Abstract Objectives To determine if resin infiltration is an effective treatment for improving the esthetic appearance of tooth discoloration resulting from development defects of enamel (EDD) and ...white spot lesions (WSL) by means of a systematic review. Data sources A comprehensive search was performed in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, LILACS, BBO Library, Cochrane Library, and SIGLE, as well as in the abstracts of IADR conference, and in the clinical trials registry. Study selection Clinical studies in patients with whitish tooth discoloration, in which the resin infiltration technique was applied, were included. Color masking was the primary outcome. The methodological quality and risk of biases of included papers was assessed using MINORS criteria for non-randomized (NRS) comparative studies and Cochrane Collaboration for randomized clinical trials (RCT). Results From a total of 2930 articles, 17 were assessed for eligibility and 11 remained in the qualitative synthesis. Four NRS and seven RCT studies were selected, the latter consisting of four full-text studies and three conference abstracts. Two studies were excluded from the quality assessment, due to overlapping results. The number of participants (treated teeth) ranged from 18 to 21 (38–74) in the NRS, and 20–83 (20–231) in the RCT studies. Post-orthodontic WSL were the most frequent treated lesions. Initial condition was used as control in the NR studies. In the RCT, resin infiltration was compared to non treatment, remineralization, or bleaching. Overall, partial or complete color masking of affected teeth was reported immediately after resin infiltration. Only two studies followed original outcomes up to one year and reported maintenance of original color masking. Two NR studies were assessed as “moderate” and one as “high” quality. Two RCT were classified as “low” risk of bias in the chosen key domains. The remaining four studies were considered “unclear” or “high” risk of bias. Conclusion Although the partial or total masking effect of enamel whitish discoloration has been shown with resin infiltration, there is no strong evidence to support this technique based on the present clinical studies. Clinical significance Enamel whitish discolorations in esthetically compromised areas are clinically undesirable. Minimally invasive approaches used as attempts to minimize the discoloration include the resin infiltration technique. The evidence for clinical recommendation of this technique is not strong, thus, further RCT studies with long-term follow-ups should be conducted.
Based on a literature search undertaken to determine the impacts of past public health crises, and a systematic review of the effects of past economic crises on alcohol consumption, two main ...scenarios—with opposite predictions regarding the impact of the current COVID‐19 pandemic on the level and patterns of alcohol consumption—are introduced. The first scenario predicts an increase in consumption for some populations, particularly men, due to distress experienced as a result of the pandemic. A second scenario predicts the opposite outcome, a lowered level of consumption, based on the decreased physical and financial availability of alcohol. With the current restrictions on alcohol availability, it is postulated that, for the immediate future, the predominant scenario will likely be the second, while the distress experienced in the first may become more relevant in the medium‐ and longer‐term future. Monitoring consumption levels both during and after the COVID‐19 pandemic will be necessary to better understand the effects of COVID‐19 on different groups, as well as to distinguish them from those arising from existing alcohol control policies.
This work studies the effect of zirconia structure on the performance of Pd/ZrO2 catalysts for hydrodeoxygenation of phenol at 300 °C and 1 atm using a fixed bed reactor. Benzene was the major ...product over Pd/t-ZrO2, while significant formation of cyclohexanone was observed over Pd/m-ZrO2. On the other hand, Pd/m,t-ZrO2 exhibited intermediary behavior. DRIFTS of adsorbed pyridine, NH3-TPD, and the dehydration of the cyclohexanol reaction revealed that the Pd/t-ZrO2 catalyst exhibits a higher density of oxophilic sites than Pd/m-ZrO2 and Pd/m,t-ZrO2. This promoted the formation of deoxygenated products. However, a mechanism involving dehydration of cyclohexanol to cyclohexene, followed by dehydrogenation to benzene, may not be ruled out. Pd/ZrO2 catalysts significantly deactivated as a function of time on stream. Results of dehydrogenation of cyclohexane and dehydration of cyclohexanol indicate that the Pd particle size increased and the density of oxophilic sites decreased during the hydrodeoxygenation of the phenol reaction. In addition, the DRIFTS spectra under reaction conditions demonstrated that the coverage of oxophilic sites by phenoxy and intermediate species increased during the reaction. The growth of Pd particles is likely responsible for the losses in the metal–support interface that gradually inhibits the ability of the adsorbed species to turnover at the metal–support boundary.
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•Plantains and cooking bananas presented a high content of resistant starch.•Peel showed superior phenolic compounds and minerals levels than pulp.•Ripe dessert and cooking banana ...presented high values of phenolic compounds.•Catechin and quercetin contributed strongly to the antioxidant activity of the Musa spp.•Boiling with peel increased the phenolic compounds ofMusaspp. fruit.
Genotypes of bananas and plantains have been studied for biofortification purposes, mainly due to content of resistant starch (RS) and polyphenols. This study aims to identify banana and plantain genotypes with a high content of resistant starch, phenolic compounds and minerals, and to evaluate the impact of the ripening stage and domestic thermal processing to select superior genotypes with high levels of functional compounds. In this study, it was used bunches of bananas and plantain genotypes. The phenolic compounds profiles were determined by HPLC-DAD in pulps and peels. The resistant starch and the minerals (K, Na, Zn, Cu and Fe) were evaluated in pulps and peels of unripe fruit. The results of phenolic compounds were studied in three ripening stages, and after thermal processing (ripe stage) of two genotypes, which were most promising for biofortification studies. Resistant starch and minerals were analysed in the unripe fruits. The peel biomass showed the highest values of phenolic compounds and minerals. The total starch content in the pulp varied from 42.3% (‘FC06-02′) to 80.6% (‘Pelipita’). Plantains and cooking bananas presented the highest contents of starch and resistant starch (stage 2 – green with yellow traces). The pulps of the dessert genotypes ‘Khai’ and ‘Ouro da Mata’, and cooking genotype ‘Pacha Nadam’ stood out due to their minerals high contents (P, K and Fe; Zn and Fe; Ca, Mg and Zn, respectively). The dessert bananas (e.g., ‘Ney Poovan’) and cooking bananas (e.g., ‘Tiparot’) had the highest concentrations of phenolic compounds, mainly in ripe fruit (stage 5 – yellow with green). In addition, the thermal processing of Musa spp. fruit led to increasing these secondary metabolites, mainly the cooking of fruit with peel by boiling, which should be preferred in domestic preparations.
The objective of this study was to verify self-care guidelines together with lower limb home exercises alter ankle and foot plantar pressure and alignment in patient with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus ...(DM) measuring health and sociodemographic factors. The health factors analyzed were sensitivity and circulation aspects, risk rating, and neuropathy symptom score, ankle and foot alignment (photogrammetry), plantar pressures, and postural stability (baropodometry) before and after administering these guidelines and home exercises in 97 patients type 2 DM during 10 months. The self-care guidelines and exercises changed the forefoot alignment (Right Foot - Initial vs Final, p = 0.04; Left Foot, P<0.01), the center of the force displacement in the mediolateral (Right Foot - Initial versus Final, p = 0.02; Left Foot, P<0.01), and the anterior-posterior (Right foot - Initial versus Final, p = 0.01) direction, and body balance (Initial versus Final, p = 0.02). There was no change in the remaining assessed parameters. Self-care associated with the guidelines for home exercises for the lower limbs in patients with type 2 DM are effective in maintaining and improving the alignment of the feet, mediolateral stability and prevention of complications.
The Brazilian Clinical Trials Registry RBR-8854CD.
•We define fundamental concepts related to Artificial Intelligence and about the Information Technology alignment with Business Strategy.•We provide a critical literature review related to the ...integration of AI to Business Strategy.•We propose a framework with the identification of knowledge gaps and the propositions for future researches.
Artificial Intelligence tools have attracted attention from the literature and business organizations in the last decade, especially by the advances in machine learning techniques. However, despite the great potential of AI technologies for solving problems, there are still issues involved in practical use and lack of knowledge as regards using AI in a strategic way, in order to create business value. In this context, the present study aims to fill this gap by: providing a critical literature review related to the integration of AI to organizational strategy; synthetizing the existing approaches and frameworks, highlighting the potential benefits, challenges and opportunities; presenting a discussion about future research directions. Through a systematic literature review, research articles were analyzed. Besides gaps for future studies, a conceptual framework is presented, discussed according to four sources of value creation: (i) decision support; (ii) customer and employee engagement; (iii) automation; and (iv) new products and services. These findings contribute to both theoretical and managerial perspectives, with extensive opportunities for generating novel theory and new forms of management practices.
Abstract
The massive stars that survive the phase of red supergiants (RSGs) spend the rest of their life in extremity. Their unstable atmospheres facilitate the formation and episodic ejection of ...shells that alter the stellar appearance and surroundings. In the present study, we revise the evolutionary state of eight hypergiants in the Magellanic Clouds, four of early-A type and four of FG type, and complement the short list of the eruptive post-RSGs termed as yellow hypergiants. We refine the outdated temperatures and luminosities of the stars by means of high-resolution spectroscopy with the Fiber-fed Extended Range Optical Spectrograph (FEROS). The A-type stars are suggested to be in their early, post-main-sequence phase, showing spectrophotometric characteristics of redward evolving supergiants. On the other hand, the FG-type stars manifest themselves through the enhanced atmospheric activity that is traced by emission filling in H α and the dynamical modulation of the low-excitation Ba ii line. Of these stars, the dusty HD269723 is suggested to have recently departed from a cool phase. We identify double-peaked emission in the FEROS data of HD269953 that emerges from an orbiting disc-hosting companion. The highlight of the study is an episode of enhanced mass-loss of HD271182 that manifests as a dimming event in the light curve and renders the star ‘modest’ analogue to ρ Cas. The luminosity log (L/L⊙) = 5.6 of HD271182 can serve as an updated threshold for the luminosity of stars exhibiting a post-RSG evolution in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
Non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma jets (APPJs) are capable of generating cold plasma plumes that are not confined by electrodes, which makes them very attractive for bio-medical applications. ...In the present work, the inactivation efficiency of cold APPJ was evaluated against three pathogenic microorganisms with different cell wall characteristics. The Gram-positive bacterium Enterococcus faecalis (ATCC 29212), the Gram-negative bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 15442) and the fungus Candida albicans (SC 5314) were plated on standard Petri dishes filled with specific culture media. The plasma jet with mean power of 1.8W was directed perpendicularly on agar plates and the system was flushed with pure helium at two different flows, 2.0 and 4.0SLM. During the treatments, time and distance between nozzle and agar were varied. The presence of excited reactive species was confirmed by optical emission spectroscopy. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was applied for investigation of cell morphology. The microbicidal efficiency was evaluated by measuring the area of inhibition zone (where there was no cell growth). For different flows of helium, no significant difference of inhibition zone size was noted for the same microbial species. However, high flows led to formation of non-homogenous inhibition zones, presenting microcolonies distributed through the inactivated region. The Gram-positive bacterium was more susceptible to the plasma antimicrobial effects than the other microorganisms.
•A cold APPJ was employed for inhibition of three pathogenic microbial species.•Shorter distances lead to more efficient decontamination of fungi.•High flow rates promote formation of irregular inhibition zones.•Plasma jet treatment causes cell damage suggesting loss of cellular content.
The mammalian embryo displays sexual dimorphism in the preimplantation period. Moreover, competence of the embryo to develop is dependent on the sire from which the embryo is derived and can be ...modified by embryokines produced by the endometrium such as colony stimulating factor 2 (CSF2). The preimplantation period is characterized by large changes in epigenetic modifications of DNA and histones. It is possible, therefore, that effects of sex, sire, and embryo regulatory molecules are mediated by changes in epigenetic modifications. Here it was tested whether global levels of two histone modifications in the trophectoderm of the bovine blastocyst were affected by sex, sire, and CSF2. It was found that amounts of immunolabeled H3K27me3 were greater (P = 0.030) for male embryos than female embryos. Additionally, labeling for H3K27me3 and H3K18ac depended upon the bull from which embryos were derived. Although CSF2 reduced the proportion of embryos developing to the blastocyst, there was no effect of CSF2 on labeling for H3K27me3 or H3K18ac. Results indicate that the blastocyst trophoctoderm can be modified epigenetically by embryo sex and paternal inheritance through alterations in histone epigenetic marks.
Abstract
The relative rarity of giant planets around low-mass stars compared with solar-type stars is a key prediction from the core-accretion planet formation theory. In this paper we report on the ...discovery of four gas giant planets that transit low-mass late K and early M dwarfs. The planets HATS-74Ab (TOI 737b), HATS-75b (TOI 552b), HATS-76b (TOI 555b), and HATS-77b (TOI 730b) were all discovered from the HATSouth photometric survey and follow-up using TESS and other photometric facilities. We use the new ESPRESSO facility at the VLT to confirm systems and measure their masses. We find that these planets have masses of 1.46 ± 0.14
M
J, 0.491 ± 0.039
M
J, 2.629 ± 0.089
M
J, and
1.374
−
0.074
+
0.100
M
J, respectively, and radii of 1.032 ± 0.021
R
J, 0.884 ± 0.013
R
J, 1.079 ± 0.031
R
J, and 1.165 ± 0.021
R
J, respectively. The planets all orbit close to their host stars with orbital periods ranging from 1.7319 days to 3.0876 days. With further work, we aim to test core-accretion theory by using these and further discoveries to quantify the occurrence rate of giant planets around low-mass host stars.
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