Fluoride Release from Two High-Viscosity Glass Ionomers after Exposure to Fluoride Slurry and Varnish

The effect of brushing with different fluoride slurries on the fluoride release (FR) of different high-viscosity glass ionomer cements (GICs) was investigated. Fifty-eight discs were fabricated from two high-viscosity GICs (GC Fuji IX (F9) and 3M ESPE Ketac-fil (KF)). Five specimens from each brand were used to measure Vickers microhardness and the remaining were randomly assigned to one of four groups (n = 6) based on two-factor combinations: (1) fluoride concentration in the abrasive slurry (275 or 1250 ppm fluoride as NaF) and (2) immersion in a 22,500 ppm fluoride-containing solution. Specimens were brushed for a total of 20,000 strokes over 4 days with daily FR measurement. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance and Bonferroni tests (α = 0.05). Baseline FR and microhardness values were different between the two tested material brands. Exposure to a 22,500 ppm solution was associated with higher FR but not the exposure to 1250 ppm slurries. Brushing and immersion of glass ionomer cements in a 22,500 ppm F solution led to higher FR that was more sustained for KF. Type of the glass ionomer, progressive brushing, and fluoride varnish affected FR but not the fluoride content in the abrasive slurry

New expression for the functional transformation of the vector Cramér-Rao lower bound

Assume that it is desired to estimate α = f(θ), where f(·) is an r-dimensional function. This paper derives the general expression for the functional transformation of the vector Cramér-Rao lower bound (CRLB). The derived bound is a tight lower bound on the estimation of uncoupled parameters, i.e., parameters that can be estimated separately. Unlike previous results in the literature, this new expression is not dependent on the inverse of the Fisher's information matrix (FIM) of the untransformed parameters, θ. Thus, it can be applied to scenarios where the FIM for θ is ill-conditioned or singular. Finally, as an application, the derived transformation is applied to determine the exact CRLB for estimation of channel parameters in amplify-and-forward relaying networks.This research was supported under Australian Research Council’s Discovery Projects funding scheme (project number DP110102548)

Modular multilevel converter with modified half-bridge submodule and arm filter for dc transmission systems with DC fault blocking capability

Although a modular multilevel converter (MMC) is universally accepted as a suitable converter topology for the high voltage dc transmission systems, its dc fault ride performance requires substantial improvement in order to be used in critical infrastructures such as transnational multi-terminal dc (MTDC) networks. Therefore, this paper proposes a modified submodule circuit for modular multilevel converter that offers an improved dc fault ride through performance with reduced semiconductor losses and enhanced control flexibility compared to that achievable with full-bridge submodules. The use of the proposed submodules allows MMC to retain its modularity; with semiconductor loss similar to that of the mixed submodules MMC, but higher than that of the half-bridge submodules. Besides dc fault blocking, the proposed submodule offers the possibility of controlling ac current in-feed during pole-to-pole dc short circuit fault, and this makes such submodule increasingly attractive and useful for continued operation of MTDC networks during dc faults. The aforesaid attributes are validated using simulations performed in MATLAB/SIMULINK, and substantiated experimentally using the proposed submodule topology on a 4-level small-scale MMC prototype

Penerapan Media Boneka Tema Keindahan untuk Peningkatan Hasil Belajar Siswa Sekolah Dasar

Penelitian ini dilatar belakangi pelaksanaan kegiatan pembelajaran tematik yang masih berpusat pada guru, media belum disediakan secara maksimal oleh guru. Solusi untuk permasalahan tersebut yaitu dengan menggunakan media boneka. Tujuan penelitian ini untuk mengetahui peningkatan hasil belajar siswa dengan menggunakan media boneka pada pembelajaran tematik dengan tema keindahan. Subjek penelitian adalah siswa kelas II SDN Tlanak III Kedungpring Lamongan yang terdiri dari 26 siswa. Penelitian ini menggunakan rancangan Penelitian Tindakan Kelas. Adapun jenis penelitian yang digunakan yaitu melalui pendekatan deskriptif kualitatif dan kuantitatif. Teknik pengumpulan data dengan menggunakan metode observasi, tes dan catatan lapangan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan aktivitas guru, aktivitas siswa, dan hasil belajar mengalami peningkatan di setiap siklusnya dan memenuhi indikator keberhasilan. Dari hasil penelitian ini dapat disimpulkan bahwa media boneka dapat meningkatkan hasil belajar siswa pada pembelajaran tematik kelas II SDN Tlanak III Kedungpring Lamongan

Growth of Nyamplung (Calophyllum Inophyllum L.) on Three Planting Patterns and Dose of Fertilizer on Sandy Beach Pangandaran, West Java

Nyamplung (Calophyllum inophyllum L.) is one of the new alternatives of biofuels materials in the world. Hitherto, the information on the cultivation and processing techniques is very limited. This study aims to find out the growth of nyamplung on some cropping patterns on sandy beach Pangandaran in 4 (four) years. The experimental design used in this study was split plot design. The main plots were cropping pattern: agroforestry nyamplung, nyamplung monoculture and nyamplung + pandanus, and the subplot were fertilizer doses: (1) no fertilizer (control), (2) 5 kg of organic fertilizer + 100 gr/plant NPK and (3) 10 kg of organic fertilizer + 200 gr/plant of NPK fertilizer. Each combination treatment consists of 25 plants that were repeated 3 times , so that the total number of plants observed were 675 plants. The growth parameters observed: survival rate, height, diameters and number of branches of plant until 4 years. The results of this study showed that the interaction of treatments were statistically not significant. The growth of the plants was significantly affected by cropping pattern and fertilization. The Agroforestry pattern produces the highest survival rate and growth that is 97.33% with an average height of 220 cm and an average diameter of 5.08 cm. Recommended fertilizer doses are 5 kg of organic fertilizer for base and 100 grams of advanced fertilizer NPK twice a year

TAP block, needle through introducer approach

AbstractSince introduction of transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block to pediatric practice, ultrasonography is considered the standard of care to perform such block in pediatric age group.In spite of the rarity of reported complication of the block in literatures, many practitioners still avoid performing such block in pediatric age group giving the shallow depth of plane and probability of intra-abdominal organs trauma.I am explaining a new approach entailed using Ultrasound (US) guided spinal needle through introducer in 3years old child.This technique has a potential to make the block more approachable as it decreases the probability of intra-abdominal organs trauma

Kajian Ketelitian Pemanfaatan Citra Quickbird Pada Google Earth Untuk Pemetaan Bidang Tanah (Studi Kasus Kabupaten Karanganyar)

Citra yang diperoleh dari google earth memiliki beberapa keterbatasan diantaranya adalah tidak ada informasi metadata mengenai perolehan citra yang digunakan dan tidak diketahui seberapa besar akurasi citra yang diberikan. Citra yang ditampilkan dapat di download oleh pengguna pada tinggi pengamatan dan ukuran penyimpanan file yang bervariasi. Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk mengetahui akurasi citra yang diperoleh dari google earth dan pemanfaatannya pada kegiatan pemetaan bidang tanah. Citra penelitian diperoleh dari google earth. Citra dikoreksi dengan rektifikasi. Hasil digitasi luas bidang tanah pada citra terkoreksi disbandingkan dengan hasil pengukuran luas bidang tanah di lapangan sehingga dapat diketahui Root Mean Square Error (RMSe) citra quickbird yang diperoleh dari google earth untuk daerah relatif tinggi dan relatif rendah. Peta citra yang dihasilkan pada penelitian ini untuk nilai RMSe luas bidang tanah pada pemukiman di daerah relatif rendah pada gambar ukur dengan digitasi citra terkoreksi adalah 24.177 (m2), perbedaan luas terbesar adalah 3.176 (m2) dan yang terkecil adalah 1.097 (m2). Untuk nilai RMSe luas bidang tanah pada persawahan di daerah relatif rendah pada gambar ukur dengan digitasi citra terkoreksi adalah 24.339 (m2), perbedaan luas terbesar adalah 2.971 (m2) dan yang terkecil adalah 1.097 (m2). Sedangkan untuk nilai RMSe luas bidang tanah pada pemukiman di daerah yang relatif tinggi pada gambar ukur dengan digitasi citra terkoreksi 56.08 (m2), perbedaan luas terbesar adalah 6.978 (m2) dan yang terkecil adalah 3.527 (m2). Untuk nilai RMSe luas bidang tanah pada persawahan di daerah yang relatif tinggi pada gambar ukur dengan digitasi citra terkoreksi 62.346 (m2), perbedaan luas terbesar adalah 6.897 (m2) dan yang terkecil adalah 1.651 (m2)

Policy Administration and Political Rights;the Experiences of High-Level Women in the Kuwaiti Government

Women in Kuwait were traditionally excluded from the formulation of public policy because they lacked political rights. In mid 2005, women received the right to vote and to run for office. There is little known today about the influence of these political rights on women who work with the implementation of public policies in the higher administrative levels of government. Little is known specifically about the influence of the franchise on promotion of women to high administrative posts. The purpose of this study is to lay a foundation for research on the factors that encourage women\u27s access to high positions in government by exploring the experience of high-level women both before and after enfranchisement. The experiences of leading women who work for the public sector are critical to understanding any relationship between women\u27s political rights and their access to high positions. The interpretation of female work experiences provides suggestions to help expand and enhance women\u27s access to high positions in public administration. This study employs the phenomenological method for data collection and interpretation. The findings of this study support the argument that political participation exerts a positive influence on high-level women in government. This study shows that Kuwaiti high-level women agree that they have started to experience a positive influence in their work since the franchise due to the new political power that they have gained. I argue that whether or not high-level women have personally experienced any positive change in their work due to gaining their political rights, they still affirm the occurrence of this positive change. This study finds that this positive influence is reflected in better representation in official meetings, more interactions with state leaders, an increasing ability to express concerns to top levels, and enhancing their self-confidence to lead. This study notes other significant factors that should be considered by women in order to enhance their numbers in lea