Color Dependence on Thickness in Topaz Crystal from Brazil

It is well known that crystals of topaz from the Eastern Brazilian Pegmatite Province may turn blue by the irradiation with Co-60 gamma rays followed by heat treatment. Also, it is known that the sensation of color changes with the thickness of these crystals. The dependence of the color, given by 1931 CIE chromaticity coordinates, with the thickness of the crystal was analyzed. The absorbance used in the calculation of these coordinates was given by the sum of Gaussian lines. The parameters of these lines were determined through the decomposition of the optical absorption spectra in the ultraviolet and visible regions. The decomposition revealed several lines, whose assignment was made considering studies in spodumene and beryl crystals and highly accurate quantum mechanical calculations. The transmittance becomes very narrow with increasing thickness, and the CIE chromaticity coordinates converge to the borderline of the CIE Chromaticity Diagram at the wavelength of maximum transmittance. Furthermore, the purity of color increases with increasing thickness, and the dominant wavelength reaches the wavelength of maximum transmittance.

Discrimination of Basal Cell Carcinoma and Melanoma from Normal Skin Biopsies in Vitro Through Raman Spectroscopy and Principal Component Analysis

Objective: Raman spectroscopy has been employed to discriminate between malignant (basal cell carcinoma [BCC] and melanoma [MEL]) and normal (N) skin tissues in vitro, aimed at developing a method for cancer diagnosis. Background data: Raman spectroscopy is an analytical tool that could be used to diagnose skin cancer rapidly and noninvasively. Methods: Skin biopsy fragments of similar to 2 mm(2) from excisional surgeries were scanned through a Raman spectrometer (830 nm excitation wavelength, 50 to 200 mW of power, and 20 sec exposure time) coupled to a fiber optic Raman probe. Principal component analysis (PCA) and Euclidean distance were employed to develop a discrimination model to classify samples according to histopathology. In this model, we used a set of 145 spectra from N (30 spectra), BCC (96 spectra), and MEL (19 spectra) skin tissues. Results: We demonstrated that principal components (PCs) 1 to 4 accounted for 95.4% of all spectral variation. These PCs have been spectrally correlated to the biochemicals present in tissues, such as proteins, lipids, and melanin. The scores of PC2 and PC3 revealed statistically significant differences among N, BCC, and MEL (ANOVA, p < 0.05) and were used in the discrimination model. A total of 28 out of 30 spectra were correctly diagnosed as N, 93 out of 96 as BCC, and 13 out of 19 as MEL, with an overall accuracy of 92.4%. Conclusions: This discrimination model based on PCA and Euclidean distance could differentiate N from malignant (BCC and MEL) with high sensitivity and specificity.

Texture analysis of high resolution MRI allows discrimination between febrile and afebrile initial precipitating injury in mesial temporal sclerosis

A computational pipeline combining texture analysis and pattern classification algorithms was developed for investigating associations between high-resolution MRI features and histological data. This methodology was tested in the study of dentate gyrus images of sclerotic hippocampi resected from refractory epilepsy patients. Images were acquired using a simple surface coil in a 3.0T MRI scanner. All specimens were subsequently submitted to histological semiquantitative evaluation. The computational pipeline was applied for classifying pixels according to: a) dentate gyrus histological parameters and b) patients' febrile or afebrile initial precipitating insult history. The pipeline results for febrile and afebrile patients achieved 70% classification accuracy, with 78% sensitivity and 80% specificity [area under the reader observer characteristics (ROC) curve: 0.89]. The analysis of the histological data alone was not sufficient to achieve significant power to separate febrile and afebrile groups. Interesting enough, the results from our approach did not show significant correlation with histological parameters (which per se were not enough to classify patient groups). These results showed the potential of adding computational texture analysis together with classification methods for detecting subtle MRI signal differences, a method sufficient to provide good clinical classification. A wide range of applications of this pipeline can also be used in other areas of medical imaging. Magn Reson Med, 2012. (c) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Discrimination of media moments and media intervals: sticker-based watch-and-comment annotation

In this paper we discuss the problem of how to discriminate moments of interest on videos or live broadcast shows. The primary contribution is a system which allows users to personalize their programs with previously created media stickers-pieces of content that may be temporarily attached to the original video. We present the system's architecture and implementation, which offer users operators to transparently annotate videos while watching them. We offered a soccer fan the opportunity to add stickers to the video while watching a live match: the user reported both enjoying and being comfortable using the stickers during the match-relevant results even though the experience was not fully representative.

Use of a gold microelectrode for discrimination of gunshot residues

Gunshot residues (GSR) can be used in forensic evaluations to obtain information about the type of gun and ammunition used in a crime. In this work, we present our efforts to develop a promising new method to discriminate the type of gun [four different guns were used: two handguns (0.38 revolver and 0.380 pistol) and two long-barrelled guns (12-calibre pump-action shotgun and 0.38 repeating rifle)] and ammunition (five different types: normal, semi-jacketed, full-jacketed, green, and 3T) used by a suspect. The proposed approach is based on information obtained from cyclic voltammograms recorded in solutions containing GSR collected from the hands of the shooters, using a gold microelectrode; the information was further analysed by non-supervised pattern-recognition methods [(Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA)]. In all cases (gun and ammunition discrimination), good separation among different samples in the score plots and dendrograms was achieved. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Clinical strategies for esthetic excellence in anterior tooth restorations: understanding color and composite resin selection

Direct composite resin restorations have become a viable alternative for patients that require anterior restorative procedures to be integrated to the other teeth that compose the smile, especially for presenting satisfactory esthetic results and minimum wear of the dental structure. Technological evolution along with a better understanding of the behavior of dental tissues to light incidence has allowed the development of new composite resins with better mechanical and optical properties, making possible a more artistic approach for anterior restorations. The combination of the increasing demand of patients for esthetics and the capacity to preserve the dental structure resulted in the development of different incremental techniques for restoring fractured anterior teeth in a natural way. In order to achieve esthetic excellence, dentists should understand and apply artistic and scientific principles when choosing color of restorative materials, as well as during the insertion of the composite resin. The discussion of these strategies will be divided into two papers. In this paper, the criteria for color and material selection to obtain a natural reproduction of the lost dental structures and an imperceptible restoration will be addressed.

Evaluation of reference-based two-color methods for measurement of gene expression ratios using spotted cDNA microarrays

Abstract Background Spotted cDNA microarrays generally employ co-hybridization of fluorescently-labeled RNA targets to produce gene expression ratios for subsequent analysis. Direct comparison of two RNA samples in the same microarray provides the highest level of accuracy; however, due to the number of combinatorial pair-wise comparisons, the direct method is impractical for studies including large number of individual samples (e.g., tumor classification studies). For such studies, indirect comparisons using a common reference standard have been the preferred method. Here we evaluated the precision and accuracy of reconstructed ratios from three indirect methods relative to ratios obtained from direct hybridizations, herein considered as the gold-standard. Results We performed hybridizations using a fixed amount of Cy3-labeled reference oligonucleotide (RefOligo) against distinct Cy5-labeled targets from prostate, breast and kidney tumor samples. Reconstructed ratios between all tissue pairs were derived from ratios between each tissue sample and RefOligo. Reconstructed ratios were compared to (i) ratios obtained in parallel from direct pair-wise hybridizations of tissue samples, and to (ii) reconstructed ratios derived from hybridization of each tissue against a reference RNA pool (RefPool). To evaluate the effect of the external references, reconstructed ratios were also calculated directly from intensity values of single-channel (One-Color) measurements derived from tissue sample data collected in the RefOligo experiments. We show that the average coefficient of variation of ratios between intra- and inter-slide replicates derived from RefOligo, RefPool and One-Color were similar and 2 to 4-fold higher than ratios obtained in direct hybridizations. Correlation coefficients calculated for all three tissue comparisons were also similar. In addition, the performance of all indirect methods in terms of their robustness to identify genes deemed as differentially expressed based on direct hybridizations, as well as false-positive and false-negative rates, were found to be comparable. Conclusion RefOligo produces ratios as precise and accurate as ratios reconstructed from a RNA pool, thus representing a reliable alternative in reference-based hybridization experiments. In addition, One-Color measurements alone can reconstruct expression ratios without loss in precision or accuracy. We conclude that both methods are adequate options in large-scale projects where the amount of a common reference RNA pool is usually restrictive.

Lateral inhibition and odor discrimination in a model of the olfactory bulb

DA is supported by a CAPES PhD grant and ACR is the recipient of research grants by CNPq and FAPESP.

Analysis of the color alteration and radiopacity promoted by bismuth oxide in calcium silicate cement

The aim of the study was to determine if the increase in radiopacity provided by bismuth oxide is related to the color alteration of calcium silicate-based cement. Calcium silicate cement (CSC) was mixed with 0%, 15%, 20%, 30% and 50% of bismuth oxide (BO), determined by weight. Mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) was the control group. The radiopacity test was performed according to ISO 6876/2001. The color was evaluated using the CIE system. The assessments were performed after 24 hours, 7 and 30 days of setting time, using a spectrophotometer to obtain the ΔE, Δa, Δb and ΔL values. The statistical analyses were performed using the Kruskal-Wallis/Dunn and ANOVA/ Tukey tests (p < 0.05). The cements in which bismuth oxide was added showed radiopacity corresponding to the ISO recommendations ( > 3 mm equivalent of Al). The MTA group was statistically similar to the CSC / 30% BO group (p > 0.05). In regard to color, the increase of bismuth oxide resulted in a decrease in the ΔE value of the calcium silicate cement. The CSC group presented statistically higher ΔE values than the CSC / 50% BO group (p < 0.05). The comparison between 24 hours and 7 days showed higher ΔE for the MTA group, with statistical differences for the CSC / 15% BO and CSC / 50% BO groups (p < 0.05). After 30 days, CSC showed statistically higher ΔE values than CSC / 30% BO and CSC / 50% BO (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the increase in radiopacity provided by bismuth oxide has no relation to the color alteration of calcium silicate-based cements.

Color stability of modern composites subjected to different periods of accelerated artificial aging

The aim of this study was to evaluate the color stability of composites subjected to different periods of accelerated artificial aging (AAA). A polytetrafluorethylene matrix (10 x 2 mm) was used to fabricate 24 test specimens of three different composites (n=8): Tetric Ceram (Ivoclar/Vivadent); Filtek P90 and Z250 (3M ESPE), shade A3. After light activation for 20 s (FlashLite 1401), polishing and initial color readout (Spectrophotometer PCB 687; BYK Gardner), the test specimens were subjected to AAA (C-UV; Comexim), in 8-h cycles: 4 h exposure to UV-B rays at 50°C and 4 h condensation at 50°C. At the end of each cycle, color readouts were taken and the test ended when the mean value of ΔE attained a level ≥3.30. Tetric Ceram presented alteration in ΔE equal to 3.33 in the first aging cycle. For Filtek P90 and Z250, two (ΔE=3.60) and four (ΔE=3.42) AAA cycles were necessary. After each cycle, there was a reduction of luminosity in all the samples (ΔL). It was concluded that a short period of AAA was sufficient to promote clinically unacceptable color alteration in composites, and that this alteration was material-dependent.

Kinetic of water diffusion and color stability of a resin composite as a function of the curing tip distance

The influence of curing tip distance and storage time in the kinetics of water diffusion (water sorption-W SP, solubility-W SB, and net water uptake) and color stability of a composite were evaluated. Composite samples were polymerized at different distances (5, 10, and 15 mm) and compared to a control group (0 mm). After desiccation, the specimens were stored in distilled water to evaluate the water diffusion over a 120-day period. Net water uptake was calculated (sum of WSP and WSB). The color stability after immersion in a grape juice was compared to distilled water. Data were submitted to three-way ANOVA/Tukey's test (α = 5%). The higher distances caused higher net water uptake (p < 0.05). The immersion in the juice caused significantly higher color change as a function of curing tip distance and the time (p < 0.05). The distance of photoactivation and storage time provide the color alteration and increased net water uptake of the resin composite tested.

Magnetic color-flavor-locked stars

Using the solutions of the gap equations of the magnetic-color-flavor-locked (MCFL) phase of paired quark matter in a magnetic field, and taking into consideration the separation between the longitudinal and transverse pressures due to the field-induced breaking of the spatial rotational symmetry, the equation of state (EoS) of the MCFL phase is self-consistently determined. Implications for stellar models of magnetized (self-bound) strange stars and hybrid (MCFL core) stars are discussed.