Master Series Research Articles

Dendrochronology Applied to Three Forest Species in the Brazilian Amazon

Sustainable forest management is a legal alternative to combat deforestation and preserve natural resources in the long term. However, the lack of information on the growth and productivity of forests and individual species compromises its effectiveness. To obtain this information, dendrochronological techniques can be used. The aim of the study was to evaluate the dendrochronological potential of three tree species found in terra firme tropical rainforests: Astronium graveolens Jacquin, Hevea brasiliensis (Willd. ex A.Juss.) Müll.Arg., and Inga cylindrica (Vell.) Mart. The method involved collecting disks from the base of the trees (cross-dating), preparing the disks through polishing and scanning, and analyzing the growth rings based on anatomical characteristics. This technique is essential for understanding forest growth patterns, assessing tree responses to environmental changes, and supporting sustainable forest management practices. The three species showed distinct and visible growth rings to the naked eye. H. brasiliensis was classified as distinct, while A. graveolens and I. cylindrica were classified as less distinct. The dendrochronological analysis indicated that the three species presented a correlation between the growth ring series, with A. graveolens and H. brasiliensis showing an average correlation of 0.568 and 0.575, respectively, and I. cylindrica 0.3281. By analyzing the Master series, high growth peaks were identified for H. brasiliensis in 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, and 2021, for A. graveolens in 1996, 1982, 2011, 2020, and 2005, and for I. cylindrica in 1989, 2001, 2008, 2010, 2014, 2016, and 2017. The species have dendrochronological potential and can contribute to the study of the cycle and minimum cutting diameter in forest management.

Comparative Evaluation of Shear Bond Strength, Enamel Microfracture, and Adhesive Remnant Index of APC Flash-Free System Versus Traditional Bonding: An In-Vitro Study.

In orthodontics, shear bond strength plays an important role because it provides a good bond between the brackets and tooth surface; it avoids fracture of the tooth surface and prevents debonding of brackets from the tooth surface. All of these allow sufficient treatment time. Many factors, including the adhesive, its thickness, its strength, the bonding procedure, the clinician's ability, the base design, the geometry of the bracket, the material, and the kind of bracket all contribute to the shear bond strength. Brackets joined using conventional adhesive and adhesive pre-coated (APC) flash-free glue were the subjects of this comparison and evaluation research, which aimed to measure shear bond strength, enamel microfracture, and adhesive residual index. 60 recently removed premolars from humans were used in this investigation. Before mounting on the acrylic block, the teeth were meticulously cleaned and preserved in artificial saliva. Two groups were formed from the collected premolars the control group and the experimental group. For the control group, we used American Orthodontics (AO) Master/Mini Master series brackets glued with resin composite kits. To make sure the adhesive was uniformly thick, we flashed extra adhesive around the brackets. In the meantime, samples were bonded using 3M Unitek APC flash-free technology in the experimental group. The research indicated that there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups to the adhesive remnant index (ARI) and mean shear bond strength. The shear bond strength of the experimental group averaged 10.96 megapascals (MPa), whereas the control group's was 5.70 MPa. The control group's ARI score was 2.97, whereas the experimental group's score was 2.4. There was no statistically significant change seen in enamel microfracture. A more robust shear bond may be possible using APC flash-free brackets. Compared to conventional bonding techniques and brackets, APC flash-free brackets have a lower adhesive residual index. The APC flash-free bracket technology also causes more enamel microfracture than conventional bonding and bracketing methods.

Magnetism in Condensed Matter”(Oxford Master Series in Physics)

Magnetism in Condensed Matter”(Oxford Master Series in Physics)

Tropical Modern Architect

Professor John Owusu Addo is a Ghanaian tropical modern architect and a pioneer in architectural education and practice in the nation-building of Ghana and other Commonwealth countries. His contributions to the modern architecture discourse seem to be overshadowed by the cohort of architects of both Western and Socialist origin who practiced in Africa during the decolonization era. The Community Center at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) campus in Kumasi-Ghana was designed by him; it represents a classic example of ‘unknown’ heritage within the narrative. This short essay examines both primary and secondary data, including unpublished interviews, master series events, articles, and papers to contextualize Prof. Owusu Addo as an exemplary protagonist to be explored for the benefit of tropical modern architects, especially in African settings.

Climatically induced anomalies in tree-ring structure of Abies pindrow (Royal ex D. Don) and Taxus baccata (L.) growing in Hindu-Kush mountainous region of Pakistan

Dendroclimatic potential from Abies pindrow Royal ex D. Don. (fir) and Taxus baccata L. (yew) was investigated by developing four different types of tree-ring width chronologies (by ARSTAN program) in a mixed broadleaf forest of Kalam, KP, Pakistan. Firstly, measured tree-ring width series were cross-dated and identified the best and least (cross-matched with master plot) samples with the most applied Skeleton Plot Model (SPM) method alongside checking the quality through statistical program (COFECHA). Tree-ring attributes (age, growth rate and earlywood and latewood) were also measured with maximum age (677 years) was observed in fir plant and maximum growth rate (6.096 mm year−1) in yew plant with clear demarcations of earlywood and latewood formation. Yew trees were observed to be more sensitive species towards climatic variations (expressed population signal = 0.945, mean sensitivity = 0.321 and signal to noise ratio = 3.214) while fir trees were comparatively less affected by climatic alterations of the study site (expressed population signal = 0.954, mean sensitivity = 0.314 and signal to noise ratio = 2.453). Correlation between tree-ring series of T. baccata with the master series was found to be more significant as compared to A. pindrow after developing series plots of both the species by using package dplR in R. Potential ecological and anatomical explanations for these results were also discussed. Sensitivity of samples showed good climatic signals which are valuable for dendroclimatic growth response investigations leading to reconstruction of past climate as well as possible future climate predictions.

The Effect of Elastic and Metallic Ligation Methods on the Unloading Forces for Three Different Types of Nickel-Titanium Archwires Inserted Into Metallic Brackets: An In-vitro Study.

One of the unique properties of the nickel-titanium (NiTi) archwires is the release of light continuous forces with a wide range of activation, which is affected by the method of ligating the wire to the bracket. Both elastomeric modules and metallic ligatures are the most common components to ligate the archwire to the bracket. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of elastomeric versus metallic ligatures on the released forces of three types of rectangular 0.016- by 0.022-inch NiTi wires. This investigation evaluated three different situations of ligating the NiTi archwires to metallic brackets. The produced forces by these wires were evaluated using a modified three-point bending test (a universal testing machine: Testometric 350M®, Instron, Lincoln Close, Rochdale, England). A 0.022-inch slot-size premolar bracket was used for this investigation with zero torque and zero angulation (Master Series®, American Orthodontics, Sheboygan, USA). The first situation involved no ligation to the metallic brackets using three types of NiTi wires, whereas the second situation (the elastic ligation) involved the use of colored elastomeric modules with a 0.045-inch inner diameter and a 0.115-inch outer diameter (Color Ligatures®, American Orthodontics, Sheboygan, USA) to ligate the archwire into the metallic bracket's slot. In the third situation (metallic ligation), stainless steel metallic ligatures with a 0.012-inch (Preformed Ligature Wire®, American Orthodontics, Sheboygan, USA) were used to perform the ligation. The employed NiTi wires were 0.016 x 0.022-inch in diameter (American Orthodontics®, Sheboygan, Wisconsin, USA), and they were of three different types: (1)the superplastic wires (NT3-SE®), the thermally activated wires at 25°C (Thermal Ti-D®), and the thermally activated wires at 35°C (Thermal Ti-Lite®). The thermally activated wires at 35°C (Thermal Ti-Lite®) recorded the lowest force levels for the three ligation methods, while the highest result appeared with the superelastic type (NT3-SE®) and the thermally activated type at 25°C (Thermal Ti-D®) which showed a varied force for different ligation methods. Regarding the three different NiTi wires used, the elastic and metallic ligation increased the force levels for the superelastic type (NT3-SE®) over non-ligation by 50% and 110%, respectively, whereas the elastic ligation raised only the forces for the thermal types (Thermal Ti-D®and Thermal Ti-Lite®) by 75% and 22%, respectively. Both thermally activated types (Thermal Ti-D®and Thermal Ti-Lite®) released forces in the elastic ligation method greater than that of the metallic method by 125% and 20%, respectively. The elastic ligation method raised the unloading forces in comparison with the non-ligation for all tested archwires, whereas the metallic ligation method raised the released forces for the superelastic type (NT3-SE®) and decreased those related to the activated types (Thermal Ti-D®, Thermal Ti-Lite®)due to the increased friction and the instability of the crystalline structure. Only the heat-activated type at 35°C (Thermal Ti-Lite®) reflected the unique properties of the NiTi wires in producing light continuous forces with a wide range of activations regardless of the type of ligation.

Tree‐ring oxygen isotope recorded precipitation variations over the past two centuries in the northeast Chinese Loess Plateau

AbstractIt was shown in previous studies that tree‐ring oxygen isotope (δ18OTR) was a proxy of regional precipitation. Using two δ18OTR chronologies of Pinus tabulaeformis Carr. in northeast Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP), we synthesized a master series which had a high correlation with regional precipitation from previous‐year September to current‐year August (PSA) (r = −0.650, N = 52, p < .001). Thus we reconstructed the PSA over the past two centuries (AD 1808–2009) for the northeast CLP. The results of calibration–verification tests indicated that the precipitation reconstruction was stable and reliable. Compared with reconstructions based on the tree‐ring width and historical documents, the PSA reconstruction reserved more decadal low‐frequency climate signals such as the drying trend since the 1930s. Superposed epoch analysis (SEA) showed that the large tropical volcanic eruptions significantly reduced PSA in the first year after the eruptions. The contrast of the regional precipitation reconstructions in the west, northeast, and southeast CLP demonstrated that spatial and temporal differences of precipitation variation. In terms of extreme climate events, major droughts in the mid‐to‐late 1920s were recorded in all three regional precipitation records, while the Ding‐Wu Disaster (AD 1876–1878) was only found in the southeast CLP. Under the background of the weakening Asian monsoon and global warming, CLP was more prone to droughts in the last five decades.

CES 2022: Less is More

AbstractScaled‐down show still delivers top‐notch exhibits and innovation aplenty.

P068 Abstract tin soldiers Global FOP patient search

Abstract While looking for one, you may find another: Tin Soldiers and the search for undiagnosed individuals with Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP) Background FOP is an ultra-rare condition where heterozygous, gain-of-function missense mutations in the ACVR1 gene result in progressive heterotopic bone formation in ligaments, tendons and muscles and result in severe disability.1 FOP has an estimated incidence of 0.6–1.3 per million individuals 2,3 suggesting that currently there are ∼8000 patients living with FOP worldwide, however only about 900 patients are currently diagnosed worldwide The diagnosis is made clinically by identification of typical malformations of the great toes as well as inflammatory swellings (flare-ups) that result in progressive and episodic ossification of soft connective tissues, often triggered by trauma.4 Muscle biopsies, though contraindicated, are frequently performed mistakenly during the course of diagnosis, as FOP is not a well-known condition. There is an urgent need to identify individuals with FOP across the globe in order to avoid harmful biopsies and to provide a pathway to care for patients with FOP. Tin Soldiers is a global FOP patient search program utilizing multimedia campaigns aimed at educating and bringing attention to FOP, to find individuals across the globe and to connect them to pathways of care. The mission is to identify every person with FOP who is currently undiagnosed, as well as to deliver education and support to those living with a diagnosis, but not connected to support networks. Once found, all people living with FOP are connected to pathways to care. The aim is to describe the Tin Soldiers global FOP patient search program approach and report early results of the program. Methods Tin Soldiers creates multimedia campaigns to create awareness and to educate medical professionals, healthcare workers, general public and local communities on FOP. At the heart of the communication program is story-telling of people living with FOP, from a feature-length documentary to public service announcements, animated short films and an 8-part Global Master Series—all designed to bring attention to FOP in order to find patients and provide a pathway to diagnosis and care. Importantly diagnosis is not the end of the journey, it’s just the beginning. Results Since official operations commenced in March 2020, Tin Soldiers has trained 535 medical professionals; established an African Clinicians Council of 10 doctors with the intention of mentoring others across the continent; increased the number of African patients with a diagnosis from 25 patients in December 2020–32 in April 2021. Connected previously diagnosed (but not connected) patients to a robust support network and held the first African FOP Family Gathering with clinicians from both South Africa and Nigeria. On the journey, patients with other conditions have been discovered including Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA), Progressive Osseus Heteroplasia (POH) and Multiple Osteochondromas (MO). These patients have been diagnosed and connected to both medical care and patient support. Another important outcome is the continued education of doctors globally with the uptake of the CME Master Series in Russia and planned rollouts in Algeria, Nigeria, Kenya, Namibia, Sweden (in partnership with the national patient organization) and Brazil (under the First Lady’s patronage). Conclusion Tin Soldiers offers an innovative model of patient identification, diagnosis, support and education at all levels of care, using the power of story-telling and multi-media marketing. Such a model could be considered for raising the profile of other musculoskeletal or rare conditions and connecting patients to a functioning pathway to care.

Multiple Series Representations of N-fold Mellin-Barnes Integrals.

Mellin-Barnes (MB) integrals are well-known objects appearing in many branches of mathematics and physics, ranging from hypergeometric functions theory to quantum field theory, solid-state physics, asymptotic theory, etc. Although MB integrals have been studied for more than one century, until now there has been no systematic computational technique of the multiple series representations of N-fold MB integrals for N>2. Relying on a simple geometrical analysis based on conic hulls, we show here a solution to this important problem. Our method can be applied to resonant (i.e., logarithmic) and nonresonant cases and, depending on the form of the MB integrand, it gives rise to convergent series representations or diverging asymptotic ones. When convergent series are obtained, the method also allows, in general, the determination of a single "master series" for each series representation, which considerably simplifies convergence studies and/or numerical checks. We provide, along with this Letter, a Mathematica implementation of our technique with examples of applications. Among them, we present the first evaluation of the hexagon and double box conformal Feynman integrals with unit propagator powers.

Perception of pain during initial fixed orthodontic treatment

Aim: The present study aims to evaluate the pain experienced by individuals during the first days of fixed orthodontic treatment.
 Methodology: One hundred and twenty patients (65 female; mean age: 18 ± 21 years) were given fixed orthodontic treatment, including the placement of a 0.014 Ni-Ti conventional arch wire (American Orthodontics, Sheboygan, Wisconsin, USA) after the bonding procedure with maxillary and mandibular rear 0.022” slot Roth brackets (Mini Master Series, American Orthodontics, Sheboygan, Wisconsin, USA). A visual analog scale (VAS) was used to assess the level of pain the patients experienced on the first, second, and seventh days of the treatment. The mean VAS scores of the male and female patients were compared using the student’s t-test, ANOVA, and the chi-square test.
 Results: Males were found to have higher mean VAS scores on the first and second days of the treatment compared to the females (p = 0.001 and p = 0.038, respectively). A greater proportion of the patients (33.33%) experienced pain on the first day of the treatment compared to the second and seventh days (p <0.05).
 Conclusion: It was determined that the patients experienced the highest level of pain on the first day of fixed orthodontic treatment. The male patients experienced a higher level of pain than the females on the first and second days of the treatment.
 
 How to cite this article: Topal R. Perception of pain during initial fixed orthodontic treatment. Int Dent Res 2021;11(2):62-6. https://doi.org/10.5577/intdentres.2021.vol11.no2.2
 
 Linguistic Revision: The English in this manuscript has been checked by at least two professional editors, both native speakers of English.

Seven steps to deliver a low-cost, efficient, and high-impact online plastic surgery course during COVID-19 confinement: master series microsurgery for residents' experience.

Seven steps to deliver a low-cost, efficient, and high-impact online plastic surgery course during COVID-19 confinement: master series microsurgery for residents' experience.

DENDROCHRONOLOGY OF TWO FOREST SPECIES IN THE URBAN AREA OF THE CITY OF PUERTO MALDONADO, PERU

We evaluated by dendrochronological methods the growth rings of these two species and their relationship with the climate. Wood samples were collected with the Pressler's probe. Measurements and analysis of the growth rings of the two species were performed using standard dendrochronology techniques. The master series (chronologies) were correlated with the climatic indices (precipitation and temperature), obtained from the NOAA meteorological database. The growth rings of the two species growing in the urban area are different and annual, delimited by the marginal parenchyma and semicircular porosity, in addition, C. alliodora presented fibrous areas. Both species presented an intercorrelation between the trees above 0.50. The maximum ages were 13 years for C. allidora and 32 years for C. fissilis . Likewise, the low correlation between the climate and the chronologies of the two species may suggest the influence of other ecological or anthropic factors that are intervening in the growth of these species. Finally, the potential of the two forest species for dendrochronological studies in the urban area of Puerto Maldonado Peru is demonstrated.

Master Series Microsurgery for Residents: Results from a Comprehensive Survey of a Multitudinous Online Course during COVID-19 Pandemic.

Since COVID-19 emerged, it has significantly affected medical education. Surgical training has been blocked and the learning curve flattened. However, COVID-19 led to the outbreak of multitudinous online courses. Master series: microsurgery for residents (MSMR) has been the most extensive and accessible online nonfee course transmitted so far regarding reconstructive microsurgery. The primary aim of this study was to assess the impact of the MSMR in the surgical community as an international educational tool during pandemic confinement. A retrospective, observational, analytic, and transversal study was designed. An 11-item survey was sent to all the 1,513 attendees who completed at least 60% of course attendance during 2 days. Descriptive and analytic statistics were performed. The impact was measured by considering answers to questions 6 to 9 and 11 (course usefulness, microsurgery interest increase, desire to pursue a microsurgical career, attendance to in-person conferences, and overall score, respectively). A total of 1,111 (73.4%) of eligible subjects were included. In total, 55.8% were plastic surgery residents. After the course, 98.9% would pursue a career in reconstructive microsurgery, and 45% would stop attending in-person conferences. The overall score of the event was 9.06 ± 0.9 (from 0 to 10) regardless of the current training status. The MSMR was a high impact course and has established a paradigm shift that will lead to an evolution in plastic surgery learning.

Temporal Consolidation Strategy for Ground-Based Image Displacement Time Series: Application to Glacier Monitoring

In this paper, we present a method for combining image-based displacements to build time series. This method takes advantage of the redundancy of these displacements which comes from multiple possible combinations between images. The proposed method combines common master series having a different master date, in order to construct a single time series of relative displacements. We were able to test this method on displacements computed using images from a stereo time lapse device recording images of the Argentire glacier during the summer and fall 2019. Our method was compared to two other displacement aggregation strategies: a simple common master approach and the classical inversion method. In order to perform this comparison, displacement data from 4 permanent GPS are used. The results show that our method provides more accurate time series of relative displacements than those obtained with the other methods. The higher accuracy of the proposed method makes the detection of seasonal variations in glacier velocity possible.

WILLIAMS SENDROMLU HASTANIN ORTODONTİK TEDAVİSİNİN SONUÇLARI VE TEDAVİDEKİ ZORLUKLAR

Williams Syndrome (WS) is a rare congenital and progressive multisystem disorder which is described with specific systemic disorders, skeletal and dental abnormalities and tongue thrusting. A 13-year-old patient applied to our clinic with complaining dental caries, malocclusion and tongue thrusting. The patient was treated with a full fixed standard edgewise appliance named as Mini Master Series from American Orthodontics (Central Islip, N.Y., USA), 0.018 inch bracket slots) for 2 years and 8 months. Despite poor oral hygiene, frequent appointments helped to complete the orthodontic treatment of the patient without caries formation. Also extraction of first molars with uncertain prognosis provided social benefits when it was compared to healthy premolar extractions. This case report presents the successful results of the orthodontic therapy and difficulties of an orthodontic treatment of a patient who was diagnosed with WS.

Modelowanie powstawania naprężeń w warstwie wierzchniej

The computer simulation of the state of stress occurring in the contact zone during the influence of mechanical and caulking deformations caused by the process of burnishing was presented. The simulation results were based on the I-DEAS Master Series from SDRC from Milford.

Gluteal Augmentation and Enhancement of the Female Silhouette: Analysis and Technique.

Dr. Constantino Mendieta demonstrates and details his personal technique for gluteal augmentation. The video demonstration is divided into three parts: Part I, Aesthetic Analysis and Preoperative Marking; Part II, Creating the Female Silhouette with Circumferential Lipoplasty; and Part III, Autogenous Gluteal Augmentation. Artistic concepts for gluteal augmentation and contouring the female silhouette and technical considerations for patient safety are emphasized. This Master Series Video article is the first in a planned series of video vignettes.

Rozsnyai Japán nyelvmestere

In Hungary, as the 15th volume of self-study series “Rozsnyai gyors nyelvmesterei” (“Rozsnyai’s Foreign language speed master series”), the Rozsnyai publishing company has published “Japán / Japanische Grammatik” at1905. This book was the first Japanese textbook written in Hungarian.The purpose of this paper is an attempt to define the author of “Speedmaster Japanese”, and reference materials the author used to write this textbook.As a result of bibliographical research, we know that the author wasAkantisz Viktor, who studied philosophy and law at the Budapest University,and after graduation made a living as a translator, writer, painter, illustratorand book-restorer.At the present stage of research, we were unable to get any information about wether he visited to Japan or not, and where he studied Japaneselanguage. When Akantisz wrote this textbook, he used the materials of theGerman philologist, August Seidel. Although there are many mistakes andimperfect explanations in this textbook, as the first Japanese textbook inHungarian, it contains valuable material.

Implant Insertion Torque Load Analysis for Mandible using CBCT Images

ABSTRACT Introduction Osteoporotic patients require particular attention to their implant site bone quality as an indication of prognosis and may require modified surgical technique Insertion Torque (IT). Aim It is the purpose of this study to test whether IT is significantly correlated with bone density or not, as assessed by the cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) in a group of osteopenic and osteoporotic patients. Materials and methods A total of 30 patients were included in the study. The mandibular second premolar region was chosen as the site of investigation to prevent variability in surgical implant placement technique in different locations affecting bone mineral density (BMD). Partially, edentulous female patients between 51 and 60 years of age who were scheduled to receive implant placement were recruited for the study. CBCT (Master Series 3D Dental Imaging) was used for preoperative evaluation of the jaws for each patient. Materialise's Interactive Medical Image Control System (MIMICS) was used to process stacks of 2D images from CBCT. Finite element analysis were carried out on bone using Ansys software. Maximum displacement and maximum stress—strain patterns were compared in normal, osteoporotic, and osteopenic groups. Results The difference in mean bone density in all three groups were statistically significant (p < 0.05) (Table 1). FEA at 32, 36, 40 N in all 3 groups was statistically significant. (Table 2). Conclusion Within the limitations of the study, the amount of stress—strain that exhibits at 40 N load in normal bone will be almost the same stress—strain given at 32 N load in osteoporotic bone. Normal IT load analysis exhibits more stress/strain in osteoporotic patients when compared with other groups, showing that IT must be achieved to an optimum level to avoid further complication and failures. How to cite this article Venkatakrishnan CJ, Bhuminathan S, Chandran CR. Implant Insertion Torque Load Analysis for Mandible using CBCT Images. World J Dent 2017;8(3):183-189.