New species of Phrynohyas from Atlantic rain forest of southeastern Brazil (Anura, Hylidae)

A new species of hylid frog is described from south of the State of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil in Atlantic rain forest. The new species is a member of the genus Phrynohyas and is characterized by snout rounded in dorsal view and nearly truncate in lateral view, small adhesive disks, fingers slightly webbed, nasal bones widely separated, and frontoparietals without medial articulation.

Effect of 2% chlorhexidine on microtensile bond strength of composite to dentin

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of 2% chlorhexidine on the microtensile bond strength of composite resin to dentin treated with three dentin bonding systems. Materials and Methods: Flat dentinal surfaces were prepared in 24 extracted human third molars. Teeth were randomly divided into 8 distinct experimental groups according to the adhesive applied (Prime & Bond NT, Single Bond and Clearfil SE Bond), the application (yes/no) of chlorhexidine, and the time point at which it was applied (before or after acid etching the dentin). Composite resin blocks were built up over treated surfaces, and teeth were then stored in water at 37°C for 24 h. Samples were thermocycled, stored under the same conditions, and then vertically sectioned, thus obtaining specimens with 1.0 ± 0.1 mm2 cross-sectional area. Specimens were stressed in tension at 0.5 mm/min crosshead speed. Bond strength results were evaluated using a one-way ANOVA (p < 0.05). The modes of failures were verified using optical microscopy. Dentin disks were obtained from 3 additional teeth treated in the same manner for observation under SEM. The most representative samples of fractured specimens were also observed under SEM. Results: No statistically significant differences of bond strength values were found between any groups. Failures occurred mainly within the bond; exclusively adhesive fractures (adhesive-dentin) were not observed. Conclusion: The 2% chlorhexidine solution, applied before or after acid etching of the dentin, did not interfere with the microtensile bond strength of composite resin to the dentin treated with Prime & Bond NT, Single Bond, or Clearfil SE Bond bonding systems.

Antimicrobial activity of the essential oils of some spice herbs

Essential oils were obtained from fennel seeds, dill, cumin and coriander. Their antimicrobial activity was tested on isolated clinical specimens of patients treated at the University Hospital of the School of Medicine of Botucatu, SP, UNESP. Microorganisms were grown in BHI (Brain Heart Infusion/Oxoid) at 37oC/18 hours and resuspended in 0,5 Mac Farland's Standard (1,5 x 108 CFU/mL). The diffusion method was performed, putting 10 μl of the essential oils on paper disks (6mm of diameter) (Blank Disks/CECON) at 37oC/24 hours. After this period, the disks were put on plates containing Mueller Hinton Agar (Oxoid) and inoculated with the microorganisms. After 48 hours at 37oC, inhibitory zones were measured (mm) for the respective oils and strains. The essential oil from Anethum graveolens showed antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (inhibitory zone=18 mm), Salmonella sp. (=11 mm) and E. coli (10 mm). The Cuminum cyminum essential oil was effective against E. coli, P. aeruginosa and Salmonella sp. and their inhibitory zones were 18, 10 and 23 mm, respectively. Coriandrum sativum oil was active only against Salmonella sp. (18 mm) and Foeniculum vulgare inhibited only E. coli (9 mm).

Cytotoxicity of denture base resins: Effect of water bath and microwave postpolymerization heat treatments

Purpose: This study compared the effect of two postpolymerization heat treatments on the cytotoxicity of three denture base resins on L929 cells using 3H-thymidine incorporation and MTT assays. Materials and Methods: Sample disks of Lucitone 550, QC 20, and Acron MC resins were fabricated under aseptic conditions and stored in distilled water at 37°C for 48 hours. Specimens were then divided into three groups: (1) heat treated in microwave oven for 3 minutes at 500 W; (2) heat treated in water bath at 55°C for 60 minutes; and (3) no heat treatment. Eluates were prepared by placing three disks into a sterile glass vial with 9 mL of Eagle's medium and incubating at 37°C for 24 hours. The cytotoxic effect from the eluates was evaluated using the 3H-thymidine incorporation and MTT assays, which reflect DNA synthesis levels and cell metabolism, respectively. Results: The components leached from the resins were cytotoxic to L929 cells when 3H- thymidine incorporation assay was employed. In contrast, eluates from all resins revealed noncytotoxic effects as measured by MTT assay. For both MTT assay and 3H-thymidine incorporation, the heat treatments did not decrease the cytotoxicity of the materials tested. Conclusion: Resins were graded by 3H-thymidine incorporation assay as slightly cytotoxic and by MTT assay as noncytotoxic. Cytotoxicity of the denture base materials was not influenced by microwave or water bath heat treatment.

Surface roughness of packable composite resins polished with various systems

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the surface roughness of four packable composite resins, SureFil™ (Dentsply, Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), Prodigy Condensable™ (Kerr Co., Orange, CA, USA), Filtek P60™ (3M do Brasil, São Paulo, Brazil), and ALERT® (Jeneric/Pentron, Inc., Wallingford, CT, USA) and one microhybrid composite resin (Filtek Z250™, 3M do Brasil) after polishing with four finishing systems. Materials and Methods: Twenty specimens were made of each material (5 mm in diameter and 4 mm high) and were analyzed with a profilometer (Perthometer® S8P, Perthen, Mahr, Germany) to measure the mean surface roughness (Ra). The specimens were then divided into four groups according to the polishing system: group 1 - Sof-Lex™ (3M do Brasil), group 2 - Enhance™ (Dentsply), group 3 - Composite Finishing Kit (KG Sorensen, Barueri, São Paulo, Brazil), and group 4 - Jiffy Polisher Cups® (Ultradent Products, Inc., South Jordan, UT, USA). The specimens were polished and then evaluated for Ra, and the data were subjected to analysis of variance, analysis of covariance, and Tukey's test (p = .05). Results: The mean Ra of SureFil polished with Sof-Lex was significantly lower than that of KG points. Prodigy Condensable polished with Enhance showed a significantly less rough surface than when polished with Sof-Lex. Filtek P60 did not exhibit a significant difference with the various polishing systems. For ALERT the lowest mean Ra was obtained with Sof-Lex and the highest mean Ra with KG points. Regarding Filtek Z250, polishing with KG and Jiffy points resulted in a significantly lower mean Ra than when polished with Enhance. Conclusions: Packable composite resins display variable roughness depending on the polishing system used; the Sof-Lex disks and Jiffy points resulted in the best Ra values for the majority of the materials tested.

Cytotoxicity of hard chairside reline resins: Effect of microwave irradiation and water bath postpolymerization treatments

Purpose: To evaluate the influence of water bath and microwave postpolymerization treatments on the cytotoxicity of 6 hard reline acrylic resins. Materials and Methods: The materials tested were Tokuso Rebase Fast (TR), Ufi Gel Hard (UGH), Duraliner II (D), Kooliner (K), New Truliner (NT), and Light Liner (LL). LL resin was additionally tested with an air-barrier coating (LLABC). Nine disks of each material (10 × 1 mm) were made and divided into 3 groups: group 1 (no postpolymerization treatment); group 2 (postpolymerization in microwave oven); group 3 (postpolymerization in water bath at 55°C for 10 minutes). L929 cells were cultured in 96-well plates and incubated for 24 hours in Eagle's medium. Eluates prepared from the disks or medium without disks (control) replaced the medium. Cytotoxicity was assessed by both dehydrogenase succinic activity (MTT) assay and incorporation of radioactive 3H-thymidine assay. Tests were carried out in quadruplicate and repeated twice. Differences between groups were determined by analysis of variance with Tukey multiple-comparison intervals (α = .05). Results: For MTT assay, the postpolymerization treatments had no effect on the cytotoxicity of all materials (P > .05). For 3H-thymidine assay, the postpolymerization treatments significantly decreased the cytotoxicity of UGH (P < .05). The cytotoxicity of K, NT, LL, and LLABC increased after microwave irradiation (P < .05). TR, NT, and LLABC showed an increase in cytotoxicity after water bath (P < .05). Conclusion: When assessed by MTT assay, the cytotoxicity of the materials was not affected by postpolymerization treatments. 3H-Thymidine assay showed that the cytotoxicity of the resins was not improved by the postpolymerization treatments, with the exception of UGH.

Thermocycling effect on microhardness of laboratory composite resins

Tha aim of this study was to evaluate the thermocycling effect on microhardness of laboratory composite resins, 30 disks were fabricated, 5mm of diameter and 2mm of width, using 3 laboratory resins: G1 (n=10) - RESILAB MASTER (Wilcos-Brasil), G2 (n=10) - Vita VMLC (VITA Zahnfabrik-Germany), and G3 (n=10) - Vita Zeta (VITA Zahnfabrik-Germany). Vickers microhardness (HV) of all specimens was evaluated using a microhardness tester FM-700 (Future Tech- 50 g/10s). The specimens were measured before and after the thermocycling (3,000 times and 12,000 times - 5°/55°C±1). The microhardness values before cycling were (mean±SD): G1: 55.50±4.6; G2: 35.54±2.5; G3: 27.97±1.6; after 3,000 thermocycles: G1: 55.54±3.9; G2: 29.92±2.73; G3:21.01±1.4 and after 12,000 cycles G1: 54.27±3.2; G2: 30.91±1.6; G3: 23.81±0.9. Variance analysis (ANOVA) and Tukey's test was accomplished (p<0.05), the highest microhardness values were observed in G1: G2 and G3 showed reduction of microhardness values. It was concluded that, after thermocycling, the tested laboratory composites resins are susceptible to the decrease of surface microhardness.

Isolation and growth of the symbiotic fungus of Atta capiguara (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

This work's objectives were to isolate and evaluate the growth of the symbiotic fungus of Atta capiguara Gonçalves on artificial medium, under different pH and temperature conditions. Isolation was accomplished using the following media: Sabouraud, oat-agar, PDA, and PDA with the addition of extracts from the grasses Paspalum sp. Flügge and Hyparrhenia rufa (Nees) Stapf.. The medium used in the growth study was PDA with the addition of a Paspalum sp. (0.22%, w/v) extract at initial pH values of 4.5, 6.0, and 7.5. Mycelium disks were transferred to plates containing the culture medium. The plates were maintained at temperatures of 20, 23, and 26 ± 1°C. Mycelial radial growth evaluations were performed at 7, 14, 21, 28, and 35 days of incubation. Fungus isolation was obtained in all media studied. The highest radial means were obtained at initial pH values of 6.0 and 7.5 and temperatures of 23 and 26± 1°C. Greater plot losses occurred at the initial pH condition of 7.5. In general, A. capiguara fungi can be grown in the medium studied, at an initial pH of 6.0 and temperatures of 23 or 26± 1°C. Radial growth evaluations at 14 and 28 days of incubation can be recommended for substrate studies involving the symbiotic fungus.

On non-linear and non-ideal interactions in two vibrating problems

In practical situations, the dynamics of the forcing function on a vibrating system cannot be considered as given a priori, and it must be taken as a consequence of the dynamics of the whole system. In other words, the forcing source has limited power, as that provided by a DC motor for an example, and thus its own dynamics is influenced by that of the vibrating system being forced. This increases the number of degrees of freedom of the problem, and it is called a non-ideal problem. In this work, we considerer two non-ideal problems analyzed by using numerical simulations. The existence of the Sommerfeld effect was verified, that is, the effect of getting stuck at resonance (energy imparted to the DC motor being used to excite large amplitude motions of the supporting structure). We considered two kinds of non-ideal problem: one related to the transverse vibrations of a shaft carrying two disks and another to a piezoceramic bar transducer powered by a vacuum tube generated by a non-ideal source Copyright © 2007 by ASME.

Oxygen reduction on PtFe/C electrocatalysts prepared in microemulsions

PtFe/C nanocatalysts of different compositions and nearly constant particle size were prepared by a microemulsion method. Crystallite sizes and degree of alloying were determined by X-ray diffraction. Particle size and distribution were characterized by transmission electron microscopy and average composition was determined by energy dispersive X-ray analysis. Measurements of electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction were done using the rotating disk electrode technique in O2 saturated 0.5 mol L-1 sulfuric acid solutions, at room temperature. For all catalysts oxygen reduction begins at ̃ 0.90V. Tafel plots show slopes of c.a. 60 and 120 mV dec in the regions of low and high overpotentials, respectively. The best results for the ORR were obtained for the PtFe/C catalyst of composition Pt:Fe 70:30. This catalyst was also found to exhibit the largest methanol tolerance. © The Electrochemical Society.

Effect of light-curing units on push-out fiber post bond strength in root canal dentin

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of different light-curing units on the bond strength (push-out) of glass fiber posts in the different thirds of the root (cervical, middle and apical) with different adhesive luting resin systems (dual-cure total-etch; dual-cured and self-etch bonding system; and dual-cure self-adhesive cements), Disks of the samples (n = 144) were used, with approximately 1 mm of thickness of 48 bovine roots restored with glass fiber posts, that were luted with resin cements photo-activated by halogen LCU (QTH, Optilux 501) and blue LED (Ultraled), with power densities of 600 and 550 mW/cm 2, respectively. A universal testing machine (MTS 810 Material Test System) was used with a 1 mm diameter steel rod at cross-head speed of 0.5 mm/min until post extrusion, with load cell of 50 kg, for evaluation of the push-out strength in the different thirds of each sample. The push-out strength values in kgf were converted to MPa and analyzed through Analysis of Variance and Tukey's test, at significance level of 5%. The results showed that there were no statistical differences between the QTH and LED LCUs. The self-adhesive resin cement had lower values of retention. The total-etch and self-adhesive system resin cements seem to be a possible alternative for glass fiber posts cementation into the radicular canal and the LED LCU can be applied as an alternative to halogen light on photo-activation of dual-cured resin cements. © 2009 Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.

Color alteration of the paint used for iris painting in ocular prostheses

The purpose of this study was to assess color alteration of the paints used for iris painting in artificial eyes. Five disks of heat cured acrylic resin were confectioned by microwave energy for each paint analyzed, in a total of 40 specimens. Each specimen consisted of a colorless acrylic resin disk and another of equal size, of scleral white colored acrylic resin, with the painting interposed between the two disks. The specimens were submitted to an accelerated aging process in a chamber under ultraviolet radiation for 1,008 hours. To assess color variation, a reflective spectrophotometer was used. The results were statistically analyzed by ANOVA and the Tukey test (p < 0.05). All the paints underwent chromatic alteration. The oil paint presented the highest resistance to accelerated aging.

Commissioning and performance of the CMS pixel tracker with cosmic ray muons

The pixel detector of the Compact Muon Solenoid experiment consists of three barrel layers and two disks for each endcap. The detector was installed in summer 2008, commissioned with charge injections, and operated in the 3.8 T magnetic field during cosmic ray data taking. This paper reports on the first running experience and presents results on the pixel tracker performance, which are found to be in line with the design specifications of this detector. The transverse impact parameter resolution measured in a sample of high momentum muons is 18 microns. © 2010 IOP Publishing Ltd and SISSA.

Effect of bleaching agent on dental ceramics roughness.

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of bleaching agents (10% and 16% carbamide peroxide) on the roughness of two dental ceramics in vitro, and to analyze the surface by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). Two bleaching agents (10% and 16%/Whiteness, FGM Gel) and two microparticle feldspathic ceramics (Vita VM7 and Vita VM13) were used. Forty disks of Vita VM7 and Vita VM13 ceramic were manufactured, measuring 4 mm in diameter and 4 mm high, in accordance with the manufacturers' recommendations, and were divided into 4 groups (n = 10): (1) VM7 + Whiteness 10%; (2) VM7 + Whiteness 16%; (3) VM13 + Whiteness 10%; (4) VM13 + Whiteness 16%. The bleaching agent was applied for 8 hours a day for 15 days and during the intervals the test specimens were stored in distilled water at 37 degrees C. The roughness (Ra) of the test specimens was evaluated before and after exposure to the bleaching agents using a laser roughness meter and the topographic description was analyzed by SEM. The statistical analysis of roughness data showed significant differences in the VM7 groups, using paired t-test, p = 0.05 (VM7 + Whiteness 10%: p = 0.002; VM7 + Whiteness 16%: p = 0.001) and two-sample t-test (VM7 p = 0.047), and no significant difference was found among VM13 groups. The qualitative SEM analysis showed different degrees of surface changes. The results suggest that the roughness of the tested ceramic surfaces increased after exposure to the bleaching agents.

Capacidade predatória de chrysoperla externa sobre bemisia tabaci biótipo b expostas ao fungo metarhizium anisopliae

The objective of this study was to determine the influence of Metarhizium anisopliae on the predatory capacity and functional response of Chrysoperla externa fed Bemisia tabaci B biotype rearing cotton. The stock rearings of B. tabaci B biotype and C. externa were maintained in cages according to preexisting methodologies. Upon hatching, predator larvae were fed on eggs of Ephestia küehniella until their 3rd instar and then fed on whitefly nymphs in density exceeding their intake capacity (150 nymphs/individual). The nymphs were offered on cotton leaf disks (5 cm diameter), 24 hours after the treatments application following: T1: Control (water); T2: M. anisopliae at the concentration of 105 conidia cm-3; T3: 10 8 conidia cm-3 origined from Metharril® formulation of the 109 viable conidia cm-3 M. anisopliae active principle. The predatory capacity was obtained by the difference between the numbers of nymphs supplied and nymphs left. Five different nymphal densities (130, 160, 190, 220, and 250) were selected for the functional response study. The number of nymphs preyed was recorded after 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours. The M. anisopliae entomopathogenic fungi did not influence predatory capacity of C. externa which ranged from 70.6 individuals at the highest concentration to 87.1 in the control. Conclued that the C. externa predatory capacity was not affected by fungi M. anisopliae concentrations. The predator showed a type-II functional response after 24 hours, and a type-I response after 48, 72s, and 96 hours independent from fungi concentrations.