Randomized clinical trial on the survival of lithium disilicate posterior partial restorations bonded using immediate or delayed dentin sealing after 3 years of function

Objectives: The survival and success rate and the quality of survival of partial ceramic restorations bonded employing Immediate (IDS) or Delayed Dentin Sealing (DDS) in vital molar teeth were evaluated in a randomized clinical trial with within-subject comparison study.Materials and methods: 30 patients received two lithium disilicate ceramic (IPS-e.max press, Ivoclar Vivadent) partial restorations on vital first or second molar teeth (N = 60). The two teeth randomly received either IDS (test group, n = 30) or DDS (control group, n = 30). Partial ceramic restorations were luted (Variolink Ultra, Ivoclar Vivadent) two weeks after preparation. Evaluations were performed at 1 week, 12 months and 36 months post-operatively, using qualitative (FDI) criteria. Representative failures were evaluated microscopically (SEM) and by means of simplified qualitative fractography analysis.Results: One absolute failure occurred in the DDS group due to (secondary) caries. The overall survival rate according to Kaplan-Meier after 3 years was 98.3% (FDI criteria score 1-4, n = 59) and the overall success rate was 85% (FDI criteria score 1-3, n = 51), with no significant difference between restorations in the IDS and DDS group (p = 0.32; Kaplan-Meier, Log Rank (Mantel-Cox), CI = 95%). For the quality of the survival, no statistically significant differences were found between IDS and DDS (p = 0.7; Kaplan-Meier, Log Rank (Mantel-Cox), CI = 95%) restorations on any follow-up timepoints for any of the FDI criteria (Wilcoxon, McNemar, p &gt; 0.05).Conclusion: Adhesively luted partial ceramic restorations in vital molar teeth have a good prognosis, however IDS did not show any differences in success and survival rates after 3 years of function.</p

8-year multicenter retrospective study on partial laminate veneers

Purpose: This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the survival and success rates of ceramic partial laminate veneers. Scanning electron microscopy was used to evaluate fractures and marginal defects. Methods: In total, 31 patients received 79 partial laminate veneers on the maxillary anterior teeth. After adhesive luting, restorations were evaluated by calibrated clinicians for up to eight years using modified United States Public Health Service (USPHS) criteria. In addition, epoxy resin replicas were fabricated from silicone impressions and analyzed using scanning electron microscopy. Survival analyses were performed using the Kaplan-Meier and log-rank tests (α = 0.05). Success was analyzed in percentages by comparing the baseline and last follow-up. Results: The cumulative survival rates were 100% after 1 year; 95.9% (SE 2.8%) after 5 years; and 61.4% (SE 25.3%) after 8 years. No significant differences (P &gt; 0.05) were observed between functional and non-functional restorations. Changes in the USPHS criteria evaluation were only observed for adaptation: 12.5% (SE 4.7%), marginal discoloration: 4.2% (SE 3.0%), color match: 4.2% (SE 3.0%), and fractures: 16.7% (SE 5.3%). Scanning electron microscopy evaluations revealed undetected initial cracks and deficiencies in the restorations. Conclusions: Partial laminate veneers displayed good survival rates during the long-term follow-up. The main problems observed were related to the quality of the margins, color mismatch, and restoration integrity. However, in most cases, restoration replacement was not required.</p

Functional traits driving species role in the structure of terrestrial vertebrate scavenger networks

Species assemblages often have a non-random nested organization, which in vertebrate scavenger (carrion-consuming) assemblages is thought to be driven by facilitation in competitive environments. However, not all scavenger species play the same role in maintaining assemblage structure, as some species are obligate scavengers (i.e., vultures) and others are facultative, scavenging opportunistically. We used a database with 177 vertebrate scavenger species from 53 assemblages in 22 countries across five continents to identify which functional traits of scavenger species are key to maintaining the scavenging network structure. We used network analyses to relate ten traits hypothesized to affect assemblage structure with the “role” of each species in the scavenging assemblage in which it appeared. We characterized the role of a species in terms of both the proportion of monitored carcasses on which that species scavenged, or scavenging breadth (i.e., the species “normalized degree”), and the role of that species in the nested structure of the assemblage (i.e., the species “paired nested degree”), therefore identifying possible facilitative interactions among species. We found that species with high olfactory acuity, social foragers, and obligate scavengers had the widest scavenging breadth. We also found that social foragers had a large paired nested degree in scavenger assemblages, probably because their presence is easier to detect by other species to signal carcass occurrence. Our study highlights differences in the functional roles of scavenger species and can be used to identify key species for targeted conservation to maintain the ecological function of scavenger assemblages.Generalitat Valenciana SEJI/2018/024, APOSTD/2019/016, CIDEGENT/ 2020/030, ACIF/2019/056Ministerio de Educación y Cultura CI-2017-32149, FJCI-2015-25632, IJC2018-036642-I, YC-2019-027216-I, RYC-2015-19231, RYC-2017-2273, GL2012-40013-C02-01/02, CGL2015- 66966-C2-1-R, CGL2015-66966-C2-1-R2, CGL2017-89905-R, RTI2018-099609-B-C21, RTI2018-099609-B-C22Govern de les Illes Balears PD/039/201National Science Centre in Poland 2013/08/M/ NZ9/00469, 2016/22/Z/NZ8/00Slovenian Research Agency P4-0059US Department of Energy DE- EM000439USA National Science Foundation #1255913California Department of Fish & Wildlife P0880013Junta de Andalucía RNM-192

Study of the plutino object (208996) 2003 AZ84 from stellar occultations: size, shape and topographic features

We present results derived from four stellar occultations by the plutino object (208996) 2003~AZ$_{84}$, detected at January 8, 2011 (single-chord event), February 3, 2012 (multi-chord), December 2, 2013 (single-chord) and November 15, 2014 (multi-chord). Our observations rule out an oblate spheroid solution for 2003~AZ$_{84}$'s shape. Instead, assuming hydrostatic equilibrium, we find that a Jacobi triaxial solution with semi axes $(470 \pm 20) \times (383 \pm 10) \times (245 \pm 8)$~km % axis ratios $b/a= 0.82 \pm 0.05$ and $c/a= 0.52 \pm 0.02$, can better account for all our occultation observations. Combining these dimensions with the rotation period of the body (6.75~h) and the amplitude of its rotation light curve, we derive a density $\rho=0.87 \pm 0.01$~g~cm$^{-3}$ a geometric albedo $p_V= 0.097 \pm 0.009$. A grazing chord observed during the 2014 occultation reveals a topographic feature along 2003~AZ$_{84}$'s limb, that can be interpreted as an abrupt chasm of width $\sim 23$~km and depth $> 8$~km or a smooth depression of width $\sim 80$~km and depth $\sim 13$~km (or an intermediate feature between those two extremes)

Geolocators lead to better measures of timing and renesting in black-tailed godwits and reveal the bias of traditional observational methods

Long-term population studies can identify changes in population dynamics over time. However, to realize meaningful conclusions, these studies rely on accurate measurements of individual traits and population characteristics. Here, we evaluate the accuracy of the observational methods used to measure reproductive traits in individually marked black-tailed godwits (Limosa limosa limosa). By comparing estimates from traditional methods with data obtained from light-level geolocators, we provide an accurate estimate of the likelihood of renesting in godwits and the repeatability of the lay dates of first clutches. From 2012 to 2018, we used periods of shading recorded on the light-level geolocators carried by 68 individual godwits to document their nesting behaviour. We then compared these estimates to those simultaneously obtained by our long-term observational study. We found that among recaptured geolocator-carrying godwits, all birds renested after a failed first clutch, regardless of the date of nest loss or the number of days already spent incubating. We also found that 43% of these godwits laid a second replacement clutch after a failed first replacement, and that 21% of these godwits renested after a hatched first clutch. However, the observational study correctly identified only 3% of the replacement clutches produced by geolocator-carrying individuals and designated as first clutches a number of nests that were actually replacement clutches. Additionally, on the basis of the observational study, the repeatability of lay date was 0.24 (95% CI 0.17-0.31), whereas it was 0.54 (95% CI 0.28-0.75) using geolocator-carrying individuals. We use examples from our own and other godwit studies to illustrate how the biases in our observational study discovered here may have affected the outcome of demographic estimates, individual-level comparisons, and the design, implementation and evaluation of conservation practices. These examples emphasize the importance of improving and validating field methodologies and show how the addition of new tools can be transformational

De novo domestication of wild tomato using genome editing

Breeding of crops over millennia for yield and productivity1 has led to reduced genetic diversity. As a result, beneficial traits of wild species, such as disease resistance and stress tolerance, have been lost2. We devised a CRISPR–Cas9 genome engineering strategy to combine agronomically desirable traits with useful traits present in wild lines. We report that editing of six loci that are important for yield and productivity in present-day tomato crop lines enabled de novo domestication of wild Solanum pimpinellifolium. Engineered S. pimpinellifolium morphology was altered, together with the size, number and nutritional value of the fruits. Compared with the wild parent, our engineered lines have a threefold increase in fruit size and a tenfold increase in fruit number. Notably, fruit lycopene accumulation is improved by 500% compared with the widely cultivated S. lycopersicum. Our results pave the way for molecular breeding programs to exploit the genetic diversity present in wild plants

Performance and Operation of the CMS Electromagnetic Calorimeter

The operation and general performance of the CMS electromagnetic calorimeter using cosmic-ray muons are described. These muons were recorded after the closure of the CMS detector in late 2008. The calorimeter is made of lead tungstate crystals and the overall status of the 75848 channels corresponding to the barrel and endcap detectors is reported. The stability of crucial operational parameters, such as high voltage, temperature and electronic noise, is summarised and the performance of the light monitoring system is presented

Network structure of vertebrate scavenger assemblages at the global scale: drivers and ecosystem functioning implications

publishedVersio

Functional traits driving species role in the structure of terrestrial vertebrate scavenger networks

Species assemblages often have a non-random nested organization, which in vertebrate scavenger (carrion-consuming) assemblages is thought to be driven by facilitation in competitive environments. However, not all scavenger species play the same role in maintaining assemblage structure, as some species are obligate scavengers (i.e., vultures) and others are facultative, scavenging opportunistically. We used a database with 177 vertebrate scavenger species from 53 assemblages in 22 countries across five continents to identify which functional traits of scavenger species are key to maintaining the scavenging network structure. We used network analyses to relate ten traits hypothesized to affect assemblage structure with the role of each species in the scavenging assemblage in which it appeared. We characterized the role of a species in terms of both the proportion of monitored carcasses on which that species scavenged, or scavenging breadth (i.e., the species normalized degree), and the role of that species in the nested structure of the assemblage (i.e., the species paired nested degree), therefore identifying possible facilitative interactions among species. We found that species with high olfactory acuity, social foragers, and obligate scavengers had the widest scavenging breadth. We also found that social foragers had a large paired nested degree in scavenger assemblages, probably because their presence is easier to detect by other species to signal carcass occurrence. Our study highlights differences in the functional roles of scavenger species and can be used to identify key species for targeted conservation to maintain the ecological function of scavenger assemblages