No abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of different cleaning methods on the shear bond strength (SBS) of a 10-methacryloyloxydecyl dihydrogen phosphate (MDP)containing self-adhesive resin cement to zirconia after saliva contamination. Methods: Sixty zirconia specimens were randomly divided into four groups (n=15) according to treatment surface. Except for the control group, all samples were contaminated with saliva and were then rinsed with water-spray and air-dried. Subsequently, the specimens were either treated with a cleaning paste (CP), with argon plasma (AP), or did not undergo an additional cleaning process (WS). An MDP-containing self-adhesive resin cement was applied onto the ceramic surfaces. Specimens were stored in water (24 hours) followed by thermocycling (5°C to 55°C for 10.000 cycles). SBS tests were performed in a universal testing machine, and the results (MPa ± SD) were statistically analyzed using ANOVA and Bonferroni post-hoc test. Fractured surfaces were examined to identify the failure types using a stereomicroscopy and SEM. Results: The surface cleaning treatment (p<0.05) significantly affected the results. The highest SBS values were observed in the control group (12.16 ± 1.22 MPa) and were statistically comparable to values for the CP group (11.38 ± 1.65 MPa). The AP group (9.17 ± 1.06 MPa) showed significantly higher bond strength than the WS group (6.95 ± 1.20 MPa), but it showed significantly lower strength than the control and CP groups. Conclusions: The CP application was the most effective method in removing saliva contamination. The AP treatment could not restore the SBS to the same level as uncontaminated specimens.

No abstract

No abstract

Epiphytic richness is continuously declining due to forest fragmentation, logging, burning, agriculture, and livestock. The rate of species loss caused by habitat degradation and loss is more pronounced in Central and South America. Considering the extreme difficulty and time required to identify the more inconspicuous species, rapid diversity assessment methods need to be extrapolated throughout the world. This study correlated lichen growth forms and total epiphytic abundance across 119 forests located in Europe and Central-South America. A total of 54 papers were selected from specific databases focused on lichens. Additionally, data from several unpublished ecological studies were included. Linear regression models showed that epiphytic lichen abundance was highly and positively correlated with the number of growth forms at all geographical levels considered (i.e., Central-South American and European forests, and the combination of both). Thus, the use of growth forms may provide an alternative and complementary way to evaluate epiphytic diversity because most growth forms have cosmopolitan distribution and are easily recognizable.