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The effectiveness of the osteotome technique for sinus augmentation was evaluated using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) analysis. Clinical results of two-stage sinus floor elevation using the osteotome technique performed on 15 patients at the Nakajima Dental Clinic between 2006 and 2013 were evaluated retrospectively. CBCT imaging revealed that the maxillary sinus floor was elevated by an average of 7.28 mm (SD 1.62) immediately following surgery, with a mean bone height of 9.55 mm (SD 1.43). In all cases, the osteotome technique provided sufficient bone height for implant placement. No pre- or postoperative complications (eg, mucosal perforation) were reported. The minimal surgical stress and morbidity further underscore the practicality of this approach for two-stage maxillary sinus floor augmentation.

We have studied the zero-order transmission of periodic germanium (Ge) subwavelength arrays in an infrared range by using finite-difference time-domain simulations. A special wavelength-selective peak in a triangular hole array of Ge film is observed with an enhanced transmission accompanied by a drastic suppression nearby, which cannot be found in a one-dimensional Ge subwavelength array and is different from the extraordinary transmission related to surface plasmons in a metal film. The electromagnetic field is found to be concentrated on both surfaces of the Ge film at this peak. The unique transmission is verified through measurements on fabricated samples and is interpreted using the photonic band structure.

Using finite-difference-time-domain simulation, we have studied the near-field effect of Germanium (Ge) subwavelength arrays designed in-plane with a normal incidence. Spectra of vertical electric field component normal to the surface show pronounced resonance peaks in an infrared range, which can be applied in a quantum well infrared photodetector. Unlike the near-field optics in metallic systems that are commonly related to surface plasmons, the intense vertical field along the surface of the Ge film can be interpreted as a combination of diffraction and waveguide theory. The existence of the enhanced field is confirmed by measuring the Fourier transform infrared spectra of fabricated samples. The positions of the resonant peaks obtained in experiment are in good agreement with our simulations.