Microcontrolled pyro-electric instrument for measuring X-ray intensity in mammography

A novel instrument for measurement of X-ray intensity from mammography consists of a sensitive pyro-electric detector, a high-sensitivity, low-noise current-to-voltage converter, a microcontroller and a digital display. The heart of this device, and what makes it unique is the pyro-electric detector, which measures radiation by converting heat from absorbed incident X-rays into an electric current. This current is then converted to a voltage and digitised. The detector consists of a ferro-electric crystal; two types were tested; lithium tantalate and lithium niobate. X-ray measurement in mammography is challenging because of its relatively low photon energy range, from 11 keV to 15 keV equivalent mean energy, corresponding to a peak tube potential from 22 to 36 kV. Consequently, energy fluence rate or intensity is low compared with that of common diagnostic X-ray. The instrument is capable of measuring intensities as low as 0.25 mWm -2 with precision greater than 99%. Not only was the instrument capable of performing in the clinical environment, with high background electromagnetic interference and vibration, but its performance was not degraded after being subjected to 140 roentgen (3.6 × 10 -2 C kg -2 air) as measured by piezo-electric (d 33) or pyro-electric coefficients. © IFMBE 2005.

Sharpening of periodontal instruments with different sharpening stones and its influence upon root debridement--scanning electronic microscopy assessment

The objective of this study was to evaluate, through scanning electronic microscopy, the effect of sharpening with different sharpening stones on the cutting angle of periodontal curettes (Gracey 5-6), and the influence on root surfaces after debridement and planing. The experimental model consisted of two different phases. In the first, the cutting angles of fifteen stainless steel Gracey 5-6 curettes were analyzed under a scanning electronic microscope after being sharpened with different types of stones. In the second phase, the root surfaces of 25 newly extracted teeth were evaluated with a scanning electronic microscope after being debrided with curettes sharpened with different stones. Analysis of the results showed that the synthetic stones (aluminum oxide and carborundum) are more abrasive and produce more irregular cutting angles, whereas Arkansas stones are less abrasive and produce smoother and more defined cutting angles. There was no significant statistical differences among the five groups tested with regard to the degree of irregularity of the root surfaces after instrumentation.

Effect of dentinal surface preparation on bond strength of self-etching adhesive systems

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of dentin surface treatments on the tensile bond strength (TBS) of the self-etching primer Clearfil SE Bond (CSE) and the one-step self-etching One-Up Bond F (OUB). The exposed flat dentin surfaces of twenty-four sound third molars were prepared with diamond bur at high-speed, carbide bur at low-speed or wet ground with #600 grit SiC paper. The adhesive systems were applied to the dentin surfaces and light-cured according to the manufacturers' instructions. A 6-mm high composite crown was incrementally built-up and each increment was light-cured for 40 seconds. After being stored in water (37°C/24 h), the samples were serially sectioned parallel to the long axis, forming beams (n = 20) with a cross-sectional area of approximately 0.8 mm 2. The specimens were tested in a Universal Testing Machine at 0.5 mm/min. The cross-sectional area was measured and the results (MPa) were analyzed by two-way ANOVA and Tukey Test (p < 0.05). Overall, the groups treated with CSE exhibited the highest TBS for all surface treatments. Dentin surfaces prepared with carbide bur at low speed reduced TBS in the CSE group; however, OUB was not affected by surface treatments. The effect of surface abrasive methods on TBS was material-dependent.

Metal-insulator transition in Nd1-xEuxNiO 3 compounds

Polycrystalline Nd1-xEuxNiO3 (0≤x≤0.5) compounds were synthesized in order to investigate the character of the metal-insulator (MI) phase transition in this series. Samples were prepared through the sol-gel route and subjected to heat treatments at ∼1000 °C under oxygen pressures as high as 80bar. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and neutron powder diffraction (NPD), electrical resistivity ρ(T), and magnetization M(T) measurements were performed on these compounds. The NPD and XRD results indicated that the samples crystallize in an orthorhombic distorted perovskite structure, space group Pbnm. The analysis of the structural parameters revealed a sudden and small expansion of ∼0.2% of the unit cell volume when electronic localization occurs. This expansion was attributed to a small increase of ∼0.003 of the average Ni-O distance and a simultaneous decrease of ∼-0.5° of the Ni-O-Ni superexchange angle. The ρ(T) measurements revealed a MI transition occurring at temperatures ranging from TMI∼193 to 336K for samples with x ≤ 0 and 0.50, respectively. These measurements also show a large thermal hysteresis in NdNiO3 during heating and cooling processes, suggesting a first-order character of the phase transition at TMI. The width of this thermal hysteresis was found to decrease appreciably for the sample Nd 0.7Eu0.3NiO3. The results indicate that cation disorder associated with increasing substitution of Nd by Eu is responsible for changing the first-order character of the transition in NdNiO3. © 2006 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Simultaneous determination of Cd and Pb in antibiotics used in sugar-cane fermentation process by GFAAS

A method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of Cd and Pb in antibiotics used in sugar-cane fermentation by GFAAS. The integrated platform of transversely heated graphite atomizer was treated with tungsten to form a coating of tungsten carbide. Six samples of commercial solid antibiotics were analyzed by injecting 20 μL of digested samples into the pretreated graphite platform with co-injection of 5 μL of 1000 mg L-1 Pd as chemical modifier. Samples were mineralized in a closed-vessel microwave-assisted acid-digestion system using nitric acid plus hydrogen peroxide. The pyrolysis and atomization temperatures of the heating program of the atomizer were selected as 600°C and 2200°C, respectively. The calculated characteristic mass for Cd and Pb was 1.6 pg and 42 pg, respectively. Limits of detection (LOD) based on integrated absorbance were 0.02 μg L -1 Cd and 0.7 μg L-1 Pb and the relative standard deviations (n = 10) for Cd and Pb were 5.7% and 8.0%, respectively. The recoveries of Cd and Pb added to the digested samples varied from 91% to 125% (Cd) and 80% to 112% (Pb).

Anelastic relaxation due to interstitial solutes diffusion in Nb and Nb-1 wt% Zr

Metals and alloys containing solute atoms dissolved interstitially often show anelastic behavior due to a process know as stress-induced ordering. The application of mechanical spectroscopy measurements to diffusion studies in body-centered cubic metals has been extensively used in the last decades. However the kind of preferential occupation of interstitial solutes in body-centered cubic metals is still controversial. The anelastic properties of the Nb and Nb-1 wt% Zr polycrystalline alloys were determined by internal friction and oscillation frequency measurements using a torsion pendulum inverted performed between 300K and 650K, operating in a frequency oscillation in the hertz bandwidth. The interstitial diffusion coefficients of oxygen and nitrogen in Nb and Nb-1 wt% Zr samples were determined at two distinct conditions: (a) for low concentration of oxygen and (b) for high concentration of oxygen.

An overview of the microstructures present in high-speed steel - Carbides crystallography

The aim of the work was to prepare an overview about the microstructures present in high-speed steel, focused on the crystallography of the carbides. High-speed steels are currently obtained by casting, powder metallurgy and more recently spray forming. High-speed steels have a high hardness resulting from a microstructure, which consists of a steel matrix (martensite and ferrite), in which embedded carbides of different crystal structure, chemical composition, morphology and size, exist. These carbides are commonly named MxC, where M represents one or more metallic atoms. These carbides can be identified by X-ray diffraction considering M as a unique metallic atom. In this work, it is discussed, in basis of the first principles of physics crystallography, the validation of this identification when it is considered that other atoms in the structure are substitutional. Further, it is discussed some requirements for data acquisition that allows the Rietveld refinement to be applied on carbide crystallography and phase amount determination.

Propriedades mecânicas e de corrosão de dois aços inoxidáveis austeníticos utilizados na fabricação de implantes ortopédicos

ASTM F 138 austenitic stainless steel is extensively used as an orthopedic implant material. However, some aspects, such as low strength in the annealed condition and susceptibility to localized corrosion, limit wider use of this kind of steel. Recently, a high-nitrogen austenitic stainless steel, specified in the standard ISO 5832-9, has been indicated as an alternative to ASTM F 138 steel for more severe loading and permanent application inside the human body. In this work, microstructure, mechanical properties, corrosion resistance and fatigue behavior of both steels were determined and compared. ISO 5832-9 steel displayed better mechanical and corrosion behaviors than did ASTM F 138 steel The combination of these features lead ISO steel to enhanced fatigue performance in both neutral and aggressive environments. Analyzed were the role of nitrogen in solid solution, combined with niobium in the Z-phase, and the factors that led to superior ISO 5832-9 properties.

Tensile bond strength: Evaluation of four current adhesive systems in abraded enamel and deep dentin

This study aimed to evaluate the tensile bond strength of adhesive systems in abraded enamel and deep dentin of the occlusal surface of forty human molar teeth. Enamel surfaces as well as the rest of the teeth were coated with epoxy resin and regularized and polished with silicon carbide sandpapers. The 40 teeth were randomized into eight groups of five teeth per group. Four groups were assigned to have deep dentin as the dental substrate and the other four had abraded enamel as the substrate for the adhesives to be tested. The adhesives being tested were the total etching Single Bond: SB, the self-etching Clearfil SE bond: CSEB, self-etching One Up Bond F: OUBF and the self-etching Self-Etch Bond: SEB adhesives. The samples (teeth) were restored with composite resin and subjected to a traction assay. The results were statistically analyzed using the ANOVA and TUKEY tests. The total etching SB adhesive system had the greatest bonding strength of all the adhesives tested, on both dental substrates (20.1 MegaPascals (MPa) on abraded enamel and 19.4 MPa on deep dentin). Of the self-etching dental adhesives tested, CSEB had the greatest bonding strength on both substrates (14.6 MPa on abraded enamel and 15.4 MPa on deep dentin). Both OUBF (11.0 MPa for enamel, 13.1 MPa for dentin) and SEB (10.2 MPa for enamel, 12.6 MPa for dentin) showed comparable bonding strengths without any significant differences for either substrate Thus, the total etching SB adhesive system had better bonding strength than the other self-etching adhesives used, regardless of the dental substrate to which the adhesives had been bonded.

Determination of copper in fish feed by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry using slurry sampling

The present work develops and optimizes a method to determine copper in samples of feces and fish feed by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) through the direct introduction of slurries of the samples into the spectrometer's graphite tube coated internally with metallic rhodium and tungsten carbide that acts as chemical modifiers. The limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) calculated for 20 readings of the blank of the standard slurries (0.50% m/v of feces or feed devoid of copper) were 0.24 and 0.79 μg L -1 for the standard feces slurries and 0.26 and 0.87 μg L -1 for the standard feed slurries. The proposed method was applied in studies of absorption of copper in different fish feeds and their results proved compatible with that obtained from samples mineralized by acid digestion using microwave oven. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2008.

Comparative study on turning CI and CGI using silicon nitride cutting tools

There has been a great interest for improving the machining of cast iron materials in the automotive and other industries. Comparative studies for tool used to machine grey cast iron (CI) and compacted graphite iron (CGI) on dry machining were also performed in order to find out why in this case the tool lifetime is not significantly higher. However the machining these materials while considering turning with the traditional high-speed steel and carbide cutting tools present any disadvantages. One of these disadvantages is that all the traditional machining processes involve the cooling fluid to remove the heat generated on workpiece due to friction during cutting. This paper present a new generation of ceramic cutting tool exhibiting improved properties and important advances in machining CI and CGI. The tool performance was analyzed in function of flank wear, temperature and roughness, while can be observed that main effects were found for tool wear, were abrasion to CI and inter-diffusion of constituting elements between tool and CGI, causing crater. However the difference in tool lifetime can be explained by the formation of a MnS layer on the tool surface in the case of grey CI. This layer is missing in the case of CGI.

Stacking faults in SiCf/SiC composite obtained by chemical vapor reaction process

SiC fiber-reinforced SiC matrix composite (SiCf/SiC) is one of the leading candidates in ceramic materials for engineering applications due to its unique combination of properties such as high thermal conductivity, high resistance to corrosion and working conditions. Fiber-reinforced composites are materials which exhibit a significant improvement in properties like ductility in comparison to the monolithic SiC ceramic. The SiCf/SiC composite was obtained from a C/C composite precursor using convertion reaction under high temperature and controlled atmosphere. In this work, SiC phase presented the stacking faults in the structure, being not possible to calculate the unit cell size, symmetry and bond lengths but it seem equal card number 29-1129 of JCPDS.

Finishing of flat parts led by lapping kinematics on abrasive disc dressed in agreement with overlap factors

This paper discusses the investigation of an abrasive process for finishing flat workpieces, based on the combination of important grinding and lapping characteristics. Instead of loose abrasive grains between the workpiece and the lapping plate, a resinoid grinding wheel of hot-pressed silicon carbide is placed on the plate of a device resembling a lapping machine. The resin bond grinding wheel is dressed with a single-point diamond. In addition to keeping the plate flat, dressing also plays the role of interfering in the behavior of the process by varying the overlap factor (Ud). It was found that the studied process simplify the set-up and can be controlled more easily than in lapping, whose is a painstaking process. The surface roughness and flatness deviation proved comparable to those of lapping, or even finer than it, with the additional advantage of a less contaminated workpiece surface with a shiny appearance. The process was also monitored by acoustic emission (AE), which indicates to be a promissing and suitable technique for use in this process. Copyright © 2008 by ASME.

Measurement of orthovoltage X-ray intensity with a lithium niobate transducer

A microcontrolled instrument for measuring the energy fluence rate (or intensity) of X-ray pulses in the orthovoltage range of 120 to 300 kV is described. The prototype instrument consists of a pyroelectric sensor, a low-noise highsensitivity current-to-voltage converter, a microcontroller and a digital display. The response of the instrument is nonlinear with the intensity of the radiation. The precision is better than 3%. The equipment is inexpensive, rugged, simple to construct and has good long-term stability. © 2009 Springer-Verlag.

Novel cellulose/NbOPO 4.nH 2O hybrid material from sugarcane bagasse

In recent years studies concerning the applications of lignocellulosic/ inorganic couples have resulted in the development of an interesting class of functional materials. In this work a cellulose/NbOPO 4.nH 2O hybrid using cellulose from surgacane bagasse was prepared and characterized in order to test for adsorption applications. The preparation process was conducted by carrying out metallic niobium dilution in hydrofluoric acid in the presence of nitric acid, then adding boric acid to form the complex and, finally, the cellulose sugar cane bagasse was added. Concentrated phosphoric acid was also inserted to precipitate hydrous niobium phosphate particles in the cellulose fiber. This material was characterized by X-ray diffractometry (XRD), thermogravimetry (TG/DTG), and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) connected to an energy dispersive spectrophotometer (EDS). Results by SEM/EDS show that NbOPO 4.nH 2O was present in structure of the cellulose. During the preparation of the material, using boric acid it was observed that the formation of precipitate occurred in a shorter time than the material prepared without boric acid.