Effect of the crown design and interface lute parameters on the stress-state of a machined crown-tooth system: A finite element analysis

The effect of preparation design and the physical properties of the interface lute on the restored machined ceramic crown-tooth complex are poorly understood. The aim of this work was to determine, by means of three-dimensional finite element analysis (3D FEA) the effect of the tooth preparation design and the elastic modulus of the cement on the stress state of the cemented machined ceramic crown-tooth complex. The three-dimensional structure of human premolar teeth, restored with adhesively cemented machined ceramic crowns, was digitized with a micro-CT scanner. An accurate, high resolution, digital replica model of a restored tooth was created. Two preparation designs, with different occlusal morphologies, were modeled with cements of 3 different elastic moduli. Interactive medical image processing software (mimics and professional CAD modeling software) was used to create sophisticated digital models that included the supporting structures; periodontal ligament and alveolar bone. The generated models were imported into an FEA software program (hypermesh version 10.0, Altair Engineering Inc.) with all degrees of freedom constrained at the outer surface of the supporting cortical bone of the crown-tooth complex. Five different elastic moduli values were given to the adhesive cement interface 1.8 GPa, 4 GPa, 8 GPa, 18.3 GPa and 40 GPa; the four lower values are representative of currently used cementing lutes and 40 GPa is set as an extreme high value. The stress distribution under simulated applied loads was determined. The preparation design demonstrated an effect on the stress state of the restored tooth system. The cement elastic modulus affected the stress state in the cement and dentin structures but not in the crown, the pulp, the periodontal ligament or the cancellous and cortical bone. The results of this study suggest that both the choice of the preparation design and the cement elastic modulus can affect the stress state within the restored crown-tooth complex.

Mineralisation of 2,4-dichlorophenol and glucose placed into the same or different hydrological domains as a bacterial inoculant

The spatial location of microorganisms in the soil three-dimensional structure with respect to their substrates plays an important role in the persistence and turnover of natural and xenobiotic organic compounds. To study the effect of spatial location on the mineralisation of ¹⁴C-2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP, 0.15 or 0.31 μmol g^-1) and ¹⁴C-glucose (2.77 μmol g^-1), columns packed with autoclaved soil aggregates (2-5 mm) were used. Using a chloride tracer of water movement, the existence of 'immobile' water, which was by-passed by preferentially flowing 'mobile' water, was demonstrated. By manipulation of the soil moisture content, the substrates were putatively placed to these conceptual hydrological domains (immobile and mobile water). Leaching studies revealed that approximately 1.7 (glucose) and 3.4 (2.4-DCP) times the amount of substrate placed in mobile water was recovered in the first 4 fractions of leachate when compared to substrate placed in immobile water. The marked difference in the breakthrough curves was taken as evidence of successful substrate placement. The 2,4-DCP degrading bacterium, Burkholderia sp. RASCc2, was inoculated in mobile water (1.8-5.2 × 10⁷ cells g^-1 soil) and parameters (asymptote, time at maximum rate, calculated maximum rate) describing the mineralisation kinetics of 2,4-DCP and glucose previously added to immobile or mobile water domains were compared, For glucose, there was no significant effect (P > 0.1) of substrate placement on any of the mineralisation parameters. However, substrate placement had a significant effect (P < 0.05) on parameters describing 2,4-DCP mineralisation. In particular, 2,4-DCP added in mobile water was mineralised with a greater maximum rate and with a reduced time at maximum rate when compared to 2,4-DCP added to immobile water. The difference in response between the two test substrates may reflect the importance of sorption in controlling the spatial bioavailability of compounds in soil. © 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Three-wave Nonlinear Scattering by Quasiperiodic Dielectric Structure

The combinatorial frequency generation by a Fibonacci type quasi-periodic dielectric multilayered structure illuminated by two plane waves has been analysed. The effects of the layer parameters and Fibonacci sequence order on the properties of the combinatorial frequency waves emitted from the stacked nonlinear layers are discussed.