Alveolar Bone Loss on Abutment and Non-Abutment Teeth as Related to Removable Partial Denture Wearing. A Six Month Follow up Study

Loss of interdental alveolar bony septum can be determined directly from a radiograph as a percentage length of the interdental bony crest of the alveolus to the distance from cemento-enamel junction of the tooth to the tooth apex. The aim of this study was to measure the height of interdental alveolar bone around the abutment and nonabutment teeth in removable partial denture wearers (RPD) on dental panoramic radiographs (DPR) through a period of six months. Twenty RPD patients (5 males, 15 females participated in the study. The alveolarbone loss measurement was performed on DPRs, using Shei index, on each mandibular abutment and non-abutment tooth on its mesial and distal side, after the RPD delivery and six months later. Recordings of plaque index (PlI) were made at the mid-buccal, mid-palatal, mesio- and disto-palatal surfaces of each abutment and non-abutment teeth after the RPD delivery and six months later. The results revealed a decrease of Shei index values on both abutment and non-abutment teeth, which reached a statistically significant level for distal Shei index values of the abutment teeth and mesial and distal Shei index values of the non-abutment teeth (p<0.05) in a 6 month period. There was no statistically significant difference in PlI values between the first and the second measurement (p>0.05). We concluded that the decrease in bone support on both abutment and non-abutment teeth was attributed to the high levels of PlI and low level of oral hygiene than to RPD loading. Supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Republic of Croatia, Project No. 065911

Maximizing the optical performance of planar CH3NH3PbI3 hybrid perovskite heterojunction stacks

A vapour-phase reaction process has been used to deposit smooth and uniform CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite material to enable the measurement of its optical dispersion relations, n and k, by ellipsometry. Fitting was achieved with a combination of Tauc-Lorenz, critical point parabolic band (CPPB) and harmonic oscillators. We have used the dispersion relations in an all-optical model of new planar device architectures in order to establish design rules for future materials choices to maximize the short-circuit current (Jsc) performance. For 500nm of MAPI with no window layer, the maximum performance expected from the model is Jsc=21.63mAcm-2. The ability of thin layers (in the range 20-60nm) of a range of window layer materials (TiO2, WO3, ZnO, Nb2O5, CdS, and Cd0.4 Zn0.6S) to enhance the short-circuit current of the devices was investigated. The performance of the oxides showed interference behaviour, with the first maxima in their J sc curves exceeding the value achievable without a window layer. However, after the first maximum, the performance generally fell off with increasing thickness. The only material to stay greater than the no-window condition for the entire investigated range is WO3. The highest performance (J sc of 22.47mAcm-2) was obtained with 59nm of WO3, with that of TiO2, ZnO, and Nb2O5 being marginally lower. Parasitic absorption in CdS window layers caused the J sc to decrease for all non-zero thicknesses - it gives no interference enhancement and its use cannot be recommended on optical grounds. Use of the wider gap alloy Cd0.4Zn0.6S gave higher currents than did CdS but its performance was not so high as for the oxides. Observations are made on the practicalities of fabricating the target structures in the fabrication of practical PV devices

Curraleiro Pé Duro cattle breed (Bos taurus) differ in phagocytic Neutrophil function related to crossbreed cattle (Bos taurus X Bos indicus).

This work aimed to evaluate hematological parameters and phagocytic neutrophil functions of naturally selected Curraleiro Pé Duro cattle breed (Bos taurus) and crossbreed cattle (Bos taurus X Bos indicus). Two groups of adult cows: Natural= Curraleiro Pé Duro cattle breed (n=10) and Selected = ¾ Nelore X Simental crossbreed animals (n=10) were evaluated. Blood was sampled to make hemogram, in vitro evaluation of neutrophil phagocytosis and basal Nitroblue Tetrazolium - NBT reduction (without any stimulus). The results showed no difference in hematological parameters between these groups. Natural group had greater phagocytic index of neutrophils through pathogen-associated molecular patterns receptors (PAMPs) while in Selected group this same index was greater using opsonin receptors. The reduction of NBT was lower for Natural group than Selected group. In conclusion, we suggest that both animal groups showed differences in neutrophil phagocytic functions in relation to pathway activation and Curraleiro Pé Duro cattle breed produced more oxygen radicals (superoxide, O2-) than the other tested group

Ge interface engineering using ultra-thin La2O3 and Y2O3 films: A study into the effect of deposition temperature

A study into the optimal deposition temperature for ultra-thin La2O3/Ge and Y2O3/Ge gate stacks has been conducted in this paper with the aim to tailor the interfacial layer for effective passivation of the Ge interface. A detailed comparison between the two lanthanide oxides (La2O3 and Y2O3) in terms of band line-up, interfacial features, and reactivity to Ge using medium energy ion scattering, vacuum ultra-violet variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry (VUV-VASE), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction is shown. La2O3 has been found to be more reactive to Ge than Y2O3, forming LaGeOx and a Ge sub-oxide at the interface for all deposition temperature studied, in the range from 44 °C to 400 °C. In contrast, Y2O3/Ge deposited at 400 °C allows for an ultra-thin GeO2 layer at the interface, which can be eliminated during annealing at temperatures higher than 525 °C leaving a pristine YGeOx/Ge interface. The Y2O3/Ge gate stack deposited at lower temperature shows a sub-band gap absorption feature fitted to an Urbach tail of energy 1.1 eV. The latter correlates to a sub-stoichiometric germanium oxide layer at the interface. The optical band gap for the Y2O3/Ge stacks has been estimated to be 5.7 ± 0.1 eV from Tauc-Lorentz modelling of VUV-VASE experimental data. For the optimal deposition temperature (400 °C), the Y2O3/Ge stack exhibits a higher conduction band offset (>2.3 eV) than the La2O3/Ge (∼2 eV), has a larger band gap (by about 0.3 eV), a germanium sub-oxide free interface, and leakage current (∼10−7 A/cm2 at 1 V) five orders of magnitude lower than the respective La2O3/Ge stack. Our study strongly points to the superiority of the Y2O3/Ge system for germanium interface engineering to achieve high performance Ge Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor technology

Exploring pig trade patterns to inform the design of risk-based disease surveillance and control strategies

An understanding of the patterns of animal contact networks provides essential information for the design of risk-based animal disease surveillance and control strategies. This study characterises pig movements throughout England and Wales between 2009 and 2013 with a view to characterising spatial and temporal patterns, network topology and trade communities. Data were extracted from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA)’s RADAR (Rapid Analysis and Detection of Animal-related Risks) database, and analysed using descriptive and network approaches. A total of 61,937,855 pigs were moved through 872,493 movements of batches in England and Wales during the 5-year study period. Results show that the network exhibited scale-free and small-world topologies, indicating the potential for diseases to quickly spread within the pig industry. The findings also provide suggestions for how risk-based surveillance strategies could be optimised in the country by taking account of highly connected holdings, geographical regions and time periods with the greatest number of movements and pigs moved, as these are likely to be at higher risk for disease introduction. This study is also the first attempt to identify trade communities in the country, information which could be used to facilitate the pig trade and maintain disease-free status across the country in the event of an outbreak

Conformal Bulk Fields, Dark Energy and Brane Dynamics

In the Randall-Sundrum scenario we analyze the dynamics of a spherically symmetric 3-brane when the bulk is filled with matter fields. Considering a global conformal transformation whose factor is the $Z_2$ symmetric warp we find a new set of exact dynamical solutions for which gravity is bound to the brane. The set corresponds to a certain class of conformal bulk fields. We discuss the geometries which describe the dynamics on the brane of polytropic dark energy.Comment: 12 pages, latex, 2 figures. Talk given by Rui Neves at the Fourth International Conference on Physics Beyond the Standard Model, Beyond the Desert 03, Fundamental Experimental and Theoretical Developments in Particle Physics, Accelerator, Non-Accelerator and Space Approaches, Max Planck Institut f. Kernphysik/MPI Heidelberg, Castle Ringberg, Tegernsee, Germany, 9-14 June 2003. To be published in the Conference Proceedings, Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg, German

Vitamin D deficiency prevalence and predictors in early pregnancy among Arab women

Data regarding the prevalence and predictors of vitamin D deficiency during early pregnancy are limited. This study aims to fill this gap. A total of 578 Saudi women in their 1st trimester of pregnancy were recruited between January 2014 and December 2015 from three tertiary care antenatal clinics in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Information collected includes socio-economic, anthropometric, and biochemical data, including serum vitamin D (25(OH)D) levels, intake of calcium and vitamin D, physical activity, and sun exposure indices. Pregnant women with 25(OH)D levels 3.5), low HDL-cholesterol, and living in West Riyadh were significant independent predictors for vitamin D deficiency, with odds ratios (ORs) (95% confidence interval) of 25.4 (5.5–117.3), 17.8 (2.3–138.5), 4.0 (1.7–9.5), 3.3 (1.4–7.9), 2.8 (1.2–6.4), and 2.0 (1.1–3.5), respectively. Factors like increased physical activity, sun exposure at noon, sunrise or sunset, high educational status, and residence in North Riyadh were protective against vitamin D deficiency with ORs 0.2 (0.1–0.5); 0.2 (0.1–0.6); 0.3 (0.1–0.9); and 0.4 (0.2–0.8), respectively. All ORs were adjusted for age, BMI, sun exposure, parity, summer season, vitamin D intake, multivitamin intake, physical activity, education, employment, living in the north, and coverage with clothing. In conclusion, the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among Saudi women during early pregnancy was high (81%). Timely detection and appropriate supplementation with adequate amounts of vitamin D should reduce the risks of vitamin D deficiency and its complications during pregnancy

Emulating opportunistic networks with KauNet Triggers

In opportunistic networks the availability of an end-to-end path is no longer required. Instead opportunistic networks may take advantage of temporary connectivity opportunities. Opportunistic networks present a demanding environment for network emulation as the traditional emulation setup, where application/transport endpoints only send and receive packets from the network following a black box approach, is no longer applicable. Opportunistic networking protocols and applications additionally need to react to the dynamics of the underlying network beyond what is conveyed through the exchange of packets. In order to support IP-level emulation evaluations of applications and protocols that react to lower layer events, we have proposed the use of emulation triggers. Emulation triggers can emulate arbitrary cross-layer feedback and can be synchronized with other emulation effects. After introducing the design and implementation of triggers in the KauNet emulator, we describe the integration of triggers with the DTN2 reference implementation and illustrate how the functionality can be used to emulate a classical DTN data-mule scenario