Potentiated Electron Transference in alpha-Ag2WO4 Microcrystals with Ag Nanofilaments as Microbial Agent

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Speciation analysis of inorganic arsenic in river water by Amberlite IRA 910 resin immobilized in a polyacrylamide gel as a selective binding agent for As(v) in diffusive gradient thin film technique

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Effect of Ceramic Thickness and Shade on Mechanical Properties of a Resin Luting Agent

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the influence of ceramic thickness and shade on the Knoop hardness and dynamic elastic modulus of a dual-cured resin cement.Materials and Methods: Six ceramic shades (Bleaching, A1, A2, A3, A3.5, B3) and two ceramic thicknesses (1 mm, 3 mm) were evaluated. Disk specimens (diameter: 7 mm; thickness: 2 mm) of the resin cement were light cured under a ceramic block. Light-cured specimens without the ceramic block at distances of 1 and 3mm were also produced. The Knoop hardness number (KHN), density, and dynamic Young's moduli were determined. Statistical analysis was conducted using ANOVA and a Tukey B rank order test (p = 0.05).Results: The bleaching 1-mm-thick group exhibited significantly higher dynamic Young's modulus. Lower dynamic Young's moduli were observed for the 3-mm-thick ceramic groups compared to bleaching 3-mm-thick group, and no difference was found among the other 3-mm groups. For the KHN, when A3.5 3-mm-thick was used, the KHN was significantly lower than bleaching and A1 1-mm-thick ceramic; however, no difference was exhibited between the thicknesses of the same shade.Conclusions: The dual-cured resin cement studied irradiated through the 1-mm-thick ceramic with the lightest shade (bleaching ceramic) exhibited a better elastic modulus, and there was no effect in KHN of the resin cement when light cured under different ceramic shades and thicknesses (1 and 3 mm), except when the A3.5 3-mm-thick ceramic was used.Clinical Significance: Variolink II irradiated through ceramic with the lowest chroma exhibited the highest elastic modulus; therefore, the light activation method might not be the same for all clinical situations.

Palmistichus elaeisis (Delvare & LaSalle, 1993) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), possible agent for the biological control of Urbanus proteus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Osmotic dehydration of mango with ascorbic acid impregnation: influence of process variables

The present study investigated the osmotic dehydration (OD) of mangoes cv.Palmer, dehydrated in a sucrose solution with added ascorbic acid (AA), aiming toevaluate the influence of the process variables (sucrose concentration, AA concen-tration and time) on vitamin C, water, sugars and total phenolic compound (TPC)contents by way of an analysis of the effects and the variance of the factors. Thesucrose concentration did not affect the vitamin C content, but the AA concentra-tion in the solution and the process time exerted a positive influence on thisresponse. The addition of AA also presented a significant positive effect on theTPC contents because this vitamin interferes with the quantification of the TPC.On discounting the interferences, no losses of phenolic compounds were found.Impregnation with vitamin C during OD was shown to be effective in obtainingminimally processed mangoes with high nutritional value.

Protective effect of sodium ascorbate on odontoblast-like cells MDPC-23 exposed to a bleaching agent

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Niobium pentoxide as radiopacifying agent of calcium silicate-based material: evaluation of physicochemical and biological properties

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Characterization of aluminum hydroxide (Al(OH)(3)) for use as a porogenic agent in castable ceramics

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Improvement of water transport and carotenoid retention during drying of papaya by applying ultrasonic osmotic pretreatment

The effect of ultrasound and osmotic dehydration pretreatments on papaya drying kinetics was investigated. The ultrasound pretreatment was carried out in an ultrasonic bath at 30 A degrees C. The osmotic pretreatment in sucrose solution was carried out in an incubator at 34 A degrees C and agitation of 80 rpm for 210 min. The drying process was conducted in a fixed bed dryer at 70 A degrees C. Experimental data were fitted successfully using the Page model for dried fresh and pretreated fruits, with coefficient of determination greater than 0.9992 and average relative error lower that 14.4 %. The diffusional model was used to describe the moisture transfer, and the effective water diffusivity was identified in the order of 10(-9) m(2) s(-1). It was found that drying rates of osmosed fruits were the lowest due to the presence of infused solutes, while the ultrasound pretreatment contributed to faster drying rates. Evaluation of the dried fruit was performed by means of total carotenoids retention. Ultrasound treatments in distilled water prior to air-drying gave rise to dried papayas with retention of carotenoids in the range 30.4-39.8 % and the ultrasonic-assisted osmotic dehydration of papayas showed carotenoids retention values up to 64.9 %, whereas the dried fruit without pretreatment showed carotenoids retention lower than 24 %.

Effect of composite surface treatment and aging on the bond strength between a core build-up composite and a luting agent

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of conditioning methods and thermocycling on the bond strength between composite core and resin cement. Material and Methods: Eighty blocks (8x8x4 mm) were prepared with core build-up composite. The cementation surface was roughened with 120-grit carbide paper and the blocks were thermocycled (5,000 cycles, between 5 degrees C and 55 degrees C, with a 30 s dwell time in each bath). A layer of temporary luting agent was applied. After 24 h, the layer was removed, and the blocks were divided into five groups, according to surface treatment: (NT) No treatment (control); (SP) Grinding with 120-grit carbide paper; (AC) Etching with 37% phosphoric acid; (SC) Sandblasting with 30 mm SiO2 particles, silane application; (AO) Sandblasting with 50 mu m Al2O3 particles, silane application. Two composite blocks were cemented to each other (n=8) and sectioned into sticks. Half of the specimens from each block were immediately tested for microtensile bond strength (mu TBS), while the other half was subjected to storage for 6 months, thermocycling (12,000 cycles, between 5 degrees C and 55 degrees C, with a dwell time of 30 s in each bath) and mu TBS test in a mechanical testing machine. Bond strength data were analyzed by repeated measures two-way ANOVA and Tukey test (alpha=0.05). Results: The mu TBS was significantly affected by surface treatment (p=0.007) and thermocycling (p=0.000). Before aging, the SP group presented higher bond strength when compared to NT and AC groups, whereas all the other groups were statistically similar. After aging, all the groups were statistically similar. SP submitted to thermocycling showed lower bond strength than SP without thermocycling. Conclusion: Core composites should be roughened with a diamond bur before the luting process. Thermocycling tends to reduce the bond strength between composite and resin cement.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae: a novel and efficient biological control agent for Colletotrichum acutatum during pre-harvest

In this study, we evaluated the efficiency of six isolates of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in controlling Colletotrichum acutatum, the causal agent of postbloom fruit drop that occur in pre-harvest citrus. We analyzed the mechanisms of action involved in biological control such as: production of antifungal compounds, nutrient competition, detection of killer activity, and production of hydrolytic enzymes of the isolates of S. cerevisiae on C. acutatum and their efficiency in controlling postbloom fruit drop on detached citrus flowers. Our results showed that all six S. cerevisiae isolates produced antifungal compounds, competed for nutrients, inhibited pathogen germination, and produced killer activity and hydrolytic enzymes when in contact with the fungus wall. The isolates were able to control the disease when detached flowers were artificially inoculated, both preventively and curatively. In this work we identified a novel potential biological control agent for C acutatum during pre-harvest. This is the first report of yeast efficiency for the biocontrol of postbloom fruit drop, which represents an important contribution to the field of biocontrol of diseases affecting citrus populations worldwide. (C) 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Use of grass carp (ctenopharyngodon idella) as a biological control agent for submerged aquatic macrophytes

This study aimed to evaluate feed preference and control efficacy of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) on the aquatic macrophytes Ceratophyllum demersum, Egeria densa and Egeria najas. An experiment was carried out at mesocosms conditions with 2,000 liters capacity and water residence time of 2.8 days. C. demersum, E. densa e E. najas biomasses were offered individually with sixty g and coupled in similar quantities of 30 g of each species, evaluated during 81 days, envolving 6 treatments. (1 - C. demersum, 2 - E. najas, 3 - E. densa, 4 - C. demersum + E. najas, 5 - C. demersum + E. densa and 6 - E. najas + E. densa). When offered individually, E. najas and C. demersum presented the same predation rate by grass carp, which was higher than E. densa predation rate. When plants were tested in pairs, the order of feed preference was C. demersum > E. najas > E. densa. E. najas and C. demersum percentage control ranged from 73 to 83%. No relation between biomass consumption and grass carp body weight gain was observed, probably due to differences in nutritional quality among macrophyte species according to fish necessities. Therefore, it is concluded that the use of grass carp is one excellent technique to control submersed macrophytes in Brazil.

Diuretic and hipotensive activity of aqueous extract of parsley seeds (Petroselinum sativum Hoffm.) in rats

A espécie vegetal, Petroselinum sativum Hoff, conhecida como salsa, é amplamente utilizada na medicina popular brasileira como diurético. O objetivo desse estudo é verificar se o uso brasileiro do extrato aquoso da salsa tem efeitos semelhantes com investigações que mostram o efeito diurético da P. sativum em ratos. MÉTODOS: 19 Ratos foram anestesiados e canulamos a traquéia, artéria carótida esquerda (para a medição da pressão arterial) e bexiga urinária (para coletar urina). Depois de 40 minutos para adaptação das condições cirúrgicas, ratos anestesiados foram administrados de acordo com seus grupos: controle (CON), administração oral com 1.0 mL de água filtrada, e grupo tratado (AE), administração oral com extrato aquoso de sementes de salsa 20% (AE). Urina foi coletada três vezes (de 30 em 30 minutos) e então esse material foi utilizado para determinações de sódio e potássio, para avaliar a quantidade excretada desses íons. Pressão arterial foi medida pelo manômetro de mercúrio por 9 vezes. Todos os dados foram estatisticamente avaliados. RESULTADOS E CONCLUSÃO: nos parâmetros anestesiados, o grupo CON não mostrou nenhuma diferença; mas o grupo AE mostrou um aumento do fluxo urinário e da quantidade excretada de sódio e potássio, e também uma diminuição da pressão arterial. Todos os parâmetros apresentaram essas modificações após 30 minutos de administração do AE (p<0,05). Esses resultados mostram que o tratamento com o AE leva a efeitos natriurético e hipotensor em ratos Wistar anestesiados, confirmando o uso da população brasileira dessa erva como diurético.

Influence of the quantity of coloring agent in bleaching gels activated with LED/laser appliances on bleaching efficiency

The aim of this study was to assess the influence of the quantity of coloring agent on the bleaching efficiency of gels containing 35% H2O2. Sixty human third molars were sectioned mesiodistally, darkened in a coffee solution and sectioned in the occlusal-cervical direction, resulting in mesial (not bleached) and distal halves (bleached). They were distributed into three groups: Whiteness HP, Total Bleach, and Whiteform Perox Red Gel; and subdivided into four sub-groups: no coloring agent, manufacturer's standard, double the standard, and triple the standard. The gels were activated with light-ermitting diode/laser appliances. The images were analyzed with the Adobe Photoshop program (deltaEL*a*b*). The variation was submitted to the ANOVA test (two factors: type of gel and quantity of coloring agent) and Tukey test. Differences were observed for the quantity of coloring agent. The mean (+/-SD) was determined for each quantity of coloring used: no coloring agent -6.85 (+/-2.26)a, manufacturer's standard -794 (+/-2.55)ab, double the standard -8.65 (+/-2.47)b, triple the standard -9.05 (+/-2.72)b. In conclusion, the standard quantity of coloring agent did not provide significantly more intense bleaching than when it was completely absent. The use of double and triple the amount provided greater bleaching than that observed for the gel without coloring agent. No significant differences were observed between the tested gels.