Darkness inhibits autokinase activity of bacterial bathy phytochromes.

Bathy phytochromes are a subclass of bacterial biliprotein photoreceptors that carry a biliverdin IXα chromophore. In contrast to prototypical phytochromes that adopt a red-light-absorbing Pr ground state, the far-red light-absorbing Pfr-form is the thermally stable ground state of bathy phytochromes. Although the photobiology of bacterial phytochromes has been extensively studied since their discovery in the late 1990s, our understanding of the signal transduction process to the connected transmitter domains, which are often histidine kinases, remains insufficient.

American prejudice during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the United States, anti-Asian sentiment has pervaded the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Could Americans' fear of contracting the virus relate to prejudice against Asian individuals? According to intergroup threat theory, prejudice increases toward groups of people when they are perceived as a likely cause of symbolic and/or real threat, including disease threat. We tested this perspective in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic by investigating the relationship between Americans' concern about contracting COVID-19 and their feelings toward individuals from multiple countries.

In Vitro Mastication Simulation and Wear Test of Virgilite and Advanced Lithium Disilicate Ceramics.

Purpose: To compare wear behavior, durability during in vitro mastication simulation, and fracture force of an established and a novel lithium disilicate CAD/CAM material, as well as to examine the impact of cementation and reduced ceramic thickness on durability and fracture force.

Materials And Methods: Specimens (n = 8 per group) were prepared from lithium disilicate (LS; IPS e.max, Ivoclar Vivadent) and advanced lithium disilicate (ALD; Cerec Tessera, Dentsply Sirona).

Dynamic fatigue of 3D-printed splint materials.

Objectives: Printed splints may be an alternative treatment for functional disorders. In addition to the selection of materials, the influence of cleaning or polymerisation can affect the dynamic behaviour and fatigue limit of printed materials.

Material And Methods: 96 discs (n = 6 per group, 16mmx2mm) were printed (P30+ DLP-printer, Straumann, CH; 100 μm layer) from splint materials (M1: Luxaprint OrthoPlus, DMG, G; M2: V-Print Splint, Voco, G).

Investigating the mechanical and optical properties of novel Urethandimethacrylate (UDMA) and Urethanmethacrylate (UMA) based rapid prototyping materials.

Objective: This study is focused on testing experimental rapid prototyping materials for occlusal splints made from Urethandimethacrylate (UDMA) and Urethanmethacrylate (UMA).

Methods: Materials were mixed from UDMA and UMA in ratios of 1.0:0.

Machine-driven simulation of removing luting agent remnants from implant surfaces: An investigator-independent assessment of cleaning protocols.

Introduction: To simulate removing luting agent remnants from crowns fixed onto implant-abutment analogs using a standardized machine-driven protocol including a scaler and air polishing or sonic.

Material And Methods: A motor-driven device was constructed that controlled the rotational speed of the specimens, machining distance, contact pressure, and working time. A standardized layer of cement (Provicol, VOCO; Cuxhaven, G; Ketac Cem, 3MEspe; Seefeld, G; or Rely X Unicem, 3MEspe, Seefeld, G) was placed onto the finishing line of the crowns luted onto titanium-abutment analogs.

Quantification of cooling effects on basic tissue measurements and exposed cross-sectional brain area of cadaver heads from market pigs.

The objective of this project was to determine the impact of cooling on the soft tissue thickness, cranial thickness, and cross-sectional brain area of cadaver heads from market pigs. Documenting the effect of cooling on tissue dimensions of swine heads is valuable and important for future investigations of physical stunning and euthanasia methods that use cadaver heads. Scalded and dehaired cadaver heads with intact jowls were sourced from market pigs stunned with CO gas.

Design of the Enzyme-Carrier Interface to Overcome the O and NADH Mass Transfer Limitations of an Immobilized Flavin Oxidase.

Understanding how the immobilization of enzymes on solid carriers affects their performance is paramount for the design of highly efficient heterogeneous biocatalysts. An efficient supply of substrates onto the solid phase is one of the main challenges to maximize the activity of the immobilized enzymes. Herein, we apply advanced single-particle analysis to decipher the optimal design of an immobilized NADH oxidase (NOX) whose activity depends both on O and NADH concentrations.

How Young German General Practitioners View and Use Complementary and Alternative Medicine: A Qualitative Study.

Background: Qualitative and quantitative surveys show that many German general practitioners (GPs) use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in their daily work. However, participants in such studies were mostly experienced GPs.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate systematically how young GPs view CAM and to what extent and how they use CAM treatments.

Cardiorespiratory fitness, sleep, and physiological responses to stress in women.

Epidemiological studies suggest that cardiorespiratory fitness (CRfitness) is associated with reduced risk of depression and anxiety in women, however, the mechanisms by which CRfitness may be protective against the development of these disorders are less clear. Because sleep problems are associated with both a higher risk for mental illness and altered physiological responses to stress, this study investigated whether sleep quality might influence the relationship between CRfitness and physiological stress responses in women. Thirty healthy women (18-45 y) who were medication-free, with regular menstrual cycles completed: (1) enrolment visit [including the assessment of CRfitness via maximal oxygen consumption during exercise]; (2) one-week sleep monitoring period including subjective (daily sleep diaries) and objective (wrist actigraphy) sleep measures; and (3) psychosocial stressor protocol (the Trier Social Stress Test; TSST) for the collection of heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), and salivary cortisol stress responses.

Sequencing of 231 forensic genetic markers using the MiSeq FGx™ forensic genomics system - an evaluation of the assay and software.

The MiSeq FGx™ Forensic Genomics System types 231 genetic markers in one multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. The markers include core forensic short tandem repeats (STRs) as well as identity, ancestry and phenotype informative short nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). In this work, the MiSeq FGx™ Forensic Genomics System was evaluated by analysing reproducibility, sensitivity, mixture identification and forensic phenotyping capabilities of the assay.

Finite element model development of a child pelvis with optimization-based material identification.

A finite element (FE) model of a 10-years-old child pelvis was developed and validated against experimental data from lateral impacts of pediatric pelves. The pelvic bone geometry was reconstructed from a set of computed tomography images, and a hexahedral mesh was generated using a new octree-based hexahedral meshing technique. Lateral impacts to the greater trochanter and iliac wing of the seated pelvis were simulated.

Pediatric material properties: a review of human child and animal surrogates.

Because pediatric tissue is difficult for researchers to obtain, the biomechanical responses of adult humans have been studied much more extensively than those of children. Piglets, chimpanzees, and other animals have been used as child surrogates, but the tissue properties and responses to impact forces obtained from these animals may not directly correlate with the human child, and this correlation is not well understood. Consequently, only a handful of human pediatric tissue properties are known.