The Brussels Statement on the Future Needs for Caries Epidemiology and Surveillance in Europe.

Following debate and discussion prompted by a focussed, day long pre-ORCA Symposium in July 2015, the Alliance for a Cavity-Free Future Pan-European Chapter, the Platform for Better Oral Health in Europe, and the European Association of Dental Public Health have agreed this statement on the future needs for caries epidemiology and surveillance in Europe. Each organisation agreed to support the planned publication of the Statement, and will make it available on their Organisation's websites and strive to implement its recommendations.

General scales of community reaction to noise (dissatisfaction and perceived affectedness) are more reliable than scales of annoyance.

General measures of reaction to noise, which assess the respondent's perceived affectedness or dissatisfaction, appear to be more valid and internally consistent than more narrow measures, such as specific assessment of noise annoyance. However, the test-retest reliability of general and specific measures has yet to be compared. As a part of the large-scale Sydney Airport Health Study, 97 respondents participated in the same interview twice, several weeks apart. Test-retest reliabilities were found to be significant (p < 0.001) for two general questions and three specific "annoyance" questions. The general measures were significantly more valid for four of the six correlations (with activity disturbance), and more stable than the annoyance scales for five of the six possible test-retest comparisons. Amongst 1,015 respondents at Time 1, the questions regarding general reaction were more internally consistent than the questions regarding annoyance. Taken together, these data indicate that general measures of reaction to noise have superior psychometric properties (validity, internal consistency, and stability) compared with measures of specific reactions such as annoyance.

The influence of psychological factors on self-reported physiological effects of noise.

We examine the possibility that physiological effects of noise may result not only from noise exposure per se, but also from people's beliefs about the noise. Due to widely publicised changes to the runway configuration at Sydney Airport, aircraft noise levels in nearby areas were expected to either increase, decrease or remain the same. As part of the Sydney Airport Health Study, residents in each of these 3 expected-change areas (N=1015) completed a structured interview which included indices of noise reaction (including annoyance) and physical and mental health, prior to the anticipated changes. Concurrent (pre-change) measures of aircraft noise levels were taken. Self-reported physiological/health effects differed across areas with the same aircraft noise level consistently with differences in psychological reaction across these areas. Expected change in noise level added to the level of self-reported physiological symptoms predicted by noise level in regression analyses. Dose-response functions differed across the expected-change areas. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that noise exposure produces physiological symptoms, but that expectations regarding future noise levels also contribute to the physiological impact of noise, which may be reduced by addressing psychosocial factors related to noise reaction.

Development of the school organisational health questionnaire: a measure for assessing teacher morale and school organisational climate.

BACKGROUND: A growing body of empirical evidence suggests that organisational factors are more important than classroom specific issues in determining teacher morale. Accordingly, it is necessary to have available measures that accurately assess morale, as well as the organisational factors that are likely to underpin the experience of morale. AIM: Three studies were conducted with the aim of developing a psychometrically sound questionnaire that could be used to assess teacher morale and various dimensions of school organisational climate. SAMPLE: A total of 1,520 teachers from 18 primary and 26 secondary schools in the Australian state of Victoria agreed to participate in three separate studies (N = 615, 342 and 563 in Studies 1, 2 and 3, respectively) that were used to develop the questionnaire. The demographic profile of the teachers was similar to that found in the Department as a whole. METHOD: All teaching staff in the participating schools were asked to complete a self-report questionnaire as part of the evaluation of an organisational development programme. RESULTS: A series of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to establish the questionnaire's factor structure, and correlation analyses were used to examine the questionnaire's convergent and discriminant validity. CONCLUSIONS: The three studies resulted in the 54-item School Organisational Health Questionnaire that measures teacher morale and 11 separate dimensions of school organisational climate: appraisal and recognition, curriculum coordination, effective discipline policy, excessive work demands, goal congruence, participative decision-making, professional growth, professional interaction, role clarity, student orientation, and supportive leadership.

Placebo-controlled biofeedback blood pressure effect in hypertensive humans.

The role of biofeedback in blood pressure control remains ill-defined because of nonspecific (placebo) effects, small study numbers, and the technical limitations of continuous pressure feedback. Clarification of its potential is awaited by those seeking a nonpharmacological approach to blood pressure control. This study examines the capability for systolic pressure lowering of 5 mm Hg or more using continuous pressure feedback in a statistical sample of untreated, well-characterized, mildly hypertensive individuals. Subjects were randomized in a double-blind study to active or placebo biofeedback. Placebo consisted of a modified contingency approach, using a partial disguise based on a digital high pass filter with 15 elements. Blood pressure-lowering capability was assessed during two laboratory sessions. Continuous visual feedback resulted in 11 of 28 subjects on active treatment and 12 of 28 on placebo treatment lowering their systolic pressure by 5 mm Hg or more (11 +/- 5.6 and 12 +/- 8.4 mm Hg, respectively; P = NS). Prestudy pressure was well-matched (153 +/- 9/97 +/- 4 and 154 +/- 8/98 +/- 4 mm Hg, respectively). An initial small difference in diurnal profile did not change. These findings indicate that among mildly hypertensive individuals, almost half can lower systolic pressure at will for short periods. This capability is independent of the real or placebo nature of the feedback signal. We conclude that there is no specific short-term biofeedback pressure-lowering capability in hypertensive individuals. Further exploration is needed to determine whether specific components of the placebo effect can be delineated, whether personality characteristics influence the response, and whether further biofeedback training can alter the outcome.

Environmental noise and sleep--a study of arousals, cardiac arrhythmia and urinary catecholamines.

Nine adult subjects with documented cardiac arrhythmia were studied during 4 nights of sleep in a laboratory. A sleep polygraph and single-channel electrocardiogram were recorded continuously throughout each night. After the 1st night's familiarization, the subjects were presented with 1 night each of 50 calibrated aircraft or truck noise events. One other night was noise-free. Intervals containing noise and paired quiet intervals were examined for sleep stage at interval onset, number of sleep stage changes and ventricular premature contractions (VPCs). Overnight urinary catecholamines were also assayed. It was found that noise increased the likelihood of arousal responses to the same extent in all sleep stages (p < 0.05). Four subjects showed frequent VPCs during the experiment. These VPCs were significantly related to sleep stage (p < 0.05) but not to noise events. Excretion of urinary catecholamines did not differ between noise and quiet nights.

Comparison of earphone and sound field methods for estimating noise attenuation of foam earplugs.

The Real Ear Attenuation at Threshold (REAT) of E-A-R (slow recovery) from earplugs was determined, using three methods of presentation of the test tones during a single fitting of the earplug. The three presentation methods were (a) sound-field listening; (b) TDH49 earphone mounted in the shell of a circumaural earmuff; and (c) TDH49 earphone in a Model 51 cushion. Thresholds were tested once under each condition. Test frequencies were .125, .25, .5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 6.0, and 8.0 kHz. Comparison of the REAT values measured by the three methods indicated that the mean REAT obtained by the reference (Sound Field) method could be reliably estimated by both earphone methods for frequencies up to and including 4.0 kHz. However, the Sound Field REAT values of individual subjects could not be predicted reliably from their REAT determined by either type of earphone presentation. It is concluded that TDH49 earphones in standard audiometric earcushions could be used to check the overall effectiveness of slow recovery foam earplugs in the workplace. Further research is necessary to ascertain whether the audiometric earphone/earcushion test could be modified to achieve satisfactory reliability in assessing earplug fitting in individual workers.

Effectiveness of foam earplug hearing protection for artillerymen firing L118/119 105 mm howitzers.

A field study was carried out to study the effect of firing the British L118/9 195 mm howitzer (Hamel gun) on the hearing of crewmen wearing EAR earplugs. Two guns and gun crews were placed 7 m apart, each gun firing 40 rounds during each of 2 successive days. Bekesy type audiometry was carried out before and after firing and was also used to measure the attenuation or goodness of fit of the earplugs. No significant hearing loss was measured in any of the crewmen. It was concluded that, if correctly fitted, EAR earplugs provide adequate hearing protection under these exposure conditions.

The effect of intermittent noise on cardiovascular functioning during vigilance task performance.

This study was designed to investigate the effect of presentations of intermittent noise differing in predictability on cardiovascular functioning during task performance. Under a quiet condition and three conditions of intermittent noise, measures of blood pressure, heart rate (interbeat interval), and heart rate variability (variance, successive difference mean square, and the 0.1 Hz component of sinus arrhythmia) were obtained while subjects were occupied with a 55-min vigilance task. The results indicated that intermittent noise significantly increased diastolic and mean blood pressure. In addition, 0.1 Hz measures differed between the group working under quiet conditions and the groups working under noise. Although heart rate increased in all groups during the task, it increased significantly more in groups receiving unpredictable noise bursts. For the variables that were significantly affected by the noise presentations there was no evidence of response habituation over the task period. The results are discussed in relation to the effort required to maintain performance levels during noise, and attention is drawn to the implications of the present findings for cardiovascular health under conditions of chronic intermittent noise.

Heart-rate and blood-pressure response in medium-artillery gun crews.

A pilot study of the effect of firing the L118/119 British light gun on the heart rate and blood pressure of crewmen who were wearing EAR ear-plugs was carried out. The firing took place on two successive days, with a higher (louder) charge being used on the second day. Each day 40 rounds were fired from each of two guns which were placed 7 m apart. The results suggest that an increase in heart rate of 10%-30% occurs which is attributable to the noise and which does not habituate to successive firings, and that an acute rise in blood pressure may have been associated with the firing of the higher-powered charge. It is considered that these preliminary observations warrant further, controlled experimentation with a larger number of subjects and improved methods of monitoring blood pressure levels.

The effect of intermittent noise on vigilance performance.

An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of the level of predictability of intermittent noise on performance on a visual vigilance task. Under a quiet condition and three intermittent noise conditions, subjects (Ss) carried out a 55-min task where they were required to detect a change in the brightness of one element of a visual display. The results indicated that Ss were less sensitive, less accurate, and more prone to response failures during intermittent noise, although responses were faster under noise conditions. Measures of response bias and response certainty were not significantly affected by the presentation of noise. Variation in the level of predictability of the noise affected only the accuracy of response measure during the final quarter of the vigilance task, with the group receiving the least predictable noise performing significantly worse than the other three groups. The results are discussed in relation to theories of noise and performance.

Amplified music and young people's hearing. Review and report of Australian findings.

We gave 944 young people (aged 16 to 20 years) pure-tone audiometry, electroacoustic impedance tests, and ear, nose and throat examination. We questioned them about their histories of exposure to occupational and recreational noise. The data do not support the view that there is wide-spread hearing loss caused by exposure to amplified music in young people under the age of 21 years. However, the accumulated exposure of some of them to noise is such that, if their recreational patterns remain the same, they are at risk of some noise-induced hearing loss by their mid-twenties. Further empirical studies are necessary to determine whether these hearing losses will eventuate.

The relations of eye colour and smoking to noise-induced permanent threshold shift.

The hearing of 118 otologically normal soldiers 40 years of age or less with at least 8 years service was tested. Their eye colours were also recorded. Each soldier was questioned concerning his medical history, history of noise exposure and smoking habits. Left ear average hearing levels at 3 kHz were poorer in soldiers with eye colours indicating no melanin pigmentation of the iris than those with iris pigmentation (p < 0.05). Effects of smoking were statistically significant at one frequency but difficult to interpret in terms of current theories.

Eye colour and susceptibility to noise-induced permanent threshold shift.

257 3rd-year apprentices were given ear, nose and throat examination, electroacoustic impedance tests and audiometry. Their eye colour was also recorded. Average hearing levels of otologically normal left ears were poorer at 4 kHz (p less than 0.05) for apprentices with eye colours indicating no melanin pigmentation of the iris than for apprentices with melanin iris pigmentation.

Activation volume for creep in the upper mantle.

The activation volume for creep, V*, of olivine-rich rocks has been determined in pressure-differential creep experiments on dunite at temperatures from 1100 degrees to 1350 degrees C and confining pressures from 5 to 15 kilobars. Values of V* range from 10.6 to 15.4 cubic centimeters per mole with a mean value of 13.4 cubic centimeters per mole, near that expected for oxygen ion self-diffusion. The quantity V* is incorporated into existing flow equations; in combination with observations on naturally deformed mantle xenoliths, estimates are given of the variation with depth of stress, strain rate, and viscosity.

Deformation of silicates from the sea of tranquillity.

Plagioclase and olivine crystals in the crystalline rocks from the Sea of Tranquillity show little or no evidence of either static or dynamic deformation. The large disorientations in many of the pyroxene crystals are commonly consistent with slip on the system T -(100), t = [001], but these distortions are not due to plastic flow. They are ascribed to rapid growth and quenching phenomena as deduced from studies of chondrules and of quenched natural and experimentally produced melts. Some of the silicates in the breccias and regolith show evidence of shock deformation, from mild to intense, as indicated by pervasive featuring, shock lamallae, and partial transformatiion of pyroxene and plagioclase crystals to glass.

Meteoritic impact and deformation of quartz.

Quartz deformation lamellae parallel to c{OOO1} and planar features parallel to omega{10i3} appear to be both characteristic of and reliable criteria for quartz deformed by shock due to impact by meteorite or comet. These features are readily distinguished from microstructures, induced during tectonic deformation, by differences in optical properties or spatial and crystallographic orientations of statistically sound populations, or in both.