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(1) Background: In this study, the efficacy of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) in detecting dental posts was compared to periapical radiography. (2) Methods: A retrospective evaluation of 53 patients’ periapical radiographs and CBCT images was performed. The presence and type of the intra-canal dental post were initially determined on the periapical images (PA) radiographs’ examination and were then compared to the observer’s ability to detect the dental post on a CBCT image. The effect of the post’s type (metal cast or prefabricated) on its detection on CBCT images was determined. (3) Results: 10.5% of teeth that were identified as having a post on a PA radiograph were not identified as having a post on the CBCT examination (p < 0.05). Approximately 17.6% of teeth that were identified as not having a post on a PA radiograph were identified as having a post on the CBCT examination (p < 0.05). Moreover, 16.3% and 50% of teeth with a prefabricated or cast posts on PA radiographs were falsely identified on the CBCT examination, respectively (p < 0.05). (4) Conclusions: A CBCT image is an insufficient tool for the identification of metal prefabricated and cast posts. A PA image is the recommended radiographic tool for achieving information about the post-endodontic restoration status of teeth candidates for endodontic retreatment in patients with a former CBCT scan.

This study evaluated the bone incorporation process of a screw-shaped internal fixation device made of poly (L-lactide-co-D, L-lactide) (PLDLLA). Thirty-two male Wistar rats received 32 fixation devices (2 mm × 6 mm) randomly assigned to either the right or left tibia and one implant in each animal. After 7, 14, 28, and 42 days, the rats were euthanized and the specimens were subjected to microtomographic computed tomography (microCT) and histomorphometric analyses to evaluate bone interface contact (BIC%) and new bone formation (NBF%) in cortical and cancellous bone areas. The animals euthanized on days 28 and 42 were treated with calcein and alizarin red, and confocal LASER microscopy was performed to determine the mineral apposition rate (MAR). Micro-CT revealed a higher percentage of bone volume (p < 0.006), trabecular separation (p < 0.001), and BIC in the cortical (p < 0.001) and cancellous (p = 0.003) areas at 28 and 42 days than at 7 and 14 days. The cortical NBF at 42 days was greater than that at 7 and 14 days (p = 0.022). No statistically significant differences were observed in cancellous NBF or MAR at 28 and 42 days. Based on these results, it can be seen that the PLDLLA internal fixation device is biocompatible and allows new bone formation around the screw thread.

Computational thinking (CT) skills are critical for the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, thus drawing increasing attention in STEM education. More curricula and assessments, however, are needed to cultivate and measure CT for different learning goals. Maker activities have the potential to improve student CT, but more validated assessments are needed for maker activities. We developed a set of activities for students to improve and assess essential CT skills by creating real-life applications using Arduino, a microcontroller often used in maker activities. We examined the psychometric features of CT performance assessments with rubrics and the effectiveness of the maker activities on improving CT. Two high school physics teachers implemented these Arduino activities and assessments with fifteen high school students during three days in a summer program. The participating students took an internal content-involved and an external CT tests before and after participating in the program. The students also took the performance-based CT assessment at the end of the program. The data provide reliability and validity evidence of the Arduino assessment as a tool to measure CT. The pre- and post-test comparison indicates that students significantly improved their scores on the content-involved assessment aligned with the Arduino activities, but not on the content-free CT assessment. It shows that Arduino, or some equipment similar, can be used to improve students' CT skills and the Arduino maker activities can be used as performance assessments to measure students' engineering involving CT skills.

Regardless of their gradations, all varieties of asphalts pavement mixtures are smooth and impermeable, which reduces the safety of cars in different weather situations. Comfort and safety on the roads during various weather conditions are directly influenced by surface layer characteristics. Porous asphalt has quick surface drainage, eliminates splashing, and improves safety. Additionally, because water drains into the asphalt mixture's pores, the desired level of friction between the tire and the pavement will be guaranteed. This necessitates the production of permeable asphalt pavement mixtures for roads and highways that can handle heavy traffic loads. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the enhancement of stability and mechanical properties in porous mixtures by substituting conventional limestone filler with Polyethylene Terephthalate Waste Plastic (PET) powder. Simultaneously, the study aims to mitigate environmental pollution by utilizing PET materials, which take decades to decompose naturally. The PET used in the study was melted at 260 0C and then powdered using 7000, 18000, and 28000 rpm grinders to obtain filler that passed sieve no. 200. The ASTM D7064-based evaluation of the mixture's optimum asphalt content takes into account essential factors, including drain down, percentage of air voids, and optionally, the results of the Cantabro abrasion test, which was calculated to be 4.75%, decreased to 4.5% when polyethylene terephthalate powder was utilized as filler in place of limestone. The optimum limestone filler percentage was 3.0% based on National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) gradation employed the same procedure in the optimum asphalt content evaluation. However, the results showed that the optimum amount when using PET powder reached 3.5%. The criteria used to investigate the newly proposed asphalt pavement mixture are the Marshall method, Drain down of binder, Cantabro loss test, and permeability of porous mixture. This research reveals that adding PET as an alternative filler to limestone reduces permeability, Drain Down, and Cantabro by 22.64%, 29.27%, and 16.33% respectively while increasing the stability by more than 15.5%. It is still promising that the permeability of the mixture stays within the desirable limit for comfort and safe driving. Filler replacement was tied to performance testing and was demonstrated to raise the deformation strength in the KIM test more than twice from 1.54 MPa to 3.63 MPa by employing a specialized head and Marshall loading machine as an alternative method to the wheel tracking test for evaluating rutting in the mixture. The index of retained stability by aging the samples in water bath at 25 °C from one to four days increased from 8.66 MPa by 33.1% to reach 12.57 MPa where filler replaced, and the indirect tensile strength based on ASTM D4867raised by 29.08% from 0.578 to 0.735 MPa for conditions samples and raised from 0.681 to 0.879 MPa to raise the unconditioned samples by 12.9%. It is also worth noting that the use of PET as a waste material has significant environmental benefits.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) constitute the second most prevalent bacterial infections in the elderly demographic. The treatment landscape involves various antibiotics targeting the causative organisms; nevertheless, the emergence of resistance significantly impacts therapeutic effectiveness. Presently, a fixed-dose pharmaceutical combination is advocated to optimize patient outcomes by mitigating the risks of bacterial resistance and associated side effects. Ofloxacin (OFL) and cefpodoxime proxetil (CPD) combinations, co-administered with flavoxate hydrochloride (FLV), have demonstrated efficacy in UTI cases, offering relief from concomitant symptoms. In the pharmaceutical market, fixed-dose combinations have gained prominence, driven by advantages such as enhanced patient medication adherence and compliance. In the realm of analytical chemistry, the integration of green practices in the initial phases of method development is exemplified by the Greenness by Design (GbD) strategy. While univariate spectroscopic methods are conventionally considered suboptimal compared to chemometric techniques for resolving intricate mixtures, GbD approach, when applied to UV spectroscopy, enable univariate methods to attain comparable or superior outcomes. GbD adopts a systematic approach to optimize experimental conditions, minimizing environmental impact and maximizing analytical performance. Critical to GbD applications in UV spectroscopy is solvent selection, influencing spectral resolution and measurement sensitivity. GbD employs a combination of in-vitro and in-silico experiments to evaluate solute-solvent interactions with underlying photochemical quantum phenomena affecting the resulting spectral morphology, identifying an optimal compromise solvent with high resolution and minimal ecological impact. Consequently, it facilitates the efficient resolution of spectral overlapping and determination of complex mixtures in UV spectroscopy using univariate methods. Comparative analysis with chemometric techniques, acknowledged as potent spectral resolving methods, demonstrated that GbD-based univariate methods performed equivalently. The methodology was validated according to ICH recommendations, establishing a linear quantitation range (2–30 μg/mL) and a limit of detection (0.355–0.414 μg/mL) for the three drugs in human plasma. The greenness of the developed methodology was affirmed through the AGREE assessment protocol, confirming its environmentally conscious attributes.

Today, in the great majority of buildings in Morocco, the exterior envelope is not insulated and is therefore not performant from a thermal point of view. This data article describes and analyses a dataset of ratios (cost by square meter that we elaborated for the estimation of the cost of buildings at an early phase of construction. The ratios also allow to take into consideration the generated cost caused by the integration of insulation materials.Based on the primary data that were collected by the economic observatory of the provincial delegation of the Ministry of Urbanism, Habitat, Territory and City Policy, we performed our analysis to come up with our own secondary data which are the ratios of the cost (DH/m2). We focused on four elements of the building envelope namely: the external walls, the windows, the roof, and the floor. The ratios are of a great significance for construction economists and architects allowing them to make cost trade-off between different technical solutions throughout the stages of the building thus, potentially leading to a life cycle cost optimization

The microbial analysis of fish is critical for ensuring overall health. Uncooked fish can serve as a conduit for transmitting several types of microbes; the current investigation sought to assess the bacterial levels in various kinds of fish from Nasser Lake, Aswan, Egypt, considered the chief source of potable water in Egypt. Two hundred and fifty fish samples, including 50 of each Oreochromis niloticus, Sander lucioperca, Lates niloticus, Clarias gariepinus, and Mormyrus kannume, from Nasser Lake, Aswan, Egypt, were collected to detect the bacterial load, isolation, and identification of Aeromonas hydrophila, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Vibrio parahaemolyticus and their virulence genes. The findings revealed that Oreochromis niloticus and Clarias gariepinus exhibited higher bacterial loads than other fish species. Incidences of bacterial contamination among examined fishes were 28.8%, 20.4%, and 16% for Aeromonas hydrophila, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Vibrio parahaemolyticus, respectively. Additionally, PCR analysis detected the presence of aerA (60%) and Act (40%) genes in A. hydrophila, rpoB (70%) and LasB (30%) genes in P. aeruginosa, and ToxR (70%) and tdh (50%) genes in V. parahaemolyticus. The study suggested that the bacterial contamination levels in Oreochromis niloticus and Clarias gariepinus could be notably more significant than in other species that could potentially be harmful to the consumers, especially considering the identification of particular bacteria known to cause foodborne illnesses. Further recommendations emphasized that regular monitoring and assessments are required to preserve their quality.

Summary: Background: Smoking cigarettes produces carbon monoxide (CO), which can reduce the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood. We aimed to determine whether elevated expiratory CO levels would be associated with a worse prognosis in smokers presenting with acute cardiac events. Methods: From 7 to 22 April 2021, expiratory CO levels were measured in a prospective registry including all consecutive patients admitted for acute cardiac event in 39 centres throughout France. The primary outcome was 1-year all-cause death. Initial in-hospital major adverse cardiac events (MAE; death, resuscitated cardiac arrest and cardiogenic shock) were also analysed. The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05063097). Findings: Among 1379 patients (63 ± 15 years, 70% men), 368 (27%) were active smokers. Expiratory CO levels were significantly raised in active smokers compared to non-smokers. A CO level >11 parts per million (ppm) found in 94 (25.5%) smokers was associated with a significant increase in death (14.9% for CO > 11 ppm vs. 2.9% for CO ≤ 11 ppm; p 11 ppm was associated with a significant increase in MAE in smokers during initial hospitalisation after adjustment for comorbidities (odds ratio [OR] 15.75, 95% CI [5.56–44.60]) or parameters of in-hospital severity (OR 10.67, 95% CI [4.06–28.04]). In the overall population, CO > 11 ppm but not smoking was associated with an increased rate of all-cause death (HR 4.03, 95% CI [2.33–6.98] and 1.66 [0.96–2.85] respectively). Interpretation: Elevated CO level is independently associated with a 6-fold increase in 1-year death and 10-fold in-hospital MAE in smokers hospitalized for acute cardiac events. Funding: Grant from Fondation Coeur & Recherche.