Release of Bisphenol A from Pit and Fissure Sealants According to Different pH Conditions

Changes in intraoral pH can cause changes in the chemical decomposition and surface properties of treated resin-based pits and fissure sealants (sealant). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the release of bisphenol A (BPA) from sealants under three different pH conditions over time. The test specimen was applied with 6 sealants 5 mg each on a glass plate (10 × 10 mm) and photopolymerized. The samples were immersed for 10 min, 1 h, and 24 h in solutions of pH 3.0, 6.5, and 10.0 at 37 °C. BPA release was measured using a gas chromatography-mass spectrometer. A statistical analysis was performed by two-way ANOVA and one-way ANOVA to verify the effect of pH conditions and time on BPA release. The BPA concentration in the pH 3.0 group was higher at all points than with pH 6.5 and pH 10.0 (p < 0.05), and gradually increased over time (p < 0.05). As a result, it was confirmed that low pH negatively influences BPA release. Therefore, frequent exposure to low pH due to the consumption of various beverages after sealant treatment can negatively affect the sealant’s chemical stability in the oral cavity.

LD-pumped high-power continuous-wave Pr3+:YLF deep red lasers at 718.5 and 720.8 nm

We demonstrated 22 W LD-pumped high-power continuous-wave (CW) deep red laser operations at 718.5 and 720.8 nm based on an a-cut Pr3+:YLF crystal. The output power of both polarized directions reached the watt-level without output power saturation. A single wavelength laser operated at 720.8 nm in the π-polarized direction was achieved, with a high output power of 4.5 W and high slope efficiency of approximately 41.5%. To the best of our knowledge, under LD-pumped conditions, the laser output power and slope efficiency are the highest at 721 nm. By using a compact optical glass plate as an intracavity etalon, we suppressed the π-polarized 720.8 nm laser emission. And σ-polarized single-wavelength laser emission at 718.5 nm was achieved, with a maximum output power of 1.45 W and a slope efficiency of approximately 17.8%. This is the first time that we have achieved the σ-polarized laser emission at 718.5 nm generated by Pr3+:YLF lasers.

Awake mouse brain photoacoustic and optical imaging through a transparent ultrasound cranial window

Optical resolution photoacoustic microscopy (OR-PAM) can map the cerebral vasculature at capillary level resolution. However, the OR-PAM setup’s bulky imaging head makes awake mouse brain imaging challenging and inhibits its integration with other optical neuroimaging modalities. Moreover, the glass cranial windows used for optical microscopy are unsuitable for OR-PAM due to the acoustic impedance mismatch between the glass plate and the tissue. To overcome these challenges, we propose a lithium niobate based transparent ultrasound trans-ducer (TUT) as a cranial window on a thinned mouse skull. The TUT cranial window simplifies the imaging head considerably due to its dual functionality as an optical window and ultrasound transducer. The window remains stable for six weeks, with no noticeable inflammation and minimal bone regrowth. The TUT window’s potential is demonstrated by imaging the awake mouse cerebral vasculature using OR-PAM, intrinsic optical signal imaging and two-photon microscopy. The TUT cranial window can potentially also be used for ultrasound stimulation and simultaneous multimodal imaging of the awake mouse brain.

Fabrication of Antibacterial Metal Surfaces Using Magnetron-Sputtering Method

One-hundred-nanometer films consisting of silver, copper, and gold nanocrystallites were prepared, and their antibacterial properties were quantitatively measured. The magnetron-sputtering method was used for the preparation of the metallic films over the glass plate. Single- and double-layer films were manufactured. The films were thoroughly characterized with the XRD, SEM, EDS, and XPS methods. The antibacterial activity of the samples was investigated. Gram-negative Escherichia coli, strain K12 ATCC 25922 (E. coli), and Gram-positive Staphylococcus epidermidis, ATCC 49461 (S. epidermidis), were used in the microbial tests. The crystallite size was about 30 nm in the cases of silver and gold and a few nanometers in the case of copper. Significant oxidation of the copper films was proven. The antibacterial efficacy of the tested samples followed the order: Ag/Cu > Au/Cu > Cu. It was concluded that such metallic surfaces may be applied as contact-killing materials for a more effective fight against bacteria and viruses.

Study of Electrical and Thermal Properties of PVA-Nanosilica as A Candidate for Supercapacitor Separators

Separator in the supercapacitor that separates the cathode from the anode has an important role in a supercapacitor circuit. Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) is a substitute for polyolefin which is commonly used as a supercapacitor separator and PVA has more environmentally friendly properties. The addition of silica dioxide nanocomposites is useful for adding thermal stability and electrical insulators. The method used to make the separator is quite simple, namely by casting a PVA gel membrane with nanosilica on a glass plate and drying it at low temperature. PVA membrane with nanosilica variations different precursors are from sand by coprecipitation method and from TEOS. The properties of the two samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA), and LCR meter. Nanosilica derived from sand and from TEOS have no much different characteristic.

Evaluation of Nanofluids for Selected Malaysian Oilfields with Limited Cores: A Rapid Test Approach

As an emerging technology, nanoparticle offers advanced benefits to be used as a novel improved oil recovery method. The nanoparticle has a much smaller size than pores of rock that can penetrate deeper in the reservoir and it is easily functionalized to change the wettability of rocks. However, the synthesize and screening process of nanofluids will be a laborious task and need a long-term period and numerous cores at rock-fluid tests. It would be a big issue if the research period is short and native cores are limited or even unavailable. This paper presents a rapid test approach to evaluate nanofluids for a Malaysian oilfield with limited cores. Numerous nanofluids: nanopolymer and nanosurfactants, were evaluated using crude oil from a selected oilfield. Rapid measurement tests are proposed based on a parallel bottom-up approach from contact angle, thermal stability, and interfacial tension (IFT) measurement with at reservoir temperature conditions. Glass plate was initially used as the solid media for optimization of nanofluids concentration. Once this is ascertained then it can be used for further analysis on limited native core slab. Rock mineralogy, fluid rheology, and characterization were also determined. The fluid-fluid and rock-fluid measurements were repeated to ensure consistency of results and to estimate deviation in measurements. Based on a rapid test approach, it was observed that the screening process only took several days instead of months to select suitable nanofluids and glass plates that could be used in the screening process to reduce consuming cores for oilfields with a limited core. A series of glass plate experiment showed consistent results with the core slab. It was observed that dynamic optical contact angle using can achieve steady conditions for approximately half an hour. It was also observed that both the glass plate and replicate core slab show consistency of wettability alteration trend and benefits of multiple runs can observe how big the deviation of measurement. As predicted, all nanofluids can alter the rock wetting behavior. A decreasing contact angle showed that the solid media was rendered to be more water-wet, which implies better oil displacement due to residual oil saturation reduction. Surfactant grafted nanoparticles have given marginal effect on IFT reduction at a certain concentration and achieved steady in less than an hour. These results showed the most potential rapidly for further analysis on coreflooding experiments. The rapid test approach can evaluate and screen nanofluids for detailed coreflooding experiments. This approach readily applies for uncored or limited cores and limited research period.

Laboratory-scaled Azimuthal Resistivity Survey for Fracture Detection

We conducted azimuthal resistivity survey (ARS) at laboratory scale to study apparent resistivity patterns due to fracture existing in subsurface through physical modeling using test objects buried in a sandbox as well as in a test location outside laboratory building. This survey was divided into 2 experiments, i.e. experiment A and experiment B. In experiment A the survey is implemented on 2.50 m x 1.5 m x 0.81 m sandbox, made of 10mm thick glass plates. Sandstone was used as medium representing quasi homogenous medium. Clay roof tiles as well as steel plates as test objects were buried in the sandbox with three different deep angles: 90°, 45° and 0°. In experiment B this survey was conducted outside laboratory building on the grass field and implemented on 2.50 m x 2.5 m x 1.0 m soil body. Vertical single glass plate as well as vertical double glass plates at 30 cm distance were buried in the soil body. Azimuthal resistivity measurements at 15° angular step using Wenner and dipole-dipole configuration were carried out in both experiments located at 1 point just above anomalous object for experiment A and at 3 points at 15 cm distance from anomalous object for experiment B. As a compliment to ARS we acquired profiling data from two lines parallel and perpendicular to horizontal axis of anomalous object. Our results show that the apparent resistivity pattern can show the direction of anomalous object for both configurations and experiments with a little deviation.

Numerical Simulation on Dynamic Fracture of Glass Plate Fitted with Polymeric Film

The impact resistance improvement is important for window glass to protect people from injury. Although it has been proved that the impact resistance of a glass plate can be improved easily by fitting a thin polymeric film, its mechanism has not been clarified yet. The purpose of this study is to clarify the reinforcing mechanism of the impact resistance of a glass plate by fitting a polymeric film. To clarify it, a numerical simulation model was built using ANSYS Autodyn to simulate the dynamic fracture of a glass plate fitted with a polymeric film. The simulation model and results were examined by comparing them to the experimental result in the previous study. The Johnson-Holmquist (JH2) damage model was used for the constitutive law of the glass plate. A polymeric film with 0.2 mm thickness (3% with the glass plate) was modeled at the non-impact surface of the glass plate. The nodes of the glass plate at the interface with the film connected the nodes of the film by perfect bonding. By comparing the simulation results to the experiment, it was indicated the importance of modeling the remaining fragments of the glass plate and the adhesive layer of the film in simulating the dynamic fracture of the glass plate fitted with polymeric film.