Comparison Of Variables Research Articles

GENOTYPE-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION ON THE SEED QUALITY OF MAIZE HYBRID PROGENITORS (Zea mays L.)

The environmental conditions at the multiplication site have an impact on seed quality. Parents capable of counteracting changes in production environments are required to maintain and conserve the excellent attributes of maize (Zea mays L.) seed. This study sought to determine the effects of genotype and environment on the physical and physiological traits of single crosses and inbred lines, which are the progenitors of trilineal maize hybrids adapted to the High Valleys of Mexico. During the spring-summer 2014 and 2015 cycles, nine inbred lines, three single crosses, and three hybrids were evaluated in Coatlinchán, Celaya, and San Luis de la Paz, Mexico, in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The hectoliter and thousand-seeds weight, commercial seed percentage, standard germination, and after-cold test were evaluated. A pooled analysis of variance and multiple comparison of means with Tukey (p ≤ 0.05) were performed. The site regression model (SREG) was used to account for the genotype-environment interaction. The best environments for physical quality were San Luis de la Paz 2014; for a thousand-seeds weight (295.3 g), Coatlinchán 2015; for hectoliter weight (74.7 kg hL-1), Coatlinchán 2014; and for commercial seed percentage (76 and 73.3 %), San Luis de la Paz 2014. With the exception of Celaya 2014, the environments were statistically equal for physiological quality in standard germination, and San Luis de la Paz 2015 (82 %) was the best environment for germination after cold exposure. Regarding the genotype-environment interaction, parents M-47xM-46 and M-55xM-54 performed best for physical quality and M-43xM-44 for physiological quality at San Luis de la Paz; thus, seed production from these parents is possible in this location.

Erythropoietin to Treat Spinal Cord Injury: Evaluation of Different Doses and Magnitudes of Trauma in Rats.

Experimental spinal cord lesion study. To evaluate the effects of erythropoietin at different doses on neural regeneration in rats undergoing spinal cord injury. Anesthetized Wistar rats were submitted to standardized spinal cord injury and randomized into eight groups, receiving different magnitudes of trauma and single or repeated doses of intraperitoneal erythropoietin (500 or 5000IU/kg of body weight). We evaluated motor function using BBB scores and sensorimotor behavior by observing the rats walking on a horizontal ladder (at 2, 4, and 6weeks) and performed histological analysis of the spinal cord after euthanasia. We compared the scores between groups using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Bonferroni multiple comparisons. The experiments were conducted with 10 animals per group (n = 80), none of which died or were excluded. BBB scores increased over time (meaning recovery) in all groups (P < 0.001 for all). From the fourth week, animals receiving lower trauma and higher erythropoietin doses had higher BBB scores than those receiving lower doses. The total number of steps and correct steps taken on the horizontal ladder increased, and slips decreased over time with treatment in all groups. Although the number of errors was different between moments (P < 0.001), it was not different between groups (P = 0.707). Rats receiving higher impact lesions had more spinal cord necrosis and worse recovery of neuronal fibers than the rest. Animals receiving a higher dose of erythropoietin and suffering minor trauma showed better and faster neurological recovery. Repeating erythropoietin after a week showed no benefit.

Neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio is increased in the acute phase of schizophrenia and regardless the use and types of antipsychotic drugs

BackgroundIt has been found that patients with schizophrenia are often accompanied by concomitant changes in inflammation levels during acute exacerbations, and some studies have suggested that the inflammatory indices neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and monocyte/lymphocyte ratio (MLR) may be biomarkers of acute exacerbations in schizophrenia; however, few studies have simultaneously explored the differences in these inflammatory indices in the drug-free patients with schizophrenia in acute phase (DSA), medicated patients with schizophrenia in acute phase (MSA), medicated patients with schizophrenia in remission period (MSR), as well as the effects of different antipsychotic medications on inflammatory indices.MethodA total of 651 subjects including 184 healthy controls (HC), 167 DSA, 119 MSA, and 181 MSR were included in this study. Demographic and disease information was collected from each individual and venous blood was collected to detect immune cells and calculate the inflammatory indices NLR, PLR, and MLR, and statistical methods such as analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multiple comparisons were utilized to explore the alteration of these inflammatory indices under the influence of different antipsychotics and in HC, DSA, MSA, and MSR.ResultsNLR was significantly higher in DSA and MSA than in HC after adjusting the confounders of sex, age, smoking, years of education, marital status, BMI, diabetes, and hypertension. PLR and MLR were not significantly different in patients with schizophrenia and in HC, and were not significantly different in patients with schizophrenia in any group. In MSA and MSR, NLR was positively correlated with disease duration and negatively correlated with the use of mood stabilizers.ConclusionsNLR was significantly increased in acute phase of schizophrenia, regardless of use of antipsychotic drugs, but not significantly increased in stable phase, which might be a promising biomarker for acute phase of schizophrenia.

Variation of Some Agro-Physiological and Biochemical Parameters of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Varieties in Response to Nitrogen Fertilizer Rates at Djirataoua in Southern Niger Republic

Nitrogen is the most limiting plant nutrient element of soils in Niger. Farmers apply nitrogen to increase yield of cereal crops. A survey conducted at Djirataoua in southern Niger, revealed that wheat growers applied nitrogen fertilizer with less technical knowledge resulting in low response on growth and yield. To produce suitable recommendations to farmers, a field experiment was conducted during two dry seasons (2016/2017 and 2017/2018) at Djirataoua (13°25’59’’N, 7°8’12’’E). The aim of the study was to determine the optimum level of Nitrogen for highest yield and agro-physiological parameters of wheat varieties. Four Nitrogen levels (0, 100, 150 and 200 kg N ha-1) and four wheat varieties were evaluated in this study. The experiment was laid out in a split plot design with three replications. Data collected on grain yield, chlorophyll, Nitrogen uptake and protein content were subjected to the analysis of variance and mean comparison. The results showed that application of 150 kg N ha-1 Nitrogen resulted in highest grain yield (3202 kg ha-1), chlorophyll content (50.9 SPAD) N uptake (72.63 kg ha-1), and protein content (135.5 g kg-1). The wheat varieties were significantly different in these parameters. Reyna-28 and Sokoll/3/ produced higher grain yield and Nitrogen uptake. Higher protein content was observed in Norman and Sokoll/3/. Significant interactions were observed between Nitrogen rates and variety on yield characters, Nitrogen uptake and protein content. The highest grain yield, Nitrogen uptake and chlorophyll content were achieved by interaction of Reyna-28 and Sokoll/3/ with 150 kg N ha-1. Therefore, application of 150 kg N ha-1 and using varieties Reyna-28 or Sokoll/3/ is recommended to farmers for maximum grain yield and high protein content.

In-Person and Video-Based Education: Do They Affect Pressure Injury Knowledge in Nursing?

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To determine how training on the nursing care of pressure injuries (PIs) affects knowledge levels and satisfaction. METHODS This study was semiexperimental, conducted in the form of a pretest and posttest in one group of 105 nurses working in a training and research hospital. The training took place in person and via video. All nurses included in the study group first received in-person training in 15-person groups followed by weekly video training for 4 consecutive weeks. Before training, investigators assessed the nurses’ PI knowledge using the Nurses’ Knowledge Level Assessment for PI Care (NKLAPIC; pretest). After the in-person module (posttest 1) and video-based module (posttest 2), investigators provided the NKLAPIC again. The independent-sample test, one-way analysis of variance, repeated-test-measures analysis of variance, Bonferroni test, and pairwise comparisons were used in data analysis. RESULTS Mean NKLAPIC scores were 47.71 ± 13.5 (out of 100 points) at pretraining, 68.5 ± 12.32 after the in-person training, and peaked at 72.38 ± 4.74 after video-based training (P &lt; .001). Video-based training appeared to lead to a larger increase in knowledge levels than in-person training alone (P &lt; .001). Further, although the average satisfaction score given to the in-person training was 3.97 ± 0.93, the same score for the online training was 4.12 ± 0.95 (P &gt; .05). CONCLUSIONS Outcomes suggest that in-person training and video-based training regarding PI care improve the knowledge levels of nurses.

Ultrasound normalized local variance to assess metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease

PurposeIncreased prevalence of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) highlights a desire for screening with liver ultrasound normalized local variance (NLV). We aimed to assess variations in NLV values measured at different sampling depths and discuss common technical considerations in measuring liver NLV. MethodsWe retrospectively measured liver NLVs at variable depths on ultrasound images pre-recorded in 116 participants who underwent liver magnetic resonance imaging-proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF) and ultrasound to screen for MASLD. Liver NLVs were measured and differences at variable depths were tested using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multiple paired comparisons using post hoc Tukey honestly significant difference (HSD), Scheffé, Bonferroni, and Holm multiple comparisons. Diagnostic performance of NLV values were analyzed by area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve. ResultsThe NLV measured at a depth of 10 cm significantly differed from those measured near the liver capsule and at depths of 6 cm and 8 cm (p < 0.001) from the skin. There was no significant difference in NLV value in other paired groups (p > 0.05). The difference in the area under AUROCs for NLVs measured at variable depths was not significant (p > 0.05). ConclusionsThe best diagnostic performance of liver NLV was measured at depth of 8 cm from the skin, although NLV measured at variable depth showed similar diagnostic performance for assessing ≥ mild hepatic steatosis. The study results provide a reference that can be used in the development of standardized scanning protocols and technical considerations in measuring liver NLV.

Self-Etching Ceramic Primer Affects Surface Topography and Roughness of Two Zirconia-Reinforced Lithium Silicate Ceramics.

This article evaluates the etching efficacy of a self-etching ceramic primer (SECP) on zirconia-reinforced lithium silicate (ZLS) ceramics. Celtra Duo (DeguDent GmbH, Hanau-Wolfgang, Germany) and Vita Suprinity (Vita Zahnfabrik, Bad Säckingen, Germany) were used in this study. A total of 36 ceramic slices were prepared from each ceramic material and randomly distributed into three groups according to the surface treatment applied (n = 12 per group). Group 1 (polished) was polished with silicon carbide paper discs and did not undergo any surface treatment; group 2 (SECP) was surface treated with SECP (Monobond Etch and Prime, Ivoclar Vivadent, Schaan, Liechtenstein); group 3 (hydrofluoric acid [HF]) was surface treated with 4.7% HF etching. Half of the specimens (n = 6) from each group were gold-sputtered, and the surface topographic alterations were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy at magnifications of 5,000× and 10,000 × . The surface roughness of the other half (n = 6) from each group was tested using a three-dimensional optical profiler. Data were statistically analyzed using two-way analysis of variance and Tukey's multiple comparisons test. Both SECP and HF etching surface treatments resulted in a statistically significant increase (p < 0.05) in the surface roughness of both ceramic materials, compared to that of their respective control group specimens (polished). HF etching resulted in a significant dissolution of the glassy phase of each ceramic. SECP can effectively etch ZLS ceramics. The etching patterns created after the application of SECP were mild compared to those produced by HF etching. The topographic surface features of ceramics are affected by both, surface treatment and material composition.

Overproduction of gamma-aminobutyric acid and increased antioxidant capacity by Lactiplantibacillus pentosus TEJ4 through optimization by response surface methodology

Lactic Acid bacteria (LAB) are the main producers of bioactive compounds (peptides, exopolysaccharides, antioxidant compounds, gamma-aminobutyric acid-GABA, etc.). Different strains produce at least one metabolite in high quantities as part of their metabolism, however, there are few reports of LAB with the capacity to produce two or more metabolites simultaneously. Due, the ability of 35 LAB strains previously isolated from dairy products, fermented beverages, and honey to produce gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and the antioxidant capacity was determined. Based on analysis of variance and subsequent comparison of means, the Lactiplantibacillus pentosus strain was selected, and subsequently, using a Draper-Lin small composite design, the conditions of the culture medium (MRS broth) were optimized to achieve the highest production of GABA and increase the antioxidant capacity evaluated by the DPPH assay. The optimal conditions for obtaining 7.99 mg/mL of GABA were 100 mM glutamic acid, a pH of 6, a temperature of 40 °C, and 72 h of fermentation. To obtain the highest antioxidant capacity (6.87 µmol TE/mL), 200 mM glutamic acid and a pH of 4.0 were used. We reported an isolated strain of nondairy product (L. pentosus TEJ4) with the capacity to produce both bioactive, GABA, and antioxidants in a single fermentation process in a non-dairy defined medium, which is a feasible alternative to the normal process of producing bioactive compounds.

Comparison of 3D UTE free-breathing lung MRI with hyperpolarized 129Xe MRI in pediatric cystic fibrosis.

To compare phase-resolved functional lung (PREFUL) regional ventilation derived from a free breathing 3D UTE radial MRI acquisition to hyperpolarized 129Xe-MRI (Xe-MRI), conventional 2D multi-slice PREFUL MRI, and pulmonary function tests in pediatric cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease. Free-breathing 3D UTE and 2D multi-slice 1H MRI as well as Xe-MRI were acquired in 12 stable pediatric CF patients. Using PREFUL, regional ventilation (RVent) maps were calculated from the free-breathing data. Ventilation defect percentage (VDP) was determined from 3D and 2D RVent maps (2D VDPRVent and 3D VDPRVent, respectively) and Xe-MRI ventilation (VDPXe). VDP was calculated for the whole lung and for eight regions based on left/right, anterior/posterior, and superior/inferior divisions of the lung. Global and regional VDP was compared between the three methods using Bland-Altman analysis, linear mixed model-based correlation, and one-way analysis of variance and multiple comparisons tests. Global 3D VDPRVent, VDPXe, and 2D VDPRVent were all strongly correlated (all R2 > 0.62, p < 0.0001) and showed minimal, non-significant bias (all <2%, p > 0.05). Three dimensional and 2D VDPRVent significantly correlated to VDPXe in most of the separate lung regions (R2 = 0.18-0.74, p < 0.04), but showed lower inter-agreement. The superior/anterior lung regions showed the least agreement between all three methods (all p > 0.12). Absolute VDP assessed by 3D UTE PREFUL MRI showed good global agreement with Xe-MRI and 2D multi-slice PREFUL MRI in pediatric CF lung disease. Therefore, 3D UTE PREFUL MRI offers a sensitive and potentially more accessible alternative to Xe-MRI for regional volumetric evaluation of ventilation.

Efficient semiparametric estimation in two‐sample comparison via semisupervised learning

AbstractWe develop a general semisupervised framework for statistical inference in the two‐sample comparison setting. Although the supervised Mann–Whitney statistic outperforms many estimators in the two‐sample problem for nonnormally distributed responses, it is excessively inefficient because it ignores large amounts of unlabelled information. To borrow strength from unlabelled data, we propose a class of efficient and adaptive estimators that use two‐step semiparametric imputation. The probabilistic index model is adopted primarily to achieve dimension reduction for multivariate covariates, and a follow‐up reweighting step balances the contributions of labelled and unlabelled data. The asymptotic properties of our estimator are derived with variance comparison through a phase diagram. Efficiency theory shows our estimators achieve the semiparametric variance lower bound if the probabilistic index model is correctly specified, and are more efficient than their supervised counterpart when the model is not degenerate. The asymptotic variance is estimated through a two‐step perturbation resampling procedure. To gauge the finite sample performance, we conducted extensive simulation studies which verify the adaptive nature of our methods with respect to model misspecification. To illustrate the merits of our proposed method, we analyze a dataset concerning homelessness in Los Angeles.

Surgical control time estimation variability: Implications for medical systems and the future integration of AI and ML models

BackgroundAccurate estimation of surgical procedure times, crucial for optimizing healthcare access, patient outcomes, and cost-effectiveness, is essential for operating room efficiency. Surgical control time (SCT) is a preoperative estimate by surgeons representing their predicted time to complete the surgery, spanning from completion of anesthesia induction to surgical site closure. MethodsIn this within-subjects, longitudinal study, we examined the differences between predicted surgical control times versus actual SCTs and determined variability by surgical specialty. We included cases regardless of classification (i.e., outpatient or inpatient), type of surgery (i.e., elective, urgent, or emergent), or level of complexity (i.e., major or minor). We ran Shapiro–Wilk tests to assess the normality of the difference in actual versus predicted surgical control times (dSCT) by surgical specialty. We used a generalized linear model (GLM) with robust clustered variance and pairwise comparisons of surgical specialties (with Bonferroni adjustment for family-wise error rate) to assess differences in the prediction accuracy of SCTs by specialty. ResultsWe analyzed 14,438 surgical cases performed by 168 surgeons across 13 specialties from January 2019 to January 2023. 11 of 13 specialties had higher actual than predicted times, suggesting an overall pattern of underestimating SCTs. On average, surgeries took 12.3 % longer than predicted, with surgeons underestimating SCTs by an average of 10.4 min. SCTs comprised 78 % of the total operative time. The four specialties with the largest underestimations of SCTs were neurosurgery (27.04 min), orthopedics (22.75 min), urology (19.4 min, and plastic surgery (18.67 min), while two specialties exhibited overestimations, namely ear nose and throat (11.14 min) and pediatrics (–3.21 min). GLM results and pairwise comparisons showed that surgeons significantly differed in their SCT prediction by surgical specialty. ConclusionsOur findings showed significant differences across surgical specialties in the accuracy of predicting surgical control times. These results have implications for integrating evolving technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning models to assist surgical administrators in accurately predicting surgical case durations and optimizing resource allocation.

Nontechnical Skills Assessment in Acute Care Trauma Simulations: A Mixed Methods Approach Using Eye Tracking and Behavioral Marker Systems.

The condition of trauma patients and the urgent need for timely resuscitation present unique challenges to trauma teams. These difficulties are exacerbated for military trauma teams in combat environments. Consequently, there is a need for continued improvement of nontechnical skills (NTS) training for trauma teams. However, current approaches to NTS assessment rely on subjective ratings, which can introduce bias. Accordingly, objective methods of NTS evaluation are needed. Eye-tracking (ET) methods have been applied to studying communication, situation awareness, and leadership in many health care settings, and could be applied to studying physicians' NTS during trauma situations. In this study, we aimed to assess the relationship between trauma team leaders' objective gaze patterns and subjective expert NTS ratings during patient care simulations. After Institutional Review Board approval, 9 trauma teams from first-year post-graduate general surgery and emergency medicine residents were recruited to participate in 1 of 2 trauma simulations (a difficult airway case and a multi-patient trauma). Each scenario lasted approximately 15 minutes. All team leaders wore a mobile ET system to evaluate gaze metrics-time to first fixation (TTFF), average fixation duration (AFD), and total percentage of the scenario (TPS) focused on Areas of Interest (AOI), which included patient, care team, diagnostic equipment, and patient care equipment. Trained faculty raters completed the Non-Technical Skills for Surgeons (NOTSS) assessment tool and the Trauma Non-Technical Skills (T-NOTECHS) scale. One-way analysis of variance, Kruskal-Wallis, and appropriate post-hoc pairwise comparison tests were run to assess differences between ET metrics across AOI groups. Spearman's Rho tests were used to assess correlations between ET and subjective NTS ratings. Compared to other NTS domains, trauma teams scored relatively poorly on communication across both T-NOTECHS (3.29$ \pm $0.61, maximum = 5) and NOTSS (2.87$ \pm $0.66, maximum = 4). We found significant differences in trauma team leaders' TTFF between teammates and the patient (Team: 1.56 vs Patient: 29.82 seconds, P < .001). TTFF on the diagnostic equipment was negatively correlated (P < .05) to multiple measures of subjective NTS assessments. There were no significant differences in AFD between AOIs, and AFD on teammates was positively correlated (P < .05) to communication and teamwork. There were significant differences in TPS across most AOI pairs (P < .05), and the average TPS fixated was highest on the patient (32%). Finally, there were several significant correlations between additional ET and NTS metrics. This study utilized a mixed methods approach to assess trauma team leaders' NTS in simulated acute care trauma simulations. Our results provide several objective insights into trauma team leaders' NTS behaviors during patient care simulations. Such objective insights provide a more comprehensive understanding of NTS behaviors and can be leveraged to guide NTS training of trauma physicians in the future. More studies are needed to apply these methods to capture NTS from a larger sample of teams in both simulated and real trauma environments.

Evaluation of the accuracy and efficiency of the modified maximum variance method for multiaxial fatigue analysis under constant amplitude loading

An optimized version of the Maximum Variance Method (MVM) is employed to determine maximum shear stress amplitudes in high-cycle multiaxial fatigue analysis using the critical plane approach, increasing accuracy and reducing computational burden. This refined approach posits that the MVM assumes that the critical plane is the one subjected to the maximum variance of the shear stress history. Comprehensive statistical analyses, including Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and multiple comparison techniques such as Tukey’s HSD and Bonferroni correction, were conducted to systematically investigate the impact of critical factors on fatigue resistance, such as mean stress, phase, synchrony, failure criteria, and the strategy for calculating maximum shear stress amplitude. These analyses highlighted significant effects of mean stress and phase on the accuracy of fatigue strength predictions, underscoring the effectiveness of the enhanced MVM in managing complex loading scenarios. The results demonstrate that the proposed methodology performs equal to or better than conventional methods, with significantly lower computational costs.

Effects of conservation agriculture technologies on soil macrofauna community attributes in rainfed agriculture system

AbstractInappropriate rainfed crop management, especially wrong tillage and crop residue management, led to reduce the diversity of soil biological quality, especially soil macrofauna community, in semiarid region. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of 5 year conservation agriculture operation techniques on the quality and the diversity indices of soil macrofauna community in the rainfed lands in the west of Iran. This experiment was carried out in the statistical format of split‐split plots based on a randomized completely block design with three replications. The main treatments include control or conventional tillage, compound tillage, chisel tillage, and direct cultivation (no tillage) with three sub‐treatments of plant residues (no residues, one‐third, and two‐thirds of plant residues) in rainfed wheat (Triticum aestivum) rotation with rainfed chickpea (Cicer arietinum). Changes in soil biological quality indicators, such as soil microbial respiration were measured. Also, the indicators related to the population of soil macrofauna, including biodiversity index, uniformity index, and species richness, were measured and the effect of treatments on the measured indicators were compared with the classical statistical method of analysis of variance and Duncan's mean comparison test. The results showed that conservation agricultural treatments, including no‐tillage treatment, have led to significant increase of 19% and 15% of macrofauna biodiversity index in wheat and chickpea, respectively. Also, keeping one‐third of the wheat residues has led to an 18% increase in the biodiversity index of the soil macrofauna during the evaluation period. Biodiversity index and taxonomic richness of soil macrofauna were generally higher in the years of wheat than chickpea, and on the contrary, the species uniformity index of soil macrofauna biological community was higher in chickpea than wheat.

Evaluation of Some Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas [L.] Lam) Varieties in Mozambique

In Mozambique, sweetpotato plays a significant role in rural areas, where the farmers use it to feed their families and as an income. In this study, we aimed to investigate the performance of different sweetpotato varieties in Niassa, Mozambique. The trial was set up in Malulu, Sanga district, located 60 km away from Lichinga, capital of Niassa, Mozambique. In Sanga, the rainy and hot season occurs from December to March, and the dry and cold season is from May to October. In this trial, the treatments correspond to sweetpotato varieties. We used the randomized block design with 12 sweetpotato varieties and 3 replications. The evaluated traits were as follows: weevil damage, roots commercial yield, roots non-commercial yield, total yield, and vine yield. Regarding statistical analysis, the results per trait were submitted to the Bartlett test of homogeneity of variances and Shapiro-Wilk normality test, and then the analysis of variance and means comparison using the Scott-Knott test when necessary was performed. All the statistical analysis was conducted at 5% on the R programming language. For commercial and total yield, the varieties Local, Sumaia, Olga, and Alisha presented the best results. Esther and Irene were the varieties most attacked by weevils.

Trueness of the apical and middle root portion segments of 3D-printed removable die and alveolar cast designs manufactured using stereolithographic 3D printing.

The present study evaluated the effects of the root portion design, segment (middle vs. apical), and part (die vs. cast) on the trueness of three-dimensional (3D)-printed removable die-cast complex. The trueness of apical and middle segments of the root portion of 45 3D-printed removable dies and casts with three different root portion designs (n = 15) was assessed using a metrology-grade computer program. The three removable dies and cast designs (root form [RF], conical [CON], and cylindric [CYL]) were created using professional computer-aided manufacturing computer programs (DentalCAD 3.1 Rijeka, and InLab CAD 22.0), and manufactured using stereolithographic 3D printer (Form3; FormLabs, Somerville, MA). Subsequently, the 3D-printed removable dies and casts were scanned by a single operator with an intraoral scanner (PrimeScan; Dentsply Sirona, Charlotte, NC), and their respective standard tessellation language files were aligned and compared to master reference files in a metrology-grade computer program (Geomagic Control X; 3D systems, Rock Hill, NC). The root mean square (RMS) values of the middle and apical segments for each removable die and cast were calculated and analyzed using a mixed model including a repeated measure 3-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post-hoc stepdown Bonferroni-corrected pairwise comparisons (α = 0.05). A statistically significant 3-way interaction between factors was detected, suggesting that the part (removable die or alveolar cast) and their design affected the RMS values of their apical and middle root portion segment. (p = 0.045). The post-hoc analysis identified significant differences between RMS values of the apical segments of the CON and CYL removable dies (p = 0.005). Significant differences were observed between the middle and apical segments of the CON (p < 0.001) and RF removable die designs (p = 0.004). No statistically significant differences were noticed between the RMS of the different alveolar cast designs (p > 0.05). Significant differences were detected between the apical and middle segments of the same alveolar cast design (p < 0.05). For the manufacturing trinomial and 3D printing strategy used in the present study, the interaction of the part, design, and segment affected the trueness of removable dies and alveolar casts. The trueness was higher on the middle segment on removable dies and alveolar casts in all designs used, except for CYL removable dies, where the trueness difference between segments was small. Higher trueness values may be achieved with designs with simple apical segment geometries.

The Effect of Different Marinades on Some Quality and Sensory Properties of Chicken Breast Meat

In this study, it was aimed to determine the effects of different marination liquids on some quality and sensory properties of chicken breast meat. Three different marination formulations (containing olive oil, red wine and yogurt) were used in the study. After cooking, cooking loss, marinade absorption, pH, color, texture analysis results and sensory test results are discussed. As a result, it was observed that the differences between cooking loss, marinade absorption and pH values of the cooked samples were statistically significant (p&lt;0.05) as a result of analysis of variance and multiple comparison test (Tukey). When the color analysis results were examined, it was determined that different marinades could be effective on the brightness (L*), redness (a*) and yellowness (b*) values of the cooked chicken meat samples and the results obtained were statistically significant (p&lt;0.05). Since the textural values did not show a normal distribution, the Wilcoxon test was applied and no significant difference was detected between the marinades (p&gt;0.05). A panelist test was conducted on 25 people by examining the smell, texture, flavor and color of the samples sensory-wise and a general appreciation scale was created. As a result of the Tukey multiple comparison test applied to sensory analysis data, it was determined that the marination solution containing olive oil had the highest approval score by consumers.

Color Characteristics of High Yttrium Oxide–Doped Monochrome and Multilayer Partially Stabilized Zirconia upon Different Sintering Parameters

Abstract Objectives Sintering influences the optical properties of zirconia. This study examined the effect of altering sintering temperature and time of monochrome (Mo) and multilayer (Mu) 5 mol% yttria-partially stabilized zirconia (5Y-PSZ) on color characteristics. Materials and Methods Three hundred specimens (width × length × thickness = 10 × 20 × 2 mm) were prepared from Mo and Mu (with cervical [C], middle [M], and incisal [I] region) 5Y-PSZ and randomly sintered at decreasing (Td: 1,450°C), regular (Tr: 1,500°C), and increasing (TI: 1,550°C) sintering temperature, with extremely short (He: 10 minutes), ultrashort (Hu: 15 minutes), short (Hs: 30 minutes), and regular (Hr: 135 minutes) sintering time (n = 15/group). Color appearance (EW ), translucency parameter (TP), contrast ratio (CR), opalescence parameter (OP), and color appearance difference (∆E diff) were evaluated in the CIE L*a*b* system. Microstructures were evaluated by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD). Statistical Analysis Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Bonferroni comparisons were determined for significant differences (p &lt; 0.05). Results Significant differences in color parameters upon zirconia type, sintering temperature, and sintering time, and their interactions were indicated (p &lt; 0.05). Increasing sintering temperature and extended sintered time resulted in larger grain, reduced tetragonal-to-monoclinic phase transformation, and significantly increased the TP and OP, but decreased the CR and ∆E diff (p &lt; 0.05). Decreasing sintering temperature and time led to clinically unacceptable color appearance. Conclusion Mo was found to be more translucent than Mu. To achieve the most favorable optical properties, increasing sintering temperature and extending sintering time are recommended. Decreasing sintering temperature is not suggested. However, shortened sintering time is feasible, but it needs sintering with increasing sintering temperature to achieve a promising color appearance.

Temporal Convolutional Neural Network-Based Prediction of Vascular Health in Elderly Women Using Photoplethysmography-Derived Pulse Wave during Exercise.

(1) Background: The objective of this study was to predict the vascular health status of elderly women during exercise using pulse wave data and Temporal Convolutional Neural Networks (TCN); (2) Methods: A total of 492 healthy elderly women aged 60-75 years were recruited for the study. The study utilized a cross-sectional design. Vascular endothelial function was assessed non-invasively using Flow-Mediated Dilation (FMD). Pulse wave characteristics were quantified using photoplethysmography (PPG) sensors, and motion-induced noise in the PPG signals was mitigated through the application of a recursive least squares (RLS) adaptive filtering algorithm. A fixed-load cycling exercise protocol was employed. A TCN was constructed to classify flow-mediated dilation (FMD) into "optimal", "impaired", and "at risk" levels; (3) Results: TCN achieved an average accuracy of 79.3%, 84.8%, and 83.2% in predicting FMD at the "optimal", "impaired", and "at risk" levels, respectively. The results of the analysis of variance (ANOVA) comparison demonstrated that the accuracy of the TCN in predicting FMD at the impaired and at-risk levels was significantly higher than that of Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks and Random Forest algorithms; (4) Conclusions: The use of pulse wave data during exercise combined with the TCN for predicting the vascular health status of elderly women demonstrated high accuracy, particularly in predicting impaired and at-risk FMD levels. This indicates that the integration of exercise pulse wave data with TCN can serve as an effective tool for the assessment and monitoring of the vascular health of elderly women.

Effect of computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing bleach shade ceramic thickness on its light transmittance and microhardness of light-cured resin cement

Background:This study aimed to measure light transmittance (LT) through various thicknesses of computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing bleach shade ceramics and to assess the Vickers microhardness (VMH) of underlying light-cured resin cement.Materials and Methods:In thisin vitrostudy, a total of 90 ceramic discs (VITA Mark II [VM], VITA Suprinity, and CELTRA Duo) were prepared in 0.5, 1, and 1.5 mm thicknesses. To measure LT, the Valo light-curing unit was placed in direct contact with the ceramics on the radiometer. The average LT was recorded after three measurements. In addition, 90 specimens of light-cured resin cement (Allcem Veneer) were cured in Teflon molds (0.5 mm in depth) beneath ceramic pieces. Ten specimens of resin cement were also cured without the presence of ceramic as a control group. VMH of the cement specimens was reported. The data were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance and multiple comparison tests (α =0.05) in SPSS version 17.Results:In each ceramic group, LT was negatively related to ceramic thickness (P&lt; 0.05). At a thickness of 1.5 mm among all ceramic types, the VMH of resin cement was significantly decreased (P&lt; 0.05). In all thicknesses, the VMH of resin cement was lower significantly than the control group, except for the thickness of 0.5 mm of VM.Conclusion:According to the results of this study, light-cured cement is not a suitable option for cementing the studied bleach shade ceramics. Furthermore, the thickness of the ceramic has a significant effect on LT (P&lt; 0.05), unlike VMH.