Analysis of Damage on the Streptococcus mutans Immersed in Ozonated Water: Preliminary Study for Application as Mouth Rinse

Ozonated water has been demonstrated to induce significant results in terms of the elimination of microorganisms. The present study assessed the damage to Streptococcus mutans after exposure to ozonated water; the ozone generator was adjusted to provide an outlet concentration of 60 mg/L, the samples were submitted to different ozonation times 1, 2, 4, 6, and 10 mi. Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force images were obtained to identify damage to the bacteria, followed by reactive oxygen species (ROS) evaluation and microbial viability. The results showed a significant reduction in viability and the images evidenced the generation of gaps on the microbial wall and surface layer alterations. Ozone can induce significant damage to S. mutans, thus suggesting that the use of ozonated water to prevent carious lesion formation is extremely promising.     

Bench-scale bubbling fluidized bed systems around the world - Bed agglomeration and collapse: A comprehensive review

Thermochemical conversion by gasification process is one of the most relevant technologies for energy recovery from solid fuel, with an energy conversion efficiency better than other alternatives like combustion and pyrolysis. Nevertheless, the most common technology used in the last decades for thermochemical conversion of solid fuel through gasification process, such as coal, agriculture residues or biomass residues are the fluidized bed or bubbling fluidized bed system. For these gasification technologies, an inert bed material is fed into reactor to improve the homogenization of the particles mixture and increase the heat transfer between solid fuel particles and the bed material. The fluidized bed reactors usually operate at isothermal bed temperatures in the range of 700–1000 °C, providing a suitable contact between solid and gas phases. In this way, chemical reactions with high conversion yield, as well as an intense circulation and mixing of the solid particles are encouraged. Moreover, a high gasification temperature favours carbon conversion efficiency, increasing the syngas production and energy performance of the gasifier. However, the risk of eutectic mixtures formation and its subsequent melting process are increased, and hence the probability of bed agglomeration and the system collapse could be increased, mainly when alkali and alkaline earth metals-rich biomasses are considered. Generally, bed agglomeration occurs when biomass-derived ash reacts with bed material, and the lower melting temperature of ash components promotes the formation of highly viscous layers, which encourages the progressive agglomerates creation, and consequently, the bed collapse and system de-fluidization. Taking into account the relevance of this topic to ensure the normal gasification process operating, this paper provides several aspects about bed agglomeration, mostly for biomass gasification systems. In this way, chemistry and mechanism of bed agglomeration, as well as, some methods for in-situ detection and prediction of the bed agglomeration phenomenon are reviewed and discussed.     

Hydrogen photocatalytic production from the self-assembled films of PAH/PAA/TiO2 supported on bacterial cellulose membranes

The issues related to renewable energy sources is a matter of great worldwide appeal due to the increasing energy demand, instability in oil prices and environmental problems. In this context, the purpose of this study was to prepare self-assembled films of polyallylamine hydrochloride and poly (acrylic acid) supported onto bacterial cellulose membranes by a layer-by-layer approach with titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles and different concentrations of gold for application in hydrogen gas (H₂) production by photocatalysis. The influence of the gold concentration and the presence and size of the gold nanoparticles (Au NPs), as well as the surface and thickness of the films on H₂ production was investigated. The results showed that the film, prepared with a lower concentration of gold, presented the smallest Au NPs and, therefore, greater contact with the TiO₂ nanoparticle surfaces, producing more H₂. By analyzing the variation in all the experimental parameters used in the preparation of the films, it can be concluded that the best H₂ production achieved was 29.12 μmol h^?1 cm².     

An approach to torque and temperature thread by thread on tapping

During internal threading, small alterations in cutting parameters, tool geometry, or process characteristics produce considerable effects on torque and te     

Composition-dependent xBa(Zr0.2Ti0.8)O3-(1-x)(Ba0.7Ca0.3)TiO3 bulk ceramics for high energy storage applications

This work reports the composition dependent microstructure, dielectric, ferroelectric and energy storage properties, and the phase transitions sequence of lead free xBa(Zr_0.2Ti_0.8)O₃-(1-x)(Ba_0.7Ca_0.3)TiO₃ [xBZT-(1-x)BCT] ceramics, with x?=?0.4, 0.5 and 0.6, prepared by solid state reaction method. The XRD and Raman scattering results confirm the coexistence of rhombohedral and tetragonal phases at room temperature (RT). The temperature dependence of Raman scattering spectra, dielectric permittivity and polarization points a first phase transition from ferroelectric rhombohedral phase to ferroelectric tetragonal phase at a temperature (T_R-T) of 40?°C and a second phase transition from ferroelectric tetragonal phase - paraelectric pseudocubic phase at a temperature (T_T-C) of 110?°C. The dielectric analysis suggests that the phase transition at T_T-C is of diffusive type and the BZT-BCT ceramics are a relaxor type ferroelectric materials. The composition induced variation in the temperature dependence of dielectric losses was correlated with full width half maxima (FWHM) of A₁, E(LO) Raman mode. The saturation polarization (P_s) ≈8.3?μC/cm² and coercive fields ≈2.9?kV/cm were found to be optimum at composition x?=?0.6 and is attributed to grain size effect. It is also shown that BZT-BCT ceramics exhibit a fatigue free response up to 10⁵ cycles. The effect of a.c. electric field amplitude and temperature on energy storage density and storage efficiency is also discussed. The presence of high T_T-C (110?°C), a high dielectric constant (ε_r ≈?12,285) with low dielectric loss (0.03), good polarization (P_s ≈?8.3?μC/cm²) and large recoverable energy density (W?=?121?mJ/cm³) with an energy storage efficiency (η) of 70% at an electric field of 25?kV/cm in 0.6BZT-0.4BCT ceramics make them suitable candidates for energy storage capacitor applications.     

New insights into the crystallization process of sol-gel–derived 45S5 bioactive glass

In this work the influence of thermal treatment conditions on crystallization of a sol-gel-derived 45S5 bioactive glass was evaluated using DSC, XRD, TEM, EDX, and X-ray nanocomputed tomography (nano-CT). Temperature and time of the thermal treatment strongly influence the composition of the crystalline phases. At the onset of the glass transition temperature (600°C), combeite crystallizes as the main phase along with a calcium silicate-phosphate phase, which decomposes into rhenanite from 2 hours of thermal treatment at this temperature. At the crystallization temperature (700°C), combeite remains as the main crystalline phase. Additionally, Na₂Ca₂Si₂O₇ crystalline phase is formed. Our results provide a basic platform for tailoring the crystalline phases by controlling the nucleation and growth of crystalline phases via thermal treatments. Different morphologies (round particles, stacked layers, toothpick-like, and long features) were discerned by TEM as a function of temperature and time of treatment. It is the first time that bioactive glass is investigated by nano-CT at laboratory scale. This novel technique enables the 3D visualization of features in the nanometer range, giving clear information about the volumetric distribution of phases in the sample.