• The Journal of Advanced Prosthodontics
• /
• v.10 no.3
• /
• pp.236-244
• /
• 2018

PURPOSE. To determine the discrepancy in monolithic zirconium dioxide crowns made with computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) systems by comparing scans of silicone impressions and of master casts. MATERIALS AND METHODS. From a Cr-Co master die of a first upper left molar, 30 silicone impressions were taken. The 30 silicone impressions were scanned with the laboratory scanner, thus obtaining 30 milled monolithic yttrium stabilized zirconium dioxide (YSZD) crowns (the silicone group). They were poured and the working models were scanned, obtaining 30 milled monolithic yttrium stabilized zirconium dioxide (YSZD) crowns (the plaster group). Three predetermined points were analyzed in each side of the crown (Mesial, Distal, Vestibular and Palatal), and the marginal fit was evaluated with SEM (${\times}600$). The response variable is the discrepancy from the master model. A repeated measures ANOVA with two within subject factors was performed to study significance of main factors and interaction. RESULTS. Mean marginal discrepancy was $22.42{\pm}35.65{\mu}m$ in the silicone group and $8.94{\pm}14.69{\mu}m$ in the plaster group. The statistical analysis showed significant differences between the two groups and also among the four aspects. Interaction was also significant (P=.02). CONCLUSION. The mean marginal fit values of the two groups were within the clinically acceptable values. Significant differences were found between the groups according to the aspects studied. Various factors influenced the accuracy of digitizing, such as the design, the geometry, and the preparation guidance, as well as the texture, roughness and the color of the scanned material.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.10 no.6
• /
• pp.679-682
• /
• 1997

A uniform group of 12 upgraded growing goats aged between 6.0 and 7.5 months were used in this study. They were divided into three groups of $T_1$, $T_2$ and $T_3$. Four animals were randomly allocated to each group. They were infected orally with three levels (0 larva, 5,000 larvae and 10,000 larvae) of infective Haemonchus contortus larvae. Before infection, all animals were housed in individual pens with concrete floors. They were provided with a uniform management. Total red blood cells (RBC) and total white blood cells (WBC) were measured by hemacytometric method. Results showed significant interaction effect of H. contortus infection and duration of infection on red blood cell counts. The RBC counts of animals in treatment groups 2 and 3 showed significantly lower values over the control group from the second fortnight to the end of the study. The overall mean RBC values of groups 1, 2 and 3 were 11.73, 9.70 and $9.12million/mm^3$ blood, respectively. H. contortus infection did not significantly influence the total leukocyte counts. Worm infection and duration of infection interaction was also absent on WBC counts. However, the time or duration of infection significantly influenced the WBC counts. Fecal egg counts showed patent infections in the infected animals which also indicated by postmortem worm counts.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.18 no.4
• /
• pp.463-469
• /
• 2005

An attempt was made to analyze the factors affecting mating performance of rams in pen mating systems. Due to many types of social interactions, mating performance of rams may decrease or increase. Six intact Muzaffarnagari rams were used and divided into three dominant subordinate pairs by food and ewe competition test. For dominant rams subordinate ram became competitor and vice versa. In the first experiment, ram was exposed to ewe but the competitor ram was kept outside the pen with the facility of visibility only. In the second experiment each ram was exposed to ewe along with the competitor ram and in third experiment ram was exposed to ewes (two) along with competitor ram in observation pen. Recordings of different mating and agonistic behaviour were done in all the experiments. It was found that subordinate ram's mating behaviour was inhibited by mere presence of a dominant ram out side without physical contact. However, when ram exposed to oestrus ewe(s) along with competitor ram, both dominant and subordinate rams spent much of their time in guarding activities instead of mating. In addition dominant ram tried to curtail the subordinate ram mating by agonistic interaction like fight and butting. Different guarding activities were observed either as active or passive type depending on level of dominanace. It was concluded that in a limited space the interaction of two or more rams might affect the number of services adversely.

• Macromolecular Research
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.128-132
• /
• 2009

Fucoidan, a sulfated polysaccharide derived from brown seaweed, is an important material valued for its various biological functions, including anti-coagulation, anti-aging, and immune system support. In this study, we examined the potential of fucoidan as a novel emulsifying agent in BSA (bovine serum albumin)-stabilized emulsion at a neutral pH. We measured the dispersed oil-droplet size, surface zeta-potential and creaming formation of 0.5 wt% BSA emulsion (20 wt% oil traction) in the absence and presence of fucoidan. The average particle size and zeta-potential value were 625.4 nm and -30.91 mV in only BSA-stabilized emulsion and 745.2 nm and -44.2 mV in 1.0 wt% fucoidan-added BSA emulsion, respectively. This result suggested that some positive charges of the BSA molecules interacted with the negative charges of fucoidan to inhibit the flocculation among the oil droplets. The creaming rate calculated from the backscattering data measured by Turbiscan dramatically decreased in 1.0 wt% fucoidan-added BSA emulsion during storage. Accordingly, the repulsion forces induced among the oil particles coated with 1.0 wt% fucoidan in emulsion solution resulted in significantly increased emulsion stability. The turbidity of the BSA-stabilized emulsion at 500 nm decreased during five days of storage. However, the fucoidan-added BSA emulsion exhibited a higher value of turbidity than the BSA-stabilized emulsion did. In conclusion, an anionic sulfated fucoidan lowered the surface zeta-potential of BSA-coated oil droplets via the electrostatic interaction, and subsequently inhibited the flocculation among the oil droplets, thereby clearly minimizing the creaming and phase separation of the emulsion.

• Computers and Concrete
• /
• v.15 no.4
• /
• pp.687-707
• /
• 2015

A finite element computer code for short-term analysis of steel-concrete composite structures is extended to study long-term effects under service loads, in the present work. Long-term effects are important in engineering design because they influence stress and strain distribution of the structural system and therefore contribute to the increment of deflections in these structures. For creep analysis, a rheological model based on a Kelvin chain, with elements placed in series, was employed. The parameters of the Kelvin chain were obtained using Dirichlet series. Creep and shrinkage models, proposed by the CEB FIP 90, were used. The shear-lag phenomenon that takes place at the concrete slab is usually neglected or not properly taken into account in the formulation of beam-column finite elements. Therefore, in this work, a three-dimensional numerical model based on the assemblage of shell finite elements for representing the steel beam and the concrete slab is used. Stud shear connectors are represented for special beam-column elements to simulate the partial interaction at the slab-beam interface. The two-dimensional representation of the concrete slab permits to capture the non-uniform shear stress distribution in the horizontal plane of the slab due to shear-lag phenomenon. The model is validated with experimental results of two full-scale continuous composite beams previously studied by other authors. Results are given in terms of displacements, bending moments and cracking patterns in order to shown the influence of long-term effects in the structural response and also the potentiality of the present numerical code.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.40 no.5
• /
• pp.355-362
• /
• 2017

The ${\beta}2$ integrins are cell surface transmembrane proteins regulating leukocyte functions, such as adhesion and migration. Two members of ${\beta}2$ integrin, ${\alpha}M{\beta}2$ and ${\alpha}X{\beta}2$, share the leukocyte distribution profile and integrin ${\alpha}X{\beta}2$ is involved in antigen presentation in dendritic cells and transendothelial migration of monocytes and macrophages to atherosclerotic lesions. ${\underline{R}}eceptor$ for ${\underline{a}}dvanced$ ${\underline{g}}lycation$ ${\underline{e}}nd$ ${\underline{p}}roducts$ (RAGE), a member of cell adhesion molecules, plays an important role in chronic inflammation and atherosclerosis. Although RAGE and ${\alpha}X{\beta}2$ play an important role in inflammatory response and the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, the nature of their interaction and structure involved in the binding remain poorly defined. In this study, using I-domain as a ligand binding motif of ${\alpha}X{\beta}2$, we characterize the binding nature and the interacting moieties of ${\alpha}X$ I-domain and RAGE. Their binding requires divalent cations ($Mg^{2+}$ and $Mn^{2+}$) and shows an affinity on the sub-micro molar level: the dissociation constant of ${\alpha}X$ I-domains binding to RAGE being $0.49{\mu}M$. Furthermore, the ${\alpha}X$ I-domains recognize the V-domain, but not the C1 and C2-domains of RAGE. The acidic amino acid substitutions on the ligand binding site of ${\alpha}X$ I-domain significantly reduce the I-domain binding activity to soluble RAGE and the alanine substitutions of basic amino acids on the flat surface of the V-domain prevent the V-domain binding to ${\alpha}X$ I-domain. In conclusion, the main mechanism of ${\alpha}X$ I-domain binding to RAGE is a charge interaction, in which the acidic moieties of ${\alpha}X$ I-domains, including E244, and D249, recognize the basic residues on the RAGE V-domain encompassing K39, K43, K44, R104, and K107.

• Advances in nano research
• /
• v.15 no.5
• /
• pp.385-399
• /
• 2023

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), commonly referred to as Boron Nitride Nanoribbons (BNNRs), is an electrical insulator characterized by high thermal stability and a wide bandgap semiconductor property. This study delves into the electronic properties of two BNNR configurations: Armchair BNNRs (ABNNRs) and Zigzag BNNRs (ZBNNRs). Utilizing the nearest-neighbour tight-binding approach and numerical methods, the electronic properties of BNNRs were simulated. A simplifying assumption, the Hamiltonian matrix is used to compute the electronic properties by considering the self-interaction energy of a unit cell and the interaction energy between the unit cells. The edge perturbation is applied to the selected atoms of ABNNRs and ZBNNRs to simulate the electronic properties changes. This simulation work is done by generating a custom script using numerical computational methods in MATLAB software. When benchmarked against a reference study, our results aligned closely in terms of band structure and bandgap energy for ABNNRs. However, variations were observed in the peak values of the continuous curves for the local density of states. This discrepancy can be attributed to the use of numerical methods in our study, in contrast to the semi-analytical approach adopted in the reference work.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.18 no.3
• /
• pp.343-349
• /
• 2010

This study was designed to investigate the effects of ticlopidine on the pharmacokinetics of carvedilol after oral or intravenous administration of carvedilol in rats. Carvedilol was administered orally (3 mg/kg) or intravenously (1 mg/kg) without or with oral administration of ticlopidine (4, 12 mg/kg) to rats. The effects of ticlopidine on P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C9 activity were also evaluated. Ticlopidine inhibited CYP2C9 activity in a concentration-dependent manner with 50% inhibition concentration ($IC_{50}$) of $25.2\;{\mu}M$. In addition, ticlopidine could not significantly enhance the cellular accumulation of rhodamine 123 in MCF-7/ADR cells overexpressing P-gp. Compared with the control group (given carvedilol alone), the area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) was significantly (12 mg/kg, p<0.05) increased by 14-41%, and the peak concentration ($C_{max}$) was significantly (12 mg/kg, p<0.05) increased by 10.7-73.3% in the presence of ticlopidine after oral administration of carvedilol. Consequently, the relative bioavailability (R.B.) of carvedilol was increased by 1.14- to 1.41-fold and the absolute bioavailability (A.B.) of carvedilol in the presence of ticlopidine was increased by 36.2-38.5%. Compared to the i.v. control, ticlopidine could not significantly change the pharmacokinetic parameters of i.v. administered carvedilol. The enhanced oral bioavailability of carvedilol may result from inhibition of CYP2C9-mediated metabolism rather than P-gpmediated efflux of carvedilol in the intestinal and/or in liver and renal eliminatin of carvedilol by ticlopidine.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
• /
• v.34 no.4
• /
• pp.224-237
• /
• 1990

A single uniform population of specific, saturable, high affinity binding site of $[^3H]QNB$ guinuclidinyl benzilate(QNB) was identified in the rat cerebral microsomes. The Kd value(37.2 pM) for $[^3H]QNB$ calculated from the kinetically derived rate constants was in agreement with the Kd value(48.9 pM) determined by analysis of saturation isotherms at various receptor concentrations. Dimenhydrinate(DMH), histamine $H_1-blocker$, increased Kd value for $[^3H]QNB$ QNB without affecting the binding site concentrations and this effect resulted from the ability of DMH to slow $[^3H]QNB-receptor$ association. Pirenzepine inhibition curve of $[^3H]QNB$ binding was shallow(nH = 0.52) indicating the presence of two receptor subtypes with high ($M_1-site$) and low($M_2-site$) affinity for pirenzepine. Analysis of these inhibition curves yielded that 68% of the total receptor populations were of the $M_1-subtype$ and the remaining 32% of the $M_2-subtype$. Ki values for the $M_1-$ and $M_2-subtypes$ were 2.42 nM and 629.3 nM, respectively. Ki values for $H_1-blockers$ that inhibited $[^3H]QNB$ binding varied with a wide range ($0.02-2.5\;{\mu}M$). The Pseudo-Hill coefficients for inhibition of $[^3H]QNB$ binding by most of $H_1-blockers$ examined except for oxomemazine inhibition of $[^3H]QNB$ binding were close to one. The inhibition curve for oxomemazine in competition with $[^3H]QNB$ was shallow(nH = 0.74) indicating the presence of two receptor populations with different affinities for this drug. The proportion of high and low affinity was 33:67. The Ki values for oxomemazine were $0.045{\pm}0.016\;{\mu}M$ for high affinity and $1.145{\pm}0.232\;{\mu}M$ for low affinity sites. These data indicate that muscarinic receptor blocking potency of $H_1-blockers$ varies widely between different drugs and that most of $H_1-blockers$ examined are nonselective antagonist for the muscarinic receptor subtypes, whereas oxomemazine might be capable of distinguishing between subclasses of muscarinic receptor.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.28 no.10
• /
• pp.1746-1750
• /
• 2007

The second-order scattering (SOS) phenomenon of the interaction of Pd nanoparticles with protein was reported and a simple, sensitive, palladium nanoparticle-based assay for trace amount of protein with SOS technique was developed. The SOS intensities were significantly enhanced due to the interaction of Pd nanoparticles with bovine serum albumin (BSA) or human serum albumin (HSA) at pH 3.5 or 4.0, respectively. The maximum SOS peak appeared at 260/520 nm (λex/λem). The optimal experiment conditions, affecting factors and the influence of some coexisting substances were checked. The SOS intensity increased proportionally with the increase of Pd concentration below 3.0 × 10?5 mol·L?1, while declined gradually above 4.0 × 10?5 mol·L?1. BSA within the range of 0.01-2.6 μg·mL?1 and HSA of 0.01-1.7 μg·mL?1 can be detected with this method and the detection limits were 2.3 and 11.2 ng·mL?1, respectively. The method was successfully applied to the quantitative detection of total protein content in human serum samples with the maximum relative standard deviation (RSD) lower than 2.6% and the recoveries over the range of 99.5-100.5%.