Surface characteristics of tooth-colored restoratives polished utilizing different polishing systems

With more than 2000 wound care products on the market, choosing an appropriate dressing for the geriatric patient can prove to be a difficult task. Age-related changes in skin structure and decreased resistance to noxious stimuli in the environment place the elderly patient at higher risk for wound complications. Understanding the principles of moist wound healing and how dressing materials can be used to promote healing outcomes gives the clinician a foundation upon which to base treatment decisions. Assigning products to generic dressing categories further facilitates dressing selection, allowing the treatment protocol to be individualized to the patient, the wound, and the setting.     

Generalized solution to symbol error probability integral containing over different fading models

This paper presents a generalized solution to the symbol error probability (SEP) integral containing the product of two Gaussian Q‐functions . Numerical integration technique is first used to approximate the polar form of as a sum of exponentials. This approximation is then used to derive a closed‐form solution to the related SEP integral. Due to the exponential nature of the approximation, solution to the integral is expressed in terms of moment generating function (MGF) of a fading distribution. Therefore, the solution to integral exists for all fading distributions which have well‐defined MGF. The mathematical complexity of the proposed solution is directly proportional to the complexity of MGF expression. For most of the fading models, the corresponding MGF involves power or exponential functions, which guarantees algebraic simplicity of the proposed solution. Further, this generalized solution is used to evaluate the SEP of various modulation schemes over different fading channels. Various computer simulations run in MATLAB for wide range of scenarios confirm the accuracy of the proposed approximation and solution.     

Impact of Electron Beam Irradiation on Fatty Acid Profile of Canavalia Seeds

The present study provided an evidence for selective changes of the fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) of Canavalia seeds and the low doses of electron beam irradiation (EBI; 2.5 and 5 kGy) serve as hormetic doses for selective enhancement of fatty acids. The total lipids and FAMEs of irradiated Canavalia cathartica and Canavalia maritima seeds of the coastal sand dunes of Southwest India were assessed using soxhlet extraction and chloroform–methanol–water extraction (Bligh and Dyer) methods followed by gas chromatography. As the EBI dose increased, total lipid extraction decreased by soxhlet method in seeds of C. cathartica, while it was reverse in C. maritima. Among the doses, 5 and 10 kGy resulted in the highest extraction of lipid by the Bligh and Dyer method in C. maritima and C. cathartica, respectively. A great variation in FAMEs profile of Canavalia seeds subjected to EBI was seen by the soxhlet and Bligh and Dyer methods of extraction. The EBI increased saturated fatty acids in both the seeds. The unsaturated fatty acids were decreased by EBI based on the soxhlet extraction (except for 15 kGy in C. maritima), while a dose-dependent increase was shown by the Bligh and Dyer method on attaining the highest at the doses 5 kGy (C. maritima) and 10 kGy (C. cathartica). The changes in medium chain fatty acids, long chain saturated fatty acids, mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids, and ratios of fatty acids were dependent on the seed material, the dose EBI, and the method of extraction.     

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in key cytokines may modulate food allergy phenotypes

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) can play a direct or indirect role in phenotypic expression in food allergy pathogenesis. Our goal was to quantitate the expression of SNPs in relevant cytokines that were expressed in food allergic patients. SNPs in cytokine genes IL-4 and IL-10 are known to be important in IgE generation and regulation. We examined IL-4 (C-590T), IL-4Rα (1652A/G) and IL-10 (C-627A) SNPs using real-time PCR followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. Our results show that the AA, AG and GG genotypes for IL-4Rα (1652A/G) polymorphisms were statistically different in radioallergosorbent test (RAST) positive versus negative patients, and although no statistically significant differences were observed between genotypes in the IL-4 (C-590T) and IL-10 (C-627A) SNPs, we observed a significant decrease in IL-4 (C-590T) gene expression and increase in IL-4Rα (1652A/G) and IL-10 (C-627A) gene expression between RAST⁺ versus RAST^? patients, respectively. We also observed significant modulation in the protein expression of IL-4 and IL-10 in the serum samples of the RAST⁺ patients as compared to the RAST^? patients indicating that changes in SNP expression resulted in altered phenotypic response in these patients.     

A modified sulphur–iodine cycle for efficient solar hydrogen production

A thermochemical water-splitting cycle representing a modification of the classical sulphur–iodine cycle is proposed. To decrease the energetic demand, increasing the cycle energy efficiency, the distillation of the iodine phase was replaced with the evaporation of the excess of water and iodine. This was obtained by neutralizing the hydrogen iodide in the iodine phase with nickel oxide. In such a way water and iodine can be simply recovered by evaporation leaving nickel iodide as solid phase. The nickel iodide is decomposed to obtain nickel metal and hydrogen is produced by reaction of the metal with sulphuric acid. The nickel sulphate, obtained after hydrogen production, is decomposed to generate sulphur dioxide (used as the reagent in the Bunsen reaction) and nickel oxide (that is recycled). To validate the cycle effectiveness the proposed reactions have been carried out. Crystalline solid materials have been identified by XRD diffraction. Powders morphology was studied by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray. Thermodynamics studies were carried out by thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis. Finally an energy balance to evaluate the theoretical energy efficiency was computed.     

A smart intuitionistic fuzzy-based framework for round-robin short-term scheduler

The Journal of Supercomputing - A smart intuitionistic fuzzy-based framework is designed to facilitate adaptability by providing continuous changes in the size of time slice to scheduler at run...     

Interplay between Cartilage and Subchondral Bone Contributing to Pathogenesis of Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common debilitating joint disorder, affecting large sections of the population with significant disability and impaired quality of life. During OA, functional units of joints comprising cartilage and subchondral bone undergo uncontrolled catabolic and anabolic remodeling processes to adapt to local biochemical and biological signals. Changes in cartilage and subchondral bone are not merely secondary manifestations of OA but are active components of the disease, contributing to its severity. Increased vascularization and formation of microcracks in joints during OA have suggested the facilitation of molecules from cartilage to bone and vice versa. Observations from recent studies support the view that both cartilage and subchondral bone can communicate with each other through regulation of signaling pathways for joint homeostasis under pathological conditions. In this review we have tried to summarize the current knowledge on the major signaling pathways that could control the cartilage-bone biochemical unit in joints and participate in intercellular communication between cartilage and subchondral bone during the process of OA. An understanding of molecular communication that regulates the functional behavior of chondrocytes and osteoblasts in both physiological and pathological conditions may lead to development of more effective strategies for treating OA patients.