Al-based anodic oxide films structure observation using field emission gun scanning electron microscopy

In the present work, the anodic oxide films of Al, Al-Cu 4.5% and Al-Si 6.5% alloys are formed using direct and pulse current. In the case of Al-Cu and Al-Si alloys, the electrolyte used contains sulfuric acid and oxalic acid, meanwhile for Al the electrolyte contains sulfuric acid only. Al-Cu alloy was submitted to a heat treatment in order to decrease the effect of inter metallic phase theta upon the anodic film structure. Fractured samples were observed using a field emission gun scanning electron microscope JSM-6330F at (LME)/Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS), Campinas, SP, Brazil. The oxide film images enable evaluation of the pore size and form with a resolution similar to the transmission electron microscope (TEM) resolution. It is also observed that the anodizing process using pulse current produces an irregular structure of pore walls, and by direct cur-rent it is produced a rectilinear pore wall. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Compósito reforçado com sisal para aplicação na moda

The objective of this research is the fabrication of a composite reinforced with dyed sisal fiber and polyester matrix for application in the fields such as, fashion, clothing, interior textiles; fashion accessories are some of the examples. For the fabrication of the composite, the sisal fibers were subjected to processes such as: chemical treatment with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) in the removal of impurities; bleaching for removing the yellowish color of the natural fiber and dyeing with direct dyes to confer the colors blue, green and orange. The search for new technologies ecologically correct has become a major concern in recent decades. Studies show that composite polymer reinforced by natural fibers is suitable for a large number of applications, and its use is advantageous in terms of economic and ecological. The dyed fibers were cut to a length of 30 mm, is used in the confection of webs. For this purpose, a web preparer by immersion, developed in the Laboratory of Chemical Textile of UFRN. The composite sheets measuring 300 x 300 x3 mm were molded by compression, with unsaturated orthophthalic polyester as matrix, and the samples in sizes 150 x 25 x 3 mm were cut with the aid of a laser machine, to be subjected to traction and flexion. The mechanical properties of traction and flexion in three points were performed in the Laboratory of metal and mechanical tests of Materials Engineering of UFRN. The resulting samples from the tests were evaluated in scanning electron microscope (SEM) at CTGas RN. On the basis of the analysis of the results from the mechanical tests, it was observed that the composite had good mechanical behavior, both in traction as in flexion. Furthermore, it was observed that in the water absorption test, the samples had a different percentage among themselves, this occurred due to the variation of density found in the fibre webs. The images of the SEM showed the failures from the manufacturing process and the adhesion of fibre/matrix. When the samples were prepared with the dyed fibers to be applied in fashion, the results were positive, and it can be concluded that the main objective of this work was achieved

Extração automática de contornos de telhados usando dados de varredura a laser e campos randômicos de Markov

This paper proposes a methodology for automatic extraction of building roof contours from a Digital Elevation Model (DEM), which is generated through the regularization of an available laser point cloud. The methodology is based on two steps. First, in order to detect high objects (buildings, trees etc.), the DEM is segmented through a recursive splitting technique and a Bayesian merging technique. The recursive splitting technique uses the quadtree structure for subdividing the DEM into homogeneous regions. In order to minimize the fragmentation, which is commonly observed in the results of the recursive splitting segmentation, a region merging technique based on the Bayesian framework is applied to the previously segmented data. The high object polygons are extracted by using vectorization and polygonization techniques. Second, the building roof contours are identified among all high objects extracted previously. Taking into account some roof properties and some feature measurements (e. g., area, rectangularity, and angles between principal axes of the roofs), an energy function was developed based on the Markov Random Field (MRF) model. The solution of this function is a polygon set corresponding to building roof contours and is found by using a minimization technique, like the Simulated Annealing (SA) algorithm. Experiments carried out with laser scanning DEM's showed that the methodology works properly, as it delivered roof contours with approximately 90% shape accuracy and no false positive was verified.

Uso de dados fotogramétricos no refinamento geométrico de contornos de telhados de edifícios extraídos de dados laser

In this paper, a methodology is proposed for the geometric refinement of laser scanning building roof contours using high-resolution aerial images and Markov Random Field (MRF) models. The proposed methodology takes for granted that the 3D description of each building roof reconstructed from the laser scanning data (i.e., a polyhedron) is topologically correct and that it is only necessary to improve its accuracy. Since roof ridges are accurately extracted from laser scanning data, our main objective is to use high-resolution aerial images to improve the accuracy of roof outlines. In order to meet this goal, the available roof contours are first projected onto the image-space. After that, the projected polygons and the straight lines extracted from the image are used to establish an MRF description, which is based on relations ( relative length, proximity, and orientation) between the two sets of straight lines. The energy function associated with the MRF is minimized by using a modified version of the brute force algorithm, resulting in the grouping of straight lines for each roof object. Finally, each grouping of straight lines is topologically reconstructed based on the topology of the corresponding laser scanning polygon projected onto the image-space. The preliminary results showed that the proposed methodology is promising, since most sides of the refined polygons are geometrically better than corresponding projected laser scanning straight lines.

The malate synthase of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis is a linked surface protein that behaves as an anchorless adhesin

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Low voltage and variable-pressure scanning electron microscopy of fractured composites

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

3-D reconstruction by extended depth-of-field in failure analysis - Case study I: Qualitative fractographic investigation of fractured bolts in a partial valve

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

An in vitro evaluation of apicoectomies and retropreparations using different methods

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

A scanning electron microscopy study of diseased root surfaces conditioned with EDTA gel plus Cetavlon after scaling and root planing

In the present investigation, a scanning electron microscopy analysis was performed to evaluate the effects of the topical application of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) gel associated with Cetavlon (EDTAC) in removing the smear layer and exposing collagen fibers following root surface instrumentation. Twenty-eight teeth from adult humans, single rooted and scheduled for extraction due to periodontal reasons, were selected. Each tooth was submitted to manual (scaling and root planing) instrumentation alone or combined with ultrasonic instruments, with or without etching using a 24% EDTAC gel. Following extraction, specimens were processed and examined under a scanning electron microscope. A comparative morphological semi-quantitative analysis was performed; the intensity of the smear layer and the decalcification of cementum and dentinal surfaces were graded in 12 sets using an arbitrary scale ranging from 1 (area covered by a smear layer) to 4 (no smear layer). Root debridement with hand instruments alone or combined with ultrasonic instruments resulted in a similar smear layer covering the root surfaces. The smear layer was successfully removed from the surfaces treated with EDTAC, which exhibited numerous exposed dentinal tubules and collagen fibers. This study supports the hypothesis that manual instrumentation alone or instrumentation combined with ultrasonic instrumentation is unable to remove the smear layer, whereas the subsequent topical application of EDTAC gel effectively removes the smear layer, uncovers dentinal openings and exposes collagen fibers.

Fatigue strength: effect of welding type and joint design executed in Ti-6Al-4V structures

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

In vitro antibacterial action of Tetraclean, MTAD and five experimental irrigation solutions

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Morphology and bacterial colonisation of tooth/ceramic restoration interface after different cement excess removal techniques

Objectives: To evaluate the influence of different protocols for resin cement removal during cementation on biofilm formation.Methods: Twenty-eight ceramic blocks, which were injected under pressure, were placed over enamel blocks obtained from freshly extracted bovine incisors. The ceramic blocks were cemented to the enamel blocks using a dual-cured resin cement and the excess resin was removed according to the experimental group: TS: Teflon spatula; BR: brush; BR+: brush and polishing; SB+: scalpel blade and polishing. After autoclaving, the samples were colonised by incubation in a sucrose broth suspension standardised with Streptococcus mutans in microaerophilic stove. Specimens were quantitatively analysed for bacterial adherence at the adhesive interface using confocal laser scanning microscopy and counting the colony forming units, and qualitatively analysed using SEM. The roughness (Ra/Rz/RSm) was also analysed. Data were analysed by 1-way ANOVA and Tukey's test (5%).Results: The roughness values ranged from 0.96 to 1.69 mu m for Ra (p > 0.05), from 11.59 to 22.80 mu m for Rz (p = 0.02 < 0.05) and from 293.2 to 534.3 mu m for RSm (p = 0.00). Bacterial adhesion varied between 1,974,000 and 2,814,000 CFU/ml (p = 0.00). Biofilm mean thickness ranged from 0.477 and 0.556 mu m (p > 0.05), whilst the biovolume values were between 0.388 and 0.547 mu m(3)/mu m(2) (p = 0.04). Lower values for roughness, bacterial adhesion, biofilm thickness and biovolume were found with BR, whilst TS presented the highest values for most of the parameters. SEM images confirmed the quantitative values.Conclusions: The restoration margin morphology and interface roughness affects bacterial accumulation. The brush technique promoted less bacterial colonisation at the adhesive interface than did the other removal methods.Clinical significance: The brush technique seems to be a good option for removing the excess resin cement after adhesive cementation in clinical practice, as indicated by its better results with lower bacterial colonisation. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The role of the Eu3+ ions in structure and photoluminescence properties of SrBi2Nb2O9 powders

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

OBSERVATIONS on ETCHED ENAMEL IN NON-ERUPTED DECIDUOUS MOLARS: A SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPIC STUDY

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

PRISMLESS ENAMEL IN HUMAN NON-ERUPTED DECIDUOUS MOLAR TEETH: A SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPIC STUDY

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)