How to drag with a worn-out mouse? Searching for social justice through collaboration

We consider what a concern for social justice in terms of social inclusion might mean for teacher education, both practising and prospective, with particular reference to the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in mathematics education taking place at a borderland school. Our discussion proceeds through the following steps: (1) We explore what a borderland position might denote to address what social inclusion might mean. (2) We consider the significance of mathematics education and the use of ICT for processes of social inclusion. (3) We briefly refer to the Interlink Network, as many of our observations emerge as reflections on this project. (4) We present different issues that will be of particular importance with respect to teacher education if we want to establish a mathematics education for social inclusion. These issues concern moving away from the comfort zone, establishing networks, identifying new approaches, moving beyond prototypical research, and getting in contact. This brings us to (5) final considerations, where we return to the notion of social justice. © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2009.

Longitudinal bond strength evaluation using the deproteinized dentin technique

This study evaluated bond strength to dentin as a result of storage time for conventional adhesive systems (with or without collagen) that had been deproteinized with 10% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl). For this study, 72 human molars were sectioned in a mesiodistal axial plane and embedded in acrylic resin; at that point, the vestibular and lingual surfaces were worn down with abrasive paper. Acid etching was performed for 15 seconds (using 37% phosphoric acid) and the specimens were divided into 12 groups (n = 6), depending on the adhesive system used, the dentin treatment performed, and the length of evaluation (24 hours or six months). A resin composite was inserted over the prepared area with the aid of a metal matrix. Following a mechanical shear test, fractured surfaces were analyzed by stereomicroscope and the data were submitted to ANOVA and Tukey's test. It was concluded that the dentin deproteinization treatment with 10% NaOCI improved the bond strength in five of the six groups. The bond strength after 24 hours was significantly higher than the bond strength measured after six months. Of the three adhesive systems tested in this study, DenTASTIC UNO demonstrated the lowest bond strength.

Evaluation of blood compatibility of plasma deposited heparin-like films and SF6 plasma treated surfaces

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Effect of instrumentation using curettes, piezoelectric ultrasonic scaler and er,cr:Ysgg laser on the morphology and adhesion of blood components on root surfaces - A SEM study

This study used scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to evaluate the morphology and adhesion of blood components on root surfaces instrumented by curettes, piezoelectric ultrasonic scaler and Er,Cr:YSGG laser. One hundred samples from 25 teeth were divided into 5 groups: 1) Curettes; 2) Piezoelectric ultrasonic scaler; 3) Curettes plus piezoelectric ultrasonic scaler; 4) Er,Cr:YSGG laser; 5) Curettes plus Er,Cr:YSGG laser. Ten samples from each group were used for analysis of root morphology and the other 10 were used for analysis of adhesion of blood components on root surface. The results were analyzed statistically by the Kruskall-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests with a significance level of 5%. The group treated with curettes showed smoother surfaces when compared to the groups were instrumented with piezoelectric ultrasonic scaler and the Er,Cr:YSGG laser. The surfaces instrumented with piezoelectric ultrasonic scaler and Er,Cr:YSGG laser, alone or in combination with hand scaling and root planing, did not differ significantly (p>0.05) among themselves. No statistically significant differences (p>0.05) among groups were found as to the adhesion of blood components on root surface. Ultrasonic instrumentation and Er,Cr:YSGG irradiation produced rougher root surfaces than the use of curettes, but there were no differences among treatments with respect to the adhesion of blood components.

Reduction of bacterial adhesion to biocompatible polymer surfaces via plasma processing

Plasma processing of the surfaces of biomaterials is interesting because it enables modification of the characteristics of a surface without affecting bulk properties. In addition, the results are strongly influenced by the conditions of the treatment. Therefore, by adjusting the plasma parameters it is possible to tailor the surface properties to best fulfill the requirements of a given application. In this work, polyurethane substrates have been subjected to sulfur hexafluoride glow discharge plasmas. The influences of different SF 6 plasma exposure times and pressures on the adhesion of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa to the polymer have been investigated. The wettability and surface free energy have been evaluated via contact angle measurements. At low pressure (6.7 Pa) the contact angle decreases with increasing exposure time in the 180 s to 540 s interval, but at higher pressure (13.3 Pa) it increases as a function of the same variable. Bacterial adhesion has been quantified from in vitro experiments by determining the growth of colonies on Petri dishes treated with agar nutrient. It has been observed that the surface properties play an important role in microbe adhesion. For instance, the density of adhered P. aeruginosa decreased as the surface contact angle increased. S. aureus preferred to adhere to hydrophobic surfaces. © 2011 by Begell House, Inc.

Influence of optimized lubrication-cooling and minimum quantity lubrication on the cutting forces, on the geometric quality of the surfaces and on the micro-structural integrity of hardened steel parts

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

CO 2 adsorption on polar surfaces of ZnO

Physical and chemical adsorption of CO 2 on ZnO surfaces were studied by means of two different implementations of periodic density functional theory. Adsorption energies were computed and compared to values in the literature. In particular, it was found that the calculated equilibrium structure and internuclear distances are in agreement with previous work. CO 2 adsorption was analyzed by inspection of the density of states and electron localization function. Valence bands, band gap and final states of adsorbed CO 2 were investigated and the effect of atomic displacements analyzed. The partial density of states (PDOS) of chemical adsorption of CO 2 on the ZnO(0001) surface show that the p orbitals of CO 2 were mixed with the ZnO valence band state appearing at the top of the valence band and in regions of low-energy conduction band. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] © 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Shellac and hydroxyapatitte coatings on titanium niobium and AISI 316L steel surfaces produced by dip-coating

Shellac is a natural resin used for the preservation of fruits, bones and as a coating on drugs. The hydroxyapatite (HA), which is naturally found in human bones, is used as filler to substitute amputated bone or as a coating for prosthetics, promoting bone growth in implants of prostheses. The objective of this work is to immobilize HA from an alcoholic solution of shellac on plates of titanium, niobium and AISI 316L steel using the simple dip-coating method. The corrosion resistance of the uncoated films is compared with ones coated with shellac and shellac plus HA. The deterioration of the film composed of shellac with hydroxyapatite in saline solution follows the ascending order: AISI 316L steel, titanium, niobium. The elemental analysis of the shellac showed that it mainly consists of the elements C, H, N and O. We used the FT-IR spectrum to characterize the shellac and HA. ©The Electrochemical Society.

The effect of laminin-1-doped nanoroughened implant surfaces: Gene expression and morphological evaluation

Aim. This study aimed to observe the morphological and molecular effect of laminin-1 doping to nanostructured implant surfaces in a rabbit model. Materials and Methods. Nanostructured implants were coated with laminin-1 (test; dilution, 100 g/mL) and inserted into the rabbit tibiae. Noncoated implants were used as controls. After 2 weeks of healing, the implants were removed and subjected to morphological analysis using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and gene expression analysis using the real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results. SEM revealed bony tissue attachment for both control and test implants. Real-time RT-PCR analysis showed that the expression of osteoblast markers RUNX-2, osteocalcin, alkaline phosphatase, and collagen I was higher (1.62-fold, 1.53-fold, 1.97-fold, and 1.04-fold, resp.) for the implants modified by laminin-1 relative to the control. All osteoclast markers investigated in the study presented higher expression on the test implants than controls as follows: tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (1.67-fold), calcitonin receptor (1.35-fold), and ATPase (1.25-fold). The test implants demonstrated higher expression of inflammatory markers interleukin-10 (1.53-fold) and tumour necrosis factor-α (1.61-fold) relative to controls. Conclusion. The protein-doped surface showed higher gene expression of typical genes involved in the osseointegration cascade than the control surface. © 2012 Humberto Osvaldo Schwartz-Filho et al.

Comparative in vivo study of commercially pure Ti implants with surfaces modified by laser with and without silicate deposition: Biomechanical and scanning electron microscopy analysis

The purpose of this study was to evaluate commercially pure titanium implant surfaces modified by laser beam (LS) and LS associated with sodium silicate (SS) deposition, and compare them with machined surface (MS) and dual acid-etching surfaces (AS) modified. Topographic characterization was performed by scanning electron microscopy-X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), and by mean roughness measurement before surgery. Thirty rabbits received 60 implants in their right and left tibias. One implant of each surface in each tibia. The implants were removed by reverse torque for vivo biomechanical analysis at 30, 60, and 90 days postoperative. In addition, the surface of the implants removed at 30 days postoperative was analyzed by SEM-EDX. The topographic characterization showed differences between the analyzed surfaces, and the mean roughness values of LS and SS were statistically higher than AS and MS. At 30 days, values removal torque LS and SS groups showed a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) when compared with MS and AS. At 60 days, groups LS and SS showed statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) when compared with MS. At 90 days, only group SS presented statistically higher (p < 0.05) in comparison with MS. The authors can conclude that physical chemistry properties and topographical of LS and SS implants increases bone-implant interaction and provides higher degree of osseointegration when compared with MS and AS. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Detection of cavitated approximal surfaces using cone beam CT and intraoral receptors

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare cone beam CT (CBCT) in a small field of view (FOV) with a solid-state sensor and a photostimulable phosphor plate system for detection of cavitated approximal surfaces. Methods: 257 non-filled approximal surfaces from human permanent premolars and molars were recorded by two intraoral digital receptors, a storage phosphor plate (Digora Optime, Soredex) and a solid-state CMOS sensor (Digora Toto, Soredex), and scanned in a cone beam CT unit (3D Accuitomo FPD80, Morita) with a FOV of 4 cm and a voxel size of 0.08 mm. Image sections were carried out in the axial and mesiodistal tooth planes. Six observers recorded surface cavitation in all images. Validation of the true absence or presence of surface cavitation was performed by inspecting the surfaces under strong light with the naked eye. Differences in sensitivity, specificity and agreement were estimated by analysing the binary data in a generalized linear model using an identity link function. Results: A significantly higher sensitivity was obtained by all observers with CBCT (p,0.001), which was not compromised by a lower specificity. Therefore, a significantly higher overall agreement was obtained with CBCT (p,0.001). There were no significant differences between the Digora Optime phosphor plate system and the Digora Toto CMOS sensor for any parameter. Conclusions: CBCT was much more accurate in the detection of surface cavitation in approximal surfaces than intraoral receptors. The differences are interpreted as clinically significant. A CBCT examination performed for other reasons should also be assessed for approximal surface cavities in teeth without restorations. © 2013 The British Institute of Radiology.

Bond strength of adhesive systems with different solvents to dry and wet dentin

Aim: This study evaluates bond strength between dentin and composite using adhesives with different solvents to dry and wet dentin. Materials and methods: Ninety bovine incisors were used; the vestibular surfaces were worn by the exposure of an area with a diameter of 4 mm of dentin. The specimens were divided into 6 groups, according to the type of adhesive used and hydratation stals: Group SB-wet: Single Bond 2 in wet dentin, Group SBdry: Single Bond 2 in dry dentin, Group SL-wet: Solobond M in wet dentin, Group SL-dry: Solobond M in dentin dry. Group XPwet: XP Bond in wet dentin, Group XP-dry: XP Bond in dentin dry. They were cut to obtain specimens in the shape of stick with 1 × 1 mm and subjected to microtensile test in universal testing machine with a cross speed of 1mm/min. The data were analyzed with ANOVA and Tukey's tests (5%). Results: ANOVA showed significant differences for surface treatment and interaction, but no difference was found for adhesive factor. The Tukey's test showed that the samples with wet dentin shown higher values of bond strength. Conclusion: The adhesive did not influence in the bond strength. The groups with wet dentin showed higher values of bond strength than groups with dry dentin.

Correlative fractography: Combining scanning electron microscopy and light microscopes for qualitative and quantitative analysis of fracture surfaces

Correlative fractography is a new expression proposed here to describe a new method for the association between scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and light microscopy (LM) for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of fracture surfaces. This article presents a new method involving the fusion of one elevation map obtained by extended depth from focus reconstruction from LM with exactly the same area by SEM and associated techniques, as X-ray mapping. The true topographic information is perfectly associated to local fracture mechanisms with this new technique, presented here as an alternative to stereo-pair reconstruction for the investigation of fractured components. The great advantage of this technique resides in the possibility of combining any imaging methods associated with LM and SEM for the same observed field from fracture surface. © Microscopy Society of America 2013.

Application of MLP and Kohonen networks for recognition of wear patterns of single-point dressers

Grinding is a parts finishing process for advanced products and surfaces. However, continuous friction between the workpiece and the grinding wheel causes the latter to lose its sharpness, thus impairing the grinding results. This is when the dressing process is required, which consists of sharpening the worn grains of the grinding wheel. The dressing conditions strongly affect the performance of the grinding operation; hence, monitoring them throughout the process can increase its efficiency. The objective of this study was to estimate the wear of a single-point dresser using intelligent systems whose inputs were obtained by the digital processing of acoustic emission signals. Two intelligent systems, the multilayer perceptron and the Kohonen neural network, were compared in terms of their classifying ability. The harmonic content of the acoustic emission signal was found to be influenced by the condition of dresser, and when used to feed the neural networks it is possible to classify the condition of the tool under study.

Osteogenesis-inducing calcium phosphate nanoparticle precursors applied to titanium surfaces

This study investigated the effects of the morphology and physicochemical properties of calcium phosphate (CaP) nanoparticles on osteogenesis. Two types of CaP nanoparticles were compared, namely amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) nano-spheres (diameter: 9-13 nm) and poorly crystalline apatite (PCA) nano-needles (30-50 nm x 2-4 nm) that closely resemble bone apatite. CaP particles were spin-coated onto titanium discs and implants; they were evaluated in cultured mouse calvarial osteoblasts, as well as after implantation in rabbit femurs. A significant dependence of CaP coatings was observed in osteoblast-related gene expression (Runx2, Col1a1 and Spp1). Specifically, the PCA group presented an up-regulation of the osteospecific genes, while the ACP group suppressed the Runx2 and Col1a1 expression when compared to blank titanium substrates. Both the ACP and PCA groups presented a more than three-fold increase of calcium deposition, as suggested by Alizarin red staining. The removal torque results implied a slight tendency in favour of the PCA group. Different forms of CaP nanostructures presented different biologic differences; the obtained information can be used to optimize surface coatings on biomaterials. © 2013 IOP Publishing Ltd.