Physical and structural characterization of bis-acryl composite resin.

During the preparation of fixed prosthesis (including individual bridges and crowns) it is important to select the materials that have the best features and properties to predict a successful clinical treatment. The objective of this study was to determine if the chemical and structural characteristics could cause to increase the fracture resistance, we used four bis-acryl resins Luxatemp, Protemp, Structur and Telio. Three-points bending by Flexural test were performed in ten bars and they were carried out to compare with Anova test. In addition, the bis-acryl resins were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, to analyze microstructure and morphology and the molecular structure were performed by Infrared Spectroscopy through Attenuated Total Reflectance. A higher flexural strength was found in Luxatemp and Structur with, no significant differences between this study groups. Regarding Protemp and Telio, these study groups showed a lower flexural strength when were compared with Luxatemp and Structur. These results corroborate SEM and ATR analysis because Luxatemp sample showed a regular size particle on the surface and chemically presents a long cross-linkage polymer chain. The presence of CO3, SiO2 and N-H groups as a fillers particle interacting with OH groups cause a higher flexural strength compared with another groups.

Changes in the physicochemical properties of isolated starch and plantain (Musa AAB Simmonds) flours for early maturity stage.

This work focuses on the study of the physicochemical changes that take place during the first stage of ripening of plantain, with particular attention to the changes in the orthorhombic and hexagonal nanocrystals present in this starch, and its relation shift with resistance starch. Significant changes were observed in the proximal analysis of plantain flour. A gradual increase in moisture content was attributed to the high content of crystalline structures and molecules that can be removed by drying. Water activity increased with ripening, which was attributed to the hygroscopic nature of the flours. The protein content increased, and the carbohydrate content decreased, indicating the progress of biochemical reactions. The changes in the fat content are consistent with the hydrolysis and resynthesis of lipids during the ripening process. The obtained results indicate a significant influence of the ripening stage on the physicochemical properties of flour and starch of plantain, which is associated with the occurrence of a climacteric peak on the 4th day of ripening. The hydration properties of plantain flour decreased significantly during the ripening days, consistent with the occurrence of a climacteric peak. Water holding capacity (WHC) and water binding capacity (WBC) were affected by the degree of digestion of native starch granules and protein denaturation during fruit ripening. Scanning electron microscopes (SEM) showed that during ripening the surface of the isolated starches do not suffer any significative damage. X-ray diffraction patterns were used to identify crystalline structures and to study the changes in the crystalline structures. These results showed that the starch contains orthorhombic and hexagonal nanocrystals, which play and important role and which show small structural damage during ripening reflected in a decrease in their relative crystallinity. This is the first time that these nanocrystals have been studied and considered in the ripening process. Differential scanning calorimetry was used to study the thermal transition in isolated starch. The results indicated that the gelatinization of starch corresponds to the solvation of orthorhombic and hexagonal nanocrystals, and that during ripening there is a decrease in the enthalpy reflecting some crystal structural damage. Pasting properties were studied using a Starch cell for flours and isolated starches, indicating that the pasting profile is governed by intrinsic and extrinsic factors. The resistant starch does not show significant changes at this stage of maturation. This starch is the one with the highest resistant starch content reported in the literature (38%). It was hypothesized that the resistant starch is directly related to the amount of whole starch granules, and more importantly, directly related to the number concentration of orthorhombic and hexagonal nanocrystals. Therefore, knowledge of the physicochemical and nutritional properties of plantain and flour at each stage of ripening allows better selection according to industrial applications.

The effect of the electromagnetic field on the physicochemical properties of isolated corn starch obtained of plants from irradiate seeds.

Maize grains are composed of the pericarp, endosperm, and germ. Consequently, any treatment, such as electromagnetic fields (EMF) must alter these components, which in turn alters the physicochemical properties of the grain. Since starch is a major component of corn grain, and given the great industrial importance of starch, this study investigates how EMF affects the physicochemical properties of starch. Mother seed were exposed to three different intensities 23, 70, and 118 µT for 15 days. Except for a slight porosity on the surface of the starch of the grains of plants exposed to higher EMF, the starch showed no morphological differences between the different treatments and the control (according to scanning electron microscopy). The X-ray patterns showed that the orthorhombic structure was kept constant, unaffected by the intensity of EMF. However, the pasting profile of starch was affected, and a decrease in the peak viscosity was obtained when the intensity of EMF increased. In contrast to the control plants, FTIR shows characteristic bands which can be attributed to the stretching of the CO bonds at wave number 1.711 cm-1. EMF can be considered a physical modification of starch.

Generalized equation of state for fluids: From molecular liquids to colloidal dispersions.

In this work, a new parameterization for the Statistical Association Fluid Theory for potentials of Variable Range (SAFT-VR) is coupled to the discrete potential theory to represent the thermodynamic properties of several fluids, ranging from molecular liquids to colloidal-like dispersions. In this way, this version of the SAFT-VR approach can be straightforwardly applied to any kind of either simple or complex fluid. In particular, two interaction potentials, namely, the Lennard-Jones and the hard-core attractive Yukawa potentials, are discretized to study the vapor-liquid equilibrium properties of both molecular and complex liquids, respectively. Our results are assessed with Monte Carlo computer simulations and available and accurate theoretical results based on the self-consistent Ornstein-Zernike approximation.

In situ study of hydroxyapatite from cattle during a controlled calcination process using HT-XRD.

In situ High-Temperature X-ray diffraction (HT-XRD) from 400 to 900 °C was carried out to obtain patterns of bio hydroxyapatite every 20 °C during calcination processes at heating rates of 3, 6, and 9 °C/min to determine changes in its structural parameters as well as in its thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) for a and c lattice parameters. Additionally, High-Resolution Transmission Electron microscopy (HR-TEM) demonstrates that this HAp has an ordered nano like plate crystalline structure. The raw sample exhibits broad X-ray peaks originated by its nano size, and after calcination at about 700 °C, these become narrowed due to crystal growth. The calculation of the TEC as a function of the temperature for this hydroxyapatite shows a nonlinear increment for the a and c lattice parameters. Lattice thermal expansion occurs as water and organic matter are lost as the coalescence of HAp crystals take place; furthermore, as the heating rate increases, so does the lattice volume. Thermal analyses confirm that crystal growth is a process that starts after the bone sample has lost all its organic material and then bio-hydroxyapatite size changes from nano to micro-scale. A simulation using the PDF-4 software confirmed the nanometric size of the hydroxyapatite.

Effect of the Nano Crystal Size on the X-ray Diffraction Patterns of Biogenic Hydroxyapatite from Human, Bovine, and Porcine Bones.

This paper focuses on the study of the effect of the change of the crystal size on the shape and width of the X-ray diffraction patterns for defatted and deproteinized bones as well as incinerated biogenic hydroxyapatite obtained from bovine, porcine, and human bones. Inductively Couple Plasma showed the presence of some ions such as Mg, K, Al, Fe, Zn, and Na for all samples. The nanometric size of the crystals was determined through High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy in which ordered crystals were found. The calcination of raw clean bones at 720 °C produced a transition of crystal size from nano to micro due to a coalescence phenomenon, this was accompanied by a decrease of the peak width of the X-ray diffraction patterns due to the decrease of the inelastic scattering contribution from the microcrystals. A simulation of the effect of the crystallite size on the shape and width of the X-ray patterns was done using PDF-4 software which confirmed that raw ordered bone crystals produce broad peaks which so far have been erroneously assigned to polycrystalline hydroxyapatite with low crystalline quality.

Morphological, structural, thermal, compositional, vibrational, and pasting characterization of white, yellow, and purple Arracacha Lego-like starches and flours (Arracacia xanthorrhiza).

This work is focused on the chemical, structural, morphological, thermal, IR vibrational, and pasting characterization of isolated white, yellow, and purple Arracacha starches from Colombia. Inductive couple plasma showed that these starches are rich in potassium. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images show that the starch granules are formed by ovoid fully filled Lego-like starch microparticles, the circular cross-section has a diameter between 9 and 15µm and mayor axis between 20 and 30µm. Each one of these ovoids is formed by irregular wedge-shaped 6 to 10 isolated starch granules with an average size between 4 and 12µm. The amylose content ranged between 31 and 36%. Arracacha starches exhibited high viscosity values (between 20.000 and 28.000cP), which could be influenced by the high content of potassium ions, due to the C-H~K Van Der Waals interaction that was identified by using IR spectroscopy. According to the X-ray diffraction analysis, the starch patterns exhibited broad diffracted peaks which could be associated with the existence of nano-crystals and lamellae; the Differential Scanning calorimetry (DSC) result showed starches with a low gelatinization temperature of about 60°C.

Analysis of thermal pasting profile in corn starch rich in amylose and amylopectin: Physicochemical transformations, part II.

This work focused on the study of the behaviors of the apparent viscosity profiles of isolated corn starches rich in amylose and amylopectin, through the physicochemical and morphological changes that take place during the thermal profile and the gel formation. Frozen dry samples were studied at different stages along the pasting profile. Changes in the structural properties of the samples were studied using X-ray diffraction, and the morphological changes were followed using scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry was used to analyze the thermal changes. The changes in the pasting profile (curve of apparent viscosity) were associated with structural, thermal, and morphological changes of the starch-water suspension. From the results obtained, a new interpretation of the parameters measured with the pasting profile is introduced. In this work does not show evidence of retrogradation at the end of the cooling process for starch rich in amylopectin and that starch rich in amylose does not develop viscosity.

Cooling rate effects on thermal, structural, and microstructural properties of bio-hydroxyapatite obtained from bovine bone.

This article is focused on the study of cooling rate effects on the thermal, structural, and microstructural properties of hydroxyapatite (HAp) obtained from bovine bone. A three-step process was used to obtain BIO-HAp: hydrothermal, calcinations, and cooling. Calcined samples in a furnace and cooling in air (HAp-CAir), water (HAp-CW), and liquid nitrogen (HAp-CN2), as well as an air cooled sample inside the furnace (HAp-CFAir), were studied. According to this study, the low cooling rate that was achieved for air cooled samples inside the furnace produce single crystal BIO-HAp with better crystalline quality; other samples exhibited polycrystalline structures forming micron and submicron grains.