Gullies on Mars could have formed by melting of water ice during periods of high obliquity.

Gullies on Mars resemble water-carved channels on Earth, but they are mostly at elevations where liquid water is not expected under current climate conditions. It has been suggested that sublimation of carbon dioxide ice alone could have formed Martian gullies. We used a general circulation model to show that the highest-elevation Martian gullies coincide with the boundary of terrain that experienced pressures above the triple point of water when Mars' rotational axis tilt reached 35°. Those conditions have occurred repeatedly over the past several million years, most recently ~630,000 years ago. Surface water ice, if present at these locations, could have melted when temperatures rose >273 kelvin. We propose a dual gully formation scenario that is driven by melting of water ice followed by carbon dioxide ice sublimation.

Demineralization inhibition at glass-ionomer cement and amalgam restoration margins in conjunction with additional fluoride regimens.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate demineralization inhibition at restoration gingival margins. The study compared the effectiveness of a fluoride-releasing restorative material and topical fluoride regimens utilized individually and in conjunction with fluoridated materials. Glass-ionomer restorations demonstrated significantly less dentin demineralization than amalgam restorations at restoration margins when the restorations were exposed to no external fluoride, when the restorations were brushed with a fluoridated dentifrice twice per day, and when the restorations were exposed to a fluoride rinse (p, 0.05). There was no significant difference in dentin demineralization adjacent to glass-ionomer and amalgam restorations when both a fluoride rinse and a fluoridated dentifrice were used on a daily basis over 30 days, in vitro.

Caries inhibition by fluoride-releasing primers.

This study evaluated the caries inhibition of dentin primers with the addition of fluoride. Two standardized Class V preparations were placed in 20 molars, the gingival margin placed below the cementoenamel junction and the occlusal margin placed in enamel. Two dentin primers (Syntac and ScotchPrep) were placed in equal numbers of 20 preparations, according to manufacturer's instructions. Ammonium fluoride (10% by weight) was then added to these primers and they were placed in the remaining 20 preparations, opposing the non-fluoridated primer of the same system. All teeth were then restored with a non-fluoridated resin composite. All teeth were subjected to an artificial caries challenge (pH 4.2) for 5 days. Sections of 100 microns were obtained, photographed under polarized light microscopy, then demineralized areas were quantitated by digitization. Results demonstrated the mean areas (mm2 +/- S.D.) demineralization at 0.25 mm, 0.5 mm and 1.0 mm from the restoration margin to be: Syntac/fluoride (1.44 +/- 0.49, 1.68 +/- 0.54, 3.72 +/- 0.74); Syntac (1.99 +/- 0.58, 1.50 +/- 0.35, 2.98 +/- 1.26); ScotchPrep/fluoride (1.23 +/- 0.68, 1.55 +/- 0.64, 3.08 +/- 1.16); ScotchPrep (1.90 +/- 0.83, 1.71 +/- .038, 3.36 +/- 0.62). A paired t-test indicated primers with fluoride to demonstrate significantly less demineralization 0.25 mm from the restoration margin (P < 0.07).