Presence of matrix vesicles in the body of odontoblasts and in the inner third of dentinal tissue: a scanning electron microscopyc study

Objectives: The aim of this report is to present the results of a scanning electron microscopic study on the presence of matrix vesicles (MVs) found in human dentine. Study Design: Dentin tissue from 20 human bicuspids was analyzed by means of scanning electron microscopy. Results: MVs were found as outgrowths of the cellular membrane of the odontoblastic body, the more proximal portion of the odontoblastic process before entering the dentinal tubule and in the odontoblastic process within the inner third of the dentin. Size of MVs varied depending on location. In the inner third of dentin, they were seen in diverse positions; as membranal outgrowths, deriving from the odontoblastic process, lying free in the intratubular space and attached to the dentinal wall. Sometimes, they were seen organized forming groups of different sizes and shapes or as multivesicular chains running from the surface of the odontoblastic process to the tubular wall. MVs were present in places never considered: 1) the body of odontoblasts; 2) the most proximal part of the odontoblastic processes before entering the circumpulpal dentine and also: 3) in the inner third of dentinal tissue. Conclusions: According to our results, MVs not only participate during mantle dentin mineralization during early dentinogenesis, they also contribute during the mineralization process of the inner dentin

On the anisotropy in the HRTEM images of a decagonal quasicrystalline phase of the Al-Cu-Co-Si system

"Experimental evidence of an electrical and/or magnetic anisotropy was observed in the high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) images of a decagonal quasicrystalline (DQC) phase of the Al-Cu-Co-Si system. X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) spectra indicated a composition of Al60Cu23Co15Si2 for this phase. The anisotropy was responsible for poor contrast quality in the HRTEM images along the periodic direction of this phase, whereas good image contrast was observed in the quasi-aperiodic ten-fold plane. Comparing these results to findings previously reported for the Al62Cu20Co15Si3DQC, we conclude that the observed anisotropy is strongly dependent on the selected chemical composition. After analyzing both the electrical and magnetic effects presented by a sample which is observed with an electron microscope, we conclude that the electrical properties of the DQC phase might be responsible for these observations.""Evidencia experimental de una anisotropía eléctrica y/o magnética ha sido observada en imágenes de microscopio electrónico de transmisión de alta resolución (HRTEM) del sistema decagonal Al-Cu-Co-Si de fase quasicristalina (DQC). Espectroscopia de energía rayos-X dispersados( EDS) indica que la composición de esta fase es Al60Cu23Co15Si2: La anisotropía es responsable de la pobre calidad de contraste en las imágenes HRTEM a lo largo de las direcciones periódicas de esta fase, mientras que el buen contraste de imágenes fue observada en los planos quasi-periódicos decagonales. Comparando los presentes resultados y los anteriormente reportados para la fase DQC Al62Cu20Co15Si3. Concluimos que la anisotropía observada, es fuertemente dependiente de la composición química específica. Después de analizar los efectos magnéticos y eléctricas presentados por una muestra al observarse en el microscopio electrónico, concluimos que las propiedades eléctricas de la fase DQC podría ser la responsable de estas observaciones.

Probe size study of apatite irradiation in stem

The effect of electron beam irradiation of stoichiometric hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2, HAP) is investigated using electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) in the scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) mode equipped with a LaB6 gun. Initial irradiation at 160 A cm −2 dose rate shows no modification of the low loss spectra. No difference of mass loss for Ca, O and P is observed for two different probe diameters: 4 nm (dose rate = 160 A cm −2) and 24 nm (dose rate = 70 A cm −2). Furthermore no formation of CaO is observed for both experimental conditions. It is proposed that the low values of both electron dose rates and doses (from 350 to 2400 C cm −2) avoid mass loss. At the higher dose rate obtained with a field emission gun (FEG), transformations are observed for the lowloss signal as well as for the Ca, P and O signals. These results might be very useful for the future studies of apatite particles at the nanoscale

Structural Characterisation of Printable Noble Metal/Poly(Vinyl-­Alcohol) Nanocomposites for Optical Applications

This work was conducted under the aegis of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) of the United Kingdom (EP/I004173/1). Amin Abdolvand is an EPSRC Career Acceleration Fellow at the University of Dundee.In order to enable exploitation of noble metal/poly(vinyl-alcohol) nanocomposites for device fabrication, solutions of poly(vinyl-alcohol) suitable for piezo-driven inkjet printing techniques are identified and discussed in terms of their material properties. The printable poly(vinyl-alcohol) medium is then exploited as a host material through the formation of silver or gold nanoparticles in order to create nanocomposites that exhibit a surface plasmon resonance behaviour associated with the small metallic inclusions. To mitigate some of the material redistribution effects associated with the drying of printed droplets containing finely divided materials, the metallic nanoparticles are formed after the printing and drying process is completed, by way of an in-situ reduction of an appropriate metal salt by the poly(vinyl-alcohol)-host matrix itself, which takes place at modest temperatures compatible with most substrate materials. An obvious application for such nanocomposites is in optical elements whereby the surface plasmon resonance associated with the metal is the functional aspect of devices such as sensors or active optical elements. High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy was used to examine the dimensions, distribution, morphology and crystal structure of the silver and gold nanoparticles in detail allowing discussion of their suitability for these applications and what further optimisation may be necessary to adequately control their formation.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Shape- and Size-Specific Chemistry of Ag Nanostructures in Catalytic Ethylene Epoxidation

Catalytic selectivity in the epoxidation of ethylene to form ethylene oxide on alumina-supported silver catalysts is dependent on the geometric structure of catalytically active Ag particles and reaction conditions. Shape and size controlled synthesis of Ag nanoparticles is used to show that silver nanocubes exhibit higher selectivity than nanowires and nanospheres. For a given shape, larger particles offer improved selectivity. The enhanced selectivity toward ethylene oxide is attributed to the nature of the exposed Ag surface facets; Ag nanocubes and nanowires are dominated by (100) surface facet and Ag nanospheres are dominated by (111). Furthermore, the concentration of undercoordinated surface sites is related to diminished selectivity to ethylene oxide. We demonstrate that a simple model can account for the impact of chemical and physical factors on the reaction selectivity. These observations have also been used to design a selective catalyst for the ethylene epoxidation reaction.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/64906/1/78_ftp.pd

One Dimensional Oxygen Ordering in YBa2Cu3O(7-delta)

A model consisting of oxygen-occupied and -vacant chains is considered, with repulsive first and second nearest-neighbor interactions V1 and V2, respectively. The statistical mechanics and the diffraction spectrum of the model is solved exactly and analytically with the only assumption V1 >> V2. At temperatures T ~ V1 only a broad maximum at (1/2,0,0) is present, while for ABS(delta - 1/2) > 1/14 at low enough T, the peak splits into two. The simple expression for the diffraction intensity obtained for T << V1 represents in a more compact form previous results of Khachaturyan and Morris[1],extends them to all delta and T/V2 and leads to a good agreement with experiment. [1] A.G.Khachaturyan and J.W.Morris, Jr., Phys.Rev.Lett. 64,76(1990)Comment: 13 pages,Revtex,3 figures available upon request but can be plotted using simple analytical functions,CNEA-CAB 92/04

Fast Domain Growth through Density-Dependent Diffusion in a Driven Lattice Gas

We study electromigration in a driven diffusive lattice gas (DDLG) whose continuous Monte Carlo dynamics generate higher particle mobility in areas with lower particle density. At low vacancy concentrations and low temperatures, vacancy domains tend to be faceted: the external driving force causes large domains to move much more quickly than small ones, producing exponential domain growth. At higher vacancy concentrations and temperatures, even small domains have rough boundaries: velocity differences between domains are smaller, and modest simulation times produce an average domain length scale which roughly follows $L \sim t^{\zeta}$, where $\zeta$ varies from near .55 at 50% filling to near .75 at 70% filling. This growth is faster than the $t^{1/3}$ behavior of a standard conserved order parameter Ising model. Some runs may be approaching a scaling regime. At low fields and early times, fast growth is delayed until the characteristic domain size reaches a crossover length which follows $L_{cross} \propto E^{-\beta}$. Rough numerical estimates give $\beta= >.37$ and simple theoretical arguments give $\beta= 1/3$. Our conclusion that small driving forces can significantly enhance coarsening may be relevant to the YB$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7- \delta}$ electromigration experiments of Moeckly {\it et al.}(Appl. Phys. Let., {\bf 64}, 1427 (1994)).Comment: 18 pages, RevTex3.

On the stability of 2 \sqrt{2} x 2 \sqrt{2} oxygen ordered superstructures in YBa2Cu3O6+x

We have compared the ground-state energy of several observed or proposed " 2 \sqrt{2} x 2 \sqrt{2} oxygen (O) ordered superstructures " (from now on HS), with those of "chain superstructures" (CS) (in which the O atoms of the basal plane are ordered in chains), for different compositions x in YBa2Cu3O6+x. The model Hamiltonian contains i) the Madelung energy, ii) a term linear in the difference between Cu and O hole occupancies which controls charge transfer, and iii) covalency effects based on known results for $t-J$ models in one and two dimensions. The optimum distribution of charge is determined minimizing the total energy, and depends on two parameters which are determined from known results for x=1 and x=0.5. We obtain that on the O lean side, only CS are stable, while for x=7/8, a HS with regularly spaced O vacancies added to the x=1 structure is more stable than the corresponding CS for the same x. We find that the detailed positions of the atoms in the structure, and long-range Coulomb interactions, are crucial for the electronic structure, the mechanism of charge transfer, the stability of the different phases, and the possibility of phase separation.Comment: 24 text pages, Latex, one fig. included as ps file, to be publisheb in Phys. Rev.