Penetration of a light-cured glass ionomer and a resin sealant into occlusal fissures and etched enamel.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the penetration of a light-cured glass ionomer and a resin sealant into occlusal fissures and etched enamel. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-eight maxillary and mandibular caries-free premolars scheduled for extraction for orthodontic reasons were isolated, the occlusal surfaces subjected to prophylaxis and acid-etched with orthophosphoric acid prior to the application of the VariGlass VLC glass ionomer and Concise resin sealants. The teeth were extracted, two longitudinal median sectiors from each tooth were ground to a thickness of 80-100 microns, and the sealant penetration into the fissures evaluated. The sections were placed in nitric acid to dissolve the enamel so the lengths of the tags which had penetrated into the etched enamel could be measured at different sites on the walls of the fissures. RESULTS: Both sealants adapted well to the fissures but penetrated deeper into shallow, open fissures than into deep, constricted fissures. The VariGlass VLC tags into etched enamel were generally longer than the Concise projections.

Light and thermal excitation of depolarization current in indirect bandgap Alx Ga1-xAs

Monochromatic light excitation in conjunction with thermally stimulated depolarization current measurements are applied to indirect bandgap AlxGa1-xAs. The obtained average activation energy for dipole relaxation is in very close agreement with the DX center binding energy. Monochromatic light induces state transition in the defect and makes possible the identification of dipoles observed in the dark. Charge relaxation currents are destroyed by photoionization of Al0.5Ga0.5As using either 647 nm Kr+ or 488 nm Ar+ laser lines, which are above the DX center threshold photoionization energy. It suggests that correlation may exist among charged donor states DX--d+. Sample resistance as a function of temperature is also measured in the dark and under illumination and shows the probable X valley effective mass state participation in the electron trapping. Ionization with energies of 0.8 eV and 1.24 eV leads to striking current peak shifts in the thermally stimulated depolarization bands. Since vacancies are present in this material, they may be responsible for the secondary band observed in the dark as well as participation in the light induced recombination process.

Surface reconstruction using multiple light sources and perspective projection

This paper presents a method to recover 3D geometry of Lambertian surfaces by using multiple images taken from the same view point and with the scene illuminated from different positions. This approach differs from Stereo Photometry in that it considers the light source at a finite distance from the object and the perspective projection in image formation. The proposed model allows local solution and recovery of 3D coordinates, in addition to surface orientation. A procedure to calibrate the light sources is also presented. Results of the application of the algorithm to synthetic images are shown.

Astrophysical constraints on a light spinless particle coupled to photons

We examine further astrophysical constraints on a light spinless particle coupled only to photons and proposed by Massó and Toldra. We consider constraints coming from measurements of extra galactic background and from ionization of HI clouds.

Interaction of the nonionic surfactant C12E8 with high molar mass poly(ethylene oxide) studied by dynamic light scattering and fluorescence quenching methods

Dynamic light scattering has been used to investigate ternary aqueous solutions of n-dodecyl octaoxyethylene glycol monoetber (C12E8) with high molar mass poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO). The measurements were made at 20 °C, always below the cloud point temperature (Tc) of the mixed solutions. The relaxation time distributions are bimodal at higher PEO and surfactant concentrations, owing to the preacute of free surfactant micelles, which coexist with the slower component, representing the polymer coil/micellar cluster comptex. As the surfactant concentration is increased, the apparent hydrodynamic radius (RH) of the coil becomes progressively larger. It is suggested that the complex structure consists of clusters of micelles sited within the polymer coil, as previously concluded for the PEO-C12E8-water system. However. C12E8 interacts less strongly than C12E8 with PEO; at low concentrations of surfactant the complex does not contribute significantly to the total scattered intensity. The perturbation of the PEO coil radius with C12E8 is also smaller than that in the C12E8 system. The addition of PEO strongly decreases the clouding temperature of the system, as previously observed for C12E8/PEO mixtures in solution Addition of PEO up to 0.2% to C12E8 (10 wt %) solutions doss not alter the aggregation number (Nagg) of the micelles probably because the surfactant monomers are equally partitioned as bound and unbound micelles. The critical micelle concentration (cmc), obtained from the I1/I3 ratio (a measure of the dependence of the vibronic band intensities on the pyrene probe environment), does not change when PEO is added, suggesting that for neutral polymer/surfactant systems the trends in Nagg and the cmc do not unambiguously reflect the strength of interaction.

Universal aspects of Efimov states and light halo nuclei

The parametric region in the plane defined by the ratios of the energies of the subsystems and the three-body ground state, in which Efimov states can exist, is determined. We use a renormalizable model that guarantees the general validity of our results in the context of short-range interactions. The experimental data for one-and two-neutron separation energies, implies that among the halo nuclei candidates, only 20C has a possible Efimov state, with an estimated energy less than 14 KeV below the scattering threshold.

Upconversion of infrared-to-visible light in Pr3+-Yb3+ codoped fluoroindate glass

Bright fluorescence in the visible range has been observed in Pr3+-Yb3+ doped fluoroindate glass under infrared diode laser irradiation. The mechanism which contributes for the upconversion emission is identified and the energy transfer rate between Pr3+-Yb3+ is obtained for different concentrations. © 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Morphological aspects of the mid-palatal suture in the human foetus: A light and scanning electron microscopy study

Morphological features of the mid-palatal suture were studied in human foetuses from 4 to 9 months of intra-uterine life. The foetuses were divided into three age groups, GI (16-23 weeks), GII (24-31 weeks) and GIII (32-39 weeks). The mid-palatal suture in GI foetuses is rectilineal in form with a wide space between the palatal processes of the maxilla. The suture has a sinuous nature in GII and GIII foetuses due to growth of the bone processes crossing the mid-line. A wide zone of cellular proliferation observed in GI narrows in GII and GIII foetuses. The imbricating nature of the suture in GII and GIII is caused by bone growth adjacent to the mid-palatal suture. Sharpey's fibres, emerging from the bone processes, run to the median region of the mid-palatal suture and are observed from GI foetuses onwards. The collagen fibres of the mid-palatal suture are orientated transversely under the oral epithelium and exhibit a regular meshwork with a predominance of sagittal fibres in the median region of the suture. These fibres are orientated transversely and obliquely at the junction with the nasal septum.