Reparo de resinas compostas envelhecidas e mediadas por diferentes materiais restauradores

The aim of this study was to evaluate the shear bond strength of resin composite repairs with and without aging of the surface to be repaired, using different adhesive systems and resin composites. Ninety specimens were prepared: 10 for the Control Group (GC - without repair); 40 for Group I (GI - repairs after 7 days) and 40 for Group II (GII - repairs after 180 days). Groups I and II were divided into 4 subgroups of 10 specimens each, according to the adhesive system and composite resin used: A) Adper Scotch Bond Multipurpose + Filtek Z350 XT; B) Adper Single Bond Plus + Filtek Z350 XT; C) Adper Scotch Bond Multipurpose + Esthet-X; D) Adper Single Bond Plus + Esthet-X. The specimens were tested for shear strength in a universal testing machine. The results were analyzed by two-factor one-way ANOVA and Fisher’s post hoc tests (alpha=0.05). The control group had better performance than the other groups. There was no significant difference when comparing different adhesive systems and composite resins. Repairs performed at 7 days were better than those performed at 180 days. The composite repairs decreased the mechanical strength of the restoration. Aging of the resin substrate may decrease repair bond strength over time, regardless of the type of adhesive systems and resin composites used.Avaliar a resistência de união ao cisalhamento de reparos de resina composta com e sem envelhecimento da superfície a ser reparada, utilizando diferentes sistemas adesivos. Noventa corpos de prova foram confeccionados sendo: 10 para o Grupo Controle (GC - sem reparo); 40 para o Grupo I (GI - reparos após 7 dias) e 40 para o Grupo II (GII – reparos após 180 dias). Para os reparos, os grupos GI e GII foram subdivididos em 4 subgrupos com 10 corpos de prova, variando o sistema adesivo e a resina composta: A) Adper Scotch Bond Multipurpose+ Filtek Z350XT; B)Adper Single Bond Plus+ Filtek Z350XT; C)Adper Scotch Bond Multipurpose+ Esthet-X; D) Adper Single Bond Plus+ Esthet-X. Os corpos de prova foram submetidos a uma força de cisalhamento em uma máquina de ensaio universal (EMIC). Os resultados foram analisados pelo teste estatístico Anova dois fatores, seguido pelo teste de Fisher´s. Observou-se melhor comportamento do grupo controle sobre os demais grupos, além disso, os reparos realizados aos 7 dias foram superiores aos dos realizados em 180 dias. Não houve diferença significativaquando se comparou diferentes sistemas adesivos e resinas compostas. Os reparos de resina composta diminuem a resistência mecânica da restauração.O envelheci mento do substrato de resina pode diminuir a resistência ao reparo ao longo do tempo, independentemente do tipo de sistemas adesivos e resinas compostas utilizados

Design and validation of an innovative 3D printer containing a co-rotating twin screw extrusion unit

This paper presents the design and validation of an innovative 3D printer containing a co-rotating twin screw extrusion unit (Co-TSE). Single screw print heads were developed in the mid-2000s as an alternative to filament-based 3D printers, but they have limited process flexibility and mixing capacity. The new design accepts material in powder or micro-pellet form, and its dispersive and distributive mixing capacity can be fine tuned by setting output and screw rotation speed independently. The design combines a miniaturized modular Co-TSE operated under starve-fed conditions with a benchtop Cartesian platform. Numerical calculations were performed to ascertain whether the appropriate thermomechanical environment for polymer processing could be created by the proposed design. A prototype was built and extrusion tests were performed under different operating conditions, using polypropylene and a 90/10 wt% polypropylene/polystyrene blend. Two screw configurations were used, with and without kneading discs, to assess the response of the extrusion unit in terms of flow characteristics and mixing performance. The restriction to flow created by the mixing elements determines the starting melt position, and the average residence times, while their shearing and extensional action enhances homogenization effectiveness. The screw configuration and rotation speed do not affect the output, which depends only on the feed rate. Preliminary deposition tests were conducted to determine the feasible printing parameters. A standard tensile test specimen, a square scaffold and a multicolored rectangular box were successfully printed, validating the innovative design. The mechanical properties of printed test specimens were within the expected values.This work was supported by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), grants 2016-4/442109 and 142348/2018-0, and by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES), finance code 001

Endogeneity in panel data regressions: methodological guidance for corporate finance researchers

Purpose –To describe the use of specific lags (and/or temporal differences) of the original regressors as instrumental variables in a succinct and practical way, showing, by means of a theoretical discussion illustrated by an original simulation exercise, how combining these with adequate modeling of firm and time fixed effects can address not only the dynamic endogeneity problem, but also those derived from the presence of omitted variables, measurement errors, and simultaneity between dependent and independent variables. Design/methodology/approach – Monte Carlo simulation Findings – The traditional OLS, RE, and FE estimators may be inconsistent in the presence of endogeneity problems that are quite plausible in the context of corporate finance. On the other hand, the estimation methods for panel data based on GMM that use assumptions of sequential exogeneity of the regressors present alternatives that are capable of effectively overcoming all the problems listed (provided these assumptions are valid) even if the researcher does not have good instrumental variables that are external to the model Originality/value –The paper discusses and illustrates a greater number of endogeneity problems, showing how they are addressed by different estimators for panel data, using less technical and more accessible language for researchers not yet initiated in the intricacies of estimating dynamic models for panel data

Swimming exercise modifies oxidative stress in skeletal and cardiac muscles of diabetic rats

Introduction: Oxidative stress is a key factor leading to the deterioration of diabetes. Oxidative stress exacerbates diabetes and induction of the activity of the antioxidant system may be required to prevent this effect. Objetive: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the redox state in the skeletal and cardiac muscles in a diabetes rat model subjected to swimming exercise for 4 weeks. Methods: Wistar rats were divided into four groups: untrained control (C), trained control (T), untrained alloxan-induced diabetes (D), and trained alloxan-induced diabetes (TD). The redox state of the skeletal and cardiac muscles was assessed by analyzing TBARS, -SH groups, H2O2 production, and SOD and catalase activity. The total number of cardiomyocytes and the total area of collagen fibers in the cardiac muscle were measured by histomorphometry. Results: In the Soleus muscles, the TD group showed increased H2O2 levels and catalase activity compared to the T group, and SOD activity compared to the D group. Regarding the red gastrocnemius, the TD group presented higher SOD and lower catalase activities than the D group. Regarding the cardiac muscle, the TD group presented lower TBARS and higher levels of -SH groups and catalase activity than the D group. Swimming exercise decreased hyperglycemia and reduced pathology, as evidenced by the reduced number of cardiomyocytes and the area of collagen fibers. Conclusion: Swimming exercise in diabetic rats controlled hyperglycemia and oxidative damage, and the reduced fibrosis in the cardiac muscle of diabetic rats

A Model of DENV-3 Infection That Recapitulates Severe Disease and Highlights the Importance of IFN-γ in Host Resistance to Infection

There are few animal models of dengue infection, especially in immunocompetent mice. Here, we describe alterations found in adult immunocompetent mice inoculated with an adapted Dengue virus (DENV-3) strain. Infection of mice with the adapted DENV-3 caused inoculum-dependent lethality that was preceded by several hematological and biochemical changes and increased virus dissemination, features consistent with severe disease manifestation in humans. IFN-γ expression increased after DENV-3 infection of WT mice and this was preceded by increase in expression of IL-12 and IL-18. In DENV-3-inoculated IFN-γ−/− mice, there was enhanced lethality, which was preceded by severe disease manifestation and virus replication. Lack of IFN-γ production was associated with diminished NO-synthase 2 (NOS2) expression and higher susceptibility of NOS2−/− mice to DENV-3 infection. Therefore, mechanisms of protection to DENV-3 infection rely on IFN-γ-NOS2-NO-dependent control of viral replication and of disease severity, a pathway showed to be relevant for resistance to DENV infection in other experimental and clinical settings. Thus, the model of DENV-3 infection in immunocompetent mice described here represents a significant advance in animal models of severe dengue disease and may provide an important tool to the elucidation of immunopathogenesis of disease and of protective mechanisms associated with infection

Hydrogen peroxide production regulates the mitochondrial function in insulin resistant muscle cells: Effect of catalase overexpression

AbstractThe mitochondrial redox state plays a central role in the link between mitochondrial overloading and insulin resistance. However, the mechanism by which the ROS induce insulin resistance in skeletal muscle cells is not completely understood. We examined the association between mitochondrial function and H2O2 production in insulin resistant cells. Our hypothesis is that the low mitochondrial oxygen consumption leads to elevated ROS production by a mechanism associated with reduced PGC1α transcription and low content of phosphorylated CREB. The cells were transfected with either the encoded sequence for catalase overexpression or the specific siRNA for catalase inhibition. After transfection, myotubes were incubated with palmitic acid (500μM) and the insulin response, as well as mitochondrial function and fatty acid metabolism, was determined. The low mitochondrial oxygen consumption led to elevated ROS production by a mechanism associated with β-oxidation of fatty acids. Rotenone was observed to reduce the ratio of ROS production. The elevated H2O2 production markedly decreased the PGC1α transcription, an effect that was accompanied by a reduced phosphorylation of Akt and CREB. The catalase transfection prevented the reduction in the phosphorylated level of Akt and upregulated the levels of phosphorylated CREB. The mitochondrial function was elevated and H2O2 production reduced, thus increasing the insulin sensitivity. The catalase overexpression improved mitochondrial respiration protecting the cells from fatty acid-induced, insulin resistance. This effect indicates that control of hydrogen peroxide production regulates the mitochondrial respiration preventing the insulin resistance in skeletal muscle cells by a mechanism associated with CREB phosphorylation and β-oxidation of fatty acids

The BLue Amazon Brain (BLAB): A Modular Architecture of Services about the Brazilian Maritime Territory

We describe the first steps in the development of an artificial agent focused on the Brazilian maritime territory, a large region within the South Atlantic also known as the Blue Amazon. The "BLue Amazon Brain" (BLAB) integrates a number of services aimed at disseminating information about this region and its importance, functioning as a tool for environmental awareness. The main service provided by BLAB is a conversational facility that deals with complex questions about the Blue Amazon, called BLAB-Chat; its central component is a controller that manages several task-oriented natural language processing modules (e.g., question answering and summarizer systems). These modules have access to an internal data lake as well as to third-party databases. A news reporter (BLAB-Reporter) and a purposely-developed wiki (BLAB-Wiki) are also part of the BLAB service architecture. In this paper, we describe our current version of BLAB's architecture (interface, backend, web services, NLP modules, and resources) and comment on the challenges we have faced so far, such as the lack of training data and the scattered state of domain information. Solving these issues presents a considerable challenge in the development of artificial intelligence for technical domains