Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Statement of problem: Yttria-partially stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (Y-TZP) all-ceramic restorations have been reported to suffer from chipping or cracking of the veneering porcelain (VP) as the most common complication. There is little information in the literature regarding the influence of surface treatment on VP shear bond strength to Y-TZP after cyclic loading. Purpose of this study: The goals of this study were (1) to investigate the influence of zirconia surface treatments on veneering porcelain shear bond strength and (2) to investigate the influence of cyclic loading on the shear bond strength between VP and Y-TZP. Materials and Methods: 48 cylinder–shaped specimens (6mm in diameter and 4mm in height) were divided into 4 groups containing 12 specimens each according to the surface treatment. As a control group (C), no further treatment was applied to the specimens after grinding. Group H was heat-treated as a pretreatment according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. Group S was airborne-particle abraded with 50 µm alumina (Al2O3) particles under a pressure of 0.4 MPa for 10 seconds. In the group SH, the heat-treatment was performed after the airborne-particle abrasion. A VP cylinder (2.4 mm in diameter and 2 mm in height) was applied and fired on the prepared Y-TZP specimens. The shear bond strength was tested using a universal testing machine. Six specimens from each group were subjected to fatigue (10,000cycles, 1.5Hz, 10N load) before testing. Results: The 3-way ANOVA showed no statistically significant effect of surface treatment and cyclic loading on shear bond strength. The highest mean shear bond strength was recorded for the air-particle abrasion group without cyclic loading (34.1 + 10 MPa). The lowest mean shear bond strength was the air-particle abrasion group with cyclic loading (10.7 ± 15.4 MPa). Sidak multiple comparisons procedure demonstrated cyclic loading specimens had significantly lower shear bond strength than non-cyclic loading specimens after air-particle abrasion without heat treatment (p=0.0126) Conclusion: Within the limitations of this study, (1) Shear bond strength between Y-TZP and VP is not affected statistically by surface treatment using heat treatment, airborne-particle abrasion, and heat treatment after airborne-particle abrasion. (2) There is significant difference in shear bond strength with air-particle abrasion between with and without cyclic loading groups. This difference suggested that air-particle abrasion should be avoided in clinical situations as a surface treatment without heat treatment.

The doctoral thesis is focused on the study, research and development of refractories with phosphate bonding. Primary motivation is preparation of phosphate-based binders that can be applied for non-shaped insulating material fabricated by “in situ” foaming. The phosphate binders based on Al2O3-H3PO4 system are one of the most common in refractory technology. The amphoteric nature of the aluminium and its oxides require the setting of Al2O3-H3PO4 binders under the higher temperatures. Application of higher temperatures is necessary to obtain the minimal manipulation strength of as-prepared green bodies. The main goal of the work is preparation of ytrium phosphate-based binders via different preparation techniques. Yttrium based binders would allow phosphate refractory preparation by standard way, i.e via reaction between binder and reactive aggregate, without structural disintegration of foamed material even before getting manipulation strength or the final firing procedure. Yttrium is more basic than aluminium and therefore more reactive in Y2O3-H3PO4 system.. Yttrium oxide is highly refractory material and sintered yttrium monophosphate has excellent properties from the thermal and corrosive stability point of view. This fact should compensate higher price of this material. Experimental part of this work studies the possibilities of binders preparation in Y2O3-H3PO4 system. The mixtures were designed to prepare binding phase Y(H2PO4)3. Products of these reactions were characterized in phase and chemical point of view. In order to study and describe setting and hardening processes of phosphate binders, the products were “in situ” analyzed by the thermal analyses and high-temperature diffraction analysis up to the 1300 °C. High temperature products were then characterized by means of phase and chemical composition and morphology.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The use of yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (Y-TZP), normally employed as a framework for all-ceramic restorations, has now started to be used without any veneering ceramics in patients with parafunctional activities. The aims of this study were to evaluate the influence of Y-TZP surface roughness on the wear behavior (volume/height loss) against glass-based ceramics (i.e., IPS Empress CAD and IPS e.max CAD, Ivoclar-Vivadent). Thirty-two Y-TZP full-contour zirconia (Ardent®) sliders (ϕ=2 mm, 1.5 mm in height) were milled in a CAD/CAM unit and sintered according to the manufacturer instructions. Sliders were embedded in brass holders using acrylic resin and then randomly allocated into 2 groups according to the surface treatment (n=16): G1-as-machined and G2-glazed (Diazir®). Empress and e.max antagonists were cut into tabs (13×13×2 mm) wet-finished and also embedded in brass holders. Two-body pin-on-disc wear testing was performed at 1.2 Hz for 25,000 cycles under a 3-kg load. Non-contact profilometry was used to measure antagonist height (μm) and volume loss (mm3). Qualitative data of the testing surfaces and wear tracks were obtained using SEM. Statistics were performed using one- and two-way ANOVAs (α=0.05). The results indicated that G1 yielded significantly higher mean roughness values (Ra=0.83 μm, Rq=1.09 μm) than G2 (Ra=0.53 μm, Rq=0.78 μm). Regarding antagonist loss, G1 caused significantly less antagonist mean height and volume loss (68.4 μm, 7.6 mm3) for Empress than G2 (84.9 μm, 9.9 mm3) while no significant differences were found for e.max. Moreover, Empress significantly showed lower mean height and volume loss than e.max (p<0.0001). SEM data revealed morphological differences on wear characteristics between the two ceramics against Y-TZP. Within the limitations of this study, e.max wear was not affected by Y-TZP surface roughness. However, Empress wear was greater when opposing glazed Y-TZP. Overall, based on our findings, surface glazing on full-contour Y-TZP did not minimize glass-ceramic antagonist wear when compared with as-machined group.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / THE EFFECT OF FULL-CONTOUR Y-TZP CERAMIC SURFACE ROUGHNESS ON THE WEAR OF BOVINE ENAMEL AND SYNTHETIC HYDROXYAPATITE: AN IN-VITRO STUDY by Alaa Hussein Aref Sabrah Indiana University School of Dentistry Indianapolis, Indiana Full-contour yttrium-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (Y-TZP) restorations have been advocated recently in clinical situations where occlusal/palatal space is limited, or to withstand parafunctional activities. The objectives of this in-vitro study were to investigate the effects of different polishing techniques on the surface roughness of Y-TZP (Ardent Dental, Inc.) and to investigate the effects of different polishing techniques on the wear behavior of synthetic hydroxyapatite (HA) and bovine enamel. An in-vitro study was conducted by fabrication of 48 Y-TZP sliders (diameter = 2 mm × 1.5 mm in height) using CAD/CAM technique; then the samples were embedded in acrylic resin using brass holders. Samples were then randomly allocated into four groups according to the finishing/polishing procedure: G1-as-machined (n = 8), G2- glazed (n = 16), G3-diamond bur-finishing (Brasseler, USA) (n = 8) and G4- G3+OptraFine polishing kit (Ivoclar-Vivadent) (n = 16). Thirty-two sintered HA disks (diameter = 11 mm × 2.9 mm in height) and 16 bovine enamel samples with a minimum surface area of 64 mm2 were mounted in brass holders. Baseline surface roughness (Ra and Rq, in μm) were recorded using a non-contact profilometer (Proscan 2000) for all the samples. A two-body pin-on-disk wear test was performed for 25,000 cycles at 1.2 Hz in which the four zirconia groups were tested against HA, and only G2-glazed and G4- G3+OptraFine polishing kit (Ivoclar-Vivadent) were tested against bovine enamel. Vertical substance loss (μm) and volume loss (mm3) of HA were measured (Proscan). Zirconia height loss was measured using a digital micrometer. One-way ANOVA was used for statistical analysis. The results indicated that surface roughness measurements showed significant differences among the surface treatments with G1 (Ra = 0.84, Rq = 1.13 μm) and G3 (Ra = 0.89, Rq = 1.2 μm) being the roughest, and G2 (Ra = 0.42, Rq = 0.63 μm) the smoothest. The glazed group showed the highest vertical loss (35.39 μm) suggesting wear of the glaze layer, while the polished group showed the least vertical loss (6.61 μm). HA antagonist volume loss and vertical height loss for groups (G1, G2 and G3) were similar, while polished group (1.3 mm3, 14.7 μm) showed significant lower (p = 0.0001) values. Antagonist height loss and antagonist volume loss were significantly higher for bovine antagonist than for HA antagonist (197.6 μm/116.2 μm, and 28.5 mm3/17.7 mm3 for bovine against glazed/polished zirconia sliders, respectively) (p < 0.0001). From the results it can be concluded that glazed zirconia provided an initially smooth surface, but a significant increased antagonist wear compared with the polished surface was seen. Bovine enamel showed higher wear compared with HA, which suggested that more studies should be performed to validate the use of bovine enamel as a substitute for human enamel in wear studies.

La modélisation toxicocinétique est un outil efficace pour évaluer le devenir de contaminants dans l’organisme animal ou humain. Elle peut, entre autres, servir à reconstituer une exposition à ces contaminants dans le cadre d’études de biosurveillance de l’exposition populationnelle. Ce mémoire porte sur le développement d’un modèle toxicocinétique qui permet de relier des doses d’exposition aux métaux rares, aux concentrations dans le sang et les tissus ainsi qu’aux quantités excrétées de l’organisme. Ce modèle a été développé pour des terres-rares abondantes dans l’environnement et jusqu’ici peu étudiées: l’yttrium (Y), le cérium (Ce), le praséodyme (Pr) et le néodyme (Nd). Il est utile pour reconstruire des doses absorbées à partir de données dans des matrices biologiques accessibles comme l’urine et le sang et aider à mieux interpréter des données de biosurveillance de l’exposition à des contaminants. De nouvelles données expérimentales obtenues à partir d’études expérimentales chez le rat combinées à des données de la littérature ont servi à développer le modèle. Celui-ci comprend 20 compartiments représentant différents organes, la circulation sanguine, l’urine et les fèces. Les paramètres du modèle incluent des coefficients de transfert entre les compartiments, qui décrivent la vitesse de transfert d’un compartiment à l’autre et donc la cinétique de ces métaux. Un système d’équations différentielles a été utilisé pour décrire les échanges entre les compartiments. Une fois les paramètres déterminés à partir de la littérature et par ajustement aux données expérimentales acquises, le modèle a donné une bonne adéquation aux données expérimentales disponibles sur les profils temporels des quatre métaux dans le sang, l’urine et les fèces, ainsi que sur les niveaux présents dans les organes au sacrifice. Ce modèle a ensuite servi à dériver un niveau biologique correspondant à une dose critique établie à partir d’études de toxicité chez le rat, soit la dose maximale sans effet nocif observé (NOAEL) chez le rat utilisée par la U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) pour établir des doses de référence par ingestion provisoires (p-RfD) chez l’humain à ne pas dépasser pour prévenir des effets sur la santé. Le modèle a ainsi été utilisé pour dériver les niveaux urinaires de métaux rares dans des collectes de 24 h et les concentrations urinaires correspondantes suite à la simulation d’une exposition quotidienne répétée par voie orale à cette dose critique (NOAEL) chez l'animal jusqu'à ce que l'état d'équilibre soit atteint. Afin d’obtenir une valeur biologique limite chez l’humain définie comme « équivalent biologique ou BE (de l’anglais : Biomonitoring Equivalent) », le facteur d’incertitude de 1000 utilisé par la U.S. EPA pour extrapoler le NOAEL animal à une dose de référence RfD chez l’humain a été utilisé pour les éléments disponibles. Les niveaux urinaires pouvant servir d’équivalents biologiques (BE) ont ainsi été établis à 0.03 et 0.07 µg/L pour le Pr et Nd uniquement. Les niveaux biologiques de métaux rares dans des populations exposées (niveaux urinaires ici) peuvent donc être directement comparés avec ces BE pour vérifier si des mesures devraient être prises pour réduire l’exposition. L’approche de modélisation peut être appliquée à d’autres terres rares dans une approche plus complète d’évaluation des risques associés à l’exposition à ces contaminants émergents. Il est aussi possible de recalculer les BE pour de nouvelles doses critiques. / Toxicokinetic modeling is an effective tool for evaluating the fate of contaminants in the animal or human body. It can, among other things, be used to reconstruct exposure to these contaminants in biomonitoring studies of population exposure. This thesis focuses on the development of a toxicokinetic model allowing to link exposure doses of rare earth elements (REEs) to concentration in blood and tissues as well as to amounts excreted from the body. This model was developed for abundant REEs in the environment and so far poorly studied: yttrium (Y), cerium (Ce), praseodymium (Pr) and neodymium (Nd). It is useful to reconstruct doses absorbed from data in accessible biological matrices such as urine and blood and to help better interpret biomonitoring data for exposure assessment to contaminants. New data obtained from experimental studies in rats combined with data from the literature were used to develop the model. It consists of 20 compartments representing different organs, blood circulation, urine and faeces. The model parameters include transfer coefficients between compartments, which describe the rate of transfer from one compartment to another and therefore the kinetics of these metals. A differential equation system was used to describe the exchanges between the compartments. Once the parameters were determined from the literature and by adjustment to the experimental data acquired, the model gave a good match to the data available on the temporal profiles of the four metals in blood, urine and faeces, as well as levels present in the organs at sacrifice. This model was then used to establish a biological level corresponding to a critical dose established from toxicity studies in rats, i.e. the maximum “no observed adverse effect level” (NOAEL) dose in rats used by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to establish provisional ingestion reference doses (RfD) in humans not to be exceeded to prevent health effects. The model was thus used to derive the urine levels of REEs in 24-h urine collections and the corresponding urine concentrations following the simulation of repeated daily oral exposure to this critical dose (NOAEL) in animals up until a state of equilibrium was reached. In order to obtain a biological limit value in humans defined as "biological equivalent or BE", the uncertainty factor of 1000 used by the U.S. EPA to extrapolate the animal NOAEL to a RfD reference dose in humans was used. Urinary levels that can serve as biological equivalents (BE) were thus established at 0.03 and 0.07 µg/L for Pr and Nd. Biological levels of REEs in exposed populations (urinary levels here) can therefore be directly compared with these BEs to verify whether measures should be taken to reduce exposure. The modeling approach can be applied to other REEs in a more detailed risk assessment approach associated with exposure to these emerging contaminants. It is also easily possible to recalculate the BEs for new critical doses.

No description available.

No / Both prominent feature points and geodesic distance are key factors for mesh segmentation. With these two factors, this paper proposes a graph cut based mesh segmentation method. The mesh is first preprocessed by Laplacian smoothing. According to the Gaussian curvature, candidate feature points are then selected by a predefined threshold. With DBSCAN (Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Application with Noise), the selected candidate points are separated into some clusters, and the points with the maximum curvature in every cluster are regarded as the final feature points. We label these feature points, and regard the faces in the mesh as nodes for graph cut. Our energy function is constructed by utilizing the ratio between the geodesic distance and the Euclidean distance of vertex pairs of the mesh. The final segmentation result is obtained by minimizing the energy function using graph cut. The proposed algorithm is pose-invariant and can robustly segment the mesh into different parts in line with the selected feature points.