Favorite Hobby Research Articles

UNDERSTANDING STUDENT INTERESTA, ABILITIES ADN LIMITATIONS: THE CORNERSTONE OF EFFECTIVE EDUCATION

Understanding student interests, abilities, and limitations is fundamental to effective education. By recognizing these elements, educators can create personalized learning experiences that engage students and foster a love for learning. Interests are vital as they motivate students to participate actively in their education. When lessons are aligned with what students are passionate about, they are more likely to engage deeply and retain information. For instance, incorporating themes from students’ favorite hobbies or current trends can make learning relevant and exciting. Abilities encompass both the strengths and weaknesses of each student. Differentiated instruction, which tailors teaching methods to meet diverse needs, allows educators to challenge advanced learners while supporting those who may struggle. Regular assessments and observations help identify these abilities, enabling educators to adapt their approaches and provide appropriate resources. Limitations, whether they stem from learning disabilities, socio-economic factors, or emotional challenges, also play a critical role in shaping educational experiences. Understanding these limitations allows teachers to implement inclusive strategies that ensure all students can access the curriculum. Ultimately, a comprehensive understanding of interests, abilities, and limitations fosters a supportive learning environment. This holistic approach not only enhances academic achievement but also promotes self-esteem and resilience in students. By prioritizing these factors, educators can empower students to reach their full potential, equipping them with the skills and confidence needed for lifelong learning and success.

Self-Employment for Students: Realities and Prospects of Development in the Modern Economy

Relevance. The emergence of self-employment in the economic system of Russia undoubtedly has a significant role, as evidenced by the experiment of 2019. This experiment on the introduction of a tax on professional income has acquired special significance, showing a high increase in the number of taxpayers. The expansion of formal employment contributes to the development of entrepreneurship of small and medium-sized business entities, which in general gives impetus to the acceleration of socio-economic development of the regions of Russia. The relevance of the chosen topic is due to the fact that everyone should fully know their own capabilities and rights to use resources as a source of profit. Thus, the article analyzes the process of forming the legal status of a self-employed citizen. The purpose of this work is to assess the issue of students acquiring self-employed status. Objectives: based on the analysis of psychological and pedagogical literature, to consider the concept of "selfemployed"; to reveal the advantages and disadvantages, privileges and opportunities of this status for students; to identify the essence and highlight the main distinctive components; to reveal the activities of self-employed students; to analyze the statistical data of the subjects of the Russian Federation. Methodology. In the process of studying the issue of acquiring the status of self-employed, methods of logical, comparative, statistical analysis, classification, generalization, theoretical analysis of scientific and methodological literature, economic and statistical methods were used. The results of the study show that the growth of the self-employed does not decrease the pace. Although the status of self-employed has a large number of positive characteristics for students, however, many young people are not fully informed about the new tax regime. The conclusion based on the results of the study indicates that currently self-employment provides ample opportunities for those who want to try their hand at entrepreneurship. This is a great way to successfully monetize unique abilities, hobbies, invaluable experience and favorite hobbies.

Dukungan Sosial dan Stress Reduction pada Ibu Hamil di Era Pandemi COVID-19: Studi Pendekatan Literature Review

The COVID-19 pandemic has restricted human activities or a person's mobilization. Activity restrictions can make people experience psychological disorders, including pregnant women. This certainly makes it easier for pregnant women to experience stress and the lack of direct social support by those closest to them during the pandemic. The purpose of this study is to examine social support and stress reduction for pregnant women in maintaining health during the COVID-19 pandemic era. Search literature using journal databases, namely Science Direct, Scopus, and Proquest. The journal search strategy aims to retrieve research articles that are by the research topic so that 9 journal articles are discussed in this study. The results of this research study found that social support is important for pregnant women by the closest people such as husbands, family, and friends. Social support can be provided through virtual support to improve the quality of life of pregnant women. Activities for pregnant women that can reduce stress include communicating with others, physical activity, seeking entertainment, rest, alternative therapy, nature recreation, doing home activities such as cooking, doing favorite hobbies, organizing (including studying, preparing for the arrival of the baby), and controlled eating/drinking activities.

Wellness 911

EPs can offer encouragement and provide information that is transformationalFigureFigureFigureFigureAre psych patients your favorite patients in the emergency department? Did I hear a guffaw? What if I told you they are one of mine (LC)? It's true. Let me explain. I transitioned out of the adult ED after an episode of burnout several years ago, and have worked primarily in a pediatric ED ever since. Pediatric psychiatric visits have exploded in frequency in recent years. It was rare to see a suicidal patient in the peds ED when I was in residency training. Fast forward to today. I come into work at times and find half of our beds filled with psych holds. The pediatric mental health crisis has spiraled out of control. Acutely suicidal patients generally require inpatient treatment, but is there anything we can do to help make this hospitalization their last hospitalization? Is there anything we can say or do to improve their outcomes after discharge? This is where these patients become my favorites. Often in emergency medicine, we feel as though we slap Band-Aids on chronic problems, but make no real difference in people's lives. But we can offer words of encouragement and provide information that has the potential to be transformational for these patients and their families. Looking to the Future How do we do this? First, show that we care. Many of these children have experienced traumatic experiences. Many come from home situations where parents are unavailable for various reasons. Sometimes just being a listening ear for a few moments, providing a moment of human connection and empathy, can make a significant difference for these children. We can also ask about their futures. Many of these young people feel stuck in unfortunate situations, not realizing that they have so much of their lives ahead of them, so many opportunities for change, growth, and improvement. Asking children what they want to be when they grow up and encouraging them in the belief that they can become whatever they want to be helps provide a future focus and develops what psychologists call prospection—the mental representation and evaluation of possible futures. Discussing their favorite hobbies and activities, pets, and family members can help do the same. Research has demonstrated a link between positive future focus and less suicidal ideation. (Front Psychiatry. 2022;13:915007; http://bit.ly/3zufcgd.) We can explore their health habits. Many evidence-based lifestyle modifications can help ease depression symptoms. Surprisingly, mental health service providers don't always discuss these with their patients. Exercise and Nutrition One of the most important health habits is exercise. A recent meta-analysis showed brisk walking for 2.5 hours a week can improve depression symptoms by up to 25 percent. (JAMA Psychiatry. 2022;79[6]:550; http://bit.ly/3lTjsCt.) That could mean the difference between suicidal and not suicidal. Getting outside and getting the heart rate up for even a few minutes a day can create a substantial improvement in symptoms. Nutrition is also important. Depression is an inflammatory condition, so it's no surprise that inflammatory foods can increase symptoms of depression while anti-inflammatory diets reduce the likelihood of adolescent depression. A quick reminder of which foods are helpful and which to avoid could help this population. Discuss screen use. Numerous studies have identified a positive association between screen use and depression in adolescents. Addressing the issue during the crisis moment in the ED helps create awareness of the dangers of excessive screen use and provides empowerment to parents who may not realize they need to—or are able to—apply boundaries to their children's screen use. My typical pediatric psych patients are on their devices for eight or more hours daily. I am usually able to run through all these strategies in a five-minute spiel during my evaluation of the patient. I later include them in any written instructions given at discharge or transfer to a psychiatric facility. Almost invariably, families are appreciative of the time I spend sharing this information, and I feel as though maybe I have made a difference for these children and their families. Your mileage may vary, but I encourage you to give these simple interventions a try. They might just save a life! Share this article on Twitter and Facebook. Access the links in EMN by reading this on our website: www.EM-News.com. Comments? Write to us at [email protected].

An Interesting Case.

An Interesting Case.

Relationship between Self-esteem and Problematic Use of Facebook among University Students

In recent times, social media especially Facebook is much popular tool among youth. Where social media can benefit youth, there is also chance of problem for youngsters. The core aspire of current research study was to know about “Relationship between Self-esteem and Problematic Use of Facebook”. Study was survey based and data was collected from students of Foundation University Islamabad using random sampling technique. The sample size of study was n=313 students including male and female. The study concluded that Facebook use is more favorite hobby of youth especially university and spend lot of time on social media. Using Facebook alone and at night timing found common among youngster. Furthermore study revealed that self-esteem causes less problematic use of Facebook and no difference was found among male and female about more problematic use of Facebook as gender.

Effect of Time Management Program on Job Satisfaction for Physicians, A Cross-Sectional Study

Background and objective: we conducted this study to find out the important relationship between time-management skills and physician career satisfaction and explore the importance of utilizing strategies that promote efficient time management. Methods: In this cross-section study, used a self-designed and validated questionnaire. The current study was conducted during a series of workshops, in CMH Lahore Medical College & IOD from August-October 2021. Participants were, no prerequisite knowledge, skills, or resources were required for the workshop. Results: A total of 157 participants were enrolled for a workshop and 155 participants fill the questionnaire completely so the response rate was 98.72%. Questionnaire, Cronbach’s Alpha value was 0.78 male participants were 60 (38%) and females 96 (61.4%). The age average was 25-39 years. Most participants are demonstrators/lecturers/registrars. About 77 (49%) of the physician’s sleep duration was normal hours and 78 (51%) complain to insomnia. Only 67 (43.9%) physicians give family time properly but 88 (56.4%) spend less than 4 hours with their families. Doctors spend less time on their smart devices 16 (10.3%) spend more than 2 hours/day. Very few physicians do their favorite hobby or any physical activity daily. Conclusion: Physicians are not good time managers, its means their patients are kept waiting, they get stressed, their work becomes less enjoyable, stress can build, they lose their sense of humor and they lose valuable time for family, exercise, and sleep, insignificantly different across gender, age, experience and entering qualification.

The phenomenon of football fanaticism in the youth subculture

This article is devoted to the study of the phenomenon of football fanaticism in the youth subculture. The relevance of the research is largely due to the role played by the youth subculture in modern society, an integral part of which is the informal "fan movement", which manifests itself in various fields — music, fashion, politics, ideology, sports, etc. "football fanaticism" has become widespread in Russia, the analysis of which allows us to highlight the essence and characteristic features of youth "fanaticism" in general. To study this problem, a questionnaire survey, a focused group interview, and conversations on forums with fans of Spartak, Zenit, and CSKA football clubs were used as quantitative and qualitative research methods. These methods were the most suitable, because with their help, the opinion of schoolchildren about football fanaticism was studied, groups of teenagers who consider themselves football fans were identified, their subculture was studied, the causes and factors of the spread and "departure" of teenagers into fan groups were determined. According to the results of the study, the image of a football fan was formed. According to schoolchildren, a football fan is a devoted sports fan belonging to a close-knit group of peers, promoting sports, the priority value for which is a favorite hobby. Thus, the questionnaire survey made it possible to identify groups of "fans" and a range of questions for further investigation of the phenomenon using a group focused interview.

Your Next Celebration at US National Parks: A Case Emphasizing Lyme Neuroborreliosis (Bannwarth Syndrome)

Introduction: Bannwarth syndrome is synonymous with Lyme neuroborreliosis. The neurological component consists of neuropathy, radicular pain, and lymphocytic pleocytosis. This is due to inflammation of the nerve fibers by Borrelia Burgdorferi. Borrelia Borgdorferi is a spirochete bacteria transmitted hematogenously from the Ixodes tick vector to the human host. The commonly known Lyme disease is diagnosed with symptoms of arthritis, heart block, and integumentary signs. Lyme disease can present as early disseminated or late manifestations of disease. Bannwarth syndrome takes it a step further and emphasizes the neurologic sub set of symptoms. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates about 300,000 new cases annually. It is the triad of neuropathy, radicular pain, and lymphocytic pleocytosis caused by immune inflammation of nerve fibers. Case Presentation: A 73 year old gentleman with a past medical history notable for stage 2 chronic kidney disease and adenocarcinoma of the prostate status post prostatectomy presenting to the emergency department with radicular left sided chest discomfort. It was waxing and waning, unilateral, and radiating to his left upper back for the past one month. For the last 2 weeks leading to this presentation, he had accompanying numbness and tingling in his hands. Upon discussion, he resides in the countryside and spends a great deal of time outdoors during the fall season. His favorite hobbies include collecting tractors and walking his pets. The 2nd case involves a 24 year old gentleman without significant past medical history presented to the hospital emergency room complaining of progressive upper torso pain and extremity paresthesia for the past month. Developed extremity paresthesias in the forearms along with blurry vision in the right eye. The diagnosis of Disseminated Lyme Infection was made with positive IgM and IgG tests for Lyme Bands. 8 weeks of intravenous ceftriaxone with continued infusion in the outpatient setting was completed. The erythematous migratory rashes disappeared over the following week, and the neuropathies and radicular pain steadily decreased until they disappeared. His EKG reverted back to a normal sinus rhythm without further complications. Results: A positive IgM is reported when any 2 or more are present: 23, 39, or 41 kDa. This positive antibody test warranted Lyme Western Blot test, which was positive for Borrelia Burgdorferi. He was treated with a 14 day course of doxycycline. After the full course of doxycycline, the chest discomfort resolved. His subsequent clinical course did not show any further complications. Conclusion:

Evaluation of knowledge, attitude and practice regarding stress management among undergraduate medical students at tertiary care teaching hospital, New Delhi

:Medical training requires continuous efforts and high level of perseverance, patience and commitment from medical students. Due to this performance pressure, students face high level of stress which affects not only their health negatively but also their thinking and learning abilities gets hampered.This study aimsto evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practice of stress management among undergraduate MBBS students at Hamdard Institute of medical sciences & research, Jamia Hamdard attatched to Hakeem Abdul Hameed Centenary hospital, a tertiary care hospital, New Delhi, India.A total of 254 undergraduate students of first year, second year and third first year of MBBS were explained the aims and objectives of the study and written informed consents were obtained from those who were willing to participate in the study. The questionnaire consisted of 12 questions regarding knowledge, attitude and practice on stress management [Annexure attached]. The students were asked to fill the questionnaire by themselves within 30 minutes of time. Out of 12 questions, 4 questions were of knowledge, 3 of attitude and 5 of practice regarding stress management among medical undergraduates. The questionnaires were collected and evaluated for their completeness. The data were recorded in Microsoft Excel Worksheet and analyzed.Out of 254 total undergraduates, 32.3%, 35.8% and 31.8% of students were of first, second and third year MBBS, respectively. 46.5% were male and 53.5% were female students. 28.4% students gave a relevant definition of stress. The most common condition related to stress is anxiety (79.6%). Only 37.4% of students could answer the correct clinical features of stress. Most common stressors were large syllabus (124%), less study time (28.7%) followed by apprehension to viva-voce. 72.7% of students marked that they have faced difficulties in adapting to the new environment and feeling home sickness, which was particularly seen in first-year students. Lack of friends (58.6%) was the most common non-academic cause of stress. 64.9% students had confronted stress because of competition related stress. Most commonly used stress relieving activities by the students was listening to music (63.7%) mostly in female students, followed by watching internet videos (24.1%) particularly in male students. Meditation and prayer were practiced by only 0.8% of students. 2.4% of students indulged themselves in their favorite hobbies when felt stress out and 5.1% students became addicted to smoking and alcohol.There were various stressors among medical students which has an adverse effect on the mental health of the medical students. There is an urgent need to establish and implement some strategies in order to adapt with the prevailing stress factors. Therefore, apart from the academic teaching, extracurricular activities such as meditation/yoga classes, sport activities, psychological counselling etc., should be incorporated in the medical curriculum. This will enhance the ability of students to deal with stress more effectively and this will definitely aid in improving their work efficiency.

رنگوں کےذریعے امراض کا علاج: ایک تحقیقی مطالعہ

Allah Almighty has made the life of the world in the Universe perishable. Therefore, he has also made the lives of human beings, animals, birds and insects living on the earth eternal. For the end of their lives, Allah Almighty has made different causes according to his Sunnah. Among these causes of the decline of worldly life are also diseases. On the other hand Allah Almighty has also created means to take life to the appointed time. Among these causes are medicines which can be used to prolong the life of this world till the appointed time. Therefore, along with diseases, Allah Almighty has also revealed to human beings various methods of treatment for diseases. One of these methods is the treatment of colors. Different colors have different effects on human life. The proof of this is stated in the Holy Quran “The Said! Ask Allah to tell us what color it is. Musa Said! My Allah says: let its color be deep yellow, that it may please the beholders.”
 Since man is naturally endowed with beauty, Allah Almighty has adorned the universe with colors. This blessing is also mentioned in various places in the Holy Qur’an, as the Almighty says: “Do they not look at the sky above them, how we have made it and adorned it, and there is no crack in it?” “On top of these Paradises will be green garments of cherubim and silk rings and they will be adorned with silver bracelets”.
 The importance of colors has been mentioned in the Holy Quran. Keeping in view the importance of colors, Azimi Sahib has described the treatment of colors as a natural means of treatment. He has written “Treatment” “Color therapy” and “Theory of Color and Lights”. According to him, due to the excess and deficiency of colors, the human body suffers from various diseases. And if the deficiency and excess of the desired color in the body is corrected, the disease can be got rid of. Sunlight and rays help to eliminate abuse.
 Describing the mental properties of red, he has called it the color of courage and love. When things go awry and expectations are dashed, red dominates the mental center. The red color in the center of the red is an indication of abnormal emotional attachment or emotional trauma. People in the red color are in moderation, they help others and use all their abilities in their favorite hobbies.

AWWA Water Science Author Spotlight

Having recently published an article in AWWA Water Science, Taylor Stauffer answered a few questions from its editor-in-chief Kenneth L. Mercer about the research. Multiple Tap Sets to Improve Venturi Flowmeters Performance Characteristics With Disturbed Flow Taylor B. Stauffer, Michael C. Johnson, Zachary B. Sharp, Steven L. Barfuss Taylor Stauffer visits Hanging Lake in Glenwood Canyon, Colorado. Michael Johnson was my research professor at Utah State University and was a great mentor to me. He worked alongside me and his other students and was willing to take the time to teach me with hands-on experience in the hydraulics lab. A great lesson he gave me was about taking the time to get the test set up and the equipment correct, and making sure the other prep work is done correctly; otherwise, you will be repeating the work you did if the results of the test are incorrect. It may have taken several experiences of doing this before I figured it out. Taylor takes measurements of a model spillway. Taylor and his wife, Katie, enjoy a fishing trip on the Logan River in Utah. Growing up, all of my close friends’ parents worked in the agriculture industry. I have always admired the hard work they did to make a living. When I went to school, I always wanted to stay close to my roots in agriculture. Water is an essential element in agriculture, and I became very interested in learning how the water was transmitted from distant locations to the farmer's field and other places where water was needed. I wanted my work to contribute to making it more efficient to get water where it is needed for people. I grew up loving baseball and other sports, and one of my favorite hobbies is going to sporting events. I love going to the ballpark on a summer evening to enjoy America's Pastime. I also like to take my family into the outdoors to camp, fish, and ride four-wheelers. To learn more about Taylor's research, visit the article online at https://doi.org/10.1002/aws2.1134.

3. INTERN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND WELLNESS WEEK: BUILDING LIFE-LONG SKILLS FOR WORK-LIFE INTEGRATION

Introduction The requirements for successful completion of Pediatric Residency is clear, but until recently there was very little guidance regarding physician work-life integration. Given the growing awareness of physician burnout and the increased physician suicide rate compared to the general public (American Journal of Psychiatry.2004. 161(12), 2295-2302), our program deemed it necessary to implement a curriculum focused on wellness early in medical training. Methods Our program implemented a Professional Development and Wellness Week (7 days) during intern year. During this week, interns are required to meet with their adviser, shadow an inpatient nurse, and create a “chalk talk”. Otherwise, they are provided a menu of personal and professional activity suggestions. Interns complete a survey at the end of their week documenting the completed activities. Outcomes Thus far, 13 of 24 (54%) Pediatric residents have completed their PDW week and post-completion survey. The most commonly selected activities included: completing outstanding MedHub evaluations (100%), engaging in a favorite hobby (100%), attending a health-related appointment (92%), and organizing email/EMR (76%). Results The most common optional activities that residents completed during protected personal development time include administrative tasks (email and evaluations) and healthcare-related activities. Conclusions When provided unstructured time for personal development, interns may prioritize completing outstanding administrative tasks and health-related appointments. This suggests that a longitudinal administrative “half-day” experience may be beneficial. Future directions also include collecting data related to administrative tasks and burnout.

First person profile: Monica Bertagnolli, MD: An international oncology leader and noted surgical oncologist, Dr. Monica Bertagnolli has forged her own path.

First person profile: Monica Bertagnolli, MD: An international oncology leader and noted surgical oncologist, Dr. Monica Bertagnolli has forged her own path.

Increasing awareness about psittacosis among bird owners

Abstract Background Visitors of bird fairs and bird owners in general are at risk of becoming infected by Chlamydia psittaci bacterium. This bacterium is mainly found in birds and can be transmitted to humans. The knowledge about psittacosis is limited among the general public, bird owners and even among doctors. Awareness to health problems regarding psittacosis, is important. By increasing this awareness among bird owners we encourage them to report these health problems and bird contact to the general practitioner. Experience shows that it is difficult to reach this particular group. The aim of this study was to gain more insight in the characteristics of bird owners to develop methods for providing appropriate information. This information aims to increase awareness regarding psittacosis. Methods The research adopted a qualitative approach and in depth interviews were held with sixteen bird owners using a semi-structured interview guide. The data collected was analysed using thematic analysis. Results Four themes were identified: social network related to birds, relationship with birds, awareness of risks and symptoms of psittacosis, information channels. Conclusions Most of the study participants were hobby breeders. They experience a strong connection with their birds and are experts in this field. In general they feel healthy. The bird owners are unaware of the fact they risk a disease as a consequence of their favourite hobby. However, they seem to be open for advice related to their health. It is recommendable to provide information from a near-by environment (e.g. through internet or at the local bird club) and use credible ambassadors. Increased awareness on the symptoms of psittacosis can be reached if appropriate information is received by bird owners. This might lead to more reports at the general practitioner and therefore prevents severe cases of psittacosis. Key messages Most bird owners were unaware of the health risks related to their birds. To prevent severe cases of psittacosis it is important to provide information from a near-by environment and to use credible ambassadors.

My Child Is Sick; Don't Call Her A 'Consumer'.

The mother of a chronically ill child discusses why the terminology and goals of consumerism won't resonate with all patients.

The prevalence of behavioral disorders among children under parental care and out of parental care: A comparative study in India.

BackgroundChildren may suffer from a wide range of behavioral problems, but children living under conditions of perpetual stress and trauma and experiencing breakdown of family structures are tremendously affected. This study was adopted to identify the prevalence of behavioral disorders among children under parental care and out of parental care.MethodsA cross-sectional comparative descriptive study was conducted among 300 children of age 6-12 years from a pediatric outpatient department of a selected hospital and 300 children from selected orphanages in Kolkata to compare the prevalence of behavioral disorders in children under parental care and out of parental care using Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ).ResultsTotal difficulty was more prevalent in children out of parental care (220 children) than in children under parental care (128 children). Conduct problem was the most prevalent behavioral disorder among all the subscales of SDQ with 48.70% and 84.30% of children, respectively. This was followed by peer problem (44.60% and 48.30%), emotional problem (33.70% and 55.60%), and hyperactivity problem (26.70% and 32.30%), respectively. There was significant difference in total difficulty, all subscales, externalizing score, internalizing score, and impact score between the two groups. Regression analysis showed significant relationship of selected variables such as the child’s favorite hobbies and number of close friends the child has using total difficulty score in both the groups. Significant correlation was found among subscales in both the groups.ConclusionFamily-based care and improvised institutional care should be emphasized to reduce the burden of behavioral problem in children.

Why Do Patients Decide to Have Surgery for Their Symptomatic Rotator Cuff Tear? A Prospective Study

Objectives:While rotator cuff pathology may be amenable to conservative therapy, patients with full thickness tears not improving with non-operative treatment are indicated for repair. The decision to undergo surgery is often multifactorial with pain, loss of function, and concern for progression all factoring in the decision-making process. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate patients main determining factors in deciding to have surgery for their rotator cuff tear, correlate these factors with strength of surgeon recommendation and clinical outcomes.Methods:One hundred and fifty patients undergoing arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR) were enrolled prospectively. Patients received a questionnaire preoperatively to determine why they decided to proceed with surgical repair. This 13-question survey was developed based on evidence-based review of rotator cuff repair literature and the Delphi technique. Patients were asked to rate each factor with regard to importance in their decision to proceed with repair. Surgeons were given a similar Likert Scale and were queried on how strongly they would recommend surgery for their patients based upon various factors such as MRI findings, age, etc. Pre- and post-operative shoulder function was assessed with the American Shoulder and Elbow Society (ASES) Score. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate the reasons to proceed with surgery and correlated with outcomes based on ASES scores.Results:The most influential patient reported factors for proceeding with surgical repair were: limited functionality of the shoulder (81%), surgeon recommendation (80%), and daily chronic pain (77%). Patients improved from 42.6 to 77.0 on the ASES from baseline to 6-months (p<0.001). Patients who listed that they were unable to play a favorite sport or hobby as their top reason for surgery demonstrated a significant increase in their ASES score relative to other factors at the 3 month time point (p=0.0014); otherwise, there was no significant difference in outcomes for any other time point based on category importance. Subgroup analysis of males and females and older v. younger patients demonstrated significant findings. Females were more likely to proceed with repair due to inability to sleep and daily, chronic pain (p<.005) relative to males. Younger patients were more likely to proceed with repair for the inability to play a sport/hobby and increased demands of work relative to older patients (p<.005). There was no correlation between any decision factor and final outcome of ASES scores. Younger patients and male patients both demonstrated higher baseline ASES scores (p<.05); however, there was no difference in outcome measures at final follow-up.Conclusion:Prior studies have shown that rotator cuff repair is best at alleviating pain for full thickness rotator cuff tears and may not be as impactful for improving function. Despite this evidence, the majority of patients undergoing rotator cuff repair in our study did so to improve function of their shoulder. While pain, inability to sleep, and inability to participate in ones favorite hobby/sport were important to our patient population, a strong surgeon recommendation had no correlation with our patients decision to proceed with repair. Surgeons should be mindful of these differences between gender and age when counseling patients pre-operatively. Outcomes of ARCR do not appear to be determined by pre-operative decision making on the part of the patient.

An interview with Hyeon-Shik Hwang.

It gives me great pleasure to interview Dr. Hyeon-Shik Hwang, an innovative orthodontist who has developed many creative techniques over his career. Dr. Hwang was born in Korea and received his DDS and PhD degrees from Yonsei University in Seoul. He is professor and chairman of the Department of Orthodontics at Chonnam National University School of Dentistry, Gwangju, Korea. Dr. Hwang, as a faculty at the university hospital, has maintained a successful clinical practice for more than 25 years. He has treated many adult patients focusing on esthetics and periodontal health and has developed many clinical techniques to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of treatment to the benefit of both the patient and practitioner. Dr. Hwang is also interested in the evaluation of facial asymmetry two- and three-dimensionally. As one of the early adopters of cone-beam volume imaging, he has given special emphasis on the management of surgical cases. He is married to Jung-Un Park with whom he has two sons. His favorite hobbies are photography and listening to music. When I was presented to him in a congress, it was a great pleasure meeting someone who I already admired for his singular work. Later on, his humbleness and knowledge made me marvel at him even more. I hope that all readers of Dental Press Journal of Orthodontics also enjoy the teachings from this brilliant Korean orthodontist! Guilherme Thiesen - interview coordinator

Unchartered underground

Taking the rigour of physics to the netherworld, a handful of scientists are combining their favourite hobby with their day job, exploring how underground caves form, evolve and move water from one place to another. Stephen Ornes reports on the emerging field of “speleophysics”.