Study of the Materials and Techniques of a Rare Papier-Mâché Mushroom Model Crafted in H. Arnoldi Factory.

The Natural History and Science Museum of the University of Porto houses a collection of 45 models of fungi in papier-mâché from the 19th-century, which were used at the university until 2015 as didactic models. For the first time, the materials and techniques used in the production of a model were studied (vernacular name: cep, porcini). These sculptures, made to life-size scale, are painted in colors similar to those of the represented species (white, brown, and light brown).

Protected Blend of Organic Acids and Essential Oils Improves Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility, and Intestinal Health of Broiler Chickens Undergoing an Intestinal Challenge.

The growing restriction of antibiotic growth promoters (AGP) use in farming animals has raised a concern regarding the viability of the animal production system. In this new context, feed additives with proven positive impact on intestinal health may be used as strategy to avoid losses on performance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a protected blend of organic acids and essential oils [P(OA+EO)] on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and intestinal health of broiler chickens.

A study on the removal of prednisone from aqueous solutions by adsorption onto a vegetal activated carbon.

This study evaluated the prednisone removal from aqueous solutions using adsorption by an activated carbon of vegetal origin (VAC). A central composite rotatable design (CCRD) and the response surface methodology (RSM) were used to verify the influence of the parameters: pH, adsorbent dose and prednisone concentration in a batch adsorption process. Among the analyzed parameters, only the adsorbent dose and the prednisone concentration were statistically significant (α = 0.

Effect of auditory-motor training on auditory processing of school children.

Objective: To compare performance in Avaliação Simplificada do Processamento Auditivo Central and Scale of Auditory Behaviors scores before and after auditory and motor training.

Methods: Sample comprising 162 children aged 9 to 11 years and attending public schools in the city of São Paulo (SP), Brazil; 122 out of 162 children were allocated to one of three experimental groups: Multisensory; Auditory/Motor and Motor/Auditory. Experimental groups were submitted to 8 hours of auditory, visuospatial and motor stimulation over the course of 8 weeks.

Influence of Surface Roughness on the Fatigue Life of Nickel-Titanium Rotary Endodontic Instruments.

Introduction: The goal of the present study was to evaluate the influence of surface grooves (peaks and valleys) resulting from machining during the manufacturing process of polished and unpolished nickel-titanium BR4C endodontic files on the fatigue life of the instruments.

Methods: Ten electropolished and 10 unpolished endodontic files were provided by the manufacturer. Specimens were from the same batch, but the unpolished instruments were removed from the production line before surface treatment.

Influence of the geometry of curved artificial canals on the fracture of rotary nickel-titanium instruments subjected to cyclic fatigue tests.

Introduction: This study evaluated the influence of different features of canal curvature geometry on the number of cycles to fracture of a rotary nickel-titanium endodontic instrument subjected to a cyclic fatigue test.

Methods: BioRaCe BR4C instruments (FKG Dentaire, La Chaux-de Fonds, Switzerland) were tested in 4 grooves simulating curved metallic artificial canals, each one measuring 1.5 mm in width, 20 mm in total length, and 3.

Fatigue Life of Reciproc and Mtwo instruments subjected to static and dynamic tests.

Introduction: This study evaluated the influence of flexibility and reciprocating movement on the fatigue life of endodontic instruments subjected to static and dynamic tests.

Methods: The rotary nickel-titanium instruments used in this study were Reciproc and Mtwo. The instruments were initially subjected to a cantilever-bending test and then to static and dynamic fatigue tests.

Use of chitosan scaffolds for repairing rat sciatic nerve defects.

Neurotmesis must be surgically treated by direct end-to-end suture of the two nerve stumps or by a nerve graft harvested from elsewhere in the body in case of tissue loss. To avoid secondary damage due to harvesting of the nerve graft, a tube-guide can be used to bridge the nerve gap. Previously, our group developed and tested hybrid chitosan membranes for peripheral nerve tubulization and showed that freeze-dried chitosan type III membranes were particularly effective for improving peripheral nerve functional recovery after axonotmesis.

Effects of collagen membranes enriched with in vitro-differentiated N1E-115 cells on rat sciatic nerve regeneration after end-to-end repair.

Peripheral nerves possess the capacity of self-regeneration after traumatic injury but the extent of regeneration is often poor and may benefit from exogenous factors that enhance growth. The use of cellular systems is a rational approach for delivering neurotrophic factors at the nerve lesion site, and in the present study we investigated the effects of enwrapping the site of end-to-end rat sciatic nerve repair with an equine type III collagen membrane enriched or not with N1E-115 pre-differentiated neural cells. After neurotmesis, the sciatic nerve was repaired by end-to-end suture (End-to-End group), end-to-end suture enwrapped with an equine collagen type III membrane (End-to-EndMemb group); and end-to-end suture enwrapped with an equine collagen type III membrane previously covered with neural cells pre-differentiated in vitro from N1E-115 cells (End-to-EndMembCell group).

[Newborn hearing screening program: association between hearing loss and risk factors].

Background: Hearing loss in newborns.

Aim: To verify the prevalence of auditory alterations in newborns of Hospital São Paulo (hospital), observing if there are any correlations with the following variables: birth weight, gestational age, relation weight/gestational age and risk factors for hearing loss.

Method: A retrospective analysis of the hospital records of 1696 newborns; 648 records of preterm infants and 1048 records of infants born at term.

The physical characterization of a thermoplastic polymer for endodontic obturation.

Objective: To analyze a new endodontic sealer material commercially known as Resilon and to describe in detail the experimental techniques employed that lead to the identification of the composite material.

Methods: An extensive structural, thermal, and physical characterization was used to identify a new endodontic sealer material using the following techniques: Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis, X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) technique, X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurement, thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) and a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). The surface morphology was analyzed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM).