Theoretical study of MgO(001) surfaces: Pure, doped with Fe, Ca, and Al, and with and without adsorbed water

Ab initio calculations of large cluster models have been performed in order to study water adsorption at the five-fold coordinated adsorption site on pure Mg(001) and MgO(001) surfaces doped with Fe, Ca, and Al. The geometric parameters of the adsorbed water molecule have been optimized preparatory to analysis of binding energies, charge transfer, preferential sites of interaction, and bonding distances. We have used Mulliken population analysis methods in order to analyze charge distributions and the direction of charge transfer. We have also investigated energy gaps, HOMO energies, and SCF orbital energies as well as the acid-base properties of our cluster model. Numerical results are compared, where possible, with experiment and interpreted in the framework of various analytical models. (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Shear bond strengths of a ceramic system to alternative metal alloys

Statement of problem. The success of metal-ceramic restorations is influenced by the compatibility between base metal alloys and porcelains. Although porcelain manufacturers recommend their own metal systems as the most compatible for fabricating metal-ceramic prostheses, a number of alloys have been used.Purpose. This study evaluated the shear bond strength between a porcelain system and 4 alternative alloys.Material and methods. Two Ni-Cr alloys: 4 ALL and Wiron 99, and 2 Co-Cr alloys: IPS d.SIGN 20 and Argeloy NP were selected for this study. The porcelain (IPS d.Sign porcelain system) portion of the cylindrical inetal-ceramic specimens was 4 mm thick and 4 mm high; the metal portion was machined to 4 x 4 mm, with a base that was 5 nun thick and 1 mm high. Forty-four specimens were prepared (n=11). Ten specimens from each group were subjected to a shear load oil a universal testing machine using a 1 min/min crosshead speed. One specimen from each group was observed with a scanning electron microscope. Stress at failure (MPa) was determined. The data were analyzed with a 1-way analysis of variance (alpha=.05).Results. The groups, all including IPS d.Sign porcelain, presented the following mean bond strengths (+/-SD) in MPa: 4 ALL, 54.0 +/- 20.0; Wiron, 63.0 +/- 13.5; IPS d.SIGN 20, 71.7 +/- 19.2; Argeloy NP, 55.2 +/- 13.5. No significant differences were found among the shear bond strength values for the metal-ceramic specimens tested.Conclusion. None of the base metal alloys studied demonstrated superior bond strength to the porcelain tested.

Influence of cross-head speed on resin-dentin shear bond strength

Objective: To evaluate the influence of different cross-head speeds on shear bond strength test on the dentin surface.Methods: One hundred and twenty extracted bovine incisors were embedded in polystyrene resin. The specimens were prepared by wet grinding with 320-, 400- and 600-grit Al2O3 paper exposing dentin. After the application of the adhesive system Single Bond (3M) to etched dentin, the composite resin Z-100 (3M) was applied and light cured. The specimens were randomly assigned to four groups (n = 30). The shear bond strength tests were performed with an EMIC DL 500 universal testing machine at four different cross-head speeds: 0.50 (A); 0.75 (B); 1.00 (C); and 5.00 mm/min (D).Results: the mean values of shear bond strength in MPa (SD) were: A, 11.78 (3.91); B, 11.82 (4.78); C, 16.32 (6.45); D, 15.46 (5.94). The data were analyzed with one-way ANOVA and Tukey's test (alpha = 0.05). The results indicated that A = B < C = D. The fracture pattern was evaluated by visual analysis in a stereomicroscope (25 x). The percentage of fractures that occurred at the adhesive interface were: A, 92.5%; B, 91.6%; C, 70.0%; D, 47.0%. The Student's t-test to percentages ( = 0.05) indicated that there were no significant differences among A, B and C; A and B differed from D, and there was no significant difference between C and D.Significance: Different cross-head speeds may influence the shear bond strength and the fracture pattern in dentin substrate. Shear bond strength using cross-head speeds of 0.50 and 0.75 mm/min should be preferred. (C) 2001 Academy of Dental Materials. published by Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

Some superstring amplitude computations with the non-minimal pure spinor formalism

We use the non-minimal pure spinor formalism to compute in a super-Poincare covariant manner the four-point massless one and two-loop open superstring amplitudes, and the gauge anomaly of the six-point one-loop amplitude. All of these amplitudes are expressed as integrals of ten-dimensional superfields in a pure spinor superspace which involves five theta coordinates covariantly contracted with three pure spinors. The bosonic contribution to these amplitudes agrees with the standard results, and we demonstrate identities which show how the t(8) and epsilon(10) tensors naturally emerge from integrals over pure spinor superspace.

Evaluation of hygrothermal effects on the shear properties of Carall composites

Fiber metal laminates are the frontline materials for aeronautical and space structures. These composites consists of layers of 2024-T3-aluminum alloy and composite prepreg layers. When the composite layer is a carbon fiber prepreg, the fiber metal laminate, named Carall, offers significant improvements over current available materials for aircraft structures. While weight reduction and improved damage tolerance characteristics were the prime drivers to develop this new family of materials, it turns out that they have additional benefits, which become more and more important for today's designers, such as cost reduction and improved safety. The degradation of composites is due to environmental effects mainly on the chemical and/or physical properties of the polymer matrix leading to loss of adhesion of fiber/resin interface. Also, the reduction of fiber strength and stiffness are expected due to environmental degradation. Changes in interface/interphase properties leads to more pronounced changes in shear properties than any other mechanical properties. In this work, the influence of moisture in shear properties of carbon fiber/epoxy composites and Carall have been investigated by using interlaminar shear (ILSS) and Iosipescu tests. It was observed that hygrothermal conditioning reduces the Iosipescu shear strength of CF/E and Carall composites due to the moisture absorption in these materials. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Thermal decomposition of microcrystalline cellulose and its pure and containing adsorbed cadmium cations derivatives.

We have studied the thermal decomposition of the microcrystalline cellulose and some of its derivative such as pure carboxymethylcellulose (CMCH), phosphate cellulose (FOSCEL) and oxycellulose (OXICEL) and also these same derivatives containing adsorbed cadmium cations. We have used the TG,DTG tecniques in order to determine the quantity of retained cadmium II cations on the surface of these adsorbents.