Effect of 9% Hydrofluoric Acid Gel Hot-Etching Surface Treatment on Shear Bond Strength of Resin Cements to Zirconia Ceramics.

Background and Objectives: There is no consensus regarding the surface treatment method for achieving optimal bonding strength between zirconia and resin cements. We evaluated the effect of hot-etching with 9% hydrofluoric acid (HF) gel using the Zirconia Etchant Cloud System on zirconia surfaces and the consequent shear bond strength (SBS) of different resin cements to such surface-treated zirconia ceramics. Materials and Methods: Forty-five zirconia specimens were randomly assigned to surface-treatment groups (n = 15/group): no treatment (control, CT); sandblasting with 110-µm Al2O3 at an air pressure of 1 bar for 10 s (SB); hot-etching with 9% HF gel (HE). Post-treatment, specimens were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and surface roughness (SR) analysis. After treatment, self-adhesive resin cements (Maxcem Elite, MAZIC Cem, RelyX U200, 3M ESPE: Maplewood, MN, USA) were bonded to zirconia specimens, which were stored in distilled water at 37 °C for 24 h. All specimens were then subjected to SBS testing, using a universal testing machine, until failure. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and Tukey's post hoc test (α = 0.05). Results: In the SEM images, roughness was greater in SB than in HE specimens. Ra and Rt values were highest in SB, followed by HE, and CT specimens. HE specimens showed significantly higher SBS values than CT or SB specimens (p < 0.05). MAZIC Cem cement, with 10-methacryloyloxydcyl dihydrogen phosphate yielded the highest SBS values. Conclusions: Hot-etching with 9% HF gel in a safe shell formed uniformly small, defined holes on the zirconia surface and achieved significantly higher SBS values than sandblasting (p < 0.05). Zirconia prostheses can be bonded micromechanically with resin cement, without the deterioration of properties due to t-m transformation, using chemical acid etching with the Zirconia Etchant Cloud System.

Straight Long-Range Surface Plasmon Polariton Waveguides with a Gap.

In straight long-range surface plasmon polariton (LR-SPP) waveguides with a gap (G-SPPWs), an excited input SPP propagates, jump overs the gap with low coupling loss, and propagates again, despite a micrometers-long gap. The micrometers long gap can be filled with various materials to control the LR-SPP mode in the G-SPPWs. Here, the optical characteristics of fabricated 20-nm-thick G-SPPWs with a fixed 2 µm gap length are experimentally evaluated at a wavelength of 1.55 µm. The gap coupling losses in the G-SPPWs were determined to be less than ~0.22 dB for various widths of the SPP waveguide (SPPW) up to ~8 µm, and the insertion losses were determined to be less than ~0.89 dB for the same design range. A minimum insertion loss of ~0.45 dB was obtained from the G-SPPW with a fixed 2 µm gap length and a 7 µm SPPW width. In the 2.5-Gbps optical signal transmission experiment, the G-SPPW exhibits excellent eye opening and the G-SPPW transfers the carrier wave as well as the data signal. The G-SPPW has potential to serve as a new plasmonic modulation element offering control of the guided SPP through interaction with an applied force in the gap.

Tapered Long-Range Surface Plasmon Polariton Waveguides with a Gap.

We propose tapered long-range surface plasmon polariton (LR-SPP) waveguides with a gap (tapered G-SPPWs) for improved tunneling efficiency in G-SPPWs. The optical characteristics of the fabricated tapered G-SPPWs were experimentally measured and compared with simulation results. The proposed tapered structure can improve tunneling efficiency by reducing insertion loss of the tapered G-SPPWs. The insertion losses of the straight G-SPPW with an 8-µm gap length and a 2-µm SPPW width and the tapered G-SPPW with an 8-µm gap length, a 2-µm SPPW width, a 6-µm taper width, and a 3-µm taper length were measured to be ~1.03 and ~0.74 dB, respectively. The tapered G-SPPW has potential as an efficient plasmonic modulation device element, offering control of the guided SPP through interaction with an applied force in the gap.

Crystal Structure and Photocatalytic Activity of Al-Doped TiO2 Nanofibers for Methylene Blue Dye Degradation.

Al-TiO2 nanofibers were prepared using a sol-gel derived electrospinning by varying the Al/Ti molar ratio from 0 to 0.73 to investigate the effect of Al doping on the crystal structure and the photocatalytic activity of Al-TiO2 for methylene blue (MB) degradation. XRD results indicated that as the Al/Ti molar ratio rose, crystal structure of Al-TiO2 was changed from anatase/rutile (undoped), anatase (0.07-0.18), to amorphous phase (0.38-0.73), which was confirmed by XPS and Raman analysis. The degradation kinetic constant increased from 7.3 x 10(-4) min(-1) to 4.5 x 10(-3) min(-1) with the increase of Al/Ti molar ratios from 0 to 0.38, but decreased to 3.4 x 10(-3) min(-1) when the Al/Ti molar ratio reached 0.73. The Al-TiO2 catalyst doped with 0.38 Al/Ti molar ratio demonstrated the best MB degradation. Experimental results indicated that the Al doping in Al-TiO2 was mainly attributed to the crystal structure of TiO2 and the photocatalytic degradation of MB.

Gapped Surface Plasmon Polariton Waveguide Device Based on a Liquid Crystal.

We propose a gapped surface plasmon polariton waveguide (G-SPPW) device based on a liquid crystal (LC) at a wavelength of 1.55 µm. The G-SPPW device is composed of an input 2.0-µm-wide and 5.0-µm-long insulator-metal-insulator waveguide (IMI-W), an 8-µm-long gap, and an output 2.0-µm-wide and 25.0-µm-long IMI-W. The LC is used for the gap and the 5.15-µm-thick upper and lower dielectric layers. The input surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) propagate and jump over the gap in the G-SPPW with a coupling loss of less than ~0.68 dB. The propagation and coupling losses of the 38-µm-long G-SPPW device are varied in the range of ~0.5268 dB to ~2.6716 dB and ~0.1446 dB to ~0.6784 dB, respectively, with LC tilt angles (θ1,2) = 0°~90° at a fixed 90° twist angle. The normalized transmission of the G-SPPW device is also varied in the range from -3.351 dB to -0.6714 dB with θ1,2 = 0°~90° at a fixed 90° twist angle. The output SPP characteristics of the G-SPPW device can be properly controlled by the orientation of the LC molecules. The proposed G-SPPW device shows potential for new active plasmonic device applications.

Time-dependent expression of osteoblast marker genes in human primary cells cultured on microgrooved titanium substrata.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the influence of titanium surface-etched microgrooves and ridges on the time-dependent expression of osteoblast marker genes and proteins of human primary cells undergoing osteoblast differentiation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifteen-, 30-, and 60-µm wide, and 3.5- and 10-µm deep-etched microgrooves and ridges were fabricated on titanium substrata using photolithography and subsequent acid etching, and were used as the experimental groups (E15/3.5, E30/10, and E60/10), whereas the smooth and acid-etched titanium were used as the control (NE0 and E0). Time-dependent mRNA and protein expression of type I collagen α1, alkaline phosphatase, runt-related transcription factor 2, osterix, osteocalcin, osteopontin, bone sialoprotein II, and osteonectin after 7, 14, 21, and 28 days of osteogenic culture was analyzed using quantitative real-time PCR, RT-PCR, western blotting, and protein quantitation. Student's t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and Pearson's correlation analysis were used for statistics. RESULTS: Etched microgrooves and ridges induced significantly lower levels of type I collagen α1 gene expression at day 14, and an extreme increase in osteopontin gene expression at days 21 and 28 compared with smooth control. However, the expression levels of the other osteoblast marker genes and proteins analyzed in this study correspond with previously reported expression patterns of cells on variously modified titanium surfaces during osteoblast differentiation and bone formation. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that etched microgrooves and ridges on titanium substrata induce both typical and unique time-dependent expression patterns of the osteoblast marker genes and proteins analyzed in this study.

Surface plasmon resonance image sensor module of spin-coated silver film with polymer layer.

Prism modules of 20 nm-, 40 nm-, and 60 nm-thick spin-coated silver films both without and with an upper 100 nm-thick spin-coated polymer layer were fabricated for surface plasmon resonance (SPR) image sensor applications. The prism modules were applied to an SPR image sensor system. The coefficients of determination (R2s) for the 20 nm-, 40 nm- and 60 nm-thick silver films without the polymer layer were 0.9231, 0.9901, and 0.9889, respectively, and with the polymer layer 0.9228, 0.9951, and 0.9880, respectively when standard ethanol solutions with 0.1% intervals in the range of 20.0% to 20.5% were applied. The upper polymer layer has no effect on the R2. The prism modules of the 40-nm-thick spin-coated silver films had the highest R2 value of approximately 0.99. The durability of the 40 nm-thick spin-coated silver film with the 100 nm-thick polymer layer is much better than that without the upper low-loss polymer layer. The developed SPR image sensor module of the 40 nm-thick spin-coated silver film with the upper 100 nm-thick low-loss polymer film is expected to be a very cost-effective and robust solution because the films are formed at low temperatures in a short period of time without requiring a vacuum system and are very durable.

Sa0 mode converter for nano plasmonic integrated circuits.

We propose an Sa0 mode converter (Sa0MC) that transforms Ss0 mode to Sa0 mode in an insulator-metal-insulator-metal-insulator waveguide (IMIMI-W) at a wavelength of 1.55 microm. The proposed Sa0MC is composed of 3.0 microm-wide input and 2.0 microm-wide output IMIMI-Ws connected by a laterally tapered IMIMI-W with vertical silver ridges (VSRs) and lateral silver mirrors (LSMs). The input, tapered, and output IMIMI-Ws were designed to use 20 nm thick Au strips. The VSRs and LSMs were selected to use silver ink. Low-loss polymer was used for the 30 microm-thick upper and lower cladding layers and the 500 nm-thick central insulator layer sandwiched by two Au strips. The approximately 5.1 microm x 4.9 microm input Ss0 mode was converted to a approximately 1.0 microm x 0.5 microm Sa0 mode. The mode converting efficiency was approximately 5.0 dB in simulation. The proposed Sa0MC opens a new route for nano-plasmonic integrated circuits with mode sizes less than the diffraction limit of light.

Thermal stability of gallium-doped zinc oxide thin film on glass substrates by an RF sputtering process.

The effects of a heat treatment on the structural and electrical properties of GZO thin films grown by RF magnetron sputtering were investigated. The heat treatment involved temperatures in the range from 200 degrees C to 500 degrees C under air. As the temperature was increased, the electrical properties of GZO thin films increased exponentially and the surface morphology was drastically altered. The effect of temperature is discussed based on electrical and structural characterization of the materials.

Effects of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum FBT215 and prebiotics on the gut microbiota structure of mice.

Imbalanced intestinal microbiota is associated with diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease and obesity, and diet can alter the structure of the gut microbiota. In this study, the effects of dietary treatments including the potential probiotic Lactiplantibacillus plantarum FBT215 with/without prebiotics on the intestinal microbiota composition of mice were investigated. Lactiplantibacillus plantarum FBT215 administration significantly decreased the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio and increased the abundance of Muribaculum and Duncaniella. The diversity within and between groups was measured according to α and ß diversity metrics, respectively. The Shannon index of α diversity decreased significantly in all treatment groups except the probiotic group, although this group showed an increase in the Chao1 index. Principal coordinate analysis of ß diversity showed that the groups had different species distributions. Finally, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) concentration increased in groups fed L. plantarum FBT215. These findings improve our understanding of the association between the gut microbiota structure and specific probiotic/prebiotic-containing diets.

A waveguide-typed plasmonic mode converter.

Waveguide-typed plasmonic mode converters (WPMCs) at a wavelength of 1.55 µm are presented. The WPMC is composed of an insulator-metal-insulator waveguide (IMI-W), a 1st reversely tapered insulator-metal-insulator-metal-insulator waveguide (RT-IMIMI-W), an insulator-metal-insulator-metal-insulator waveguide (IMIMI-W), a 2nd RT-IMIMI-W with lateral silver mirrors (LSMs), and a metal-insulator-metal waveguide (MIM-W) in series. The mode sizes for the IMI-W, IMIMI-W, and MIM-W via the IMIMI-W with LSMs were not only calculated using a finite element method but were also experimentally measured. The input mode size of 10.3 µm × 10.3 µm from a polarization-maintaining single-mode fiber was squeezed to the mode size of ~2.9 µm × 2.9 µm in measurement by converting an s0 mode to an Sa0 mode via an Ss0 mode. The WPMC may be potentially useful for bridging micro- to nano-plasmonic integrated circuits.

Squeezed mode conversion in hybrid plasmon polariton waveguide using spin-coated silver film.

We designed, fabricated, and characterized a hybrid surface plasmon polariton waveguide (SPP_wg) for mode conversion. The 20-nm-thick silver SPP_wg was fabricated via spin-coating with an aqueous silver ionic complex solution. The structure of the SPP_wg consists of a straight Insulator-Metal-Insulator waveguide (IMl_wg), a lateral tapered Insulator-Metal-Insulator-Metal-Insulator waveguide (tapered_IMIMI_wg), and a straight IMIMI waveguide (IMIMI_wg). An s0 mode size of 12.90 microm x 8.08 microm at a 6-microm-wide IMI_wg was excited by a butt-coupling method at a wavelength of 1550 nm. The s0 mode was converted into an Ss0 mode size of 8.08 microm x 5.65 microm at a 3-microm-wide IMIMI_wg. The mode size was squeezed by approximately 2/3 via a 15-microm-long lateral tapered_IMIMI_wg with a 500-nm-thick central insulator. The coupling loss for mode conversion between the straight IMI_wg and the straight IMIMI_wg was 5.49 dB. The hybrid SPP_wg for mode conversion has the potential to bridge the gap between micron and sub-micron scales in nano plasmonic integrated circuits. In addition, the use of the spin coating method is very cost-effective because films are formed at a low temperature in a short period of time without the need for a vacuum system.

Very thin spin-coated silver films via transparent silver ink for surface plasmon resonance sensor applications.

We fabricated very thin silver films with thicknesses of 20 nm, 40 nm, and 60 nm on a prism using a spin coating method for surface plasmon resonance (SPR) image sensor module applications. An aqueous silver ionic complex solution was spin-coated and then thermally cured for 10 minutes at 150 degrees C in an oven. The spin-coated solid silver films possessed silver crystallinity. The prism modules with the 20-nm-, 40-nm- and 60-nm-thick thin silver films were applied to an SPR image sensor system. The coefficients of determination for the 20-nm-, 40-nm- and 60-nm-thick silver films were 0.923, 0.990 and 0.989, respectively when standard ethanol solutions with 0.1% intervals in the range of 20.0% to 20.5% were applied. The correlation is high-performed and the coefficients of determination are as close as 1. The spin coating method of very thin silver films for SPR image sensor modules is expected to be a very cost-effective solution because the films can be formed at a low temperature in a short period of time without requiring a vacuum system.

Rapid detection of food pathogens using RNA aptamers-immobilized slide.

The purpose of this study was to develop a simple and rapid detection system for foodborne bacteria, which consisted of an optical microscope and its slide chip with artificial antibodies, or RNA aptamers. From an RNA pool, three each RNA aptamers were built by the method of SELEX (systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment) for components of cell wall, LPS (lipopolysaccharide) from E. coli O157:H7, teichoic acid from Staphylococcus aureus and a cell membrane protein of OmpC from Salmonella typhimurium, respectively. These aptamers were hybridized with thiol-conjugated 16 dT-linker molecules in order to be immobilized on silver surface which was, in advance, fabricated on glass slide, using a spin-coating method. To confirm that each aptamers retained its specific binding activities to their antigenic live bacteria, microscopic view of bound cells immobilized on silver film were observed. Furthermore, we observed the fluorescence-emitting bacteria-aptamer complex immobilized on silver film after adding RNA aptamers hybridized with fluorophore, FAM-conjugated 16 dT-linker molecules. As a result, the RNA aptamers-immobilized slide system developed in this study was a useful new tool to rapidly monitor individual food pathogens.

Correlation between surface hydrophilicity and osteoblastic differentiation on microgrooved titanium substrata.

Surface microgrooves and acid etching on titanium (Ti) have been proposed to enhance various cell behaviors. In this study, surface hydrophilicity, protein adsorption, and alkaline phosphatase activity of osteoblasts were analyzed and compared between microgrooved Ti, Ti with microgrooves and further acid etching, smooth Ti, and acid-etched smooth Ti. Correlations between the results of each experiment were analyzed using Pearson's correlation analysis, and the influential factor on alkaline phosphatase activity was determined using multiple stepwise regression analysis. Among groups, the Ti substrata with microgrooves and subsequent acid etching showed significantly greater surface hydrophilicity and alkaline phosphatase activity compared with smooth Ti, whereas the Ti substrata with only microgrooves showed the greatest protein adsorption. Multiple stepwise regression analysis determined the surface hydrophilicity of Ti as the influential factor on alkaline phosphatase activity. This study indicates that surface microgrooves and acid etching on Ti substrata enhance surface hydrophilicity, leading to increased alkaline phosphatase activity.

Probiotic Properties and Optimization of Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Production by Lactiplantibacillus plantarum FBT215.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) improves various physiological illnesses, including diabetes, hypertension, depression, memory lapse, and insomnia in humans. Therefore, interest in the commercial production of GABA is steadily increasing. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have widely been reported as a GABA producer and are safe for human consumption. In this study, GABA-producing LAB were preliminarily identified and quantified via GABase assay. The acid and bile tolerance of the L. plantarum FBT215 strain were evaluated. The one-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) strategy was applied to determine the optimal conditions for GABA production using HPLC. Response surface methodology (RSM) with Box-Behnken design was used to predict the optimum GABA production. The strain FBT215 was shown to be acid and bile tolerant. The optimization of GABA production via the OFAT strategy resulted in an average GABA concentration of 1688.65 ± 14.29 µg/ml, while it was 1812.16 ± 23.16 µg/ml when RSM was applied. In conclusion, this study provides the optimum culture conditions for GABA production by the strain FBT215 and indicates that L. plantarum FBT215 is potentially promising for commercial functional probiotics with health claims.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid fermentation in MRS-based medium by the fructophilic Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Y7.

Among the key metabolites produced by probiotic lactic acid bacteria (LAB), the use of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which alleviates hypertension, depression, and sleepiness in humans, is gaining popularity. Thus, GABA-producing LAB are sought after. GABA-producing LAB were preliminarily screened in acidified-MRS broth and quantified via GABase assays. The one-factor-at-a-time strategy was applied to determine the optimal conditions for GABA production. GABA production in reconstituted skim milk medium (RSM) and antibiotic susceptibility testing were performed to evaluate the potential of the strain as a yogurt starter. L. plantarum Y7 produced 4,856.86 ± 82.47 µg/mL of GABA at optimal culture conditions. Co-cultivation of Y7 and commercial Lactobacillus bulgaricus affected the amount of GABA production (6.85 ± 0.20 µg/mL) in RSM. Y7 was susceptible to ampicillin, erythromycin, and tetracycline. Therefore, L. plantarum Y7 represents a promising strain for GABA production in the food industry.

Effective plasmonic mode-size converter.

Plasmonic mode-size converters (PMSCs) for long-range surface plasmon polaritons (LR-SPPs) at the wavelength of 1.55 µm are presented. The PMSC is composed of an insulator-metal-insulator waveguide (IMI-W), a laterally tapered insulator-metal-insulator-metal-insulator waveguide (LT-IMIMI-W), and an IMIMI-W in series. The mode-intensity sizes of the LR-SPPs for the IMI-W and the IMIMI-W were not only calculated using a finite element method but were also experimentally measured. The propagation losses of the IMI-W and the IMIMI-W as well as the coupling losses between them were analyzed by the cut-back method to investigate the effect of LT-IMIMI-Ws. By using the PMSC with a ~27 ° angled LT-IMIMI-W, the coupling loss between a polarization-maintaining fiber and a 3 µm-wide IMIMI-W was reduced by ~3.4 dB. Moreover, the resulting mode-intensity in the output of the PMSC was squeezed to ~35% of the mode-intensity in the input IMI-W. The PMSC may be potentially useful for bridging micro- to nano-plasmonic integrated circuits.

Highly sinterable calcium phosphate fabricated by using starfish bone.

Nano-sized calcium phosphate powders were simply synthesized by using dried starfish bone. The calcined bone was mixed with phosphoric acid and the dried mixtures were heated for synthesis. The powder compacts were fully sintered at 1100 degrees C for 1 h. The densified samples showed CaO-free calcium phosphate phase and non-uniform, over sized grains.

Effect of arsenic species on the growth and arsenic accumulation in Cucumis sativus.

The effects of arsenic (As) species, such as As(III), As(V) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), on the accumulation of As in cucumber (Cucumis sativus), as well as on its growth in a soil mesocosm were evaluated. When Cucumis sativus was cultivated in soils contaminated with 20 and 50 mg/kg of As(III), As(V) or DMA for 40 days, the growth was markedly inhibited by the inorganic As (As(III) and As(V)) rather than the organic As (DMA). Irrespective of the As species, the As concentrations accumulated in Cucumis sativus increased with increasing As concentration in the soil. The As bioaccumulation factors from soil into the tissue of Cucumis sativus were 17.5-35.4, 29.3-42.7 and 17.6-25.7 for As(III), As(V) and DMA, respectively. In addition, the As translocation factors from the roots to shoots were 0.025-0.031, 0.018-0.032 and 0.014-0.026 for As(III), As(V) and DMA, respectively. In conclusion, Cucumis sativus mainly accumulated As in its roots rather than its shoots and easily accumulated inorganic rather than organic As from the soil into its tissue.