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Journal of Endodontics Jun 2023Vital pulp therapy is increasingly practiced as an alternative treatment to root canal therapy (RCT) in teeth with carious pulp exposure. The aim of this study was to... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial of Pulpotomy versus Root Canal Therapy in Mature Teeth with Irreversible Pulpitis: Outcome, Quality of Life, and Patients' Satisfaction.
INTRODUCTION
Vital pulp therapy is increasingly practiced as an alternative treatment to root canal therapy (RCT) in teeth with carious pulp exposure. The aim of this study was to compare the outcome, quality of life (QOL), and patients' satisfaction after full pulpotomy and RCT in mature teeth with irreversible pulpitis.
METHODS
Sixty mature permanent molar teeth with carious pulp exposure and a diagnosis of irreversible pulpitis were randomly divided into 2 groups (n = 30). The first group was treated with full pulpotomy using Biodentine (Septodont, Saint Maur des Fosses, France), and the second group was treated with RCT. The pain level was recorded preoperatively and at 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7 days. Clinical and radiographic assessments were performed at the 6- and 12-month follow-ups; 1 case in each group did not attend. Based on the Oral Health Impact Profile questionnaire and 7 semantic differential scales, QOL, and patients' satisfaction were evaluated and compared statistically.
RESULTS
Pulpotomy and RCT had comparable success rates (27/29, 93%). Pain levels at day 1 after pulpotomy were significantly lower than after RCT (P = .037), less patients required analgesics (P = .028), and pulpotomy provided pain relief in a shorter time compared with RCT. Both treatments improved the Oral Health Impact Profile QOL of patients without significant differences (60.29, 64.1% at 1 year). Patients' satisfaction with pulpotomy was higher than RCT in terms of the time involved, intraoperative pain, pleasantness, and cost (P < .05).
CONCLUSIONS
Full pulpotomy could be an alternative treatment to RCT in mature teeth with carious pulp exposure and symptomatic irreversible pulpitis based on the clinical and radiographic success rates and patients' satisfaction.
Topics: Humans; Pulpotomy; Pulpitis; Patient Satisfaction; Root Canal Therapy; Calcium Compounds; Silicates; Quality of Life; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 37080387
DOI: 10.1016/j.joen.2023.04.001 -
The British Journal of Social Psychology Jan 2023Word embeddings provide quantitative representations of word semantics and the associations between word meanings in text data, including in large repositories in media... (Review)
Review
Word embeddings provide quantitative representations of word semantics and the associations between word meanings in text data, including in large repositories in media and social media archives. This article introduces social psychologists to word embedding research via a consideration of bias analysis, a topic of central concern in the discipline. We explain how word embeddings are constructed and how they can be used to measure bias along bipolar dimensions that are comparable to semantic differential scales. We review recent studies that show how familiar social biases can be detected in embeddings and how these change over time and in conjunction with real-world discriminatory practices. The evidence suggests that embeddings yield valid and reliable estimates of bias and that they can identify subtle biases that may not be communicated explicitly. We argue that word embedding research can extend scholarship on prejudice and stereotyping, providing measures of the bias environment of human thought and action.
Topics: Humans; Semantics; Prejudice; Stereotyping
PubMed: 35871272
DOI: 10.1111/bjso.12560 -
Materials (Basel, Switzerland) Feb 2023Biobased composites offer unique properties in the context of sustainable material production as well as end-of-life disposal, which places them as viable alternatives...
Biobased composites offer unique properties in the context of sustainable material production as well as end-of-life disposal, which places them as viable alternatives to fossil-fuel-based materials. However, the large-scale application of these materials in product design is hindered by their perceptual handicaps and understanding the mechanism of biobased composite perception, and its constituents could pave the way to creating commercially successful biobased composites. This study examines the role of bimodal (visual and tactile) sensory evaluation in the formation of biobased composite perception through the Semantic Differential method. It is observed that the biobased composites could be grouped into different clusters based on the dominance and interplay of various senses in perception forming. Attributes such as , , and are seen to correlate with each other positively and are influenced by both visual and tactile characteristics of the biobased composites. Attributes such as , , and are also positively correlated but dominated by visual stimuli. The perceptual relationships and components of beauty, naturality, and value and their constituent attributes are identified, along with the visual and tactile characteristics that influence these assessments. Material design leveraging these biobased composite characteristics could lead to the creation of sustainable materials that would be more attractive to designers and consumers.
PubMed: 36902959
DOI: 10.3390/ma16051844 -
Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence 2023In recent years, with the rapid development of deep learning technology, great progress has been made in computer vision, image recognition, pattern recognition, and... (Review)
Review
In recent years, with the rapid development of deep learning technology, great progress has been made in computer vision, image recognition, pattern recognition, and speech signal processing. However, due to the black-box nature of deep neural networks (DNNs), one cannot explain the parameters in the deep network and why it can perfectly perform the assigned tasks. The interpretability of neural networks has now become a research hotspot in the field of deep learning. It covers a wide range of topics in speech and text signal processing, image processing, differential equation solving, and other fields. There are subtle differences in the definition of interpretability in different fields. This paper divides interpretable neural network (INN) methods into the following two directions: model decomposition neural networks, and semantic INNs. The former mainly constructs an INN by converting the analytical model of a conventional method into different layers of neural networks and combining the interpretability of the conventional model-based method with the powerful learning capability of the neural network. This type of INNs is further classified into different subtypes depending on which type of models they are derived from, i.e., mathematical models, physical models, and other models. The second type is the interpretable network with visual semantic information for user understanding. Its basic idea is to use the visualization of the whole or partial network structure to assign semantic information to the network structure, which further includes convolutional layer output visualization, decision tree extraction, semantic graph, etc. This type of method mainly uses human visual logic to explain the structure of a black-box neural network. So it is a post-network-design method that tries to assign interpretability to a black-box network structure afterward, as opposed to the pre-network-design method of model-based INNs, which designs interpretable network structure beforehand. This paper reviews recent progress in these areas as well as various application scenarios of INNs and discusses existing problems and future development directions.
PubMed: 37899962
DOI: 10.3389/frai.2023.974295 -
American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease... Nov 2015Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) was one of the lesser known dementias until the recent advancements revealing its genetic and pathological foundation. This common... (Review)
Review
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) was one of the lesser known dementias until the recent advancements revealing its genetic and pathological foundation. This common neurodegenerative disorder has three clinical subtypes- behavioral, semantic and progressive non fluent aphasia. The behavioral variant mostly exhibits personality changes, while the other two encompass various language deficits. This review discusses the basic pathology, genetics, clinical and histological presentation and the diagnosis of the 3 subtypes. It also deliberates the different therapeutic modalities currently available for frontotemporal dementia and the challenges faced by the caregivers. Lastly it explores the scope of further research into the diagnosis and management of FTD.
Topics: Behavior; Caregivers; Diagnosis, Differential; Frontotemporal Dementia; Humans; Pick Disease of the Brain
PubMed: 23813692
DOI: 10.1177/1533317513494442 -
Cognition & Emotion Sep 2023Social learning plays a prominent role in shaping individual preferences. The vicarious approach-avoidance effect consists of developing a preference for attitudinal...
Social learning plays a prominent role in shaping individual preferences. The vicarious approach-avoidance effect consists of developing a preference for attitudinal objects that have been approached over objects that have been avoided by another person (model). In two experiments ( = 448 participants), we explored how the vicarious approach-avoidance effect is affected by agency (model's voluntary choice) and identification with the model. The results consistently revealed vicarious approach-avoidance effects in preference, as indicated by the semantic differential and the Implicit Association Test. Agency increased the size of the preference assessed through the semantic differential but did not significantly impact preference in the Implicit Association Test. Identification with the model had no significant impact on the vicarious approach-avoidance effect. Theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed.
PubMed: 37724804
DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2023.2258573 -
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review Aug 2022Prior studies of A:B::C:D verbal analogies have identified several factors that affect performance, including the semantic similarity between source and target domains...
Prior studies of A:B::C:D verbal analogies have identified several factors that affect performance, including the semantic similarity between source and target domains (semantic distance), the semantic association between the C-term and incorrect answers (distracter salience), and the type of relations between word pairs. However, it is unclear how these stimulus properties affect performance when utilized together. To test their interactive effects, we created a verbal analogy stimulus set that factorially crossed these factors and presented participants with an analogical stem (A:B::C:?) with two response choices: an analogically correct (D) and incorrect distracter (D') term. The semantic distance between source and target word pairs was manipulated creating near (BOWL:DISH::SPOON:SILVERWARE) and far (WRENCH:TOOL::SAD:MOOD) analogies. The salience of an incorrect distracter (D') was manipulated using the sematic distance with the C-term creating low (DRAWER) and high (FORK) salience distracters. Causal, compositional, and categorical relations were presented across these conditions. Accuracies were higher for semantically near than far analogies and when distracter salience was low than high. Categorical relations yielded better performance than the causal and compositional relations. Moreover, a three-way interaction demonstrated that the effects of semantic distance and distracter salience had a greater impact on performance for compositional and causal relations than for the categorical ones. We theorize that causal and compositional analogies, given their less semantically constrained responses, require more inhibitory control than more constraining relations (e.g., categorical).
Topics: Humans; Semantics
PubMed: 35132581
DOI: 10.3758/s13423-022-02062-8 -
Neuropsychologia Nov 2023Co-speech gestures are integral to human communication and exhibit diverse forms, each serving a distinct communication function. However, existing literature has...
Co-speech gestures are integral to human communication and exhibit diverse forms, each serving a distinct communication function. However, existing literature has focused on individual gesture types, leaving a gap in understanding the comparative neural processing of these diverse forms. To address this, our study investigated the neural processing of two types of iconic gestures: those representing attributes or event knowledge of entity concepts, beat gestures enacting rhythmic manual movements without semantic information, and self-adaptors. During functional magnetic resonance imaging, systematic randomization and attentive observation of video stimuli revealed a general neural substrate for co-speech gesture processing primarily in the bilateral middle temporal and inferior parietal cortices, characterizing visuospatial attention, semantic integration of cross-modal information, and multisensory processing of manual and audiovisual inputs. Specific types of gestures and grooming movements elicited distinct neural responses. Greater activity in the right supramarginal and inferior frontal regions was specific to self-adaptors, and is relevant to the spatiomotor and integrative processing of speech and gestures. The semantic and sensorimotor regions were least active for beat gestures. The processing of attribute gestures was most pronounced in the left posterior middle temporal gyrus upon access to knowledge of entity concepts. This fMRI study illuminated the neural underpinnings of gesture-speech integration and highlighted the differential processing pathways for various co-speech gestures.
Topics: Humans; Speech; Gestures; Semantics; Temporal Lobe; Frontal Lobe; Magnetic Resonance Imaging
PubMed: 37827428
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108697 -
Journal of Neuropsychology Sep 2016There are a number of long-standing theories on how the cognitive processing of abstract words, like 'life', differs from that of concrete words, like 'knife'. This... (Review)
Review
There are a number of long-standing theories on how the cognitive processing of abstract words, like 'life', differs from that of concrete words, like 'knife'. This review considers current perspectives on this debate, focusing particularly on insights obtained from patients with language disorders and integrating these with evidence from functional neuroimaging studies. The evidence supports three distinct and mutually compatible hypotheses. (1) Concrete and abstract words differ in their representational substrates, with concrete words depending particularly on sensory experiences and abstract words on linguistic, emotional, and magnitude-based information. Differential dependence on visual versus verbal experience is supported by the evidence for graded specialization in the anterior temporal lobes for concrete versus abstract words. In addition, concrete words have richer representations, in line with better processing of these words in most aphasic patients and, in particular, patients with semantic dementia. (2) Abstract words place greater demands on executive regulation processes because they have variable meanings that change with context. This theory explains abstract word impairments in patients with semantic-executive deficits and is supported by neuroimaging studies showing greater response to abstract words in inferior prefrontal cortex. (3) The relationships between concrete words are governed primarily by conceptual similarity, while those of abstract words depend on association to a greater degree. This theory, based primarily on interference and priming effects in aphasic patients, is the most recent to emerge and the least well understood. I present analyses indicating that patterns of lexical co-occurrence may be important in understanding these effects.
Topics: Cognition; Comprehension; Concept Formation; Female; Humans; Male; Neuropsychological Tests; Neuropsychology; Semantics; Vocabulary
PubMed: 25708527
DOI: 10.1111/jnp.12065 -
Frontiers in Psychiatry 2020Although there is ample evidence from cross-sectional studies indicating cognitive deficits in high schizotypal individuals that resemble the cognitive profile of...
Although there is ample evidence from cross-sectional studies indicating cognitive deficits in high schizotypal individuals that resemble the cognitive profile of schizophrenia-spectrum patients, there is still lack of evidence by longitudinal/follow-up studies. The present study included assessments of schizotypal traits and a wide range of cognitive functions at two time points (baseline and 4-years assessments) in order to examine (a) their stability over time, (b) the predictive value of baseline schizotypy on cognition at follow-up and (c) differences in cognition between the two time points in high negative schizotypal and control individuals. Only high negative schizotypal individuals were compared with controls due to the limited number of participants falling in the other schizotypal groups at follow-up. Seventy participants (mean age: 36.17; 70% females) were assessed at baseline and follow-up. Schizotypal traits were evaluated with the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire. We found that schizotypal traits decreased over time, except in a sub-group of participants ("schizotypy congruent") that includes individuals who consistently meet normative criteria of inclusion in either a schizotypal or control group. In these individuals, negative schizotypy and aspects of cognitive-perceptual and disorganized schizotypy remained stable. The stability of cognitive functioning also varied over time: response inhibition, aspects of cued attention switching, set-shifting and phonemic/semantic verbal fluency improved at follow-up. High negative schizotypy at baseline predicted poorer response inhibition and semantic switching at follow-up while high disorganized schizotypy predicted poorer semantic processing and complex processing speed/set-shifting. The between-group analyses revealed that response inhibition, set-shifting and complex processing speed/set-shifting were poorer in negative schizotypals compared with controls at both time points, while maintaining set and semantic switching were poorer only at follow-up. Taken together, the findings show differential stability of the schizotypal traits over time and indicate that different aspects of schizotypy predict a different pattern of neuropsychological task performance during a 4-years time window. These results are of significant use in the formulation of targeted early-intervention strategies for high-risk populations.
PubMed: 33488431
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.613015