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.

Effects of Er,Cr:YSGG Laser Irradiation on Root Surfaces for Adhesion of Blood Components and Morphology

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Semiclassical scaling functions of sine-Gordon model

We present an analytic study of the finite size effects in sine-Gordon model, based on the semi-classical quantization of an appropriate kink background defined on a cylindrical geometry. The quasi-periodic kink is realized as an elliptic function with its real period related to the size of the system. The stability equation for the small quantum fluctuations around this classical background is of Lame type and the corresponding energy eigenvalues are selected inside the allowed bands by imposing periodic boundary conditions. We derive analytical expressions for the ground state and excited states scaling functions, which provide an explicit description of the flow between the IR and UV regimes of the model. Finally, the semiclassical form factors and two-point functions of the basic field and of the energy operator are obtained, completing the semiclassical quantization of the sine-Gordon model on the cylinder. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dissipation and its consequences in the scaling exponents for a family of two-dimensional mappings

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Scaling investigation for the dynamics of charged particles in an electric field accelerator

Some dynamical properties of an ensemble of trajectories of individual (non-interacting) classical particles of mass m and charge q interacting with a time-dependent electric field and suffering the action of a constant magnetic field are studied. Depending on both the amplitude of oscillation of the electric field and the intensity of the magnetic field, the phase space of the model can either exhibit: (i) regular behavior or (ii) a mixed structure, with periodic islands of regular motion, chaotic seas characterized by positive Lyapunov exponents, and invariant Kolmogorov-Arnold-Moser curves preventing the particle to reach unbounded energy. We define an escape window in the chaotic sea and study the transport properties for chaotic orbits along the phase space by the use of scaling formalism. Our results show that the escape distribution and the survival probability obey homogeneous functions characterized by critical exponents and present universal behavior under appropriate scaling transformations. We show the survival probability decays exponentially for small iterations changing to a slower power law decay for large time, therefore, characterizing clearly the effects of stickiness of the islands and invariant tori. For the range of parameters used, our results show that the crossover from fast to slow decay obeys a power law and the behavior of survival orbits is scaling invariant. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4772997]

DYNAMICAL SCALING IN FRAGMENTATION

The dynamics of a fragmentation model is examined from the point of view of numerical simulation and rate equations. The model includes effects of temperature. The number n (s,t) of fragments of size s at time t is obtained and is found to obey the scaling form n(s,t) approximately s(-tau)t(omegasgamma e(-rhot) f(s/t(z)) where f(x) is a crossover function satisfying f(x) congruent-to 1 for x much less than and f(x) much less than 1 for x much greater than 1. The dependence of the critical exponents tau, omega, gamma and z on space dimensionality d is studied from d = 1 to 5. The result of the dynamics on fractal and nonfractal objects as well as on square and triangular lattices is also examined.

NOISE GENERATED BY CAVITATION IN ORIFICE-PLATES WITH SOME GASEOUS EFFECTS.

An experimental investigation of the noise generated by cavitation in turbulent shear flows produced by confined sharp-edge orifice-plates is reported. The acoustic source strength of cavitation was determined by means of reciprocity type measurements. Experimentally determined scaling parameters are applied to a model to prototype scaling formula derived from dimensional analysis. The proposed formula is checked experimentally. Comparative photographic observations of the cavitation patterns for two different values of gas content are presented. The observed sound reduction, that occurs when supersaturated conditions exist downstream the orifice-plates, is explained by the effects of gas diffusion into the cavitation bubbles, and by simple acoustic attenuation.

Universal scaling in BCS superconductivity in three dimensions in non-s waves

The solutions of a renormalized BCS equation are studied in three space dimensions in s, p and d waves for finite-range separable potentials in the weak to medium coupling region. In the weak-coupling limit, the present BCS model yields a small coherence length ξ and a large critical temperature, T c, appropriate for some high-T c materials. The BCS gap, T c, ξ and specific heat C s(T c) as a function of zero-temperature condensation energy are found to exhibit potential-independent universal scalings. The entropy, specific heat, spin susceptibility and penetration depth as a function of temperature exhibit universal scaling below T c in p and d waves.

Treatment of experimental periodontal disease by a selective inhibitor of cyclooxygenase-2 with scaling and root planing (SRP)

Lumiracoxib is a selective inhibitor of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) approved for the relief of symptoms of chronic inflammatory conditions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of this specific inhibitor of COX-2 as adjunctive treatment on induced periodontitis in rats. Periodontal disease was induced at the first mandibular molar of 60 rats. After 7 days, the ligature was removed and all animals were submitted to scaling and root planing (SRP) along with local irrigation with saline solution and were divided into 2 groups: SRP (n = 30)-received subcutaneous injections of 1 mg/kg of body weight/day of saline solution for 3 days and; SRP + L (n = 30)-received subcutaneous injections of 1 mg/kg of body weight/day of Lumiracoxib for 3 days. Ten animals in each group were killed at 7, 15, and 30 days. The histological description was performed and the histometric values were statistically analyzed. In Group SRP + L, the histometric analysis (0.58 ± 0.08, 0.64 ± 0.06, and 0.56 ± 0.10 mm 2) showed less bone loss (p < 0.05) than Group SRP (1.52 ± 0.08, 1.55 ± 0.09, and 1.49 ± 0.24 mm 2) at 7, 15, and 30 days, respectively. Within the limits of this study it can be concluded that subcutaneous application of specific inhibitor of COX-2 was a beneficial adjunctive treatment for periodontal diseases induced in rats. © 2010 Springer Basel AG.

Dynamical properties of a dissipative discontinuous map: A scaling investigation

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

Local order and magnetic field effects on the electronic properties of disordered binary alloys in the quantum site percolation limit

Electronic properties of disordered binary alloys are studied via the calculation of the average Density of States (DOS) in two and three dimensions. We propose a new approximate scheme that allows for the inclusion of local order effects in finite geometries and extrapolates the behavior of infinite systems following finite-size scaling ideas. We particularly investigate the limit of the Quantum Site Percolation regime described by a tight-binding Hamiltonian. This limit was chosen to probe the role of short range order (SRO) properties under extreme conditions. The method is numerically highly efficient and asymptotically exact in important limits, predicting the correct DOS structure as a function of the SRO parameters. Magnetic field effects can also be included in our model to study the interplay of local order and the shifted quantum interference driven by the field. The average DOS is highly sensitive to changes in the SRO properties and striking effects are observed when a magnetic field is applied near the segregated regime. The new effects observed are twofold: there is a reduction of the band width and the formation of a gap in the middle of the band, both as a consequence of destructive interference of electronic paths and the loss of coherence for particular values of the magnetic field. The above phenomena are periodic in the magnetic flux. For other limits that imply strong localization, the magnetic field produces minor changes in the structure of the average DOS. © World Scientific Publishing Company.

Running coupling and pomeron loop effects on inclusive and diffractive DIS cross sections

Within the framework of a (1 + 1)-dimensional model which mimics high-energy QCD, we study the behavior of the cross sections for inclusive and diffractive deep inelastic gamma*h scattering cross sections. We analyze the cases of both fixed and running coupling within the mean-field approximation, in which the evolution of the scattering amplitude is described by the Balitsky-Kovchegov equation, and also through the pomeron loop equations, which include in the evolution the gluon number fluctuations. In the diffractive case, similarly to the inclusive one, suppression of the diffusive scaling, as a consequence of the inclusion of the running of the coupling, is observed.

Study of silicon-on-insulator multiple-gate MOS structures including band-gap engineering and self heating effects

The progresses of electron devices integration have proceeded for more than 40 years following the well–known Moore’s law, which states that the transistors density on chip doubles every 24 months. This trend has been possible due to the downsizing of the MOSFET dimensions (scaling); however, new issues and new challenges are arising, and the conventional ”bulk” architecture is becoming inadequate in order to face them. In order to overcome the limitations related to conventional structures, the researchers community is preparing different solutions, that need to be assessed. Possible solutions currently under scrutiny are represented by: • devices incorporating materials with properties different from those of silicon, for the channel and the source/drain regions; • new architectures as Silicon–On–Insulator (SOI) transistors: the body thickness of Ultra-Thin-Body SOI devices is a new design parameter, and it permits to keep under control Short–Channel–Effects without adopting high doping level in the channel. Among the solutions proposed in order to overcome the difficulties related to scaling, we can highlight heterojunctions at the channel edge, obtained by adopting for the source/drain regions materials with band–gap different from that of the channel material. This solution allows to increase the injection velocity of the particles travelling from the source into the channel, and therefore increase the performance of the transistor in terms of provided drain current. The first part of this thesis work addresses the use of heterojunctions in SOI transistors: chapter 3 outlines the basics of the heterojunctions theory and the adoption of such approach in older technologies as the heterojunction–bipolar–transistors; moreover the modifications introduced in the Monte Carlo code in order to simulate conduction band discontinuities are described, and the simulations performed on unidimensional simplified structures in order to validate them as well. Chapter 4 presents the results obtained from the Monte Carlo simulations performed on double–gate SOI transistors featuring conduction band offsets between the source and drain regions and the channel. In particular, attention has been focused on the drain current and to internal quantities as inversion charge, potential energy and carrier velocities. Both graded and abrupt discontinuities have been considered. The scaling of devices dimensions and the adoption of innovative architectures have consequences on the power dissipation as well. In SOI technologies the channel is thermally insulated from the underlying substrate by a SiO2 buried–oxide layer; this SiO2 layer features a thermal conductivity that is two orders of magnitude lower than the silicon one, and it impedes the dissipation of the heat generated in the active region. Moreover, the thermal conductivity of thin semiconductor films is much lower than that of silicon bulk, due to phonon confinement and boundary scattering. All these aspects cause severe self–heating effects, that detrimentally impact the carrier mobility and therefore the saturation drive current for high–performance transistors; as a consequence, thermal device design is becoming a fundamental part of integrated circuit engineering. The second part of this thesis discusses the problem of self–heating in SOI transistors. Chapter 5 describes the causes of heat generation and dissipation in SOI devices, and it provides a brief overview on the methods that have been proposed in order to model these phenomena. In order to understand how this problem impacts the performance of different SOI architectures, three–dimensional electro–thermal simulations have been applied to the analysis of SHE in planar single and double–gate SOI transistors as well as FinFET, featuring the same isothermal electrical characteristics. In chapter 6 the same simulation approach is extensively employed to study the impact of SHE on the performance of a FinFET representative of the high–performance transistor of the 45 nm technology node. Its effects on the ON–current, the maximum temperatures reached inside the device and the thermal resistance associated to the device itself, as well as the dependence of SHE on the main geometrical parameters have been analyzed. Furthermore, the consequences on self–heating of technological solutions such as raised S/D extensions regions or reduction of fin height are explored as well. Finally, conclusions are drawn in chapter 7.

Refined Estimation of Earthquake Source Parameters: Methods, Applications and Scaling Relationships

The objective of this work of thesis is the refined estimations of source parameters. To such a purpose we used two different approaches, one in the frequency domain and the other in the time domain. In frequency domain, we analyzed the P- and S-wave displacement spectra to estimate spectral parameters, that is corner frequencies and low frequency spectral amplitudes. We used a parametric modeling approach which is combined with a multi-step, non-linear inversion strategy and includes the correction for attenuation and site effects. The iterative multi-step procedure was applied to about 700 microearthquakes in the moment range 1011-1014 N•m and recorded at the dense, wide-dynamic range, seismic networks operating in Southern Apennines (Italy). The analysis of the source parameters is often complicated when we are not able to model the propagation accurately. In this case the empirical Green function approach is a very useful tool to study the seismic source properties. In fact the Empirical Green Functions (EGFs) consent to represent the contribution of propagation and site effects to signal without using approximate velocity models. An EGF is a recorded three-component set of time-histories of a small earthquake whose source mechanism and propagation path are similar to those of the master event. Thus, in time domain, the deconvolution method of Vallée (2004) was applied to calculate the source time functions (RSTFs) and to accurately estimate source size and rupture velocity. This technique was applied to 1) large event, that is Mw=6.3 2009 L’Aquila mainshock (Central Italy), 2) moderate events, that is cluster of earthquakes of 2009 L’Aquila sequence with moment magnitude ranging between 3 and 5.6, 3) small event, i.e. Mw=2.9 Laviano mainshock (Southern Italy).

Short-term effects of systemic antibiotics during periodontal healing

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the short-term effects of nonsurgical therapy (scaling and root planing, SRP) on the subgingival microbiota in chronic (CP) and aggressive (AP) periodontal disease. METHOD AND MATERIALS: Ninety-seven CP and AP subjects underwent full-mouth SRP on 2 consecutive days. AP patients were randomly assigned to either receive systemic metronidazole plus amoxicillin (AP+AB) or were treated mechanically alone (AP). Pathogens were identified with 16S rRNA oligodeoxynucleotide probes and dot-blot hybridization before and at days 2, 3, 4, 7, 10, and 21 of healing. CP subjects were treated by scaling and root planing along with placebo tablets. RESULTS: Initially, AP cell counts were 69.9- (Porphyromonas gingivalis), 10.2- (Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans), 5.7- (Tannerella forsythia), and 3.3-fold (Prevotella intermedia) enhanced compared to CP cell counts. Following SRP, immediate elimination occurred in single individuals of all three treatment groups at day 2. After SRP plus antibiotic therapy (AP+AB), the prevalence scores dropped beyond the levels of AP and CP, beginning at day 7, and remained low until day 21 (P =or< .05). Clinical healing statistically benefited from SRP with no differences among the three treatment groups. CONCLUSION: Nonsurgical therapy resulted in both a suppression and early elimination of single taxa immediately after completion of active treatment. Systemic antibiotics significantly accelerate the suppression of the periodontal microflora, but have limited effect on the elimination of target isolates during healing.