Polyethylene terephthalate clamps: Optimization in endodontic and restorative practices

2022

There is a growing search for innovations in dental materials and instruments and, therefore, an increase need to optimize the instruments used in the absolute isolation. The gold standard procedure contributes significantly to the quality of restorative and endodontic procedures. Thus, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the radiopacity of polyethylene terephthalate polymer clamps and compare them to conventional metal clamps.The polyethylene terephthalate clamp was developed at the University of Uberaba (Patent application #PI0901719-4, Uberaba, MG, Brazil). Five polyethylene terephthalate clamps and five conventional metal clamps were used. The clamps were positioned, next to an…

Basalt Fiber Hybridization Effects on High-Performance Sisal-Reinforced Biocomposites

2022

The increasing attention given to environmental protection, largely through specific regulations on environmental impact and the recycling of materials, has led to a considerable interest of researchers in biocomposites, materials consisting of bio-based or green polymer matrixes reinforced by natural fibers. Among the various reinforcing natural fibers, sisal fibers are particularly promising for their good mechanical properties, low specific weight and wide availability on the current market. As proven in literature by various authors, the hybridization of biocomposites by synthetical fibers or different natural fibers can lead to an interesting improvement of the mechanical properties or…

Taking care of everyone’s business: interpreting Sicilian Mafia embedment through spatial network analysis

2022

Mafia-type organisations often have a strong geographical and cultural entrenchment in the territory they belong. However, their analysis as a spatially networked social structure is still missing. A combined socio-spatial network analysis is presented here, through the demise of a large police operation called Operazione Perseo in 2008. This approach is developed in two ways. At first, a visual representation of the social network of this large group of mafiosi embedded in a geographical space is presented. Three main salient territorial features of the network are thus highlighted. A high density of links in some neighbourhoods, as well as connections across different Mandamenti, the terr…

A comic page for the first isomorphism theorem

2022

Given a homomorphism between algebras, there exists an isomorphism between the quotient of the domain by its kernel and the subalgebra in the codomain given by its image. This theorem, commonly known as the first isomorphism theorem, is a fundamental algebraic result. Different problems have been identified in its instruction, mainly related to the abstraction inherent to its content and to the lack of conceptual models to improve its understanding. In response to this situation, in this paper, we present an illustration that explores the narrative and graphical resources of comics with the aim of describing the set-theoretic elements that are involved in the proof of this theorem.

Multidimensional Frailty and Vaccinations in Older People: A Cross-Sectional Study

2022

It is known that influenza, herpes zoster, pneumococcal and pertussis infections may increase morbidity and mortality in older people. Vaccinations against these pathogens are effective in older adults. Frailty seems to be an important determinant of vaccination rates, yet data supporting this association are still missing. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of four recommended vaccinations (influenza, herpes zoster, pneumococcal and diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis) and the association with multidimensional frailty assessed using a self-reported comprehensive geriatric assessment tool, i.e., the multidimensional prognostic index (SELFY-MPI). Older participants visiting the outpa…

Prevalence and anatomical variations of maxillary sinus septa : a cone-beam computed tomography analysis

2022

Detailed understanding the anatomy and variations of maxillary sinus septa is necessary. We aimed to investigate prevalence and various anatomical variations of maxillary sinus septa using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images.In this retrospective cross-sectional study, CBCT scans of 809 patients referred to a specialist dental and maxillofacial radiology clinic in Babol, northern Iran, during 2014-2020 were evaluated. Location, morphology, height, and direction of septa in different planes were recorded.Sinus septa were observed in 37.9% (n=307) of the participants. There were 117 cases with septa only in left sinus, 83 cases with septa only in right sinus, and 107 cases with septa …

Forward Kinematic Modelling with Radial Basis Function Neural Network Tuned with a Novel Meta-Heuristic Algorithm for Robotic Manipulators

2022

The complexity of forward kinematic modelling increases with the increase in the degrees of freedom for a manipulator. To reduce the computational weight and time lag for desired output transformation, this paper proposes a forward kinematic model mapped with the help of the Radial Basis Function Neural Network (RBFNN) architecture tuned by a novel meta-heuristic algorithm, namely, the Cooperative Search Optimisation Algorithm (CSOA). The architecture presented is able to automatically learn the kinematic properties of the manipulator. Learning is accomplished iteratively based only on the observation of the input–output relationship. Related simulations are carried out on a 3-Degrees…

Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of active travel, organised sport and physical education with accelerometer-assessed moderate-to-vigoro…

2022

Abstract Background Physical activity (PA) declines during childhood. Important sources of PA are active travel, organised sport and physical education (PE), but it is unclear how these domain-specific PA sources contribute to (changes in) daily moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) in young people. This study aimed to examine (1) the cross-sectional association between domain-specific physical activity (i.e., active travel, organised sport and PE) and daily minutes in accelerometer-assessed MVPA; and (2) the longitudinal association between domain-specific physical activity at baseline and change in daily minutes in MVPA. Methods Participants (baseline age 11.3 ± .1.2 years) were drawn from three…

Assessing different methodologies for irrigation scheduling in protected environment: a case study of green bell pepper

2022

This research aimed at assessing four different methodologies to estimate daily irrigation depth, based on the monitoring of soil water status (soil water content sensors, SWS, and tensiometers, TS) and atmospheric evaporative demand (weighing lysimeter, WL, and Piché evaporimeter, PE), of green bell pepper Capsicum annum L.) cultivated in a greenhouse. Furthermore, two different strategies to apply the daily irrigation depths, i.e., single watering (at 8:00 a.m.) or split into two equal applications (at 8:00 a.m. and at 4:30 p.m.), were also investigated. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design and according to a 4 × 2 factorial scheme with eight replications. The st…

The Role of Teacher Closeness in Emotions and Achievement for Adolescents With and Without Learning Difficulties

2022

Student–teacher relationships are crucial for adolescents’ adjustment in the school context. The aim of the present study was to examine the role of teacher closeness in academic emotions and achievement among adolescents with and without learning difficulties during the first year in lower secondary school. Students’ learning difficulties (LDs) were identified based on tested reading and math skills. In addition, students evaluated their teacher relationships and rated academic emotions in literacy and math domains. The results indicated that higher teacher closeness was related to increasing positive emotions and increasing literacy achievement during seventh grade, whereas lower levels …

Erythromycin:an alternative for the management of oral mucositis?

2022

Oral mucositis (OM) is an important acute adverse effect of anticancer therapy. This condition presents high morbidity and may lead to the suspension of anticancer therapy. We reviewed the literature on the pathobiology of OM and the properties of erythromycin (EM), to consider the possibility of its use for the prevention and treatment of OM. We searched the PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases and selected complete articles published in English or Spanish that met the inclusion criteria. The search terms ?erythromycin?, ?inflammation?, ?immunomodulation? and ?oral mucositis? were used. The control of free radicals, transcription factors and pro-inflammatory cytokines has been consi…

The minimum mean cycle-canceling algorithm for linear programs

2022

Abstract This paper presents the properties of the minimum mean cycle-canceling algorithm for solving linear programming models. Originally designed for solving network flow problems for which it runs in strongly polynomial time, most of its properties are preserved. This is at the price of adapting the fundamental decomposition theorem of a network flow solution together with various definitions: that of a cycle and the way to calculate its cost, the residual problem, and the improvement factor at the end of a phase. We also use the primal and dual necessary and sufficient optimality conditions stated on the residual problem for establishing the pricing step giving its name to the algorith…

Implicit differentiation for fast hyperparameter selection in non-smooth convex learning

2022

International audience; Finding the optimal hyperparameters of a model can be cast as a bilevel optimization problem, typically solved using zero-order techniques. In this work we study first-order methods when the inner optimization problem is convex but non-smooth. We show that the forward-mode differentiation of proximal gradient descent and proximal coordinate descent yield sequences of Jacobians converging toward the exact Jacobian. Using implicit differentiation, we show it is possible to leverage the non-smoothness of the inner problem to speed up the computation. Finally, we provide a bound on the error made on the hypergradient when the inner optimization problem is solved approxim…

Beam Formation Studies on the CERN IS03b H$^-$ Source

2022

Abstract An H- ion source is being operated at the new 160 MeV linear injector (Linac4) of the CERN accelerator complex. The source’s plasma is of the Radio Frequency Inductively Coupled Plasma type (RF-ICP), without magnetic cusp and runs with Cs-loss compensation [1]. Vertical downward oriented filter- and electron dump-dipolar magnetic fields expand over the plasma chamber, beam-formation, beam-extraction and electron dump regions and generate horizontal asymmetry and beam angular deflection partially compensated by mechanical alignment of the front-end. The H- beam is generated via volume and caesiated plasma surface modes, the latter inducing a radial asymmetry characterized by an incr…

Ripensare al ruolo dei sistemi di performance management & governance nell’amministrazione pubblica per fronteggiare le sfide della complessità dinam…

2022

Ho trovato i contenuti e lo stile espositivo della lectio magistralis del Ministro On. Prof. Brunetta molto gradevoli alla lettura e stimolanti verso numerose ri!essioni, specialmente in funzione del ruolo assunto da variabili quali: tempo, cultura, istituzioni, leadership, metodi e capacità professionali, nei processi di cambiamento dei sistemi sottostanti alla generazione di valore pubblico. Queste variabili assumono un ruolo essenziale nelle s"de che specialmente oggi l’attuazione del “piano di ripresa e resilienza” pone per avviare percorsi sostenibili di transizione ecologica e digitale alimentati da un cambiamento che pervada longitudinalmente società e istituzioni, partendo dai siste…

Consenso sobre el manejo de la hiperpotasemia en pacientes con insuficiencia cardíaca: recomendaciones de la SEC-SEMI

2022

Resumen En los pacientes con insuficiencia cardiaca (IC) y fraccion de eyeccion reducida, el uso de los inhibidores del sistema renina-angiotensina-aldosterona (iSRAA) se asocia con una mejoria funcional, incremento de la calidad de vida percibida, reduccion de la probabilidad de muerte cardiovascular y disminucion del numero de hospitalizaciones. Algunos de esos farmacos tambien resultan eficaces en pacientes con enfermedad renal cronica y albuminuria, asi como en pacientes con hipertension arterial resistente. A pesar de sus numerosos beneficios, los iSRAA se asocian a un incremento de la incidencia de hiperpotasemia, sobre todo en pacientes con insuficiencia renal cronica concomitante. L…

Vulvar and areolar fixed drug eruption

2022

A Low Energy H- Beamline for the ALPHA Antihydrogen Experiment

2022

Abstract The CERN ALPHA experiment makes precision measurements of antihydrogen atoms, confined in a superconducting magnetic minimum trap. Recent measurements of the antihydrogen spectrum have already provided high-resolution tests of fundamental symmetries, and ALPHA has now embarked on an ambitious upgrade programme aimed at directly comparing hydrogen and antihydrogen within their existing atom trap. One aspect of this upgrade will be the development of a low-energy (50 eV) hydrogen ion source that is compatible with ALPHA’s existing magnetic charged particle beamlines. PELLIS, previously developed at JYFL, is a 5 keV filament-driven source that generates H- beams with low emittances an…

Thermo-piezo-rheological characterization of asphalt concrete

2022

The linear viscoelastic (LVE) properties of asphalt concrete is investigated in this paper using a controlled-strain triaxial dynamic modulus test over wide frequency, temperature, and confining pressure ranges. The time–temperature-pressure superposition principle (TTPSP) is applied to validate the thermo-piezo-rheological simplicity of the tested materials using triaxial master curves. The LVE response is found highly stress-dependent at intermediate and high temperatures. The Prony series modeling of time-domain properties ascertains that confining pressure strongly correlates with long-term relaxation modulus, the absolute maximum slope of the relaxation modulus, and viscoelastic damage…

On Descriptive Characterizations of an Integral Recovering a Function from Its $$L^r$$-Derivative

2022

The notion of Lr-variational measure generated by a function F ∈ Lr[a, b] is introduced and, in terms of absolute continuity of this measure, a descriptive characterization of the HKr -integral recovering a function from its Lr-derivative is given. It is shown that the class of functions generating absolutely continuous Lr-variational measure coincides with the class of ACGr -functions which was introduced earlier, and that both classes coincide with the class of the indefinite HKr-integrals under the assumption of Lr-differentiability almost everywhere of the functions consisting these classes

Functionalization of mesoporous silica nanoparticles through one-pot co-condensation in w/o emulsion

2022

In this work, three different functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) were synthesized through the co-condensation synthesis in oil/water emulsion. Hexadecyltrimethoxysilane, triethoxy-3-(2-imidazolin-1-yl)propylsilane and (3-mercaptopropyl)triethoxysilane were used as organo-substituted silica precursors with variable molar ratio with respect to tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS, 1:4, 1:9, 1:19). The occurred functionalization was investigated by Infrared Spectroscopy and FT-Raman and 29Si {1H} CP-MAS-NMR spectroscopy. Results show that the three materials were successfully functionalized. The influence of the different pendant groups and their concentration on the mesostructured…

Safety of the Anti-CD19 antibody Tafasitamab in Long Term Responders from A Phase II Trial for Relapsed Lymphoma

2022

Abstract Background: Information about the long-term tolerability of tafasitamab is still limited. Methods: 5 of 92 patients treated within a phase IIa study of single-agent tafasitamab in relapsed or refractory B NHL were followed for up to five years or longer for long-term tolerability. Results: Treatment was very well tolerated in an outpatient setting with no hospitalizations needed and mild and tolerable adverse events that occurred mostly within the first two years of treatment. Conclusions: Given the excellent tolerability and efficacy of tafasitamab this agent can be used to induce remission in relapsed or refractory lymphoma either alone or in combination with chemotherapy.

Two ways of spilling drink : The construction of offences as ‘accidental’ in police interviews with suspects

2022

This article explores the construction of offences as ‘accidental’ in police-suspect interactions. The data comprise audio-recorded investigative interviews, which were analysed using conversation analysis. In these interviews, suspects often do not explicitly state the nature of their defence when answering police officers’ questions; instead, suspects’ defensive practices or techniques are embedded in the narrative accounts they give of what happened, thus exhibiting rather claiming their ‘innocence’. My focus here is on a particular type of defence, namely, one in which suspects portray an event as having been ‘accidental’. I show that this defence of ‘accident’ is associated with sever…

I diritti degli animali

2022

Il contributo affronta il tema dei diritti degli animali nell'ambito delle opere di Paolo Cendon, analizzandolo nel quadro delle fragilità esistenziali. Per danno da perdita dell’animale di affezione si intende, infatti, il danno non patrimoniale, di tipo esistenziale, derivante al proprietario dalla perdita o dal ferimento dell’animale di affezione, capace di caratterizzare e, talvolta, dominare, del tutto, la rete affettiva familiare. Non si tratta, cioè, di risarcire la lesione di un diritto alla vita dell’animale, bensì di compensare la lesione del diritto alla relazione affettiva intrattenuta con l’animale, nell’ambito della quale l’individuo può esplicare la propria personalità relazi…

Global-Scale Environmental Niche and Habitat of Blue Shark (Prionace glauca) by Size and Sex: A Pivotal Step to Improving Stock Management

2022

25 pages, 10 figures, 2 tables, supplementary material https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2022.828412/full#supplementary-material.-- Data Availability Statement: The blue shark habitat data are available on the JRC Data Catalogue (https://data.jrc.ec.europa.eu/dataset?q=fish%20habitat) (or upon request) and habitat maps are available online (https://fishreg.jrc.ec.europa.eu/web/fish-habitat/habitatmapping). Chlorophyll-a data are available online (https://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi/l3). The abiotic environmental and mesopelagic micronekton data are available online (https://marine.copernicus.eu/access-data).

In Memoriam : las aportaciones micrográficas del valenciano Luis Simarro (1851-1921)

2022

El pasado 19 de junio del 2021, se cumplió el centenario de la muerte del histólogovalenciano Luis Simarro Lacabra (1851-1921). La figura de Simarro prácticamente ha desapare-cido, en el momento actual, de la memoria del panorama científico y cultural espa¿nol, siendo susaportaciones micrográficas escasamente conocidas, probablemente debido a que su produccióncientífica escrita fue muy reducida.En el presente trabajo, las aportaciones micrográficas de Simarro, de las que tenemos cono-cimiento, son revisadas en el contexto de su biografía, analizando su influencia en el origen ydesarrollo de la escuela neurohistológica española que, liderada por Santiago Ramón y Cajal,es hoy universalmente r…

Punto de corte óptimo del antígeno carbohidrato 125 para la identificación de pacientes con bajo riesgo tras un ingreso por insuficiencia cardiaca ag…

2022

Resumen Introduccion y objetivos El antigeno carbohidrato 125 (CA125) se ha mostrado util para la estratificacion del riesgo de los pacientes ingresados por insuficiencia cardiaca aguda (ICA). Se intenta determinar un punto de corte para identificar a los pacientes con bajo riesgo de muerte y muerte/reingreso por insuficiencia cardiaca 1 mes tras el ingreso por ICA. Metodos La cohorte de derivacion incluyo a 3.231 pacientes con ICA consecutivos. Se identificaron valores de corte de CA125 con un valor predictivo negativo (VPN) del 90% y una sensibilidad de hasta el 85%. La idoneidad de estos puntos de corte y el riesgo de muerte/reingreso al mes se evaluaron mediante el metodo de Royston-Par…

Qui sont les Étrusques ? Les nouvelles données de l'archéologie

2022

International audience; Singulière, la civilisation étrusque a longtemps vécu dans l’ombre de Rome. Pourtant elle fut l’une des plus grandes de l’âge du Fer, entre le VIIIe siècle et le Ier siècle avant notre ère. Constituée d’un ensemble de cités indépendantes, dans lesquelles on parlait une même langue (l’étrusque), on partageait une même culture, une même religion et les mêmes mœurs, elle s’épanouit dans la Toscane actuelle, en Ombrie, dans le nord du Latium, et dans une partie de la plaine du Pô et de la Campanie. À l’occasion de l’exposition Les Étrusques, une civilisation méditerranéenne organisée au musée de la Romanité à Nîmes, ce dossier fait le point sur les dernières découvertes …

Safety assurance of an industrial robotic control system using hardware/software co-verification

2022

As a general trend in industrial robotics, an increasing number of safety functions are being developed or re-engineered to be handled in software rather than by physical hardware such as safety relays or interlock circuits. This trend reinforces the importance of supplementing traditional, input-based testing and quality procedures which are widely used in industry today, with formal verification and model-checking methods. To this end, this paper focuses on a representative safety-critical system in an ABB industrial paint robot, namely the High-Voltage electrostatic Control system (HVC). The practical convergence of the high-voltage produced by the HVC, essential for safe operation, is f…

An innovative route to prepare in situ graded crosslinked PVA graphene electrospun mats for drug release

2022

We present a fast, one step method to obtain PVA/graphene/chlorhexidine nanofibrous membranes, with a crosslinking gradient along their cross-section. Briefly, polymeric solutions were electrospun onto a heated plate, enabling the in situ crosslinking of PVA macromolecules. Of course, the crosslinking degree of such structures was found to decrease upon the distance from the plate during deposition. The outcomes reveal the crucial role of graphene, capable of promoting heat transfer throughout the entire structure, thus leading to 70-80% crosslinking degrees and preventing delamination issues. Such membranes were compared to untreated and oven thermally treated ones, and a robust relationsh…

The use of in vivo confocal microscopy in fungal keratitis – Progress and challenges

2022

Fungal keratitis (FK) is a serious and sight-threatening corneal infection with global reach. The need for prompt diagnosis is paramount, as a delay in initiation of treatment could lead to irreversible vision loss. Current “gold standard” diagnostic methods, namely corneal smear and culture, have limitations due to diagnostic insensitivity and their time-consuming nature. PCR is a newer, complementary method used in the diagnosis of fungal keratitis, whose results are also sample-dependent. In vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) is a promising complementary diagnostic method of increasing importance as it allows non-invasive real-time direct visualization of potential fungal pathogens and mani…

Neuroimaging correlates of insight in non-affective psychosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

2022

Abstract Objective Neurological correlates of impaired insight in non-affective psychosis remain unclear. This study aimed to review and meta-analyze the studies assessing the grey matter volumetric correlates of impaired insight in non-affective psychosis. Methods This study consisted of a systematic review of 23 studies, and a meta-analysis with SDM-PSI of the 11 studies that were whole-brain and reported maps or peaks of correlation of studies investigating the grey matter volumetric correlates of insight assessments of non-affective psychosis, PubMed and OVID datasets were independently reviewed for articles reporting neuroimaging correlates of insight in non-affective psychosis. Qualit…

Recensione a Yuk Hui, Cosmotecnica. La questione della tecnologia in Cina, ed. it. a cura di S. Baranzoni, Nero, Roma 2021, pp. 287

2022

Psoriasis moderada-grave en pacientes pediátricos y jóvenes: experiencia en el registro BIOBADADERM

2022

Resumen {0>El debut de la psoriasis en la edad pediatrica, aunque generalmente leve, puede requerir tratamiento sistemico en las formas moderadas o graves de la enfermedad. Childhood-onset psoriasis generally follows an indolent course but patients with moderate or severe disease may require systemic treatment. El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar la frecuencia relativa, las caracteristicas de los pacientes, el tratamiento empleado y los eventos adversos (EA) observados a partir del registro BIOBADADERM en ninos y jovenes con psoriasis moderada-grave. The aim of this study was to determine the relative proportion of children and young people aged up to 21 years with moderate to severe ps…

Frammenti di biografie plurali

2022

Ritorno a Palermo dopo tredici anni trascorsi in Umbria. Anni importanti in cui ho frequentato l’università laureandomi in filosofia e conseguendo un dottorato di ricerca; indagando sui temi del disagio psichico e della crisi della presenza in De Martino; sotto la guida di Tullio Seppilli, che di De Martino era stato allievo e il cui rigore nella ricerca è stato per me un esempio indimenticabile. Scappata a diciotto anni da una terra che mi aveva schiacciata con la sua violenza. In primo luogo sul versante privato. Una gelida brutalità di cui – quando sono andata via, determinata a non tornare – non percepivo fino in fondo i risvolti sul piano politico e della limitazione degli spazi fisici…

Brivaracetam as add-on treatment in patients with post-stroke epilepsy: real-world data from the BRIVAracetam add-on First Italian netwoRk Study (BRI…

2022

Objective: Post-stroke epilepsy (PSE) is one of the most common causes of acquired epilepsy and accounts for about 10-15% of all newly diagnosed epilepsy cases. However, evidence about the clinical profile of antiseizure medications in the PSE setting is currently limited. Brivaracetam (BRV) is a rationally developed compound characterized by high-affinity binding to synaptic vesicle protein 2A. The aim of this study was to assess the 12-month effectiveness and tolerability of adjunctive BRV in patients with PSE treated in a real-world setting. Methods: This was a subgroup analysis of patients with PSE included in the BRIVAracetam add-on First Italian netwoRk Study (BRIVAFIRST). The BRIVAFI…