837 research outputs found
Stability of densities for perturbed Diffusions and Markov Chains
We are interested in studying the sensitivity of diffusion processes or their
approximations by Markov Chains with respect to a perturbation of the
coefficients.Comment: 26 page
Maxillary nerve block: A comparison between the greater palatine canal and high tuberosity approaches.
Aim: Analgesia and anxiolysis during dental procedures are important for dental care and
patient compliance. This study aims to compare two classical maxillary nerve block (MNB)
techniques: the greater palatine canal (GPC) and the high tuberosity (HT) approaches,
seldom used in routine dental practice.
Methods: The study was conducted on 30 patients, scheduled for sinus lift surgery, who
were randomly divided into 2 groups: the GPC approach to the MNB was used in 15 and the
HT one in the other 15 patients. Anxiolysis was also used, depending on the results of the
pre- preoperative assessment. Patients\u2019 sensations/pain during the procedure, details about
anesthesia, and the dentist\u2019s considerations were all recorded. Data are expressed as mean
\ub1SD. Statistical tests including ANOVA, \u3c72 following Yates correction and linear regression
analysis were carried out. A < 0.05 p value was considered significant.
Results: Study results showed that the anesthesia was effective and constant in the molar
and premolar area. Additional infiltrations of local anesthetics were necessary for vestibular
and palatal areas in the anterior oral cavity, respectively, in the GPC and HT groups. The
two techniques were equally difficult to carry out in the dentist\u2019s opinion. There were
no differences in pain or unpleasant sensations between the two groups, nor were any
anesthesia-related complications reported.
Conclusion: The GPC approach ensures effective anesthesia in the posterior maxillary
region as far as both the dental pulp and the palatal/vestibular mucous membranes are
concerned; the HT approach did not guarantee adequate anesthesia of the pterygopalatine
branch of the maxillary nerve. These regional anesthesia techniques were characterized
by a low incidence of intra and postoperative pain, no noteworthy complications, and high
patient satisfaction
Oral malodor in Special Care Patients: current knowledge
Epidemiological studies report that about 50% of the population may have oral malodor
with a strong social and psychological impact in their daily life. When intra-oral causes are
excluded, referral to an appropriate medical specialist is paramount for management and
treatment of extra-oral causes. The intra-oral causes of halitosis are highly common, and the
dentist is the central clinician to diagnose and treat them. Pseudohalitosis or halitophobia
may occur and an early identification of these conditions by the dentist is important in order
to avoid unnecessary dental treatments for patients who need psychological or psychiatric
therapy. The organoleptic technique is still considered the most reliable examination method
to diagnose genuine halitosis. Special needs patients are more prone than others to have
oral malodor because of concurrent systemic or metabolic diseases, and medications.
The present report reviews halitosis, its implications, and the management in special care
dentistry
Leaf Eh and pH: A Novel Indicator of Plant Stress. Spatial, Temporal and Genotypic Variability in Rice (Oryza sativa L.)
A wealth of knowledge has been published in the last decade on redox regulations in plants. However, these works remained largely at cellular and organelle levels. Simple indicators of oxidative stress at the plant level are still missing. We developed a method for direct measurement of leaf Eh and pH, which revealed spatial, temporal, and genotypic variations in rice. Eh (redox potential) and Eh@pH7 (redox potential corrected to pH 7) of the last fully expanded leaf decreased after sunrise. Leaf Eh was high in the youngest leaf and in the oldest leaves, and minimum for the last fully expanded leaf. Leaf pH decreased from youngest to oldest leaves. The same gradients in Eh-pH were measured for various varieties, hydric conditions, and cropping seasons. Rice varieties differed in Eh, pH, and/or Eh@pH7. Leaf Eh increases and leaf pH decreases with plant age. These patterns and dynamics in leaf Eh-pH are in accordance with the pattern and dynamics of disease infections. Leaf Eh-pH can bring new insight on redox processes at plant level and is proposed as a novel indicator of plant stress/health. It could be used by agronomists, breeders, and pathologists to accelerate the development of crop cultivation methods leading to agroecological crop protection
The Unique Impact of COVID-19 on Human Gut Microbiome Research
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has disrupted clinical trials globally, with unique implications for research into the human gut microbiome. In this mini-review, we explore the direct and indirect influences of the pandemic on the gut microbiome and how these can affect research and clinical trials. We explore the direct bidirectional relationships between the COVID-19 virus and the gut and lung microbiomes. We then consider the significant indirect effects of the pandemic, such as repeated lockdowns, increased hand hygiene, and changes to mood and diet, that could all lead to longstanding changes to the gut microbiome at an individual and a population level. Together, these changes may affect long term microbiome research, both in observational as well as in population studies, requiring urgent attention. Finally, we explore the unique implications for clinical trials using faecal microbiota transplants (FMT), which are increasingly investigated as potential treatments for a range of diseases. The pandemic introduces new barriers to participation in trials, while the direct and indirect effects laid out above can present a confounding factor. This affects recruitment and sample size, as well as study design and statistical analyses. Therefore, the potential impact of the pandemic on gut microbiome research is significant and needs to be specifically addressed by the research community and funders
Consumersâ preferences and willingness to pay for fish products with health and environmental labels: Evidence from five european countries
Seafood products are important sources of protein and components of a healthy and sustainable diet. Understanding consumersâ preferences for fish products is crucial for increasing fish consumption. This article reports the consumer preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for different fish species and attributes on representative samples in five European countries (n = 2509): France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK. Consumer choices were investigated for fresh fish in a retail market under hypothetical situations arranged by a labelled choice experiment conducted for seven fish species: Cod, herring, seabass, seabream, salmon, trout, and pangasius. The results show the highest premiums for wild-caught fish than farm-raised alternatives. Ready-to-cook products are generally preferred to whole fish, whereas fish fillet preference is more species-specific. The results show positive premiums for a sustainability label and nutrition and health claims, with high heterogeneity across countries and species. With consumersâ preferences and WTP being largely country-and fish-dependent, businesses (fish companies, retailers, and others) should consider the specific market context and adapt their labelling strategies accordingly. Public authorities campaigns should inform consumers about the tangible benefits related with health and environmental labels
Influence of Different Filler Metals on the Mechanical and Microstructural Characteristics of Arc-Welded Joints Made of Dissimilar Titanium Alloys
In the motorsport industry, the choice of material for manufacturing the heat resistant components often falls on titanium alloys. In most cases, the production flow for this kind of part involves CNC machining and subsequent assembly by welding process, to other parts obtained by cold plastic forming and possibly made using different titanium alloys. Hence, the alloying element-content in the joint area can be extremely heterogeneous and variable point-by-point. To investigate this topic further, dissimilar welding of the alpha/beta alloy Ti6Al4V and of the oxidation-resistant alpha alloy KS-Ti 1.2 ASN-EX was made by GTAW technology and using different filler metals. Chemical and mechanical properties of the welds were investigated by XRD, SEM-EDS, microhardness maps, and tensile and bending tests. Results show that, despite the different alloying elements present in the two filler wires investigated, static properties of the welds are similar. Results also show that the local V/Al content ratio affects the microhardness as it is responsible for the creation of supersaturated alpha phases during the cooling of the weld beads
Nanoplastics impair in vitro swine granulosa cell functions
Soil, water and air pollution by plastic represents an issue of great concern since the particles produced by degradation of plastic materials can be ingested by animals and humans, with still uncertain health consequences. As a contribution on this crucial subject, the present work reports an investigation on the in vitro effects of different concentrations of polystyrene nanoplastics (5, 25 and 75 ÎŒg/mL) on swine granulosa cells, a model of endocrine reproductive cells. In particular, cell growth (BrDU incorporation and ATP production), steroidogenesis (17-ÎČ estradiol and progesterone secretion) and redox status (superoxide and nitric oxide production, enzymatic and non-enzymatic scavenging activity) were studied. Nanoplastics, at the highest concentration, stimulated cell proliferation (P < 0.05), while cell viability resulted unaffected. Steroidogenesis were disrupted (P < 0.05). Both enzymatic and non-enzymatic scavenging activity were increased after exposure at the highest nanoplastic dose (P < 0.05, P < 0.001). Nitric oxide secretion was increased by 25 and 75 ÎŒg/mL (P < 0.05) while superoxide generation was stimulated (P < 0.001) only by the highest concentration tested. Taken together, main features of cultured swine granulosa cells resulted affected by exposure to nanoplastics. These results raise concerns since environment nanoplastic contamination can represents a serious threat to animal and human health
Ergonomics and human factors as a requirement to implement safer collaborative robotic workstations: a literature review
There is a worldwide interest in implementing collaborative robots (Cobots) to reduce work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSD) risk. While prior work in this field has recognized the importance of considering Ergonomics & Human Factors (E&HF) in the design phase, most works tend to highlight workstationsâ improvements due to Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC). Based on a literature review, the current study summarises studies where E&HF was considered a requirement rather than an output. In this article, the authors are interested in understanding the existing studies focused on Cobotsâ implementation with ergonomic requirements, and the methods applied to design safer collaborative workstations. This review was performed in four prominent publications databases: Scopus, Web of Science, Pubmed, and Google Scholar, searching for the keywords âCollaborative robotsâ or âCobotsâ or âHRCâ and âErgonomicsâ or âHuman factorsâ. Based on the inclusion criterion, 20 articles were reviewed, and the main conclusions of each are provided. Additionally, the focus was given to the segmentation between studies considering E&HF during the design phase of HRC systems and studies applying E&HF in real-time on HRC systems. The results demonstrate the novelty of this topic, especially of the real-time applications of ergonomics as a requirement. Globally, the results of the reviewed studies showed the potential of E&HF requirements integrated into HRC systems as a relevant input for reducing WMSD risk.This work has been supported by FCTâFundação para a CiĂȘncia e Tecnologia and MIT
Portugal Program under the doctoral Grant SFRH/BD/151365/2021. This work has been also
supported by NORTE-06-3559-FSE-000018, integrated in the invitation NORTE-59-2018-41, aiming the
Hiring of Highly Qualified Human Resources, co-financed by the Regional Operational Programme
of the North 2020, thematic area of Competitiveness and Employment, through the European
Social Fund. Additionally, has been also supported by FCT within the Project âI-CATERâIntelligent
robotic Coworker Assistant for industrial Tasks with an Ergonomics Rationaleâ, Ref. PTDC/EEIROB/3488/2021, and within R&D Units Project Scope: UIDB/00319/2020
- âŠ