Exploratory Probe Research Articles

A tétrade de McLuhan na pesquisa em comunicação: revisão sistemática de aplicações no Brasil e em Portugal

O artigo apresenta os resultados de um trabalho exploratório para mapear a aplicação da tétrade de McLuhan em pesquisas da área da comunicação no Brasil e em Portugal. A metodologia usada foi a revisão sistemática da literatura publicada na última década (2009-2019). Para tal mapeamento, trabalhos acadêmicos (teses, dissertações, artigos e capítulos) foram localizados a partir de sistemas de indexação, repositórios públicos e motores de busca especializados. O objetivo foi descobrir como a tétrade vem sendo aplicada e a que objetos. Por fim, são apontadas potencialidades da ferramenta, chamada por McLuhan de “sonda exploratória”

Effect of the casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate fluoride (CPP-ACPF) and photobiomodulation (PBM) on dental hypersensitivity: A randomized controlled clinical trial.

ObjectiveThis randomized controlled clinical trial aimed to evaluate the effect of the casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate fluoride (CPP-ACPF) and photobiomodulation (PBM) in the treatment of dentin hypersensitivity (DH), and the impact of this on the health-related quality of life (HRQL).MethodsEighty teeth with DH were randomized into four groups and received three treatment sessions: PLACEBO = placebo + LASER application mimicking; CPP-ACPF = CPP-ACPF + LASER application mimicking; PBM = placebo + LASER active application; CPP-ACPF+PBM = CPP-ACPF + LASER active application. Tactile (exploratory probe) and evaporative (triple syringe) stimuli were used to measure DH and were recorded with the aid of a visual analogue scale (VAS) after the 1st, 2nd and 3rd treatment sessions and one-month follow-up. The HRQL was recorded in the DH experience questionnaire (DHEQ).ResultsThe intragroup comparison showed a significant reduction in DH (p < 0.05) with both stimuli after one-month follow-up. The intergroup comparison with the evaporative stimulus showed that CPP-ACPF+PBM significantly reduced DH when compared to the rest of treatments, after one-month follow-up. CPP-ACPF+PBM group statistically differed from the other treatment groups in the DHEQ evaluation after one-month follow-up.ConclusionAfter one-month follow-up, the association of CPP-ACPF with PBM was effective in the reduction of DH and promoted a positive impact on the HRQL of the participants of this study.

Nd:YAG laser and calcium sodium phosphosilicate prophylaxis paste in the treatment of dentin hypersensitivity: a double-blind randomized clinical study.

This double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial evaluated the effectiveness of Nd:YAG laser and a calcium sodium phosphosilicate-containing paste (NovaMin®) in the treatment of cervical dentin hypersensitivity (CDH). Seventy patients were randomly allocated into the following experimental groups: control-placebo, calcium sodium phosphosilicate paste (NovaMin®), and Nd:YAG laser (1W, 10Hz, 85J/cm2). Pain was evaluated by means of a visual analog pain scale (VAS) after evaporative stimulation with a jet of air and tactile stimulation with an exploratory probe, before treatment (baseline) and after 5min, 1week, and 4weeks. When patients presented more than one tooth with CDH, the mean of the values obtained was calculated. Irradiation with Nd:YAG laser was performed twice in the mesial-distal and twice in the occlusal-gingival direction. The NovaMin®-containing paste was applied with a rubber cup at low speed for 60s. Patients of the placebo group received simulations of the two treatments. As the data presented normal distribution, the two-way ANOVA repeated measures test was used. In all the experimental times, reduction in pain was demonstrated in comparison with baseline for all treatments (p < 0.05); however, there was no difference among the experimental groups in any of the time intervals evaluated (p > 0.05). All treatments were equally effective in reducing the pain of CDH. Nd:YAG laser irradiation and the calcium sodium phosphosilicate paste could reduce the symptoms of CDH; thus, they stand out as viable alternatives for the treatment of this condition.

Mitigating Risk of Failure by Expanding Family Entrepreneurship and Learning from International Franchising Experiences of Johnny Rockets: A Case Study in Pakistan

It is generally believed worldwide and backed by research too that startups face a high risk of failure and eight to nine out of ten ideas may not work (Hisrich, Peters, & Shepherd, 2009). However, many experts claim that the situation can turn vice versa for family entrepreneurship (or creative family businesses) and franchise ventures (Francorp, 2016). This exploratory probe aims to discover these two phenomena for Johnny Rockets (JR) Pakistan, which is an international franchise of fast food chain of restaurants, and simultaneously it is a family business extension. Literature is reviewed from four perspectives: family entrepreneurship and business, franchise business, internationalization of companies, and fast food restaurant industry in Pakistan. Primary data is garnered from three sources: in-depth interviews from middle to top management of Johnny Rockets, owners of the franchises, and from its consumers in accordance with phenomenology method and purposive sampling to analyze their lived experiences with JR and its direct rivals. The data analytic techniques comprise thematic analysis and constant comparison. The findings unveil that in the wake of tolerating several difficulties, now Johnny Rockets seems to be on the right path of sustainable growth. The study underpins the notions that family entrepreneurship and franchise ventures enjoy a high probability of success, but it requires an organizational culture of the congenial work environment, and propensity to create a customer-centric modern learning organization, ready to accept trials and errors and continuously innovating its processes and systems.

Mesiolingual Canal Prevalence in Maxillary First Molars assessed through Different Methods

Evaluate the prevalence of mesiolingual canal prevalence orifice in mesiobuccal roots of maxillary first molars using five methods of visualization. About 73 first permanent maxillary molars were analyzed. Visual clinical analysis of the presence of the fourth canal was performed using a straight end-odontic exploratory probe (EXDG16®) and a K10 manual file (SybronEndo®). Dental elements that were not located on the fourth canal were analyzed with the aid of a magnifying glass (Zeiss®) with a 2.5-fold increase and those teeth in which the fourth canal was not found went through the examination with clinical surgical microscope (OPTO®) with magnification of 20 times with both the explorer and endodontic file. Next, a periapical radiography of the teeth was performed in the teeth in which the mesiolingual canal was not yet found to observe the presence or absence of the fourth canal. Afterward, the teeth in which the canal was not yet located were scanned using the microtomography equipment (SkyScan®), at 100 kV and 100 μA, with an isotropic resolution of 16 μm. The mesiolingual canal was located in 70 teeth (95.8%) and in only 3 teeth it was not identified. The visual method in the fourth canal search has limitations, whereas the composite magnifying glass, the clinical surgical microscopy, and the computerized microtomography are efficient methods for locating the fourth canal in the upper first molars. The anatomical complexity of the first maxillary molars is one of the factors that leads to high failure rates in the endodontic treatments of this group of teeth. In most clinical situations, the mesiolingual canal goes unnoticed by professionals, since conventional radiographs do not always allow the visualization of all root canals. Determining an effective method for locating the mesiolingual canal is of paramount importance to the success of endodontic treatment.

THE ROLE OF PUBLIC INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT FOR GLOBALIZATION OF PAKISTANI COMPANIES

This study explors the assistance of government institutions through technical capacity-building and financial assistance toward global expansion of Pakistani companies in different sectors. Many companies globalize their operations to enhance their export trade share in the world market. In Pakistan, Ministry of Commerce (MoC) and Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) uphold them in various ways. This exploratory probe employs interviews from MoC and TDAP. The feedback is cross checked from globally operating/ expanding companies from top-five export sectors in Pakistan including textile, leather, rice, seafood, and wheat. The findings indicate that the role of public bodies remains limited and undermined.

Medium/forma nas teorias alemãs das mídias: exterioridade, a priori tecnológico-medial, corporalidade, presença e Kulturtechnik

Starting from the medium/form distinction, I expect to demonstrate that this is a key feature of German media theory and its main authors, like Kittler, Gumbrecht and others. From that distinction, other concepts that characterize the German approach are developed: externality, technological- medial a priori, corporality, presence and cultural techniques. My proposal is to turn German media theory upside down: if a given materiality is a heuristic tool that expresses a medium, my proposal is to treat German media theory as an exploratory probe that brings out a certain epistemology with theoretical tools, thus producing a specific kind of academic subjectivity.Keywords: epistemology, media studies, German media theory, materiality of communication, media archaeology.

Probe Design Strategies for Oligonucleotide Microarrays.

Oligonucleotide microarrays have been widely used for gene detection and/or quantification of gene expression in various samples ranging from a single organism to a complex microbial assemblage. The success of a microarray experiment, however, strongly relies on the quality of designed probes. Consequently, probe design is of critical importance and therefore multiple parameters should be considered for each probe in order to ensure high specificity, sensitivity, and uniformity as well as potentially quantitative power. Moreover, to assess the complete gene repertoire of complex biological samples such as those studied in the field of microbial ecology, exploratory probe design strategies must be also implemented to target not-yet-described sequences. To design such probes, two algorithms, KASpOD and HiSpOD, have been developed and they are available via two user-friendly web services. Here, we describe the use of this software necessary for the design of highly effective probes especially in the context of microbial oligonucleotide microarrays by taking into account all the crucial parameters.

Selamento de lesão de cárie em metade externa de dentina em molar decíduo – relato de caso clínico com proservação de 12 meses

Introdução: A paralisação de lesões de cárie em metade externa de dentina é feita por meio de tratamentos conservadores. Objetivos: Relatar um caso clínico de um dente decíduo com lesão de cárie oclusal com pequena abertura e envolvimento dentinário radiograficamente restrito à metade externa de dentina; lesão controlada pela aplicação de um selante resinoso. Métodos: O selamento da superfície foi feito com o selante Fluoroshield aplicado com auxílio de uma sonda exploradora após condicionamento ácido da superfície. Resultados: As reavaliações foram feitas clínica e radiograficamente por 12 meses, sendo analisada a integridade do material e a estabilização da lesão de cárie. Após um ano, a integridade do selante e a não evolução radiográfica da lesão favoreceram um bom prognóstico ao caso. Conclusão: O selamento, desde que controlado periodicamente, atua de modo positivo na paralisação das lesões, podendo ser considerado como uma alternativa conservadora ao tratamento restaurador convencional.

Clinical evaluation of dental treatment needs in chronic renal insufficiency patients.

To evaluate the need for dental treatment in chronic renal insufficiency (CRI) patients undergoing hemodialysis. Transversal study and case control. CRI patients were examined at the Pequeno Príncipe Hospital in Curitiba, Brazil. The control group was examined at Nossa Senhora da Conceição Health Clinic in Campo Magro, Brazil. Thirty-four CRI patients were undergoing hemodialysis. The control group consisted of 34 normoreactive individuals paired by gender and age. The clinical examination was performed under an artificial light, using an oral mirror, an exploratory probe, a periodontal probe, and a tongue depressor. This study adopted the methodology proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO). The CRI patient group needs periodontal and orthodontic treatment. The control group needs restorative treatments, prostheses, as well as surgical and endodontic treatment. The profile of dental treatment needs proved to be distinct among the studied groups.

Comparative Evaluation of the Effects of Nd:YAG Laser and a Desensitizer Agent on the Treatment of Dentin Hypersensitivity: A Clinical Study

Abstract Objective: The aim of this randomized longitudinal clinical study was to assess different treatment protocols for dentin hypersensitivity with high-power laser, desensitizing agent, and its association between high-power laser and desensitizing agent, for a period of 6 months. The literature shows a lack of treatment for dentin hypersensitivity, and lasers are contemporary alternatives. After inclusion and exclusion analysis, volunteers were selected. The lesions were divided into three groups (n=10): G1, Gluma Desensitizer (Heraeus Kulzer); G2, Nd:YAG Laser (Power Laser(™) ST6, Lares Research®) contact mode, laser protocol of 1.5 W, 10 Hz, and 100 mJ,≈85 J/cm(2), four irradiations performed, each for 15 sec, in mesiodistal and occluso-apical directions, totaling 60 sec of irradiation with intervals of 10 sec between them; G3, Nd:YAG Laser+Gluma Desensitizer. The level of sensitivity to pain of each volunteer was analyzed by visual analog scale (VAS) using cold air stimuli and exploratory probe 5 min, 1 week, and 1, 3, and 6 months after treatment. Data were collected and subjected to statistical analysis that detected statistically significant differences between the various studied time intervals of treatments (p>0.05). For the air stimulus, no significant differences were found for each time interval. For the long-term evaluation, all groups showed statistical differences (p>0.05), indicating that for G2 and G3, this difference was statistically significant from the first time of evaluation (post 1), whereas in G1, the difference was significant from the post 2 evaluation (1 week). Comparison among groups using the probe stimulation showed significant differences in pain (p<0.001). Only in G1 and G3 did this difference become significant from post 01. All protocols were effective in reducing dentinal hypersensitivity after 6 months of treatment; however, the association of Nd:YAG and Gluma Desensitizer is an effective treatment strategy that has immediate and long-lasting effects.

Does Democratization Pacify the State? The Cases of Germany and Iraq1

Miller, Benjamin. (2012) Does Democratization Pacify the State? The Cases of Germany and Iraq. International Studies Quarterly, doi: 10.1111/j.1468-2478.2012.00733.x © 2012 International Studies Association Does democratization pacify states—and thus their respective regions—or does it make them more war-prone? This is both a theoretical issue within the literature on democracy and peace, and an empirical issue, as in some regions democratization led to peace and in others it resulted in violence. To answer the posed question, this study probes the “state-to-nation balance” model as it makes the preliminary argument that democratization is not the underlying cause of either large-scale violence or peacemaking. Democratization, thus, is at best an intervening variable and in some cases has no major effects on war and peace. Rather, it is the state-to-nation balance model that better explains the war- and peace-proneness of states and regions. For an exploratory probe of this argument, the study examines Germany and Iraq—two key powers in their respective regions—and the changes they have gone through since World War I until today. The paper shows that when democratization takes place within a state-to-nation balance, it tends to have stabilizing effects and warms the peace. In contrast, within a state-to-nation imbalance, it is probable that democratization will have destabilizing effects.

Evolution of windblown sand flux and dune field — Trans-scale modeling and simulation

Windblown sand flux and dune field evolving toward the oasis have been a common ecological and environmental threat confronted by many countries. Meanwhile, it is also a kind of complex dynamical process involving multiple temporal and spatial scales which is still out of accurate description through current field observations. Available models and reliable quantitative simulations are of significant value to predict the spreading rate of desertification and provide an optimal design for sand prevention. This paper presents a “triple-jump” method to realize quantitative simulations to the formation and evolution of an aeolian dune field from an arbitrary initial configuration. Simulated results achieve a satisfactory agreement with observations qualitatively and quantitatively, which also reveal the characteristics and dynamical behaviors of dunes and dune field. Such a paradigm is of a good level of generality, which provides an exploratory probe into the subject of multi-scale physics.

Evolution of theu-band luminosity function from redshift 1.2 to 0

We produce and analyse u-band luminosity functions for the red and blue populations of galaxies using data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) u-band Galaxy Survey (uGS) and Deep Evolutionary Exploratory Probe 2 (DEEP2) survey. From a spectroscopic sample of 41575 SDSS uGS galaxies and 24561 DEEP2 galaxies, we produce colour magnitude diagrams and make use of the colour bimodality of galaxies to separate red and blue populations. Luminosity functions for eight redshift slices in the range 0.01 < z < 1.2 are determined using the 1/Vmax method and fitted with Schechter functions showing that there is significant evolution in M-star, with a brightening of 1.4 mags for the combined population. The integration of the Schechter functions yields the evolution in the u-band luminosity density out to z ~ 1. By parametrizing the evolution as density proportional to (1+z)^beta, we find that beta = 1.36 +- 0.2 for the combined populations and beta = 2.09 +- 0.2 for the blue population. By removing the contribution of the old stellar population to the u-band luminosity density and correcting for dust attenuation, we estimate the evolution in the star formation rate of the Universe to be beta(SFR) = 2.5 +- 0.3. Discrepancies between our result and higher evolution rates measured using the infrared and far-UV can be reconciled by considering possibilities such as an underestimated dust correction at high redshifts or evolution in the stellar initial mass function.

Podcast Lectures as a Primary Teaching Technology: Results of a One-Year Trial

How useful are podcasts in the political science classroom? Some educators argue that podcasts will revolutionize education; others are less convinced. However, to date, the evidence on podcasts has been slim. This article reports the results of a year-long trial using podcasts to aid in teaching political science to undergraduates at a research university. This trial does not test hypotheses but constitutes an exploratory probe that tells us more about how students and educators use, and react to, podcast lectures. The results suggest that podcasts are not likely a revolutionary teaching technology but can nonetheless have useful roles in the college classroom. Students liked the control, but few took advantage of the podcasts' portability, and most preferred to listen to them while reading lecture notes. No evidence was found for a relationship between student performance and their opinion of, or technique for using, the podcasts. For the professor, podcast lectures appeared to create time both in and out of class for more productive pursuits. Other findings, based on quantitative and qualitative survey data, generate some initial correlations and highlight anomalies for future pedagogy research.

International Linkages and National Innovation Rates: An Exploratory Probe1

AbstractThe conventional wisdom among political economists holds that domestic institutions determine national innovation rates. However, after decades of research, there is still no agreement on precisely which domestic institutions matter or exactly how they affect innovation rates. Anecdotal observations within the research on institutions suggest that international linkages may be the missing piece to the national innovation rate puzzle. An exploratory probe is therefore performed here using regression analysis of various measures of innovation, domestic institutions, and international linkages. The results suggest that countries' relationships with the lead innovator strongly affect their innovation rates. The probe further suggests that research should move beyond institutions and linkages, and should focus instead on their political origins. That is, the current focus on institutions or linkages studies effects, not causes. It fails to get at the politics of technological change: the fundamental choices which nations must make in order to innovate successfully in the long run.

Considering the Connoisseur: Probing the Language of Taste

Abstract: This article provides a brief, exploratory probe into how theories of taste might be used to inform a very specific practice of taste—that of connoisseurship—in contemporary democratic culture. The focus is on the role of language in this practice, which takes centre stage as a means of both configuring taste and performing connoisseurship. The rise of specialty coffee and the popularization of wine are examined as two cases in which the language of the connoisseur plays a significant role.

Considering the Connoisseur: Probing the Language of Taste

This article provides a brief, exploratory probe into how theories of taste might be used to inform a very specific practice of taste-that of connoisseurship-in contemporary democratic culture. The focus is on the role of language in this practice, which takes centre stage as a means of both configuring taste and performing connoisseurship. The rise of specialty coffee and the popularization of wine are examined as two cases in which the language of the connoisseur plays a significant role. Resume: Cet article fournit une breve description des facons dont les theories du gou

The DEEP Groth Strip Survey. I. The Sample

The Deep Extragalactic Exploratory Probe (DEEP) is a multi-phase research program dedicated to the study of the formation and evolution of galaxies and of large scale structure in the distant Universe. This paper describes the first five-year phase, denoted DEEP1. A series of ten DEEP1 papers will discuss a range of scientific topics (e.g., the study of photometric and spectral properties of a general distant galaxy survey, the evolution observed in galaxy populations of varied morphologies). The observational basis for these studies is the Groth Survey Strip field, a 127 square arcminute region which has been observed with the Hubble Space Telescope in both broad I-band and V-band optical filters and with the Low Resolution Imaging Spectrograph on the Keck Telescopes. Catalogs of photometric and structural parameters have been constructed for 11,547 galaxies and stars at magnitudes brighter than 29, and spectroscopy has been conducted for a magnitude-color weighted subsample of 818 objects. We evaluate three independent techniques for constructing an imaging catalog for the field from the HST data, and discuss the depth and sampling of the resultant catalogs. The selection of the spectroscopic subsample is discussed, and we describe the multifaceted approach taken to prioritizing objects of interest for a variety of scientific subprograms. A series of Monte Carlo simulations then demonstrates that the spectroscopic subsample can be adequately modeled as a simple function of magnitude and color cuts in the imaging catalog.

Pulpal response of dogs primary teeth to an adhesive system or to a calcium hydroxide cement

The aim of this study was to evaluate the pulpal response of dogs primary teeth to an adhesive system or to a calcium hidroxide cement after mechanic exposure of the pulp. Three mongrel dogs were used and ten class V cavities were prepared on their teeth. A mechanic pulp exposure was produced with a sterile exploratory probe in the central portion of each cavity and bleeding was controlled with dry sterile cotton pellets. Enamel, dentin and the site of the pulp exposure of five teeth were etched with 35% phosphoric acid followed by the application of an adhesive system (Scotchbond Multi-Purpose - 3M). In the other five teeth, calcium hydroxide cement (Hydro C - Dentsply) was applied on the site of the pulp exposition before application of the adhesive system (Scotchbond Multi-Purpose - 3M). All teeth were restored with a resin composite (Z-100 - 3M). After 7, 30 or 45 days the dogs were anesthetized and perfused with saline followed by a solution of neutral buffered formalin. Maxilla and mandible were sectioned into three parts and placed in a solution for demineralization. Following bone demineralization, all teeth were cut, trimmed, embedded in paraffin and longitudinally cut. Then, the teeth were stained with hematoxilin and eosin and observed under a light microscope. The results obtained with the treatments proposed in this study showed the presence and persistence of an inflammatory response of different intensities at the three experimental periods. There was no variation in the inflammatory response regarding the different treatments performed.