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At least 235 records · Page 13

Amyloid-like ribbons of amelogenins in enamel mineralization

We report that enamel, the outermost layer of teeth, is an acellular mineralized tissue that cannot regenerate; the mature tissue is composed of high aspect ratio apatite nanocrystals organized into rods and inter-rod regions. Amelogenin constitutes 90% of the protein matrix in developing enamel and plays a central role in guiding the hierarchical organization of apatite crystals observed in mature enamel. To date, a convincing link between amelogenin supramolecular structures and mature enamel has yet to be described, in part because the protein matrix is degraded during tissue maturation. Here we show compelling evidence that amelogenin self-assembles into an amyloid-like structure in vitro and in vivo. We show that enamel matrices stain positive for amyloids and we identify a specific region within amelogenin that self-assembles into β-sheets. Lastly, we propose that amelogenin nanoribbons template the growth of apatite mineral in human enamel. This is a paradigm shift from the current model of enamel development.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Non-destructive thermal wave method applied to study thermal properties of fast setting time endodontic cement

The thermal wave method is applied for thermal properties measurement in fast endodontic cement (CER). This new formula is developed upon using Portland cement in gel and it was successfully tested in mice with good biocompatibility and stimulated mineralization. Recently, thermal expansion and setting time were measured, conferring to this material twice faster hardening than the well known Angelus Mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) the feature of fast hardening (∼7 min) and with similar thermal expansion (∼12 μstrain/ °C). Therefore, it is important the knowledge of thermal properties like thermal diffusivity, conductivity, effusivity in order to match thermally the tissue environment upon its application in filling cavities of teeth. Photothermal radiometry technique based on Xe illumination was applied in CER disks 600 μm thick for heating, with prepared in four particle sizes (25, 38, 45, and 53) μm, which were added microemulsion gel with variation volumes (140, 150, 160, and 170) μl. The behavior of the thermal diffusivity CER disks shows linear decay for increase emulsion volume, and in contrast, thermal diffusivity increases with particles sizes. Aiming to compare to MTA, thermal properties of CER were averaged to get the figure of merit for thermal diffusivity as (44.2 ± 3.6) × 10{sup −3} cm{sup 2}/s, for thermal conductivity (228 ± 32) mW/cm K, the thermal effusivity (1.09 ± 0.06) W s{sup 0.5}/cm{sup 2} K and volume heat capacity (5.2 ± 0.7) J/cm{sup 3} K, which are in excellent agreement with results of a disk prepared from commercial MTA-Angelus (grain size < 10 μm using 57 μl of distilled water)

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Analysis of surface integrity of grinded gears using Barkhausen noise analysis and x-ray diffraction

The contribution is focused to present results of study grinded gears made of 18CrNiMo7-6 steel used in the wind power plant for support (service) purposes. These gears were case-hardened due to standard hard case and soft core formation. This heat treatment increases wear resistance and fatigue strength of machine parts. During serial production some troubles with surface integrity have occurred. When solving complex problems lots of samples were prepared. For grinding of gears were used different parameters of cutting speed, number of material removal and lots from different subsuppliers. Material characterization was carried out using Barkhausen noise analysis (BNA) device; X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurement of surface residual stresses was done as well. Depth profile of measured characteristics, e.g. magnetoelastic parameter and residual stress was obtained by step by step layers' removing using electrolytic etching. BNA software Viewscan was used to measure magnetizing frequency sweep (MFS) and magnetizing voltage sweep (MVS). Scanning of Magnetoelastic parameter (MP) endwise individual teeth were also carried out with Viewscan. These measurements were done to find problematic surface areas after grinding such as thermal damaged locations. Plots of the hardness and thickness of case-hardened layer on cross sections were measurered as well. Evaluation of structure of subsurface case-hardened layer and core was made on etched metallographic patterns. The aim of performed measurements was to find correlation between conditions of grinding, residual stresses and structural and magnetoelastic parameters. Based on correlation of measured values and technological parameters optimizing the production of gears will be done.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Non-axisymmetric equilibrium reconstruction of a current-carrying stellarator using external magnetic and soft x-ray inversion radius measurements

Non-axisymmetric free-boundary equilibrium reconstructions of stellarator plasmas are performed for discharges in which the magnetic configuration is strongly modified by ohmically driven plasma current. These studies were performed on the compact toroidal hybrid device using the V3FIT reconstruction code with a set of 50 magnetic diagnostics external to the plasma. With the assumption of closed magnetic flux surfaces, the reconstructions using external magnetic measurements allow accurate estimates of the net toroidal flux within the last closed flux surface, the edge safety factor, and the plasma shape of these highly non-axisymmetric plasmas. Lastly, the inversion radius of standard saw-teeth is used to infer the current profile near the magnetic axis; with external magnetic diagnostics alone, the current density profile is imprecisely reconstructed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Detection of questionable occlusal carious lesions using an electrical bioimpedance method with fractional electrical model

This in vitro study evaluated the diagnostic performance of an alternative electric bioimpedance spectroscopy technique (BIS-STEP) detect questionable occlusal carious lesions. Six specialists carried out the visual (V), radiography (R), and combined (VR) exams of 57 sound or non-cavitated occlusal carious lesion teeth classifying the occlusal surfaces in sound surface (H), enamel caries (EC), and dentinal caries (DC). Measurements were based on the current response to a step voltage excitation (BIS-STEP). A fractional electrical model was used to predict the current response in the time domain and to estimate the model parameters: Rs and Rp (resistive parameters), and C and α (fractional parameters). Histological analysis showed caries prevalence of 33.3% being 15.8% hidden caries. Combined examination obtained the best traditional diagnostic results with specificity = 59.0%, sensitivity = 70.9%, and accuracy = 60.8%. There were statistically significant differences in bioimpedance parameters between the H and EC groups (p = 0.016) and between the H and DC groups (Rs, p = 0.006; Rp, p = 0.022, and α, p = 0.041). Using a suitable threshold for the Rs, we obtained specificity = 60.7%, sensitivity = 77.9%, accuracy = 73.2%, and 100% of detection for deep lesions. It can be concluded that BIS-STEP method could be an important tool to improve the detection and management of occlusal non-cavitated primary caries and pigmented sites.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

KEPLER-16b: SAFE IN A RESONANCE CELL

The planet Kepler-16b is known to follow a circumbinary orbit around a system of two main-sequence stars. We construct stability diagrams in the ''pericentric distance-eccentricity'' plane, which show that Kepler-16b is in a hazardous vicinity to the chaos domain-just between the instability ''teeth'' in the space of orbital parameters. Kepler-16b survives, because it is close to the stable half-integer 11/2 orbital resonance with the central binary, safe inside a resonance cell bounded by the unstable 5/1 and 6/1 resonances. The neighboring resonance cells are vacant, because they are ''purged'' by Kepler-16b, due to overlap of first-order resonances with the planet. The newly discovered planets Kepler-34b and Kepler-35b are also safe inside resonance cells at the chaos border.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

The Kinematics of Proal Chewing in Rats

Chewing kinematics are well-documented in several mammal species with fused mandibular symphyses, but relatively understudied in mammals with an unfused symphysis, despite the fact that more than half of extant Mammalia have an unfused mandibular symphysis. The Wistar brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) is widely used in human health research, including studies of mastication or neurological studies where mastication is the output behavior. These animals are known to have unfused mandibular symphyses and proal jaw (rostrocaudal) motion during occlusion, but the lack of high resolution, 3-dimensional analysis of rat chewing leaves the functional significance of symphyseal mobility unknown. We used biplanar fluoroscopy and the X-ray reconstruction of moving morphology workflow to quantify chewing kinematics in 3 brown rats, quantifying overall jaw kinematics, including motions about the temporomandibular joint and unfused mandibular symphysis. During occlusion, the teeth and the mandibular condyle translate almost exclusively anteriorly (proal) during occlusion, with little motion in any other degrees of freedom. At the symphysis, we observed minimal flexion throughout the chew cycle. Overall, there are fundamental differences in jaw kinematics between rats and other mammals and therefore rats are not an appropriate proxy for ancestral mammal jaw mechanics. Additionally, differences between humans and rat chewing kinematics must be considered when using rats as a clinical model for pathological feeding research.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Mechanical and Thermal Performance of Transverse Flux Machines

This research examines the vibration and thermal characteristics of double-sided flux concentrating Transverse Flux Machines (TFM), designed for direct drive application. Two TFM prototypes with different stator cores, one with Quasi U-Core and the other with E-Core, has been used for the study. 3D Finite Element Analysis (FEA) has been carried out to determine the no-load and with load performance of the TFMs along with their fluctuating axial electromagnetic force densities acting on the stator teeth. The deformation response of the stator cores was observed in the static structural analysis. Thermal analysis for the TFM was performed through FEA based on copper and iron losses in the machine to examine the temperature rise in different parts of the machine structure. Acceleration and noise measurements were experimentally obtained to characterize the vibrational performance of the prototypes.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Mechanical Performance of Transverse Flux Machines

This research examines the structural and vibrational characteristics of double-sided flux-concentrating transverse flux machines (TFMs), designed for direct-drive application. Two prototypes of TFM with different stator cores, one with Quasi U-Core and the other with E-Core, have been used for this study. Three-dimensional finite element analysis has been carried out to determine the no-load and with-load performances of the TFMs along with their fluctuating axial electromagnetic force densities acting on the stator teeth. The deformation response of the stator cores was observed in the static structural analysis. Acceleration and noise measurements were experimentally obtained to characterize the vibrational performance of the prototypes.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Pulsed laser ablation of dental calculus in the near ultraviolet

Pulsed lasers emitting wavelengths near 400 nm can selectively ablate dental calculus without damaging underlying and surrounding sound dental hard tissue. Our results indicate that calculus ablation at this wavelength relies on the absorption of porphyrins endogenous to oral bacteria commonly found in calculus. Sub- and supragingival calculus on extracted human teeth, irradiated with 400-nm, 60-ns laser pulses at ≤8 J/cm2, exhibits a photobleached surface layer. Blue-light microscopy indicates this layer highly scatters 400-nm photons, whereas fluorescence spectroscopy indicates that bacterial porphyrins are permanently photobleached. A modified blow-off model for ablation is proposed that is based upon these observations and also reproduces our calculus ablation rates measured from laser profilometry. Tissue scattering and a stratified layering of absorbers within the calculus medium explain the gradual decrease in ablation rate from successive pulses. Depending on the calculus thickness, ablation stalling may occur at <5 J/cm2 but has not been observed above this fluence.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Bioinspired large-scale aligned porous materials assembled with dual temperature gradients

Natural materials, such as bone, teeth, shells, and wood, exhibit outstanding properties despite being porous and made of weak constituents. Frequently, they represent a source of inspiration to design strong, tough, and lightweight materials. Although many techniques have been introduced to create such structures, a long-range order of the porosity as well as a precise control of the final architecture remain difficult to achieve. These limitations severely hinder the scale-up fabrication of layered structures aimed for larger applications. We report on a bidirectional freezing technique to successfully assemble ceramic particles into scaffolds with large-scale aligned, lamellar, porous, nacre-like structure and long-range order at the centimeter scale. This is achieved by modifying the cold finger with a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) wedge to control the nucleation and growth of ice crystals under dual temperature gradients. Our approach could provide an effective way of manufacturing novel bioinspired structural materials, in particular advanced materials such as composites, where a higher level of control over the structure is required.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

TiO 2 Nanocoatings with Controllable Crystal Type and Nanoscale Topography on Zirconia Implants to Accelerate Bone Formation

In dentistry, zirconia implants have emerged as a promising alternative for replacing missing teeth due to their superior aesthetic performance and chemical stability. To improve the osseointegration of zirconia implants, modifying their surface with hierarchical micro/nanotopography and bioactive chemical composition are two effective ways. In this work, a microscale topography was prepared on a zirconia surface using hydrofluoric acid etching, and then a 50 nm TiO 2 nanocoating was deposited via atomic layer deposition (ALD). Subsequently, an annealing treatment was used to transform the TiO 2 from amorphous to anatase and simultaneously generate nanoscale topography. Various investigations into the coating surface morphology, topography, wettability, and chemical composition were carried out using scanning electron microscopy, white light interferometry, contact‐angle measurement, X‐ray diffraction, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In addition, in vitro cytocompatibility and osteogenic potential performance of the coatings were evaluated by human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs), and in vivo osseointegration performance was assessed in a rat femoral condyle model. Moreover, the possible mechanism was also investigated. The deposition of TiO 2 film with/without annealing treatment did not alter the microscale roughness of the zirconia surface, whereas the nanotopography changed significantly after annealing. The in vitro studies revealed that the anatase TiO 2 coating with regular wavelike nanostructure could promote the adhesion and proliferation of osteoblasts and further improve the osteogenic potential in vitro and osseointegration in vivo. These positive effects may be caused by nanoscale topography via the canonical Wnt/ β ‐catenin pathway. The results suggest that using ALD in combination with annealing treatment to fabricate a nanotopographic TiO 2 coating is a promising way to improve the osteogenic properties of zirconia implants.

Li, Nan (ORCID:0000000255156737)↗

A new shallow-water mud crab of the genus Hexapanopeus Rathbun, 1898 from Belize (Crustacea: Decapoda: Panopeidae)

A new species of panopeid crab from shallow coastal waters of Belize is formally described and named based upon comparative study of three small specimens obtained in the course of a regional biodiversity survey of decapod crustaceans. The herein designated holotype of Hexapanopeus klausruetzleri n. sp. is a specimen previously included in a comparative molecular phylogenetic analysis that showed it to be closely related to, but genetically distinct from, the western Atlantic species Hexapanopeus angustifrons (Benedict & Rathbun, 1891). Hexapanopeus klausruetzleri n. sp. differs from this widely reported warm-temperate species in both its smoother carapace and pereopod surfaces and its generally more lobiform anterolateral teeth. The unique male first gonopod of the new species also strongly supports its morphological separation from all known congeners and other superficially similar western Atlantic panopeids with which it might be confused. To date, mature females have not been found, and the limited available collections are restricted to the vicinity of Carrie Bow Cay and nearby waters. Fourteen additional species of small panopeid and pseudorhombilid crabs, similar to Hexapanopeus klausruetzleri n. sp. in size and general habitus, were taken in the course of our studies in Belize. Most have not been previously reported from these waters, and several warrant further study to confirm their identifications.

Zoology↗

Fibrous anisotropy and mineral gradients within the radula stylus of chiton: Controlled stiffness and damage tolerance in a flexible biological composite

Over hundreds of millions of years, organisms have evolved architected structures via precise control over hierarchically assembled components, including the integration of dissimilar materials. One such example is found in the radula system of chitons, intertidal mollusks that feed on algae growing on the rock. Their radula consists of multiple rows of ultrahard teeth, each integrated with a foldable belt-like substrate via a stiff, yet flexible stylus, which is essential for efficient rasping during the feeding process. Here, we investigate the nano and micro-scale components and architectures as well as regional mechanical properties of the stylus, and their subsequent role during the rasping of Cryptochiton stelleri. Three important factors were determined to contribute to the regio-specific stiffness of the stylus: the presence of mineral components, highly oriented chitinous fibers, and a chemically cross-linked protein matrix. All these factors are varied throughout the stylus. There is a high mineral content on the trailing edge close to the tooth and a cross-linked matrix on the leading edge, both with orientational specific oriented chitin fibers that provide force transduction to the tooth. Conversely, there is a significant lack of mineral or cross-linked matrix in the proximal end as well as a low degree of fiber orientation, resulting in a flexible region that can accommodate torsion and flexure during rasping. Understanding the graded composite structure of the stylus and applying this unique design to various engineering fields such as soft robotics, biotechnology, and the medical industry, can inspire the production of high-performance materials.

Lee, Jung-Eun↗

Mineral Association Changes the Secondary Structure and Dynamics of Murine Amelogenin

Biomineralization proteins, present during the formation of hard tissues including bones, teeth, egg shells and nacre, result in the exquisite structures and properties of the resulting materials.[1] The structure of these proteins is often implicated in the control of the mineral properties, however very little structural data is available for the bulk of these proteins due to the difficulty in determining structures of immobilized proteins. Solid-state NMR is uniquely suited to the study of the structure of proteins bound to surfaces, demonstrated with the structural and orientation insights provided for the hydroxyapatite mineralization proteins statherin and the amelogenin, LRAP.[2] While these data are some of the only structural data available for this important class of protein, the experiments are often expensive and time consuming, due to the need to prepare and measure samples with isolated spin pairs, and are limited to a size of ~60 residues. In this work, we utilized a combination of 1D and recent 2D[3] solid-state NMR techniques along with a sparsely labelled sample to characterize the structure and dynamics of potential HAP binding residues of the 180 residue enamel protein, amelogenin. Amelogenin nanospheres and mineral bound amelogenin were investigated and a shift from unstructured to β-sheet structure was observed, along with a decrease in protein flexibility. This work provides the first molecular level structure and dynamic information of full-length amelogenin on the surface of hydroxyapatite (HAP) and within nanospheres, and demonstrates the ability to evaluate structural characteristics of large biomineralization proteins bound to their physiologically relevant surface. The research was performed at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), a facility operated by Battelle for the U.S. Department of Energy, with a portion of it performed at the W.R. Wiley Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), a national scientific user facility sponsored by the U.S. DOE Biological and Environmental Research program.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Biomineral mesostructure

Abstract Biominerals formed by animals are most frequently calcium carbonate or phosphate polycrystalline materials with complex hierarchical structures. This article will focus on the 10-nm–10-µm scale, termed “mesoscale,” at which the “mesostructure” differs greatly across biominerals, is relevant to their mechanical properties, and reveals formation mechanisms in sea urchin teeth, mollusk shell prisms and nacre, human enamel, and coral skeletons. This article will conclude by focusing on important unanswered questions to inspire future research. Graphical abstract

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Bioinspired mineralizing microenvironments generated by liquid-liquid phase coexistence

Biominerals such as bones, teeth and shells exhibit improved mechanical properties and intricate morphologies not seen in nonbiologically-produced minerals of ostensibly the same composition. These remarkable properties of biogenic minerals are thought to arise due to precise local control over the mineral deposition process, including organic and inorganic inclusions. Understanding how Biology controls the local reaction environment during formation of these materials to control their composition, structure, and properties is a grand challenge that promises to enable new routes to high-performance materials. This project developed multi-compartment bioinspired microreactors as artificial mineralizing vesicles, and used them to understand and control formation of inorganic/organic composite solid materials. A major emphasis was on developing all-aqueous emulsions in which each droplet was a structured microreactor with two or more adjacent phases. This approach provided local control over reaction environment including availability of inclusions such as polypeptides and metal ions, while being sufficiently simple to produce large populations of essentially identical multiphase reactor droplets simultaneously within a batch. Organic/inorganic composite materials could be produced with very high organic content that stabilized the inorganic portions as amorphous materials (e.g., amorphous calcium carbonate) by preventing the typical conversion to more thermodynamically crystalline forms (e.g., calcite). These stabilized amorphous composites could be stored indefinitely and converted to crystalline forms later by removal of the organic inclusions via, for example, heating. Compositional gradients in the organic and inorganic components were embedded during synthesis due to the evolution of the reaction microenvironment, and despite the complexity of this process it occurred similarly across the population of reactive droplets and was hence encoded into the population of resulting composite particles. The approach developed here allows pre-structuring of reactive microenvironments to control the spatiotemporal reaction environment, which is an important step towards rational design and on-demand production of complex functional materials with desired composition, optical properties, and mechanical response.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗