人格(パースナリティー)理論に就いて

The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of new rubbery liners, used as a cervical increment, to relieve contraction stress and thereby reduce the formation of cervical gaps in class II composite restorations. The investigated liners were made of polyester-acrylate (PE(1), PE(2) or PE(3)) or silicone-acrylate (S), mixed with UDMA, without (A, B, C, D) or with HEMA (AH, BH, CH, DH). A silanized filler was added to the mixture, DH, to give composites with 20, 40, 60, and 70% (w/w) of filler (DHF20, DHF40, DHF60, DHF70, respectively). The presence and width of cervical gaps were determined using a light microscope. Statistical analysis showed that six of the 12 rubbery liners (AH-DH, DHF20-DHF40) significantly decreased gap formation in comparison with the control group. In addition, the polymerization shrinkage, flow, and strain capacity of these liners were measured and the influence of these factors on gap formation was examined. Two- and three-dimensional regression analyses showed significantly negative linear correlations between gap formation and strain capacity, and between gap formation and flow, and a significantly positive linear correlation between gap formation and shrinkage

BRDF characterization of Al-coated thermoplastic polymer surfaces

In this paper, we present a combined morphological and optical characterization of aluminum-coated thermoplastic polymer surfaces. Flat plastic substrates, obtained by means of an injection molding process starting from plastic granules, were coated with ultra-thin aluminum films evaporated in vacuo, on top of which a silicon-based protective layer was plasma deposited in order to prevent oxidation of the metal reflective surface. Different sample treatments were studied to unravel the influence of substrate chemistry, substrate thickness, aluminum and protective layer thickness, and surface roughness on the actual optical reflectance properties. Bidirectional reflectance distribution function measurements, corroborated by surface morphological information obtained by means of atomic force microscopy, correlate reflectance characteristics with the root-mean-square surface roughness, providing evidence for\ua0the role of the substrate and the thin films\u2019 morphology. The results unravel information of interest within many applicative fields involving metal coating processes of plastic substrates as an example in the case of automotive lighting

A Rapid, Physiologic Protocol for Testing Transcriptional Effects of Thyroid-Disrupting Agents in Premetamorphic Xenopus Tadpoles

Increasing numbers of substances present in the environment are postulated to have endocrine-disrupting effects on vertebrate populations. However, data on disruption of thyroid signaling are fragmentary, particularly at the molecular level. Thyroid hormone (TH; triiodothyronine, T(3)) acts principally by modulating transcription from target genes; thus, thyroid signaling is particularly amenable to analysis with a transcriptional assay. Also, T(3) orchestrates amphibian metamorphosis, thereby providing an exceptional model for identifying thyroid-disrupting chemicals. We combined these two advantages to develop a method for following and quantifying the transcriptional action of T(3) in Xenopus laevis tadpoles. This technology provides a means of assessing thyroid activity at the molecular level in a physiologically relevant situation. Moreover, translucent tadpoles are amenable to “on-line” imaging with fluorescent reporter constructs that facilitate in vivo measurement of transcriptional activity. We adapted transgenesis with TH-responsive elements coupled to either luciferase or green fluorescent protein to follow T(3)-dependent transcription in vivo. To reduce time of exposure and to synchronize responses, we optimized a physiologic pre-treatment protocol that induced competence to respond to T(3) and thus to assess T(3) effects and T(3) disruption within 48 hr. This pretreatment protocol was based on a short (24 hr), weak (10(−12) M) pulse of T(3) that induced TH receptors, facilitating and synchronizing the transcriptional responses. This protocol was successfully applied to somatic and germinal transgenesis with both reporter systems. Finally, we show that the transcriptional assay allows detection of the thyroid-disrupting activity of environmentally relevant concentrations (10(−8) M) of acetochlor, a persistent herbicide