Clinical Indications to Germectomy in Pediatric Dentistry: A Systematic Review

Germectomy is a procedure often required in patients at developmental age. It is defined as the surgical removal of the third molar at a very specific stage of development. The aim of this study was to systematically analyze the literature in terms of clinical indications for germectomy in patients at developmental age. Literature searches were performed using PubMed, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library and Scopus from 1952 to 30 June 2021. The study protocol was registered after the screening stage (PROSPERO CRD42021262949). The search strategy identified 3829 articles: 167 from PubMed, 2860 from Google Scholar, 799 from Cochrane Library and 3 from Scopus. Finally, eight full-text papers were included into the qualitative analysis. Based on the included studies, clinical indications for germectomy were mainly related to orthodontic causes, infectious and cariogenic causes and prophylaxis. Based on these results, it is not possible to present evidence-based clinical indications for germectomy in patients at developmental age. Clinical trials on this subject focused specifically on patients at developmental age are awaited.

THE CONCEPT OF THE PASSENGER CAR LIFE CYCLE

The article deals with the issues of a conceptual approach to determining the life cycle of a passenger car. The fleet of passenger car mainly consists of models developed and manufactured in the 70-90s of the last century at car plants in Germany and Russia. They are obsolete both morally and physically. This necessitates the renewal of the passenger car fleet by purchasing cars of both domestic and foreign production. In modern conditions, the user of new technology is interested not only in the purchase price, but also in the after-sales costs. This is reflected in the life cycle cost. It is proposed to use a cascade life cycle model for a passenger car. The stages of the life cycle of a passenger car during operation on the railways of Ukraine have been determined. The components of each stage of the life cycle of a passenger car are considered. For a transport company that intends to operate a passenger car, the costs of the first three stages are directly expressed in the initial cost of the car - the purchase price. The life cycle cost (LCC) of a passenger car will be determined by summing up the individual outflow of funds (expenses) at each specific stage (calculation step) of the service life of the equipment. The life cycle assessment of the technical system of railway transport can work at any stage of the life cycle.

3D Genome Organization: Causes and Consequences for DNA Damage and Repair

The inability to repair damaged DNA severely compromises the integrity of any organism. In eukaryotes, the DNA damage response (DDR) operates within chromatin, a tightly organized DNA–histone complex in a non-random manner within the nucleus. Chromatin thus orchestrates various cellular processes, including repair. Here, we examine the chromatin landscape before, during, and after the DNA damage, focusing on double strand breaks (DSBs). We study how chromatin is modified during the repair process, not only around the damaged region (in cis), but also genome-wide (in trans). Recent evidence has highlighted a complex landscape in which different chromatin parameters (stiffness, compaction, loops) are transiently modified, defining “codes” for each specific stage of the DDR. We illustrate a novel aspect of DDR where chromatin modifications contribute to the movement of DSB-damaged chromatin, as well as undamaged chromatin, ensuring the mobilization of DSBs, their clustering, and their repair processes.

Global Sensitivity Analysis for CERES-Rice Model under Different Cultivars and Specific-Stage Variations of Climate Parameters

Global sensitivity analysis (SA) has become an efficient way to identify the most influential parameters on model results. However, the effects of cultivar variation and specific-stage variations of climate conditions on model outputs still remain unclear. In this study, 30 indica hybrid rice cultivars were simulated in the CERES-Rice model; then the Sobol’ method was used to perform a global SA on 16 investigated parameters for three model outputs (anthesis day, maturity day, and yield). In addition, we also compared the differences in the sensitivity results under four specific-stage variations (vegetative phase, panicle-formation phase, ripening phase, and the whole growth season) of climate conditions. The results indicated that (1) parameter Tavg, G4, and P2O are the most influential parameters for all model outputs across cultivars during the whole growth season; (2) under the vegetative-phase variation of climate parameters; the variability of model outputs is mainly controlled by parameter P2O and Tavg; (3) under the panicle-formation-phase or ripening-phase variation of climate parameters, parameter P2O was the dominant variable for all model outputs; (4) parameter PORM had a considerable effect (the total sensitivity index, STi; STi>0.05) on yield regardless of the various specific-stage variations of the climate parameters. Findings obtained from this study will contribute to understanding the comprehensive effects of crop parameters on model outputs under different cultivars and specific-stage variations of climate conditions.

Pathogenetic justification of the use of criteria for determining the lifespan and age of wound caused by mechanical damage

The aim of the study is detailed analysis of the literature on the existing methods for determining the lifetime and inflicting of mechanical damage. It was found that the existing methods have very large discrepancies in assessing the infliction of damage. The use of the same research methods by different researchers has lead to results that may differ. This can lead to obtaining insufficiently substantiated or even erroneous conclusions about the infliction of mechanical damage. The authors explain this by the fact that the body reacts to damage by the development of a typical pathological process – inflammation. Forensic methods that exist for determining the age of wound are aimed at obtaining an expert assessment of individual manifestations of the pathogenesis of inflammation by morphological, biochemical and immunological methods. Determination of the age of wound is actually the determination of a specific stage in the pathogenesis of inflammation, which is observed at the time of the examination and the timing of the development, which is known from the literature. Taking into account the stages of the pathogenesis of inflammation as a typical pathological process, in the area of tissue damage makes it possible to more accurately determine the duration of the infliction of mechanical damage. The individual reactivity of the organism, which determines the features of the course of any typical pathological process, will determine the individual timing of the development of certain morphological, biochemical and immunological changes in the area of damage.

Optical Diagnostics during Pulsed Laser Ablation in Liquid (PLAL) for the Production of Metallic Nanoparticles

Pulsed laser ablation in liquid (PLAL) is gaining an important role as a methodology for producing nanostructures without the use of chemicals and stabilizers. Several nanomaterials have been produced and the engineering of PLAL is becoming an important task for the dissemination of this approach for nanostructure production. Monitoring the processes involved in the PLAL during nanostructure production can be extremely useful for improving the experimental methods and for pushing PLAL to new material formation. In this paper, we discuss the use of optical techniques for investigating the specific stages involved in the production of nanomaterials with PLAL. In particular, the recent advancements of these optical techniques for each specific stage of the PLAL process will be discussed: optical emission spectroscopy and imaging for the investigation of the plasma phase, shadowgraph imaging for the investigation of the cavitation bubble dynamics and different scattering techniques for the visualization of the produced nanostructure.

Morality Plays

The “morality play” is one of the most recognizable medieval European dramatic genres, yet much about this term, including the form’s status and influence, remains contested. While the label morality play is a useful one for modern scholars, its origins lie in 18th-century antiquarianism rather than in medieval categorizations. The idea of a distinct morality play genre or tradition is further challenged by the vast array of staging and dramaturgical conventions and techniques displayed by extant playtexts; in the range of different audiences, occasions, and spaces for which they were designed; and in the extent to which they overlap with other dramatic and performance modes (saints’ plays, biblical plays, sotties, debates, mummings, and interludes, for example). Nevertheless, a distinct collection of plays from premodern Europe share characteristics and conceptual and dramaturgic frameworks, justifying their analysis as a group. What links these plays, whether they are written in Latin or in the vernacular, is their sustained use of personification allegory and the clear exposition of a moral sentence. At the core of any morality play sits a central figure, a personification of, say, a universalized concept of “mankind” (Humanum Genus, Everyman, Mankind), an aspect of human nature (Man’s Desire in Menschen Sin en Verganckeljcke Schoonheit), or a specific stage in life (like Youth or the Child). Such figures often also act as a mirror or an avatar for the audience. French moralités often have two central figures who represent opposing moral paths. The plays’ central figures are accompanied by an array of abstract personifications representing virtues, sins, vices, temptations, moral distractions, bad and good advice, and facts of life. These could be faculties or qualities of humankind, such as Flesh, Raison, Wit, or Ignorance; temptations and forces in the external world, such as New Guise, Custom, or Goods; facts of human existence, such as Life, Death, and Kinship; human behaviors, such as Flattery or Deceit; social groups, such as Nobility and Clergy; personifications of God’s qualities, such as Mercy; as well as supernatural beings, such as God and the Devil or Good and Bad Angels. Every part of the performance is enlisted into the allegory, from staging, props, and costumes to the actions of and between performers. Whether the protagonist is saved at the end of the play varies, but often an alignment is explicit between the life journey of the mankind figure and that of Adam, connecting the life of the individual with the great scheme of cosmic history.

Comprehensive Analysis of Bacterial Community Structure and Diversity in Sichuan Dark Tea (Camellia sinensis)

Bacteria and fungi present during pile-fermentation of Sichuan dark tea play a key role in the development of its aesthetic properties, such as color, taste, and fragrance. In our previous study, high-throughput sequencing of dark tea during fermentation revealed Aspergillus was abundant, but scarce knowledge is available about bacterial communities during pile-fermentation. In this study, we rigorously explored bacterial diversity in Sichuan dark tea at each specific stage of piling. Analysis of cluster data revealed 2,948 operational taxonomic units, which were divided into 42 phyla, 98 classes, 247 orders, 461 families, 1,052 genera, and 1,888 species. Certain members of the family Enterobacteriaceae were dominant at early stages of fermentation YC, W1, and W2; Pseudomonas at middle stage W3; and the highest bacterial diversity was observed at the final quality-determining stage W4. Noticeably, probiotics, such as Bacillus, Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Saccharopolyspora were also significantly higher at the quality-determining stage W4. Our findings might help in precise bacterial inoculation for probiotic food production by increasing the health benefits of Sichuan dark tea. This research also falls under the umbrella of the “Establish Good Health and Well-Being” Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations Organization.

Beyond cultural and geographical proximity: delving into the factors that influence the dynamics of academic relationships between students in higher education

Scholars have widely recognised the importance of academic relationships between students at the university. While much of the past research has focused on studying their influence on different aspects such as the students’ academic performance or their emotional stability, less is known about their dynamics and the factors that influence the formation and dissolution of linkages between university students in academic networks. In this paper, we try to shed light on this issue by exploring through stochastic actor-oriented models and student-level data the influence that a set of proximity factors may have on formation of these relationships over the entire period in which students are enrolled at the university. Our findings confirm that the establishment of academic relationships is derived, in part, from a wide range of proximity dimensions of a social, personal, geographical, cultural and academic nature. Furthermore, and unlike previous studies, this research also empirically confirms that the specific stage in which the student is at the university determines the influence of these proximity factors on the dynamics of academic relationships. In this regard, beyond cultural and geographic proximities that only influence the first years at the university, students shape their relationships as they progress in their studies from similarities in more strategic aspects such as academic and personal closeness. These results may have significant implications for both academic research and university policies.

Estradiol on Trigger Day was Irrelevant to Live Birth Rates of Fresh Cycles but Positively Associated with Cumulative Live Birth Rates: A Multicenter Retrospective Study

Background: Serum estradiol (E2) level is supraphysiological during controlled ovarian stimulation (COS). However, the impacts of high levels of E2 on the development of preimplantation embryos, live birth rates in fresh and frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) cycles, and cumulative live birth rates (CLBR) remain debatable.Methods: This retrospective study included 93,959 oocyte retrieval cycles of 73,794 patients performing in vitro fertilization (IVF)/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) from 2013 to 2018 in five reproductive centers in China. Patients were categorized according to E2 level on trigger day: <1,000, 1,000-2,000, 2,000-3,000, 3,000-4,000, 4,000-5,000 and ≥5,000 pg/ml. Developments of embryos were evaluated by specific stage embryo rates, fertilization rates and cleavage rates. Generalized linear mixed models and multilevel models were adopted. Univariate and multivariate analysis were performed to adjust for the confounding factors. Results: Compared with the <1,000 pg/ml group, the aMD (95% CI) for the specific stage embryo rates in groups 2-6 were -0.10 (-0.11, -0.10), -0.13 (-0.14, -0.12), -0.14 (-0.15, -0.13), -0.15 (-0.16, -0.15) and -0.14 (-0.15, -0.13), respectively. The adjusted odds ratio (aOR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of live birth of fresh cycles in the stratified higher E2 groups was 1.03 (0.91, 1.16), 1.06 (0.93, 1.21), 1.03 (0.89, 1.19), 1.02 (0.87, 1.20) and 0.88 (0.75, 1.03), while the aOR (95% CI) for live birth in FET cycles was 1.01 (0.90, 1.14), 1.08 (0.95, 1.22), 1.10 (0.96, 1.27), 1.12 (0.97, 1.29), and 1.20 (1.05, 1.37), respectively. When E2 <14,000 pg/ml, E2 was positively correlated with CLBR, otherwise, E2 was irrelevant to CLBR. Conclusion: High levels of E2 is associated with decreased rates of properly developed embryos. When E2 level is above 5,000 pg/ml on trigger day, the E2 level is associated with increased live birth rates in FET cycles. While the live birth rates in fresh cycles is not impacted. CLBR is positively associated with E2 on trigger day when E2 is <14,000 pg/ml.