The LTAR Cropland Common Experiment at the Kellogg Biological Station.

The Kellogg Biological Station Long-term Agroecosystem Research site (KBS LTAR) joined the national LTAR network in 2015 to represent a northeast portion of the North Central Region, extending across 76,000 km of southern Michigan and northern Indiana. Regional cropping systems are dominated by corn (Zea mays)-soybean (Glycine max) rotations managed with conventional tillage, industry-average rates of fertilizer and pesticide inputs uniformly applied, few cover crops, and little animal integration. In 2020, KBS LTAR initiated the Aspirational Cropping System Experiment as part of the LTAR Common Experiment, a co-production model wherein stakeholders and researchers collaborate to advance transformative change in agriculture.

Wave-driven electron inward transport in a magnetic nozzle.

Plasma flows in divergent magnetic fields resembling a magnetic nozzle can be found over wide scales ranging from astrophysical objects to terrestrial plasma devices. Plasma detachment from a magnetic nozzle is a frequent occurrence in natural plasmas, e.g.

Thermodynamic Analogy for Electrons Interacting with a Magnetic Nozzle.

The polytropic index of free electrons expanding in a magnetic nozzle of varying strength is experimentally investigated under a nearly zero electric field, allowing all the electrons to escape to the axial boundary and never return to the source. The measurements clearly demonstrate a continuous change in the polytropic index from adiabatic 5/3 for a strong magnetic field to isothermal unity for a weak magnetic field, showing that the polytropic index depends on the magnetic field strength. It is shown that the cross-field diffusion and the resultant plasma loss out of the magnetic nozzle effectively reduce the polytropic index.

High-temperature hypersonic Laval nozzle for non-LTE cavity ringdown spectroscopy.

A small dimension Laval nozzle connected to a compact high enthalpy source equipped with cavity ringdown spectroscopy (CRDS) is used to produce vibrationally hot and rotationally cold high-resolution infrared spectra of polyatomic molecules in the 1.67 µm region. The Laval nozzle was machined in isostatic graphite, which is capable of withstanding high stagnation temperatures.

Demonstrating a new technology for space debris removal using a bi-directional plasma thruster.

Space debris removal from Earth orbit by using a satellite is an emergent technological challenge for sustainable human activities in space. In order to de-orbit debris it is necessary to impart a force to decelerate it, resulting in its atmospheric re-entry. A satellite using an energetic plasma beam directed at the debris will need to eject plasma in the opposite direction in a controlled manner in order to maintain a constant distance between it and the debris during the deorbiting mission.

In vitro effects of alcohol-containing mouthwashes on human enamel and restorative materials.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the in vitro effects, including surface morphological characteristics and chemical elemental properties, of different mouthwash formulations on enamel and dental restorative materials, simulating up to 6 months of daily use. Human enamel samples, hydroxyapatite, composite resin, and ceramic surfaces were exposed to 3 different mouthwashes according to label directions - Listerine® Cool Mint®, Listerine® Total Care, and Listerine® Whitening - versus control (hydroalcohol solution) to simulate daily use for up to 6 months. The samples were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), infrared spectrophotometry (µ-Fourier transform infrared microscopy), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, and color analysis before and after exposure.

Adiabatic Expansion of Electron Gas in a Magnetic Nozzle.

A specially constructed experiment shows the near perfect adiabatic expansion of an ideal electron gas resulting in a polytropic index greater than 1.4, approaching the adiabatic value of 5/3, when removing electric fields from the system, while the polytropic index close to unity is observed when the electrons are trapped by the electric fields. The measurements were made on collisionless electrons in an argon plasma expanding in a magnetic nozzle.

Thermodynamic Study on Plasma Expansion along a Divergent Magnetic Field.

Thermodynamic properties are revisited for electrons that are governed by nonlocal electron energy probability functions in a plasma of low collisionality. Measurements in a laboratory helicon double layer experiment have shown that the effective electron temperature and density show a polytropic correlation with an index of γ_{e}=1.17±0.

Approximants to the Tonks-Langmuir theory for a collisionless annular plasma.

Maclaurin series approximant and Padé rational approximant are used to solve the Tonks-Langmuir theory for an annular plasma and investigate the radial transport behavior of charged particles. Coefficients of the well-known Maclaurin approximant are given in a novel form of recurrence relations which are convenient for computation and present a lower limit for the annular ratio of inner radius to outer radius (i.e.

Gingival health benefits of essential oil, 0.075% cetylpyridinium chloride and control mouthrinses: A 4-week randomized clinical study.

Purpose: This randomized, single center, examiner-blind, controlled, parallel-group, 4-week clinical study compared the antiplaque/anti-gingivitis efficacy of an essential oil (EO) containing mouthrinse versus a 0.075% cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) containing mouthrinse. A 5% hydroalcohol solution was included as a control group.

Meta-analysis of the effect of an essential oil-containing mouthrinse on gingivitis and plaque.

Background: Standard recommendations for oral hygiene practices have focused on mechanical methods (toothbrushing and interdental cleaning). Published evidence indicates antimicrobial mouthrinses provide oral health benefits beyond mechanical methods alone. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the combined effectiveness of mechanical methods with essential oil-containing mouthrinses (MMEO) versus mechanical methods (MM) alone in achieving site-specific, healthy gingival tissue and reducing plaque and gingivitis.

A randomized trial of ethyl lauroyl arginate-containing mouthrinse in the control of gingivitis.

Aim: This 4-week, single-centre, randomized, examiner-blind, controlled study investigated the efficacy and safety of 0.15% ethyl lauroyl arginate (LAE)-containing mouthrinse in adults with mild-to-moderate gingivitis.

Material And Methods: Subjects were randomized to use 0.

Gingival health benefits of essential-oil and cetylpyridinium chloride mouthrinses: a 6-month randomized clinical study.

Purpose: This randomized, single center, examiner-blind, controlled, parallel-group, 6-month clinical study compared the antiplaque/antigingivitis potential of an essential oil (EO) versus a 0.07% cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC)-containing mouthrinse. A 5% hydroalcohol solution was included as a control group.

Early benefits with daily rinsing on gingival health improvements with an essential oil mouthrinse--post-hoc analysis of 5 clinical trials.

Purpose: The aim of this investigation through post-hoc analyses was to determine the ability to achieve gingival health in the short term with daily rinsing with an essential oil containing antimicrobial mouthrinse.

Methods: Conventional Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) on whole mouth mean plaque and gingivitis scores were originally conducted to demonstrate efficacy of adjunctive use of Cool Mint® LISTERINE® Antiseptic (EO) compared to negative control [brushing (B) or brushing/flossing (BF)] in each of 5 studies containing a 4 week evaluation. The Modified Gingival Index (MGI) was split into 2 categories: healthy (scores 0, 1) and unhealthy (≥2).

Long-term management of plaque and gingivitis using an alcohol-free essential oil containing mouthrinse: a 6-month randomized clinical trial.

Purpose: This 6-month, examiner-blind, single center, randomized, parallel group, controlled clinical trial compared the antiplaque/antigingivitis effects of an alcohol-free EO mouthrinse (LISTERINE Zero) to a negative control (5% flavored, colored hydroalcohol) and to an alcohol-free CPC-containing mouthrinse (Colgate Plax).

Methods: 337 gingivitis subjects were clinically examined to determine Modified Gingival Index (MGI) and Plaque Index (PI) at baseline, 3 and 6 months. The primary efficacy variables were mean MGI and mean PI at 6 months (statistically analyzed by ANCOVA).

Defining plasma polymerization: new insight into what we should be measuring.

External parameters (RF power and precursor flow rate) are typically quoted to define plasma polymerization experiments. Utilizing a parallel-plate electrode reactor with variable geometry, it is shown that these parameters cannot be transferred to reactors with different geometries in order to reproduce plasma polymer films using four precursors. Measurements of ion flux and power coupling efficiency confirm that intrinsic plasma properties vary greatly with reactor geometry at constant applied RF power.

Approaching the theoretical limit of diamagnetic-induced momentum in a rapidly diverging magnetic nozzle.

Cross-field diffusion and plasma expansion in a rapidly diverging magnetic nozzle are controlled while maintaining constant plasma production in a contiguously attached radio frequency plasma source. It is demonstrated that the measured electron-diamagnetic-induced axial momentum increases with increasing magnetic field strength to approach the theoretical limit derived using an ideal nozzle approximation. The measured axial momentum exerted onto the axial and radial plasma source boundaries validate the prediction from a maximum electron pressure model on the back wall and from a zero net axial momentum model on the radial wall.

Increasing antiplaque/antigingivitis efficacy of an essential oil mouthrinse over time: an in vivo study.

This randomized, observer-blind, parallel, controlled study determined the efficacy of an essential oils-containing (EO) antiseptic mouthrinse (in conjunction with toothbrushing) in reducing and/or controlling existing plaque or gingivitis over 6 months. Toothbrushing, combined with placebo rinsing, served as the control (C). Following ethics board approval (Biosci Research Canada, Ltd.

Superiority of essential oils versus 0.075% CPC-containing mouthrinse: a two-week randomized clinical trial.

Objective: The objective of this randomized, examiner-blind, parallel, controlled clinical study was to compare the antiplaque/antigingivitis efficacy of an essential oil-containing mouthrinse (EO) to a new 0.075% cetylpyridinium chloride mouthrinse (CPC) using a two-week experimental gingivitis model with a 5% hydroalcohol rinse serving as the negative control.

Methods: After signing informed consents and completing baseline examinations, 185 subjects were randomized into three groups.

Antiplaque and antigingivitis efficacy of an alcohol-free essential-oil containing mouthrinse: a 2-week clinical trial.

Purpose: This randomized, examiner blind, parallel group, controlled clinical study evaluated the antiplaque and antigingivitis potential of an alcohol-free essential oils containing mouthrinse (Listerine Zero) compared to a 5% hydroalcohol mouthrinse (negative control), using a 2-week experimental gingivitis model.

Methods: 92 subjects, male and female, ranging in age from 18-68 years, in good general health, were assigned to one of the two treatment groups: Alcohol-free essential oils containing mouthrinse (LZ) or 5% hydroalcohol negative control (C) rinse. The mean Turesky Modification of the Quigley-Hein Plaque Index (PI) and the mean Modified Gingival Index (MGI) at 2 weeks were the primary efficacy endpoints.

Comparative antiplaque and antigingivitis efficacy of a multipurpose essential oil-containing mouthrinse and a cetylpyridinium chloride-containing mouthrinse: A 6-month randomized clinical trial.

Objective: This 6-month, examiner-blind, single-center, randomized, parallel group clinical trial compared the antiplaque and antigingivitis effects of an essential oil-containing mouthrinse with zinc chloride and sodium fluoride (EO) to a 0.05% cetylpyridinium chloride-containing mouthrinse (CPC) also with fluoride.

Method And Materials: Four hundred and eight gingivitis subjects were monitored for the primary outcomes of modified Gingival Index (MGI) and Plaque Index (PI) at baseline and 3 and 6 months.

One step multifunctional micropatterning of surfaces using asymmetric glow discharge plasma polymerization.

Micropatterning of surfaces with varying chemical, physical and topographical properties usually requires a number of fabrication steps. Herein, we describe a micropatterning technique based on plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) that deposits both protein resistant and protein repellent surface chemistries in a single step. The resulting multifunctional, selective surface chemistries are capable of spatially controlled protein adhesion, geometric confinement of cells and the site specific confinement of enzyme mediated peptide self-assembly.

Electron diamagnetic effect on axial force in an expanding plasma: experiments and theory.

The axial force imparted from a magnetically expanding current-free plasma is directly measured for three different experimental configurations and compared with a two-dimensional fluid theory. The force component solely resulting from the expanding field is directly measured and identified as an axial force produced by the azimuthal current due to an electron diamagnetic drift and the radial component of the magnetic field. The experimentally measured forces are well described by the theory.

Comparative efficacy of two daily use mouthrinses: randomized clinical trial using an experimental gingivitis model.

Two antimicrobial agents, a fixed combination of essential oils (EOs) and 0.07% cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) are found in commercially available mouthrinses, Listerine® Antiseptic and Crest® Pro HealthTM, respectively. Both mouthrinses have been shown to control dental plaque and gingivitis in short and longer term studies.