Crestal bone loss associated with different implant surfaces in the posterior mandible in patients with a history of periodontitis. A retrospective study.

Objective: To retrospectively assess the interproximal bone loss (CBL) in external hexagon implants (EHI), with different surface micro-topography, placed in the posterior mandible in patients with a history of periodontitis undergoing supportive periodontal care.

Material And Methods: 268 consecutive patients received 755 EHI implants in the mandibular molar region between 2007 and 2015 with the following surface characteristics: 72 turned, 145 hybrids (double acid-etched/turned), and 538 anodized. CBL was yearly evaluated by analysing calibrated digital periapical radiographs, with a follow-up of 1-6 years.

3D structure of the electric double layer of ionic liquid-alcohol mixtures at the electrochemical interface.

Mixtures of the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate with amphiphilic cosolvents, such as methanol and ethanol, nanoconfined between graphene walls are studied by means of molecular dynamics simulations and the results are compared with those of the pure ionic liquid and its mixtures with water confined in the same conditions. We investigate the adsorption of cosolvent molecules at the graphene walls as well as their distribution across the system. The results show that, due to a higher affinity of the polar groups to be close to the anions in combination with the electrostatic and excluded volume interactions, there exists a high tendency of the OH groups to lie close to the anode, inducing small changes in the first cation layer.

Solvation of Al cations in bulk and confined protic ionic liquids: a computational study.

Despite the growing interest in the potential electrochemical applications of both aluminium and ionic liquids in batteries, the microstructure of mixtures of trivalent salts and these dense ionic environments is completely unknown. In this work, the solvation of Al3+ cations in highly dense ionic solvents is investigated. For this purpose, molecular dynamics simulations of mixtures of a protic ionic liquid, ethylammonium nitrate (EAN), with aluminium nitrate (Al(NO3)3), both in bulk and confined between graphene walls, are performed.

Molecular dynamics simulations of the structure of mixtures of protic ionic liquids and monovalent and divalent salts at the electrochemical interface.

We perform molecular dynamics simulations of mixtures of a prototypical protic ionic liquid, ethylammonium nitrate, with lithium or magnesium nitrate (LiNO3/Mg(NO3)2) confined between two graphene walls. The structure of the system is analyzed by means of ionic density profiles, angular orientations of ethylammonium cations close to the wall and the lateral structure of the first layer close to the graphene wall. All these results are compared to those of the corresponding aprotic ionic liquid systems, analyzing the influence of the graphene wall charge in the structure of the protic and aprotic mixtures.

A retrospective study on the crestal bone loss associated with different implant surfaces in chronic periodontitis patients under maintenance.

Objective: To analyze retrospectively interproximal crestal bone loss (CBL) on external-hex "non-identical" (NI) dental implants with different surface topography, when placed in the same intra-oral location in patients with a history of chronic periodontitis following maintenance care.

Material And Methods: The patient population consisted of 206 consecutive patients with a history of chronic periodontitis who underwent implant surgery between 2007 and 2010; 755 NI implants with different implant surfaces were placed at posterior mandibular sites: 72 machined, 145 acid-etched/machined (hybrid), and 538 anodized. Crestal bone loss measurements were carried out analyzing the calibrated digital X-rays taken at 1-year intervals as part of the maintenance program, being the time of this retrospective examination from 1 to 3 years.

The effect of alkyl chain length on the structure and thermodynamics of protic-aprotic ionic liquid mixtures: a molecular dynamics study.

Mixtures of alkylammonium based protic ionic liquids and alkylmethylimidazolium based aprotic ionic liquids were studied by means of molecular dynamics simulations. Close to ideal mixing is observed in most studied magnitudes; however, the effect of increasing alkyl chain length in each of the cations is markedly different, with longer protic cations showing larger deviations, especially with regards to mixing enthalpy, which exhibits a strong compound forming tendency. The compound forming nature of these protic ionic liquids is shown to induce sharp changes in their local environment upon mixing.

GADDLE Maps: General Algorithm for Discrete Object Deformations Based on Local Exchange Maps.

A new method for switching between structures consisting of equivalent discrete and flexible objects with different particle representation and object configuration, including different resolution levels (number of particles per object), is reported. The method is fully general since it does not require any extra code nor additional database elements for new systems. It is based on a Monte Carlo sampling of the configurational space for each object type of the target system.

Two-dimensional pattern formation in ionic liquids confined between graphene walls.

We perform molecular dynamics simulations of ionic liquids confined between graphene walls under a large variety of conditions (pure ionic liquids, mixtures with water and alcohols, mixtures with lithium salts and defective graphene walls). Our results show that the formation of striped and hexagonal patterns in the Stern layer can be considered as a general feature of ionic liquids at electrochemical interfaces, the transition between patterns being controlled by the net balance of charge in the innermost layer of adsorbed molecules. This explains previously reported experimental and computational results and, for the first time, why these pattern changes are triggered by any perturbation of the charge density at the innermost layer of the electric double layer (voltage and composition changes, and vacancies at the electrode walls, among others), which may help tuning electrode-ionic liquid interfaces.

Structural basis for interdomain communication in SHIP2 providing high phosphatase activity.

SH2-containing-inositol-5-phosphatases (SHIPs) dephosphorylate the 5-phosphate of phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-trisphosphate (PI(3,4,5)P) and play important roles in regulating the PI3K/Akt pathway in physiology and disease. Aiming to uncover interdomain regulatory mechanisms in SHIP2, we determined crystal structures containing the 5-phosphatase and a proximal region adopting a C2 fold. This reveals an extensive interface between the two domains, which results in significant structural changes in the phosphatase domain.

Nanostructured solvation in mixtures of protic ionic liquids and long-chained alcohols.

The structural and dynamical properties of bulk mixtures of long-chained primary and secondary alcohols (propanol, butanol, and 2-pentanol) with protic ionic liquids (ethylammonium and butylammonium nitrate) were studied by means of molecular dynamics simulations and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Changes in the structure with the alcohol concentration and with the alkyl chain length of the alcohol moieties were found, showing variations in the radial distribution function and in the number of hydrogen bonds in the bulk liquids. Moreover, the structural behaviour of the studied mixtures is further clarified with the spatial distribution functions.

Structural Complexity and Phonon Physics in 2D Arsenenes.

In the quest for stable 2D arsenic phases, four different structures have been recently claimed to be stable. We show that, due to phonon contributions, the relative stability of those structures differs from previous reports and depends crucially on temperature. We also show that one of those four phases is in fact mechanically unstable.

Molecular dynamics simulation of the structure and interfacial free energy barriers of mixtures of ionic liquids and divalent salts near a graphene wall.

A molecular dynamics study of mixtures of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([BMIm][BF]) with magnesium tetrafluoroborate (Mg[BF]) confined between two parallel graphene walls is reported. The structure of the system is analyzed by means of ionic density profiles, lateral structure of the first layer close to the graphene surface and angular orientations of imidazolium cations. Free energy profiles for divalent magnesium cations are calculated using two different methods in order to evaluate the height of the potential barriers near the walls, and the results are compared with those of mixtures of the same ionic liquid and a lithium salt (Li[BF]).

Molecular dynamics analysis of the effect of electronic polarization on the structure and single-particle dynamics of mixtures of ionic liquids and lithium salts.

We report a molecular dynamics study on the effect of electronic polarization on the structure and single-particle dynamics of mixtures of the aprotic ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis-(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)-imide ([EMIM][TFSI]) doped with a lithium salt with the same anion at 298 K and 1 bar. In particular, we analyze the effect of electron density fluctuations on radial distribution functions, velocity autocorrelation functions, cage correlation functions, mean-squared displacements, and vibrational densities of states, comparing the predictions of the quantum-chemistry-based Atomistic Polarizable Potential for Liquids, Electrolytes, & Polymers (APPLE&P) with those of its nonpolarizable version and those of the standard non-polarizable Optimized Potentials for Liquid Simulations-All Atom (OPLS-AA). We found that the structure of the mixture is scarcely modified by the fluctuations in electron charge of their constituents, but their transport properties are indeed quite drastically changed, with larger mobilities being predicted for the different species in the bulk mixtures with the polarizable force field.

Molecular dynamics simulations of mixtures of protic and aprotic ionic liquids.

Molecular dynamics simulations of mixtures of the protic ionic liquid ethylammonium nitrate (EAN) and the aprotic 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([EMIM][BF4]) are reported and the results are compared with experimental density and electrical conductivity measurements. Essentially ideal mixing of the ionic liquids is seen to take place by means of experimental and simulated excess molar volumes, whose very low values suggest a gradual transition between the structures of the two end constituents of the mixture. A weak dominance of the structure of the protic ionic liquid is nevertheless registered, due to a slight preferential formation of the network of hydrogen bonds, as reflected in the coordination number and the number of hydrogen bonds in the mixture.

Molecular origin of high free energy barriers for alkali metal ion transfer through ionic liquid-graphene electrode interfaces.

In this work we study mechanisms of solvent-mediated ion interactions with charged surfaces in ionic liquids by molecular dynamics simulations, in an attempt to reveal the main trends that determine ion-electrode interactions in ionic liquids. We compare the interfacial behaviour of Li(+) and K(+) at a charged graphene sheet in a room temperature ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate, and its mixtures with lithium and potassium tetrafluoroborate salts. Our results show that there are dense interfacial solvation structures in these electrolytes that lead to the formation of high free energy barriers for these alkali metal cations between the bulk and direct contact with the negatively charged surface.

Molecular dynamics simulations of the structure and single-particle dynamics of mixtures of divalent salts and ionic liquids.

We report a molecular dynamics study of the structure and single-particle dynamics of mixtures of a protic (ethylammonium nitrate) and an aprotic (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexaflurophosphate [BMIM][PF6]) room-temperature ionic liquids doped with magnesium and calcium salts with a common anion at 298.15 K and 1 atm. The solvation of these divalent cations in dense ionic environments is analyzed by means of apparent molar volumes of the mixtures, radial distribution functions, and coordination numbers.

[FIXING DEVICE FOR CLOSING AND COUPLING AN INTRAVENOUS CATHETER].

Introduction: skin fixing devices in peripheral, central or arterial catheters have several important drawbacks: site infection, stacking of material in the anatomical area which is very annoying for the patient and medical staff risk when fixating stitches are used.

Objective: to develop a fixing device that simplifies presently used systems, favoring asepsis and motility.

Methods: the device herein described is composed by a mechanical fixation, a closing system and coupling for intravenous catheters.

Nanostructure of mixtures of protic ionic liquids and lithium salts: effect of alkyl chain length.

The bulk structure of mixtures of two protic ionic liquids, propylammonium nitrate and butylammonium nitrate, with a salt with a common anion, is analyzed at room temperature by means of small angle X-ray scattering and classical molecular dynamics simulations. The study of several structural properties, such as density, radial distribution functions, spatial distribution functions, hydrogen bonds, coordination numbers and velocity autocorrelation functions, demonstrates that increasing the alkyl chain length of the alkylammonium cation results in more segregated, better defined polar and apolar domains, the latter having a larger size. This increase, ascribed to the erosion of the H-bond network in the ionic liquid polar regions as salt is added, is confirmed by means of small angle X-ray scattering measurements, which show a clear linear increase of the characteristic spatial sizes of the studied protic ionic liquids with salt concentration, similar to that previously reported for ethylammonium nitrate (J.

Mixtures of protic ionic liquids and molecular cosolvents: a molecular dynamics simulation.

In this work, the effect of molecular cosolvents (water, ethanol, and methanol) on the structure of mixtures of these compounds with a protic ionic liquid (ethylammonium nitrate) is analyzed by means of classical molecular dynamics simulations. Included are as-yet-unreported measurements of the densities of these mixtures, used to test our parameterized potential. The evolution of the structure of the mixtures throughout the concentration range is reported by means of the calculation of coordination numbers and the fraction of hydrogen bonds in the system, together with radial and spatial distribution functions for the various molecular species and molecular ions in the mixture.

Molecular dynamics simulations of the structure of the graphene-ionic liquid/alkali salt mixtures interface.

We performed molecular dynamics simulations of mixtures of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate with lithium tetrafluoroborate and potassium tetrafluoroborate between two charged and uncharged graphene walls, in order to analyze the structure of the well-known formation of layers that takes place on liquids under confinement. For this purpose, we studied the molecular density profiles, free energy profiles for bringing lithium and potassium cations from the bulk mixture to the graphene wall and the orientational distributions of imidazolium rings within the first adsorbed layer as a function of salt concentration and electrode potential. The charge densities in the electrodes were chosen to be zero and ±1 e nm(-2), and the salt molar percentages were %salt = 0, 10 and 25.

Solvation of lithium salts in protic ionic liquids: a molecular dynamics study.

The structure of solutions of lithium nitrate in a protic ionic liquid with a common anion, ethylammonium nitrate, at room temperature is investigated by means of molecular dynamics simulations. Several structural properties, such as density, radial distribution functions, hydrogen bonds, spatial distribution functions, and coordination numbers, are analyzed in order to get a picture of the solvation of lithium cations in this hydrogen-bonded, amphiphilically nanostructured environment. The results reveal that the ionic liquid mainly retains its structure upon salt addition, the interaction between the ammonium group of the cation and the nitrate anion being only slightly perturbed by the addition of the salt.

MD simulations of the formation of stable clusters in mixtures of alkaline salts and imidazolium-based ionic liquids.

Structural and dynamical properties of room-temperature ionic liquids containing the cation 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium ([BMIM](+)) and three different anions (hexafluorophosphate, [PF6](-), tetrafluoroborate, [BF4](-), and bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, [NTf2](-)) doped with several molar fractions of lithium salts with a common anion at 298.15 K and 1 atm were investigated by means of molecular dynamics simulations. The effect of the size of the salt cation was also analyzed by comparing these results with those for mixtures of [BMIM][PF6] with NaPF6.

Investigation of the local structure of mixtures of an ionic liquid with polar molecular species through molecular dynamics: cluster formation and angular distributions.

In this work, we used molecular dynamics simulations to analyze in detail the spatial distributions of the different constituents in mixtures of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate with three polar molecular species: water and two alcohols of different chain lengths (methanol and ethanol). In particular, we report results regarding the influence of the chosen species and its concentration on the formation of ionic and molecular clusters over the whole miscibility range, as well as on the angular distribution of polar molecules around the anion and the cation in these systems. Both analyses showed that addition of a molecular species breaks down the polar network of the pure ionic liquid in clusters whose mean size decreases progressively as more molecules are added.

Dynamical properties of alcohol + 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium ionic liquid mixtures: a computer simulation study.

In this work, extensive molecular dynamics simulations of the dynamics of mixtures of ionic liquids (ILs) composed of the cation 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium and several anions of different hydrophobicity degrees (Cl(-), BF(4)(-), PF(6)(-)) with alcohols of different chain lengths (methanol and ethanol) are reported. We evaluated the influence of the nature of the anion, the length of the molecular chain of the alcohol, and the alcohol concentration on some dynamical properties of the mixtures, such as self-diffusion coefficients of all the species, mean square displacements (with an analysis of both ballistic and diffusive regimes), and velocity autocorrelation functions of alcohol molecules. The diffusivity of the mixtures was found to be highly dependent on the nature of the anion since the interaction between chloride and alcohols is greater than that with fluorinated anions and leads to slower dynamics.

Molecular dynamics simulation of the structure and dynamics of water-1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium ionic liquid mixtures.

We have performed extensive molecular dynamic simulations to analyze the influence of cation and anion natures, and of water concentration, on the structure and dynamics of water-1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium ionic liquid mixtures. The dependence on water concentration of the radial distribution functions, coordination numbers, and hydrogen bonding degree between the different species has been systematically analyzed for different lengths of the cation alkyl chain (alkyl = ethyl, butyl, hexyl, and octyl) and several counterions. These include two halogens of different sizes and positions in Hoffmeister series, Cl(-) and Br(-), and the highly hydrophobic inorganic anion PF(6)(-) throughout its whole solubility regime.