Spank

OBJECTIVES: Virtual reality (VR) teaching methods have potential to support medical students acquire increasing amounts of knowledge. EVENT (Easy VR EducatioN Tool) is an open educational resource software for immersive VR environments, which is designed for use without programming skills. In this work, EVENT was used in a medical student VR course on pancreatic cancer. METHODS: Medical students were invited to participate in the course. Before and after VR simulation, participants completed a multiple-choice knowledge assessment, with a maximum score of 10, and a VR experience questionnaire...

Environmental and occupational exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is associated with adverse health effects in humans. Uncertainty exists regarding the causation of urinary bladder cancer by benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) due to a lack of sufficient data. In this work, we focused on in-vitro DNA damage and the formation of micronuclei and chromosomal aberrations as predictors of cancer risk, applying a wide range of dosages and time periods to quantify the onset, intensity, and duration of the response...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Patients often experience a significant degree of knee pain following total knee replacement (TKR). To alleviate this pain, nerve blocks may be performed such as the adductor canal block (ACB). However, ACBs are unable to relieve pain originating from the posterior region of the knee. A new type of nerve block known as the IPACK block may be used in conjunction with ACBs as it is designed to inhibit nerve branches innervating this area. In this article, we examine the rationale behind the IPACK procedure, how it is performed, and clinical trials examining its efficacy...

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with the key substance benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) are widespread pollutants in the environment and at working places. Nonetheless, the exact underlying mechanisms of toxicological effects caused by B[a]P especially in absence and presence of UV irradiation remain uncertain. This study examines variations in exposure conditions: low B[a]P (4 nM), low B[a]P + UV and high B[a]P (4 μM), selected based on pertinent cytotoxicity assessments. Following cell viability evaluations post-treatment with varied B[a]P concentrations and UV irradiation, the identified concentrations underwent detailed metabolomic analysis via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry...

BACKGROUND: cartilage layer thickness, composition of the extracellular matrix (ECM), geometry and configuration of retropatellar cartilage partially differ significantly from those found at other locations and are essential for patellofemoral biomechanics. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 119 serial medial and lateral patella facet samples of patients undergoing implantation of a total knee endoprosthesis of areas showing mild (Group A, macroscopically ICRS Grade 1b) respectively advanced (Group B, macroscopically ICRS Grade 3a/3b) (38 each) osteoarthritis according to the histological-histochemical grading system (HHGS) were compared with 22 healthy biopsies by means of immunohistochemistry and histology investigations...

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are important for many biotechnological applications such as bioproduction and engineered probiotics for therapy. Inducible promoters are key gene expression control elements, yet those available in LAB are mainly based on bacteriocin systems and have many drawbacks, including large gene clusters, costly inducer peptides, and little portability to in vivo settings. Using Lactobacillus gasseri , a model commensal bacteria from the human gut, we report the engineering of synthetic LactoSpanks promoters (Pls), a collection of variable strength inducible promoters controlled by the LacI repressor from E...

Parents (N = 599) of 6-month-old to 10-year-old children were given a handbook intervention that educates about healthy discipline in a pediatric clinic serving low-income families in Nashville, Tennessee. A research assistant spent approximately 1 minute introducing the intervention. A total of 440 parents (73.4%) responded to a follow-up survey 2 to 4 months later. Most parents (88%) who completed the follow-up survey had read at least part of the handbook. Of parents who received the handbook, 63% reported that the handbook helped them discipline their children...

BACKGROUND: Extant literature has primarily employed linear models to estimate the average effect of spanking on children. Less is known about child and parent characteristics that may predict differential risks of children's exposure to spanking (i.e., pre-treatment heterogeneity) and the effect of spanking on child outcomes that may differ by the propensity for spanking (i.e., post-treatment heterogeneity). OBJECTIVE: The present study examines pre- and post-treatment heterogeneity in the association between maternal spanking at child age 3 and subsequent household Child Protective Services (CPS) involvement that were reported by mothers between child ages 3 to 5...

Bacillus subtilis is a generally recognized as safe microorganism that is widely used for protein expression and chemical production, but has a limited number of genetic regulatory components compared with the Gram-negative model microorganism Escherichia coli . In this study, a two-module plug-and-play T7-<u>b</u>ased <u>o</u>ptimized <u>o</u>utput <u>s</u>trategy for <u>t</u>ranscription (T7-BOOST) systems with low leakage expression and a wide dynamic range was constructed based on the inducible promoters P hy-spank and P xylA ...

Geometric morphometrics (GM) enable the quantification of morphological variation on various scales. Recent technical advances allow analyzing complex three-dimensional shapes also in cases where landmark-based approaches are not appropriate. Pelvic girdle bones (basipterygia) of Sulawesi ricefishes are 3D structures that challenge traditional morphometrics. We hypothesize that the pelvic girdle of ricefishes experienced sex-biased selection pressures in species where females provide brood care by carrying fertilized eggs supported by elongated pelvic fins ("pelvic brooding")...

BACKGROUND: Positive and consistent parenting practices are associated with the positive mental health of children. However, little is understood about the implications of the Russian military invasion on family dynamics in Ukraine. OBJECTIVE: This research aims to estimate the prevalence of childhood conduct disorder (CD) and bullying perpetration and their association with parenting practices among Ukrainian children living in proximity to the war. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: The sample included 2763 Ukrainian children ranging in age from 10 to 17 years (M = 12...

Solutions of macromolecules can undergo liquid-liquid phase separation to form droplets with ultralow surface tension. Droplets with such low surface tension wet and spread over common surfaces such as test tubes and microscope slides, complicating in vitro experiments. The development of a universal super-repellent surface for macromolecular droplets has remained elusive because their ultralow surface tension requires low surface energies. Furthermore, the nonwetting of droplets containing proteins poses additional challenges because the surface must remain inert to a wide range of chemistries presented by the various amino acid side chains at the droplet surface...

BACKGROUND: Spanking has been linked to multiple maladaptive child outcomes. However, previous research linking spanking with children's executive function skills (EFs; inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, and working memory) is limited by research designs that do not adequately address selection bias concerns, wherein the participant characteristics potentially differ between those who are spanked versus not spanked. OBJECTIVE: Using a representative sample of US children aged 5 to 6, this study strengthened the evidence for causal estimates on the link between spanking and subsequent EFs with a matched-group design...

Brazil has a historical gap regarding information on violence against women. Herein we aimed to evaluate the association of socioeconomic and demographic characteristics with physical violence against women in Brazil, as well as the possible escalation of violence to severe patterns of violence. We analysed data from the 3rd Brazilian Household Survey on Substance Use, in 2015. The main outcomes were reporting any physical violence and being stabbed/shot in the last 12-months. Logistic regressions were fitted to assess the association between socioeconomic and demographic variables with the outcomes...

OBJECTIVES: Physical punishment of children remains quite common and yet has only negative effects on children's health, making it an important public health problem. This study was designed to assess positive attitudes about and perceived normative support for the use of physical punishment with children, as well as attitudes regarding prohibition of physical punishment in homes and schools. STUDY DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional national survey of a diverse sample of US adults (N = 3049)...

Transitions from no parental care to extensive care are costly and involve major changes in life history, behaviour and morphology. Nevertheless, in Sulawesi ricefishes, pelvic brooding evolved from transfer brooding in two distantly related lineages within the genera Adrianichthys and Oryzias, respectively. Females of pelvic brooding species carry their eggs attached to their belly until the fry hatches. Despite their phylogenetic distance, both pelvic brooding lineages share a set of external morphological traits...

BACKGROUND: Religious affiliation may account for some variance in parenting behaviors used for disciplinary intent. However, most reported studies of this relationship are limited to high-income countries focused on Christianity. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine whether parenting behaviors vary by religion in a low- and middle-income country between Protestant, Catholic, and Muslim groups. It was hypothesized that Protestant households would have higher odds of select parenting behaviors...

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is the leading professional organization for social work that established the Code of Ethics and sets the policy agenda for the profession. Guided by the Code of Ethics and the Grand Challenges for Social Work goal to "build healthy relationships to end violence," the NASW Social Work Speaks policy compendium should reassert its statement against the physical punishment of children. This recommendation aligns with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and children's right to protection from violence; the rigorous empirical research base, which demonstrates that physical punishment has detrimental consequences to child well-being; and similar policy statements issued by allied professional organizations...

PURPOSE: Neural networks might be an appropriate solution for the categorization of child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) in forensic cases. The aim of this study was to present a neural network model that may be able to categorize objects and behaviors, which are visible in CSAM, using pictures visually similar to CSAM (AB/DL), involving persons who have paraphilic preferences for watching adult women or men dressed like children or involved in activities typical for children, such as playing...

BACKGROUND: Child maltreatment and peer victimization are pervasive public health problems associated with adolescent substance use. Although child maltreatment has been identified as a risk factor for peer victimization, few studies have investigated their co-occurrence (i.e., polyvictimization). The study objectives were to: examine sex differences in the prevalence of child maltreatment, peer victimization, and substance use; identify polyvictimization patterns; and examine the associations between the identified typologies and adolescent substance use...