Evaluating of oral and salivary conditions of two specific groups of workers

Introduction and Objective: Tooth decay is one of the most common chronic oral diseases found in industrial countries and is a multifactorial disease which has sugar as a key dietary factor. The amount of saliva concentration and presence of cariogenic bacteria will favor the development of caries. Because of this, the aim of this study was to collect and analyze data on oral alterations referred to tooth decay, oral pH changes, and changes of the oral microbiota in two distinct groups of workers. Material and methods: 30 individuals belonging to two different groups of workers: group A (GA) – workers who maintain daily contact with the confectionery; group B (GB) – workers who do not have such contact. Saliva collection was done by analysis of the salivary pH in both groups, as well as cultivation of Lactobacillus spp and S. mutans. We also evaluate the dental status of individuals belonging to the two groups through the DMFT index. Results: After the examinations of 30 workers (17 from the GA [9 men and 8 women] and 13 in the GB [7 men and 6 women]), the mean DMFT of the individuals in the group A and group B, was 7.41 (SD 5.14) 7.08 (SD 5.56), respectively, without statistically significant differences (p < 0.05). The count of S. mutans and Lactobacillus spp, was not statistically significant. Conclusion: There was no statistically significant relationship between presence of dental caries and the fact that workers are in contact with sugar because they work on candy food industry, but new studies are needed for more precise research

Estimativa da radiação fotossinteticamente ativa com base na radiação global na transição cerrado-amazônia.

O conhecimento dos níveis da radiação fotossinteticamente ativa (PAR) é de extrema importância para aplicações biológicas e agronômicas. O monitoramento desta fração da radiação global (HG) ocorre por meio de sensores que, em geral, apresentam altos custos de aquisição e dificuldades na aferição (calibração). Objetivou-se gerar e validar modelos estatísticos (correlações) para estimativas diárias simplificadas da radiação PAR em função de HG, para diferentes condições de cobertura de céu (índice de claridade ? KT), no município de Sinop-MT (transição Cerrado- Amazônia). As medidas de HG e PAR, entre 08/2013 e 07/2017, foram obtidas da base de dados da Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EMBRAPA) Agrossilvipastoril. As classes do coeficiente de transmissividade atmosférica (KT) avaliadas foram: KT&#8804;0,35, nublado; 0,350,65, céu aberto. Para avaliação do desempenho estatístico dos modelos gerados foram empregados os indicativos do erro absoluto médio (MBE), da raiz quadrada do quadrado médio do erro (RMSE) e índices de ajustamento (d). O valor diário médio observado para PAR foi de 7,06 MJ m-2, com mínimo e máximo de 0,72 e 10,78 MJ m-2, respectivamente, com média 37% de HG. As maiores frações PAR/HG ocorreram no período chuvoso, devido às alterações nos processos de absorção e de espalhamento da radiação pelo vapor d?água nas distintas faixas do espectro. Os modelos lineares apresentaram propiciam boas estimativas da PAR, com R² acima de 0,9 e bons indicativos estatísticos. Independentemente da cobertura de céu, ocorreram superestimativas da PAR, com menores desvios para céu nublado e parcialmente nublado.CBAGRO 2019

The effect of ultra-thin graphite on the morphology and physical properties of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer composites

[EN] Composites of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and ultra-thin graphite (UTG) with concentrations ranging from 0.5 wt.% to 3 wt.% were prepared using a solution compounding strategy. Substantial reinforcing effects with increased loadings are achieved. Compared to neat TPU, values for storage modulus and shear viscosity are enhanced by 300% and 150%, respectively, for UTG concentrations of 3 wt.%. Additionally, an enhancement of thermal properties is accomplished. The crystallization temperature and thermal stability increased by 30 C and 10 C, respectively, compared to neat TPU. Furthermore, the use of oxidized UTG (UTGO) with its added functional oxygen groups suggests the presence of chemical interactions between UTG and TPU, which additionally impact on the thermal properties of the corresponding composites. Controlling the oxidation degree, thus offers further possibilities to obtain composites with tailored properties. The presented approach is straightforward, leads to homogeneous TPU-UTG composites with improved materials properties and is especially suitable for commercial UTG materials and further up-scaled production.This research was supported by IMPIVA under Project (IMIDIP/2010/58), Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN) under Project MAT2010-15026, CSIC under Project 201080E124, and the Government of Aragon (DGA) and the European Social Fund (ESF) under Project DGA-ESF-T66 CNN. M.C. thanks MICINN and ESF for her Grant No. BES-2008-003503. Authors thank Merquinsa S.L. (Barcelona, Spain) and Avanzare S.L. (La Rioja, Spain) for kindly providing polyurethane and ultra-thin graphite samples, respectively.Menes, O.; Cano, M.; Benedito, A.; Giménez Torres, E.; Castell, P.; Maser, WK.; Benito, AM. (2012). The effect of ultra-thin graphite on the morphology and physical properties of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer composites. Composites Science and Technology. 72(13):1595-1601. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compscitech.2012.06.016S15951601721

Patterns of Interspecific Variation in the Heart Rates of Embryonic Reptiles

New non-invasive technologies allow direct measurement of heart rates (and thus, developmental rates) of embryos. We applied these methods to a diverse array of oviparous reptiles (24 species of lizards, 18 snakes, 11 turtles, 1 crocodilian), to identify general influences on cardiac rates during embryogenesis. Heart rates increased with ambient temperature in all lineages, but (at the same temperature) were faster in lizards and turtles than in snakes and crocodilians. We analysed these data within a phylogenetic framework. Embryonic heart rates were faster in species with smaller adult sizes, smaller egg sizes, and shorter incubation periods. Phylogenetic changes in heart rates were negatively correlated with concurrent changes in adult body mass and residual incubation period among the lizards, snakes (especially within pythons) and crocodilians. The total number of embryonic heart beats between oviposition and hatching was lower in squamates than in turtles or the crocodilian. Within squamates, embryonic iguanians and gekkonids required more heartbeats to complete development than did embryos of the other squamate families that we tested. These differences plausibly reflect phylogenetic divergence in the proportion of embryogenesis completed before versus after laying