Efficient and precise fabrication of Wolter type-I x-ray mirrors via nickel electroforming replication using quartz glass mandrels.

This study presents an approach for fabricating Wolter type-I mirrors for x-ray telescopes using a nickel electroforming replication process with quartz glass mandrels. The proposed method addresses the challenges encountered in conventional fabrication techniques, which involve using electroless nickel-coated aluminum mandrels that are susceptible to corrosion and thermal deformation. Quartz glass mandrels offer excellent chemical, thermal, and mechanical stability, enabling the efficient production of high-performance mirrors. Wolter type-I mirrors for telescopes possess a large aperture that collects x-ray photons from the universe. However, previous nickel electroforming replication processes using quartz glass mandrels have challenges in fabricating large mirrors, particularly due to bubble pit formation during nickel shell development. In this study, we introduced an efficient pitting inhibition technique via vacuum degassing. This technique facilitates the precise replication of pit-free Wolter type-I mirrors for telescopes using quartz glass mandrels. We demonstrated the fabrication process on a Wolter type-I mirror proposed for FOXSI-4 [(FOXSI) Focusing Optics X-ray Solar Imager], resulting in three mirrors obtained from the same mandrel without repolishing or repairing. The figure error of the mirror was within 1 µm over most areas in both longitudinal and circumferential directions. The ray-tracing simulation indicated that the performance of the mirror was ∼12 arcsec in half-power diameter, comparable to the performance achieved by previous high-resolution x-ray missions.

Figure correction of a Wolter mirror master mandrel by organic abrasive machining.

In this study, figure correction of a master mandrel of a Wolter mirror by organic abrasive machining (OAM) was demonstrated. In OAM, a flow of slurry, dispersed with organic particles, locally removes the surface of a workpiece in contact with a rotating machining tool. A computer-controlled machining system was used to perform the selective removal of a fused silica surface at a spatial resolution of 200 µm. A master mandrel of a Wolter mirror for soft x-ray microscopes was fabricated with a figure accuracy of <1 nm root mean square, which is sufficient for diffraction-limited imaging at a wavelength of 10 nm.

Soft X-ray ptychography system using a Wolter mirror for achromatic illumination optics.

A soft X-ray ptychography system using a Wolter mirror for the illumination optics has been developed. By taking advantage of the achromaticity of the optics, the system is capable of seamlessly imaging at half-period resolution of 50 nm with a broad photon-energy range from 250 eV to 2 keV while maintaining the focal position. Imaging a mammalian cell at various wavelengths was demonstrated, and high-resolution visualization of organelle was achieved. Stereo imaging was also performed with a long working distance of 20 mm. In combination with in-situ/operando and tomographic measurements, this system will be a powerful tool for observing biological and material targets with complex features.

Primary Teeth-Derived Demineralized Dentin Matrix Autograft for Unilateral Maxillary Alveolar Cleft during Mixed Dentition.

This clinical report describes the immediate autograft of primary (milk) teeth-derived demineralized dentin matrix (DDM) granules for a 6-year-old boy with unilateral alveolar cleft. First, four primary teeth were extracted, crushed in an electric mill for 1 min, and the crushed granules were demineralized in 2% HNO3 solution for 20 min. Simultaneously, the nasal mucoperiosteum was pushed upwards above the apices of the permanent central incisor adjacent to the cleft. The nasal and palatal openings were closed by suturing the mucoperiosteum on both sides of the cleft with absorbable threads. The wet DDM granules were grafted into the managed cleft triangle space, and a labial flap was repositioned. The radiographic images at 6 months showed the continuous hard tissues in the cleft area and DDM granules onto lateral incisor (22) and impacted canine (23). The 3D-CT views at 2 years showed impacted tooth (22) blocked by primary canine and the replacement of DDM granules by bone near teeth (22,23). At 4 years, tooth crown (22) was situated just under the mucous membrane, and teeth (22,23) erupted spontaneously until 6 years without a maxillary expansion and a tow guidance of canine. The DDM granules contributed to bone formation without the inhibition of spontaneous tooth eruption. We concluded that autogenous primary teeth DDM graft should become a minimally invasive procedure without bone harvesting and morbidities for unilateral alveolar cleft.

Fabrication of soft x-ray monolithic Wolter mirror based on surface scanning measurement using touch probe.

The monolithic Wolter mirror is an ideal optical device for focusing soft x rays to a submicron-sized spot, with the advantages of high efficiency, large acceptance, achromaticity, and robustness to alignment error. The fabrication process for this type of mirror has not been established because of the difficulty in highly accurate figure measurement of free-form surfaces with small radii of curvature and steep profiles. In this study, we employed tactile scanning measurement for surface characterization to fabricate a high-precision Wolter mirror. First, it was demonstrated that the touch probe measurement did not leave scratches on the raw surface of the mirror substrate. Next, the measurement capability of the surface profiler was assessed, and the data analysis conditions were determined. Finally, the Wolter mirror was fabricated through repeated figure correction based on the tactile measurement, and the figure error of the final surface was evaluated. Wave-optical simulations that used this error as reference suggested that the size of the beam focused by the mirror was equivalent to the theoretical value at 1000 eV. The reflected image with uniform intensity distribution obtained at SPring-8 also revealed the effectiveness of the present fabrication approach based on tactile measurement.

Organic abrasive machining system for optical fabrication with 0.1-mm spatial resolution.

High-precision optics for short-wavelength regions, such as x rays and extreme ultraviolet light, generally require nanometer-level figure accuracy on their surfaces. Such optics are finished via a numerically controlled figure correction process in which the dwelling time of the machining tool on the workpiece is controlled. Due to the limitation of the machined spot size, it is difficult to remove mid-spatial-frequency (1 to 10 mm-1) errors on an optical surface. To realize a high-spatial-resolution figure correction process for high-precision optics, we have been developing the organic abrasive machining (OAM) technique, which can generate a 100 µm machined spot using a small elastic rotation tool in a slurry that includes acrylic particles. In this study, an OAM apparatus that can measure the machining load was constructed. The effects of the machining and slurry conditions were investigated and high-spatial-resolution machining on a flat glass substrate was demonstrated. The root-mean-square roughness of the surface after OAM processing was below 0.2 nm. Patterns with a minimum line and space size of 100 µm were successfully fabricated.

Full-field microscope with twin Wolter mirrors for soft X-ray free-electron lasers.

We developed a full-field microscope with twin Wolter mirrors for soft X-ray free-electron lasers. The Wolter mirrors for a condenser and an objective were fabricated using an electroforming process with a precisely figured master mandrel. In the imaging system constructed at SACLA BL1, sub-micrometer spatial resolution was achieved at wavelengths of 10.3 and 3.4 nm. Single-shot bright-field images were acquired with a maximum illumination intensity of 7×1014 W/cm2.

Patients with SATB2-associated syndrome exhibiting multiple odontomas.

Special AT-rich sequence-binding protein 2 (SATB2)-associated syndrome (SAS) is characterized by alterations of SATB2. Its clinical features include intellectual disability and craniofacial abnormalities, such as cleft palate, dysmorphic features, and dental abnormalities. Here, we describe three previously undiagnosed, unrelated patients with SAS who exhibited dental abnormalities, including multiple odontomas. Although isolated odontomas are common, multiple odontomas are rare. Individuals in families 1 and 3 underwent whole-exome sequencing. Patient 2 and parents underwent targeted amplicon sequencing. On the basis of the hg19/GRCh37 reference and the RefSeq mRNA NM_001172517, respective heterozygous mutations were found and validated in Patients 1, 2, and 3: a splice-site mutation (chr2:g.200137396C > T, c.1741-1G > A), a nonsense mutation (chr2:g.200213750G > A, c.847C > T, p.R283*), and a frame-shift mutations (chr2:g.200188589_200188590del, c.1478_1479del, p.Q493Rfs*19). All mutations occurred de novo. The mutations in Patients 1 and 3 were novel; the mutation in Patient 2 has been described previously. Tooth mesenchymal cells derived from Patient 2 showed diminished SATB2 expression. Multiple odontomas were evident in the patients in this report; however, this has not been recognized previously as a SAS-associated phenotype. We propose that multiple odontomas be considered as an occasional manifestation of SAS.

Fabrication of a precise ellipsoidal mirror for soft X-ray nanofocusing.

In X-ray focusing, grazing incidence mirrors offer advantages of no chromatic aberration and high focusing efficiency. Although nanofocusing mirrors have been developed for the hard X-ray region, there is no mirror with nanofocusing performance in the soft X-ray region. Designing a system with the ability to focus to a beam size smaller than 100 nm at an X-ray energy of less than 1 keV requires a numerical aperture larger than 0.01. This leads to difficulties in the fabrication of a soft X-ray focusing mirror with high accuracy. Ellipsoidal mirrors enable soft X-ray focusing with a high numerical aperture. In this study, we report a production process for ellipsoidal mirrors involving mandrel fabrication and replication processes. The fabricated ellipsoidal mirror was assessed under partial illumination conditions at the soft X-ray beamline (BL25SU) of SPring-8. A focal spot size of less than 250 nm was confirmed at 300 eV. The focusing tests indicated that the proposed fabrication process is promising for X-ray mirrors that have the form of a solid of revolution, including Wolter mirrors.

Dental arch relationship outcomes in one- and two-stage palatoplasty for Japanese patients with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate.

OBJECTIVE: To compare dental arch relationship outcomes following one- and two-stage palatal repair. DESIGN: Nonrandomized, clinical trial with concurrent control. SETTING: Hokkaido University Hospital. PATIENTS: Sixty-eight consecutively treated Japanese patients with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate. INTERVENTIONS: Thirty-one of the 68 patients underwent two-stage palatoplasty with delayed hard palate closure, and 37 patients underwent one-stage pushback palatoplasty. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Dental casts were taken at 4.9 to 6.3 (mean: 5.2) years of age in the two-stage group and at 4.0 to 6.3 (mean: 5.1) years of age in the one-stage group, and dental arch relationships were assessed using the 5-Year-Olds' Index (5-Y) by four raters and the Huddart/Bodenham Index (HB) by two raters. RESULTS: Intrarater and interrater reliabilities evaluated using weighted kappa statistics were good or better for the 5-Y and HB ratings. The mean 5-Y score was 2.94 in the two-stage group and 3.13 in the one-stage group (P value was not significant). However, there was a significant difference in distributions between the groups (P < .05). The HB scores of molars were significantly greater in the two-stage group than in the one-stage group (P < .05). The rank correlation coefficients between the 5-Y and total HB score (ρ = -0.840, P < .01) and between the 5-Y and the score of the incisors in the HB (ρ = -0.814, P < .01) were significantly increased. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the anteroposterior relationship was not significantly different between the groups, but the transversal relationship was better in the two-stage group than in the one-stage group.

Monocortical mandibular bone grafting for reconstruction of alveolar cleft.

OBJECTIVE: To assess and develop a monocortical mandibular bone grafting procedure for reconstruction of alveolar cleft. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: Hokkaido University Hospital. PATIENTS: Forty-two consecutive Japanese patients who had been treated for a total of 48 clefts according to a strict clinical protocol. Mean age at bone grafting was 6 years 11 months. INTERVENTIONS: Bone grafting was performed by harvesting lateral cortical bone plates from the symphysis and/or body and then placing them on the labial and palatal openings of the alveolar process defect. No particulate bone grafts were packed into the bony cavity. Mean follow-up after bone grafting was 37 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Status of the grafted area and eruption of cleft-adjacent teeth were assessed prospectively using computed tomography and periapical radiography. RESULTS: At 6 months postoperatively, computed tomography showed sufficient bone bridge formation at the cleft site in 85.4% of clefts. Periapical radiography showed ≥75% of the root surfaces of cleft-adjacent teeth were covered with spanning bone in 83.3% of clefts. In 92.6% of clefts in which the cleft-adjacent canine was uncovered with bone during follow-up, the canines erupted spontaneously. CONCLUSIONS: Monocortical mandibular bone grafting appears extremely effective for sufficient bone bridge formation and facilitation of cleft-adjacent teeth eruption. The procedure is advantageous in that the quantity of bone required per unit volume of cleft defect is relatively reduced, and larger clefts can thus be treated.

Orbital wall reconstruction with bone grafts from the outer cortex of the mandible.

AIM: The purpose of the study was to assess the efficacy of bone grafting from the mandibular outer cortex for reconstructing the orbital walls. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Bone grafting was performed in 75 patients. The site the transplants were harvested from were: A: mental region, B: area posterior to the mental foramen, C: ramus region. In order to obtain the appropriate curvature for the orbital floor, proper selection of the donor area is required. The bony defect size was confirmed pre-operatively from 3D-CT data. Bone, characteristically 2-3 mm thick, was harvested from each area and grafted into the blow-out fractures. RESULTS: Out of the 75 patients 13 cases underwent reconstruction using mandibular outer cortex bone from area A, 8 from area B, and 54 from area C. The maximum size available for harvest from area C was 7 x 4 cm; material from this area could also be used for the repair of both medial and inferior orbital wall defects if necessary. CONCLUSION: Bone harvest from the mandible affords several advantages including (1) ease of harvest, (2) ease of trimming, (3) appropriate size and curvature, (4) absence of functional disability, (5) no secondary deformity, (6) no visible scars, (7) post-operative immobilization not necessary, (8) absence of post-operative difficulties with respect to breathing and walking and (9) major complications are rare.