Color Stability of a Pigmented Elastomer for Maxillofacial Appliances

The color stability of a series of eleven maxillofacial pigments was determined after accelerated aging using reflection spectrophotometry. The results indicate that seven of the pigments demonstrated good to excellent color stability, while four of the pigments were less promising for clinical use.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/67027/2/10.1177_00220345790580050301.pd

Color Stability of Elastomers for Maxillofacial Appliances

The color stability of polyvinyl chloride, polyurethane, and silicone polymers for maxillofacial applications was determined after accelerated aging using reflectance spectrophotometry. On the basis of color stability after accelerated aging, and ease of processing, several silicone materials were the most promising.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/67056/2/10.1177_00220345780570090401.pd

Stress Analysis of Three Marginal Configurations of Full Posterior Crowns by Three-Dimensional Photoelasticity

A simplified method was developed by which three-dimensional composite photoelastic models were constructed. The optimum marginal configuration for the stress distribution was determined and was found to be of the chamfer type.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66544/2/10.1177_00220345740530052501.pd

Investigation of growth responses in saprophytic fungi to charred biomass

We present the results of a study testing the response of two saprophytic white-rot fungi species, Pleurotus pulmonarius and Coriolus versicolor, to charred biomass (charcoal) as a growth substrate. We used a combination of optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, elemental abundance measurements, and isotope ratio mass spectrometry (<sup>13</sup>C and <sup>15</sup>N) to investigate fungal colonisation of control and incubated samples of Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris) wood, and charcoal from the same species produced at 300 °C and 400 °C. Both species of fungi colonise the surface and interior of wood and charcoals over time periods of less than 70 days; however, distinctly different growth forms are evident between the exterior and interior of the charcoal substrate, with hyphal penetration concentrated along lines of structural weakness. Although the fungi were able to degrade and metabolise the pine wood, charcoal does not form a readily available source of fungal nutrients at least for these species under the conditions used in this study

Towards large scale microwave treatment of ores: Part 1 – Basis of design, construction and commissioning

Despite over thirty years of work, microwave pre-treatment processes for beneficiation of ores have not progressed much further than laboratory testing. In this paper we present a scaleable pilot-scale system for the microwave treatment of ores capable of operating at throughputs of up to 150tph. This has been achieved by confining the electric field produced from two 100kW generators operating at 896MHz in a gravity fed vertical flow system using circular choking structures yielding power densities of at least 6x108 W/m3 in the heated mineral phases. Measured S11 scattering parameters for a quartzite ore (-3.69±0.4dB) in the as-built applicator correlated well with the simulation (-3.25dB), thereby validating our design approach. We then show that by fully integrating the applicator with a materials handling system based on the concept of mass flow, we achieve a reliable, continuous process. The system was used to treat a range of porphyry copper ores

The dietary impact of the Norman Conquest: A multiproxy archaeological investigation of Oxford, UK

Archaeology has yet to capitalise on the opportunities offered by bioarchaeological approaches to examine the impact of the 11th-century AD Norman Conquest of England. This study utilises an integrated multiproxy analytical approach to identify and explain changes and continuities in diet and foodways between the 10th and 13th centuries in the city of Oxford, UK. The integration of organic residue analysis of ceramics, carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope analysis of human and animal bones, incremental analysis of δ13C and δ15N from human tooth dentine and palaeopathological analysis of human skeletal remains has revealed a broad pattern of increasing intensification and marketisation across various areas of economic practice, with a much lesser and more short-term impact of the Conquest on everyday lifestyles than is suggested by documentary sources. Nonetheless, isotope data indicate short-term periods of instability, particularly food insecurity, did impact individuals. Evidence of preferences for certain foodstuffs and cooking techniques documented among the elite classes were also observed among lower-status townspeople, suggesting that Anglo-Norman fashions could be adopted across the social spectrum. This study demonstrates the potential for future archaeological research to generate more nuanced understanding of the cultural impact of the Norman Conquest of England, while showcasing a method which can be used to elucidate the undocumented, everyday implications of other large-scale political events on non-elites

On the thermal sunset diagram for scalar field theories

We study the so-called `` sunset diagram'', which is one of two-loop self-energy diagrams, for scalar field theories at finite temperature. For this purpose, we first find the complete expression of the bubble diagram, the one-loop subdiagram of the sunset diagram, for arbitrary momentum. We calculate the temperature independent part and dependent part of the sunset diagram separately. For the former, we obtain the discontinuous part first and the finite continuous part next using a twice-subtracted dispersion relation. For the latter, we express it as a one-dimensional integral in terms of the bubble diagram. We also study the structure of the discontinuous part of the sunset diagram. Physical processes, which are responsible for it, are identified. Processes due to the scattering with particles in the heat bath exist only at finite temperature and generate discontinuity for arbitrary momentum, which is a remarkable feature of the two-loop diagrams at finite temperature. As an application of our result, we study the effect of the diagram on the spectral function of the sigma meson at finite temperature in the linear sigma model, which was obtained at one-loop order previously. At high temperature where the decay $\sigma\to\pi\pi$ is forbidden, sigma acquires a finite width of the order of $10 {\rm MeV}$ while within the one-loop calculation its width vanishes. At low temperature, the spectrum does not deviate much from that at one-loop order. Possible consequences with including other two-loop diagrams are discussed.Comment: 30 page

Experimental Models of Liquid Biopsy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Reveal Clone-Dependent Release of Circulating Tumor DNA.

Liquid biopsy, the molecular analysis of tumor components released into the bloodstream, has emerged as a noninvasive and resourceful means to access genomic information from cancers. Most data derived from translational studies showcase its numerous potential clinical applications. However, data from experimental models are scarce, and little is known about the underlying mechanisms and factors controlling the release of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and cells (CTCs). This study aimed to model liquid biopsy in hepatocellular carcinoma xenografts and to study the dynamics of release of ctDNA and CTCs; this included models of intratumoral heterogeneity (ITH) and metastatic disease. We quantified ctDNA by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting human long interspersed nuclear element group 1; targeted mutation analysis was performed with digital droplet PCR. CTCs were traced by flow cytometry. Results demonstrated the feasibility of detecting ctDNA, including clone-specific mutations, as well as CTCs in blood samples of mice. In addition, the concentration of ctDNA and presence of tumor-specific mutations reflected tumor progression, and detection of CTCs was associated with metastases. Our ITH model suggested differences in the release of DNA fragments impacted by the cell-clone origin and the treatment. Conclusion: These data present new models to study liquid biopsy and its underlying mechanisms and highlighted a clone-dependent release of ctDNA into the bloodstream

Hsp70 in mitochondrial biogenesis

The family of hsp70 (70 kilodalton heat shock protein) molecular chaperones plays an essential and diverse role in cellular physiology, Hsp70 proteins appear to elicit their effects by interacting with polypeptides that present domains which exhibit non-native conformations at distinct stages during their life in the cell. In this paper we review work pertaining to the functions of hsp70 proteins in chaperoning mitochondrial protein biogenesis. Hsp70 proteins function in protein synthesis, protein translocation across mitochondrial membranes, protein folding and finally the delivery of misfolded proteins to proteolytic enzymes in the mitochondrial matrix