235 research outputs found

    Characterization and evaluation of commercial fragrance microcapsules for textile application

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    In this paper, some commercial microcapsule samples, containing different fragrances used for textile application purposes, were characterized and evaluated. Microcapsule samples were evaluated in terms of particle size, morphology, shell material composition, and fragrance intensity. The effectiveness of the textile impregnation and its durability were assessed. The selection of samples used in each study was made in order to the specific goals of characterization and evaluation of microcapsules. Lemon_Bayer, Lemon_Focor, Lemon_Horquim, Strawberry_Horquim, and Jasmine_Focor samples were used to study the morphology and particle size distribution, and it was observed that microcapsules have a spherical shape with size between 2 and 6 lm. The chemical composition of Lavender_Horquim, Mints_Horquim, Eucaliptus_Focor, and Apple_Focor samples was checked/ confirmed and was based on melamine copolymers including melamine-formaldehyde ones. Lemon_Horquim microcapsules were impregnated on textile substrates, and it was observed that a loss of 46% of limonene occurred after one domestic wash and a loss of 97% occurred after 20 domestic washes

    Lifestyle choices of Brazilian college students

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    Lifestyle choices reflect the beliefs that individuals attribute to aspects of life. This construct can be assessed with the Individual Lifestyle Profile (PEVI) questionnaire, which measures elements of Nutrition, Physical Activity, Preventive Behaviors, Social Relationships and Stress Management.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

    Spin Foam Perturbation Theory for Three-Dimensional Quantum Gravity

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    We formulate the spin foam perturbation theory for three-dimensional Euclidean Quantum Gravity with a cosmological constant. We analyse the perturbative expansion of the partition function in the dilute-gas limit and we argue that the Baez conjecture stating that the number of possible distinct topological classes of perturbative configurations is finite for the set of all triangulations of a manifold, is not true. However, the conjecture is true for a special class of triangulations which are based on subdivisions of certain 3-manifold cubulations. In this case we calculate the partition function and show that the dilute-gas correction vanishes for the simplest choice of the volume operator. By slightly modifying the dilute-gas limit, we obtain a nonvanishing correction which is related to the second order perturbative correction. By assuming that the dilute-gas limit coupling constant is a function of the cosmological constant, we obtain a value for the partition function which is independent of the choice of the volume operator.Comment: Revised version. We prove that the first-order volume expectation value vanishes and therefore we consider a dilute gas limit based on the second-order perturbative correction. 32 pages, 16 Figure

    TrkB-targeted therapy for mucoepidermoid carcinoma

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    The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)/tyrosine receptor kinase B (TrkB) pathway was previously associated with key oncogenic outcomes in a number of adenocarcinomas. The aim of our study was to determine the role of this pathway in mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC). Three MEC cell lines (UM-HMC-2, H253 and H292) were exposed to Cisplatin, the TrkB inhibitor, ANA-12 and a combination of these drugs. Ultrastructural changes were assessed through transmission electron microscopy; scratch and Transwell assays were used to assess migration and invasion; and a clonogenic assay and spheroid-forming assay allowed assessment of survival and percentage of cancer stem cells (CSC). Changes in cell ultrastructure demonstrated Cisplatin cytotoxicity, while the effects of ANA-12 were less pronounced. Both drugs, used individually and in combination, delayed MEC cell migration, invasion and survival. ANA-12 significantly reduced the number of CSC, but the Cisplatin effect was greater, almost eliminating this cell population in all MEC cell lines. Interestingly, the spheroid forming capacity recovered, following the combination therapy, as compared to Cisplatin alone. Our studies allowed us to conclude that the TrkB inhibition, efficiently impaired MEC cell migration, invasion and survival in vitro, however, the decrease in CSC number, following the combined treatment of ANA-12 and Cisplatin, was less than that seen with Cisplatin alone; this represents a limiting factor

    MutSα expression predicts a lower disease-free survival in malignant salivary gland tumors: an immunohistochemical study

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    Background: Appropriate DNA replication is vital to maintain cell integrity at the genomic level. Malfunction on DNA repair mechanisms can have implications related to tumor behavior. Our aim was to evaluate the expression of key complexes of the DNA mismatch-repair system MutSα (hMSH2-hMSH6) and MutSβ (hMSH2-hMSH3) in a panel comprising the most common benign and malignant salivary gland tumors (SGT), and to determine their association with disease-free survival. Material and Methods: Ten cases of normal salivary gland (NSG) and 92 of SGT (54 benign and 38 malignant) were retrieved. Immunohistochemistry was performed for hMSH2, hMSH3, hMSH6. Scanned slides were digitally analyzed based on the percentage of positive cells with nuclear staining. Cases were further classified in MutSαhigh and MutSβhigh based on hMSH2-hMSH6 and hMSH3-hMSH6 expression, respectively. Results: hMSH3 expression was lower in malignant SGT compared to NSG and benign cases. Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) cases with perineural invasion presented a lower percentage of hMSH3 positive cells. hMSH6 was downregulated in both benign and malignant SGT compared to NSG. Malignant SGT cases with MutSαhigh expression had lower disease-free survival compared to MutSαlow cases. A 10.26-fold increased risk of presenting local recurrence was observed. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that a lack of hMSH3 protein function is associated with a more aggressive phenotype (malignancy and perineural invasion) and that MutSα overexpression predicts a poor clinical outcome in malignant SGT

    Salivary gland cancer in Southern Brazil: a prognostic study of 107 cases

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    Background: Salivary gland cancers (SGC) represent an uncommon group of heterogeneous tumors. We performed a retrospective survey of SGC diagnosed in a reference center for treatment of malignant tumors from the south of Brazil aiming to determine the prognostic value of demographic, clinic and pathologic features. Material and Methods: Cases diagnosed as SGC between 2006 and 2016 were retrospectively collected. Medical records were examined to extract demographic, clinic, pathologic and follow-up information. Results: One-hundred and seven cases of SGC were identified. The most common SGC were mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) (n = 39) followed by adenoid cystic carcinoma (AdCC) (n = 29). Among AdCCs, 55.2% of cases were classified as cribriform, 27.6% as tubular and 17.2% as solid. The tubular subtype had the highest percentage of cases with perineural invasion (p=0.01). Among MEC, 61.5% of cases were classified as low grade, 15.4% as intermediate grade and 19.9% as high grade. Low grade MEC had the lowest percentage of cases with perineural invasion (p=0.04). The 5-year survival for loco-regional control, disease-free survival (DFS) and disease-specific survival were 75%, 70% and 84%, respectively. The following features were associated with poor DFS: advanced age (p=0.03), rural residency (p=0.01), being a smoker or former smoker (p=0.01), pain (p=0.03), nodal metastasis (p<0.001), need for chemotherapy (p=0.02), neck dissection (p=0.04), perineural invasion (p=0.01), and being diagnosed with AdCC compared to MEC (p=0.02). Conclusions: The clinco-demographic and pathologic features identified as prognostic factors reveal the profile of patients at increased risk of recurrence and who would benefit from closer follow-up

    BAs and boride III-V alloys

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    Boron arsenide, the typically-ignored member of the III-V arsenide series BAs-AlAs-GaAs-InAs is found to resemble silicon electronically: its Gamma conduction band minimum is p-like (Gamma_15), not s-like (Gamma_1c), it has an X_1c-like indirect band gap, and its bond charge is distributed almost equally on the two atoms in the unit cell, exhibiting nearly perfect covalency. The reasons for these are tracked down to the anomalously low atomic p orbital energy in the boron and to the unusually strong s-s repulsion in BAs relative to most other III-V compounds. We find unexpected valence band offsets of BAs with respect to GaAs and AlAs. The valence band maximum (VBM) of BAs is significantly higher than that of AlAs, despite the much smaller bond length of BAs, and the VBM of GaAs is only slightly higher than in BAs. These effects result from the unusually strong mixing of the cation and anion states at the VBM. For the BAs-GaAs alloys, we find (i) a relatively small (~3.5 eV) and composition-independent band gap bowing. This means that while addition of small amounts of nitrogen to GaAs lowers the gap, addition of small amounts of boron to GaAs raises the gap (ii) boron ``semi-localized'' states in the conduction band (similar to those in GaN-GaAs alloys), and (iii) bulk mixing enthalpies which are smaller than in GaN-GaAs alloys. The unique features of boride III-V alloys offer new opportunities in band gap engineering.Comment: 18 pages, 14 figures, 6 tables, 61 references. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. B. Scheduled to appear Oct. 15 200

    Scenario of Accelerating Universe from the Phenomenological \Lambda- Models

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    Dark matter, the major component of the matter content of the Universe, played a significant role at early stages during structure formation. But at present the Universe is dark energy dominated as well as accelerating. Here, the presence of dark energy has been established by including a time-dependent Λ\Lambda term in the Einstein's field equations. This model is compatible with the idea of an accelerating Universe so far as the value of the deceleration parameter is concerned. Possibility of a change in sign of the deceleration parameter is also discussed. The impact of considering the speed of light as variable in the field equations has also been investigated by using a well known time-dependent Λ\Lambda model.Comment: Latex, 9 pages, Major change

    Pleomorphic adenoma and carcinoma ex‐pleomorphic adenoma tumorigenesis: a proteomic analysis

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    Objectives To conduct a comprehensive proteomic analysis of normal salivary gland tissue, pleomorphic adenoma (PA), and carcinoma ex-pleomorphic adenoma (CXPA), and validate the proteomic findings using immunohistochemistry. Methods Six normal salivary gland tissues, seven PA and seven CXPA samples underwent laser microdissection followed by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. Protein identification and quantification were performed using MaxQuant software. Statistical analysis and functional enrichment were conducted using the Perseus platform and STRING tool, respectively. Immunohistochemistry was used for validation. Results Comparative proteomic analysis revealed 2680 proteins across the three tissue types, with 799 significantly altered between groups. Translocation protein SEC63 homolog, Annexin A6 and Biglycan were up-regulated in CXPA compared to PA. Decorin was markedly up-regulated in both PA and CXPA compared to normal salivary gland (log2 fold changes of 7.58 and 7.38, respectively). Validation confirmed elevated levels of Biglycan and Decorin in the extracellular matrix of CXPA compared to PA. Conclusions Proteomic analysis identified differential protein expression patterns associated with malignant transformation of PA into CXPA. Findings indicate a crucial role for extracellular matrix proteins, specifically Biglycan and Decorin, in the tumorigenic progression of PA and CXPA
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