Durability of adhesion between an adhesive and post-space dentin: Push-out evaluation at one and six months.

Aims The aim of this study was to investigate, by means of the push-out test, the bond of Prime & Bond NT at various post-space dentin locations and the influence of time of water storage on bond strength values. Methods 30 single-rooted teeth were used for the bond strength measurement. In each tooth fiber posts were cemented with the commercial bonding system “Prime & Bond NT” in combination with the resin-based filling material “Opticore Cure Core Composite”. After 24 h (group A: 10 roots), 1 month (group B: 10 roots), and 6 months (group C: 10 roots) of water storage, the specimens were sectioned in 1 mm-thick slices for the push-out test. The data were divided into three regions (coronal/middle/apical) and analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis Test and Mann-Whitney U Test (p<0.05). Results The bond strength values registered did not show statistically significant differences within group A and C; within group B statistically significant differences were found between the coronal and the middle thirds and between the coronal and the apical third. The apical bond strength values did not show any statistically significant difference among the three groups (Kruskal-Wallis test); in the middle thirds a statistically significant difference was found at 6 months when compared with the 24 h and 1-month samples. In the coronal thirds was found a statistically significant difference between 1 month and 6 months. Analysis of the specimens under optical microscope revealed a prevalence of adhesive failures between fiber post and root dentin. Conclusions Bond strength values are lower at the apical third. Over time the adhesion of the fiberpost/luting cement/post-space dentin does not remain stable

Extreme Energy Cosmic Rays (EECR) Observation Capabilities of an "Airwatch from Space'' Mission

The longitudinal development and other characteristics of the EECR induced atmospheric showers can be studied from space by detecting the fluorescence light induced in the atmospheric nitrogen. According to the Airwatch concept a single fast detector can be used for measuring both intensity and time development of the streak of fluorescence light produced by the atmospheric shower induced by an EECR. In the present communication the detection capabilities for the EECR observation from space are discussed.Comment: 3 pages (LaTeX). To appear in the Proceedings of TAUP'9

Functional characterization of the sea urchin sns chromatin insulator in erythroid cells

Chromatin insulators are regulatory elements that determine domains of genetic functions. We have previously described the characterization of a 265 bp insulator element, termed sns, localized at the 3' end of the early historic H2A gene of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus. This sequence contains three cis-acting elements (Box A, Box B, and Box C+T) all needed for the enhancer-blocking activity in both sea urchin and human cells. The goal of this Study was to further characterize the sea urchin sns insulator in the erythroid environment. We employed colony assays in human (K562) and mouse (MEL) erythroid cell lines. We tested the capability of sns to interfere with the communication between the 5HS2 enhancer of the human beta-globin LCR and the gamma-globin promoter. We found that the sns sequence displays directional enhancer-blocking activity. By the use of antibodies against known DNA binding proteins, in electrophoretic mobility shift assays, we demonstrated the binding of the erythroid-specific GATA-1 and the ubiquitous Oct-1 and Sp1 transcription factors. These factors bind to Box A, Box B, and Box C+T, respectively, in both K562 and MEL nuclear extracts. These results may have significant implications for the conservation of insulator function ill evolutionary distant organisms and may prove to be of practical benefit in gene transfer applications for erythroid disorders such as hemoglobinopathies and thalassemias

LeviSense: A platform for the multisensory integration in levitating food and insights into its effect on flavour perception

Eating is one of the most multisensory experiences in everyday life. All of our five senses (i.e. taste, smell, vision, hearing and touch) are involved, even if we are not aware of it. However, while multisensory integration has been well studied in psychology, there is not a single platform for testing systematically the effects of different stimuli. This lack of platform results in unresolved design challenges for the design of taste-based immersive experiences. Here, we present LeviSense: the first system designed for multisensory integration in gustatory experiences based on levitated food. Our system enables the systematic exploration of different sensory effects on eating experiences. It also opens up new opportunities for other professionals (e.g., molecular gastronomy chefs) looking for innovative taste-delivery platforms. We describe the design process behind LeviSense and conduct two experiments to test a subset of the crossmodal combinations (i.e., taste and vision, taste and smell). Our results show how different lighting and smell conditions affect the perceived taste intensity, pleasantness, and satisfaction. We discuss how LeviSense creates a new technical, creative, and expressive possibilities in a series of emerging design spaces within Human-Food Interaction

Performance and meat quality traits of slow-growing chickens stimulated in ovo with galactooligosaccharides and exposed to heat stress

In vivo performance, carcass and meat quality traits of slow-growing chickens stimulated in ovo with trans galactooligosaccharides (GOS) and exposed to heat stress were evaluated. On d 12 of egg incubation, 3,000 fertilized eggs (Hubbard JA57) were divided into prebiotic group (GOS) injected with 3.5 mg GOS/egg, saline group (S) injected with physiological saline (only to assess the hatchability rate) and an uninjected control group (C). After hatching, 600 male chicks (300 from GOS and 300 from C) were housed on floor pens (6 pens/treatment, 25 birds/pen) and reared under neutral (TN) or heat stress conditions (HS, 30°C from 36 to 50 d). BW, daily feed intake (DFI), daily weight gain (DWG), feed conversion rate (FCR), and mortality were measured. At 50 d of age, 15 randomly selected birds/treatment/environmental conditions were slaughtered and the pectoral muscle (PM) was collected for analyses. Hatchability was similar among groups. BW of the newly hatched chicks was lower (P &lt; 0.01) in GOS compared to C. Final BW, DWG, DFI, and FCR were not affected (P &gt; 0.05) by GOS. HS reduced final BW ( 12.93%, P &lt; 0.001). During finisher phase, DFI and DWG were lower (P &lt; 0.001) and FCR was higher (P &lt; 0.01) in HS compared to TN. Mortality was not affected (P &gt; 0.05) by GOS and HS. Meat from GOS chickens had a higher (P &lt; 0.01) pH and was darker (P &lt; 0.05) compared to C. Proximate composition, cholesterol content, fatty acid profile, and intramuscular collagen properties of PM were not affected by GOS. The HS group showed a lower (P &lt; 0.05) content of both collagen and monounsaturated fatty acids than TN group. Significant interactions between GOS and temperature were found for FA composition. In conclusion, the differences in performance have had an impact on the responses to HS in Hubbard chickens, but not on mortality rate. GOS did not relieve the negative effect of HS on chickens’ performance

Antinociceptive effects of tetrazole inhibitors of endocannabinoid inactivation: Cannabinoid and non-cannabinoid receptor-mediated mechanisms

Background and purpose: Tetrazoles were recently developed as inhibitors of the cellular uptake of the endocannabinoid anandamide or of its hydrolysis by fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), but were proposed to act also on non-endocannabinoid-related serine hydrolases. Experimental approach: We tested, in a model of inflammatory pain induced in mice by formalin, five chemically similar inhibitors: (i) OMDM119 and OMDM122, two potent carbamoyl tetrazole FAAH inhibitors with no effect on anandamide uptake; (ii) LY2183240, a carbamoyl tetrazole with activity as both FAAH and uptake inhibitor; (iii) OMDM132, a non-carbamoyl tetrazole with activity only as uptake inhibitor and iv) OMDM133, a non-carbamoyl tetrazole with no activity at either FAAH or uptake. Results: All compounds (2.5-10 mg kg -1, i.p.) inhibited the second phase of the nocifensive response induced by intraplantar injection of formalin. The effects of OMDM119, OMDM122 and OMDM133 were not antagonized by pretreatment with cannabinoid CB 1 receptor antagonists, such as rimonabant or AM251 (1-3 mg kg -1, i.p.). The effects of LY2183240 and OMDM132 were fully or partially antagonized by rimonabant, respectively, and the latter compound was also partly antagonized by the CB 2 receptor antagonist, AM630. Conclusions and implications: (i) non-FAAH hydrolases might be entirely responsible for the antinociceptive activity of some, but not all, tetrazole FAAH inhibitors, (ii) the presence of a carbamoylating group is neither necessary nor sufficient for such compounds to act through targets other than FAAH and (iii) inhibition of anandamide uptake is responsible for part of this antinociceptive activity, independently of effects on FAAH. © 2008 Macmillan Publishers Limited All rights reserved

Classification, characterization and management of radioactive waste in Italy

Radioactive waste produced in Italy belongs to two main categories according to production routes. These are radioactive waste generated from the nuclear fuel cycle and those radioactive waste deriving from non-electronuclear activities, i.e., from nuclear medicine activities, industrial, and scientific research. The latter are responsibility of the Integrated Service for the management of radioactive waste: a group of authorized Operators supervised by ENEA (Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development). In this paper, the Italian regulatory framework, the classification of radioactive waste and the most used characterization techniques, both destructive and nondestructive, are outlined

Cone beam computed tomography investigation of the antral artery anastomosis in a population of Central Italy

Background: The arterial vascular supply of maxillary sinus has to be considered in all the surgical procedures where it is involved. In particular, the intraosseous anastomosis between the posterior superior alveolar artery and the infraorbital artery branches in the bony canal can be tricky to a not well aware clinician. The aim of this study is to investigate the arterial blood supply of the maxillary sinus to give clinicians the basis for a better understanding of vascular complications that can derive from surgical procedures at this level. Materials and methods: One hundred cone beam computed tomography were analysed by the Imaging software for three-dimensional images, i-Dixel 2.0. The parameters considered have been the presence (i), the calibre (ii), the dorso-ventral length (iii) and the cranio-caudal distance (iv). The data have been processed with means, standard deviations and verified by T-Student test. Results: The statistical outputs showed that the 38% of samples presented the intraosseous anastomosis. Those anastomosis resulted long in dorso-ventral way both on left (12.55 ± 4.3 mm) and right side (12.4 ± 4.3 mm). The mean cranio- -caudal distance resulted 15.71 ± 5.08 mm on the left and 14.73 ± 4.74 mm on right side. The calibre measurements resulted quite big as well: 1.68 ± 0.3 mm on the left and 1.54 ± 0.38 mm on the right. The differences between the right and left sides were found not statistically significant. Conclusions: This in vivo investigation shows how a knowledge of the maxillary sinus vascularisation is essential during the programming surgical phase in order to prevent blood complications during the operations involving this region.

Are protected areas covering important biodiversity sites? An assessment of the nature protection network in Sicily (Italy)

GIS spatial analysis of three indicators (vegetation value, faunal richness and landscape heterogeneity) was used to detect and map High-Value Biodiversity Areas (HVBAs), estimate the coverage of biodiversity in the Sicilian protected areas network, and identify new priority areas that could improve long-term biodiversity conservation outcomes. Findings indicated that only 32% of HVBAs are currently covered by the protected areas network. Hotspot analysis revealed that a modest expansion (less than 1%) in the current extent of protected areas would include a disproportionate amount (56%) of biodiversity hotspots, and identified prioritized candidates HVBAs for designation of new protected areas. © 2018 Elsevier Lt