External Hexagon and Internal Hexagon in Straight and Offset Implant Placement: Strain Gauge Analysis

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Axial loads on implant-supported partial fixed prostheses for external and internal hex connections and machined and plastic copings: strain gauge analysis

The aim of this in vitro study was to use strain gauge (SG) analysis to compare the effects of the implant-abutment joint, the coping, and the location of load on strain distribution in the bone around implants supporting 3-unit fixed partial prostheses. Three external hexagon (EH) implants and 3 internal hexagon (IH) implants were inserted into 2 polyurethane blocks. Microunit abutments were screwed onto their respective implant groups. Machined cobalt-chromium copings and plastic copings were screwed onto the abutments, which received standard wax patterns. The wax patterns were cast in a cobalt-chromium alloy (n = 5): group 1 = EH/machined. group 2 = EH/plastic, group 3 = IH/machined, and group 4 = IH/plastic. Four SGs were bonded onto the surface of the block tangentially to the implants. Each metallic structure was screwed onto the abutments and an axial load of 30 kg was applied at 5 predetermined points. The magnitude of microstrain on each SG was recorded in units of microstrain (mu epsilon). The data were analyzed using 3-factor repeated measures analysis of variance and a Tukey test (alpha = 0.05). The results showed statistically significant differences for the type of implant-abutment joint, loading point, and interaction at the implant-abutment joint/loading point. The IH connection showed higher microstrain values than the EH connection. It was concluded that the type of coping did not interfere in the magnitude of microstrain, but the implant/abutment joint and axial loading location influenced this magnitude.

A mathematical framework for finite strain elastoplastic consolidation. Part 1: Balance laws, variational formulation, and linearization

A mathematical formulation for finite strain elasto plastic consolidation of fully saturated soil media is presented. Strong and weak forms of the boundary-value problem are derived using both the material and spatial descriptions. The algorithmic treatment of finite strain elastoplasticity for the solid phase is based on multiplicative decomposition and is coupled with the algorithm for fluid flow via the Kirchhoff pore water pressure. Balance laws are written for the soil-water mixture following the motion of the soil matrix alone. It is shown that the motion of the fluid phase only affects the Jacobian of the solid phase motion, and therefore can be characterized completely by the motion of the soil matrix. Furthermore, it is shown from energy balance consideration that the effective, or intergranular, stress is the appropriate measure of stress for describing the constitutive response of the soil skeleton since it absorbs all the strain energy generated in the saturated soil-water mixture. Finally, it is shown that the mathematical model is amenable to consistent linearization, and that explicit expressions for the consistent tangent operators can be derived for use in numerical solutions such as those based on the finite element method.

Soil profile internal drainage for a central pivot fertigated coffee crop

Coffee cultivation via central-pivot fertigation can lead to fertilizer losses by soil profile internal drainage when water application is excessive and soils have low water retention and cation adsorption capacities. This study analyses the deep water losses from the top 1 m sandy soil layer of east Bahia, Brazil, cultivated with coffee at a high technology level (central-pivot fertigation), using above normal N fertilizer rates. The deep drainage (Q) estimation is made through the application of a climatologic water balance (CWB) program having as input direct measures of irrigation and rainfall, climatological data from weather stations, and measured soil water retention characteristics. The aim of the study is to contribute to the understanding of the hydric regime of coffee crops managed by central-pivot irrigation, analyzing three scenarios (Sc): i) rainfall only, ii) rainfall and irrigation full year, and iii) rainfall and irrigation dry season only. Annual Q values for the 2008/2009 agricultural year were: Sc i = 811.5 mm; Sc ii = 1010.5 mm; and Sc iii = 873.1 mm, so that the irrigation interruption in the wet season reduced Q by 15.7%, without the appearance of water deficit periods. Results show that the use of the CWB program is a convenient tool for the evaluation of Q under the cited conditions.

The application of Basel III in Portugal: previsions based on 2012 and 2013 banking balance-sheets

The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) introduced new regulations for banking supervision in December 2010, better known as Basel III recommendations that aimed at guaranteeing the solidity of banks worldwide and the mitigation of new banking crises risks. The European Union transposed these directives through the Credit Review Directives IV (CRD IV). Portugal adopted CRD IV by a new decree-law no. 157/2014, on 24 th October 2014, enforced from 24 th November 2014. While individual banks have been given the option of using the internal ratings based method, this study analyses the compliance levels of all Portuguese banking institutions using the standard method, also prescribed by BCBS. Our results show that out of thirteen banks on 31-12-2013 only five banks were in a comfortable position and the remaining eight could not reach the minimum requirements set up by BCBS for 1-1-2014.

Genome-scale metabolic network reconstruction of Polaromonas sp. strain JS666: analysis of cDCE degradation rates and design of experiments for bioremediation improvement

Release of chloroethene compounds into the environment often results in groundwater contamination, which puts people at risk of exposure by drinking contaminated water. cDCE (cis-1,2-dichloroethene) accumulation on subsurface environments is a common environmental problem due to stagnation and partial degradation of other precursor chloroethene species. Polaromonas sp. strain JS666 apparently requires no exotic growth factors to be used as a bioaugmentation agent for aerobic cDCE degradation. Although being the only suitable microorganism found capable of such, further studies are needed for improving the intrinsic bioremediation rates and fully comprehend the metabolic processes involved. In order to do so, a metabolic model, iJS666, was reconstructed from genome annotation and available bibliographic data. FVA (Flux Variability Analysis) and FBA (Flux Balance Analysis) techniques were used to satisfactory validate the predictive capabilities of the iJS666 model. The iJS666 model was able to predict biomass growth for different previously tested conditions, allowed to design key experiments which should be done for further model improvement and, also, produced viable predictions for the use of biostimulant metabolites in the cDCE biodegradation.

Life cycle of Trypanosoma cruzi (y strain) in mice

Since 1958, we have studied experimental Chagas' disease (CD) by subcutaneous inoculation of 1,000 blood forms of Trypanosoma cruzi (Y strain) in Balb/C. mice. Evolution of parasitemia remained constant, beginning on the 5th and 6th day of the disease, increasing progressively, achieving a maximum on about the 30th day. After another month, only a few forms were present, and they disappeared from the circulation after the third month, as determined from direct examination of slides and the use of a Neubauer Counting Chamber. These events coincided with the appearance of amastigote nests in the tissues (especially the cardiac ones), starting the first week, and following the Gauss parasitemia curve, but they were not in parallel until the chronic stage. In 1997, we began to note the following changes: Parasites appeared in the circulation during the first week and disappeared starting on the 7th day, and there was a coincident absence of the amastigote nests in the tissues. A careful study verified that young forms in the evolutionary cycle of T. cruzi (epi + amastigotes) began to appear alongside the trypomastigotes in the circulation on the 5th and 7th post-inoculation day. At the same time, rounded, oval, and spindle shapes were seen circulating through the capillaries and sinusoids of the tissues, principally of the hematopoietic organs. Stasis occurs because the diameter of the circulating parasites is greater than the vessels, and this makes them more visible. Examination of the sternal bone marrow revealed young cells with elongated forms and others truncated in the shape of a "C" occupying the internal surface of the blood cells that had empty central portions (erythrocytes?). We hypothesize that there could be a loss of virulence or mutation of the Y strain of Trypanosoma cruzi.

High strain rate constitutive modeling forhistorical structures subjected to blast loading

Doctoral Thesis Civil Engineering

Dominant character of the molecular marker of a Biomphalaria tenagophila strain (Mollusca: Planorbidae) resistant to Schistosoma mansoni

Biomphalaria tenagophila population from Taim (state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil) is totally resistant toSchistosoma mansoni, and presents a molecular marker of 350 bp by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism of the entire rDNA internal transcriber spacer. The scope of this work was to determine the heritage pattern of this marker. A series of cross-breedings between B. tenagophila from Taim (resistant) and B. tenagophila from Joinville, state of Santa Catarina (susceptible) was carried out, and their descendants F1 and F2 were submitted to this technique. It was possible to demonstrate that the specific fragment from Taim is endowed with dominant character, since the obtained segregation was typically mendelian.

Learning collaboration in General Internal Medicine: a pilot project for undergraduate students in nursing, physiotherapy and medicine

Background: A form of education called Interprofessional Education (IPE) occurs when two or more professions learn with, from and about each other. The purpose of IPE is to improve collaboration and the quality of care. Today, IPE is considered as a key educational approach for students in the health professions. IPE is highly effective when delivered in active patient care, such as in clinical placements. General internal medicine (GIM) is a core discipline where hospital-based clinical placements are mandatory for students in many health professions. However, few interprofessional (IP) clinical placements in GIM have been implemented. We designed such a placement. Placement design: The placement took place in the Department of Internal Medicine at the CHUV. It involved students from nursing, physiotherapy and medicine. The students were in their last year before graduation. Students formed teams consisting of one student from each profession. Each team worked in the same unit and had to take care of the same patient. The placement lasted three weeks. It included formal IP sessions, the most important being facilitated discussions or "briefings" (3x/w) during which the students discussed patient care and management. Four teams of students eventually took part in this project. Method: We performed a type of evaluation research called formative evaluation. This aimed at (1) understanding the educational experience and (2) assessing the impact of the placement on student learning. We collected quantitative data with pre-post clerkship questionnaires. We also collected qualitative data with two Focus Groups (FG) discussions at the end of the placement. The FG were audiotaped and transcribed. A thematic analysis was then performed. Results: We focused on the qualitative data, since the quantitative data lacked of statistical power due to the small numbers of students (N = 11). Five themes emerged from the FG analysis: (1) Learning of others' roles, (2) Learning collaborative competences, (3) Striking a balance between acquiring one's own professional competences and interprofessional competences, (4) Barriers to apply learnt IP competences in the future and (5) Advantages and disadvantages of IP briefings. Conclusions: Our IP clinical placement in GIM appeared to help students learn other professionals' roles and collaborative skills. Some challenges (e.g. finding the same patient for each team) were identified and will require adjustments.

Changes induced in Biomphalaria glabrata (Say, 1818) following trials for artificial stimulation of its internal defense system

Biomphalaria glabrata can react through different pathways to Schistosoma mansoni miracidium penetration, according to the degree of resistance/susceptibility presented by different snail strains, which is a genetically determined character, resistance being the dominant feature. However, it has been observed that previous susceptible snail strain may change its reactive behavior along the course of infection, exhibiting later a pattern of cercarial shedding and histopatopathological picture compatible with high resistance. Such observation suggests the possibility of B. glabrata to develop a sort of adaptative immunity face a schistosome infection. To explore on this aspect, the present investigation looked for the behavior of S. mansoni infection in B. glabrata previously subjected to different means of artificial stimulation of its internal defense system. Snails previously inoculated with irradiated miracídia (Group I); treated with S. mansoni antigens (Group II) or with a non-related parasite antigen (Group III) were challenged with 20 viable S. mansoni miracidia, and later looked for cercarial shedding and histopathologic changes at different times from exposition. Nodules of hemocyte accumulations were found at the site of antigen injection. These nodules resembled solid granulomas, and were larger and more frequent in snails injected with S. mansoni products as compared to those injected with Capillaria hepatica. However, the presence of such granulomas did not avoid the S. mansoni challenge infection from developing in a similar way as that seen in controls. The data are indicative that hemocytes are able to proliferate locally when stimulated, such capacity also remaining localized, not being shared by the population of hemocytes located elsewhere within the snail body.

A preliminary analysis of the population genetics and molecular phylogenetics of Onchocerca volvulus (Nematoda: Filarioidea) using nuclear ribosomal second internal transcribed spacer sequences

Nuclear internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) rDNA sequences were used for a molecular phylogenetics analysis of five Onchocerca species. The sister species of the human parasite O. volvulus was found to be the cattle parasite O. ochengi and not O. gibsoni, contrary to chromosomal evidence. The genetic differentiation of two African populations (representing the two African strains) and a Brazilian population of O. volvulus was also studied. Phylogenetic and network reconstruction did not show any clustering of ITS2 alleles on geographic or strain grounds. Furthermore, population genetics tests showed no indication of population differentiation but suggested gene flow among the three populations.

Characterization of a new clinical yeast species, Candida tunisiensis sp. nov., isolated from a strain collection from Tunisian hospitals.

From a collection of yeast isolates isolated from patients in Tunisian hospitals between September 2006 and July 2010, the yeast strain JEY63 (CBS 12513), isolated from a 50-year-old male that suffered from oral thrush, could not be identified to the species level using conventional methods used in clinical laboratories. These methods include matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), germ tube formation, and the use of CHROMagar Candida and metabolic galleries. Sequence analysis of the nuclear rRNA (18S rRNA, 5.8S rRNA, and 26S rRNA) and internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS1 and ITS2) indicated that the ribosomal DNA sequences of this species were not yet reported. Multiple gene phylogenic analyses suggested that this isolate clustered at the base of the Dipodascaceae (Saccharomycetales, Saccharomycetes, and Ascomycota). JEY63 was named Candida tunisiensis sp. nov. according to several phenotypic criteria and its geographical origin. C. tunisiensis was able to grow at 42°C and does not form chlamydospores and hyphae but could grow as yeast and pseudohyphal forms. C. tunisiensis exhibited most probably a haploid genome with an estimated size of 10 Mb on at least three chromosomes. Using European Committee for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) and Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) Candida albicans susceptibility breakpoints as a reference, C. tunisiensis was resistant to fluconazole (MIC = 8 μg/ml), voriconazole (MIC = 0.5 μg/ml), itraconazole (MIC = 16 μg/ml), and amphotericin B (MIC = 4 μg/ml) but still susceptible to posaconazole (MIC = 0.008 μg/ml) and caspofungin (MIC = 0.5 μg/ml). In conclusion, MALDI-TOF MS permitted the early selection of an unusual isolate, which was still unreported in molecular databases but could not be unambiguously classified based on phylogenetic approaches.

Water Balance Components in Covered and Uncovered Soil Growing Irrigated Muskmelon

ABSTRACT Knowledge of the terms (or processes) of the soil water balance equation or simply the components of the soil water balance over the cycle of an agricultural crop is essential for soil and water management. Thus, the aim of this study was to analyze these components in a Cambissolo Háplico (Haplocambids) growing muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.) under drip irrigation, with covered and uncovered soil, in the municipality of Baraúna, State of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil (05º 04’ 48” S, 37º 37’ 00” W). Muskmelon, variety AF-646, was cultivated in a flat experimental area (20 × 50 m). The crop was spaced at 2.00 m between rows and 0.35 m between plants, in a total of ten 50-m-long plant rows. At points corresponding to ⅓ and ⅔ of each plant row, four tensiometers (at a distance of 0.1 m from each other) were set up at the depths of 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 m, adjacent to the irrigation line (0.1 m from the plant row), between two selected plants. Five random plant rows were mulched using dry leaves of banana (Musa sp.) along the drip line, forming a 0.5-m-wide strip, which covered an area of 25 m2 per of plant row with covered soil. In the other five rows, there was no covering. Thus, the experiment consisted of two treatments, with 10 replicates, in four phenological stages: initial (7-22 DAS - days after sowing), growing (22-40 DAS), fruiting (40-58 DAS) and maturation (58-70 DAS). Rainfall was measured with a rain gauge and water storage was estimated by the trapezoidal method, based on tensiometer readings and soil water retention curves. For soil water flux densities at 0.3 m, the tensiometers at the depths of 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 m were considered; the tensiometer at 0.3 m was used to estimate soil water content from the soil water retention curve at this depth, and the other two to calculate the total potential gradient. Flux densities were calculated through use of the Darcy-Buckingham equation, with hydraulic conductivity determined by the instantaneous profile method. Crop actual evapotranspiration was calculated as the unknown of the soil water balance equation. The soil water balance method is effective in estimating the actual evapotranspiration of irrigated muskmelon; there was no significant effect of soil coverage on capillary rise, internal drainage, crop actual evapotranspiration, and muskmelon yield compared with the uncovered soil; the transport of water caused by evaporation in the uncovered soil was controlled by the break in capillarity at the soil-atmosphere interface, which caused similar water dynamics for both management practices applied.