Efficacy and safety of rhBMP/β-TCP in alveolar ridge preservation: a multicenter, randomized, open-label, comparative, investigator-blinded clinical trial

Abstract Background The aim of this multicenter, randomized, open-label, comparative, investigator-blinded study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein 2 (rhBMP-2) combined with β-TCP (rhBMP-2/β-TCP) in alveolar ridge preservation. Materials and methods Eighty-four subjects from three centers were enrolled in this clinical trial. After tooth extraction, rhBMP-2/β-TCP (n = 41, test group) or β-TCP (n = 43, control group) were grafted to the extraction socket with an absorbable barrier membrane for alveolar ridge preservation. Using computed tomography images obtained immediately after and 12 weeks after surgery, changes in the alveolar bone height and width were analyzed for each group and compared between the two groups. Results Both the test and control groups showed a significant decrease in alveolar bone height in the 12 weeks after surgery (both groups, p < 0.0001). However, the test group exhibited a significantly lower decrease in alveolar bone height than the control group (p = 0.0004). Alveolar bone width also showed significantly less resorption in the test group than in the control group for all extraction socket levels (ESL) (p = 0.0152 for 75% ESL; p < 0.0001 for 50% ESL; p < 0.0001 for 25% ESL). There were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of adverse events between the two groups. No severe adverse events occurred in either group. Conclusions The results of this study suggest that rhBMP-2/β-TCP is a safe graft material that provides a high alveolar bone preservation effect in patients receiving dental extraction. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov , NCT02714829 , Registered 22 March 201

High-energy and durable lithium metal batteries using garnet-type solid electrolytes with tailored lithium-metal compatibility

Lithium metal batteries using solid electrolytes are considered to be the next-generation lithium batteries due to their enhanced energy density and safety. However, interfacial instabilities between Li-metal and solid electrolytes limit their implementation in practical batteries. Herein, Li-metal batteries using tailored garnet-type Li7-xLa3-aZr2-bO12 (LLZO) solid electrolytes is reported, which shows remarkable stability and energy density, meeting the lifespan requirements of commercial applications. We demonstrate that the compatibility between LLZO and lithium metal is crucial for long-term stability, which is accomplished by bulk dopant regulating and dopant-specific interfacial treatment using protonation/etching. An all-solid-state with 5 mAh cm(-2) cathode delivers a cumulative capacity of over 4000 mAh cm(-2) at 3 mA cm(-2), which to the best of our knowledge, is the highest cycling parameter reported for Li-metal batteries with LLZOs. These findings are expected to promote the development of solid-state Li-metal batteries by highlighting the efficacy of the coupled bulk and interface doping of solid electrolytes. Lithium-metal batteries (LMBs) have attracted intense interest but the instability issues limit its practical deployment. Here, the authors report a durable LMB with high energy density using a garnet-type solid electrolyte with a tailored Li-metal compatibility

Uniaxial viscosity of gadolinium-doped ceria determined by discontinuous sinter forging

The sintering behaviour of nanocrystalline gadolinium-doped ceria was investigated. The uniaxial viscosity determined from isothermal discontinuous sinter forging experiments. It increased dramatically during sintering from a few GPa·s at 85% to not, vert, similar120 GPa·s at 97% relative density. These values, however, are much lower than those measured for other oxide materials with submicron sizes because of much finer grain size. Since the experiments were done under isothermal conditions, it is possible to evaluate separately the effects of the relative density and the grain size. Due to grain coarsening, the effect of grain size becomes significant at high relative density, as some available models predict. It was found that Rahaman's model best fit the experimental data

Characterization of warpage behaviour of Gd-doped ceria/NiO–yttria stabilized zirconia bi-layer samples for solid oxide fuel cell application

To predict the warpage behaviour of an anode-supported half-cell of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), a viscoelastic analysis has been made for a system with Gd-doped ceria (GDC) and NiO-yttria stabilized zirconia (NiO-YSZ) bi-layers. The viscoelastic properties of each component at 1573 K are measured by discontinuous sinter forging (for GDC) and continuous sinter forging (for NiO-YSZ) techniques. Using the measured uniaxial viscosities and the viscous Poisson ratio, the warpage during the co-firing of a GDC/NiO-YSZ bi-layer is calculated for the continuum mechanical models of Cai et al. and Kanters et al. The warpage predicted by the two models, in particular that of Cai et al., is shown to be in good quantitative agreement with the experimental observation. This result demonstrates that the warpage of bi-layer samples during co-firing can be suitably predicted when the viscoelastic properties of each component are properly measured and estimated. The present investigation also provides a useful methodology for optimizing the design of planar asymmetric half-cells for the SOFC industry

Effect of uniaxial load on the sintering behaviour of 45S5 Bioglass® powder compacts

The effect of a uniaxial compressive load on the sintering behaviour of 45S5 Bioglass® powder compacts was investigated by means of sinter-forging. In comparison to free sintering, densification kinetics was enhanced and the degree of crystallization was reduced. Significantly lower sintering temperatures, i.e. 610 °C instead of 1050 °C, can be employed to obtain dense Bioglass® parts when sintering is performed under uniaxial load. The effect of mechanical loading on microstructure (pore density, shape and orientation) is discussed. The results of the investigation are relevant in connection with the development of sintered Bioglass® substrates for bone replacement devices, where both porosity and crystallinity of the part require careful control and low densification temperatures are sought

Capacitance Enhancement of Doped Barium Titanate Dielectrics and Multilayer Ceramic Capacitors by a Post-Sintering Thermo-Mechanical Treatment

High capacitance of miniaturized multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) is of great interest from both academic and industrial points of view. Because of the limited number of suitable materials (possessing high permittivity and low losses), the capacitance of MLCCs may be enhanced by modifying the capacitor geometry (i.e., by reducing the layer thicknesses or increasing the internal electrodes‧ area) and by optimizing the thermal schedule during processing. In this study, we describe a post-sintering thermo-mechanical treatment to increase the capacitance of dielectrics and MLCCs. A uniaxial mechanical load was applied during the cooling from either below or above the Curie temperature to room temperature. After load release, the permittivity permanently increased at room temperature by ~8%–11% after a stress of 20 MPa had been applied. The configuration of the ferroelectric domains and the residual stress may be responsible for this improvement

DDM1-mediated gene body DNA methylation is associated with inducible activation of defense-related genes in Arabidopsis

Abstract Background Plants memorize previous pathogen attacks and are “primed” to produce a faster and stronger defense response, which is critical for defense against pathogens. In plants, cytosines in transposons and gene bodies are reported to be frequently methylated. Demethylation of transposons can affect disease resistance by regulating the transcription of nearby genes during defense response, but the role of gene body methylation (GBM) in defense responses remains unclear. Results Here, we find that loss of the chromatin remodeler decrease in DNA methylation 1 (ddm1) synergistically enhances resistance to a biotrophic pathogen under mild chemical priming. DDM1 mediates gene body methylation at a subset of stress-responsive genes with distinct chromatin properties from conventional gene body methylated genes. Decreased gene body methylation in loss of ddm1 mutant is associated with hyperactivation of these gene body methylated genes. Knockout of glyoxysomal protein kinase 1 (gpk1), a hypomethylated gene in ddm1 loss-of-function mutant, impairs priming of defense response to pathogen infection in Arabidopsis. We also find that DDM1-mediated gene body methylation is prone to epigenetic variation among natural Arabidopsis populations, and GPK1 expression is hyperactivated in natural variants with demethylated GPK1. Conclusions Based on our collective results, we propose that DDM1-mediated GBM provides a possible regulatory axis for plants to modulate the inducibility of the immune response

The Role of Interlayer Chemistry in Li‐Metal Growth through a Garnet‐Type Solid Electrolyte

Securing the chemical and physical stabilities of electrode/solid-electrolyte interfaces is crucial for the use of solid electrolytes in all-solid-state batteries. Directly probing these interfaces during electrochemical reactions would significantly enrich the mechanistic understanding and inspire potential solutions for their regulation. Herein, the electrochemistry of the lithium/Li7La3Zr2O12-electrolyte interface is elucidated by probing lithium deposition through the electrolyte in an anode-free solid-state battery in real time. Lithium plating is strongly affected by the geometry of the garnet-type Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO) surface, where nonuniform/filamentary growth is triggered particularly at morphological defects. More importantly, lithium-growth behavior significantly changes when the LLZO surface is modified with an artificial interlayer to produce regulated lithium depositions. It is shown that lithium-growth kinetics critically depend on the nature of the interlayer species, leading to distinct lithium-deposition morphologies. Subsequently, the dynamic role of the interlayer in battery operation is discussed as a buffer and seed layer for lithium redistribution and precipitation, respectively, in tailoring lithium deposition. These findings broaden the understanding of the electrochemical lithium-plating process at the solid-electrolyte/lithium interface, highlight the importance of exploring various interlayers as a new avenue for regulating the lithium-metal anode, and also offer insight into the nature of lithium growth in anode-free solid-state batteries.

The Role of Interlayer Chemistry in Li-Metal Growth through a Garnet-Type Solid Electrolyte

Securing the chemical and physical stabilities of electrode/solid-electrolyte interfaces is crucial for the use of solid electrolytes in all-solid-state batteries. Directly probing these interfaces during electrochemical reactions would significantly enrich the mechanistic understanding and inspire potential solutions for their regulation. Herein, the electrochemistry of the lithium/Li7La3Zr2O12-electrolyte interface is elucidated by probing lithium deposition through the electrolyte in an anode-free solid-state battery in real time. Lithium plating is strongly affected by the geometry of the garnet-type Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO) surface, where nonuniform/filamentary growth is triggered particularly at morphological defects. More importantly, lithium-growth behavior significantly changes when the LLZO surface is modified with an artificial interlayer to produce regulated lithium depositions. It is shown that lithium-growth kinetics critically depend on the nature of the interlayer species, leading to distinct lithium-deposition morphologies. Subsequently, the dynamic role of the interlayer in battery operation is discussed as a buffer and seed layer for lithium redistribution and precipitation, respectively, in tailoring lithium deposition. These findings broaden the understanding of the electrochemical lithium-plating process at the solid-electrolyte/lithium interface, highlight the importance of exploring various interlayers as a new avenue for regulating the lithium-metal anode, and also offer insight into the nature of lithium growth in anode-free solid-state batteries.