An injectable chitosan-based hydrogel reinforced by oxidized nanocrystalline cellulose and mineral trioxide aggregate designed for tooth engineering applications

The complex anatomy of teeth limits the accessibility and efficacy of regenerative treatments. Therefore, the application of well-known inducers as injectable hydrogels for the regeneration of the dentin-pulp complex is considered a promising approach. In this regard, this study aimed to develop an injectable hydrogel containing mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA). The injectable chitosan/oxidized-nanocrystalline cellulose/MTA (CS/OCNC/MTA) hydrogels were prepared, and the physicochemical properties of these hydrogels were evaluated by TGA, FTIR, Rheological analysis, and SEM. Moreover, the effect of MTA on the swelling and degradability of scaffolds was assessed. The proliferative effects of synthesized hydrogels were also determined on human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) by MTT assay. For induction of differentiation and biomineralization in these cells, the alkaline phosphatase activity and Alizarin Red S staining tests were performed in the presence of fabricated scaffolds. The proliferation of hDPSCs was significantly increased in the presence of these hydrogels. Moreover, the addition of MTA to hydrogel structure dramatically improved the differentiation of hDPSCs. These results suggested that this novel injectable hydrogel provides appropriate physiochemical properties and can be considered a promising scaffold for regenerative endodontic procedures.

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Effects of composition and transparency on photo and radioluminescence of Y2O3:Eu complexes

A solid state-based method using a hot reaction chamber is applied to the synthesis of Y₂O₃:Eu particles containing Eu from 0 to 5 mol%. The produced powders are studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), as well as photoluminescence (PL) and radioluminescence tests. TEM and XRD results revealed the powder to be mono-disperse and in the form of a solid solution. The PL of Y₂O₃:Eu powder depends on both the concentration quenching effect (due to an excess of Eu concentration) and the surface luminescence effect (depicted by a higher surface area induced by the large phosphor concentration in the solution or smaller particle sizes). A ²²Na gamma source is used to compare the recorded count rates for four Y₂O₃:Eu scintillator materials with different concentrations of Eu. Each scintillator composition is examined in four forms: solid pellets with a high volume porosity and three aqueous solutions of Y₂O₃:Eu particles of the different scintillator materials at concentrations of 25, 50 and 100 mg/mL. The radioluminescence results indicated that increasing the transparency and/or the amount of Eu mol% of the scintillators increases the net average counts.     

Amplified cathodic electrochemiluminescence of luminol based on zinc oxide nanoparticle modified Ni-foam electrode for ultrasensitive detection of amoxicillin

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - Here is reported a new feasible and facile method for the determination of amoxicillin by the electrochemiluminescence (ECL) method. The ECL signal was...     

Develop dissipative particle dynamics method to study the fluid flow and heat transfer of Ar and O2 flows in the micro- and nanochannels with precise atomic arrangement versus molecular dynamics approach

Fluid atomic behavior is an important factor for industrial applications. Computer simulations based on simple models predict Poiseuille flow for these atomic structures with the presence of external force. In this work, we describe the dynamical properties of Ar and O₂ flows with precise atomic arrangement via dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation approaches. In these methods, each model is represented by using Large-scale Atomic/Molecular Massively Parallel Simulator package. Simulation results show that maximum rate for velocity of Ar flow in platinum and copper microchannels is 0.100 (unit less)/0.091 Å ps^?1 and 0.121 (unit less)/0.105 Å ps^?1 by using DPD/MD approach. This atomic parameter changes to 0.111 (unit less)/0.102 Å ps^?1 and 0.125 (unit less)/0.108 Å ps^?1 for O₂ fluid with mentioned approaches. By decreasing the microchannel size, the maximum rate of velocity reaches to 0.101 (unit less)/0.099 Å ps^?1 and maximum temperature rate decreases to 485 (unit less)/440 K with DPD/MD approaches. These calculated parameters can be used in industrial application designing for some processes such as heat transfer in structures. It was seen that the developed DPD approach was able to simulate the fluid flow and heat transfer of various types of fluids at micro- and nanoscales with suitable accuracy versus MD.

     

Non-isothermal pyrolysis of used lubricating oil and the catalytic effect of carbon-based nanomaterials on the process performance

Pyrolysis is a commonly used method for the recovery of used lubricating oil (ULO), which should be kinetically improved by a catalyst, due to its high level of energy consumption. In this research, the catalytic effects of carbon nanotube (CNT) and graphene nanoplatelets on the pyrolysis of ULO were studied through thermogravimetric analysis. First, the kinetic parameters of ULO pyrolysis including activation energy were calculated to be 170.12 and 167.01 kJ mol^?1 by FWO and KAS methods, respectively. Then, the catalytic effects of CNT and graphene nanoplatelets on pyrolysis kinetics were studied. While CNT had a negligible effect on the pyrolysis process, graphene nanoplatelets significantly reduced the temperature of maximum conversion during pyrolysis from 400 to 350 °C, due to high thermal conductivity and homogenous heat transfer in the pyrolysis process. On the other hand, graphene nanoplatelets maximized the rate of conversion of highly volatile components at lower temperatures (<?100 °C), which was mainly due to the high affinity of these components toward graphene nanoplatelets and also the effect of nanoplatelets’ edges which have free tails and can bond with other molecules. Moreover, graphene nanoplatelets decreased the activation energy of the conversion to 154.48 and 152.13 kJ mol^?1 by FWO and KAS methods, respectively.

     

A three-dimensional model of vocal fold abduction/adduction

A three-dimensional biomechanical model of tissue deformation was developed to simulate dynamic vocal fold abduction and adduction. The model was made of 1721 nearly incompressible finite elements. The cricoarytenoid joint was modeled as a rocking-sliding motion, similar to two concentric cylinders. The vocal ligament and the thyroarytenoid muscle's fiber characteristics were implemented as a fiber-gel composite made of an isotropic ground substance imbedded with fibers. These fibers had contractile and/or passive nonlinear stress-strain characteristics. The verification of the model was made by comparing the range and speed of motion to published vocal fold kinematic data. The model simulated abduction to a maximum glottal angle of about 31 degrees. Using the posterior-cricoarytenoid muscle, the model produced an angular abduction speed of 405 degrees per second. The system mechanics seemed to favor abduction over adduction in both peak speed and response time, even when all intrinsic muscle properties were kept identical. The model also verified the notion that the vocalis and muscularis portions of the thyroarytenoid muscle play significantly different roles in posturing, with the muscularis portion having the larger effect on arytenoid movement. Other insights into the mechanisms of abduction/adduction were given.     

Benzyltributylammonium periodate as a novel and safe oxygen source for Mn-porphyrin catalyzed practical and highly selective oxygenation of hydrocarbons

Benzyltributylammonium periodate (BzBu₃NIO₄) was prepared easily in high yield in neat water. The compound crystallized with two cations and two anions per asymmetric unit and a space group of Pna2₁ was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. It was used practically in the clean and selective epoxidation of olefins and oxygenation of saturated hydrocarbons catalyzed by manganese (III) porphyrins in water/ethanol as a green media. The catalyst could be reused without noticeable loss of activity, and the oxidant’s by-product (BzBu₃NIO₃) could also be reused. The efficiency of the oxidation system depends critically upon the steric hindrances and electronic structures of both the nitrogen donors and Mn-catalysts. Some evidences suggest the involvement of a high valent Mn-oxo species as well as a six-coordinate [(L)(Por)Mn-OIO₃] complex in the oxidation reactions.