Giant Negative Electrocaloric Effect in (Pb,La)(Zr,Sn,Ti)O3 Antiferroelectrics Near Room Temperature.

(Pb0.97La0.02)(Zr xSn0.94- xTi0.06)O3 (PLZST) antiferroelectric ceramics with x = 0.75-0.90 have been fabricated and found to be a novel electrocaloric material system with a giant negative electrocaloric effect (Δ T = -11.5 K) and a large electrocaloric strength (|Δ T/Δ E| = 0.105 K cm kV-1) near room temperature. Additionally, the PLZST antiferroelectric ceramic also exhibits a large positive electrocaloric effect around the Curie temperature. The giant negative effect and the coexistence of both positive and negative electrocaloric effects in one material indicate a promising possibility to develop mid- to large-scale solid-state cooling devices with high efficiency.

High and Temperature-Insensitive Piezoelectric Strain in Alkali Niobate Lead-free Perovskite.

With growing concern over world environmental problems and increasing legislative restriction on using lead and lead-containing materials, a feasible replacement for lead-based piezoceramics is desperately needed. Herein, we report a large piezoelectric strain (d33*) of 470 pm/V and a high Curie temperature (Tc) of 243 °C in (Na0.5K0.5)NbO3-(Bi0.5Li0.5)TiO3-BaZrO3 lead-free ceramics by doping MnO2. Moreover, excellent temperature stability is also observed from room temperature to 170 °C (430 pm/V at 100 °C and 370 pm/V at 170 °C). Thermally stimulated depolarization currents (TSDC) analysis reveals the reduced defects and improved ferroelectricity in MnO2-doped piezoceramics from a macroscopic view. Local poling experiments and local switching spectroscopy piezoresponse force microscopy (SS-PFM) demonstrates the enhanced ferroelectricity and domain mobility from a microscopic view. Distinct grain growth and improvement in phase angle may also account for the enhancement of piezoelectric properties.

Sustained release of insulin-like growth factor-1 from poly(lactide-co-glycolide) microspheres improves osseointegration of dental implants in type 2 diabetic rats.

Dental implantation is an effective and predictable treatment modality for replacing missing teeth and repairing maxillofacial defects. However, implants in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus are likely to have a high failure rate and poor initial osseointegration. In the current study, we established an effective drug delivery system designed to improve osseointegration of dental implants in an animal model of type 2 diabetes. Twenty type 2 diabetic rats were divided into two groups: a group receiving recombinant rat Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (rrIGF-1) Microsphere Therapy (MST) (10 rats) and a control group (10 rats). The rrIGF-1 was encapsulated into poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) microspheres to produce a sustained-release effect around titanium (Ti) dental implants in the rrIGF-1 MST group. Scanning electron microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy, and cumulative-release studies were conducted to verify the release effect of the microspheres as well as rrIGF-1 bioactivity. Five rats from each group were sacrificed at weeks 4 and 8 post surgery, and a histological analysis was performed on the rats from both groups. Compared to the control group, rats that received rrIGF-1 by PLGA microsphere treatment were observed to have a higher bone-implant contact percentage around the Ti implants at week 4 or week 8 post surgery (P<0.05). This result clearly indicates that sustained release of rrIGF-1 through encapsulation by PLGA microspheres positively affects osseointegration of dental implants in type 2 diabetic rats.

[Studies of retinal dopamine transporter in experimental myopia].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the distribution of dopamine transporter (DAT) in the chicken eye and to explore the role of DAT in the occurrence of experimental myopia. METHODS: Thirty 2-day-old chickens were divided into four groups. Chicken eyes were fitted with lenses of -10 D (Group 1), -20 D (Group 2) and translucent goggles (Group 3) unilaterally. Chickens without any treatments were used as the control (Group 4). The refraction and the axial eye length of all chickens were measured after 3 weeks, then, all chickens were given an intramuscular injection of (125)I-beta-CIT [2beta-carbomethoxy-3beta-(4-iodophenyl) tropane] and sacrificed two hours after injection. Retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and neural retina were dissected from the eye as a whole layer in Groups 1 and 4; and dissected separately in Groups 2 and 3. Radioactive DAT from each specimen was assayed by gamma-counter. RESULTS: In Groups 2 and 3, the radioactive DAT value in the RPE from the experimental eyes was significantly greater than that in the neural retina and also greater than those in the RPE from the control eyes (P < 0.01). In Groups 1, 2, and 3, the radioactive DAT value in the whole retina or RPE from the experimental eyes was significantly greater than those from the control eyes (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Retinal DAT is located mainly in the RPE and may be involved in the occurrence of both lens-induced myopia and form-deprivation myopia. These methods may provide a new approach for further studying the role of dopamine system in the occurrence of experimental myopia.