No description available.

Resin-composites have been used in dentistry as direct restorative materials for over fifty years ago, and meanwhile their properties have been substantially improved. Recently a new class of light-cured resin-composites known as 'bulk-fill' materials has been introduced, and has increased the practical application of resin-composites in comparison to conventional incrementally applied materials. The aim of the present research was to assess bulk-fill resin-composites in comparison to conventional materials with respect to their composition, polymeric structure properties and hygroscopic behaviour in oral and food simulating substances. A variety of bulk-fill and conventional resin-composites were tested in this study. Monomer composition of materials has been qualitatively and quantitatively determined using high performance liquid chromatography and mass spectroscopy, and their degree of conversion assessed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. It was found that the degree of conversion of the bulk-fill resin-composites was generally comparable to that of conventional materials and appeared to be governed by the type and quantity of monomers comprising the resin matrix. To evaluate the cross-link density of the polymer matrix, the extent of post-irradiation hardness development, chemical softening, and thermal stability were assessed using microhardness and thermogravimetric analysis. Materials showed variable results and it was suggested that two networks were present in the polymerized resin matrix, a primary network forming immediately after curing followed by a secondary network. The secondary network seemed to have poor cross-link density with low resistance to the degradative effects of solvents. Monomer elution from cured materials was assessed using High performance liquid chromatography over three months' storage in three different media. Elution from bulk-fill resin-composites was found to be comparable to that of conventional materials, despite their increased incremental thickness, with remarkably minimal elution taking place from two bulk-fill materials examined. Monomer elution was shown to be highly dependent on the hydrophobicity of the base monomers and the network characteristics of the resin-matrix. UDMA-BisEMA based systems appeared to be more vulnerable in organic solutions than BisGMA and BisGMA-BisEMA based systems in terms of monomer elution. Sorption and solubility were assessed after one years' storage in water and artificial saliva. Water sorption and solubility of resin-composites were material-dependent and highly affected by the filler loading and initial degree of conversion of the polymeric matrix. BisEMA and UDMA-BisEMA based polymer networks appeared to be more hydrophobic and resistant to sorption and solubility than BisGMA based systems in water based media. The bulk-fill and conventional resin-composites tested were considered stable in the long-term water storage, with the exception of one conventional flowable material.

Thesis (M.S. - Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics)--University of Arizona. / Includes bibliographical references.

It is the responsibility of the discipline of architecture to enhance and compliment the human act of dwelling. One must engage the sun, moon and the changing seasons, provide spatial efficiency to lifestyle, purpose, and need, and harmoniously embed the contextually harmonious mechanics required to aid in modern dwelling. There are three underlying axes in this thesis in an effort to provide a perspective to reflect upon the entire body of work from the precedent studies, the process work and the final presentation. First, are the Hiedeggerian thoughts pertaining to the human act of dwelling. He states "We do not dwell because we have built, but we build and have built because we dwell that is, because we as dwellers." Simply, architects build to satisfy a specific need of a particular person, family, organization or society. We do not build arbitrarily but require a need to build or change the built environment to satisfy a perpetually evolving act of dwelling. Buildings protect, preserve and cherish dwelling and the evolution of dwelling facilitates the need to build. Architecture responds to this need. Second is the city as the built canvas of society. The perpetual building, rebuilding, unbuilding and modifications illustrate and identify the grain and subtle contextual geometries of city. Lastly is the role of technology in architecture. Sustainable technology, engineered building materials, digital communication and computer controlled systems all aid in making the act of living easier but are not the reason for life itself. Therefore, technology cannot be the concept of an architectural project but only assist the idea. The Site: Employing the idea of working with the grain of the city, I chose to begin examining one city block on the island of Manhattan in New York City. Understanding what has been built, unbuilt, rebuilt and modified on this site throughout history enabled me to understand the grain and internal geometries of it; allowing my interpretation of the history of the site to direct my design. The site is the triangular block bordered by Edgecombe Avenue, Bradhurst Avenue and 145th street in Harlem. Both Edgecombe Avenue and Bradhurst Avenue are secondary streets mainly occupied with 3 â 6 story apartment houses and single-family row houses. 145th Street is one of the large commercial boulevards of the area. The natural and social geography of the site was my initial attraction. It is one of only a few areas where two drastically different neighborhoods, known to the locals as the hilltop and the flats, connect. These neighborhoods are separated by a series of linear parks that were set-aside during the initial planning of the city because they were considered unbuildable land. They are literally shear rock cliffs with elevation changes of twenty-five feet to over sixty feet. The separation provided by the natural geography greatly contributed to the social separation between the two neighborhoods. This site is situated on one of four areas where the city fabric spans the separation and links "the hilltop" with "the flats". The Program: The project I chose to pursue is a mixed-use urban infill project with four distinct building programs executed with one architectural expression. The programs are two types of urban housing, office/work/retail space, civic/public space, all aligning with the information-driven society and the extension of an urban park interlacing itself with the city fabric and reconnecting the fractured linear parks. The Thesis: By using the urban context and a conglomerate program, my goal is to realize the architectural possibilities while reflecting on the human act of dwelling. Furthermore, I hope to gain insight and direction for my own career as an architect on how to engage an existing urban context. The method allows the built history to remain and work within the existing context to further adapt and modify the urban fabric. The Design: I began my design with a typology study. Understanding the existing site axes and geometries, solid verses void, hierarchy of buildings, solar orientation, building types and the construction method used in their making. Using the program I established and the site studies, I began laying out in plan, section and elevation the various architectural elements. The goal is to provide architectural generosity in space, volume and natural light. This was a three dimensional applied program to the site. Through my precedent study, I interpreted forms in nature and especially the complexity and elegance of the human body. My interpretation of the structure of the human spine, shoulder and arm and the interplay of muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones aided in the development of the structural form of my buildings. Repeating the forms and structural idea generated from my interpretations, I used the variation in the scale and program of the buildings to provide variation within a repetitious design. This approach enables the complex of building types and sizes to be part of one architectural expression. / Master of Architecture

Las propiedades físicas de las resinas compuestas son muy importantes, por ello el objetivo del presente estudio fue determinar la profundidad de polimerización de las resinas “bulk fill” al ser fotoactivadas a diferentes distancias. La parte experimental se realizó utilizando el método ISO 4049, se elaboraron 36 moldes cilíndricos de 4mm de diámetro y 12 mm de altura, en las cuales se colocó la resina; se elaboraron 12 muestras de cada resina (resina A y resina B) y se dividieron de acuerdo a la distancia de fotoactivación (0mm y 4mm) por lo que se obtuvieron 6 grupos con 6 muestras de resina en cada grupo, todas se polimerizaron por LED a 10 segundos. La medición de la altura absoluta polimerizada de las muestras se realizó con un micrómetro de 0,01mm de precisión, finalmente cada altura absoluta fue dividida entre 2 lo cual se registró como la profundidad de polimerización de cada muestra. Los datos fueron sometidos a la prueba T-Student para muestras independientes y a la prueba ANOVA con un nivel de confianza de 95%. Los resultados mostraron que la resina A presentó mayor profundidad de polimerización que la resina B para las dos distancias de fotoactivación (0mm y 4mm). Los datos mostraron valores de p<0.05 siendo estadísticamente significativa entre las resinas evaluadas. Se concluyó que las profundidades de polimerización de las resinas “bulk fill” están determinadas por la distancia de fotoactivación, la resina A presenta mayor profundidad de polimerización que la resina B. Palabras claves: profundidad de polimerización, resinas compuestas bulk fill. / --- The physical properties of the composites are very important so the aim of this study was to determine the depth of cure of resins "bulk fill" photoactivated at different distances. The experimental part was carried out using the ISO 4049 method, cylindrical molds 36 of 4mm diameter and 12 mm in height, in which the resin is placed is produced; 12 samples of each resin (resin A and resin B) were prepared and divided according to the distance of photoactivation (0mm and 4mm) so 6 groups were obtained with 6 resin samples in each group, all were polymerized by LED 10 seconds. Measuring the absolute height of all samples it was performed using a micrometer of 0.01mm accuracy absolute height finally each was divided between 2, which was recorded as the depth of cure of each sample. The data were submitted to the Student t-test for independent samples and ANOVA test with a confidence level of 95%. The results showed that the resin A showed further polymerisation resin B for the two distances photoactivation (0mm and 4mm). The data showed P values <0.05 were statistically significant between the resins evaluated. It was concluded that the depths of polymerization of the resins "bulk fill" are determined by the distance photoactivation, the resin A has greater depth of cure the resin B. Keywords: depth of cure, composites bulk fill.

No description available.

The efficiency of interior-point algorithms for linear programming is related to the effort required to factorize the matrix used to solve for the search direction at each iteration. When the linear program is in symmetric form (i.e., the constraints are Ax b, x > 0 ), then there are two mathematically equivalent forms of the search direction, involving different matrices. One form necessitates factoring a matrix whose sparsity pattern has the same form as that of (A AT). The other form necessitates factoring a matrix whose sparsity pattern has the same form as that of (ATA). Depending on the structure of the matrix A, one of these two forms may produce significantly less fill-in than the other. Furthermore, by analyzing the fill-in of both forms prior to starting the iterative phase of the algorithm, the form with the least fill-in can be computed and used throughout the algorithm. Finally, this methodology can be applied to linear programs that are not in symmetric form, that contain both equality and inequality constraints.

This thesis formulates a conceptual framework developed from field observations that describes the influence of surface depressions or potholes on runoff generation in the prairie pothole region of the North American prairies. The fill-and-spill of potholes results in intermittent surface water connectivity between potholes within the basin. The extent of connectivity between potholes is dependent on antecedent water levels. Dynamic connectivity between potholes results in dynamic contributing areas for runoff. The concept of connectivity is manifested in the conceptual curves presented in this thesis. These conceptual curves model the response of runoff events for landscape types found in the prairie pothole region, and capture the influence of the spatial distribution and extent of surface storage on contributing area. The conceptual curves differ due to variations in the spatial distribution and extent of surface storage volume.<p> An algorithm based on the conceptual framework proposed is presented. The algorithm, which uses the the D-8 drainage direction method, automates a methodology for identifying and quantifying runoff contributing area. The algorithm is applied in prairie pothole basins both to demonstrate its efficacy and to test the potential for using conceptual curves to describe the relationship between decreasing potential surface storage in the landscape and contributing area. The algorithm was applied to two digital elevation models (DEM) representative of the prairie pothole region. The first DEM was created using LiDAR elevation points at a 1 m resolution for the St. Denis watershed, and the second was created from orthophotos for the Smith Creek watershed at a 25 m resolution.<p> Fieldwork in the St. Denis watershed was carried out to both provide a basis for the conceptual framework proposed and to validate the results of the algorithm. The fieldwork involved gathering snow survey data, identifying and describing surface water conditions during a snow melt runoff event in 2006, and measuring pond levels from 2004 2007.<p> Results indicate that the proposed conceptual curves represent the non-linear relationship between potential surface storage and contributing area generated by the algorithm in the test basins. To test whether the underlying concepts of the algorithm were valid, the algorithm was used to model pond level depths measured in the St. Denis drainage basin after spring runoff in 2006 and 2007. An r2 value over 0.9 was calculated for the relationship between measured and modeled pond levels in both years. Based on this work, it is clear that any hydrologic study or model applied in the prairie pothole region should consider the effect of dynamic contributing areas on runoff generation.

This thesis formulates a conceptual framework developed from field observations that describes the influence of surface depressions or potholes on runoff generation in the prairie pothole region of the North American prairies. The fill-and-spill of potholes results in intermittent surface water connectivity between potholes within the basin. The extent of connectivity between potholes is dependent on antecedent water levels. Dynamic connectivity between potholes results in dynamic contributing areas for runoff. The concept of connectivity is manifested in the conceptual curves presented in this thesis. These conceptual curves model the response of runoff events for landscape types found in the prairie pothole region, and capture the influence of the spatial distribution and extent of surface storage on contributing area. The conceptual curves differ due to variations in the spatial distribution and extent of surface storage volume.<p> An algorithm based on the conceptual framework proposed is presented. The algorithm, which uses the the D-8 drainage direction method, automates a methodology for identifying and quantifying runoff contributing area. The algorithm is applied in prairie pothole basins both to demonstrate its efficacy and to test the potential for using conceptual curves to describe the relationship between decreasing potential surface storage in the landscape and contributing area. The algorithm was applied to two digital elevation models (DEM) representative of the prairie pothole region. The first DEM was created using LiDAR elevation points at a 1 m resolution for the St. Denis watershed, and the second was created from orthophotos for the Smith Creek watershed at a 25 m resolution.<p> Fieldwork in the St. Denis watershed was carried out to both provide a basis for the conceptual framework proposed and to validate the results of the algorithm. The fieldwork involved gathering snow survey data, identifying and describing surface water conditions during a snow melt runoff event in 2006, and measuring pond levels from 2004 2007.<p> Results indicate that the proposed conceptual curves represent the non-linear relationship between potential surface storage and contributing area generated by the algorithm in the test basins. To test whether the underlying concepts of the algorithm were valid, the algorithm was used to model pond level depths measured in the St. Denis drainage basin after spring runoff in 2006 and 2007. An r2 value over 0.9 was calculated for the relationship between measured and modeled pond levels in both years. Based on this work, it is clear that any hydrologic study or model applied in the prairie pothole region should consider the effect of dynamic contributing areas on runoff generation.

This study investigates channel bed scour and fill as a result of individual flood events in a gravel-bed channel. Given the complexity of interactions between hydraulic force, the texture and arrangement of bed material, and input of sediment to a particular point of the channel bed, study objectives were pursued with the view that bed material movement is a stochastic phenomenon. A two-year field program was conducted in Carnation Creek, a small gravel-bed stream draining 11 km2 on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. In the 900 m study reach, an array of measurement techniques, including scour indicators, magnetically-tagged stones, and conventional survey, yielded information about the fluctuations of the channel bed elevation and movement of scoured material for individual flooding periods. Frequency distributions of scour and fill depths associated with individual flooding periods are adequately modeled by negative exponential functions over the range of flood peak magnitudes observed in Carnation Creek. Analysis of scour depths measured in streams on the Queen Charlotte Islands demonstrates the applicability of the exponential model to flooding periods and flood seasons. Further, exploratory analysis suggests that a regional scour depth model is possible. Power functions relating mean depths of scour and fill to flood peak discharge show that depth increases with an increase in peak magnitude. Observed maximum scour depths in flooding periods are linked, in general, to streambed conditions influenced by antecedent flow conditions. These patterns in scour and fill exist within an overall pattern of increasing variability in depths of scour and fill as peak discharge increases. Evaluation of a heuristic model for mean travel distance as a function of particle size proposed by Church and Hassan (1992) provides convincing evidence for its general merit. Mean travel distance decreases inversely with particle size as size increases beyond the median diameter of subsurface sediment. This trend is consistent in both individual flooding periods as well as flood seasons. The majority of material finer than the median diameter of surface sediment is supplied from subsurface material, which influences the travel distances of these finer fractions because of burial. Computation of volumetric transport rates of bed material, based on the active scour depth and width of the channel bed, the virtual velocity of particle movement, and sediment porosity, suggests the potential for building scale correlations with streamflow, which have usually been defined by bedload sampling during floods. Error analysis indicates that determination of active width contributes most significantly to the imprecision of transport rate estimates. Results underscore the stochastic nature of sediment transport in gravel-bed channels.