Forces and moments generated during extrusion of a maxillary central incisor with clear aligners: an in vitro study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the possibility of extrusion of a maxillary central incisor with the use of buccal and lingual pressure columns in the absence of attachments, and to evaluate the forces and moments experienced by the teeth using both thermoformed and 3D-printed clear aligners. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A three-axis force and moment sensor (Aidin Robotics, Anyang, South Korea) was used to measure the forces and moments during extrusion of an upper left central incisor (UL1) and any forces experienced by the upper right central incisor (UR1) using thermoformed aligners and 3D-printed aligners. For the thermoformed aligners, the materials used were ATMOS® (American Orthodontics, Sheboygan, WI) and Zendura FLX® (Bay Materials LLC, Fremont, CA). 3D-printed aligners were fabricated using TC-85 clear photocurable resin (Graphy Inc., Seoul, South Korea). For each material type, three conditions were tested: Group 1: No attachment or pressure columns (control); Group 2: Attachment only; and Group 3: Pressure columns only. Each group was planned for 0.5 mm of extrusion on the UL1. RESULTS: All force readings collected demonstrated statistically significant differences when compared by materials and when compared by groups, with a P value of < 0.001. In the absence of attachment or pressure columns (Group 1), ATMOS® and TC-85 groups exerted extrusive force on the UL1. However, significantly lower forces and moments were exerted by the TC-85 group in comparison to the ATMOS® and Zendura FLX® groups. In the presence of attachment (Group 2), all three ATMOS®, Zendura FLX® and TC-85 groups exerted extrusive force on the UL1, with the TA group showing different directions of faciolingual force, mesiodistal force and faciolingual inclination on the UR1 when compared to the other two thermoformed groups. Whereas in the presence of pressure columns (Group 3), only the TC-85 3D-printed aligner group exerted extrusive force. Thermoformed aligners generated significantly higher mean forces and moments than 3D-printed aligners. Significant levels of unintended forces and moments were present in all groups. CONCLUSIONS: Force levels generated during extrusion with clear aligners are significantly lower with those 3D-printed using TC-85 than with those thermoformed using ATMOS® or Zendura FLX®. Attachments consistently generated extrusive forces, and may be an effective adjunct in achieving extrusion of incisors. Extrusion may be achieved without the use of attachments by utilizing pressure columns in 3D-printed aligners using TC-85. While different strategies can generate extrusive forces, there are significant unintended forces and moments.

Robots are taming the wild.

Advances in computer science and bioinspired robotics are ushering machines out of the lab.

Robots will open more doors than they close.

To fully realize the potential of robots in society, we need to mature the debate on robotic labor.

Tactile sensors need a greater sense of purpose.

A move toward active tactile sensing is required to enable robots to better figure out the world on their own.

The robot explorers.

Robots are at the frontier of space and deep-sea exploration; they will continue to lead our search into the unknown.

Topical tranexamic acid inhibits fibrinolysis more effectively when formulated with self-propelling particles.

BACKGROUND: Endogenous fibrinolytic activation contributes to coagulopathy and mortality after trauma. Administering tranexamic acid (TXA), an antifibrinolytic agent, is one strategy to reduce bleeding; however, it must be given soon after injury to be effective and minimize adverse effects. Administering TXA topically to a wound site would decrease the time to treatment and could enable both local and systemic delivery if a suitable formulation existed to deliver the drug deep into wounds adequately. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether self-propelling particles could increase the efficacy of TXA. METHODS: Using previously developed self-propelling particles, which consist of calcium carbonate and generate CO2 gas, TXA was formulated to disperse in blood and wounds. The antifibrinolytic properties were assessed in vitro and in a murine tail bleeding assay. Self-propelled TXA was also tested in a swine model of junctional hemorrhage consisting of femoral arteriotomy without compression. RESULTS: Self-propelled TXA was more effective than non-propelled formulations in stabilizing clots from lysis in vitro and reducing blood loss in mice. It was well tolerated when administered subcutaneously in mice up to 300 to 1000 mg/kg. When it was incorporated in gauze, four of six pigs treated after a femoral arteriotomy and without compression survived, and systemic concentrations of TXA reached approximately 6 mg/L within the first hour. CONCLUSIONS: A formulation of TXA that disperses the drug in blood and wounds was effective in several models. It may have several advantages, including supporting local clot stabilization, reducing blood loss from wounds, and providing systemic delivery of TXA. This approach could both improve and simplify prehospital trauma care for penetrating injury.

Prognostic Role of BRAFV600E Cellular Localization in Melanoma.

BACKGROUND: Approximately half of cutaneous melanoma tissues harbor BRAFV600E mutations, resulting in a constitutive activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. Nuclear-cytoplasmic transport machinery is dysregulated in neoplastic cells and alters the key regulatory proteins that can lead to tumor progression and drug resistance. The significance of nuclear localization of BRAFV600E has not been fully understood. We examined the clinical significance of intracellular localization of BRAFV600E in cutaneous melanoma. STUDY DESIGN: Immunohistochemical analysis of BRAFV600E was performed on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded specimens of cutaneous melanoma (n = 91). Staining intensity was graded in a blinded manner. Correlations to clinical factors were analyzed by Fisher's exact test and 2-tailed t-test. Localization of BRAFV600E was determined in melanoma cells, and we investigated their resistance to BRAFV600E-specific inhibitor according to nuclear localization in both in vitro and in vivo models. RESULTS: We included 91 patients, of whom 32% (29 of 91) had cytoplasmic BRAFV600E. Nuclear BRAFV600E was observed in 30% (27 of 91). Overall, BRAFV600E expression correlated with TNM stage (p = 0.011), mitotic activity (p = 0.010), and ulceration (p = 0.045). Nuclear BRAFV600E expression correlated with overall clinical stage (p < 0.001), tumor size (p < 0.001), regional lymph node (p < 0.017), depth of invasion (p = 0.005), Clark level (p < 0.001), mitotic activity (p < 0.001), ulceration (p < 0.001), and margin status (p = 0.017). On a cellular level, BRAFV600E was identified in the nucleus, and its translocation was serum dependent. Our in vitro and in vivo data revealed sequestration of BRAFV600E in the cytosol-sensitized resistant cells to vemurafenib; nuclear retention of BRAFV600E was associated with aggressiveness and drug resistance. CONCLUSIONS: Nuclear localization of BRAFV600E is associated with melanoma aggressiveness. Further multi-institutional studies are warranted to confirm the clinical relevance of nuclear localization of BRAFV600E.

Polystyrene templated porous titania wells for quantum dot heterojunction solar cells.

Polystyrene spheres are used to template TiO2 with a single layer of 300 nm wells which are infilled with PbS quantum dots to form a heterojunction solar cell. The porous well device has an efficiency of 5.7% while the simple planar junction is limited to 3.2%. Using a combination of optical absorption and photocurrent transient decay measurement we determined that the performance enhancement comes from a combination of enhanced optical absorption and increased carrier lifetime.

Electronic properties of meso-superstructured and planar organometal halide perovskite films: charge trapping, photodoping, and carrier mobility.

Solution-processed organometal trihalide perovskite solar cells are attracting increasing interest, leading to high performances over 15% in thin film architectures. Here, we probe the presence of sub gap states in both solid and mesosuperstructured perovskite films and determine that they strongly influence the photoconductivity response and splitting of the quasi-Fermi levels in films and solar cells. We find that while the planar perovskite films are superior to the mesosuperstructured films in terms of charge carrier mobility (in excess of 20 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1)) and emissivity, the planar heterojunction solar cells are limited in photovoltage by the presence of sub gap states and low intrinsic doping densities.

Excitons versus free charges in organo-lead tri-halide perovskites.

Excitonic solar cells, within which bound electron-hole pairs have a central role in energy harvesting, have represented a hot field of research over the last two decades due to the compelling prospect of low-cost solar energy. However, in such cells, exciton dissociation and charge collection occur with significant losses in energy, essentially due to poor charge screening. Organic-inorganic perovskites show promise for overcoming such limitations. Here, we use optical spectroscopy to estimate the exciton binding energy in the mixed-halide crystal to be in the range of 50 meV. We show that such a value is consistent with almost full ionization of the exciton population under photovoltaic cell operating conditions. However, increasing the total photoexcitation density, excitonic species become dominant, widening the perspective of this material for a host of optoelectronic applications.

The Raman Spectrum of the CH3NH3PbI3 Hybrid Perovskite: Interplay of Theory and Experiment.

We report the low-frequency resonant Raman spectrum of methylammonium lead-iodide, a prototypical perovskite for solar cells applications, on mesoporous Al2O3. The measured spectrum assignment is assisted by DFT simulations of the Raman spectra of suitable periodic and model systems. The bands at 62 and 94 cm(-1) are assigned respectively to the bending and to the stretching of the Pb-I bonds, and are thus diagnostic modes of the inorganic cage. We also assign the librations of the organic cations at 119 and 154 cm(-1). The broad, unstructured 200-400 cm(-1) features are assigned to the torsional mode of the methylammonium cations, which we propose as a marker of the orientational disorder of the material. Our study provides the basis to interpret the Raman spectra of organohalide perovskites, which may allow one to further understand the properties of this important class of materials in relation to their full exploitation in solar cells.

Overcoming ultraviolet light instability of sensitized TiO2 with meso-superstructured organometal tri-halide perovskite solar cells.

The power conversion efficiency of hybrid solid-state solar cells has more than doubled from 7 to 15% over the past year. This is largely as a result of the incorporation of organometallic trihalide perovskite absorbers into these devices. But, as promising as this development is, long-term operational stability is just as important as initial conversion efficiency when it comes to the development of practical solid-state solar cells. Here we identify a critical instability in mesoporous TiO2-sensitized solar cells arising from light-induced desorption of surface-adsorbed oxygen. We show that this instability does not arise in mesoporous TiO2-free mesosuperstructured solar cells. Moreover, our TiO2-free cells deliver stable photocurrent for over 1,000 h continuous exposure and operation under full spectrum simulated sunlight.

Efficient hybrid solar cells based on meso-superstructured organometal halide perovskites.

The energy costs associated with separating tightly bound excitons (photoinduced electron-hole pairs) and extracting free charges from highly disordered low-mobility networks represent fundamental losses for many low-cost photovoltaic technologies. We report a low-cost, solution-processable solar cell, based on a highly crystalline perovskite absorber with intense visible to near-infrared absorptivity, that has a power conversion efficiency of 10.9% in a single-junction device under simulated full sunlight. This "meso-superstructured solar cell" exhibits exceptionally few fundamental energy losses; it can generate open-circuit photovoltages of more than 1.1 volts, despite the relatively narrow absorber band gap of 1.55 electron volts. The functionality arises from the use of mesoporous alumina as an inert scaffold that structures the absorber and forces electrons to reside in and be transported through the perovskite.

Plasmonic dye-sensitized solar cells using core-shell metal-insulator nanoparticles.

We present an investigation into incorporating core-shell Au-SiO(2) nanoparticles into dye-sensitized solar cells. We demonstrate plasmon-enhanced light absorption, photocurrent, and efficiency for both iodide/triiodide electrolyte based and solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells. Our spectroscopic investigation indicates that plasmon-enhanced photocarrier generation competes well with plasmons oscillation damping with in the first tens of femtoseconds following light absorption.

Contribution of VKORC1 and CYP2C9 polymorphisms in the interethnic variability of warfarin dose in Malaysian populations.

Within the Asian populations, Indian patients had been reported to require higher warfarin dose compared with the Chinese and Malay patients, and this could not entirely be explained by cytochrome P450 (CYP)2C9 gene variants. Genetic variants of vitamin K epoxide oxidase reductase complex subunit 1 (VKORC1) has been well established as one of key determinants in the different responses of warfarin amongst patients. Adult patients who attended an anticoagulation clinic with stable INR were recruited. VKORC1 and CYP2C9 genotype were sequenced, and clinical characteristics were assessed. A total of 91 Malays, 96 Chinese, and 46 Indian patients were recruited. The mean age was 55 years and 51.5% were males. The mean dose of warfarin for all patients was 3.7 mg, and the mean daily dose of warfarin was significantly higher in Indians compared with the Chinese and Malay patients, 4.9 versus 3.5 and 3.3 mg, respectively (p < 0.001). VKORC1 GG genotype was more commonly seen in Indian patients. The mean warfarin dose in patients with GG genotype required a significant higher warfarin dose compared with those with AG and AA genotype (4.9 vs. 3.7 vs. 3.1 mg, respectively; p < 0.001). CYP2C9*2 and *3 is associated with a lower maintenance dose, 2.9 versus 3.7 mg in CYP2C9*1; p < 0.01. In multivariate analysis, age, ethnic groups, and genotypes had a significant influence on the required warfarin dose. In conclusion, VKORC1 and CYP2C9 polymorphism contribute to the difference dose requirement amongst the patients but other additional possible factors may play a role in the Indian race.