Composite artistry in the Book of Numbers : a study in biblical narrative conventions

The present thesis discusses the coherence or lack of coherence in the book of Numbers, with special regard to its narrative features. The fragmented nature of Numbers is a well-known problem in research on the book, affecting how we approach and interpret it, but to date there has not been any thorough investigation of the narrative features of the work and how they might contribute to the coherence or the lack of coherence in the book. The discussion is pursued in light of narrative theory, and especially in connection to three parameters that are typically understood to be invoked in the interpretation of narratives: 1) a narrative paradigm, or ‘story,’ meaning events related to each other temporally, causally, and thematically, in a plot with a beginning, middle, and end; 2) discourse, being the expression plane of a narrative, or the devices that an author has at hand in constructing a narrative; 3) the situation or languagegame of the narrative, prototypical examples being factual reports, which seeks to depict a state of affairs, and storytelling narratives, driven by a demand for tellability. In view of these parameters the present thesis argues that it is reasonable to form four groups to describe the narrative material of Numbers: genuine narratives (e.g. Num 12), independent narrative sequences (e.g. Num 5:1-4), instrumental scenes and situations (e.g. Num 27:1-5), and narrative fragments (e.g. Num 18:1). These groups are mixed throughout with non-narrative materials. Seen together, however, the narrative features of these groups can be understood to create an attenuated narrative sequence from beginning to end in Numbers, where one thing happens after another. This sequence, termed the ‘larger story’ of Numbers, concerns the wandering of Israel from Sinai to Moab. Furthermore, the larger story has a fragmented plot. The end-point is fixed on the promised land, Israel prepares for the wandering towards it (Num 1-10), rebels against wandering and the promise and is sent back into the wilderness (Num 13-14), returns again after forty years (Num 21ff.), and prepares for conquering the land (Num 22-36). Finally, themes of the promised land, generational succession, and obedience-disobedience, operate in this larger story. Purity is also a significant theme in the book, albeit not connected to plot in the larger story. All in all, sequence, plot, and theme in the larger story of Numbers can be understood to bring some coherence to the book. However, neither aspect entirely subsumes the whole book, and the four groups of narrative materials can also be understood to underscore the incoherence of the work in differentiating its variegated narrative contents. Numbers should therefore be described as an anthology of different materials that are loosely connected through its narrative features in the larger story, with the aim of informing Israelite identity by depicting a certain period in the early history of the people.

Unidirectional fiber-reinforced composite as an oral implant abutment material: Experimental studies of E-glass fiber/BisGMA-TEGDMA polymer in vitro

Fiber-reinforced composites (FRCs) are a new group of non-metallic biomaterials showing a growing popularity in many dental and medical applications. As an oral implant material, FRC is biocompatible in bone tissue environment. Soft tissue integration to FRC polymer material is unclear. This series of in vitro studies aimed at evaluating unidirectional E-glass FRC polymer in terms of mechanical, chemical, and biological properties in an attempt to develop a new non-metallic oral implant abutment alternative. Two different types of substrates were investigated: (a) Plain polymer (BisGMA 50%–TEGDMA 50%) and (b) Unidirectional FRC. The mechanical behavior of high fiber-density FRCs was assessed using a three-point bending test. Surface characterization was performed using scanning electron and spinning disk confocal microscopes. The surface wettability/energy was determined using sessile drop method. The blood response, including blood-clotting ability and platelet morphology was evaluated. Human gingival fibroblast cell responses - adhesion kinetics, adhesion strength, and proliferation activity - were studied in cell culture environment using routine test conditions. A novel tissue culture method was developed and used to evaluate porcine gingival tissue graft attachment and growth on the experimental composite implants. The analysis of the mechanical properties showed that there is a direct proportionality in the relationship between E-glass fiber volume fraction and toughness, modulus of elasticity, and load bearing capacity; however, flexural strength did not show significant improvement when high fiber-density FRC is used. FRCs showed moderate hydrophilic properties owing to the presence of exposed glass fibers on the polymer surface. Blood-clotting time was shorter on FRC substrates than on plain polymer. The FRC substrates also showed higher platelet activation state than plain polymer substrates. Fibroblast cell adhesion strength and proliferation rate were highly pronounced on FRCs. A tissue culture study revealed that gingival epithelium and connective tissue established an immediate close contact with both plain polymer and FRC implants. However, FRC seemed to guide epithelial migration outwards from the tissue/implant interface. Due to the anisotropic and hydrophilic nature of FRC, it can be concluded that this material enhances biological events related with soft tissue integration on oral implant surface.

Use of fiber-reinforced composite framework and thermochromic pigment in maxillofacial prostheses

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the possibility to enhance certain qualities of facial prostheses. Polymethyl methacrylate is still being used as base mate¬rial or clip carrier material, but it is hard and heavy, and debonding of the silicone from the acrylic base material is a frequent problem. This thesis aims to evaluate the use of fiber-reinforced composite (FRC) as framework material for maxillofacial silicone prostheses. FRC has been used as reinforcement in removable and fixed partial dentures since the 1990s. This material is lightweight and can be fabricated to compress the margins of the prosthesis slightly, to keep it tightly against the skin during jaw movements and facial expressions. Additionally, the use of a thermochromic pigment, colorless in room temperature and red in a cold environment, was studied in order to evaluate the possibility of using this color changing pigment in facial prostheses to mimic the color change of facial skin in cold weather. The tensile bond strength between pre-impregnated, unidirectional FRC and maxillofacial silicone elastomer was studied. Three different bonding agents or primers were compared. Bond strength was improved by one of the primers and by roughening the surface. The effect of a skin compressing glass fiber-reinforced composite framework on facial skin blood flow was studied by using a face mask, constructed with a compression pad corresponding to the outer margin of a glass fiber-reinforced framework beam of a facial prosthesis. The skin blood flow of ten healthy volunteers, aged 23-25 years, was measured during touch, light, and moderate compression of the skin, by using laser Doppler imaging technique. None of the compressions showed any marked effects on local skin blood flow. There were no significant differences between blood flow during compression and at baseline. Maxillofacial silicone elastomer was colored intrinsically with conventional color pigments: a control group containing only conventional pigments was compared to two test groups with 0.2 wt% and 0.6 wt% thermochromic pigment added. The color of the material was measured with a spectrophotometer in room temperature and after storage in a freezer. The color stability of the maxillofacial silicone elastomer colored with thermo¬chromic pigment was evaluated by artificial aging. The color dif¬ference of the L* (lightness) and a* values (redness), comparing color after the samples were stored at room temperature and in a freezer (-19°C), was statistically significant for both 0.2 wt% and 0.6 wt% thermo¬chromic pigment groups. The differences in the b* values (yellowness) were statistically significant for the 0.6 wt% group. Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation led to visually noticeable and statistically signifi¬cant color changes (ΔE) in all color values in both test groups. The specimens containing thermochromic pigment were very sensitive to UV radiation. In conclusion, a framework of fiber-reinforced composite can successfully be bonded to maxillofacial silicone elastomer, and a framework beam, compressing the facial skin, did not remarkably alter the skin blood flow on healthy, young adults. The thermochromic pigment showed color change in maxillofacial silicone elastomer. However, artificial aging showed that it was too sensitive to UV radiation to be used, as such, in maxillofacial prostheses.

Design and validation of stateful composite RESTful web services

A web service is a software system that provides a machine-processable interface to the other machines over the network using different Internet protocols. They are being increasingly used in the industry in order to automate different tasks and offer services to a wider audience. The REST architectural style aims at producing scalable and extensible web services using technologies that play well with the existing tools and infrastructure of the web. It provides a uniform set of operation that can be used to invoke a CRUD interface (create, retrieve, update and delete) of a web service. The stateless behavior of the service interface requires that every request to a resource is independent of the previous ones facilitating scalability. Automated systems, e.g., hotel reservation systems, provide advanced scenarios for stateful services that require a certain sequence of requests that must be followed in order to fulfill the service goals. Designing and developing such services for advanced scenarios with REST constraints require rigorous approaches that are capable of creating web services that can be trusted for their behavior. Systems that can be trusted for their behavior can be termed as dependable systems. This thesis presents an integrated design, analysis and validation approach that facilitates the service developer to create dependable and stateful REST web services. The main contribution of this thesis is that we provide a novel model-driven methodology to design behavioral REST web service interfaces and their compositions. The behavioral interfaces provide information on what methods can be invoked on a service and the pre- and post-conditions of these methods. The methodology uses Unified Modeling Language (UML), as the modeling language, which has a wide user base and has mature tools that are continuously evolving. We have used UML class diagram and UML state machine diagram with additional design constraints to provide resource and behavioral models, respectively, for designing REST web service interfaces. These service design models serve as a specification document and the information presented in them have manifold applications. The service design models also contain information about the time and domain requirements of the service that can help in requirement traceability which is an important part of our approach. Requirement traceability helps in capturing faults in the design models and other elements of software development environment by tracing back and forth the unfulfilled requirements of the service. The information about service actors is also included in the design models which is required for authenticating the service requests by authorized actors since not all types of users have access to all the resources. In addition, following our design approach, the service developer can ensure that the designed web service interfaces will be REST compliant. The second contribution of this thesis is consistency analysis of the behavioral REST interfaces. To overcome the inconsistency problem and design errors in our service models, we have used semantic technologies. The REST interfaces are represented in web ontology language, OWL2, that can be part of the semantic web. These interfaces are used with OWL 2 reasoners to check unsatisfiable concepts which result in implementations that fail. This work is fully automated thanks to the implemented translation tool and the existing OWL 2 reasoners. The third contribution of this thesis is the verification and validation of REST web services. We have used model checking techniques with UPPAAL model checker for this purpose. The timed automata of UML based service design models are generated with our transformation tool that are verified for their basic characteristics like deadlock freedom, liveness, reachability and safety. The implementation of a web service is tested using a black-box testing approach. Test cases are generated from the UPPAAL timed automata and using the online testing tool, UPPAAL TRON, the service implementation is validated at runtime against its specifications. Requirement traceability is also addressed in our validation approach with which we can see what service goals are met and trace back the unfulfilled service goals to detect the faults in the design models. A final contribution of the thesis is an implementation of behavioral REST interfaces and service monitors from the service design models. The partial code generation tool creates code skeletons of REST web services with method pre and post-conditions. The preconditions of methods constrain the user to invoke the stateful REST service under the right conditions and the post condition constraint the service developer to implement the right functionality. The details of the methods can be manually inserted by the developer as required. We do not target complete automation because we focus only on the interface aspects of the web service. The applicability of the approach is demonstrated with a pedagogical example of a hotel room booking service and a relatively complex worked example of holiday booking service taken from the industrial context. The former example presents a simple explanation of the approach and the later worked example shows how stateful and timed web services offering complex scenarios and involving other web services can be constructed using our approach.

Predicting variety composite means without diallel crossing

Prediction of variety composite means was shown to be feasible without diallel crossing the parental varieties. Thus, the predicted mean for a quantitative trait of a composite is given by: Yk = a1 sigmaVj + a2sigmaTj + a3 - a4, with coefficients a1 = (n - 2k)/k²(n - 2); a2 = 2n(k - 1)/k²(n - 2); a3 = n(k - 1)/k(n - 1)(n - 2); and a4 = n²(k - 1)/k(n - 1)(n - 2); summation is for j = 1 to k, where k is the size of the composite (number of parental varieties of a particular composite) and n is the total number of parent varieties. Vj is the mean of varieties and Tj is the mean of topcrosses (pool of varieties as tester), and and are the respective average values in the whole set. Yield data from a 7 x 7 variety diallel cross were used for the variety means and for the "simulated" topcross means to illustrate the proposed procedure. The proposed prediction procedure was as effective as the prediction based on Yk = - ( -)/k, where and refer to the mean of hybrids (F1) and parental varieties, respectively, in a variety diallel cross. It was also shown in the analysis of variance that the total sum of squares due to treatments (varieties and topcrosses) can be orthogonally partitioned following the reduced model Yjj’ = mu + ½(v j + v j’) + + h j+ h j’, thus making possible an F test for varieties, average heterosis and variety heterosis. Least square estimates of these effects are also given

Biogas production in regional integrated biodegradable waste treatment – Possibilities for improving energy performance and reducing GHG emissions

The greatest threat that the biodegradable waste causes on the environment is the methane produced in landfills by the decomposition of this waste. The Landfill Directive (1999/31/EC) aims to reduce the landfilling of biodegradable waste. In Finland, 31% of biodegradable municipal waste ended up into landfills in 2012. The pressure of reducing disposing into landfills is greatly increased by the forthcoming landfill ban on biodegradable waste in Finland. There is a need to discuss the need for increasing the utilization of biodegradable waste in regional renewable energy production to utilize the waste in a way that allows the best possibilities to reduce GHG emissions. The objectives of the thesis are: (1) to find important factors affecting renewable energy recovery possibilities from biodegradable waste, (2) to determine the main factors affecting the GHG balance of biogas production system and how to improve it and (3) to find ways to define energy performance of biogas production systems and what affects it. According to the thesis, the most important factors affecting the regional renewable energy possibilities from biodegradable waste are: the amount of available feedstock, properties of feedstock, selected utilization technologies, demand of energy and material products and the economic situation of utilizing the feedstocks. The biogas production by anaerobic digestion was seen as the main technology for utilizing biodegradable waste in agriculturally dense areas. The main reason for this is that manure was seen as the main feedstock, and it can be best utilized with anaerobic digestion, which can produce renewable energy while maintaining the spreading of nutrients on arable land. Biogas plants should be located close to the heat demand that would be enough to receive the produced heat also in the summer months and located close to the agricultural area where the digestate could be utilized. Another option for biogas use is to upgrade it to biomethane, which would require a location close to the natural gas grid. The most attractive masses for biogas production are municipal and industrial biodegradable waste because of gate fees the plant receives from them can provide over 80% of the income. On the other hand, directing gate fee masses for small-scale biogas plants could make dispersed biogas production more economical. In addition, the combustion of dry agricultural waste such as straw would provide a greater energy amount than utilizing them by anaerobic digestion. The complete energy performance assessment of biogas production system requires the use of more than one system boundary. These can then be used in calculating output–input ratios of biogas production, biogas plant, biogas utilization and biogas production system, which can be used to analyze different parts of the biogas production chain. At the moment, it is difficult to compare different biogas plants since there is a wide variation of definitions for energy performance of biogas production. A more consistent way of analyzing energy performance would allow comparing biogas plants with each other and other recovery systems and finding possible locations for further improvement. Both from the GHG emission balance and energy performance point of view, the energy consumption at the biogas plant was the most significant factor. Renewable energy use to fulfil the parasitic energy demand at the plant would be the most efficient way to reduce the GHG emissions at the plant. The GHG emission reductions could be increased by upgrading biogas to biomethane and displacing natural gas or petrol use in cars when compared to biogas CHP production. The emission reductions from displacing mineral fertilizers with digestate were seen less significant, and the greater N2O emissions from spreading digestate might surpass the emission reductions from displacing mineral fertilizers.

Portfolio Selection via Composite Measure Analysis: Evidence from the U.S. Stock Market

The aim of this research is to examine the pricing anomalies existing in the U.S. market during 1986 to 2011. The sample of stocks is divided into decile portfolios based on seven individual valuation ratios (E/P, B/P, S/P, EBIT/EV, EVITDA/EV, D/P, and CE/P) and price momentum to investigate the efficiency of individual valuation ratio and their combinations as portfolio formation criteria. This is the first time in financial literature when CE/P is employed as a constituent of composite value measure. The combinations are based on median scaled composite value measures and TOPSIS method. During the sample period value portfolios significantly outperform both the market portfolio and comparable glamour portfolios. The results show the highest return for the value portfolio that was based on the combination of S/P & CE/P ratios. The outcome of this research will increase the understanding on the suitability of different methodologies for portfolio selection. It will help managers to take advantage of the results of different methodologies in order to gain returns above the market.

Polysiloxane/PVA-glutaraldehyde hybrid composite as solid phase for immunodetections by ELISA

We developed an efficient method to prepare a hybrid inorganic-organic composite based on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polysiloxane using the sol-gel disc technique. Antigen obtained from Yersinia pestis was covalently immobilized onto these discs with glutaraldehyde and used as solid phase in ELISA for antibody detection in serum of rabbits experimentally immunized with plague. Using 1.25 µg antigen per disc, a peroxidase conjugate dilution of 1:4,000 and a serum dilution of 1:200 were adequate for the establishment of the procedure. These values are similar to those used for PVA-glutaraldehyde discs, plasticized filter paper discs and the polyaniline-Dacron composite discs. This procedure is comparable to that which utilizes the adsorption of the antigen to conventional PVC plates, with the amount of antigen being one fourth that employed in conventional PVC plates (5 µg/well). In addition to the performance of the polysiloxane/PVA-glutaraldehyde disc as a matrix for immunodetection, its easy synthesis and low cost are additional advantages for commercial application.

Experimental Studies on Non-Metallic Composite Bone Implants With a Special Reference to Staphylococcal Biofilm Infection

Non-metallic implants made of bioresorbable or biostable synthetic polymers are attractive options in many surgical procedures, ranging from bioresorbable suture anchors of arthroscopic surgery to reconstructive skull implants made of biostable fiber-reinforced composites. Among other benefits, non-metallic implants produce less interference in imaging. Bioresorbable polymer implants may be true multifunctional, serving as osteoconductive scaffolds and as matrices for simultaneous delivery of bone enhancement agents. As a major advantage for loading conditions, mechanical properties of biostable fiber-reinforced composites can be matched with those of the bone. Unsolved problems of these biomaterials are related to the risk of staphylococcal biofilm infections and to the low osteoconductivity of contemporary bioresorbable composite implants. This thesis was focused on the research and development of a multifunctional implant model with enhanced osteoconductivity and low susceptibility to infection. In addition, the experimental models for assessment, diagnostics and prophylaxis of biomaterial-related infections were established. The first experiment (Study I) established an in vitro method for simultaneous evaluation of calcium phosphate and biofilm formation on bisphenol-Aglycidyldimethacrylate and triethylenglycoldimethacrylate (BisGMA-TEGDMA) thermosets with different content of bioactive glass 45S5. The second experiment (Study II) showed no significant difference in osteointegration of nanostructured and microsized polylactide-co-glycolide/β-tricalcium phosphate (PLGA /β-TCP) composites in a minipig model. The third experiment (Study III) demonstrated that positron emission tomography (PET) imaging with the novel 68Ga labelled 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid (DOTA) CD33 related sialic-acid immunoglobulin like lectins (Siglec-9) tracer was able to detect inflammatory response to S. epidermidis and S. aureus peri-implant infections in an intraosseous polytetrafluoroethylene catheter model. In the fourth experiment (Study IV), BisGMATEGDMA thermosets coated with lactose-modified chitosan (Chitlac) and silver nanoparticles exhibited antibacterial activity against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa strains in an in vitro biofilm model and showed in vivo biocompatibility in a minipig model. In the last experiment (Study V), a selective androgen modulator (SARM) released from a poly(lactide)-co-ε-caprolactone (PLCL) polymer matrix failed to produce a dose-dependent enhancement of peri-implant osteogenesis in a bone marrow ablation model.

Comparison of the efficacy of biodegradable and non-biodegradable scintillation liquids on the counting of tritium- and [14C]-labeled compounds

The widespread use of ³H and 14C in research has generated a large volume of waste mixed with scintillation liquid, requiring an effective control and appropriate storage of liquid radioactive waste. In the present study, we compared the efficacy of three commercially available scintillation liquids, Optiphase HiSafe 3, Ultima-Gold™ AB (biodegradable) and Insta-Gel-XF (non-biodegradable), in terms of [14C]-glucose and [³H]-thymidine counting efficiency. We also analyzed the effect of the relative amount of water (1.6 to 50%), radioisotope concentration (0.1 to 100 nCi/ml), pH (2 to 10) and color of the solutions (samples containing 0.1 to 1.0 mg/ml of Trypan blue) on the counting efficiency in the presence of these scintillation liquids. There were few significant differences in the efficiency of 14C and ³H counting obtained with biodegradable or non-biodegradable scintillation liquids. However, there was an 83 and 94% reduction in the efficiency of 14C and ³H counting, respectively, in samples colored with 1 mg/ml Trypan blue, but not with 0.1 mg/ml, independent of the scintillation liquid used. Considering the low cost of biodegradable scintillation cocktails and their efficacy, these results show that traditional hazardous scintillation fluids may be replaced with the new safe biodegradable fluids without impairment of ³H and 14C counting efficiency. The use of biodegradable scintillation cocktails minimizes both human and environmental exposure to hazardous solvents. In addition, some biodegradable scintillation liquids can be 40% less expensive than the traditional hazardous cocktails.

The reliability of the Brazilian version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI 2.1)

The objective of the present study was to determine the reliability of the Brazilian version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview 2.1 (CIDI 2.1) in clinical psychiatry. The CIDI 2.1 was translated into Portuguese using WHO guidelines and reliability was studied using the inter-rater reliability method. The study sample consisted of 186 subjects from psychiatric hospitals and clinics, primary care centers and community services. The interviewers consisted of a group of 13 lay and three non-lay interviewers submitted to the CIDI training. The average interview time was 2 h and 30 min. General reliability ranged from kappa 0.50 to 1. For lifetime diagnoses the reliability ranged from kappa 0.77 (Bipolar Affective Disorder) to 1 (Substance-Related Disorder, Alcohol-Related Disorder, Eating Disorders). Previous year reliability ranged from kappa 0.66 (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) to 1 (Dissociative Disorders, Maniac Disorders, Eating Disorders). The poorest reliability rate was found for Mild Depressive Episode (kappa = 0.50) during the previous year. Training proved to be a fundamental factor for maintaining good reliability. Technical knowledge of the questionnaire compensated for the lack of psychiatric knowledge of the lay personnel. Inter-rater reliability was good to excellent for persons in psychiatric practice.

Magnetization studies of polystyrene/multiwall carbon nanotube composite films

Lappeenranta University of Technology School of Technology Technical Physics Evgenii Zhukov MAGNETIZATION STUDIES OF POLYSTYRENE/MULTIWALL CARBON NANOTUBE COMPOSITE FILMS Master’s thesis 2015 55 pages, 41 pictures, 9 Tables. Examiners: Professor Erkki Lähderanta D.Sc. Ivan Zakharchuk Keywords: polystyrene, multi-walled carbon nanotubes, MWCNT, composite, magnetization, SQUID. In this thesis magnetic properties of polystyrene/multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) composites are investigated with Quantum Design SQUID magnetometer (MPMS XL). The surface of the composite films is studied via BRUKER Multimode 8 Atomic Force Microscope, as well. The polystyrene/MWCNT composites have been prepared by the group of professor Okotrub (Physics Chemistry of Nanomaterials laboratory, Nikolaev Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Russia). The composite films have been prepared by solution processing and stretching method. The approximate length and inner diameter of the MWCNTs used in fabrication are 260 μm and 10 nm, respectively. The content of MWCNTs is 1 and 2.5 contents percent (wt%) for studied samples. The stretching of the samples is 30% for samples with 1 and 2.5 wt% content, and one sample with 1 wt% loading of MWCNTs is 100% stretched. MWCNTs aligned perpendicular to a silicon substrate are used as a reference sample. The magnetization field dependencies of the samples exhibit hysteresis behavior. The values of saturation magnetization of composite films are much less compared to that of the reference sample. The saturation magnetization coercitivity field value drops with decrease of MWCNT content. At high magnetic fields strong presence of diamagnetism is observed. Measurements in magnetic field parallel and perpendicular to the composite plate display anisotropy with respect to the direction of stretching. Temperature dependences of magnetization for all samples display difference between zero-field cooled and field-cooled curves of magnetization. This divergence confirms the presence of magnetic interactions in the material. The atomic force microscopy study of the composites’ surfaces revealed that they are relatively smooth and the nanotubes are aligned with the axis of stretching to some extent. 

Operant serial feature-positive conditional discrimination with composite features and different topography responses

In a serial feature-positive conditional discrimination procedure the properties of a target stimulus A are defined by the presence or not of a feature stimulus X preceding it. In the present experiment, composite features preceded targets associated with two different topography operant responses (right and left bar pressing); matching and non-matching-to-sample arrangements were also used. Five water-deprived Wistar rats were trained in 6 different trials: X-R®Ar and X-L®Al, in which X and A were same modality visual stimuli and the reinforcement was contingent to pressing either the right (r) or left (l) bar that had the light on during the feature (matching-to-sample); Y-R®Bl and Y-L®Br, in which Y and B were same modality auditory stimuli and the reinforcement was contingent to pressing the bar that had the light off during the feature (non-matching-to-sample); A- and B- alone. After 100 training sessions, the animals were submitted to transfer tests with the targets used plus a new one (auditory click). Average percentages of stimuli with a response were measured. Acquisition occurred completely only for Y-L®Br+; however, complex associations were established along training. Transfer was not complete during the tests since concurrent effects of extinction and response generalization also occurred. Results suggest the use of both simple conditioning and configurational strategies, favoring the most recent theories of conditional discrimination learning. The implications of the use of complex arrangements for discussing these theories are considered.

Transplantation of muscle-derived stem cells plus biodegradable fibrin glue restores the urethral sphincter in a pudendal nerve-transected rat model

We investigated whether fibrin glue (FG) could promote urethral sphincter restoration in muscle-derived stem cell (MDSC)-based injection therapies in a pudendal nerve-transected (PNT) rat, which was used as a stress urinary incontinence (SUI) model. MDSCs were purified from the gastrocnemius muscles of 4-week-old inbred female SPF Wistar rats and labeled with green fluorescent protein. Animals were divided into five groups (N = 15): sham (S), PNT (D), PNT+FG injection (F), PNT+MDSC injection (M), and PNT+MDSC+FG injection (FM). Each group was subdivided into 1- and 4-week groups. One and 4 weeks after injection into the proximal urethra, leak point pressure (LPP) was measured to assess urethral resistance function. Histology and immunohistochemistry were performed 4 weeks after injection. LPP was increased significantly in FM and M animals after implantation compared to group D (P < 0.01), but was not different from group S. LPP was slightly higher in the FM group than in the M group but there was no significant difference between them at different times. Histological and immunohistochemical examination demonstrated increased numbers of surviving MDSCs (109 ± 19 vs 82 ± 11/hpf, P = 0.026), increased muscle/collagen ratio (0.40 ± 0.02 vs 0.34 ± 0.02, P = 0.044), as well as increased microvessel density (16.9 ± 0.6 vs 14.1 ± 0.4/hpf, P = 0.001) at the injection sites in FM compared to M animals. Fibrin glue may potentially improve the action of transplanted MDSCs to restore the histology and function of the urethral sphincter in a SUI rat model. Injection of MDSCs with fibrin glue may provide a novel cellular therapy method for SUI.

Fiber-reinforced composite fixed dental prostheses: Studies of the materials used as pontics

Fiber-reinforced composite fixed dental prostheses – Studies of the materials used as pontics University of Turku, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Dentistry, Department of Biomaterials Science, Finnish Doctoral Program in Oral Sciences – FINDOS, Annales Universitatis Turkuensis, Turku, Finland 2015 Fiber-reinforced composites (FRC), a non-metallic biomaterial, represent a suitable alternative in prosthetic dentistry when used as a component of fixed dental prostheses (FDPs). Some drawbacks have been identified in the clinical performance of FRC restorations, such as delamination of the veneering material and fracture of the pontic. Therefore, the current series of studies were performed to investigate the possibilities of enhancing the mechanical and physical properties of FRC FDPs by improving the materials used as pontics, to then heighten their longevity. Four experiments showed the importance of the pontic design and surface treatment in the performance of FRC FDPs. In the first, the load-bearing capacities of inlay-retained FRC FDPs with pontics of various materials and thicknesses were evaluated. Three different pontic materials were assessed with different FRC framework vertical positioning. Thicker pontics showed increased load-bearing capacities, especially ceramic pontics. A second study was completed investigating the influence of the chemical conditioning of the ridge-lap surface of acrylic resin denture teeth on their bonding to a composite resin. Increased shear bond strength demonstrated the positive influence of the pretreatment of the acrylic surfaces, indicating dissolution of the denture surfaces, and suggesting potential penetration of the monomer systems into the surface of denture teeth. A third study analyzed the penetration depth of different monomer systems on the acrylic resin denture teeth surfaces. The possibility of establishing a durable bond between acrylic pontics and FRC frameworks was demonstrated by the ability of monomers to penetrate the surface of acrylic resin denture teeth, measured by a confocal scanning type microscope. A fourth study was designed to evaluate the load-bearing capacities of FRC FDPs using the findings of the previous three studies. In this case, the performance of pre-shaped acrylic resin denture teeth used as pontics with different composite resins as filling materials was evaluated. The filling material influenced the load-bearing capacities, providing more durable FRC FDPs. It can be concluded that the mechanical and physical properties of FRC FDPs can be improved as has been shown in the development of this thesis. The improvements reported then might provide long lasting prosthetic solutions of this kind, positioning them as potentially permanent rehabilitation treatments. Key words: fiber-reinforced composite, fixed dental prostheses, inlay-retained bridges, adhesion, acrylic resin denture teeth, dental material.