Taking spontaneous plants as a natural strategy for vegetation restoration in construction and demolition waste landfills: a case study in Suzhou, China.

Construction and demolition waste (CDW) landfills around the city have caused serious damage to the ecological environment and menaced the public health. Restoration of closed CDW landfills is critical to compensate for the degraded ecosystem and ensure safety in further development and utilization. Vegetation restoration is an essential part of the restoration of CDW landfills, in which the use of spontaneous plants is the foundation of the nature-based strategy. In this study, Fenghuangshan CDW landfill in Suzhou, China, was selected as the research site, and the species composition and diversity of the spontaneous plants were analyzed. Moreover, the types of habitats and growth indexes of 8 species with high frequency and 18 species with medium frequency in the CDW landfill were investigated, and a comprehensive evaluation of growth rate and expansion capacity of the 26 species was conducted. The results showed that, herbs were the main type of the spontaneous plants in the CDW landfill. The species and quantities of the spontaneous plants in the CDW landfill were obviously fewer than those in the surrounding areas of the CDW landfill, and the Shannon-Wiener index and Pielou index of the spontaneous plants were lower compared with the surrounding areas of the CDW landfill. Meanwhile, the differences of dominant families and the distribution of origins, life forms and growth types between these two fields were insignificant. The heliophilous and drought tolerance species were widely distributed in the CDW landfill while the shade-tolerant or hygrophilous species were few. The relatively large comprehensive evaluation indexes of Elymus dahuricus, Daucus carota, Sonchus asper, Geranium carolinianum, Rumex acetosa, Metaplexis japonica, Carex breviculmis, Erigeron canadensis, Trigonotis peduncularis, Lamium amplexicaule reflected their high growth rates and strong expansion capacity, demonstrating their great potentiality in the vegetation restoration of CDW landfills as indispensable components of the nature-based solution.

The Correlation between Mandibular Arch Shape and Vertical Skeletal Pattern.

Background and Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between the mandibular arch shape and the vertical skeletal pattern in growing patients. Materials and Methods: A total of 73 Caucasian patients (33 males and 40 females; mean age 9.4) were retrospectively enrolled from a pool of patients treated in chronological order at the Department of Orthodontics, University of Foggia, Italy, from April 2018 to December 2021. Each patient received a laterolateral radiograph and a digital scan of the dental arch. Eight cephalometric parameters (lower gonial angle, intermaxillary angle, divergence angle, Wits index, Jarabak ratio, OP-MP angle, PP-OP angle, and ANB) and five dental measurements (posterior mandibular arch width, anterior mandibular arch width, mandibular occlusal angle, posterior width on distobuccal molar cusps, and molar angle) were analyzed and then compared. A Spearman's rho correlation test between the cephalometric measurements and the dental measurements was performed. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: A negative statistically significant correlation was found between the Jarabak ratio and the intermolar angle; a statistically significant correlation was also observed between the Wits index, the posterior mandibular width, and the occlusal mandibular angle; the ANB angle and the occlusal mandibular angle; the intermaxillary angle (PP-PM) and the mandibular occlusal angle, posterior mandibular width on the disto-vestibular cusp, and the intermolar angle; and the OP-MP angle and mandibular occlusal angle and the posterior mandibular width on the disto-vestibular cusp. Conclusions: The mandibular arch form may be related to certain predisposing features in craniofacial morphology, such as jaw divergence, the Jarabak ratio, and the intermaxillary angle.

Association between Taql polymorphism of vitamin D receptor gene and vertical growth of the mandible: A cross-sectional study.

Objective: To determine whether the gonial angle on digital panoramic radiographs is associated with vitamin D receptor (VDR) Taql polymorphism. Methods: Genomic DNA samples were collected from the buccal mucosa of patients aged 26-43 years. TaqMan assay for single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping was used to detect the genotype of Taql polymorphism. The gonial angle was measured bilaterally on panoramic radiography. The normal gonial angle was fixed as 121.8°, and it represented the cutoff value for the high gonial angle (HGA) and low gonial angle (LGA) groups. Various genetic models were analyzed, namely dominant (homozygous [AA] vs. heterozygous [AG] + polymorphic [GG]), recessive (AA + AG vs. GG), and additive (AA + GG vs. AG), using the chi-squared test. Results: The reliability of the gonial angle measurement was analyzed using a random sample (26%) of the tests, with the intra-examiner correlation showing an intra-class correlation coefficient of 0.99. The frequencies of the AA, AG, and GG genotypes of rs731236 polymorphism were 40.5%, 41.9%, and 17.6% in the HGA group and 21.8%, 51.0%, and 27.2% in the LGA group, respectively (P = 0.042). A statistically significant difference was observed in the allele frequencies between the two groups (P = 0.011). Moreover, a significant correlation was observed in the dominant genetic model. Conclusions: Taql polymorphism in the VDR gene plays a critical role in the vertical growth of the mandible and decreased gonial angle.

Deep learning for the classification of cervical maturation degree and pubertal growth spurts: A pilot study.

Objective: This study aimed to present and evaluate a new deep learning model for determining cervical vertebral maturation (CVM) degree and growth spurts by analyzing lateral cephalometric radiographs. Methods: The study sample included 890 cephalograms. The images were classified into six cervical stages independently by two orthodontists. The images were also categorized into three degrees on the basis of the growth spurt: pre-pubertal, growth spurt, and post-pubertal. Subsequently, the samples were fed to a transfer learning model implemented using the Python programming language and PyTorch library. In the last step, the test set of cephalograms was randomly coded and provided to two new orthodontists in order to compare their diagnosis to the artificial intelligence (AI) model's performance using weighted kappa and Cohen's kappa statistical analyses. Results: The model's validation and test accuracy for the six-class CVM diagnosis were 62.63% and 61.62%, respectively. Moreover, the model's validation and test accuracy for the three-class classification were 75.76% and 82.83%, respectively. Furthermore, substantial agreements were observed between the two orthodontists as well as one of them and the AI model. Conclusions: The newly developed AI model had reasonable accuracy in detecting the CVM stage and high reliability in detecting the pubertal stage. However, its accuracy was still less than that of human observers. With further improvements in data quality, this model should be able to provide practical assistance to practicing dentists in the future.

Evaluation of an automated superimposition method based on multiple landmarks for growing patients.

OBJECTIVES: To determine if an automated superimposition method using six landmarks (Sella, Nasion, Porion, Orbitale, Basion, and Pterygoid) would be more suitable than the traditional Sella-Nasion (SN) method to evaluate growth changes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Serial lateral cephalograms at an average interval of 2.7 years were taken on 268 growing children who had not undergone orthodontic treatment. The T1 and T2 lateral images were manually traced. Three different superimposition methods: Björk's structural method, conventional SN, and the multiple landmark (ML) superimposition methods were applied. Bjork's structural method was used as the gold standard. Comparisons among the superimposition methods were carried out by measuring the linear distances between Anterior Nasal Spine, point A, point B, and Pogonion using each superimposition method. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to identify factors that could affect the accuracy of the superimpositions. RESULTS: The ML superimposition method demonstrated smaller differences from Björk's method than the conventional SN method did. Greater differences among the cephalometric landmarks tested resulted when: the designated point was farther from the cranial base, the T1 age was older, and the more time elapsed between T1 and T2. CONCLUSIONS: From the results of this study in growing patients, the ML superimposition method seems to be more similar to Björk's structural method than the SN superimposition method. A major advantage of the ML method is likely to be that it can be applied automatically and may be just as reliable as manual superimposition methods.

Highly Porous Fluorapatite/ß-1,3-Glucan Composite for Bone Tissue Regeneration: Characterization and In-Vitro Assessment of Biomedical Potential.

A novel fluorapatite/glucan composite ("FAP/glucan") was developed for the treatment of bone defects. Due to the presence of polysaccharide polymer (ß-1,3-glucan), the composite is highly flexible and thus very convenient for surgery. Its physicochemical and microstructural properties were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), mercury intrusion, mechanical testing and compared with the reference material, which was a hydroxyapatite/glucan composite ("HAP/glucan") with hydroxyapatite granules (HAP) instead of FAP. It was found that FAP/glucan has a higher density and lower porosity than the reference material. The correlation between the Young's modulus and the compressive strength between the materials is different in a dry and wet state. Bioactivity assessment showed a lower ability to form apatite and lower uptake of apatite-forming ions from the simulated body fluid by FAP/glucan material in comparison to the reference material. Moreover, FAP/glucan was determined to be of optimal fluoride release capacity for osteoblasts growth requirements. The results of cell culture experiments showed that fluoride-containing biomaterial was non-toxic, enhanced the synthesis of osteocalcin and stimulated the adhesion of osteogenic cells.

Fetal Growth in Multiple Gestations: Evaluation and Management.

Multifetal gestation pregnancies present a clinical challenge due to unique complications including growth issues, prematurity, maternal risk, and pathologic processes, such as selective intrauterine growth restriction (sIUGR), twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), and twin anemia-polycythemia sequence. If sIUGR is found, then management may involve some combination of increased surveillance, fetal procedures, and/or delivery. The combination of sIUGR with TTTS or other comorbidities increases the risk of pregnancy complications. Multifetal pregnancy reduction is an option when a problem is confined to a single fetus or when weighing the risks and benefits of a multifetal gestation in comparison to a singleton pregnancy.

Screening of hydrocephalus in infants using either WHO or population-based head circumference reference charts.

AIM: The aim was to compare the performances of the World Health Organization (WHO) and population-based (PB) references in the screening for hydrocephalus in infants aged <2 years. METHODS: We collected 341 longitudinal head circumference (HC) measurements of hydrocephalic infants and 120 181 measurements of 15 145 healthy infants from primary care. The measurements were converted into z-scores, and a new screening parameter, change in HC standard deviation score (SDS) over time (ΔHC SDS), was calculated. Comparisons were made using receiver operating characteristics analysis and linear mixed models. RESULTS: The mean HC SDSWHO was 3.5 and the mean HC SDSPB was 2.9 in the hydrocephalic infants, and in healthy children, those numbers were 1.0 SDSWHO and 0 SDSPB , respectively. The best screening accuracy was obtained with the PB reference in combination with the ΔHC SDS parameter (AUC 0.89). The accuracy of the WHO standard could be improved to a similar level by customising the screening cut-offs of HC SDS according to the population and combining screening parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Auxology alone was not sufficient for the screening of hydrocephalus. The WHO standard should be validated in the population, and population-specific cut-offs for normality defined before its introduction.

The Analysis of the Urban Sprawl Measurement System of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, Based on Deep Learning and Neural Network Algorithm.

In the context of rapid urbanization, the spread of cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt is intensifying, which has an impact on the green and sustainable development of these cities. It is necessary to establish an accurate urban sprawl measurement system. First, the regulation theory of urban sprawl is explained. According to the actual development situation of cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, smart growth theory is selected as the basic regulation method of urban sprawl. Second, the back propagation neural network (BPNN) algorithm under deep supervised learning is applied to construct a smart evaluation model of land use growth. Finally, based on the actual development of cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, the quantitative growth measurement method is selected to construct a measurement system of urban sprawl in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, and the empirical analysis is carried out. The training results show that the proposed BPNN smart growth evaluation model, based on deep supervised learning, has good evaluation accuracy, and the error is within the preset range. The analysis of the quantitative growth-based measurement system in the increase of urban construction land shows that the increase in urban construction land area of the Yangtze River Economic Belt from 2014 to 2019 was 78.67 km2. Meanwhile, the increases in urban construction land area in different years are different. The empirical results show that the population composition of the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the urban construction area between 2005 and 2019 show a trend of increasing annually; at the same time, urban sprawl development shows a staged characteristic. It is of great significance to apply deep learning fusion neural network algorithm in the construction of the urban sprawl measurement system, which provides a quantitative basis for the in-depth analysis and discussion of urban sprawl.

Evaluation of growth changes induced by functional appliances in children with Class II malocclusion: Superimposition of lateral cephalograms on stable structures.

OBJECTIVE: To compare short- and long-term dentoalveolar, skeletal, and rotational changes evaluated by Björk's structural method of superimposition between children with Class II malocclusion treated by functional appliances and untreated matched controls. METHODS: Seventy-nine prepubertal or pubertal children (mean age, 11.57 ± 1.40 years) with Class II malocclusion were included. Thirty-four children were treated using an activator with a high-pull headgear (Z-activator), while 28 were treated using an activator without a headgear (E-activator). Seventeen untreated children were included as controls. Lateral cephalograms were obtained before treatment (T1), after functional appliance treatment (T2), and after retention in the postpubertal phase (T3). Changes from T1 to T2 and T1 to T3 were compared between the treated groups and control group using multiple linear regression analysis. RESULTS: Relative to the findings in the control group at T2, the sagittal jaw relationship (subspinale-nasion- pogonion, p < 0.001), maxillary prognathism (sella-nasion-subspinale, p < 0.05), and condylar growth (p < 0.001) exhibited significant improvements in the Z- and E-activator groups, which also showed a significantly increased maxillary incisor retraction (p < 0.001) and decreased overjet (p < 0.001). Only the E-activator group exhibited significant backward rotation of the maxilla at T2 (p < 0.01). The improvements in the sagittal jaw relationship (p < 0.01) and dental relationship (p < 0.001) remained significant at T3. Condylar growth and jaw rotations were not significant at T3. CONCLUSIONS: Functional appliance treatment in children with Class II malocclusion can significantly improve the sagittal jaw relationship and dental relationships in the long term.

Next-Generation Microbial Workhorses: Comparative Genomic Analysis of Fast-Growing Vibrio Strains Reveals Their Biotechnological Potential.

Vibrio is a recognized fast-growing bacterial genus, which is considered to be attractive for the development of next-generation biotechnological workhorses. Here, three Vibrio strains FA1, FA2, and FA3, capable of growing rapidly in cost-effective media, are isolated and systematically evaluated. Genome sequencing and comparative genomic analyses are performed to reveal the underlying genetic differences between the strains and estimate their biotechnological potential. Studies of their phylogenetic tree, colinear visualization, and orthology uncover some difference in the gene content related to cell growth of the four Vibrio strains FA1, FA2, FA3, and ATCC 14048, which may explain growth superiority of the isolated strains. It is noted that there are more copies of several genes related to the DNA replication in the FA2 genome than in the other compared Vibrio strains. Furthermore, the genes responsible for amino synthesis are found, such as asD, within strains FA1 and FA2. Gene cluster cadABC, which relates to cell adaptation at acidic pH, only exists in strains FA1, FA2, and FA3. Finally, the wide spectra of substrates and genetic operability of these three isolated Vibrio strains are initially verified. This study provides excellent candidates for the development of next-generation fast-growing microbial workhorses, which may be very useful in synthetic biology.

Effect of body mass index percentile on skeletal maturation of cervical vertebrae and hand-wrist and dental maturation.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between age- and gender-specific body mass index (BMI) percentile and skeletal and dental maturation in Turkish adolescents.Materials and methods: A sample of 429 patients (171 males, 258 females aged between 7 and 17 years) was selected. Skeletal maturation was identified in the hand-wrist radiography by Björk, Grave and Brown (BGB), and the cervical vertebrae maturation (CVM) method defined by Hassel and Farman in lateral cephalometric radiography. Dental maturation was determined by the Demirjian method. BMI was calculated by reference curves used for Turkish children. A regression model was used for the relationship between BMI percentile and skeletal and dental maturation.Results: There was no significant correlation between BMI and skeletal maturation of cervical vertebrae and dental maturation. A one-percentile increase in BMI percentile accelerates the increase of period (likelihood of being post-pubertal period) to 1.016 times (p < .05). Skeletal maturation of hand-wrist and cervical vertebrae and dental maturation were more prominent in females compared to males (p < .05). Males and females were not statistically significantly different in BMI percentile (p = .52).Conclusions: BMI may be considered before deciding to estimate the skeletal and dental maturation in an individual by the relevant methods.

Distribution of Various Maxilla-Mandibular Positions and Cephalometric Comparison in Chinese Skeletal Class II Malocclusions.

AIM: To obtain the distribution of different maxilla-mandibular characteristics in Chinese skeletal class II mixed dentition patients and to compare the differences of cephalometric variables among different maxilla-mandibular types. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 310 skeletal class II patients in mixed dentition. The patients were divided into 6 groups according to SNA and SNB angle of the cephalogram. A total of 38 cephalometric measurements were measured on their cephalograms. Differences among groups were tested by one-way analysis of variance. RESULTS: There were 34 (10.97%) patients in group I, 10 (3.23%) in group II, 4(1.29%) in group III, 69 (22.26%) in group IV, 133 (42.90%) in group V, and 60 (19.35%) in group VI. In all, 14.19% of the patients exhibited maxillary protrusion (MxP), and 62.26% exhibited mandibular retrusion (MnR) with either normal or retruded maxilla. Groups II and III were excluded for statistical comparison due to a limited sample size. Statistical differences were found in 25 cephalometric measurements among the other 4 groups. Patients with MnR (groups V and VI) exhibited bigger sella angle, gonial angle, Frankfort mandibular plane angle, and smaller mandibular body length and ramus height than patients without MnR (p value < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The most common etiology forming skeletal class II malocclusion in Chinese children was MnR, which was mainly caused by the small size and hyperdivergent growth direction of mandible. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The study presents various cephalometric characteristics of Chinese skeletal class II malocclusions. The results indicated that for the early orthodontic treatment of Chinese class II children with mixed dentition, orthodontists might emphasize more importance to mandibular length augmentation and growth direction change in mandible.

Longitudinal Quantitation of Tooth Displacement in Chinese Adolescents with Normal Occlusion.

This longitudinal study aims to analyze the different modes of the maxillary and mandibular tooth displacement in subjects, who were aged 12.5-17.5 years (150-210 months), with untreated normal (Class I) occlusion. Longitudinal lateral cephalograms for a set of 10 subjects (7 females and 3 males) at consecutive annual time points were selected and monitored. Data were analyzed on the basis of the superimpositions of serial tracings of lateral cephalograms on stable anterior cranial base, the anatomies of the maxillary and mandibular structures. The horizontal and vertical displacements of the first molar and incisor were assessed by t-test. The local and the secondary tooth displacements with growth contributed to the total horizontal and vertical displacements of the molars and incisors of the subjects. In the total tooth displacement, the horizontal growth of maxilla and mandible had the same contribution as the local tooth displacements. The vertical maxillary growth played a smaller role than the local drift, and mandibular remodeling went in a reverse direction with the local tooth drift. The first molars moved more forward than the incisors in the upper and lower arches. Both the upper and lower first molars showed forward tipping. The analysis of tooth displacement may be utilized in making orthodontic treatment plan, including anchorage or torque control.

Evaluation of growth status using endocrine growth indices, insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I and IGF-binding protein-1b, in out-migrating juvenile chum salmon.

This study aimed to utilize circulating insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP)-1b as a negative index of growth to evaluate the growth status of juvenile chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) in the ocean. First, rearing experiments using PIT-tagged juveniles were conducted to examine the relationship of circulating IGFBP-1b with growth rate of the fish in May and in June. The serum IGFBP-1b level negatively correlated with fish growth rate in both months, suggesting its utility as a negative index of growth. Next, the growth status of out-migrating juveniles in northeastern Hokkaido, Japan, was monitored for 3 years using the growth indices. Serum levels of IGF-I, a positive index of growth, in fish collected from the nearshore zone were low in May and high in June of all years. Levels of serum IGFBP-1b showed a trend opposite to that of serum IGF-I. However, the IGF-I/IGFBP-1b molar ratios well reflected the seasonal and regional trends. These findings suggest that the juveniles in June left the nearshore area under better growth conditions. The present study also suggests that the use of multiple growth indices would improve the sensitivity and accuracy to evaluate the current growth status of out-migrating juvenile chum salmon.

Mandible protraction alters Type I collagen, osteocalcin and osteonectin gene expression in adult mice condyle.

Mandible condyle remodeling is a great challenge on craniofacial growth studies. The great majority of the reports deals with growing period. However, there is a great necessity to clarify the importance of functional stimulation on adult mandible condyle remodeling. By using an adult mouse model, we investigated the influence of mandible forwarding on condyle remodeling and gene expression by bone forming cells. Tomographic and scintigraphic evaluations showed sagittal growth and cell activity enhancement. RT-PCR showed that Type I collagen, osteocalcin and osteonectin expression level can be altered. We showed that functional stimulation is necessary to maintain the regular gene expression by condyle bone forming cells in adult mice. It opens new frame for further investigations aiming new clinical approaches to temporomandibular joint problems treatment, as well as mandible retrusion treatment.

Comparison of condylar displacement between three biotypological facial groups by using mounted models and a mandibular position indicator.

OBJECTIVE: Facial-type-associated variations in diagnostic features have several implications in orthodontics. For example, in hyperdivergent craniofacial types, growth imbalances are compensated by displacement of the condyle. When diagnosis and treatment planning involves centric relation (CR), detailed knowledge of the condylar position is desirable. The present study aimed to measure condylar displacement (CD) between CR and maximum intercuspation in three facial types of an asymptomatic orthodontic population. METHODS: The study was conducted in 108 patients classified into three groups of 36 individuals each (27 women and 9 men; mean age, 20.5 years), based on the following facial patterns: hyperdivergent, hypodivergent, and intermediate. To quantify CD along the horizontal and vertical axes, the condylar position was analyzed using mounted casts on a semi-adjustable articulator and a mandibular position indicator. The Student t-test was used to compare CD between the groups. RESULTS: Vertical displacement was found to be significantly different between the hyperdivergent and hypodivergent groups (p < 0.0002) and between the hyperdivergent and intermediate groups (p < 0.0006). The differences in horizontal displacement were not significant between the groups. In each group, vertical CD was more evident than horizontal displacement was. CONCLUSIONS: All facial types, especially the hyperdivergent type, carried a significantly high risk of CD. Therefore, the possibility of CD should be carefully evaluated and considered in the assessment of all orthodontic cases in order to accurately assess jaw relationships and avoid possible misdiagnosis.