A Sobolev Poincar\'e type inequality for integral varifolds

In this work a local inequality is provided which bounds the distance of an integral varifold from a multivalued plane (height) by its tilt and mean curvature. The bounds obtained for the exponents of the Lebesgue spaces involved are shown to be sharp.Comment: v1: 27 pages, no figures; v2: replaced citations of the author's dissertation by proofs, material of sections 1 and 3 reorganised, slightly more general results in section 2, some remarks, some discussion and some references added, 40 pages, no figure

Γ-limit for the extended Fisher-Kolmogorov equation

We consider the Lyapunov functional, of the rescaled Extended Fisher-Kolmogorov equation This is a fourth order generalization of the Fisher-Kolmogorov or Allen-Cahn equation. We prove that if ε → 0, then tends to the area functional in the sense of Γ-limits, where the transition energy is given by the one-dimensional kink of the Extended Fisher-Kolmogorov equatio

In vitro tooth cleaning efficacy of manual toothbrushes around brackets

The purpose of this laboratory study was to assess the potential cleaning efficacy of nine different toothbrushes around brackets in vitro. Standard and Mini Diamond™ brackets were fixed on coloured teeth in a special model, coated with white titanium oxide, brushed in a machine with different manual toothbrushes (three different types: planar, staged, and v-shaped bristle field), and tested with a horizontal motion for 1 minute. After brushing, the teeth were scanned and the black surfaces were planimetrically assessed using a grey scale. Tooth areas which were black again after brushing indicated tooth surface contact of the filaments. The remaining white tooth areas around the brackets indicated ‘plaque-retentive' niches. Statistical analysis was carried out using the Kruskal-Wallis one-way test of variance for individual comparison. Bonferroni adjustment was used for multiple testing, and comparison of bracket size with Wilcoxon signed rank test. In the most critical area of 2 mm around the brackets, there was no statistically significant difference between the different toothbrushes evaluated. The untouched area ranged from 11 to 26 per cent of the initially whitened tooth surface. By pooling the toothbrushes according to their design, the median cleaning efficacy of the v-shaped (73.1 per cent) and staged (75.6 per cent) toothbrushes resulted in significantly superior cleaning efficacy than planar toothbrushes (60.7 per cent) for standard brackets. For mini bracket type, staged toothbrushes showed a significantly better mean cleaning efficacy (77.8 per cent) than planar (65 per cent) and v-shaped (72.4 per cent) toothbrushes. Staged and v-shaped brush designs resulted in superior cleaning efficacy of teeth with fixed orthodontic attachments than toothbrushes with a planar bristle field. None of the tested toothbrushes showed a consistent, significantly higher cleaning efficacy than the others in this in vitro experimen

Bonding of brackets using a caries-protective adhesive patch

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to assess the shear bond strength (SBS) of metal brackets when placed with a caries protective adhesive patch. METHODS: Forty stainless steel brackets (Ormco) were bonded to 40 bovine enamel samples according to the following conditioning/bonding procedures using a resin-based orthodontic luting material (Heliosit Orthodontic, N=10 per group): (A) 35% phosphoric acid (30s), rinse and dry; (B) as in A but additional placement of a prototype adhesive patch (Ivoclar Vivadent) using a bonding agent (Heliobond); (C) application of a two-step self-etch adhesive (AdheSE); (D) as in C but additional patch placement. Samples were stored at 37 degrees C for 24h. SBS was measured with a universal testing machine with a crosshead speed of 0.5mm/min and the adhesive remnant index (ARI) was determined under a stereomicroscope (16x). RESULTS: Mean SBS (standard deviation) values were as follows: (A) 16.6 (6.4)MPa; (B) 12.2 (5.8); (C) 12.9 (5.0); and (D) 10.5 (4.7). Analysis of variance followed by Bonferroni correction revealed no statistically significant differences. In 2 (B) and 4 (D) specimens, complete retention of the adhesive patch was observed. CONCLUSIONS: All treatment groups showed adequate bond strength values. The adhesive patch could therefore be applied in combination with orthodontic brackets and seal the enamel adjacent to the bracket

Isotropic-Nematic Transition in Liquid-Crystalline Elastomers

In liquid-crystalline elastomers, the nematic order parameter and the induced strain vary smoothly across the isotropic-nematic transition, without the expected first-order discontinuity. To investigate this smooth variation, we measure the strain as a function of temperature over a range of applied stress, for elastomers crosslinked in the nematic and isotropic phases, and analyze the results using a variation on Landau theory. This analysis shows that the smooth variation arises from quenched disorder in the elastomer, combined with the effects of applied stress and internal stress.Comment: 4 pages, including 4 postscript figures, uses REVTeX

In vitro tooth cleaning efficacy of electric toothbrushes around brackets

This in vitro study assessed the cleaning efficacy of different electric toothbrushes around upper incisor brackets. Standard and Mini Diamond™ brackets were fixed on black-stained teeth. The teeth were coated with white titanium oxide and brushed in a machine twice for 1 minute each. Twelve different brush heads with either a wiping or an oscillating-rotating action were tested. After brushing, the teeth were scanned, the black surfaces were assessed planimetrically and a modified plaque index for orthodontic patients (PIOP) was introduced. Tooth areas, which were black again after brushing indicated tooth surface contact of the filaments and were expressed as a percentage of total area. The remaining white areas around the brackets indicated 'plaque-retentive' niches. Analysis of variance was used for individual comparison of the brush types. Bonferroni/Dunn adjustment was applied for multiple testing. The Sonicare® toothbrush handle with the brush head 'Compact ProResults' (81.7 per cent) and the brush head 'Standard ProResults' (80.8 per cent), as well as the sonic Waterpik® toothbrush SR 800E with the standard brush head (78.2 per cent), showed statistically significantly better cleaning efficacy than all others. The poorest cleaning efficacy was observed for the oscillating-rotating Braun Oral-B Professional Care with the brush head 'Ortho' (less than 50 per cent). The planimetric findings were in correspondence with the results of the PIOP assessment. Cleaning efficacy of electric toothbrushes around brackets on upper incisors was different between the tested brushes. The PIOP was practicable, effective, and easy to use, although it has to be verified in a clinical stud

Imaging local diffusion in microstructures using NV-based pulsed field gradient NMR

Understanding diffusion in microstructures plays a crucial role in many scientific fields, including neuroscience, cancer or energy research. While magnetic resonance (MR) methods are the gold standard for diffusion measurements, spatial encoding in MR imaging has limitations. Here, we introduce nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center based nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy as a powerful tool to probe diffusion with an optical readouts. We have developed an experimental scheme combining pulsed gradient spin echo (PGSE) with optically detected NV-NMR spectroscopy, which allows for the local quantification of molecular diffusion and flow within microscopic sample volumes. We demonstrate correlated optical imaging with spatially resolved PGSE NV-NMR experiments probing anisotropic water diffusion within a model microstructure. Our optically detected PGSE NV-NMR technique opens up prospects for extending the current capabilities of investigating diffusion processes with the future potential of probing single cells, tissue microstructures, or ion mobility in thin film materials for battery applications.Comment: 37 pages, 5 figures, 2 table

On a linear programming approach to the discrete Willmore boundary value problem and generalizations

We consider the problem of finding (possibly non connected) discrete surfaces spanning a finite set of discrete boundary curves in the three-dimensional space and minimizing (globally) a discrete energy involving mean curvature. Although we consider a fairly general class of energies, our main focus is on the Willmore energy, i.e. the total squared mean curvature Our purpose is to address the delicate task of approximating global minimizers of the energy under boundary constraints. The main contribution of this work is to translate the nonlinear boundary value problem into an integer linear program, using a natural formulation involving pairs of elementary triangles chosen in a pre-specified dictionary and allowing self-intersection. Our work focuses essentially on the connection between the integer linear program and its relaxation. We prove that: - One cannot guarantee the total unimodularity of the constraint matrix, which is a sufficient condition for the global solution of the relaxed linear program to be always integral, and therefore to be a solution of the integer program as well; - Furthermore, there are actually experimental evidences that, in some cases, solving the relaxed problem yields a fractional solution. Due to the very specific structure of the constraint matrix here, we strongly believe that it should be possible in the future to design ad-hoc integer solvers that yield high-definition approximations to solutions of several boundary value problems involving mean curvature, in particular the Willmore boundary value problem

Deciphering the Proteome Dynamics during Development of Neurons Derived from Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Neuronal development is a complex multistep process that shapes neurons by progressing though several typical stages, including axon outgrowth, dendrite formation, and synaptogenesis. Knowledge of the mechanisms of neuronal development is mostly derived from the study of animal models. Advances in stem cell technology now enable us to generate neurons from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Here we provide a mass spectrometry-based quantitative proteomic signature of human iPSC-derived neurons, i.e., iPSC-derived induced glutamatergic neurons and iPSC-derived motor neurons, throughout neuronal differentiation. Tandem mass tag 10-plex labeling was carried out to perform proteomic profiling of cells at different time points. Our analysis reveals significant expression changes (FDR < 0.001) of several key proteins during the differentiation process, e.g., proteins involved in the Wnt and Notch signaling pathways. Overall, our data provide a rich resource of information on protein expression during human iPSC neuron differentiation

Magneto - transport characterization of Dy123 monodomain superconductors

The following report considers textured materials of the DyBa2Cu3O7 type seeded with a Nd123 seed as initiator. They are grown with an excess 20% Dy211 phase on a Dy2O3 substrate. We report chemical characterizations, electrical resistivity, thermoelectric power and thermal conductivity over a broad temperature range as a function of an applied magnetic field up to 6 T. We show that specific features appear on the magneto thermal transport properties different in these materials from those found in single crystals and polycrystalline samples. We propose that two vortex regimes can be distinguished in the mixed phase, - due to the intrinsic microstructure. We calculate the viscosity, entropy and figure of merit of the samples.Comment: 18 pages, with 8 figures; 4 color figuresx missing (much memory needed