Resurgence of a Nation’s Radiation Science Driven by Its Nuclear Industry Needs

From MDPI via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: accepted 2021-10-26, pub-electronic 2021-11-23Publication status: PublishedThis article describes the radiation facilities and associated sample preparation, management, and analysis equipment currently in place at the Dalton Cumbrian Facility, a facility which opened in 2011 to support the UK’s nuclear industry. Examples of measurements performed using these facilities are presented to illustrate their versatility and the breadth of research they make possible. Results are presented from research which furthers our understanding of radiation damage to polymeric materials, radiolytic yield of gaseous products in situations relevant to nuclear materials, radiation chemistry in light water reactor cooling systems, material chemistry relevant to immobilization of nuclear waste, and radiation-induced corrosion of fuel cladding elements. Applications of radiation chemistry relevant to health care are also described. Research concerning the mechanisms of radioprotection by dietary carotenoids is reported. An ongoing open-labware project to develop a suite of modular sample handling components suited to radiation research is described, as is the development of a new neutron source able to provide directional beams of neutrons

AI is a viable alternative to high throughput screening: a 318-target study

: High throughput screening (HTS) is routinely used to identify bioactive small molecules. This requires physical compounds, which limits coverage of accessible chemical space. Computational approaches combined with vast on-demand chemical libraries can access far greater chemical space, provided that the predictive accuracy is sufficient to identify useful molecules. Through the largest and most diverse virtual HTS campaign reported to date, comprising 318 individual projects, we demonstrate that our AtomNet® convolutional neural network successfully finds novel hits across every major therapeutic area and protein class. We address historical limitations of computational screening by demonstrating success for target proteins without known binders, high-quality X-ray crystal structures, or manual cherry-picking of compounds. We show that the molecules selected by the AtomNet® model are novel drug-like scaffolds rather than minor modifications to known bioactive compounds. Our empirical results suggest that computational methods can substantially replace HTS as the first step of small-molecule drug discovery

Comparison of direct digital and conventional imaging with Ekta Speed Plus and INSIGHT films for the detection of approximal caries

Purpose: To evaluate the accuracy of approximal caries detection comparing enhanced and unenhanced Sidexis CCD-based digital image with Ektaspeed Plus and INSIGHT films. Methods: Fifty-two extracted premolars were imaged under identical standardized geometric and exposure conditions. Four observers, using five points confidence scale, rated 104 approximal surfaces for the presence or absence of carious lesions by means of four image modalities: (1) observer enhanced; (2) unenhanced Sidexis displays; (3) E speed films and (4) F speed film. Histologic sections served as validating criterion for the presence and depth of carious lesions. Diagnostic accuracy was measured as the area beneath the ROC curve. Results: Mean ROC (receiver operating characteristic) curve areas for approximal surfaces were 0.865 (E speed), 0.856 (F speed), 0.816 (unenhanced Sidexis) and 0.776 (observer enhanced). There were no significant differences between unenhanced digital Sidexis and films. Observer enhanced Sidexis images exhibited a statistically significant lower diagnostic accuracy than the film images for two of the observers

The Evidence of the Rugoscopy Effectiveness as a Human Identification Method in Patients Submitted to Rapid Palatal Expansion

The objective of this study was to demonstrate the effectiveness of rugoscopy as a human identification method, even when the patient is submitted to rapid palatal expansion, which in theory would introduce doubt. With this intent, the Rugoscopic Identity was obtained for each subject using the classification formula proposed by Santos based on the intra-oral casts made before and after treatment from patients who were subjected to palatal expansion. The casts were labeled with the patients' initials and randomly arranged for studying. The palatine rugae kept the same patterns in every case studied. The technical error of the intra-evaluator measurement provided a confidence interval of 95%, making rugoscopy a reliable identification method for patients who were submitted to rapid palatal expansion, because even in the presence of intra-oral changes owing to the use of palatal expanders, the palatine rugae retained the biological and technical requirements for the human identification process.581SIS235S23

Dental age in patients with Down syndrome Idade dentária em pacientes com síndrome de Down

The aim of this research was to evaluate dental age in 102 patients with Down Syndrome, using panoramic radiographs. A software program developed by the Discipline of Radiology, School of Dentistry of São José dos Campos, São Paulo State University (UNESP), was used. A table of mineralization chronology of permanent teeth among Brazilians conceived by Nicodemo, Moraes and Medici Filho was used within the software. Statistical analysis of the results showed that 70.91% of the males and 61.21% of the females presented advanced dental age. Only 32.09% of the males and 38.79% of the females presented delayed dental age. Regarding the differences between the dental and chronological ages, two thirds of the males and females presented dental age with differences of up to 12 months, which means that they can be considered to be within normal standards, whereas only 18.87% of the males and 10.21% of the females presented dental age outside normal standards, with differences of over 24 months. In conclusion, the majority of the patients with Down Syndrome were considered to be within the normal standards of mineralization chronology.<br>O objetivo desta pesquisa foi avaliar a idade dentária em 102 indivíduos com síndrome de Down, por meio de radiografias panorâmicas. Foi usado um "software" desenvolvido pela disciplina de Radiologia da Faculdade de Odontologia de São José dos Campos (UNESP). Neste "software", foi utilizada a tabela de cronologia de mineralização dos dentes permanentes entre brasileiros, de Nicodemo, Moraes e Medici Filho. A análise estatística dos resultados mostrou que 70,91% dos indivíduos do sexo masculino e 61,21% do sexo feminino apresentaram idade dentária adiantada. Apenas 32,09% dos indivíduos do sexo masculino e 38,79% dos indivíduos do sexo feminino apresentaram idade dentária atrasada. Com relação às diferenças entre idade dentária e idade cronológica, dois terços dos indivíduos dos sexos masculino e feminino apresentaram idades dentárias com até 12 meses de diferença, o que significa que estão dentro do padrão de normalidade; enquanto 18,87% dos indivíduos do sexo masculino e 10,21% dos indivíduos do sexo feminino apresentaram idades dentárias fora do padrão de normalidade com diferenças acima de 24 meses. Concluiu-se que a maioria dos pacientes com síndrome de Down estava dentro do padrão de normalidade de desenvolvimento dentário

Avaliação da incidência de cárie em pacientes com síndrome de Down após sua inserção em um programa preventivo Evaluation of the incidence of dental caries in patients with Down syndrome after their insertion in a preventive program

O objetivo deste trabalho foi verificar a incidência de cárie dentária por meio dos índices CPO-D, CPO-S, ceo-d e ceo-s em indivíduos com síndrome de Down regularmente matriculados em um programa preventivo. Foram examinados 24 indivíduos com síndrome de Down de ambos os sexos, com idade entre um e 48 anos. A prevalência (situação experimental inicial) e a incidência (situação experimental final) de cárie dentária foram verificadas utilizando-se os índices CPO-D, CPO-S, ceo-d e ceo-s iniciais e finais dos participantes. Dos 24 indivíduos examinados, dez (42,0%) eram livres de cárie. A prevalência de cárie dentária mostrou valores de CPO-D= 2,33; CPO-S= 3,60; ceo-d= 1,75 e ceo-s= 2,80; enquanto a incidência de cárie apresentou valores de 2,33; 3,80; 1,10 e 1,90, respectivamente. Os indivíduos com síndrome de Down avaliados neste estudo apresentaram baixos índices de cárie e pequena incidência de novas lesões, enfatizando a importância da manutenção desses pacientes em programas preventivos.<br>The objective of this work was to verify the incidence of dental caries by means of the CPO-D, CPO-S, ceo-d and ceo-s indexes in patients with Down syndrome regularly enrolled in a preventive program. Twenty four Down syndrome patients of both sexes age range of one to 48 years were examined. The prevalence (initial experimental situation) and incidence (final experimental situation) of dental caries were verified using of the initial and final CPO-D, CPO-S, ceo-d and ceo-s indexes of the participants. From 24 individual examined, 10 (42.0%) were free of caries. The prevalence of dental caries showed values of CPO-D= 2.33; CPO-S= 3.60; ceo-d= 1.75 e ceo-s= 2.80; while the incidence of caries showed values of 2.33; 3.80; 1.10 e 1.90, respectively. Down syndrome individuals evaluated in this study presented low level of caries and small incidence of new lesions, emphasizing the importance of the maintenance of these patients at preventive programs

Organization of professional practices against intrafamily violence against children and adolescents in the institutional context

Objective: to analyze based on the practitioners\u27 discourse, the way they organize their practices confronting situations of intra-family violence against children and adolescents. Method: qualitative research carried out with 15 professionals who work in social and health services located in the southernmost of Brazil. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, performed at the participants\u27 workplace. We used a theoretical matrix to analyze the data, based on Institutional Ethnography and the technique of discursive textual analysis. Results: the practitioners\u27 practices developed in situations of intra-family violence against children and adolescents are organized on the basis of: power relations that take place in services that respond to violence situations; routines instituted to meet the demands of care in services; and the interplay between the conception of violence as a public health problem and the conception of violence as a social problem. Conclusion: the way these practices are organized is reflected in actions that are not protective against situations of intra-family violence against children and adolescents.Objetivo: analisar, com base no discurso dos profissionais, como ocorre a organização de suas práticas frente às situações de violência intrafamiliar contra crianças e adolescentes. Método: pesquisa qualitativa, realizada com 15 profissionais que atuam em serviços sociais e de saúde localizados no extremo sul do Brasil. Os dados foram coletados por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas, realizadas no próprio local de trabalho dos participantes. Para a análise dos dados foi construída uma matriz teórica com base na Etnografia Institucional e utilizada a técnica de análise textual discursiva. Resultados: as práticas profissionais desenvolvidas nas situações de violência intrafamiliar contra crianças e adolescentes se organizam a partir de: relações de poder que se desenrolam nos serviços que atendem às situações de violência; rotinas instituídas para suprir as demandas de atendimento nos serviços e o inter-jogo entre a concepção de violência como um problema de saúde pública e a de violência como um problema social. Conclusão: a maneira como essas práticas estão organizadas se reflete em ações pouco protetivas frente às situações de violência intrafamiliar contra crianças e adolescentes.Objetivo: analizar, basado en el discurso profesional, como ocurre la organización de sus prácticas frente a las situaciones de violencia doméstica intrafamiliar contra niños y adolescentes. Método: investigación cualitativa realizada con 15 profesionales que trabajan en salud y servicios sociales en el sur de Brasil. Los datos fueron recolectados a través de entrevistas semiestructuradas realizadas en el lugar de trabajo de los participantes. Para el análisis de los datos se construyó una matriz teórica basada en la Etnografia Institucional y utilizada la técnica de análisis textual del discurso. Resultados: las prácticas profesionales desarrolladas en situaciones de violencia intrafamiliar contra los niños y adolescentes se organizan a partir de: las relaciones de poder que tienen lugar en los servicios que responden a las situaciones de violencia; las rutinas puestas en practica para satisfacer las demandas de servicios de atención y el inter-juego entre la concepción de la violencia como un problema de salud pública y la violencia como un problema social. Conclusión: la forma en que estas prácticas se organizan se refleja en acciones de poca protección en el enfrentamiento de las situaciones de violencia intrafamiliar contra niños y adolescentes