Computer Simulation of Tooth Mobility using Varying Material Properties

Tooth mobility is the major cause of stress on a tooth implant or partial denture and often results in the damage of the device. For many prosthetic devices like dental bridges, a partial denture used for a person who is missing a tooth to give the appearance and function of a tooth, mobility can cause up to double the amount of stress in comparison to a fixed model. Creating a computer simulation of tooth mobility using Finite Element Analysis allows one to understand and predict this movement in order to improve future dental prosthetic devices. The main cause of tooth mobility within the mouth is the periodontal ligament (PDL). This ligament is a soft biological tissue that surrounds the roots of teeth. The tooth moves when a force like mastication, or chewing, causes the ligament to deform. This deformation is due to the small Young’s Modulus of the ligament. The Young’s Modulus determines the stiffness of a material. In the case of the PDL, the Young’s Modulus is sometimes noted to be 30,000 times smaller than that of dentin, this is the material that makes up the majority of the tooth, and of the alveolar bone, this is the bone in which the tooth lies. The deformation of the PDL is also due to the viscoelastic nature of the ligament. The major elastic component of the ligament is collagen, this material allows the PDL to stretch to a certain limit, and the major viscous component of the ligament is the interstitial fluid between the cells, this allows the material to have a fluid-like nature (4)

Human PSC-derived hepatocytes express low levels of viral pathogen recognition receptors, but are capable of mounting an effective innate immune response

Hepatocytes are key players in the innate immune response to liver pathogens but are challenging to study because of inaccessibility and a short half-life. Recent advances in in vitro differentiation of hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs) facilitated studies of hepatocyte–pathogen interactions. Here, we aimed to define the anti-viral innate immune potential of human HLCs with a focus on pattern recognition receptor (PRR)-expression and the presence of a metabolic switch. We analysed cytoplasmic PRR and endosomal toll-like receptor (TLR)-expression, as well as activity and adaptation of HLCs to an inflammatory environment. We found that transcript levels of retinoic acid inducible gene I (RIG-I), melanoma differentiation antigen 5 (MDA5), and TLR3 became downregulated during differentiation, indicating the acquisition of a more tolerogenic phenotype, as expected in healthy hepatocytes. HLCs responded to activation of RIG-I by producing interferons (IFNs) and IFN-stimulated genes. Despite low-level levels of TLR3, receptor expression was upregulated in an inflammatory environment. TLR3 signalling induced expression of proinflammatory cytokines at the gene level, indicating that several PRRs need to interact for successful innate immune activation. The inflammatory responsiveness of HLCs was accompanied by the downregulation of cytochrome P450 3A and 1A2 activity and decreased serum protein production, showing that the metabolic switch seen in primary hepatocytes during anti-viral responses is also present in HLCs

Aerosol optical depth retrieval from the EarthCARE Multi-Spectral Imager: the M-AOT product

The Earth Explorer mission Earth Clouds, Aerosols and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) will not only provide profile information on aerosols but also deliver a horizontal context to it through measurements by its Multi-Spectral Imager (MSI). The columnar aerosol product relying on these passive signals is called M-AOT (MSI-Aerosol Optical Thickness). Its main parameters are aerosol optical thickness (AOT) at 670 nm over ocean and valid land pixels and at 865 nm over ocean. Here, the algorithm and assumptions behind it are presented. Further, first examples of product parameters are given based on applying the algorithm to simulated EarthCARE test data and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Level-1 data. Comparisons to input fields used for simulations, to the official MODIS aerosol product, to AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) and to Maritime Aerosol Network (MAN) show an overall reasonable agreement. Over ocean, correlations are 0.98 (simulated scenes), 0.96 (compared to MYD04) and 0.9 (compared to MAN). Over land, correlations are 0.62 (simulated scenes), 0.87 (compared to MYD04) and 0.77 (compared to AERONET). A concluding discussion will focus on future improvements that are necessary and envisioned to enhance the product

OLCI-A/B tandem phase: evaluation of FLuorescence EXplorer (FLEX)-like radiances and estimation of systematic differences between OLCI-A and OLCI-FLEX

During the tandem phase of Sentinel-3A and Sentinel-3B in summer 2018 the Ocean and Land Colour Imager (OLCI) mounted on the Sentinel-3B satellite was reprogrammed to mimics ESA's eighth Earth Explorer, the FLuorescence EXplorer (FLEX). The OLCI in FLEX configuration (OLCI-FLEX) had 45 spectral bands between 500 and 792 nm. The new data set with high-spectral-resolution measurements (bandwidth: 1.7–3.7 nm) serves as preparation for the FLEX mission. Spatially co-registered measurements of both instruments are used for the atmospheric correction and the retrieval of surface parameters, e.g. the fluorescence or the leaf area index. For such combined products, it is essential that both instruments are radiometrically consistent. We developed a transfer function to compare radiance measurements from different optical sensors and to monitor their consistency. In the presented study, the transfer function shifts information gained from high-resolution “FLEX-mode” settings to information convolved with the spectral response of the normal (lower) spectral resolution of the OLCI sensor. The resulting reconstructed low-resolution radiance is representative of the high-resolution data (OLCI-FLEX), and it can be compared with the measured low-resolution radiance (OLCI-A measurements). This difference is used to quantify systematic differences between the instruments. Applying the transfer function, we could show that OLCI-A is about 2 % brighter than OLCI-FLEX for most bands of the OLCI-FLEX spectral domain. At the longer wavelengths (> 770 nm) OLCI-A is about 5 % darker. Sensitivity studies showed that the parameters affecting the quality of the comparison of OLCI-A and OLCI-FLEX with the transfer function are mainly the surface reflectance and secondarily the aerosol composition. However, the aerosol composition can be simplified as long as it is treated consistently in all steps in the transfer function. Generally, the transfer function enables direct comparison of instruments with different spectral responses even with different observation geometries or different levels of observation. The method is sensitive to measurement biases and errors resulting from the processing. One application could be the quality control of the FLEX mission; presently it is also useful for the quality control of the OLCI-FLEX data

Reflexionen über Coaching in der projektbasierten Lehre

Wie kann man Coaches bei der Ausbildung ihrer professionellen Identität unterstützen? Eine mögliche Methode ist die Reflexion von Irritationsmomenten in der projektbasierten Lehre. In diesem Artikel werden die Erfahrungen von vier Coaches mit dieser Methode beschrieben. Drei von ihnen fanden die Methode hilfreich, um ihre eigene Rolle differenzierter zu betrachten und Klarheit über ihre An- und Widersprüche, die Diversität der unterschiedlichen Perspektiven sowie ihre eigene Wirkung zu erhalten. Die Methode erfordert jedoch zeitliche Ressourcen und eine Sensibilisierungsphase zu Beginn, um Irritationsmomente für die Reflexionsarbeit zu nutzen. Insgesamt scheint die Reflexionsmethode geeignet zu sein, um Coaches bei der Ausbildung ihrer professionellen Identität zu unterstützen. (Herausgeber)How can coaches be supported in forming their professional identity? One possible method is the reflection of moments of irritation in project-based teaching. This article describes the experiences of four coaches with this method. Three of them found the method helpful to look at their own role in a more differentiated way and to get clarity about their attachments and contradictions, the diversity of different perspectives, and their own impact. However, the method requires time resources and a sensitization phase at the beginning in order to use moments of irritation for the reflection work. Overall, the reflection method seems to be suitable to support coaches in the formation of their professional identity. (Editor

An outflow in the Seyfert ESO 362-G18 revealed by Gemini-GMOS/IFU observations

Indexación: Scopus.We present two-dimensional stellar and gaseous kinematics of the inner 0.7 × 1.2 kpc2 of the Seyfert 1.5 galaxy ESO 362-G18, derived from optical (4092-7338 Å) spectra obtained with the GMOS integral field spectrograph on the Gemini South telescope at a spatial resolution of ≈ 170 pc and spectral resolution of 36 km s-1. ESO 362-G18 is a strongly perturbed galaxy of morphological type Sa or S0/a, with a minor merger approaching along the NE direction. Previous studies have shown that the [O III] emission shows a fan-shaped extension of ≈ 10′′ to the SE. We detect the [O III] doublet, [N II] and Hα emission lines throughout our field of view. The stellar kinematics is dominated by circular motions in the galaxy plane, with a kinematic position angle of ≈ 137° and is centred approximately on the continuum peak. The gas kinematics is also dominated by rotation, with kinematic position angles ranging from 122° to 139°, projected velocity amplitudes of the order of 100 km s-1, and a mean velocity dispersion of 100 km s-1. A double-Gaussian fit to the [O III]λ5007 and Hα lines, which have the highest signal to noise ratios of the emission lines, reveal two kinematic components: (1) a component at lower radial velocities which we interpret as gas rotating in the galactic disk; and (2) a component with line of sight velocities 100-250 km s-1 higher than the systemic velocity, interpreted as originating in the outflowing gas within the AGN ionization cone. We estimate a mass outflow rate of 7.4 × 10-2 M⊙ yr-1 in the SE ionization cone (this rate doubles if we assume a biconical configuration), and a mass accretion rate on the supermassive black hole (SMBH) of 2.2 × 10-2 M⊙ yr-1. The total ionized gas mass within ∼84 pc of the nucleus is 3.3 × 105 M⊙; infall velocities of ∼34 km s-1 in this gas would be required to feed both the outflow and SMBH accretion. © ESO 2018.https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/abs/2018/06/aa31671-17/aa31671-17.htm