Laser Pulses Characterization with Pyroelectric Sensors

There are many industrial and medical applications of CO2 (λ=10.6 μm) and Nd:YAG (λ=1.06 μm) infrared lasers for which the quality of the process are tightly connected to the characteristic of the laser pulse. These two types of lasers deliver pulses with duration, repetition frequency and power that can be controlled by means of a programmable electronic control unit. An open-loop control generally optimize the process performances by availing of a laser system model. However, this method cannot control that during the operation the laser source and the optical delivering system could deteriorate; moreover the laser beam characteristics and laser pulse temporal envelope could change by several factors like power supply variations, optical beam misalignments, dirty deposits on mirrors, changes in laser efficiency and many others

Istantanee di trasposizioni cinematografiche nel panorama queer del Giappone contemporaneo

This article aims at analyzing the ways in which contemporary Japanese cinema has represented gay subjectivities and cultures over the last twenty years. More precisely, the article focuses on four Japanese gay movies: Bara no sōretsu (Matsumoto Toshio, 1969), Hatachi no binetsu (Hashiguchi Ryōsuke, 1993), Kira Kira Hikaru (Matsuoka George, 1992), and Tabù (Ōshima Nagisa, 1999). On the one hand, these movies show a strong sense of ambivalence towards male homosexuality, which is typical of contemporary Japanese society. On the other, they explore the relationship between Japanese perception of homosexuality and Western cultural influences

Integrative neuro-cardiovascular dynamics in response to test anxiety: A brain-heart axis study

: Test anxiety (TA), a recognized form of social anxiety, is the most prominent cause of anxiety among students and, if left unmanaged, can escalate to psychiatric disorders. TA profoundly impacts both central and autonomic nervous systems, presenting as a dual manifestation of cognitive and autonomic components. While limited studies have explored the physiological underpinnings of TA, none have directly investigated the intricate interplay between the CNS and ANS in this context. In this study, we introduce a non-invasive, integrated neuro-cardiovascular approach to comprehensively characterize the physiological responses of 27 healthy subjects subjected to test anxiety induced via a simulated exam scenario. Our experimental findings highlight that an isolated analysis of electroencephalographic and heart rate variability data fails to capture the intricate information provided by a brain-heart axis assessment, which incorporates an analysis of the dynamic interaction between the brain and heart. With respect to resting state, the simulated examination induced a decrease in the neural control onto heartbeat dynamics at all frequencies, while the studying condition induced a decrease in the ascending heart-to-brain interplay at EEG oscillations up to 12Hz. This underscores the significance of adopting a multisystem perspective in understanding the complex and especially functional directional mechanisms underlying test anxiety

The effect of chlorhexidine primer application on the clinical performance of composite restorations: a literature review

AbstractTo discuss the effectiveness of chlorhexidine (CHX) used as therapeutic dentin primer in adhesively bonded composite restorations.OverviewAn electronic search in MEDLINE database, accessed through PubMed was conducted. No restrictions of languages and date of publication were made. The following key words were used: "chlorhexidine", "composite" and "composite resins." Clinical studies in which CHX was used during bonding procedures were included in this review. Six studies met the inclusion criteria. Of these, five studies were carried out on noncarious cervical lesions (NCCL). Only one study was carried out on class II preparation of permanent molars. In all studies, either etch‐and‐rinse and self‐etch adhesive systems were used during bonding procedures. On the basis of the reviewed clinical trials, it can be concluded that CHX primer application does not seem to influence clinical outcome of composite restorations.Clinical significanceCurrent scientific evidence cannot neither strongly recommend nor discourage the application of CHX as therapeutic primer in composite restorations. Studies with longer follow‐up periods with adhesive restorations placed on dentin after caries removal, rather than only on NCCL, are desirable to further investigate the therapeutic effect of CHX during bonding procedures

Structurally compromised teeth. Part II: A novel approach to peripheral build up procedures

ObjectiveTo introduce the "Peripheral Build-Up technique - PBUt" as a foundation restoration strategy for structurally compromised teeth (SCT). Clinical ConsiderationsSeveral strategies have been proposed over time (cervical marginal relocation, doughnut, and preformed ring techniques) to enable the management of restorative procedures in challenging situations such as the presence of deep subgingival defects. The PBUt is a versatile, completely additive direct technique that share some strategical concepts with these techniques to approach critical clinical situations while supplying a wider field of application thanks to distinct operative expedients. The clamp insertion modality, the extension of the proximal wall and the matrix customization/stabilization strategies adopted in PBUt endorse the possibility to manage the most apical and peripheral border of the residual tooth structure when located up to >1.5 mm above the bone crest. The periodontal response has to be then monitored over time. Moreover, thanks to the peripheral and apically-extended addictive approach, it allows a massive preservation of residual sound tooth structure and improves the resistance and retentive physical/geometrical features of the abutment tooth. The PBUt operative workflow is herein explained. Clinical SignificanceThe Peripheral-Build-Up technique (PBUt) advocates some innovative clinical restorative steps for the management of SCT with coronal and deep subgingival defects

Effect of shelf-life of a universal adhesive to dentin

The microtensile bond strength (\u3bcTBS), nanoleakage expression (NL), and endogenous enzymatic activity of a simplified universal adhesive system used in combination with a dual-cure resin cement for luting indirect restorations were evaluated considering its shelf-life (as-received vs expired). The universal adhesive was used asreceived (AS-R) by manufacturer or after three months after being expired (EXP). Resin composite overlays (n \ubc 10) were luted to flat deep coronal dentin surfaces with a universal bonding system (iBond universal, used in the self-etch mode) in combination with a dual-cure resin cement (RelyX Ultimate; 20s of light-cure followed by 15 min of self-cure at 37 \ufffdC). After 24 h, the specimens were cut into microtensile sticks (1 mm2) and stressed to failure under tension, in accordance with ISO/TS 11.405. The fracture pattern was evaluated with optical microscopy. The significance level of p \ubc 0.05 was used for the statistical analysis. Additional specimens (n \ubc 4) were processed for quantitative interfacial nanoleakage expression using ammoniacal silver nitrate. To investigate the endogenous enzymatic activity within the hybrid layer in situ zymography was performed. The EXP group obtained significantly lower \u3bcTBS values than those recorded in the AS-R group (p < 0.05). NL resulted in higher deposition of AgNO3 granules when the adhesive was used in the EXP group compared to the AS-R bonding system. In situ zymography assay revealed increased level of fluorescence when the universal bonding system was used at the end of shelf-life compared to the AS-R group. The use of the universal adhesive system beyond the expiry limit resulted in decreased bonding performances. Furthermore, the higher endogenous enzymatic activity recorded after the end of the shelf life of the universal adhesive would portend for a shortened durability of the restorations

An Improved Strategy for Detection and Localization of Nodules in Liver Tissues by a 16 MHz Needle Ultrasonic Probe Mounted on a Robotic Platform

This study presents an improved strategy for the detection and localization of small size nodules (down to few mm) of agar in excised pork liver tissues via pulse-echo ultrasound measurements performed with a 16 MHz needle probe. This work contributes to the development of a new generation of medical instruments to support robotic surgery decision processes that need information about cancerous tissues in a short time (minutes). The developed ultrasonic probe is part of a scanning platform designed for the automation of surgery-associated histological analyses. It was coupled with a force sensor to control the indentation of tissue samples placed on a steel plate. For the detection of nodules, we took advantage of the property of nodules of altering not only the acoustical properties of tissues producing ultrasound attenuation, but also of developing patterns at their boundary that can modify the shape and the amplitude of the received echo signals from the steel plate supporting the tissues. Besides the Correlation Index Amplitude (CIA), which is linked to the overall amplitude changes of the ultrasonic signals, we introduced the Correlation Index Shape (CIS) linked to their shape changes. Furthermore, we applied AND-OR logical operators to these correlation indices. The results were found particularly helpful in the localization of the irregular masses of agar we inserted into some excised liver tissues, and in the individuation of the regions of major interest over which perform the vertical dissections of tissues in an automated analysis finalized to histopathology. We correctly identified up to 89% of inclusions, with an improvement of about 14% with respect to the result obtained (78%) from the analysis performed with the CIA parameter only

Atmospheric turbulence profiling using the SLODAR technique with ARGOS at LBT

ARGOS is the Ground Layer Adaptive Optics system of the Large Binocular Telescope, it uses three Laser Guide Stars, generated by Rayleigh backscattered light of pulsed lasers. Three Shack-Hartmann WFS measure the wavefront distortion in the Ground Layer. The SLOpe Detection And Ranging (SLODAR) is a method used to measure the turbulence profiles. Cross correlation of wavefronts gradient from multiple stars is used to estimate the relative strengths of turbulent layers at different altitudes. We present here the results on sky of the SLODAR profile on ARGOS