Chiral-symmetry restoration in clustered hadronic matter

Chiral-symmetry restoration is usually discussed in the context of quark matter, a system of deconfined quarks. However, many systems like stable nuclei and neutron stars have quarks confined within nucleons. In the present paper we use a Fermi sea of three-quark clusters instead of a Fermi sea of deconfined quarks to investigate the in-medium quark condensate. We find that an enhancement of the chiral breaking in clustered matter as claimed in the literature is not a consequence of the clustering but rather dependent on the microscopic model dynamics.

Multi-criteria spatial decision analysis for demarcation of greenway: A case study of the city of Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil

Concern regarding hydrological resources has been a theme of growing importance in Brazil, associating the development of new management policies and maintenance of natural areas related to rivers. An efficient way to maintain natural areas around rivers has been the development of greenways, and some cites have already adopted specific legislation in this respect. Following this growing evolution in the treatment of hydrological resources, this study was carried out to demarcate a greenway along the Corumbatai River in the state of São Paulo, Using multi-criteria analysis in a GIS environment. First, thematic maps were elaborated based on Landsat 7 satellite, aerial photographs and digital topographic base, Supported by field activities. With the use of multi-criteria analysis, for which ad hoe consultations were conducted to attribute weights to the thematic maps, a suitability map was elaborated for the allocation of the greenway. Sites that should be included in the greenway were also selected, such as areas appropriate for leisure activities, and ecologically important areas. Based on the suitability map, a pathway analysis was done, connecting the relevant points of interest, thus generating a greenway that runs along the Corumbatai River, with the aim of contributing to the conservation of this important hydrological resource. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Combinação linear ponderada na definição de áreas prioritárias à conectividade entre fragmentos florestais em ambiente SIG

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Approximate analytical states of a polynomial potential: an example of symmetry restoration

An approximate analytical expression for the first two eigenvalues of the Schrodinger equation for the potential V(x) = Ax(4) + Bx(2) is achieved by using the Symanzik scaling symmetry. A kind of symmetry restoration when one of the potential parameters changes conveniently is observed. (C) 2000 Published by Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

Root canal adhesive filling in dogs' teeth with or without coronal restoration: A histopathological evaluation

The purpose of this study was to evaluate in vivo the response of the periradicular tissues after endodontic treatment and root filling with Epiphany/Resilon (Penntron Clinical Technologies, LLC, Wallingford, CT) or gutta percha and new Sealapex (SybronEndo, Glendora, CA) in dogs' teeth with or without coronal restoration. Teeth without coronal restorations were used to assess the influence of continuous exposure to the oral environment on the periradicular tissues. Sixty root canals with vital pulps in three dogs were instrumented and obturated in a single session and randomly assigned to one of four groups as follows. group 1: root canal filling with Epiphany/Resilon with coronal restoration, group 2: root canal filling with Sealapex sealer and gutta percha with restoration, group 3: root canal filling with Epiphany/Resilon without restoration, and group 4: root canal filling with Sealapex sealer and gutta percha without coronal restoration. After 90 days, the animals were euthanized, and the maxillas and mandibles were removed and submitted for histologic processing. Longitudinal sections were obtained and stained with hematoxylin and eosin, Mallory's trichrome, and Brown and Brenn stains and examined under light microscopy. There were significant differences found between the four groups (p < 0.05). The results showed that roots canals filled with Epiphany/Resilon, with coronal restoration, had significantly less periradicular inflammation than roots canals filled with gutta percha and Sealapex, with coronal restoration (p = 0.021). No significant difference was observed in the intensity of inflammation between roots canals filled with Epiphany/ Resilon with no restoration and roots filled with gutta percha and Sealapex with restoration (p = 0.269). Roots canals filled with gutta percha and Sealapex sealer without coronal restoration showed the greatest degree of periradicular inflammation.

The Pediatric Rheumatology International Trials Organization American-College-of-Rheumatology provisional criteria for the evaluation of response to therapy in juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus: Prospective validation of the definition of improvement

Objective. To use the Pediatric Rheumatology International Trials Organization (PRINTO) core set of outcome measures to develop a validated definition of improvement for the evaluation of response to therapy in juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).Methods. Thirty-seven experienced pediatric rheumatologists from 27 countries, each of whom had specific experience in the assessment of juvenile SLE patients, achieved consensus on 128 patient profiles as being clinically improved or not improved. Using the physicians' consensus ratings as the gold standard measure, the chi-square, sensitivity, specificity, false-positive and false-negative rates, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, and kappa level of agreement for 597 candidate definitions of improvement were calculated. Only definitions with a kappa value greater than 0.7 were retained. The top definitions were selected based on the product of the content validity score multiplied by its kappa statistic.Results. The definition of improvement with the highest final score was at least 50% improvement from baseline in any 2 of the 5 core set measures, with no more than 1 of the remaining worsening by more than 30%.Conclusion. PRINTO proposes a valid and reproducible definition of improvement that reflects well the consensus rating of experienced clinicians and that incorporates clinically meaningful change in core set measures in a composite end point for the evaluation of global response to therapy in patients with juvenile SLE. The definition is now proposed for use in juvenile SLE clinical trials and may help physicians to decide whether a child with SLE responded adequately to therapy.

Criteria for peanut seed pre-conditioning for the tetrazolium test

The staining pattern of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) seeds with a tetrazolium solution was evaluated to determine the adequate conditions of seed quality evaluations. Three seed lots with different vigour levels and similar moisture content were pre-conditioned using the combination of five periods of time (4, 8, 12, 16 and 20 hours) and four temperatures (20, 25, 30 and 35 degrees C) and then exposed to a 1.0% tetrazolium solution for three hours. The moisture content levels of seeds conditioned for 8 hours at the temperatures of 25, 30 or 35 degrees C, for 12 hours at 20 or 25 degrees C and for 16 hours at 20 degrees C, were above 30%. In this range of moisture level, the staining in tetrazolium was clear and uniform, reflecting an appropriate conditioning of the seeds. However, under a practical point of view, the period of 16 hours at 20 degrees C showed to be the best option, since it allows to start the pre-conditioning an late afternoon of one day and submit the seeds for staining in the following morning.

Effect of the composite surface sealant application moment on marginal sealing of compactable composite resin restoration

An analysis was carried out to observe whether the application or not of a composite surface sealant (CSS), as well the moment for CSS application were able to reduce marginal microleakage in compactable composite resin restoration. All the preparations were restored with a compactable composite resin. The restored teeth were randomly assessed. G1 (control group): finished and polished; G2: finished, polished, etched and cover with CSS; G3: immediately after the restoration done the CSS was applied, then finished and polished; G4: CSS applied immediately after the restoration was done, the finished and polished, etched, and covered with CSS. The specimens were isolated with nail polish, thermocycled, immersed in aqueous solution of silver nitrate, and followed in a photo developing solution. The microleakage scores obtained from the occlusal and cervical walls were analyzed with the Kruskall-Wallis nonparametric test. No microleakage was found at the enamel margins. Comparing the microleakage scores at dentin/cementum margins (p < 0.05) it was found that G3 (p = 0.0162) and G4 (p = 0.0187) were able to reduce microleakage when compared with group G2. However the results were not statistically different from the control group. The application of CSS was not able to completely eliminate marginal microleakage at the dentin/cementum margins.

Criteria for mixed grids in computational fluid dynamics

The finite volume method is used as a numerical method for solving the fluid flow equations. This method is appropriate to employ under structured and unstructured meshes. Mixed grids, combining both types of grids, are investigated. The coupling of different grids is done by overlapping strategy. The computational effort for the mixed grid is evaluated by the CPU-time, with different percentage of covering area of the unstructured mesh. The present scheme is tested for the driven cavity problem, where the incompressible fluid is integrated by calculating the velocity fields and computing the pressure field in each time step. Several schemes for unstructured grid are examined, and the compatibility condition is applied to check their consistency. A scheme to verify the compatibility condition for the unstructured grids is presented. (c) 2006 IMACS. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Study of the effects of exposure to ionizing irradiation on the materials used for dental restoration

A quantitative study was made about the effects caused by ionizing irradiation on materials used for dental restoration (amalgams, compound resins and compomere), aiming to alleviate in bearers of head and neck cancer, the possible harmful effects of radiotherapy perceived when the repaired teething is within the radiation field. Research also encourages further studies for new alternative materials to be used in dental repair of patients submitted to radiotherapy for head and neck cancer. Test samples were submitted to a gamma radiation beam coming from a cobalt-therapy source and analyzed according to the X-ray fluorescence technique, comparing the chemical composition of the samples before and after irradiation. Radiation detectors such as an ionization chamber and a Geiger-Muller were used to measure the rate of residual dose. Gamma spectrometry with Nal detectors was also performed on the same samples. Results showed that there was no significant change in the chemical composition and that at post-irradiation, samples did not exhibit radiation emission, that is to say they had not become radioactive.