H. Evren Çubukçu

Texture discrimination of volcanic ashes from different fragmentation mechanisms: A case study, Mount Nemrut stratovolcano, eastern Turkey

Abstract Multicondition-driven mechanisms may produce pyroclastic deposits varying in fundamental properties such as dispersal, grain size, vesicularity and morphology of juvenile clasts, and the abundance of lithic or “wall rock” ejecta (xenoliths). Volcanic ash particles from different fragmentation mechanisms have different surface textures and morphologies. The analysis of the volcanic clast shape remained largely qualitative. A new method for ash particle characterization based on quadtree decomposition and surface gradient analysis is introduced. The approach is applied for assessing fragmentation mechanisms operating during eruptions. The surface descriptor variables like the number of quadtree blocks (nQT), the mean block size (mQT), the standard deviation of block sizes (sQT) and the surface descriptors derived from gradient analysis seem to be suitable for quantifying the structural changes of the ash surface due to variable explosion conditions. These parameters are presented in volcanology as distinctive key parameters for different eruption types. This may enrich our capabilities for effective prediction for the basis of planning to overcome the impending danger of eruptions.

Application of Decision Tree Algorithm for classification and identification of natural minerals using SEM-EDS

A mineral is a natural, homogeneous solid with a definite chemical composition and a highly ordered atomic arrangement. Recently, fast and accurate mineral identification/classification became a necessity. Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometers integrated with Scanning Electron Microscopes (SEM) are used to obtain rapid and reliable elemental analysis or chemical characterization of a solid. However, mineral identification is challenging since there is wide range of spectral dataset for natural minerals. The more mineralogical data acquired, time required for classification procedures increases. Moreover, applied instrumental conditions on a SEM-EDS differ for various applications, affecting the produced X-ray patterns even for the same mineral. This study aims to test whether C5.0 Decision Tree is a rapid and reliable method algorithm for classification and identification of various natural magmatic minerals.Ten distinct mineral groups (olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, apatite, amphibole, plagioclase, K-feldspar, zircon, magnetite, biotite) from different igneous rocks have been analyzed on SEM-EDS. 4601 elemental X-ray intensity data have been collected under various instrumental conditions. 2400 elemental data have been used to train and the remaining 2201 data have been tested to identify the minerals. The vast majority of the test data have been classified accurately. Additionally, high accuracy has been reached on the minerals with similar chemical composition, such as olivine ((Mg,Fe)2SiO4]) and orthopyroxene ((Mg,Fe)2SiO6]). Furthermore, two members from amphibole group (magnesiohastingsite, tschermakite) and two from clinopyroxene group (diopside, hedenbergite) have been accurately identified by the Decision Tree Algorithm. These results demonstrate that C5.0 Decision Tree Algorithm is an efficient method for mineral group classification and the identification of mineral members. C5.0 Algorithm is tested as a method for mineral identification using EDS data.Selected minerals have been classified accurately using C5.0 Algorithm.Effects of instrumental conditions have been minimized by applied methods.C5.0 Decision Tree stands as an effective tool for mineral classification using EDS.

Surface porosity of hand-mixed, syringe-mixed and encapsulated set endodontic sealers

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to investigate the surface porosity of hand-mixed, syringe-mixed and encapsulated set endodontic sealers using image analysis. STUDY DESIGN Eight different root canal sealers (AD Seal/Meta Biomed; AH Plus/Dentsply; MM Seal/Micromega; AH Plus Jet/Dentsply; EndoREZ/Ultradent; Epiphany/Pentron; GuttaFlow/Coltène; RealSeal/Sybron Endo) were prepared in accordance with the manufacturers recommendations and dispensed into plastic rings (n = 10/group). Following set of the specimens, scanning electron photomicrographs of the sealer surfaces were taken at standard magnification. The area fraction and the minimum-maximum diameters of surface pores were calculated on the micrographs using ImageJ open-source image analysis software. Statistical comparisons were made between the sealers with respect to the area fractions and number of pores (Kruskal-Wallis test, P < .05). RESULTS The endodontic sealers differed significantly in both the percentage of area fraction and pore count (P < .001). The surface porosity of the methacrylate-based sealers Epiphany and RealSeal were significantly lower than those of resin- and silicone-based sealers. With the exception of AD Seal, hand-mixed sealers displayed significantly higher surface porosity than those of syringe-mixed ones (P < .001). The encapsulated sealer GuttaFlow exhibited the highest surface area fraction of pores. CONCLUSION The mixing method influences the surface porosity of set endodontic sealers.

A Rhinocerotid Skull Cooked-to-Death in a 9.2 Ma-Old Ignimbrite Flow of Turkey

Background Preservation of fossil vertebrates in volcanic rocks is extremely rare. An articulated skull (cranium and mandible) of a rhinoceros was found in a 9.2±0.1 Ma-old ignimbrite of Cappadocia, Central Turkey. The unusual aspect of the preserved hard tissues of the skull (rough bone surface and brittle dentine) allows suspecting a peri-mortem exposure to a heating source. Methodology/Principal Findings Here we describe and identify the skull as belonging to the large two-horned rhinocerotine Ceratotherium neumayri, well-known in the late Miocene of the Eastern Mediterranean Province. Gross structural features and microscopic changes of hard tissues (bones and teeth) are then monitored and compared to the results of forensic and archaeological studies and experiments focusing on heating effects, in order to reconstruct the hypothetical peri-mortem conditions. Macroscopic and microscopic structural changes on compact bones (canaliculi and lamellae vanished), as well as partial dentine/cementum disintegration, drastic enamel-dentine disjunctions or microscopic cracks affecting all hard dental tissues (enamel, cementum, and dentine) point to continued exposures to temperatures around 400–450°C. Comparison to other cases of preservation of fossil vertebrates within volcanic rocks points unambiguously to some similarity with the 79 AD Plinian eruption of the Vesuvius, in Italy. Conclusions/Significance A 9.2±0.1 Ma-old pyroclastic density current, sourced from the Çardak caldera, likely provoked the instant death of the Karacaşar rhino, before the body of the latter experienced severe dehydration (leading to the wide and sustainable opening of the mouth), was then dismembered within the pyroclastic flow of subaerial origin, the skull being separated from the remnant body and baked under a temperature approximating 400°C, then transported northward, rolled, and trapped in disarray into that pyroclastic flow forming the pinkish Kavak-4 ignimbrite ∼30 km North from the upper Miocene vent.

A comparative study of qualitative and quantitative methods for the assessment of adhesive remnant after bracket debonding

The amount of the residual adhesive after bracket debonding is frequently assessed in a qualitative manner, utilizing the adhesive remnant index (ARI). This study aimed to investigate whether quantitative assessment of the adhesive remnant yields more precise results compared to qualitative methods utilizing the 4- and 5-point ARI scales. Twenty debonded brackets were selected. Evaluation and scoring of the adhesive remnant on bracket bases were made consecutively using: 1. qualitative assessment (visual scoring) and 2. quantitative measurement (image analysis) on digital photographs. Image analysis was made on scanning electron micrographs (SEM) and high-precision elemental maps of the adhesive remnant as determined by energy dispersed X-ray spectrometry. Evaluations were made in accordance with the original 4-point and the modified 5-point ARI scales. Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated, and the data were evaluated using Friedman test followed by Wilcoxon signed ranks test with Bonferroni correction. ICC statistics indicated high levels of agreement for qualitative visual scoring among examiners. The 4-point ARI scale was compliant with the SEM assessments but indicated significantly less adhesive remnant compared to the results of quantitative elemental mapping. When the 5-point scale was used, both quantitative techniques yielded similar results with those obtained qualitatively. These results indicate that qualitative visual scoring using the ARI is capable of generating similar results with those assessed by quantitative image analysis techniques. In particular, visual scoring with the 5-point ARI scale can yield similar results with both the SEM analysis and elemental mapping.