Water Evaporation-Driven Arginine Enantiomer Recognition on a Self-Powered Flexible Chip with High Specificity.

Chiral recognition is a crucial issue in the biomedical and pharmaceutical research communities. Due to the need for expensive equipment, reagents, and external energy, enantiomer identification is difficult to perform outside of a laboratory. Based on water evaporation-induced hydrovoltaic effect, a power-free sensing platform with sensitive chiral recognition capability is proposed for the discrimination of enantiomers. The chiral recognizer was bovine serum albumin (BSA), a naturally occurring protein. Using arginine (Arg) enantiomers as the sensing targets, the difference in enantioselectivity between l-Arg and d-Arg on a BSA-modified porous carbon substrate can be measured directly from the output voltage. By combining the cyclization reaction between NO and O-phenylenediamine (OPD), it has been discovered that the sensitivity and specificity of enantioselective identification can be significantly enhanced based on the surface charges. The limit of detection (LOD) could be as low as 76.0 nM. In addition, the proposed chips are extremely flexible and can function under deformation without sacrificing output performance. This self-powered chiral recognition chip paves a new path for the detection of chiral molecules at any time, any place, and it also has excellent potential for use in flexible wearable technology.

ZEB1 interferes with human periodontal ligament stem cell proliferation and differentiation.

BACKGROUND: Periodontitis can eventually contribute to tooth loss. Zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1) is identified as overexpressed in the gingival tissue of mice with periodontitis. This study is designed to decipher the mechanism of ZEB1's involvement in periodontitis. METHODS: Human periodontal mesenchymal stem cells (hPDLSCs) were exposed to LPS to mimic the inflammation in periodontitis. Following ZEB1 silencing, FX1 (an inhibitor of Bcl-6) treatment or ROCK1 overexpression, cell viability, and apoptosis were analyzed. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining, Alizarin red staining, RT-qPCR, and western blot were performed to evaluate osteogenic differentiation and mineralization. hPDLSCs were processed for luciferase reporter assay and ChIP-PCR to confirm the association between ZEB1 and ROCK1. RESULTS: The induction of ZEB1 silencing resulted in reduced cell apoptosis, enhanced osteogenic differentiation, and mineralization. Nevertheless, these effects were significantly blunted by FX1. ZEB1 was confirmed to bind to the promoter sites of ROCK1 and regulate the ROCK1/AMPK. Whereas ROCK1 overexpression reversed the effects of ZEB1 silencing on Bcl-6/STAT1, as well as cell proliferation and osteogenesis differentiation. CONCLUSION: hPDLSCs displayed decreased proliferation and weakened osteogenesis differentiation in response to LPS. These impacts were mediated by ZEB1 regulating Bcl-6/STAT1 via AMPK/ROCK1.

Comparative study of three composite materials in bonding attachments for clear aligners.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the operation time, shear bond strength, placement accuracy and wear resistance of 3 composite materials (Filtek Z350XT, Filtek Z350XT Flowable and SonicFill) that were used to make attachments for clear aligners. SETTINGS AND SAMPLE POPULATION: Laboratory of Stomatology of Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. A total of 129 human mandibular premolars were collected, 69 of which were assigned to 3 groups (A1, B1 and C1). The remaining 60 teeth were divided into 3 groups (A2, B2 and C2). METHODS: Z350XT composite resin was used in groups A1 and A2 to bond the attachments. Z350XT Flowable composite resin was used in groups B1 and B2. SonicFill composite resin was used in groups C1 and C2. The operation time, shear bond strength, the placement accuracy and wear volume loss of 3 composite materials were evaluated. RESULTS: The operation time of Z350XT Flowable and SonicFill was shorter than Z350XT (P < .05). The shear bond strength of SonicFill was higher than Z350XT and Z350XT Flowable (P < .05). The SEM showed that the bonding interface of Z350XT and SonicFill was compact. The 3D deviation and volumetric change in the 3D designed attachments and the attachments after actual bonding of Z350XT Flowable were greater than that of Z350XT and SonicFill (P < .05). The wear volume loss of SonicFill and Z350XT was less than that of Z350XT Flowable (P < .05). CONCLUSION: SonicFill seems to represent a suitable material for producing attachments, which optimized the property combination.

Anomalous-Chern Steering of Topological Nonreciprocal Guided Waves.

Nonreciprocal topological edge states based on external magnetic bias have been regarded as the last resort for genuine unidirectional wave transport, showing superior robustness over topological states with preserved time-reversal symmetry. However, fast and efficient reconfigurability of their trajectory has remained a formidable challenge due to the difficulty in controlling the spatial distribution of magnetic fields over large areas and short times. Here, this persistent issue is solved by leveraging the rich topology of unitary scattering networks, and achieve fast steering of nonreciprocal topological transport at an interface between a Chern and an anomalous topological insulator, without having to control a magnetic field. Such interface can be drawn by doping the network with scatterers located at the center of each link, whose level of reflection is electrically tuned. With experiments in the GHz range, the possibility to actively steer the way of unidirectional edge states is demonstrated, switching the transmission path thousands of times per second in a fully-robust topological heterostructure. The approach represents a significant step towards the realization of practical reconfigurable topological meta-devices with broken time-reversal symmetry, and their application to future robust communication technologies.

Integrating Photoelectrochemical Feature on a Hydrovoltaic Chip with High-Salinity Adaption as a Self-Powered Device for Formaldehyde Monitoring.

Alternative energy sources are required due to the decline in fossil fuel resources. Therefore, devices that utilize hydrovoltaic technology and light energy have drawn widespread attention because they are emission-free and solar energy is inexhaustible. However, previous investigations mainly focused on accelerating the water evaporation rate at the electrode interface. Here, a cooperative photoelectrochemical effect on a hydrovoltaic chip is achieved using NH2-MIL-125-modified TiO2 nanotube arrays (NTs). This device demonstrated significantly improved evaporation-triggered electricity generation. Under LED illumination, the open-circuit voltage (VOC) of the NH2-MIL-125/TiO2NTs active layer of the hydrovoltaic chip was enhanced by 90.3% (up to 400.2 mV). Furthermore, the prepared hydrovoltaic chip showed good high-salinity tolerance, maintaining 74.6% of its performance even in 5 M NaCl. By introducing a Schiff-based reaction between the active layer and formaldehyde, a fully integrated flexible sensor was successfully fabricated for formaldehyde monitoring, and a low limit of detection of 5.2 × 10-9 M was achieved. This novel strategy for improving the performance of hydrovoltaic devices offers a completely new general approach to construct self-powered devices for point-of-care sensing.

Digitalization and innovation in green ports: A review of current issues, contributions and the way forward in promoting sustainable ports and maritime logistics.

As a fundamental transportation mode, maritime logistics has become an indispensable component on a global scale. However, there are multiple drawbacks associated with ports operating in traditional ways, such as higher cost, lower efficiency and generating more environmental pollution. Digital technologies have been researched and implemented gradually in green ports, especially in data collection and real-time monitoring, and these advances help to promote higher work efficiency and reduce detrimental environmental impacts. It was found that green ports (e.g. ports of Raffina, Los Angeles, and Long Beach) generally perform better in energy conservation and pollutant emission reduction. However, considering the variability in the level of digitalization, there are challenges in achieving effective communications between individual ports. Therefore, to optimize and update green port practices, a systematic review is necessary to comprehensively analyze the beneficial contributions of green ports. This review adopted bibliometric analysis to examine the shipping framework focusing on green ports digitalization and innovation. After that, with regards to the bibliometric results, five aspects were analyzed, including environment, performance, policy, technology, and management. Besides, intelligent life-cycle management was systematically discussed to improve green ports and maritime logistics performance and sustainability in three aspects, namely waste discharge, shipping management system and green ports management. The findings revealed that green ports and maritime logistics require digital cooperation, transformation, and management to achieve sustainable development goals, including route selection and control of ships' numbers, weather prediction, and navigational effluent monitoring, albeit with some obstacles.

Municipal solid waste management challenges in developing regions: A comprehensive review and future perspectives for Asia and Africa.

The rapid urbanization witnessed in developing countries in Asia and Africa has led to a substantial increase in municipal solid waste (MSW) generation. However, the corresponding disposal strategies, along with constraints in land resources and finances, compounded by unorganized public behaviour, have resulted in ineffective policy implementation and monitoring. This lack of systematic and targeted orientation, combined with blind mapping, has led to inefficient development in many areas. This review examines the key challenges of MSW management in developing countries in Asia and Africa from 2013 to 2023, drawing insights from 170 academic papers. Rather than solely focusing on recycling, the study proposes waste sorting at the source, optimization of landfill practices, thermal treatment measures, and strategies to capitalize on the value of waste as more pertinent solutions aligned with local realities. Barriers to optimizing management systems arise from socio-economic factors, infrastructural limitations, and cultural considerations. The review emphasizes the importance of integrating the study area into the circular economy framework, with a focus on enhancing citizen participation in solid waste reduction and promoting recycling initiatives, along with seeking economic assistance from international organizations.

Engineering hierarchical FeS2/TiO2 nanotubes on Ti mesh as a tailorable flow-through catalyst belt for all-day-active degradation of organic pollutants and pathogens.

The increasing organic and microbiological pollutions in fresh water caused by human activities and industrial development have become a global concern nowadays. In this study, three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical FeS2/TiO2 structures with nanotube geometries were grown on a Ti mesh (M-TNTAs-FeS2). Benefitting from the abundant available reactive sites on the open 3D micro/nanoporous structures, excellent photocatalytic activity of FeS2/TiO2 heterostructure in solar light, and satisfactory Fenton activity of FeS2, the obtained M-TNTAs-FeS2 exhibits outstanding performance as an all-day-active catalyst. Importantly, flexible meshes can be easily tailored and enveloped into fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) pockets in a series as a flow-through belt for large-capacitance applications (998 L m-2 at a flow rate of 417 L m-2 h-1 for a four-pockets belt), as indicated by the degradation of azo dyes, antibiotics, pesticides, and pathogens. This study may inspire a new tailorable catalyst design for a promising point-of-use purification device.

Influence of the three-dimensional printing technique and printing layer thickness on model accuracy.

OBJECTIVE: The accuracies of three-dimensional (3D) printed dental models using various digital light processing (DLP) and stereolithography (SLA) printers at different thicknesses were compared. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Based on digital dental models (originally digitized using R700; 3Shape, Copenhagen, Denmark), physical dental models were printed using three types of DLP printers: (1) EvoDent (UnionTec, Shanghai, China) with layer thicknesses of 50 µm and 100 µm; (2) EncaDent (Encashape, WuXi, China) with layer thicknesses of 20, 30, 50 and 100 µm; (3) Vida HD (Envisioned, Dearborn, MI, USA) with layer thicknesses of 50 and 100 µm. Models with the SLA printer Form 2 (Formlabs, Somerville, MA, USA) were printed with layer thicknesses of 25, 50 and 100 µm. All 22 printed models were converted to digital dental models using a D2000 model scanner (3 Shape, Copenhagen, Denmark) and compared three-dimensionally to the source files using Geomagic Qualify 12.0 (3D Systems, Rock Hill, SC, USA). RESULTS: The printing accuracy of all printers was higher at 50 µm. When the layer thickness was set at 100 µm, the printing speed and printing accuracy of DLP printer were both superior to those of the SLA printer. In all groups, the EvoDent 50 µm group had the highest consistency with the source files (mean absolute deviation of 0.0233 mm in the maxilla and 0.0301 mm in the mandible). While the accuracy of Form 2 100 µm group was the lowest (mean absolute deviation of 0.0511 mm in the maxilla and 0.0570 mm in the mandible). CONCLUSION: For the 3D printers studied, 50 µm was the optimum layer thickness for DLP technology, and the printing accuracy using SLA technology increased with decreasing layer thickness. The DLP technology also had higher printing accuracy at a layer thickness of 100 µm. EvoDent 50 µm had the highest and Form 2 100 µm the lowest printing accuracy.

Bond strength of metal brackets bonded to a silica-based ceramic with light-cured adhesive : Influence of various surface treatment methods.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this work was to evaluate the effects of several surface treatment methods on the shear bond strengths of metal brackets bonded to a silica-based ceramic with a light-cured adhesive. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Silica-based ceramic (IPS Classic(®)) with glazed surfaces was cut into discs that were used as substrates. A total of 80 specimens were randomly divided into four groups according to the method used: 9.6 % hydrofluoric acid (group 1), 9.6 % hydrofluoric acid (HF) + silane coupling agent (group 2), sandblasting (aluminum trioxide, 50 µm) + silane (group 3), and tribochemical silica coating (CoJet™ sand, 30 µm) + silane (group 4). Brackets were bonded to the treated specimens with a light-cure adhesive (Transbond XT, 3 M Unitek). Shear bond strength was tested after bracket bonding, and the Adhesive Remnant Index (ARI) scores were quantified after debonding. RESULTS: Group 4 showed the highest bond strength (12.3 ± 1.0 MPa), which was not significantly different from that of group 3 (11.6 ± 1.2 MPa, P > 0.05); however, the bond strength of group 4 was substantially higher than that of group 2 (9.4 ± 1.1 MPa, P < 0.05). The shear bond strength of group 1 (3.1 ± 0.6 MPa, P< 0.05) was significantly lower than that of the other groups. CONCLUSION: Shear bond strengths exceeded the optimal range of ideal bond strength for clinical practice, except for the isolated HF group. HF acid etching followed by silane was the best suited method for bonding on IPS Classic(®). Failure modes in the sandblasting and silica-coating groups revealed signs of damaged ceramic surfaces.

[Analysis of stress in periodontal ligament of the maxillary first molar on distal movement by nonlinear finite element method].

PURPOSE: To analyze the stress distribution in periodontal ligament of maxillary first molar during distal movement with nonlinear finite element analysis, and to compare it with the result of linear finite element analysis, consequently to provide biomechanical evidence for clinical application. METHODS: The 3-D finite element model including a maxillary first molar, periodontal ligament, alveolar bone, cancellous bone, cortical bone and a buccal tube was built up by using Mimics, Geomagic, ProE and Ansys Workbench. The material of periodontal ligament was set as nonlinear material and linear elastic material, respectively. Loads of different combinations were applied to simulate the clinical situation of distalizing the maxillary first molar. RESULTS: There were channels of low stress in peak distribution of Von Mises equivalent stress and compressive stress of periodontal ligament in nonlinear finite element model. The peak of Von Mises equivalent stress was lower when it was satisfied that Mt/F minus Mr/F approximately equals 2. The peak of compressive stress was lower when it was satisfied that Mt/F was approximately equal to Mr/F. The relative stress of periodontal ligament was higher and violent in linear finite element model and there were no channels of low stress in peak distribution. CONCLUSIONS: There are channels in which stress of periodontal ligament is lower. The condition of low stress should be satisfied by applied M/F during the course of distalizing the maxillary first molar.

[Effect of taper and inserting angle on stability of micro-implants in type II bone with three-dimensional finite element].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of taper and inserting angle on stability of micro-implants in type II bone and to provide theoretical evidence for clinical selection of taper and inserting angle. METHODS: Three-dimensional finite element models of type II bone sections and micro-implants were fabricated. They were designed using different tapers (diameter between 1.1 to 1.6 mm, taper between 0 to 0.0625) and different inserting angles ranging from 30 degrees to 90 degrees (30 degrees, 45 degrees, 60 degrees, 75 degrees, 90 degrees). Effects on the maximum von Mises stresses in mandible and micro-implants, as well as on the maximum displacements in micro-implants, were analyzed under an applied 2 N horizontal force. RESULTS: The inserting angle had a significant effect on stresses and displacements, with lower distribution of stresses and displacements occurring at 60 degrees. The effect of the taper was also related to the inserting angle. The minimum stresses were 5.013 4 MPa (cortical bone) and 25.1310 MPa (micro-implant) in model D at 60 degrees. The displacements of micro-implants were proportional to the taper. CONCLUSION: The inserting angle has a significant effect on stability of micro-implants, and the recommended inserting angle is 60 degrees. The influence of taper on the stability of micro-implants is related to the inserting angle. The micro-implant with 0.0375 taper (maximum diameter is 1.6 mm, minimum diameter is 1.3 mm) is more suitable for type II bones.

Shear bond strength of an experimental composite bracket.

OBJECTIVE: The in vitro shear bond strength of MZ100 brackets (an experimental composite bracket developed by the Dental Biomaterial Laboratory at Boston University) and the effect of different treatment methods on these brackets were evaluated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: As the bonding substrates, 80 Vitablocs® Mark II (Vident, Brea, CA, USA) were chosen. Three treatment methods were employed on 60 MZ100 bracket bases (20 brackets per treatment): silane coupling agent (Porcelain Primer; Ormco, Orange, CA, USA), sandblasting (Basic Professional Model Sandblaster; Renfert GmbH, Germany), and non-treatment. Two different orthodontic adhesives were also used: Blugloo™ (Ormco, Orange, CA, USA) and Enlight™ (Ormco, Orange, CA, USA). Twenty metal brackets were used as controls. Shear bond strength tests were performed after sample preparation and bracket bonding. RESULTS: The mean shear bond strength of non-treated MZ100 brackets bonded with Enlight™ had the lowest value (7.9 MPa), while that of sandblasted MZ100 brackets bonded with Blugloo™ showed the highest value (17.9 MPa). The mean shear bond strength of non-treated MZ100 brackets was significantly lower than that of the other groups (p<0.05). The mean shear bond strength of sandblasted MZ100 brackets bonded with Blugloo™ was significantly higher than that of those bonded with Enlight™ (p<0.05). With the exception of the silane-Blugloo™ group, the treated MZ100 brackets demonstrated shear bond strengths that did not significantly differ from metal brackets. CONCLUSION: The use of sandblasting and silane coupling agent significantly increases the shear bond strength of the MZ100 brackets to values resembling those of metal brackets.

[The development and clinical applications of aesthetic brackets].

Due to the significantly increasing demand of aesthetics during orthodontic treatments, aesthetic brackets have gained popularity in clinic. In general, the current aesthetic brackets are either ceramic brackets or plastic brackets. This article provided a review of the latest information about the aesthetic brackets' materials, designs, and their clinical applications. Although significant improvements have been made in recent years on aesthetic brackets, more laboratory studies and clinical trials are needed to further demonstrate the critical issues of bonding, debonding and recycling to meet their optimal uses in orthodontics.