Early Retirement Benefits Not Entitled to Severance Priority

(Excerpt) In Supplee v. Bethlehem Steel Corp (In re Bethlehem Steel Corp.), 479 F.3d 167 (2d Cir. 2007), the Second Circuit Court of Appeals addressed the issue of whether early retirement benefits triggered by severance are entitled to administrative expense treatment. The court held that that early retirement benefits are not entitled to severance priority. While the Second Circuit generally treats severance payments as priority administrative expenses when employment is terminated during the employer’s bankruptcy, Bethlehem determined that lump-sum retirement benefits for which the employee became eligible at termination did not constitute a new benefit earned at termination, and was thus not entitled to administrative priority. In re Bethlehem Steel Corp., 479 F.3d at 171–175. Section I of this will provide a general overview of administrative expense treatment under the Bankruptcy Code. Section II discusses a circuit split on the issue of whether severance payments qualify for administrative expense treatment, with particular focus on the Second Circuit’s approach. Section III analyzes the Second Circuit’s decision in Supplee to exclude lump-sum retirement payments as an administrative expense, and Section IV will briefly discuss the impact of the Supplee

Direct Esthetic Composite Restorations in Anterior Teeth: Managing Symmetry Strategies

A novel procedure for symmetric and consistent layer thickness management in esthetic direct restoration of anterior teeth is presented. For the purpose of obtaining a satisfactory final outcome of an esthetic direct restoration, it is crucial to standardize either margin preparation design and dentin and enamel layer thickness. Leaving too much space for the final translucent layer may lead in fact to “low value—gray” restorations if not correctly managed. The most common tool used to check layer thickness is the sagittal silicone index, which is reliable but involves planning; therefore, it requires two stages appointments. In this clinical case, a novel procedure is used to prepare, to model and to check thickness of composite shades in a single appointment, thus providing a symmetric esthetic outcome. A healthy 21-year-old woman referred to our dental office for the esthetic rehabilitation of both maxillary central incisors. The correct composite bilateral and symmetric layer thickness management provided a predictable esthetic outcome of the restorations. The main objective of this case presentation is to describe a novel technique that is able to save chair-time and dental laboratory costs during direct restorations in anterior teeth

The “Pre-Finishing” Approach in Direct Anterior Restorations. A Case Series

n esthetic restorations of anterior teeth the clinician has to manage several aspects in order to have a predictable outcome. A deep knowledge of the anatomy as well as the adhesive procedures and the optical properties of resin-based composites are mandatory to achieve esthetic results. Contemporary restorative materials present either several shades and different translucency properties and therefore they are able to mimic teeth’s optical behavior thus providing a natural aspect to anterior restorations. The wrong thickness of different composite layers may provide unpleasant results such as low value (grayish) restorations that often requires reintervention. A precise step-by-step procedure is therefore mandatory to provide the proper shade at the correct place. There is therefore the need of some corrections and adjustments during the layer procedure in order to avoid errors in shade positioning that could affect final result. The authors present a case series (six clinical cases) treated with the proposed technique with up to five years follow-up

Influence of Modeling Liquids and Universal Adhesives Used as Lubricants on Color Stability and Translucency of Resin-Based Composites

The use of lubricants during restorative procedures is a clinically common practice to alleviate the stickiness of resin-based composite (RBCs) materials and to improve its handling. This study evaluated the effects of three modeling liquids (ML) and one universal adhesive (UA) used as lubricants during composite layering on the color stability and translucency of RBCs. Methods. The following materials were applied between every 1 mm RBC layer (total restoration height of 4 mm): GC modeling liquid (GCML, GC Corporation, Tokyo, Japan), composite wetting resin (UPWR, Ultradent Products, South Jordan, UT, USA), Bisco modeling resin (BSMR, Bisco Inc., Schaumburg, IL, USA) as an ML and Clearfil Universal Bond Quick (KUBQ, Kuraray Noritake Dental, Tokyo, Japan) as a UA. Lubricant-free specimens were used as the control. Color coordinates (L*, a* and b*) were recorded at baseline and after a simulation of 1 month of coffee consumption. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and a post hoc Tukey test (p < 0.05). Results. All lubricants induced a color change higher than the perceptibility threshold (ΔE00 > 0.81). GCML showed the highest color stability. The use of KUBQ resulted in significantly higher a* values (p = 0.001) at baseline and after staining. KUBQ and UPWR significantly influenced the color stability (ΔE00, p = 0.0001) after staining, overcoming the clinical acceptability threshold (ΔE00 > 1.77). Conclusions. The use of lubricants may affect color stability at baseline and after simulation of staining. Translucency was not affected at baseline nor after staining. Clinical Significance. Clinicians should be aware that some lubricants may affect color stability, even at baseline

Edgardo Giménez. Siete muebles, un mono y dos conejos [folleto exposición]

Folleto elaborado con motivo de la exposición "Siete muebles, un mono y dos conejos" expuesta en la Universidad Torcuato Di Tella del 25-05 al 26-06 del 2015. El folleto contiene fotos de las obras expuestas con textos explicativos sobre ellas

CRITICAL SPEED OF FLAWED ROTORS: GLOBAL VS. LOCAL APPROACH

The burst of a disc in rotating machinery can cause catas- trophic damage of the equipment and, more importantly, it can represent a mortal threat to anyone in the sphere of influence of the event. In order to minimize the danger associated to a rotating component failure, burst testing is required by the au- thorities in order to set safety margins to the normal operating speeds. Moreover more accurate predicting tools are required for designing the components. This paper presents the results of a numerical and analytical study on the assessment of the crack driving force for discs containing surface flaws. The aim is to provide a simple, though reliable, tool in order to be able to calculate the possible dangerous in-service speed for a rotating component and, therefore, to set burst margins above the nor- mal operating conditions of the equipment. An R6-like flaw as- sessment procedure is adopted considering different assumptions in the definition of the critical speed and the analytical predic- tions are compared with the results of elastic-plastic finite ele- ment analysis of disc. In particular, the validity and potentiality of the method is proved for surface flaws in different positions in the disc

The Simultaneous Modeling Technique: closing gaps in posteriors

Direct posterior restorations represent a widespread procedure in daily practice. Occlusal layering is often considered a complex task, generally not predictable and often requiring several occlusal adjustments. Moreover, direct posterior restorations are time consuming, as many small increments must be applied and cured individually to control shrinkage stress. Several authors have proposed different material layering techniques for posteriors. The authors of this article propose a simplified approach, which primarily aims to help the clinician perform quick, simple, predictable, and natural-looking occlusal modeling, reducing the need for occlusal adjustments

Induction of DNA double strand breaks by arsenite: comparative studies with DNA breaks induced by X-rays.

Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-K1) cell line and two of its DNA double strand break (DSB) repair deficient mutant cell lines, xrs-5 (Ku80 mutant) and irs-20 (DNA-PKcs mutant), were treated with various concentrations of sodium arsenite for 2.5 hrs, and the colony forming abilities were studied. The wild type cells showed the highest cell survival, while xrs-5 cells showed the lowest survival, and irs-20 cells had an intermediate survival. These results are very similar to the cell survival curves induced by x-rays in these three cell lines. Our data also shows the dose dependent induction of DNA DSBs in these cell lines exposed to arsenite. However, in order to obtain a similar cell survival in wild type cells, twice as many DNA DSBs are necessary with arsenite exposure when compared with x-rays, suggesting that the types of DNA lesions leading to DSB induced by arsenite are different from those by x-rays. Based on these data, further mechanistic investigations including the involvement of DNA DSB repair proteins are warranted in the recovery process from arsenic exposure

Distribution of adhesive layer in class II composite resin restorations before/after interproximal matrix application

Objectives: This study aimed to morphologically investigate the distribution of the adhesive layer when placed prior, or subsequent, to matrix positioning in direct-bonded Class II RBC restorations. Additional aim was to evaluate possible differences when using two-steps (CSE, Clearfil SE Bond2) or one-step adhesive system (CU, Clearfil Universal Bond Quick). Methods: Standardized mesio-occlusal and disto-occlusal cavities were prepared on 20 human molars. Teeth were randomly allocated to two protocols according to the positioning of contoured sectional metal matrices before (M->A, n = 10), or after adhesive application (A->M, n = 10). Both adhesive systems were additioned with crystal violet dye (CV, 10 vol%). Specimen sections were evaluated using optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Dynamic viscosity, pH, microshear bond strength test (\u3bc-SBS) on enamel and dentin, and three-point bend test (3PB) of polymerized adhesive rods, were performed on both pristine and CV-additioned adhesives. Results: M->A produced a layer of adhesive both on tooth-restoration interface and on external restoration surfaces in contact with the matrix. A->M produced a thin layer of adhesive on external tooth surfaces, well beyond cavity and RBC restoration margins. In all restorations, excess RBC material with uneven margins was observed protruding over the cervical margin. CV addition slightly increased pH and decreased viscosity. \u3bc-SBS: CU + CV showed a 10-fold reduction in adhesion forces on dentine. 3PB: CSE yielded higher flexural strength values than CU. CV addition reduced flexural strength of CSE. Conclusions: Both M > A and A > M generated adhesive placement disadvantages with adhesive materials being expressed in difficult to reach locations that may jeopardize complete adhesive polymerization. Clinical Significance: All cervical margins of RBC restorations should be carefully finished to improve longevity, no matter the clinical protocol adopted. CV addition labelled the tested adhesives without compromising their performances considerably