We investigate the dispersion relation for low frequency electromagnetic waves propagating parallel to the ambient magnetic field, considering that the velocity distributions of ions and electrons can be either bi-Maxwellian of product bi-kappa distributions. The effect of the anisotropy and non-thermal features associated to the product-bi-kappa distributions on the firehose instability are numerically investigated. The general conclusion to be drawn from the results obtained is that the increase in non-thermal features which is consequence of the decrease of the κ indexes in the ion distribution contributes to increase the instability in magnitude and wave number range, in comparison with bi-Maxwellian distributions with similar temperature anisotropy, and that the increase of non-thermal features in the electron distribution contributes to the quenching of the instability, which is nevertheless driven by the anisotropy in the ion distribution. Significant differences between results obtained either considering product-bi-kappa distributions or bi-kappa distributions are also reported.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between sociodemographic factors and self-reported use of mouthwashes in a city in the south of Brazil over a time span of 13 years. METHODS: The study involves a comparison of two household surveys conducted in 1996 and 2009. Respectively, 850 and 982 households were included in each year. The mother of the family answered to a structured questionnaire to provide sociodemographic data. Self-reported use of mouthwash was evaluated in a binary manner (yes/no). Multivariate Poisson regression models were used to estimate proportion ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). RESULTS: The proportion of mouthwash use increased significantly from 10.8% to 24.2% after 13 years. The probability of using mouthwashes increased more than two times from 1996 to 2009 (PR = 2.25 95% CI 1.80-2.82). Higher probabilities for using mouthwashes were observed in households with higher income (PR = 2.63 95% CI 1.97-3.51) and in those households where the mothers had higher educational levels (PR = 1.46 95% CI 1.05-2.03). CONCLUSION: Higher family income and higher maternal educational level were associated with self-reported use of mouthwashes in a higher proportion of households.

AIM: To assess sociodemographic and behavioural risk factors for periodontal attachment loss (PAL) progression after 5 years in an urban sample from south Brazil. METHODS: At baseline, 1586 subjects, 14 years and older, were derived using a multistage probabilistic sample strategy. At follow-up, 653 of 755 subjects had >/=6 teeth and were included in this analysis. A modified multiple Poisson regression was used to calculate adjusted relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: Overall, 247 (37.8%) subjects exhibited PAL progression >/=3 mm in >/=4 teeth. Subjects older than 30 years had approximately two times higher risk of having PAL progression than younger subjects. Subjects with low education had 53% higher risk (RR = 1.53; 95% CI:1.06-2.22) of PAL progression compared to those with high education. A significant interaction between gender and smoking was observed. Among never-smokers, males were 33% more likely (RR = 1.33; 95% CI:1.06-1.66) to experience PAL progression than females. Among smokers, there was 8% increased risk of PAL progression (RR = 1.08; 95% CI:1.01-1.14) for males and 21% (RR = 1.21; 95% CI:1.11-1.33) for females per 10 packyears. Skin colour, socioeconomy, dental care and diabetes were not significantly associated with PAL progression after statistical adjustment. CONCLUSION: Sociodemographic factors and smoking are independent risk factors for PAL progression in this Brazilian population.

This work describes a new approach to gesture mapping in a performance with a traditional musical instrument and live electronics based upon theories of embodied music cognition (EMC) and musical gestures. Considerations on EMC and how gestures affect the experience of music inform different mapping strategies. Our intent is to enhance the expressiveness and the liveness of performance by tracking gestures via a multimodal motion capture system and to use motion data to control several features of the music. After a review of recent research in the field, a proposed application of such theories to a performance with electric guitar and live electronics will follow, focusing both on aspects of meaning formation and motion capturing.

Epidemiologic studies of aggressive periodontitis have used different study designs and a range of examination methods and case definitions, and this greatly complicates the study of disease prevalence in populations. The wide range of disease case definitions, in particular, profoundly impacts the reported rate of disease, and the use of a standard disease definition is strongly recommended. Surveys of aggressive periodontitis that use only clinical examinations, without radiographic examination to confirm the presence of a distinctive pattern of tissue loss, may overestimate the prevalence of this disease, particularly when a low threshold of attachment loss is used. The prevalence of aggressive periodontitis varies significantly between populations, and differences in race/ethnicities seem to be a key factor. Studies consistently show that aggressive periodontitis is most prevalent in Africa and in populations of African descent and is least prevalent in Caucasians in Europe and North America. Among children and young adults the prevalence of this disease is higher in older than in younger age groups. Most studies show comparable disease prevalence in male and female subjects. These findings show that aggressive periodontitis is a significant health problem in certain populations. This review also highlights a lack of information on the epidemiology and demographics of this disease in many parts of the world, particularly in Asia and Africa. Epidemiologic studies of aggressive periodontitis in high-risk populations are important and could provide vital data on the determinants of this disease, and this information is needed for the establishment of effective health-promotion measures.

Known radiation emission mechanisms in plasmas include bremmstrahlung (or free-free emission), gyro- and synchrotron radiation, cyclotron maser, and plasma emission. For unmagnetized plasmas, only bremmstrahlung and plasma emissions are viable. Of these, bremmstrahlung becomes inoperative in the absence of collisions, and the plasma emission requires the presence of electron beam, followed by various scattering and conversion processes. The present Letter proposes a new type of radiation emission process for plasmas in a state of thermodynamic quasi-equilibrium between particles and enhanced Langmuir turbulence. The radiation emission mechanism proposed in the present Letter is not predicted by the linear theory of thermal plasmas, but it relies on nonlinear wave-particle resonance processes. The electromagnetic particle-in-cell numerical simulation supports the new mechanism.

A recent paper [Ziebell et al., Phys. Plasmas 21, 010701 (2014)] discusses a new type of radiation emission process for plasmas in a state of quasi-equilibrium between the particles and enhanced Langmuir turbulence. Such a system may be an example of the so-called “turbulent quasi-equilibrium.” In the present paper, it is shown on the basis of electromagnetic weak turbulence theory that an initial thermal equilibrium state (i.e., only electrostatic fluctuations and Maxwellian particle distributions) transitions toward the turbulent quasi-equilibrium state with enhanced electromagnetic radiation spectrum, thus demonstrating that the turbulent quasi-equilibrium discussed in the above paper correctly describes the weakly turbulent plasma dynamically interacting with electromagnetic fluctuations, while maintaining a dynamical steady-state in the average sense.

Background: Dentin hypersensitivity (DH) is a clinical condition with potential implications for patients. However, little is known about its occurrence and determinants in the general population. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and risk indicators of DH in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Methods: A representative multistage probability sample of 1,023 adults aged >/=35 years was obtained. Individuals were interviewed and were clinically examined in their homes. DH was assessed dichotomously in all present teeth by a blast of air and a manual probe. Teeth restored with crowns and presenting with carious cavitation were excluded. Survey logistic regression using sampling weights was applied to assess demographics, behavioral and clinical determinants. Results: Overall prevalence estimates for DH diagnosed by air and probe were 33.4% and 34.2%. DH affected 1.0 tooth per individual, and approximately 10% of teeth with gingival recession (GR) had DH. In a multivariate model for DH diagnosed with air, females had increased chance of DH [odds ratio (OR): 2.14; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.57-2.91]. Smoking, periodontal treatment, and GR were also associated with increased DH chances. The chance of DH was lower (OR: 0.47, 95% CI: 0.29-0.76) among individuals >/=60 than 35 to 49 years old. Oral hygiene practices, socioeconomic and educational statuses, dental visits, and gingival inflammation were not associated with DH. Conclusion: DH may be considered a concern in a Brazilian general population. Reduction of DH may be achieved by smoking cessation and periodontal health improvements.

The effects of velocity distribution functions (VDF) that exhibit a power-law dependence on the high-energy tail have been the subject of intense research by the space plasma community. Such functions, known as superthermal or kappa distributions, have been found to provide a better fitting to the VDF measured by several spacecraft in the plasma environment of the solar wind. In the literature, the general treatment for waves excited by (bi-)Maxwellian plasmas is well-established. However, for kappa distributions, either isotropic or anisotropic, the wave characteristics have been studied mostly for the limiting cases of purely parallel or perpendicular propagation. Contributions for the general case of obliquely-propagating waves have been scarcely reported so far. In this work we introduce a mathematical formalism that provides expressions for the dielectric tensor components and subsequent dispersion relations for oblique propagating dispersive Alfvén waves (DAW) resulting from a kappa VDF. We employ an isotropic distribution, but the methods used here can be easily applied to more general anisotropic distributions, such as the bi-kappa or product-bi-kappa. The effect of the kappa index and thermal corrections on the dispersion relations of DAW is discussed.

n/a

Aim: To compare 24-month pulp health outcomes of partial caries removal (PCR) and total caries removal (TCR) with composite restoration in primary molars. Methods: 48 children aged 3-8 years with at least one molar with a deep carious lesion were included. 120 teeth were randomized to control (TCR; n = 54; 69% class II) and test (PCR; n = 66; 63% class II) groups. Total absence of carious tissue was confirmed using a blunt-tipped probe in the TCR group. For PCR, excavation was stopped when hardened, dried dentin with a leathery consistency was achieved. Pulpotomy was performed in cases of pulp exposure. Results: Pulp exposure occurred in 2 and 27.5% of teeth treated with PCR and TCR, respectively (p < 0.01). The operative time was significantly higher for TCR than PCR. Success rates were 92 and 96% in the PCR and TCR groups, respectively (p = 0.34). The success rate tended to be lower in occlusoproximal (92%) than in occlusal (100%) lesions (p = 0.08). Conclusion: The clinical and radiographic success rates of PCR and TCR in primary teeth with deep carious lesions were high and did not differ significantly, indicating that PCR is a reliable minimally invasive approach in primary teeth and that the retention of carious dentin does not interfere with pulp vitality. Moreover, PCR provided other clinically relevant advantages over TCR, especially lower incidence of pulp exposure and lower operative time. (c) 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel.

BACKGROUND: There are scarce data on the impact of the periodontal condition in the control of biomarkers in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). The aim of this study is to assess whether periodontal inflammation and tissue breakdown are associated with C-reactive protein (CRP) and lipids in patients with stable heart disease. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 93 patients with stable coronary artery disease (57 males; mean age: 63.5 +/- 9.8 years) who were in outpatient care for at least 6 months. After applying a structured questionnaire, periodontal examinations were performed by two calibrated periodontists in six sites per tooth at all teeth. Blood samples were collected from patients on the day of periodontal examination to determine levels of CRP, lipids, and glycated hemoglobin. Multiple linear regression models were fitted to evaluate the association among different periodontal and blood parameters controlling for sex, body mass index, glycated hemoglobin, use of oral hypoglycemic drugs, and smoking. RESULTS: Overall, the sample presented high levels of periodontal inflammation and tissue breakdown. Unadjusted mean concentrations of triglycerides (TGs), very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and glucose were significantly higher in individuals with severe periodontitis. When multiple linear regression models were applied, number of teeth with clinical attachment loss >/=6 mm and presence of severe periodontitis were significantly associated with higher CRP concentrations. Bleeding on probing was significantly associated with TGs, total cholesterol, and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. CONCLUSION: In this sample of patients with stable CVD, current periodontal inflammation and tissue breakdown are associated with cardiovascular inflammatory markers, such as CRP and lipid profile.

This paper discusses an automated approach to database change management throughout the companies’ development workflow. By using automated tools, companies can avoid common issues related to manual database deployments. This work was motivated by analyzing usual problems within organizations, mostly originated from manual interventions that may result in systems disruptions and production incidents. In addition to practices of continuous integration and continuous delivery, the current paper describes a case study in which a suggested pipeline is implemented in order to reduce the deployment times and decrease incidents due to ineffective data controlling.