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Opioids, such as morphine and fentanyl, are widely used as effective analgesics for the treatment of acute and chronic pain. In addition, the opioid system has a key role in the rewarding effects of morphine, ethanol, cocaine and various other drugs. Although opioid sensitivity is well known to vary widely among individual subjects, several candidate genetic polymorphisms reported so far are not sufficient for fully understanding the wide range of interindividual differences in human opioid sensitivity. By conducting a multistage genome-wide association study (GWAS) in healthy subjects, we found that genetic polymorphisms within a linkage disequilibrium block that spans 2q33.3–2q34 were strongly associated with the requirements for postoperative opioid analgesics after painful cosmetic surgery. The C allele of the best candidate single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), rs2952768, was associated with more analgesic requirements, and consistent results were obtained in patients who underwent abdominal surgery. In addition, carriers of the C allele in this SNP exhibited less vulnerability to severe drug dependence in patients with methamphetamine dependence, alcohol dependence, and eating disorders and a lower ‘Reward Dependence’ score on a personality questionnaire in healthy subjects. Furthermore, the C/C genotype of this SNP was significantly associated with the elevated expression of a neighboring gene, CREB1 . These results show that SNPs in this locus are the most potent genetic factors associated with human opioid sensitivity known to date, affecting both the efficacy of opioid analgesics and liability to severe substance dependence. Our findings provide valuable information for the personalized treatment of pain and drug dependence.

Momentum-resolved electron energy loss spectroscopy (qEELS) in the optical and x-ray region, 1 to 10 eV, yields dispersion relations (ω-q) of the observed excitations. The ω-q relations assists identification of spectral features qEELS spectra. Accurate calibration of energy dispersion in eV/pixel can be routinely obtained by several methods. However, reliable calibration of the momentum (q) dispersion at a camera length L = 10 to 100 m, that is used for valence qEELS, can be challenging. We report a method for in-situ calibration of q dispersion using the surface plasmon polariton (SPP) in a known material.

Ecologists have increasingly turned to history, including human history, to explain and manage modern ecosystems and landscapes. The imprint of past land use can persist even in seemingly pristine areas. Archaeology provides a long-term perspective on human actions and their environmental consequences that can contribute to conservation and restoration efforts. Case studies illustrate examples of the human history of seemingly pristine landscapes, forest loss and recovery, and the creation or maintenance of places that today are valued habitats. Finally, as archaeologists become more involved in research directed at contemporary environmental issues, they need to consider the potential uses and abuses of their findings in management and policy debates.

We are developing a public-license electron-microscope column referred to as NanoMi, whose electron optics is suspended inside a vacuum envelope based on ConFlat hardware, see Fig. 1. The design of individual components has been reported earlier. We are now developing software control, column alignment procedures and integration of the components. A significant part of the work has been done by undergraduate students in our laboratory. Parts of the software and modeling are available for download from GitHub and from Open Science Foundation sites and are released under a GPL v3 license. An initial version of the blueprints is now shared on case-by-case basis.

Bright field transmission electron microscope (BFTEM) images are often used to measure sample size in two dimensions (2D). Mass thickness (rt) maps of the sample along the electron beam direction, although measurable with a monolayer precision [1,2], are seldom obtained. To measure rt, a calibration sample is needed. We show that calibration can be obtained in-situ using multi wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs).

When a definitive aesthetic treatment is determined, it is crucial to grant the patient’s wish with the necessary dental treatment. Thus, conservative treatments that are the solution to aesthetic problems involving morphologic modifications and provide the result that the patient expects should always be the first therapeutic option. In this context, ceramic laminate veneers, also known as “contact lens,” are capable of providing an extremely faithful reproduction of the natural teeth with great color stability and periodontal biocompatibility. Minimal or no preparation veneers are heavily advertised as the answer to our patients’ cosmetic needs, which they can be if they are used correctly in the appropriate case. This report is about ultraconservative restorations to achieve functional and aesthetic rehabilitation through treatment planning. Thus, clinicians should be aware that the preparation for laminate veneers remains within enamel, to ensure the bond strength and avoid or minimize the occurrence of postoperative sensitivity.

We aimed to evaluate nutrient intake, performance and rumen fermentation of sheep fed cassava leaf silage (CLS). Sixteen growing Java thin-tailed male sheep (body weight (BW) 20.4 ± 1.9 kg) were fed one of the following dietary treatments: T0 (100 % forage); T1 (100 % chopped forage); T2 (80 % chopped forage + 20 % concentrate); and T3 (80 % chopped forage + 20 % CLS). Nutrient intake, production performance and rumen fermentation characteristics were measured. There was no significant effect on the consumption of dry matter, whereas there was a significant effect ( P  < 0.05) on the consumption of crude protein, fat, crude fibre and total digestible nutrients. Concentrate or CLS at a 20 % level could increase BW and feed efficiency. No significant difference was observed in total bacteria; however, concentrate could increase total protozoa ( P  < 0.05). Total volatile fatty acids were higher in T2 than in T3, but ammonia concentration was higher in T3 than in T2. In conclusion, feeding 20 % cassava leaf silage greatly improved sheep performance, approaching that achieved by feeding concentrate.

The chronology of the Inka Empire is poorly resolved, with most scholars utilizing a post hoc ethnohistoric reconstruction of imperial expansion as a common reference point. Radiocarbon-based analyses can now accomplish sufficient resolution for meaningful independent estimates of Inka chronology, however, and it is incumbent upon archaeologists to develop such appraisals. Here we produce a Bayesian analysis of radiocarbon data from the Upper Loa River area of northern Chile to estimate the timing of Inka incorporation of this region. In order to accurately associate samples with Inka rule, only radiocarbon dates from Inka sites without prior occupations are used (n = 34), producing a model for the onset of Inka rule of AD 1401–1437 (95% hpd) with a median date of AD 1420. This estimate is further used as a point of comparison for understanding diachronic imperial processes in the region. Site-level models of a variety of site types indicate that the Inka rapidly founded several administrative/mining bases at the onset, followed by the addition of smaller infrastructure components during a second pulse of activity near the middle of the 15th century. Date assemblages at the agricultural sites of Topaín and Paniri also indicate a decline in activity at the former and an increase in activity at the latter from early on in Inka rule. These results provide a high-resolution data point for reconstructing Inka imperial chronology, and expanding such studies will be essential to understanding processes of Inka imperialism at larger scales.

Background Mucoceles are benign lesions related to the minor salivary glands and their respective ducts frequently affecting oral structures which are generally asymptomatic. Mucoceles are generally characterized by swollen nodular lesions preferentially located on the lower lip and differ from the so-called ranulas, which are lesions located on the floor of the mouth and related to the sublingual or submandibular glands. Methods The objective of the present study was to analyze data such as age, gender, race and site of the lesion of 173 mucocele cases diagnosed at the Discipline of Stomatology, São José dos Campos Dental School, UNESP, over a period of 24 years (April 1980 to February 2003). Results Of the 173 cases analyzed, 104 (60.12%) were females and 69 (39.88%) were males. Age ranged from 4 to 70 years (mean ± SD: 17 ± 9.53) and most patients were in the second decade of life (n = 86, 49.42%); white (n = 124, 71.68%). The lower lip was the site most frequently affected by the lesions (n = 135, 78.03%), whereas the lowest prevalence was observed for the soft palate, buccal mucosa, and lingual frenum. Conclusion In this study, mucoceles predominated in white female subjects in the second decade of life, with the lower lip being the most frequently affected site.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2013 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, August 4 – August 8, 2013.