O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito do ambiente de sinterização vácuo e argônio na resistência de união (RUMC) de cerâmicas às ligas de Ni-Cr (Fit Cast SB), Co-Cr (Star Loy C) e titânio comercialmente puro (Tritan). A partir de uma matriz de teflon, foram obtidos 60 padrões de resina/cera em forma de cilindro, com 8 mm de comprimento e 5 mm de diâmetro. Os padrões foram incluídos e os anéis foram levados ao forno e submetidos a ciclos térmicos para a expansão do revestimento. Em seguida, os anéis para fundição em Ni-Cr e Co-Cr foram levados à máquina de fundição por indução eletrônica. Os anéis referentes ao titânio foram levados à máquina de fundição por arco voltaico. Após resfriamento dos anéis, as fundições foram desincluídas e jateadas com óxido de alumínio (100 μm). Depois de recortados dos canais de alimentação, os cilindros metálicos foram preparados para aplicação da cerâmica. Em seguida, foi realizada a aplicação e sinterização da cerâmica à vácuo ou em argônio. Para as ligas alternativas, foi utilizada a cerâmica IPS Classic V e para o titânio, a Triceram. Na sequência, os cilindros compostos pelo metal e disco cerâmico (5 mm de diâmetro e 2 mm de espessura) (n=10) foram submetidos aos ensaios de RUMC por cisalhamento na máquina de ensaios universais com célula de carga de 500 Kg e velocidade do travessão móvel de 0,5 mm/min. Após os ensaios, foram realizadas análises das fraturas por meio de microscopia óptica (MO) (15X) e microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV). Os dados de RUMC (MPa) obtidos foram analisados estatisticamente pelos testes ANOVA e Tukey (α=0,05). Os resultados demonstraram que a sinterização à vácuo propiciou obtenção de maiores valores (MPa) de RUMC (76,58) que a sinterização em argônio (51,31). Quanto às ligas avaliadas, as de Ni-Cr e Co-Cr apresentaram maiores valores de RUMC (71,32 e 71,28, respectivamente) que o titânio cp (49,23); sendo que entre elas não houve diferença estatística. Não houve interação entre os fatores avaliados. De acordo com a MO, houve predomínio de fraturas mistas. Segundo a MEV, os espécimes de Ni-Cr e titânio sinterizados a vácuo apresentaram maior rugosidade de superfície do que os sinterizados em argônio. Para a liga de Co-Cr não houve diferença na topografia de superfície. A sinterização em argônio influenciou negativamente a RUMC dos pares metalocerâmicos analisados. / The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of firing atmospheres: vacuum and argon on the bond strength of ceramic to Ni-Cr (Fit Cast SB), Co-Cr (Star Loy C) and commercially pure titanium (Tritan) alloys. 60 wax/acrylic resin cylinder patterns (8 mm high and 5 mm in diameter) were prepared on a plastic custom mold for metalceramic bond strength (MCBS) test. The patterns were invested in phosphated investment and manipulated on vacuum. The rings were placed in a furnace to burn out patterns and thermally expand the molds. Then, the rings of Ni-Cr and Co-Cr were placed in an electronic machine to cast. The rings related to titanium were positioned in the casting machine with a voltaic arc. After the rings have cooled, the castings were divested manually and abraded with aluminum oxide particles (100 μm). Then, the cylinders were prepared for applying of the ceramic veneering disks. The ceramic was applied and fired in vacuum and argon atmospheres. IPS-Classic ceramic was used for alternative alloys and for titanium, Triceram ceramic. Then, the cylinders composed of metal and ceramic disk (5 mm diameter and 2 mm height) (n=10) were submitted to metal-ceramic bond strength (MCBS) shear tests on an universal testing machine with load cell of 500 Kg at a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/min. After the tests, there were made fracture analysis by optic microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The MCBS data (MPa) were statistically analyzed by the ANOVA and Tukey test (α=0.05). The results indicated that the vacuum firing (76.58) promoted higher MCBS values than argon firing (51.31). Among the metals, Ni-Cr and Co-Cr alloys presented higher MCBS (71.32 e 71.28, respectively) than titanium (49.23); between two base alloys there was no statistical difference. There was no interaction between the evaluated factors. According to MO analysis, there was predominance of mixed fractures. According SEM, the Ni-Cr and titanium specimens submitted to vacuum presented higher surface roughness than the specimens submitted to argon. For Co-Cr, there was no difference of surface topography. The argon firing influenced negatively the MCBS of metal-ceramic evaluated pairs.

Abstract This thesis describes a detailed investigation of new glass 10Li₂O−10Na₂O−20K₂O−60MoO₃ (LNKM), ceramic (α-MoO₃) and ceramic-commercial glass (PZ29-GO17, rutile TiO₂-GO17) composites to satisfy the future requirements for ultra-low fabrication temperature materials and their associated processes. The initial part of the thesis is devoted to the development of the LNKM glass by a glass-melting and quenching process, followed by an investigation into its structural, microstructural and microwave dielectric properties. The prepared glass had ultra-low glass transition and melting temperatures of 198 and 350 °C, respectively. The glass pellet heat-treated at 300 °C had a relative permittivity (εr) of 4.85 and a dielectric loss (tan δ) of 0.0009 at 9.9 GHz. The temperature dependence of the relative permittivity was (τε) 291 ppm/°C. Another part of the work concerns α-MoO₃ ceramic, its preparation by uniaxial pressing and sintering at 650 °C followed by an investigation of its structural, microstructural, thermal and microwave dielectric properties. It had an εr of 6.6, tan δ of 0.00013 (at 9.9 GHz) and τε of 140 ppm/°C. In addition to this, a functional ultra-low temperature co-fired composite was developed based on commercial PZ29 and 50 wt.% of GO17 glass followed by tape casting and co-firing with Ag at 450 °C. The average values of the piezoelectric (d₃₃) and voltage (g₃₃) coefficients were 17 pC/N and 30 mV/N, respectively. The sintered sample had an average CTE value of 6.9 ppm/°C measured in the temperature range of 100–300 °C. The εr and tan δ of the sintered substrates were 57.8 and 0.05 at 2.4 GHz, respectively. Additionally, a new ceramic-glass composite was developed using rutile TiO₂-GO17, and co-fired with Ag at 400 °C. It had an average CTE value of 8.3 ppm/°C measured in the temperature range of 100–300 °C. This composite substrate showed εr of 15.5 and tan δ 0.003, at 9.9 GHz. Moreover, it also had τε of -400 ppm/°C at 9.9 GHz measured in the temperature range of −40 to 80 °C. The findings of the thesis reveal the feasibility of the ultra-low temperature co-fired ceramic (ULTCC) technology for high-frequency telecommunication devices as well as for electronics packages. Additionally, a first step to develop functional ULTCC has been taken. / Tiivistelmä Tässä väitöskirjassa kuvataan uuden lasin 10Li₂O−10Na₂O−20K₂O−60MoO₃ (LNKM), keraamin (α-MoO₃) sekä keraami-lasi (PZ29-GO17, rutiili TiO₂-GO17) komposiittien tutkimustulokset, jotka mahdollistavat tulevaisuuden sähkökeraamisten materiaalien ja komponenttien valmistuksen ultra-matalissa valmistuslämpötiloissa. Väitöskirjan alkuosa keskittyy LNKM lasin kehitykseen lasin sulatus- ja karkaisuprosessilla, sekä tämän materiaalin mikrorakenteen sekä mikroaaltoalueen dielektristen ominaisuuksien tarkasteluun. Valmistetulla lasilla oli ultra-matala lasittumislämpötila 198 °C sekä sulamislämpötila 350 °C. Lasipelletin, joka lämpökäsiteltiin 300 °C:ssa, suhteellinen permittiivisyys (εr) oli 4,85 ja dielektriset häviöt (tan δ) 0,0009 9,9 GHz taajuudella. Suhteellisen permittiivisyyden lämpötilariippuvuus (τε) oli 291 ppm/°C. Toinen osa työtä käsittelee α-MoO₃ keraamia, josta valmistettiin näytteet mikrorakenne ja mikroaaltoalueen dielektristen ominaisuuksien tutkimuksiin aksiaalisella puristuksella ja sintraamalla 650 °C:ssa. Valmistetun materiaalin suhteellinen permittiivisyys oli 6,6, häviöt 0,00013 (9,9 GHz:ssa) ja permittiivisyyden lämpötilariippuvuus 140 ppm/°C. Näiden lisäksi kehitettiin toiminnallinen ultra-matalan lämpötilan yhteissintrattu komposiitti perustuen kaupalliseen pietsosähköiseen keraamiin (PZ29) ja lasiin (GO17). Komposiitista valmistetiin monikerrosrakenne nauhavalulla ja yhteissintraamalla hopeaelektrodien kanssa 450 °C:ssa. Keskimääräiset arvot pietsosähköiselle varausvakiolle (d₃₃) sekä jännitevakiolle (g₃₃) olivat 17 pC/N ja 30 mV/N. Sintratun näytteen keskimääräinen lämpölaajenemiskerroin oli 8,3 ppm/°C lämpötila-alueella 100–300 °C. Tämän komposiittisubstraatin suhteellinen permittiivisyys oli 15,5 ja häviötangentti 0,003 9,9 GHz:n taajuudella. Lisäksi suhteellisen permittiivisyyden lämpötilariippuvuus oli -400 ppm/°C samalla 9,9 GHz:n taajuudella, kun lämpötilan mittausalue oli −40–80 °C. Tämän väitöstyön tulokset osoittavat ultra-matalan lämpötilan yhteissintrattavan keraamiteknologian (ULTCC) soveltuvuuden korkean taajuuden tietoliikennesovelluksiin ja elektroniikan pakkausteknologiaan. Lisäksi työssä on otettu ensimmäiset askeleet funktionaalisten ULTCC materiaalien kehittämiseksi.

Les bourgeons du goût contiennent 50 à 100 cellules gustatives. Parmi elles, on distingue les cellules de type 2 et 3, capables d’émettre des potentiels d’action. Les cellules réceptrices (type 2), qui détectent les stimulus sapides dans la salive, ne possèdent pas de synapse. Les cellules présynaptiques (type 3), équipées d’une synapse, transmettent l’information aux neurones gustatifs. Nous avons réalisé des enregistrements électrophysiologiques (patch-clamp) de cellules de bourgeons du goût de papilles fongiformes in situ, dans un épithélium lingual isolé de souris.L’analyse des courants d’action en configuration cellule-attachée, permet de distinguer des impulsions courtes et longues. Dans ce dernier cas, la phase initiale rapide de dépolarisation est suivie d’une dépolarisation maintenue et d’une repolarisation lente. Ceci dénote l’activation de canaux dépolarisants autres que ceux réglant habituellement le décours temporel du potentiel d’action.Les enregistrements en patch-perforé gramicidine, qui n’altèrent pas le milieu intracellulaire, ont permis de perfuser l’intérieur de la cellule avec du césium, bloqueur des canaux potassiques. Le césium permet de distinguer les cellules de type 2 des cellules de type 3 par la présence d’un courant césium-résistant qui correspondrait, selon la littérature, à un courant résultant de l’ouverture d’hémicanaux permettant la sortie d’ATP. Nos observations sont globalement en accord avec les données de la littérature, mais ne supportent pas totalement la classification proposée actuellement en trois types cellulaires bien définis.Les hémicanaux joueraient donc un rôle central dans la communication intercellulaire au sein du bourgeon du goût. Nous avons, à notre connaissance pour la première fois, enregistré des canaux à grande conductance dans les cellules gustatives, en absence d’ion divalents dans la pipette d’enregistrement. Ces canaux, non spécifiques, présentent un fonctionnement complexe avec, outre l’état fermé et l’état de plus haute conductance (700pS), de nombreux états d’ouvertures intermédiaires et un état de conductance résiduel proche du niveau fermé.Au bilan, nos résultats confortent l’hypothèse de l’ouverture de canaux dont la grande conductance laisserait passer l’ATP dans les cellules réceptrices. / Taste buds contain 50 to 100 taste cells. Among those cells, type 2 and type 3 cells are able to produce action potentials. Receptor cells (type 2) detect sapid stimulus in the saliva, but do not possess synapses. Presynaptic cells (type 3) with synapse deliver information to the taste neurons. We performed electrophysiological (patch-clamp) recordings of fungiform taste bud cells in situ, from a mouse isolated lingual epithelium.Analysis of action currents in cell-attached configuration allows discrimination of short and long impulses. In the long ones, the rapid initial depolarizing phase is followed by a slow and a maintained repolarization. This suggests the activation of depolarizing channels other than the ones implied in usual action potential time decay. Gramicidin perforated-patch recordings, which do not alter the inside of the cell, allowed cells perfusion with cesium, a potassic channel blocker. Cesium allows to distinguish type 2 from type 3 cells by the presence of a cesium-resistant current, that may correspond, according to the literature, to the current flowing through hemichannels responsible for ATP release. Our observations mostly agree with data from the literature, but do not fully support the actual classification in only three defined cell types.Hemichannels have a key role in intercellular communication within the taste bud. Thus, and to our knowledge for the very first time, we recorded large conductance channels from taste cells, using a divalent-free pipet. Those non-specific channels have a complex opening mechanism, which, besides closed and upper conductance states (700pS), present many intermediate opening levels and residual states close to the closed state. Our results support the hypothesis that large conductance channels responsible for ATP release open in receptor cells.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a influência de dois diferentes ambientes de sinterização (vácuo e argônio) sobre a resistência da união metaloceramica (RUMC) envolvendo diferentes ligas de metais básicos (Co-Cr e Ni-Cr) e uma porcelana odontológica, através do teste de flexão de três pontos, conforme preconizado pela ISO 9693:2012. As ligas estudadas foram Co-Cr: Remanium e Keragen e Ni-Cr: Verabond II e uma liga experimental “SR” . Foram obtidos 80 corpos de prova em forma tiras metálicas medindo 25 X 0,5 X 5 mm. Para esse ensaio, portanto, o número de corpos de prova foi o produto de 4 ligas x 2 condições de atmosfera de sinterização x 10 repetições. A parte metálica de todos os corpos de prova após a fundição foram usinados e jateados com óxido de alumínio (150μm) e a seguir tratados como preconizado pelo fabricante. O corpo cerâmico, com o auxílio de uma matriz, foi confeccionado na área central da tira, 8,0 X 3,0mm, apresentando 1,1mm de espessura, sendo 10 corpos de prova em cada ambiente de sinterização para cada tipo de liga. Os corpos de prova obtidos foram submetidos aos testes de flexão de três pontos na Máquina de Ensaios Mecânicos (EMIC) com velocidade de 1.0mm/min. para determinação da RUMC. Os valores da carga de ruptura obtidos em quilograma-força (Kgf) foram convertidos para Newton (N) e a partir disso foi calculado o valor da RUMC para cada corpo de prova, considerando o coeficiente de elasticidade de cada liga e a espessura exata de cada corpo de prova. Os dados obtidos (MPa) foram submetidos à análise estatística (ANOVA) e Bonferroni. A Análise de Variância indicou diferença estatisticamente significante para os fatores de variação ambiente (P=0,00), liga (P=0,009) e entre as interações ambiente de sinterização e liga (P=0,000). Na sinterização a vácuo as ligas Keragen, SR e Verabond II apresentaram maiores valores de RUMC do que o argônio. Para a liga Remanium, não houve diferença entre a sinterização em argônio e a sinterização a vácuo. Dentre os grupos sinterizados no argônio não houve diferença estatisticamente significante entre as ligas. Entretanto, no vácuo a liga Remanium apresentou menor valor de RUMC do que as demais ligas, que não apresentaram diferença entre si. Os corpos de prova, após os ensaios de flexão, foram submetidos a análise em microscopia optica, MEV e EDS para avaliar e registrar tipo de falha que sofreram. De acordo com a MO, houve predomínio de fraturas mistas. Os corpos de prova de Co-Cr (Remanium e Keragen), independende do ambiente de sinterização, apresentaram uma fina camada de óxido no corpo cerâmico, o que foi comprovado pelo EDS, com maior presença de íons Cr nessas regiões, já os grupos SR e Verabond II, apresentaram maior quantidade de opaco aderido em suas tiras metálicas. A MEV comprovou os achados da MO, onde foi possível encontrar grandes ilhas de material cerâmico nas ligas de Ni-Cr. A sinterização em argônio influenciou negativamente a RUMC dos pares metalocerâmicos confeccionados em Ni-Cr e na liga Keragem / The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of two different firing atmosphere (vacuum and argon) on the metalceramic bond strength (MCBS) involving different base metal alloys (Co-Cr and Ni-Cr) and a dental porcelain through three-point bending test, as recommended by ISO 9693: 2012. Co-Cr alloys studied were: Remanium and Keragen and Ni-Cr: Verabond II and an experimental alloy \"SR\". 80 specimens were obtained in metallic form strips measuring 25X0.5 X 5.0 mm. For this test, therefore, the number of specimens was the product of 4 x 2 alloy sintering atmosphere conditions x 10 replicates. The metal portion of all specimens were machined after casting and sandblasted with aluminum oxide (100μm) and then treated as recommended by the manufacturer. By using a matrix, the ceramic body was made in the central area of the strip, 8.0 x 3.0 mm, it was made 1.1 mm thickness, 10 specimens in each sintering environment for each type of alloy. The specimens obtained were tested for three-point bending in a universal testing machine with a speed of 1.0mm / min. to determine MCBS. The values of the tensile strength obtained in kilogramforce (kgf) were converted into Newton (N) and from this the value of MCBS for each specimen was calculated, considering the coefficient of elasticity of each league and the exact thickness of each specimen. The data (MPa) were subjected to statistical analysis (ANOVA) and Bonferroni. The analysis of variance indicated statistically significant difference for the environment factors of firing atmosphere (P = 0.00) and alloy (P = 0.009). There was a statistically significant difference in the interaction factors for firing atmosphere x alloy (P = 0.000). In the vacuum Keragen, SR and Verabond II alloys showed higher MCBS than argon. To Remanium, there was no difference between the sintering in argon and vacuum. Among the groups sintered in argon there was no statistically significant difference between the alloys. However, the vacuum Remanium showed the lowest RUMC than other alloys, which showed no difference between them. The specimens after the bending tests, were subjected to analysis in optical microscopy, SEM and EDS to assess and record type of failure they suffered. According to the MO was predominantly mixed fractures. Specimens of Co-Cr (Remanium and Keragen) independende the atmosphere firing, showed a thin oxide layer on the ceramic body, which was confirmed by EDS, with greater presence of Cr in these regions, since the SR groups and Verabond II, presented more opaque stuck in their metal strips. SEM confirmed the findings of MO, where it was possible to find large islands of ceramic material in Ni-Cr alloys. The sintering in argon negatively influenced MCBS metalceramic of pairs made of Ni-Cr alloy and Keragem

EMG signal decomposition is the process of resolving a composite EMG signal into its constituent motor unit potential trains (classes) and it can be configured as a classification problem. An EMG signal detected by the tip of an inserted needle electrode is the superposition of the individual electrical contributions of the different motor units that are active, during a muscle contraction, and background interference. <BR>This thesis addresses the process of EMG signal decomposition by developing an interactive classification system, which uses multiple classifier fusion techniques in order to achieve improved classification performance. The developed system combines heterogeneous sets of base classifier ensembles of different kinds and employs either a one level classifier fusion scheme or a hybrid classifier fusion approach. <BR>The hybrid classifier fusion approach is applied as a two-stage combination process that uses a new aggregator module which consists of two combiners: the first at the abstract level of classifier fusion and the other at the measurement level of classifier fusion such that it uses both combiners in a complementary manner. Both combiners may be either data independent or the first combiner data independent and the second data dependent. For the purpose of experimentation, we used as first combiner the majority voting scheme, while we used as the second combiner one of the fixed combination rules behaving as a data independent combiner or the fuzzy integral with the lambda-fuzzy measure as an implicit data dependent combiner. <BR>Once the set of motor unit potential trains are generated by the classifier fusion system, the firing pattern consistency statistics for each train are calculated to detect classification errors in an adaptive fashion. This firing pattern analysis allows the algorithm to modify the threshold of assertion required for assignment of a motor unit potential classification individually for each train based on an expectation of erroneous assignments. <BR>The classifier ensembles consist of a set of different versions of the Certainty classifier, a set of classifiers based on the nearest neighbour decision rule: the fuzzy <em>k</em>-NN and the adaptive fuzzy <em>k</em>-NN classifiers, and a set of classifiers that use a correlation measure as an estimation of the degree of similarity between a pattern and a class template: the matched template filter classifiers and its adaptive counterpart. The base classifiers, besides being of different kinds, utilize different types of features and their performances were investigated using both real and simulated EMG signals of different complexities. The feature sets extracted include time-domain data, first- and second-order discrete derivative data, and wavelet-domain data. <BR>Following the so-called <em>overproduce and choose</em> strategy to classifier ensemble combination, the developed system allows the construction of a large set of candidate base classifiers and then chooses, from the base classifiers pool, subsets of specified number of classifiers to form candidate classifier ensembles. The system then selects the classifier ensemble having the maximum degree of agreement by exploiting a diversity measure for designing classifier teams. The kappa statistic is used as the diversity measure to estimate the level of agreement between the base classifier outputs, i. e. , to measure the degree of decision similarity between the base classifiers. This mechanism of choosing the team's classifiers based on assessing the classifier agreement throughout all the trains and the unassigned category is applied during the one level classifier fusion scheme and the first combiner in the hybrid classifier fusion approach. For the second combiner in the hybrid classifier fusion approach, we choose team classifiers also based on kappa statistics but by assessing the classifiers agreement only across the unassigned category and choose those base classifiers having the minimum agreement. <BR>Performance of the developed classifier fusion system, in both of its variants, i. e. , the one level scheme and the hybrid approach was evaluated using synthetic simulated signals of known properties and real signals and then compared it with the performance of the constituent base classifiers. Across the EMG signal data sets used, the hybrid approach had better average classification performance overall, specially in terms of reducing the number of classification errors.

EMG signal decomposition is the process of resolving a composite EMG signal into its constituent motor unit potential trains (classes) and it can be configured as a classification problem. An EMG signal detected by the tip of an inserted needle electrode is the superposition of the individual electrical contributions of the different motor units that are active, during a muscle contraction, and background interference. <BR>This thesis addresses the process of EMG signal decomposition by developing an interactive classification system, which uses multiple classifier fusion techniques in order to achieve improved classification performance. The developed system combines heterogeneous sets of base classifier ensembles of different kinds and employs either a one level classifier fusion scheme or a hybrid classifier fusion approach. <BR>The hybrid classifier fusion approach is applied as a two-stage combination process that uses a new aggregator module which consists of two combiners: the first at the abstract level of classifier fusion and the other at the measurement level of classifier fusion such that it uses both combiners in a complementary manner. Both combiners may be either data independent or the first combiner data independent and the second data dependent. For the purpose of experimentation, we used as first combiner the majority voting scheme, while we used as the second combiner one of the fixed combination rules behaving as a data independent combiner or the fuzzy integral with the lambda-fuzzy measure as an implicit data dependent combiner. <BR>Once the set of motor unit potential trains are generated by the classifier fusion system, the firing pattern consistency statistics for each train are calculated to detect classification errors in an adaptive fashion. This firing pattern analysis allows the algorithm to modify the threshold of assertion required for assignment of a motor unit potential classification individually for each train based on an expectation of erroneous assignments. <BR>The classifier ensembles consist of a set of different versions of the Certainty classifier, a set of classifiers based on the nearest neighbour decision rule: the fuzzy <em>k</em>-NN and the adaptive fuzzy <em>k</em>-NN classifiers, and a set of classifiers that use a correlation measure as an estimation of the degree of similarity between a pattern and a class template: the matched template filter classifiers and its adaptive counterpart. The base classifiers, besides being of different kinds, utilize different types of features and their performances were investigated using both real and simulated EMG signals of different complexities. The feature sets extracted include time-domain data, first- and second-order discrete derivative data, and wavelet-domain data. <BR>Following the so-called <em>overproduce and choose</em> strategy to classifier ensemble combination, the developed system allows the construction of a large set of candidate base classifiers and then chooses, from the base classifiers pool, subsets of specified number of classifiers to form candidate classifier ensembles. The system then selects the classifier ensemble having the maximum degree of agreement by exploiting a diversity measure for designing classifier teams. The kappa statistic is used as the diversity measure to estimate the level of agreement between the base classifier outputs, i. e. , to measure the degree of decision similarity between the base classifiers. This mechanism of choosing the team's classifiers based on assessing the classifier agreement throughout all the trains and the unassigned category is applied during the one level classifier fusion scheme and the first combiner in the hybrid classifier fusion approach. For the second combiner in the hybrid classifier fusion approach, we choose team classifiers also based on kappa statistics but by assessing the classifiers agreement only across the unassigned category and choose those base classifiers having the minimum agreement. <BR>Performance of the developed classifier fusion system, in both of its variants, i. e. , the one level scheme and the hybrid approach was evaluated using synthetic simulated signals of known properties and real signals and then compared it with the performance of the constituent base classifiers. Across the EMG signal data sets used, the hybrid approach had better average classification performance overall, specially in terms of reducing the number of classification errors.

Obesity is pandemic. Pharmacological treatment development depends on modeling the regulation of feeding, particularly by free fatty acids (FFA). Most models have been employed in the rat in vivo, and show FFA-stimulated intestinal satiety signals are dependent on the fat’s acyl chain-length, involve cholecystokinin (CCK) secretion, and are mediated by vagal afferents. I hypothesized that an in vitro mouse model could be employed, with sensitivity to measure afferent responses to nutrient stimuli. Male C57BL/6N mice were killed, the intestine harvested en bloc, and a jejunal section dissected with neurovascular mesenteric arcade emanating centrally. The tissue was placed in a Krebs-superfused chamber, the lumen cannulated with the outlet open to drain, and Krebs or other mediators were continuously perfused intraluminally. The dissected afferent nerve was placed in a suction electrode for extracellular recording. Afferent responses to distension and the perfusion of mediators (e.g. CCK or FFA) were tested. Preparations from normal mice (no surgery), or from mice following chronic subdiaphragmatic vagotomy or sham operation, were used to assess vagal afferent contributions. Luminally-perfused CCK (100 nM) increased afferent firing. This response was abolished with the CCK-1 receptor antagonist lorglumide (10 µM). The short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) sodium butyrate (30 mM) potentiated firing. The long-chain fatty acid (LCFA) sodium oleate (1-300 mM) activated concentration-dependent firing (EC50=25.35 mM) that was significantly greater at 30 mM than that evoked by butyrate. Lorglumide (30 µM) abolished the oleate (30 mM) response. The L-type Ca2+ channel (LTCC) inhibitor nicardipine (3 µM), intraluminally, potentiated the oleate response, while bath application abolished it. Vagotomy attenuated the oleate response. Vagotomy abolished the intraluminal CCK (100 nM) response, and attenuated the response to bath-superfused CCK. These findings support FFA chain-length-dependent mesenteric afferent activation and CCK involvement in oleate-induced firing, and suggest LTCC mediation of excitatory and inhibitory oleate response transduction pathways. The murine oleate response was shown to be mostly vagally-mediated, with some spinal contribution, and both vagal and spinal contributions to CCK responses were suggested. These data provide a basis for further investigation in vitro of cellular and molecular mechanisms of afferent satiety signals, and ultimately of obesity pathogenesis. / Thesis (Master, Physiology) -- Queen's University, 2010-06-29 15:56:08.387

We study various binomial and monomial ideals arising in the theory of divisors, orientations, and matroids on graphs. We use ideas from potential theory on graphs and from the theory of Delaunay decompositions for lattices to describe their minimal polyhedral cellular free resolutions. We show that the resolutions of all these ideals are closely related and that their Z-graded Betti tables coincide. As corollaries, we give conceptual proofs of conjectures and questions posed by Postnikov and Shapiro, by Manjunath and Sturmfels, and by Perkinson, Perlman, and Wilmes. Various other results related to the theory of chip-firing games on graphs also follow from our general techniques and results.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito do ambiente de sinterização vácuo e argônio na resistência de união (RUMC) de cerâmicas às ligas de Ni-Cr (Fit Cast SB), Co-Cr (Star Loy C) e titânio comercialmente puro (Tritan). A partir de uma matriz de teflon, foram obtidos 60 padrões de resina/cera em forma de cilindro, com 8 mm de comprimento e 5 mm de diâmetro. Os padrões foram incluídos e os anéis foram levados ao forno e submetidos a ciclos térmicos para a expansão do revestimento. Em seguida, os anéis para fundição em Ni-Cr e Co-Cr foram levados à máquina de fundição por indução eletrônica. Os anéis referentes ao titânio foram levados à máquina de fundição por arco voltaico. Após resfriamento dos anéis, as fundições foram desincluídas e jateadas com óxido de alumínio (100 &mu;m). Depois de recortados dos canais de alimentação, os cilindros metálicos foram preparados para aplicação da cerâmica. Em seguida, foi realizada a aplicação e sinterização da cerâmica à vácuo ou em argônio. Para as ligas alternativas, foi utilizada a cerâmica IPS Classic V e para o titânio, a Triceram. Na sequência, os cilindros compostos pelo metal e disco cerâmico (5 mm de diâmetro e 2 mm de espessura) (n=10) foram submetidos aos ensaios de RUMC por cisalhamento na máquina de ensaios universais com célula de carga de 500 Kg e velocidade do travessão móvel de 0,5 mm/min. Após os ensaios, foram realizadas análises das fraturas por meio de microscopia óptica (MO) (15X) e microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV). Os dados de RUMC (MPa) obtidos foram analisados estatisticamente pelos testes ANOVA e Tukey (&alpha;=0,05). Os resultados demonstraram que a sinterização à vácuo propiciou obtenção de maiores valores (MPa) de RUMC (76,58) que a sinterização em argônio (51,31). Quanto às ligas avaliadas, as de Ni-Cr e Co-Cr apresentaram maiores valores de RUMC (71,32 e 71,28, respectivamente) que o titânio cp (49,23); sendo que entre elas não houve diferença estatística. Não houve interação entre os fatores avaliados. De acordo com a MO, houve predomínio de fraturas mistas. Segundo a MEV, os espécimes de Ni-Cr e titânio sinterizados a vácuo apresentaram maior rugosidade de superfície do que os sinterizados em argônio. Para a liga de Co-Cr não houve diferença na topografia de superfície. A sinterização em argônio influenciou negativamente a RUMC dos pares metalocerâmicos analisados. / The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of firing atmospheres: vacuum and argon on the bond strength of ceramic to Ni-Cr (Fit Cast SB), Co-Cr (Star Loy C) and commercially pure titanium (Tritan) alloys. 60 wax/acrylic resin cylinder patterns (8 mm high and 5 mm in diameter) were prepared on a plastic custom mold for metalceramic bond strength (MCBS) test. The patterns were invested in phosphated investment and manipulated on vacuum. The rings were placed in a furnace to burn out patterns and thermally expand the molds. Then, the rings of Ni-Cr and Co-Cr were placed in an electronic machine to cast. The rings related to titanium were positioned in the casting machine with a voltaic arc. After the rings have cooled, the castings were divested manually and abraded with aluminum oxide particles (100 &mu;m). Then, the cylinders were prepared for applying of the ceramic veneering disks. The ceramic was applied and fired in vacuum and argon atmospheres. IPS-Classic ceramic was used for alternative alloys and for titanium, Triceram ceramic. Then, the cylinders composed of metal and ceramic disk (5 mm diameter and 2 mm height) (n=10) were submitted to metal-ceramic bond strength (MCBS) shear tests on an universal testing machine with load cell of 500 Kg at a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/min. After the tests, there were made fracture analysis by optic microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The MCBS data (MPa) were statistically analyzed by the ANOVA and Tukey test (&alpha;=0.05). The results indicated that the vacuum firing (76.58) promoted higher MCBS values than argon firing (51.31). Among the metals, Ni-Cr and Co-Cr alloys presented higher MCBS (71.32 e 71.28, respectively) than titanium (49.23); between two base alloys there was no statistical difference. There was no interaction between the evaluated factors. According to MO analysis, there was predominance of mixed fractures. According SEM, the Ni-Cr and titanium specimens submitted to vacuum presented higher surface roughness than the specimens submitted to argon. For Co-Cr, there was no difference of surface topography. The argon firing influenced negatively the MCBS of metal-ceramic evaluated pairs.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:07:09Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 JoseCCSJ_TESE.pdf: 3857511 bytes, checksum: 1d384b3892d7aeac8dab23519e4bb09a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-05-31 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / Over recent years the structural ceramics industry in Brazil has found a very favorable market for growth. However, difficulties related to productivity and product quality are partially inhibiting this possible growth. An alternative for trying to solve these problems and, thus, provide the pottery industry the feasibility of full development, is the substitution of firewood used in the burning process by natural gas. In order to contribute to this process of technological innovation, this paper studies the effect of co-use of ceramic phyllite and kaolin waste on the properties of a clay matrix, verifying the possible benefits that these raw materials can give to the final product, as well as the possibility of such materials to reduce the heat load necessary to obtain products with equal or superior quality. The study was divided into two steps: characterization of materials and study of formulations. Two clays, a phyllite and a residue of kaolin were characterized by the following techniques: laser granulometry, plasticity index by Atterberg limits, X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, mineralogical composition by Rietveld, thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis. To study the formulations, specifically for evaluation of technological properties of the parts, was performed an experimental model that combined planning involving a mixture of three components (standard mass x phyllite x kaolin waste) and a 23 factorial design with central point associated with thermal processing parameters. The experiment was performed with restricted strip-plot randomization. In total, 13 compositional points were investigated within the following constraints: phyllite &#8804; 20% by weight, kaolin waste &#8804; 40% by weight, and standard mass &#8805; 60% by weight. The thermal parameters were used at the following levels: 750 and 950 ?C to the firing temperature, 5 and 15 ?C/min at the heating rate, 15 and 45min to the baseline. The results showed that the introduction of phyllite and/or kaolin waste in ceramic body produced a number of benefits in properties of the final product, such as: decreased absorption of water, apparent porosity and linear retraction at burn; besides the increase in apparent specific mass and mechanical properties of parts. The best results were obtained in the compositional points where the sum of the levels of kaolin waste and phyllite was maximal (40% by weight), as well as conditions which were used in firing temperatures of 950 ?C. Regarding the prospect of savings in heat energy required to form the desired microstructure, the phyllite and the residue of kaolin, for having small particle sizes and constitutions mineralogical phases with the presence of fluxes, contributed to the optimization of the firing cycle. / Ao longo dos ?ltimos anos a ind?stria de cer?mica estrutural no Brasil vem encontrando um mercado bastante favor?vel para o crescimento. Entretanto dificuldades relacionadas ? produtividade e qualidade dos produtos est?o inibindo parcialmente esse poss?vel crescimento. Uma das alternativas para tentar solucionar esses problemas e, consequentemente, proporcionar ao setor oleiro a viabilidade do pleno desenvolvimento, ? a substitui??o da lenha utilizada no processo de queima pelo g?s natural. Com o intuito de contribuir nesse processo de inova??o tecnol?gica, o presente trabalho trata-se de um estudo do efeito da co-utiliza??o de filito cer?mico e res?duo de caulim sobre as propriedades de uma matriz argilosa, verificando os poss?veis benef?cios que esses materiais podem atribuir ao produto final, bem como, a possibilidade dessas mat?rias-primas reduzirem a carga t?rmica necess?ria para obten??o de produtos de igual ou superior qualidade. O trabalho foi divido em duas etapas: caracteriza??o dos materiais e estudo das formula??es. Duas argilas, um filito e um res?duo de caulim foram caracterizados atrav?s das seguintes t?cnicas: granulometria ? laser, ?ndice de plasticidade pelos limites Atterberg, fluoresc?ncia de raios X, difra??o de raios X, composi??o mineral?gica por Rietveld, an?lise termogravim?trica e an?lise t?rmica diferencial. Para o estudo das formula??es, mais especificamente para avalia??o das propriedades tecnol?gicas das pe?as, foi executado um modelo experimental que combinou um planejamento envolvendo mistura de tr?s componentes (massa padr?o x filito x res?duo de caulim) e um planejamento fatorial 23 com ponto central associado aos par?metros t?rmicos de processamento. A experimenta??o foi realizada com restri??o na aleatoriza??o por strip-plot. No total foram investigados 13 pontos composicionais dentro das seguintes restri??es: filito &#8804; 20% em peso; res?duo de caulim &#8804; 40% em peso; e massa padr?o &#8805; 60% em peso. Os par?metros t?rmicos foram utilizados nos seguintes n?veis: 750 e 950 ?C para temperatura de queima; 5 e 15 ?C/min para a taxa de aquecimento; 15 e 45 min para o patamar. Os resultados obtidos demostraram que a introdu??o do filito e/ou res?duo de caulim na massa cer?mica produz uma s?rie de benef?cios nas propriedades do produto final, tais como: redu??o na absor??o de ?gua, porosidade aparente e retra??o linear de queima; al?m do aumento na massa espec?fica aparente e na resist?ncia mec?nica das pe?as. Os melhores resultados foram obtidos nos pontos composicionais em que a soma dos teores de filito e res?duo de caulim foi m?xima (40 % em peso), assim como, nas condi??es de queima em que foram utilizadas temperaturas de 950 ?C. Em rela??o ? perspectiva de economia na energia t?rmica necess?ria para forma??o da microestrutura desej?vel, o filito e o res?duo de caulim por apresentarem pequenos tamanhos de part?culas e constitui??es mineral?gicas com presen?a de fases fundentes, contribu?ram para a otimiza??o do ciclo de queima.