• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.303-312
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• 2023

Purpose: This study investigated the prevalence of developmental and acquired pathologic conditions associated with impacted third molars (3Ms) in a Southern Brazilian population and evaluated whether demographic and tooth characteristics were correlated with the presence of bone or tooth lesions. Materials and Methods: Panoramic radiographs were assessed for developmental (bone-related) or acquired (tooth-related) pathoses associated with impacted upper or lower 3Ms. Data on tooth positioning, tooth development, and patient demographics were collected. A trained, calibrated postgraduate student evaluated all images. Binary and multivariate logistic regression models were used to assess associations between outcomes and the demographic and radiographic variables. The threshold for statistical significance was set at 5% (P<0.05). Results: The sample comprised panoramic radiographs from 2054 patients, predominantly female (59.2%), with a mean age of 27.2±11.5 years. Overall, 4066 impacted 3Ms were evaluated, revealing 471 (11.6%) developmental and 710 (17.5%) acquired pathoses. Among the developmental pathoses, 460 (95.2%) were indicative of dentigerous cysts. Male sex, lower 3M location, vertical or distoangular positioning, and incomplete root formation were associated with an elevated likelihood of developmental pathology. Lower tooth position, complete root formation, and partial eruption were linked to an increased probability of an acquired pathology in the third or second molar. Conclusion: The prevalence of pathologic conditions associated with impacted 3Ms was low. Male sex, lower 3M placement, horizontal or distoangular positioning, and incomplete root formation were associated with developmental pathoses, while lower tooth position, complete root formation, and partial eruption were related to acquired pathoses.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.335-344
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• 2023

Purpose: This bibliometric analysis aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the characteristics, trends, and level of diagnostic efficacy of studies on cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) published in Imaging Science in Dentistry (ISD) from 2011 to 2022. Materials and Methods: Publications related to CBCT identified in the electronic collection of ISD were selected according to eligibility criteria by 2 independent reviewers who collected data on the characteristics of the articles (year, authors, and country). The type and topic of studies were analyzed using VOSviewer v.1.6.18 (Centre for Science and Technology Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands). The research articles were classified according to the hierarchical scale of diagnostic efficacy. Results: Of the 236 articles included, most were from South Korea and Brazil. Bong-Hae Cho and Yun-Hoa Jung were the most prolific authors on the topic of CBCT. The most frequently published types of studies were cross-sectional and laboratory-based. The most popular topics WERE related to the diagnosis of pathologies and/or alterations, as well as anatomical variations. On the diagnostic efficacy scale, most studies were rated level 1 (technical efficacy) or 2 (diagnostic accuracy efficacy). Conclusion: A steady increase was observed in publications related to CBCT, which are of both clinical and academic interest. The trends in these publications were analyzed, revealing that most are cross-sectional studies primarily exploring the capabilities of CBCT in diagnosing pathologies and/or changes in the oral and maxillofacial complex. These studies were typically classified as level 1 or 2 on the diagnostic efficacy scale.

• (The) Research of the performance art and culture
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• no.32
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• pp.489-524
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• 2016

This study examines the birth of a genre, the $Sekky{\bar{o}}bushi$ Misemono Opera, focusing on how it accepted and modernized Katarimono $Sekky{\bar{o}}bushi$. Unlike earlier studies, it argues that Terayama was clearly different from other first-generation Angura artists, in that he rebirthed the medieval story $Sekky{\bar{o}}bushi$ as a modern Misemono Opera. Shintokumaru (1978) was directed by Terayama $Sh{\bar{u}}ji$, a member of the first generation of Japan's 1960s Angura Theatre Movement. It takes as its subject the Katarimono $Sekky{\bar{o}}bushi$ Shintokumaru, a story set to music that can be considered an example of the modern heritage of East Asian storytelling. $Sekky{\bar{o}}$ Shintokumaru is set in Tennoji, Japan. The title character Shintoku develops leprosy as a result of his stepmother's curse and is saved through his fiancee Otohime's devoted love and the spiritual power of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. In this work, Terayama combined the narrative style of $Sekky{\bar{o}}bushi$ with J.A. Caesar's shamanistic rock music and gave it the subtitle 'Misemono Opera by $Sekky{\bar{o}}bushi$'. He transforms its underlying theme, the principle of goddesses and their offspring in a medieval religious world and the modori (return) instinct, into a world of mother-son-incest. Also, the pedestrian revenge scene from $Sekky{\bar{o}}bushi$ is altered to represent Shintokumaru as a drag queen, wearing his stepmother's clothes and mask, and he unites sexually with Sensaku, his stepbrother, and ends up killing him. The play follows the cause and effect structure of $Sekky{\bar{o}}bushi$. The appearance of katarite, a storyteller, propelling the narrative throughout and Dr. Yanagida Kunio is significant as an example of the modern use of self-introduction as a narrative device and chorus. Terayama $Sh{\bar{u}}ji^{\prime}s$ memories of desperate childhood, especially the absence of his father and the Aomori air raids, are depicted and deepened in structure. However, seventeen years after Terayama's death, the version of the play directed by Ninagawa Yukio-based on a revised edition by Kishida Rio, who had been Terayama's writing partner since the play's premier-is the today the better-known version. All the theatrical elements implied by Terayama's subtitle were removed, and as a result, the Rio production misses the essence of the diverse experimental theatre of Terayama's theatre company, $Tenj{\bar{o}}$ Sajiki. Shintokumaru has the narrative structure characteristic of aphorism. That is, each part of the story can stand alone, but it is possible to combine all the parts organically.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.161-168
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• 2020

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of voxel size and different post-processing algorithms on the analysis of dental materials using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). Materials and Methods: Root-end cavities were prepared in extracted maxillary premolars, filled with mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA), Biodentine, and Intermediate Restorative Material (IRM), and scanned using micro-CT. The volume and porosity of materials were evaluated and compared using voxel sizes of 5, 10, and 20 ㎛, as well as different software tools(post-processing algorithms). The CTAn or MeVisLab/Materialise 3-matic software package was used to perform volume and morphological analyses, and the CTAn or MeVisLab/Amira software was used to evaluate porosity. Data were analyzed using 1-way ANOVA and the Tukey test(P<0.05). Results: Using MeVisLab/Materialise 3-matic, a consistent tendency was observed for volume to increase at larger voxel sizes. CTAn showed higher volumes for MTA and IRM at 20 ㎛. Using CTAn, porosity values decreased as voxel size increased, with statistically significant differences for all materials. MeVisLab/Amira showed a difference for MTA and IRM at 5 ㎛, and for Biodentine at 20 ㎛. Significant differences in volume and porosity were observed in all software packages for Biodentine across all voxel sizes. Conclusion: Some differences in volume and porosity were found according to voxel size, image-processing software, and the radiopacity of the material. Consistent protocols are needed for research evaluating dental materials.

• School Mathematics
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.267-287
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• 2017

Fostering students' positive affect related to mathematics such as attitudes toward mathematics and dispositions toward learning mathematical concepts is one of the major goals of school mathematics programs. In this study, we collected data from students at the 4-1 grade levels to develop an instrument that measures students' affect regarding mathematics learning. To develop the instrument, we first conducted focus group interviews, which we recorded, transcribed, and analyzed. We sorted the results according to seven components of the non-cognitive domain of mathematics learning, which drew from taxonomical constructs of previous research. We then conducted a pilot study in which we administered the instrument as a pretest and a posttest. We chose the final items based on confirmatory factor analysis and a reliability test of the pre and posttest scores. The final instrument contains 24 items, which are classified according to the seven components: interest, attitudes, value, external motivation, internal motivation, learning conation, and efficacy. We anticipate this instrument will be useful for studies that need to measure students' non-cognitive characteristics in relation to learning mathematics.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.10
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• pp.4769-4774
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• 2016

Objective: To analyze the survival of elderly patients with breast cancer according to the type of treatment used. Methods: A cohort study of women aged 80 or over with breast cancer registered with the Brazilian National Cancer Institute (Instituto Nacional do $C{\hat{a}}ncer$ - INCA) between 2008 and 2009 was conducted. Prognosis was analyzed according to the cancer treatment performed: surgery, radiotherapy, or hormone therapy. Analysis of the overall 5-year survival rate was performed using the Kaplan - Meier method, and comparisons of curves were undertaken using the log-rank test. For multiple regression analysis, Cox regression was used, adjusting for age and clinical stage, considering values of p < 0.05 as significant. Data were all analyzed using the statistical package SPSS version 20. Results: 70 women with a mean age of $84.0{\pm}3.7years$ at diagnosis participated in the study. The median follow-up time was 37.1 months (range 0.5-75.5), and 31 deaths (44.3%) occurred during this time. The median survival time was 51.2 months (95% CI, 44.9-57.4), higher in those who underwent surgery (p = 0.012) and those who had hormone therapy (p=0.001). Treatment with surgery reduced the risk of death by 61.7% (HR 0.3; 95% CI, 0.1-0.6; p = 0.001) when adjusted for clinical stage and age at diagnosis. However, there was no significant benefit from radiotherapy (HR 1.2; 95% CI, 0.5-2.5; p = 0.694). Conclusion: Treatment with surgery and hormone therapy increased the survival of our Brazilian patients with breast cancer aged 80 or over.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.11-19
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• 2018

In Brazil, visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is expanding and becoming urbanized, especially in non-endemic areas such as the State of Rio Grande do Sul. Considering that infected dogs are the main reservoir for zoonotic VL, this study evaluated the prevalence of canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) in the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre, a new area of expansion of VL in Brazil. Serum and plasma from 405 asymptomatic dogs from the municipalities of Canoas (n=107), $S\tilde{a}o$ Leopoldo (n=216), and Novo Hamburgo (n=82) were tested for CVL using immunochromatographic ($DPP^{(R)}$) and ELISA $EIE^{(R)}$ assays (2 assays officially adopted by the Brazilian government for the diagnosis of CVL) and real-time PCR to confirm the results. There was no agreement among serological and real-time PCR results, indicating that the Leishmania infection in asymptomatic animals with low parasite load, confirmed by negative parasitological tests (smears and parasite culture), need to be evaluated by molecular methods. The prevalence of LVC in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre, confirmed by real-time PCR was 4% (5.6% in Canoas and 4.6% in $S\tilde{a}o$ Leopoldo). The use of molecular method is essential for accurate diagnosis of CVL, especially in asymptomatic dogs in non-endemic areas.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.179-188
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• 2017

White-rot basidiomycetes are the organisms that decompose lignin most efficiently, and Trametes villosa is a promising species for ligninolytic enzyme production. There are several publications on T. villosa applications for lignin degradation regarding the expression and secretion of laccase and manganese peroxidase (MnP) but no reports on the identification and characterization of lignin peroxidase (LiP), a relevant enzyme for the efficient breakdown of lignin. The object of this study was to identify and partially characterize, for the first time, gDNA, mRNA, and the corresponding lignin peroxidase (TvLiP) protein from T. villosa strain CCMB561 from the Brazilian semiarid region. The presence of ligninolytic enzymes produced by this strain grown in inducer media was qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed by spectrophotometry, qPCR, and dye fading using Remazol Brilliant Blue R. The spectrophotometric analysis showed that LiP activity was higher than that of MnP. The greatest LiP expression as measured by qPCR occurred on the $7^{th}$ day, and the ABSA medium (agar, sugarcane bagasse, and ammonium sulfate) was the best that favored LiP expression. The amplification of the TvLiP gene median region covering approximately 50% of the T. versicolor LPGIV gene (87% identity); the presence of Trp199, Leu115, Asp193, Trp199, and Ala203 in the translated amplicon of the T. villosa mRNA; and the close phylogenetic relationship between TvLiP and T. versicolor LiP all indicate that the target enzyme is a lignin peroxidase. Therefore, T. villosa CCMB561 has great potential for use as a LiP, MnP, and Lac producer for industrial applications.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.21 no.8
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• pp.808-817
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• 2011

Because of its elevated cellulolytic activity, the filamentous fungus Trichoderma harzianum has a considerable potential in biomass hydrolysis applications. Trichoderma harzianum cellobiohydrolase I (ThCBHI), an exoglucanase, is an important enzyme in the process of cellulose degradation. Here, we report an easy single-step ion-exchange chromatographic method for purification of ThCBHI and its initial biophysical and biochemical characterization. The ThCBHI produced by induction with microcrystalline cellulose under submerged fermentation was purified on DEAE-Sephadex A-50 media and its identity was confirmed by mass spectrometry. The ThCBHI biochemical characterization showed that the protein has a molecular mass of 66 kDa and pI of 5.23. As confirmed by smallangle X-ray scattering (SAXS), both full-length ThCBHI and its catalytic core domain (CCD) obtained by digestion with papain are monomeric in solution. Secondary structure analysis of ThCBHI by circular dichroism revealed ${\alpha}$- helices and ${\beta}$-strands contents in the 28% and 38% range, respectively. The intrinsic fluorescence emission maximum of 337 nm was accounted for as different degrees of exposure of ThCBHI tryptophan residues to water. Moreover, ThCBHI displayed maximum activity at pH 5.0 and temperature of $50^{\circ}C$ with specific activities against Avicel and p-nitrophenyl-${\beta}$-D-cellobioside of 1.25 U/mg and 1.53 U/mg, respectively.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.408-417
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• 2017

The objective of this study is to examine the structural relations between physical self-efficacy, depression, and ego-integrity among the elderly (60 years and older) currently participating in leisure sports. In addition, since the variables affecting ego integrity are presented in a multidimensional manner, it is very important to examine the cause and effect of the variables from an integrated perspective. To achieve this objective, 427 senior citizens attending the leisure sports program of a seniors center were assigned as the research subjects. For the structural equation modeling performed in the study, confirmatory factor analysis and reliability analysis were conducted for each variable, and direct, indirect, and total effects were estimated. The model fit is based on TLI, CFI, and RMSEA, and both the fit of the measurement model and the fit of the research model satisfy the criterion. The results of the analysis are as follows. First, in the results of verifying the validity and reliability of the questionnaire, all the variables of physical self-efficacy, depression, and ego-integrity were suitable. Second, the perceived physical ability had positive effects on depression, current life satisfaction, wise life, and attitude toward life, whereas the physical self-expression confidence had positive effects on current life satisfaction and attitude toward life, but negative effects on acceptance of the past life. Lastly, depression had negative effects on current life satisfaction. The results showed that the elderly identified the integrated relationship of physical self - efficacy, depression, and self-integration.