BACKGROUND Immobilizing bioactive molecules and osteoconductive apatite on titanium implants have investigated direct ossification. In this study, hydroxycholesterol (HC) was immobilized with apatite on titanium through simply adsorption or sandwich-like coating. Three kinds of hydroxycholesterol were chosen to induce ossification: 20α-hydroxycholesterol (20α- HC), 22(S)-hydroxycholesterol (22(...

Lithium iron borate (LiFeBO3) is a promising cathode material due to its high theoretical specific capacity, inexpensive components and small volume change during operation. Yet, challenges related to severe air- and moisture-induced degradation have prompted the utilization of a protective coating on the electrode which also improves the electronic conductivity. However, not much is known abou...

low water-wettability and oxidation resistance of graphite have limited its application in carbon containing refractory castables. the aims of this study were improvement of water-wettability and the oxidation resistance of natural flaky graphite by applying an oxide coating on its surface. to develop the coating, magnesium aluminate spinel sol was formulated via a citrate-nitrate route and gra...

objective: osseous defects around dental implants are often seen when implants are placed in areas with inadequate alveolar bone, or around failing implants. bone regeneration in these areas using bone grafts or its substitutes may improve dental implants prognosis. the aim of this study was to prepare and characterize the bioactive glass nanopowder and development of its coating for treatment ...

Calcium silicate (CS) ceramic is a good coating candidate for biomedical implants to improve biocompatibility and accelerate early osseointegration. However, the poor fracture toughness and wear resistance of this ceramic material restricts the long-term performance of implants. In this study, graphene plates (GPs) were used as reinforcement to improve the mechanical properties of CS coating. C...

When ejaculates from rival males compete for fertilization, there is strong selection for sperm traits that enhance fertilization success. Sperm quantity is one such trait, and numerous studies have demonstrated a positive association between sperm competition and both testes size and the number of sperm available for copulations. Sperm competition is also thought to favor increases in sperm qu...

Biocompatibility of biomedical devices can be improved by endothelialization of blood-contacting parts mimicking the vascular endothelium's function. Improved endothelialization might be obtained by using biomimetic coatings that allow local sustained release of biologically active molecules, e.g. anti-thrombotic and growth-inducing agents, from nanoliposomes. We aimed to test whether incorpora...

Centrosome integrity is critically important for successful fertilization and embryo development. In humans, the sperm contributes the dominant centrosomal material containing centrioles and centrosomal components onto which oocyte centrosomal proteins assemble after sperm incorporation to form the sperm aster that is essential for uniting sperm and oocyte pronuclei. Increasingly, dysfunctional...

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between human sperm hyperactivation (HA), sperm-zona pellucida (ZP) binding and the ZP-induced acrosome reaction (AR) of ZP-bound sperm in vitro. METHODS Sperm samples from 129 infertile men were studied. Motile sperm (2 x 10(6)) selected by Pure sperm were incubated with four oocytes in 1 ml human tubal fluid supplemented wit...

We analyze the Brownian thermal noise of a multilayer dielectric coating used in high-precision optical measurements, including interferometric gravitational-wave detectors. We assume the coating material to be isotropic, and therefore study thermal noises arising from shear and bulk losses of the coating materials. We show that coating noise arises not only from layer thickness fluctuations, b...