Variants of the human PPARG locus and the susceptibility to chronic periodontitis

Apart from its regulatory function in lipid and glucose metabolism, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)γ has impact on the regulation of inflammation and bone metabolism. The aim of the study was to investigate the association of five polymorphisms (rs10865710, rs2067819, rs3892175, rs1801282, rs3856806) within the PPARG gene with chronic periodontitis. The study population comprised 402 periodontitis patients and 793 healthy individuals. Genotyping of the PPARG gene polymorphisms was performed by PCR and melting curve analysis. Comparison of frequency distribution of genotypes between individuals with periodontal disease and healthy controls for the polymorphism rs3856806 showed a P-value of 0.04 but failed to reach significance after correction for multiple testing (P  0.90). A 3-site analysis (rs2067819-rs1801282-rs3856860) revealed five haplotypes with a frequency of ≥1% among cases and controls. Following adjustment for age, gender and smoking, none of the haplotypes was significantly different between periodontitis and healthy controls after Bonferroni correction. This study could not show a significant association between PPARG gene variants and chronic periodontitis

Energy loss in perturbative QCD

We review the properties of energetic parton propagation in hot or cold QCD matter, as obtained in recent works. Advances in understanding the energy loss - collisional and radiative - are summarized, with emphasis on the latter: it features very interesting properties which may help to detect the quark-gluon plasma produced in heavy ion collisions. We describe two different theoretical approaches, which lead to the same radiated gluon energy spectrum. The case of a longitudinally expanding QCD plasma is investigated. The energy lost by a jet with given opening angle is calculated in view of making predictions for the suppression (quenching) of hard jet production. Phenomenological implications for the difference between hot and cold matter are discussed. Numerical estimates of the loss suggest that it may be significantly enhanced in hot compared to cold matter.Comment: 49 pages latex file with 11 embedded PS figures. Uses ar.sty (included), one equation revised. submitted to Annual Review of Nuclear and Particle Scienc

Concealment, communication and stigma: The perspectives of HIV-positive immigrant Black African men and their partners living in the United Kingdom

This study explored the perspectives of Black men, originally from East Africa, living in the United Kingdom and their families on what it means to live with diagnosed HIV. This article reports on concealment of HIV-positive status as a strategy adopted by the affected participants to manage the flow of information about their HIV-positive status. Analysis of the data, collected using in-depth interviews involving 23 participants, found widespread selective concealment of HIV-positive status. However, a few respondents had ‘come out’ publicly about their condition. HIV prevention initiatives should recognise concealment as a vital strategy in managing communication about one’s HIV-positive status

On instant extinction for very fast diffusion equations

In this paper we prove instant extinction of the solutions to Dirichlet and Neumann boundary value problem for some quasilinear parabolic equations whose diffusion coefficient is singular when the spatial gradient of unknown function is zero

Effects of ultrasonic and sonic scaling on surfaces of tooth‑colored restorative materials: An in vitro study

Objective: The effects of sonic and ultrasonic scalings (USSs) on the surface roughness of nanohybrid, flowable, and polyacid-modified resin composites and conventional glass ionomer cement were examined, and the effectiveness of repolishing on the scaled material surfaces was determined.Materials and Methods: The surface roughness of each sample was measured three times before and after each scaling and after repolishing, and the data were analyzed using repeated measuresanalysis of variance, Tukey’s multiple comparisons, and paired t-tests by a statistical program.Results: Although sonic and USS both significantly increased the surface roughness of all the tooth-colored materials, USS roughened the surfaces of all the test materials more than SS did. Hence, USS may detrimentally affect tooth-colored restorative materials, especially conventional glass ionomers and compomers. Repolishing decreased the surface roughness of all the materials to near their baseline levels.Conclusions: On the basis of these results, the repolishing of restoration surfaces is strongly recommended after dental scalings.Keywords: Repolishing, sonic scaling, tooth‑colored dental materials, ultrasonic scalin

An Empirical Study of Household Energy Use and the Negative Externality of Co2 Emission in the North-East Region of Nigeria

This study empirically analyzed the link between household energy use and the negative externality of CO2 emission in the North-East Zone of Nigeria. Secondary data was used for the study, obtained from NBS on general household survey (2013). The study employed CLA and OLS model. The results revealed that petrol was the major CO2 emitter with the total amount of 5139.367kg but charcoal was the dirties energy source because it emitted four times more CO2 than its actual kg that was used. Also, household monthly income, age, family size and rural-urban dichotomy were found to influence negative externalities (CO2) positively at 1% level of significance each. The policy implication of this study implies that electricity and LPG are the cleanest fuel. The study therefore, recommended policies to improve electricity and LPG production and supply at subsidized rate and to tax any energy source that is environment unfriendly. Keywords: Household, Energy, Negative Externalities, CO2, Emissio

On p_T-broadening of high energy partons associated with the LPM effect in a finite-volume QCD medium

We study the contributions from radiation to $p_{\perp}$-broadening of a high energy parton traversing a QCD medium with a finite length $L$. The interaction between the parton and the medium is described by decorrelated static multiple scattering. Amplitudes of medium-induced gluon emission and parton self-energy diagrams are evaluated in the soft gluon limit in the BDMPS formalism. We find both the double-logarithmic correction from incoherent scattering, which is parametrically the same as that in single scattering, and the logarithmic correction from the LPM effect. Therefore, we expect a parametrically large correction from radiation to the medium-induced $p_\perp$-broadening in perturbative QCD.Comment: 19 pages, focusing only on calculations about the medium-induced diagrams, origin for double-log reinterpreted, final version to appear in JHE

Research on four drilling and sampling methods for groundwater up to five metres below groundwater level in sandy areas

NB Klik hier voor de zip file met Bijlage 11: Analyseresultaten en veldgegevens ronde 1 t/m 3 De zogeheten Multi-Channel Well (MCW) geplaatst met de SonicSampDrill blijkt de beste methode te zijn om het grondwater bij landbouwbedrijven tot vijf meter onder de grondwaterspiegel te analyseren. Dat komt vooral doordat deze methode in staat is om tot die diepte met een machinale trilboring meerdere monsternemingsfilters te plaatsen. Daardoor zijn minder boorgaten nodig. Momenteel wordt bij landbouwbedrijven de grondwaterkwaliteit gemeten in de bovenste meter van het grondwater. Met die metingen, uitgevoerd binnen het Landelijk Meetnet Effecten Mestbeleid (LMM) worden effecten van het mestbeleid op de grondwaterkwaliteit onderzocht; die effecten weerspiegelen zich in de bovenste meter. Daarnaast worden deze metingen gebruikt om de grondwaterkwaliteit te toetsen aan de nitraatnorm. Momenteel wordt onderzocht of de toetsdiepte voor nitraat verlaagd kan worden naar vijf meter. Ten eerste omdat de Europese regelgeving daar ruimte voor lijkt te bieden. Ten tweede omdat nitraatconcentraties dieper in de bodem kunnen afnemen. Hierdoor wordt nu mogelijk te streng getoetst. Met de LMM-methode kan echter niet zo diep geboord worden. Mocht de toetsdiepte worden verlaagd, dan is dus een andere monsternemingsmethode vereist. Het RIVM heeft vier methoden onderzocht. Het onderzoek is uitgevoerd op zestien boorlocaties bij vier melkveehouderijbedrijven verspreid over de vier grote zandgebieden in Nederland (Noord, Oost, Centraal en Zuid). De onderzochte methoden kenmerken zich onder andere door handmatig of machinaal boren en door de installatie van tijdelijke of permanente filters. De methoden zijn beoordeeld op hun praktische inzetbaarheid en op de kwaliteit van de monsterneming. Zo blijkt de handmatige Van der Staay-methode, die tijdelijke filters plaatst, slechts op vijftig procent van de locaties op de gewenste diepte te kunnen komen. Met de machinale Uitschuifbare Punt-methode, die ook tijdelijke filters plaatst, is het boren en het verzamelen van watermonsters in de praktijk niet goed te combineren. Bij de MCW en de Direct Well-methode (DW) worden na machinale boring permanente filters geplaatst. In tegenstelling tot de MCW heeft de DW daarbij voor ieder filter een apart boorgat nodig.The so-called Multi-Channel Well (MCW), installed using the SonicSampDrill, has proven to be the best method for analysing groundwater on farms up to five metres below groundwater level. This is because this method - using just one sonic drilling allows placement of multiple sampling filters up to five metres below this level, so fewer boreholes are needed. At the moment, groundwater quality on farms in the Netherlands is measured in the uppermost one metre of the groundwater. These measurements, carried out in the framework of the Netherlands National Monitoring Programme for Effectiveness of the Minerals Policy (LLM in Dutch) are used to determine effects of the fertiliser policy on the groundwater quality; effects are reflected in the topmost metre. Besides this, measurements are also used to test the groundwater quality against the nitrate standard. At the moment it is being investigated if the test depth can be lowered to five metres. First of all, because this seems to be in line with the European regulations. And secondly, because concentrations of nitrate deeper in the soil can decrease. This involves the possibility of too stringent testing at the moment. However, the LMM method does not allow such deep drilling, so a lower test depth will require another drilling and sampling method. RIVM has investigated four methods at four dairy farms. These dairy farms are spread across the four large sandy areas in the Netherlands (north, east, centre and south). Every farm contains four drilling sites, totalling 16. The methods investigated are characterised, for example, by hand or machine drilling and by the installation of temporary or permanent filters. Methods are assessed on practical application and the quality of the sampling. With the manual Van der Staay method, in which temporary filters are installed, the desired depth is achieved at only 50 per cent of the sites. With the use of the mechanised Extendable Point Method, in which temporary filters are placed too, drilling and water sampling forms a poor combination in practice. The MCW and the Direct Well (DW) methods allow placement of permanent filters after machine drilling. Contrary to the MCW method, the DW method requires a separate borehole for each filter.VROMLN