Nano-structured hydroxyapatite and titanium dioxide enriching PENTA /UDMA adhesive as aesthetic coating for tooth enamel.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the nanostructured hydroxyapatite (NHAp) and titanium dioxide nanoparticles (NTiO) on dispersion in an adhesive containing monomers of Dipenta erythritol penta-acrylate monophosphate (PENTA) and Urethane dimethacrylate (UDMA), as well as evaluating the structural, optical and mechanical behavior of the composite material for dental aesthetic application.

Methods: The NHAp powders were synthesized through the wet chemical methods of hydrothermal and ultrasound-assisted precipitation. The microstructure, morphology and composition analysis of the powder of NHAp and NTiO were performed by scanning and transmission electron microscopy.

New antifungal 4-chloro-3-nitrophenyldifluoroiodomethyl sulfone reduces the Candida albicans pathogenicity in the Galleria mellonella model organism.

Candida albicans represents an interesting microorganism to study complex host-pathogen interactions and for the development of effective antifungals. Our goal was to assess the efficacy of 4-chloro-3-nitrophenyldifluoroiodomethyl sulfone (named Sulfone) against the C. albicans infections in the Galleria mellonella host model.

Structural Aspects LiNbO₃ Nanoparticles and Their Ferromagnetic Properties.

We present a solid-state synthesis of ferromagnetic lithium niobate nanoparticles (LiNbO₃) and their corresponding structural aspects. In order to investigate the effect of heat treatments, two batches of samples with a heat-treated (HT) and non-heat-treated (nHT) reduction at 650 °C in 5% of hydrogen/argon were considered to investigate the multiferroic properties and their corresponding structural aspects; using magnetometry and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). Results indicate the existence of ferromagnetic domains with a magnetic moment per unit cell of 5.

The effects of porosity on optical properties of semiconductor chalcogenide films obtained by the chemical bath deposition.

This paper is dedicated to study the thin polycrystalline films of semiconductor chalcogenide materials (CdS, CdSe, and PbS) obtained by ammonia-free chemical bath deposition. The obtained material is of polycrystalline nature with crystallite of a size that, from a general point of view, should not result in any noticeable quantum confinement. Nevertheless, we were able to observe blueshift of the fundamental absorption edge and reduced refractive index in comparison with the corresponding bulk materials.

Weak and strong confinements in prismatic and cylindrical nanostructures.

Cylindrical nanostructures, namely, nanowires and pores, with rectangular and circular cross section are examined using mirror boundary conditions to solve the Schrödinger equation, within the effective mass approximation. The boundary conditions are stated as magnitude equivalence of electron's Ψ function in an arbitrary point inside a three-dimensional quantum well and image point formed by mirror reflection in the walls defining the nanostructure. Thus, two types of boundary conditions - even and odd ones - can be applied, when Ψ functions in a point, and its image, are equated with the same and the opposite signs, correspondingly.

Characterization and degradation of functionalized chitosan with glycidyl methacrylate.

The synthesis, characterization and degradation of a hybrid chitosan (CTS)/glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) material are reported. These versatile materials (natural-synthetic materials) are potential candidates for dental restoratives. All materials were characterized by infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction and thermal (DSC) analysis.

[Evaluation of a methodology to determine texture characteristics of maize (Zea mays L.) tortilla].

Maize (Zea mays L.) tortilla is the primary staple food of the Mexican people, with annual consumption estimated at 12 millions tons. Despite this huge volume of consumption, tortillas are commercially produced with inconsistent quality, mainly in terms of texture characteristics.

Physicochemical and rheological characteristics of commercial nixtamalised Mexican maize flours for tortillas.

Three commercial nixtamalised Mexican maize flours (CNMFs) designated HI-A, HI-B and HI-C were evaluated in this work. For each brand, four samples corresponding to four consecutive months of production were evaluated. Tortillas prepared by the traditional process of nixtamalisation were used as the control.