm thickness, both before and after EBV insertion. Relationships between physiological and radiographic lung volumes, quality of life and ultrasound parameters were determined. Results Baseline FEV1 was 1.02L (SD 0.37) and residual volume (RV) was 202% predicted (SD 41%). Median SGRQ was 63.26 (range 20–70.6). Change in RV (−0.51 ± 0.9L) following EBV-insertion showed a strong negative correlation with change in parasternal thickness (r = −0.883) ipsilateral to EBV insertion, as did change in target lobe volume (−0.89 ± 0.6L) (r = −0.771). Parasternal muscle echogenicity, diaphragm thickness and diaphragm excursion did not significantly change. Conclusions Dynamic changes in intercostal muscle thickness on ultrasound measurement occur in response to relief of hyperinflation. We demonstrate linear relationships between intercostal thickness and change in hyperinflation following endobronchial valve insertion. This demonstrates the deleterious effect of hyperinflation on intrinsic inspiratory muscles and provides an additional mechanism for symptomatic response to EBVs.

Motivated by the advances in 3D sensing technology and the spreading of low-cost robotic platforms, 3D object reconstruction has become a common task in many areas. Nevertheless, the selection of the optimal sensor pose that maximizes the reconstructed surface is a problem that remains open. It is known in the literature as the next-best-view planning problem. In this paper, we propose a novel next-best-view planning scheme based on supervised deep learning. The scheme contains an algorithm for automatic generation of datasets and an original three-dimensional convolutional neural network (3D-CNN) used to learn the next-best-view. Unlike previous work where the problem is addressed as a search, the trained 3D-CNN directly predicts the sensor pose. We present a comparison of the proposed network against a similar net, and we present several experiments of the reconstruction of unknown objects validating the effectiveness of the proposed scheme., Under review in Pattern Recognition Letters

This article considers the evolution of information literacy as a distinct area of inquiry and instruction in libraries. The influence of critical and feminist pedagogies is paramount for the development of critical approaches to understanding an information landscape that is highly politicized. The definition and practice of information literacy will be described, followed by an exploration of critical approaches that help interrogate how information access and control affect these literacy goals and people’s democratic right to information. Information literacy that is grounded in social justice goals can be strengthened through the collaboration of librarians with other adult educators, community development practitioners, social service providers and activists.

Knowing the distribution and origin of water in terrestrial planets is crucial to understand their formation, evolution and the source of their atmospheres and surface water. The nakhlites represent a suite of minimally shocked meteorites that likely originated from lava flows from a single volcano or from a shallow intrusion or sill complex on Mars. Measuring the water contents and D/H ratios of their igneous minerals allows identification of phases that have preserved their magmatic hydrogen, and therefrom permits estimation of the water content of their mantle source. Pyroxene, olivine, melt inclusions and mesostasis of five nakhlites (NWA 998, Nakhla, Y 000593, MIL 03346 and NWA 6148) were analyzed in situ for water contents and H isotopes, and major and trace element contents. No water was detected in olivine grains except in Y 000593. The water content of pyroxenes is highly heterogeneous within individual grains and between grains within a single meteorite. Water concentrations in pyroxene ( After ruling out significant influence from spallation, exchange with the martian atmosphere, shock, surface alteration, and hydrothermal processes, the H data of the pyroxenes can be explained by degassing and crystallization processes. Degassing is consistent with a decrease of water content from pyroxene interior to edge. Fractionation of H isotopes during degassing results in increases of δD during H loss from pyroxene but in decreases in δD during H2O-OH loss from a melt. Consequently, the low-water content, high-δD of most pyroxenes is best explained by degassing after the pyroxenes had crystallized. All melt and plagioclase inclusions analyzed are located in degassed pyroxenes and are also degassed. The lower δD of the mesostasis (24 ± 131‰) compared to that of the least-degassed pyroxenes (430 ± 172‰) is likely the result of melt degassing and interaction with hydrothermal fluids. Magmatic H, however, has been preserved in each nakhlite in some pyroxenes that are characterized by >15 ppm H2O and δD

Water uptake is a seminal process in seed germination. Salt and polyethylene glycol (PEG) are known to retard seed germination rates and percentages, which is often attributed to osmotic effects. Here, we quantified water uptake in wheat seeds killed with a hot needle, finding evidence of three distinct water uptake pools. The fast pool was unaffected by salt, and likely represents cell walls and other apoplastic material. Water uptake into the medium and slow pools was slowed by salt addition, with the medium pool thought to be cellular, while the slow pool is presumably related to endosperm hydration. Salt caused a minor decrease in the water uptake rates and maximum seed water content, while PEG strongly suppressed both parameters. Seeds transferred between water and salt solutions followed the water uptake trajectories of the solution into which they were transferred. Seeds transferred from PEG to water achieved final seed water contents similar to water control seeds, while seeds transferred from water to PEG achieved significantly higher final water contents than PEG controls. This work confirms that salt and PEG have distinct effects on water uptake by wheat seeds.

The timing of the wane in heavy meteorite bombardment of the inner planets is debated. Its timing determines the onset of crustal conditions consistently below the thermal and shock pressure limits for microbiota survival, and so bounds the occurrence of conditions that allow planets to be habitable. Here we determine this timing for Mars by examining the metamorphic histories of the oldest known Martian minerals, 4.476–4.429-Gyr-old zircon and baddeleyite grains in meteorites derived from the southern highlands. We use electron microscopy and atom probe tomography to show that none of these grains were exposed to the life-limiting shock pressure of 78 GPa. 97% of the grains exhibit weak-to-no shock metamorphic features and no thermal overprints from shock-induced melting. By contrast, about 80% of the studied grains from bombarded crust on Earth and the Moon show such features. The giant impact proposed to have created Mars’ hemispheric dichotomy must, therefore, have taken place more than 4.48 Gyr ago, with no later cataclysmic bombardments. Considering thermal habitability models, we conclude that portions of Mars’ crust reached habitable pressures and temperatures by 4.2 Gyr ago, the onset of the Martian ‘wet’ period, about 0.5 Gyr earlier than the earliest known record of life on Earth. Early abiogenesis by 4.2 Gyr ago, is now tenable for both planets. The oldest known minerals from Mars have no strong shock features, indicating early cessation of giant impacts there, according to microanalysis of zircon and baddeleyite grains in meteorites.

Parasitic plants can cause significant economic losses to agriculture and are a major cause of food insecurity globally. N application has been shown to reduce the negative effects of facultative hemiparasites on their hosts, although the mechanism remains unclear. In previous studies, hosts and parasites were grown together with fertilizer treatments accessible by both plants, making it difficult to determine whether the observed effects of N-addition resulted from nutritive changes in the host or the parasite. We developed a novel root box which allowed the nutrient status of the host Medicago sativa and parasite Phtheirospermum japonicum to be independently controlled and used 13C / 15N double-labelling to explore the effects of differential nutrient status on the host – parasite relationship. In young, but not in older plants, parasite nutrient deprivation led to increased N and C transfer from the host to the parasite. Nutrient supply to the host strongly influenced parasite growth rates. Where the host plants were N-deprived, parasite masses were 34% larger in N-supplied and 25% larger in N-deprived parasites than when the host was supplied N. Where the hosts were supplied N, parasites achieved masses similar to unattached control plants, suggesting that N supply to the host suppressed parasitism, most likely by shifting the competitive balance in favour of the host. In contrast to previous studies, our data suggests that the hemiparasite P. japonicum is primarily parasitic for C but not N.

Nutrients are heterogeneously distributed in the soil environment. Plants have evolved a variety of mechanisms to maximise their ability to compete for limited resources, with differential root growth considered among the more important mechanisms. Despite the significant costs of root growth, little data is available regarding carbon (C) allocation to roots growing in heterogeneous conditions. Here, we investigate the allocation of recently assimilated C in Poa annua plants growing in uniform or heterogeneous nutrient conditions. In the first experiment we grew plants in split-root boxes, providing N either equally between the two chambers (0.5 mg/0.5 mg, 8 mg/8 mg) or with one side receiving more N (0.5 mg/8 mg, 8 mg/0.5 mg), and quantified C allocation and N uptake using 13CO2 and K15NO3. Where N was supplied equally to the two chambers, C was allocated equally to the roots irrespective of the total N supply. However, the 13C label was preferentially allocated (60:40) to high-N roots in the unequal treatments. N uptake was a function of local supply and was not affected by N supply to the roots in the other chamber. C allocation had no discernible effect on N uptake. In the second experiment, we tested whether differential N supply would lead to increased root growth in the high-N side. In this experiment, equal amounts of N were supplied to all plants as ammonium, with half receiving an equal distribution to the two root chambers (50/50), while the other half received an unequal supply (94/6). While no difference in root growth was noted in 50/50 plants, a 60:40 mass allocation was noted from day six onwards in plants receiving the 94/6 N supply. Despite increased root growth in the high-N side, the plants receiving the 94/6 treatment could not achieve the same shoot mass or N concentration as the 50/50 plants. No difference in total C allocation to the roots between treatments was noted in the first experiment, and no difference in total root mass between treatments was found in the second experiment, suggesting that root C supply was source-limited, while allocation to specific roots was strongly influenced by sink strength. Differential C allocation appears to be an important pre-requisite for increased root growth in N-rich patches.

Northwest Africa (NWA) 6704 is a unique achondrite characterized by a near-chondritic major element composition with a remarkably intact igneous texture. To investigate the origin of this unique achondrite, we have conducted a combined petrologic, chemical, and (187)Re–(187)Os, O, and Ti isotopic study. The meteorite consists of orthopyroxene megacrysts (En(55–57)Wo(3–4)Fs(40–42); Fe/Mn = 1.4) up to 1.7 cm in length with finer interstices of olivine (Fa(50–53); Fe/Mn = 1.1–2.1), chromite (Cr# ~ 0.94), awaruite, sulfides, plagioclase (Ab(92)An(5)Or(3)) and merrillite. The results of morphology, lattice orientation analysis, and mineral chemistry indicate that orthopyroxene megacrysts were originally hollow dendrites that most likely crystallized under high super-saturation and super-cooling conditions (1–10(2) °C/h), whereas the other phases crystallized between branches of the dendrites in the order of awaruite, chromite → olivine → merrillite → plagioclase. In spite of the inferred high supersaturation, the remarkably large size of orthopyroxene can be explained as a result of crystallization from a melt containing a limited number of nuclei that are preserved as orthopyroxene megacryst cores having high Mg# or including vermicular olivine. The Re–Os isotope data for bulk and metal fractions yield an isochron age of 4576 ± 250 Ma, consistent with only limited open system behavior of highly siderophile elements (HSE) since formation. The bulk chemical composition is characterized by broadly chondritic absolute abundances and only weakly fractionated chondrite-normalized patterns for HSE and rare earth elements (REE), together with substantial depletion of highly volatile elements relative to chondrites. The HSE and REE characteristics indicate that the parental melt and its protolith had not undergone significant segregation of metals, sulfides, or silicate minerals. These combined results suggest that a chondritic precursor to NWA 6704 was heated well above its liquidus temperature so that highly volatile elements were lost and the generated melt initially contained few nuclei of relict orthopyroxene, but the melting and subsequent crystallization took place on a timescale too short to allow magmatic differentiation. Such rapid melting and crystallization might occur as a result of impact on an undifferentiated asteroid. The O–Ti isotope systematics (Δ(17)O = −1.052 ± 0.004, 2 SD; ε(50)Ti = 2.28 ± 0.23, 2 SD) indicate that the NWA 6704 parent body sampled the same isotopic reservoirs in the solar nebula as the carbonaceous chondrite parent bodies. This is consistent with carbonaceous chondrite-like refractory element abundances and oxygen fugacity (FMQ = −2.6) in NWA 6704. Yet, the Si/Mg ratio of NWA 6704 is remarkably higher than those of carbonaceous chondrites, suggesting significant nebular fractionation of forsterite in its provenance.

Northwest Africa (NWA) 6704/6693 are medium- to coarse-grained achondrites with unique petrologic and geochemical traits that are distinct from the currently established meteorite groups. Here, we report on the extinct 26Al-26Mg and 53Mn-53Cr systems to establish fine-scale chronology of its formation and Cr and Ti isotopic anomalies to constrain the composition of the source reservoir of NWA 6704/6693. Excesses in the neutron-rich 54Cr and 50Ti isotopes, due to nucleosynthetic anomalies, separate NWA 6704/6693 from the vast majority of established achondrites and instead resemble the excesses seen among the carbonaceous chondrites; specifically, the CR-type chondrites. The excesses in these isotopes indicate a common feeding zone during accretion in the protoplanetary disk between the source of NWA 6704/6693 and that of the carbonaceous chondrites. The 26Al-26Mg data for pyroxene and plagioclase from NWA 6704 yield a (26Al/27Al)0 = (3.15 ± 0.38)×10−7 (MSWD = 0.49) and an initial δ26Mg∗ = −0.004 ± 0.005 at the time of isotopic closure. This initial (26Al/27Al)0 translates to an absolute age of 4563.14 ± 0.38 Ma, relative to the D’Orbigny angrite. However, given the potential heterogeneity of 26Al, the D’Orbigny angrite might not be a good age anchor for the purpose of calculating 26Al-26Mg ages. The 26Al-26Mg age relative to another carbonaceous achondrite, NWA 2976, is 4562.66 ± 0.60 Ma. The 53Mn-53Cr systematics of NWA 6704/6693 indicate a (53Mn/55Mn)0 of (2.59 ± 0.34) × 10−6 (MSWD = 1.2) with an evolved initial e53Cr of +0.14 ± 0.03. The (53Mn/55Mn)0 yields an 53Mn-53Cr age of 4562.17 ± 0.76 Ma relative to the D’Orbigny angrite. Concordant ages determined using the short-lived 26Al-26Mg and 53Mn-53Cr systems and extant 207Pb-206Pb system (4562.60 ± 0.30 Ma for NWA 6704/6693; Amelin et al., 2019) indicate rapid cooling and nearly contemporaneous closing of multiple isotope systems. The ancient crystallization ages and positive 54Cr and 50Ti anomalies of NWA 6704/6693 indicate widespread melting and differentiation processes occurring in both non-carbonaceous (NC) and carbonaceous chondrite (CC) regions of the protoplanetary disk. Additionally, we report the Cr and Ti isotopic composition for a petrologic range of CR-type materials (CR2, CR6, and achondrites). The additional Cr and Ti isotopic data for these CR-type materials indicates a range in isotopic composition not previously observed based on CR2 chondrites alone.

We report a petrography, mineral chemistry, oxygen and chromium isotopic study of Grove Mountains (GRV) 020043 together with a subset of other acapulcoites and lodranites. GRV 020043 is a petrologic type 4 chondrite, with chondrules of diverse types and sizes, and is composed of low-Ca pyroxene (40 vol.%), olivine (24 vol.%), diopside (8 vol.%), plagioclase (10 vol.%), Fe-Ni metal (kamacite and taenite), troilite and some accessory minerals (chromite and apatite). The olivine in GRV 020043 has an average fayalite content (Fa) of 10.7 mol.% with the low-Ca pyroxene having an average ferrosilite content (Fs) of 10.8 mol.%. The whole rock oxygen isotopic composition of GRV 020043 is +3.226 ± 0.267‰, +0.797 ± 0.131‰, and −0.927 ± 0.017‰ for δ18O, δ17O, and Δ17O, respectively, with a bulk chromium isotopic compositions of e54Cr = −0.48 ± 0.10. These characteristics of GRV 020043 are different from all established or ungrouped chondrites but agree with those of the acapulcoite-lodranite clan. We therefore suggest that GRV 020043 represents the chondritic precursor of acapulcoite-lodranite parent body. The similarity of bulk oxygen and chromium isotopic compositions among GRV 020043, Acapulco, Northwest Africa (NWA) 468 (metal-rich lodranite), NWA 8118 (lodranite), NWA 8287 (acapulcoite), and NWA 8422 (lodranite) indicates that they originated from a common oxygen and chromium reservoir in the protoplanetary disk or may have derived from a parent body with a differentiated multilayer structure.