Nuclear Engineering Institute

Abstract. Spectral aerosol light absorption is an important parameter for the assessment of the radiation budget of the atmosphere. Although on-line measurement techniques for aerosol light absorption, such as the Aethalometer and the Particle Soot Absorption Photometer (PSAP), have been available for two decades, they are limited in accuracy and spectral resolution because of the need to deposit the aerosol on a filter substrate before measurement. Recently, a 7-wavelength (λ) Aethalometer became commercially available, which covers the visible (VIS) to near-infrared (NIR) spectral range (λ=450–950 nm), and laboratory calibration studies improved the degree of confidence in these measurement techniques. However, the applicability of the laboratory calibration factors to ambient conditions has not been investigated thoroughly yet. As part of the LBA-SMOCC (Large scale Biosphere atmosphere experiment in Amazonia – SMOke aerosols, Clouds, rainfall and Climate) campaign from September to November 2002 in the Amazon basin we performed an extensive field calibration of a 1-λ PSAP and a 7-λ Aethalometer utilizing a photoacoustic spectrometer (PAS, 532 nm) as reference device. Especially during the dry period of the campaign, the aerosol population was dominated by pyrogenic emissions. The most pronounced artifact of integrating-plate type attenuation techniques (e.g. Aethalometer, PSAP) is due to multiple scattering effects within the filter matrix. For the PSAP, we essentially confirmed the laboratory calibration factor by Bond et al. (1999). On the other hand, for the Aethalometer we found a multiple scattering enhancement of 5.23 (or 4.55, if corrected for aerosol scattering), which is significantly larger than the factors previously reported (~2) for laboratory calibrations. While the exact reason for this discrepancy is unknown, the available data from the present and previous studies suggest aerosol mixing (internal versus external) as a likely cause. For Amazonian aerosol, we found no absorption enhancement due to hygroscopic particle growth in the relative humidity (RH) range between 40% and 80%. However, a substantial bias in PSAP sensitivity that correlated with both RH and temperature (T) was observed for 20%<RH<30% and 24°C<T<26°C, respectively. In addition, both PSAP and Aethalometer demonstrated no sensitivity to gaseous adsorption. Although very similar in measurement principle, the PSAP and Aethalometer require markedly different correction factors, which is probably due to the different filter media used. Although on-site calibration of the PSAP and Aethalometer is advisable for best data quality, we recommend a set of "best practice" correction factors for ambient sampling based on the data from the present and previous studies. For this study, the estimated accuracies of the absorption coefficients determined by the PAS, PSAP and Aethalometer were 10, 15 and 20% (95% confidence level), respectively.

This volume is a substantial contribution to the literature on fatigue, providing a wealth of information on the fatigue properties of many engineering alloys, and a comprehensive review of the existing literature in most areas of fatigue damage and crack propagation; nonetheless, this reviewer found it to be a disappointing book as there is very scant coverage of several areas of current interest and importance to engineers and metallurgists involved in fatigue studies or in design methods to obviate fatigue failure.In particular, the authors do not provide a satisfactory coverage of the important matter of elevated temperature fatigue and lifetime prediction where> creep deformation also becomes important, thermal ratchetting phenomena are not discussed, nor is an adequate review of low-cycle fatigue presented.These topics are of considerable importance at the present time, particularly as they relate to nuclear power plants, and this fact is illustrated by the number of recent conferences devoted to them and by the number of such papers appearing in the current literature on fatigue.These criticisms apart, the authors have provided a most useful compendium of information relating to more conventional fatigue properties and test methods which will serve as a good reference source for many workers.The authors have chosen to present their book in an essentially classical format, dealing in turn with crack initiation, fatigue strength of plain specimens, effect of notches on fatigue strength, and fatigue crack growth, followed by an extensive chapter entitled "Notes on Various Other Aspects of Fatigue," and a number of Appendixes dealing with elementary concepts.While this order does indeed help the reader to trace the historical development of the understanding of metal fatigue, as the writers indicate to be their intention in their Introduction, it may be that it has also contributed to the relative neglect of the topics of more recent interest and activity as mentioned above.It is to be hoped that, when preparing a revised edition of this work in due course, the authors will expand its already extensive coverage to make it a truly up-to-date reference book for the whole subject of metal fatigue.

Context: The increased use of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures that involve radiation raises concerns about radiation effects, particularly in children and the radiosensitive thyroid gland. Objectives: Evaluation of relative risk (RR) trends for thyroid radiation doses <0.2 gray (Gy); evidence of a threshold dose; and possible modifiers of the dose-response, e.g., sex, age at exposure, time since exposure. Design and Setting: Pooled data from nine cohort studies of childhood external radiation exposure and thyroid cancer with individualized dose estimates, ≥1000 irradiated subjects or ≥10 thyroid cancer cases, with data limited to individuals receiving doses <0.2 Gy. Participants: Cohorts included the following: childhood cancer survivors (n = 2); children treated for benign diseases (n = 6); and children who survived the atomic bombings in Japan (n = 1). There were 252 cases and 2,588,559 person-years in irradiated individuals and 142 cases and 1,865,957 person-years in nonirradiated individuals. Intervention: There were no interventions. Main Outcome Measure: Incident thyroid cancers. Results: For both <0.2 and <0.1 Gy, RRs increased with thyroid dose (P < 0.01), without significant departure from linearity (P = 0.77 and P = 0.66, respectively). Estimates of threshold dose ranged from 0.0 to 0.03 Gy, with an upper 95% confidence bound of 0.04 Gy. The increasing dose-response trend persisted >45 years after exposure, was greater at younger age at exposure and younger attained age, and was similar by sex and number of treatments. Conclusions: Our analyses reaffirmed linearity of the dose response as the most plausible relationship for "as low as reasonably achievable" assessments for pediatric low-dose radiation-associated thyroid cancer risk.

A brief overview is given of the main types and principles of solid-state proton conductors with perovskite structure. Their properties are summarized in terms of the defect chemistry, proton transport and chemical stability. A good understanding of these subjects allows the manufacturing of compounds with the desired electrical properties, for application in renewable and sustainable energy devices. A few trends and highlights of the scientific advances are given for some classes of protonic conductors. Recent results and future prospect about these compounds are also evaluated. The high proton conductivity of barium cerate and zirconate based electrolytes lately reported in the literature has taken these compounds to a highlight position among the most studied conductor ceramic materials.

Risk projection methods allow for timely assessment of the potential magnitude of radiation-related cancer risks following low-dose radiation exposures. The estimation of such risks directly through observational studies would generally require infeasibly large studies and long-term follow-up to achieve reasonable statistical power. We developed an online radiation risk assessment tool (RadRAT) which can be used to estimate the lifetime risk of radiation-related cancer with uncertainty intervals following a user-specified exposure history (https://irep.nci.nih.gov/radrat). The uncertainty intervals constitute a key component of the program because of the various assumptions that are involved in such calculations. The risk models used in RadRAT are broadly based on those developed by the BEIR VII committee for estimating lifetime risk following low-dose radiation exposure of the US population for eleven site-specific cancers. We developed new risk models for seven additional cancer sites, oral, oesophagus, gallbladder, pancreas, rectum, kidney and brain/central nervous system (CNS) cancers, using data from Japanese atomic bomb survivors. The lifetime risk estimates are slightly higher for RadRAT than for BEIR VII across all exposure ages mostly because the weighting of the excess relative risk and excess absolute risk models was conducted on an arithmetic rather than a logarithmic scale. The calculator can be used to estimate lifetime cancer risk from both uniform and non-uniform doses that are acute or chronic. It is most appropriate for low-LET radiation doses < 1 Gy, and for individuals with life-expectancy and cancer rates similar to the general population in the US.

BACKGROUND: Thyroid cancer incidence has risen steadily over the last few decades in most of the developed world, but information on incidence trends in developing countries is limited. Sao Paulo, Brazil, has one of the highest rates of thyroid cancer worldwide, higher than in the United States. We examined thyroid cancer incidence patterns using data from the Sao Paulo Cancer Registry (SPCR) in Brazil and the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance Epidemiology End Results (SEER) program in the United States. METHODS: Data on thyroid cancer cases diagnosed during 1997-2008 were obtained from SPCR (n=15,892) and SEER (n=42,717). Age-adjusted and age-specific rates were calculated by sex and histology and temporal patterns were compared between the two populations. RESULTS: Overall incidence rates increased over time in both populations and were higher in Sao Paulo than in the United States among females (SPCR/SEER incidence rate ratio [IRR]=1.65) and males (IRR=1.23). Papillary was the most common histology in both populations, followed by follicular and medullary carcinomas. Incidence rates by histology were consistently higher in Sao Paulo than in the United States, with the greatest differences for follicular (IRR=2.44) and medullary (IRR=3.29) carcinomas among females. The overall female/male IRR was higher in Sao Paulo (IRR=4.17) than in SEER (IRR=3.10) and did not change over time. Papillary rates rose over time more rapidly in Sao Paulo (annual percentage change=10.3% among females and 9.6% among males) than in the United States (6.9% and 5.7%, respectively). Regardless of sex, rates rose faster among younger people (<50 years) in Sao Paulo, but among older people (≥50 years) in the United States. The papillary to follicular carcinoma ratio rose from <3 to >8 among both Sao Paulo males and females, in contrast to increases from 9 to 12 and from 6 to 7 among U.S.males and females, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Increased diagnostic activity may be contributing to the notable rise in incidence, mainly for papillary type, in both populations, but it is not likely to be the only reason. Differences in iodine nutrition status between Sao Paulo and the U.S. SEER population might have affected the observed incidence patterns.

BACKGROUND: Although ionizing radiation is an established environmental risk factor for thyroid cancer, the effect of chemotherapy drugs on thyroid cancer risk remains unclear. We evaluated the chemotherapy-related risk of thyroid cancer in childhood cancer survivors and the possible joint effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. METHODS: The study included 12,547 five-year survivors of childhood cancer diagnosed during 1970 through 1986. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy information was obtained from medical records, and radiation dose was estimated to the thyroid gland. Cumulative incidence and relative risks were calculated with life-table methods and Poisson regression. Chemotherapy-related risks were evaluated separately by categories of radiation dose. RESULTS: Histologically confirmed thyroid cancer occurred in 119 patients. Thirty years after the first childhood cancer treatment, the cumulative incidence of thyroid cancer was 1.3% (95% CI, 1.0-1.6) for females and 0.6% (0.4-0.8) for males. Among patients with thyroid radiation doses of 20 Gy or less, treatment with alkylating agents was associated with a significant 2.4-fold increased risk of thyroid cancer (95% CI, 1.3-4.5; P = 0.002). Chemotherapy risks decreased as radiation dose increased, with a significant decrease for patients treated with alkylating agents (P(trend) = 0.03). No chemotherapy-related risk was evident for thyroid radiation doses more than 20 Gy. CONCLUSIONS: Treatments with alkylating agents increased thyroid cancer risk, but only in the radiation dose range less than 20 Gy, in which cell sparing likely predominates over cell killing. IMPACT: Our study adds to the evidence for chemotherapy agent-specific increased risks of thyroid cancer, which to date, were mainly thought to be related to prior radiotherapy.

Abstract The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of glycerol contents on physical properties of cassava starch films. The films were prepared from film‐forming solutions (FFS) with 2g cassava starch/100g water and 0, 15, 30 and 45g glycerol/100g starch, and were analysed to determine its mechanical properties by tensile tests, the glass‐transition temperature (Tg) by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and the crystallinity by X‐ray diffraction (XRD). The infrared spectra of the films were also recorded. The resistance values of the films decreased, while those of the elasticity increased with an increase in glycerol concentration due to the plasticizer effect of glycerol, which was also observed in DSC curves. The Tg of the films prepared decreased with the glycerol content. However, for samples with 30 and 45g glycerol/100g starch, two Tg curves were observed, probably due to a phase separation phenomenon. According to the XRD diffractograms, the films with 0 and 15gglycerol/100g starch presented an amorphous character, but some tendency to show crystalline peaks were observed for films with 30 and 45g glycerol/100g starch. The results obtained with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) corroborated these observations. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Analysis of fuel emissions is crucial for understanding the pathogenesis of mortality because of air pollution. The objective of this study is to assess cardiovascular and inflammatory toxicity of diesel and biodiesel particles. Mice were exposed to fuels for 1 h. Heart rate (HR), heart rate variability, and blood pressure were obtained before exposure, as well as 30 and 60 min after exposure. After 24 h, bronchoalveolar lavage, blood, and bone marrow were collected to evaluate inflammation. B100 decreased the following emission parameters: mass, black carbon, metals, CO, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and volatile organic compounds compared with B50 and diesel; root mean square of successive differences in the heart beat interval increased with diesel (p < 0.05) compared with control; low frequency increased with diesel (p < 0.01) and B100 (p < 0.05) compared with control; HR increased with B100 (p < 0.05) compared with control; mean corpuscular volume increased with B100 compared with diesel (p < 0.01), B50, and control (p < 0.001); mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration decreased with B100 compared with B50 (p < 0.001) and control (p < 0.05); leucocytes increased with B50 compared with diesel (p < 0.05); platelets increased with B100 compared with diesel and control (p < 0.05); reticulocytes increased with B50 compared with diesel, control (p < 0.01), and B100 (p < 0.05); metamyelocytes increased with B50 and B100 compared with diesel (p < 0.05); neutrophils increased with diesel and B50 compared with control (p < 0.05); and macrophages increased with diesel (p < 0.01), B50, and B100 (p < 0.05) compared with control. Biodiesel was more toxic than diesel because it promoted cardiovascular alterations as well as pulmonary and systemic inflammation.

Childhood cancer five-year survival now exceeds 70-80%. Childhood exposure to radiation is a known thyroid carcinogen; however, data are limited for the evaluation of radiation dose-response at high doses, modifiers of the dose-response relationship and joint effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. To address these issues, we pooled two cohort and two nested case-control studies of childhood cancer survivors including 16,757 patients, with 187 developing primary thyroid cancer. Relative risks (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for thyroid cancer by treatment with alkylating agents, anthracyclines or bleomycin were 3.25 (0.9-14.9), 4.5 (1.4-17.8) and 3.2 (0.8-10.4), respectively, in patients without radiotherapy, and declined with greater radiation dose (RR trends, P = 0.02, 0.12 and 0.01, respectively). Radiation dose-related RRs increased approximately linearly for <10 Gy, leveled off at 10-15-fold for 10-30 Gy and then declined, but remained elevated for doses >50 Gy. The fitted RR at 10 Gy was 13.7 (95% CI: 8.0-24.0). Dose-related excess RRs increased with decreasing age at exposure (P < 0.01), but did not vary with attained age or time-since-exposure, remaining elevated 25+ years after exposure. Gender and number of treatments did not modify radiation effects. Thyroid cancer risks remained elevated many decades following radiotherapy, highlighting the need for continued follow up of childhood cancer survivors.

Stochastic dual dynamic programming (SDDP) is one of the few methods available to solve multipurpose-multireservoir operation problems in a stochastic environment. This algorithm requires that the one-stage optimization problem be a convex program so that the efficient Benders decomposition scheme can be implemented to handle the large state-space that characterizes multireservoir operation problems. When working with hydropower systems, one usually assumes that the production of hydroelectricity is dominated by the release term and not by the head (storage) term to circumvent the nonlinearity of the hydropower production function. Although this approximation is satisfactory for high head power stations for which the difference between the maximum and the minimum head is small compared to the maximum head, it may no longer be acceptable when a significant portion of the energy originates from low and/or medium head power plants. Recent developments improve the representation of the nonlinear hydropower function through a convex hull approximation of the true hydropower function. A network of hydropower plants and irrigated areas in the Nile Basin is used to illustrate the difference between the two SDDP formulations on the energy generation and the allocation decisions.

Water resources development projects often involve multiple and conflicting objectives as well as stochastic hydrologic inputs. Multiobjective optimization techniques can be used to identify noninferior solutions and to construct a trade‐off relationship between conflicting objectives. This paper presents a methodology for analyzing trade‐offs and risks associated with large‐scale water resource projects under hydrologic uncertainty. The proposed methodology relies on the stochastic dual dynamic programming (SDDP) model to derive monthly or weekly operating rules for multipurpose multireservoir systems taking into account the stochasticity of the inflows, irrigation water withdrawals, minimum/maximum flow requirements for navigation, fishing, and/or for ecological purposes. In SDDP, release decisions are chosen so as to minimize the operating costs of a hydrothermal electrical system. Irrigation water demands and other operating constraints are imposed on the system through the SDDP model. The proposed methodology is illustrated with the Southeastern Anatolia Development project, commonly called GAP, in Turkey. The GAP is a multidimensional development project involving primarily the production of hydroelectricity and irrigation. Simulation results using 50 hydrologic scenarios show that the complete development of the irrigation projects would reduce the total energy output by 6.5% and will increase the risk of not meeting minimum outflow at the Syrian border from 5% to 25%.

Abstract An indirect boundary‐method formulation to obtain the three‐dimensional response of an infinitely long canyon of uniform but arbitrary cross‐section cut in a layered viscoelastic half‐space is presented. Seismic excitation in the form of plane elastic waves acting at an arbitrary angle with respect to the axis of the canyon is considered. Numerical results for SH‐, SV‐ and P‐wave excitation of a circular canyon and of a canyon with a topography similar to that in the vicinity of Pacoima Dam are discussed in some detail.

BACKGROUND: Recent advances in nanotechnology have offered new hope for cancer detection, prevention, and treatment. Nanomedicine, a term for the application of nanotechnology in medical and health fields, uses nanoparticles for several applications such as imaging, diagnostic, targeted cancer therapy, drug and gene delivery, tissue engineering, and theranostics. RESULTS: Here, we overview the current state-of-the-art of radiolabeled nanoparticles for molecular imaging and radionuclide therapy. Nanostructured radiopharmaceuticals of technetium-99m, copper-64, lutetium-177, and radium-223 are discussed within the scope of this review article. CONCLUSION: Nanoradiopharmaceuticals may lead to better development of theranostics inspired by ingenious delivery and imaging systems. Cancer nano-theranostics have the potential to lead the way to more specific and individualized cancer treatment.

Abstract Understanding nanoparticle root uptake and root-to-shoot transport might contribute to the use of nanotechnology in plant nutrition. This study performed time resolved experiments to probe Zn uptake, biotransformation and physiological effects on Phaseolus vulgaris (L.). Plants roots were exposed to ZnO nanoparticles (40 and 300 nm) dispersions and ZnSO 4(aq) (100 and 1000 mg Zn L −1 ) for 48 h. Near edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy showed that 40 nm ZnO was more easily dissolved by roots than 300 nm ZnO. It also showed that in the leaves Zn was found as a mixture Zn 3 (PO 4 ) 2 and Zn-histidine complex. X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy showed that root-to-shoot Zn-translocation presented a decreasing gradient of concentration and velocity, it seems radial Zn movement occurs simultaneously to the axial xylem transport. Below 100 mg Zn L −1 , the lower stem tissue section served as a buffer preventing Zn from reaching the leaves. Conversely, it was not observed for 1000 mg Zn L −1 ZnSO 4(aq) . Transcriptional analysis of genes encoding metal carriers indicated higher expression levels of tonoplast-localized transporters, suggesting that the mechanism trend to accumulate Zn in the lower tissues may be associated with an enhanced of Zn compartmentalization in vacuoles. The photosynthetic rate, transpiration, and water conductance were impaired by treatments.

Abstract. As part of the Large Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia – Smoke, Aerosols, Clouds, Rainfall and Climate (LBA-SMOCC) campaign, detailed surface and airborne aerosol measurements were performed over the Amazon Basin during the dry to wet season from 16 September to 14 November 2002. Optical and physical properties of aerosols at the surface, and in the boundary layer (BL) and free troposphere (FT) during the dry season are discussed in this article. Carbon monoxide (CO) is used as a tracer for biomass burning emissions. At the surface, good correlation among the light scattering coefficient (σs at 545 nm), PM2.5, and CO indicates that biomass burning is the main source of aerosols. Accumulation of haze during some of the large-scale biomass burning events led to high PM2.5 (225 μg m−3), σs (1435 Mm−1), aerosol optical depth at 500 nm (3.0), and CO (3000 ppb). A few rainy episodes reduced the PM2.5, number concentration (CN) and CO concentration by two orders of magnitude. The correlation analysis between σs and aerosol optical thickness shows that most of the optically active aerosols are confined to a layer with a scale height of 1617 m during the burning season. This is confirmed by aircraft profiles. The average mass scattering and absorption efficiencies (545 nm) for small particles (diameter Dp&lt;1.5 μm) at surface level are found to be 5.0 and 0.33 m2 g−1, respectively, when relating the aerosol optical properties to PM2.5 aerosols. The observed mean single scattering albedo (ωo at 545 nm) for submicron aerosols at the surface is 0.92±0.02. The light scattering by particles (Δσs/Δ CN) increase 2–10 times from the surface to the FT, most probably due to the combined affects of coagulation and condensation.

ABSTRACT In this work, the effect of glycerol on the physical properties of edible films were identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), infrared (FTIR) and microwave spectroscopy. According to XRD diffractograms, films with 0 and 15% glycerol displayed an amorphous character, and a tendency to semicrystallization, for films with 30% and 45% glycerol. From DSC thermograms, the glass transition (Tg) of the films decreased with glycerol content. However, two Tgs were observed for samples with 30% and 45% glycerol, due to a phase separation. The intensity and positions of the peaks in FTIR fingerprint region presented slight variations due to new interactions arising between glycerol and biopolymer. Microwave measurements were sensitive to moisture content in the films, due to hydrophilic nature of the glycerol. The effect of plasticizer plays, then, an important rule on the physical and functional properties of these films, for applications in food technology. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Edible and/or biodegradable films are thin materials used mainly in food recovering, food packaging and other applications, in substitution of the films obtained by synthetic ways. In view of these applications, these films must satisfy some of the exigencies in order to increase the food shelf-life, or in other words, they must be flexible, transparent, resistant to some gases such as oxygen, as well as resistant to water vapor. The addition of plasticizers alters the functional properties of the films. Thus, the physical characterization of these films becomes fundamental in order to increase their potential use in industry.

// Sofia Nascimento dos Santos 1 , Helen Sheldon 2 , Jonathas Xavier Pereira 3 , Christopher Paluch 4 , Esther M Bridges 2 , M&aacute;rcia Curry El-Cheikh 5 , Adrian L Harris 2 and Emerson Soares Bernardes 1 1 Radiopharmacy Department, Nuclear Energy Research Institute, S&atilde;o Paulo, Brazil 2 Department of Medical Oncology, Molecular Oncology Laboratories, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK 3 Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 4 T-cell Biology Group, Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK 5 Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Correspondence to: Emerson Soares Bernardes, email: ebernardes@ipen.br Keywords: angiogenesis, cancer, galectin-3, Jagged-1, Notch Received: March 09, 2016&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Accepted: April 25, 2017&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Published: May 09, 2017 ABSTRACT Angiogenesis is a coordinated process tightly regulated by the balance between Delta-like-4 (DLL4) and Jagged-1 (JAG1) in endothelial cells. Here we show that galectin-3 (gal-3), a glycan-binding protein secreted by cancer cells under hypoxic conditions, triggers sprouting angiogenesis, assisted by hypoxic changes in the glycosylation status of endothelial cells that enhance binding to gal-3. Galectin-3&rsquo;s proangiogenic functions were found to be predominantly dependent on the Notch ligand JAG1. Differential direct binding to JAG1 was shown by surface plasmon resonance assay. Upon binding to Notch ligands, gal-3 preferentially increased JAG1 protein half-life over DLL4 and preferentially activated JAG1/Notch-1 signaling in endothelial cells. JAG1 overexpression in Lewis lung carcinoma cells accelerated tumor growth in vivo , but this effect was prevented in Lgals3 &minus;/&minus; mice. Our findings establish gal-3 as a molecular regulator of the JAG1/Notch-1 signaling pathway and have direct implications for the development of strategies aimed at controlling tumor angiogenesis.

AIM: To evaluate, using a novel micro-CT approach, the solubility and dimensional changes of an MTA-based sealer inside the root canal system after a solubility challenge. The MTA-based material (MTA Fillapex) was compared to a gold standard epoxy-based endodontic sealer (AH Plus). METHODOLOGY: Ten human mandibular premolars with a single canal were divided randomly into two groups (n = 5) according to the sealer used. The canals were instrumented using the Reciproc System (VDW) with a R40 file and filled with R40 gutta-percha cones and one of the sealers. The filled canals were immediately scanned in a micro-CT, and after that, the teeth were immersed in 20 mL phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) at 37 °C for 7 days, when they were removed and rescanned. Final image stacks were registered against the initial stacks and the numerical difference between the initial and final volume of the filling material was obtained. Calculations were performed to identify dimensional changes of the filling material. All image stacks were 3D rendered to disclose areas of dislocation of the filling material inside or outside the root canal. The Shapiro-Wilk's test revealed that data were normally distributed; thus, the Student's t-test was used to detect statistically significant changes, assuming a 5% α-error. RESULTS: No significant changes were seen for the percentage volume of material lost after the solubility challenge for both AH Plus and MTA Fillapex groups (1.44% and 1.16%, respectively). A significant difference was, however, found for the volume of filling material which revealed dimensional changes after the solubility test (6.68% for MTA Fillapex and 1.09% for AH Plus). In fact, observation of 3D models disclosed that MTA Fillapex was associated with material extrusion through the foramen in all but one sample. In AH Plus filled samples, no material extrusion was detected. CONCLUSIONS: Although the solubility of both sealers was similar using this novel micro-CT approach, MTA Fillapex was associated with significant dimensional changes related to material extrusion through the apex after PBS storage compared to AH Plus.

See also the editorial by Lee in this issue.