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Sediment pulses can cause relevant geomorphological alteration and fine sediment deposition, affecting the entire river ecosystem. Quantifying the impact of these events is becoming increasingly important, as sediment disturbance is predicted to intensify because of growing anthropogenic activity combined to the effects of current climate change. In this paper, the effects of a sediment pulse event on riverbed morphology and, in turn, on fish habitat availability are assessed in a regulated river, located in the southern European Alps. Specifically, four target fish species were selected: marble (Salmo marmoratus) and brown trout (Salmo trutta), grayling (Thymallus thymallus), and bullhead (Cottus gobio). The investigated event was triggered by the effects of localized landslides combined with an uncontrolled sediment release from a hydropower reservoir. A pre-post event integrated approach was applied, involving topographic surveys, fine sediment deposition measurements, and eco-hydraulic modeling. Habitat availability analysis was done using two-dimensional steady-state channel-flow simulation and standard habitat suitability modeling, with univariate suitability curves as biological input. The investigation focused on two river reaches, quite close each other, but characterized by significantly different streamflow patterns, due to the layout of the local hydropower system. The results showed that noticeable riverbed fining occurred at both study reaches after the pulse, with the maximum thickness of the fine sediment deposits up to one meter, and higher amounts of deposition detected in areas wetted at baseflow. Moreover, for both reaches, recovery to the pre-event riverbed grain-size condition occurred in about a year, but with differences related to different streamflow patterns. Pre-post topographic comparison showed that areas of erosion prevailed over areas of deposition, and fine sediment deposition was not systematically associated to the riverbed elevation raise. Simulated habitat availability was affected by both topographic changes and fine sediment deposition, with the latter predominantly impacting juveniles and the most bottom dwelling species, i.e., the bullhead. The study confirms the need for improving the management of the hydro-sedimentary regime of regulated rivers to preserve the habitat of fish species, particularly of those characterized by conservation status already endangered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bridges are metal or concrete structures, which make road connections across rivers when installed over river paths. When flooding or scouring occurs, several issues including bridge destruction and interruption of road connections arise. There are a variety of methods of protecting such structures, one of which is application submerged vanes. This research shows how two vanes with different submergence ratio affected decrease in local scour surrounding one pier and groups of piers installed in a 180-degree bend. The scour around pier groups either in a transverse position to the flow or with a longitudinal direction was analyzed. This finding suggested that applying vanes decreased the deepest scour around the piers in all the tests, and its maximum effect occurred in triad longitudinal pier groups. By raising the submergence ratio, bed scour depth at the outer bank reached its minimum size in longitudinal pier groups. In transverse pier groups, the first scour hole near the outer bank increased in depth in the presence of vanes. By using the vanes, the slope of the scour hole towards the inner bank grew larger than that towards the other bank. The maximum slope of the outer bank happened in the triad transverse pier group at an approximate value of 0.63. The most significant impact of submerged vanes on reducing the upstream slope was observed in a single pier with 75% submerged vanes and triad longitudinal piers with 25% submerged vanes, resulting in reductions of about 50 and 74% respectively compared to piers without vanes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bridges are metal or concrete structures, which make road connections across rivers when installed over river paths. When flooding or scouring occurs, several issues including bridge destruction and interruption of road connections arise. There are a variety of methods of protecting such structures, one of which is application submerged vanes. This research shows how two vanes with different submergence ratio affected decrease in local scour surrounding one pier and groups of piers installed in a 180-degree bend. The scour around pier groups either in a transverse position to the flow or with a longitudinal direction was analyzed. This finding suggested that applying vanes decreased the deepest scour around the piers in all the tests, and its maximum effect occurred in triad longitudinal pier groups. By raising the submergence ratio, bed scour depth at the outer bank reached its minimum size in longitudinal pier groups. In transverse pier groups, the first scour hole near the outer bank increased in depth in the presence of vanes. By using the vanes, the slope of the scour hole towards the inner bank grew larger than that towards the other bank. The maximum slope of the outer bank happened in the triad transverse pier group at an approximate value of 0.63. The most significant impact of submerged vanes on reducing the upstream slope was observed in a single pier with 75% submerged vanes and triad longitudinal piers with 25% submerged vanes, resulting in reductions of about 50 and 74% respectively compared to piers without vanes.

As China's Loess Plateau has lately witnessed increasingly extreme precipitation events, it is important to analyze the impact of extreme precipitation and identify the conditions for the occurrence of geological disasters. Field surveys can provide detailed geological information in this regard but are time consuming and labor intensive. In this paper, we provide a case study on the Gutun catchment of Yan'an, which was affected by prolonged heavy rainfall in July 2013. We used Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data obtained by processing ZY-03 stereo-pair images before and after the rainy season, including the period of prolonged heavy rainfall mentioned above, to analyze the topographical changes triggered by the rainfall. The results showed the following: (1) The rainy season reduced the elevation of the catchment by about 1.7 cm. The major change in its elevation ranged from −0.5 to 0 m, accounting for 38.41% of the overall area of change and dominating above 70 m of slope height. (2) The rainy season increased the average inclination of the slopes in the area from 28.81° to 28.95°, while the range of their peak inclination was mainly distributed in the range of 24°–36°. (3) Sunny and half-sunny slopes exhibited a greater loss in elevation, while shady and half-shady slopes exhibited an increase in elevation. More drastic topographical changes were observed in the shady and half-shady slopes. (4) The morphology of the area that had undergone a reduction in elevation was characterized by concave slopes, while convex slopes abounded in the area with increased elevation. (5) The sunny or shady properties of the slope aspect constituted the key factor influencing the topographical changes, followed by the height, inclination, and shape of the slopes. The work here can provide guidance for measures related to disaster prevention and mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of different etching times of a self-etching ceramic primer on the microshear bond strength (μSBS) and topographic surface pattern of a lithium-disilicate glass-ceramic. Materials and Methods: Ceramic slices were subjected to an in-lab simulation of CAD/CAM milling and randomly allocated to 10 groups (n = 35) considering two factors: "surface treatment" in 5 levels - one control group (5% hydrofluoric acid + silane application [HF5+SIL]), and 4 experimental groups using ceramic etching/primer (Monobond Etch & Prime, E&P) with different passive application times (40 s, 2 min, 5 min, or 10 min); and "aging" factor in 2 levels - short-term (after 24 h), or long-term (storage for 180 days + 12,000 thermal cycles). Composite cement cylinders were built and μSBS tests were run in a universal testing machine. The failure patterns were categorized, and complementary analyses with SEM and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) were performed. Results: The groups showed statistically similar bond strengths in the short term (range 22.4 to 25.1 MPa). However, only the E&P 20s+40s (19.3 MPa) and E&P 20s+5min (21.5 MPa) groups maintained stable bond strength in the long term, and HF5+SIL (17.1 MPa) presented statistically significantly lower values than did E&P 20s+5min. The failure pattern was predominantly adhesive. The increased application time of the ceramic primer promoted greater dissolution of the glass matrix; thus, the E&P 20s+10min group presented the most complex surface characteristics in the fractal dimension analysis. Conclusion: The self-etching ceramic primer can be used as an alternative to classical conditioning with HF plus silane, promoting stable bond strength for etching times of 40 s or 5 min of passive application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The monitoring of beach topographical changes and recovery processes under typhoon storm influence has primarily relied on traditional techniques that lack high spatial resolution. Therefore, we used an unmanned aerial vehicle light detection and ranging (UAV LiDAR) system to obtain the four time periods of topographic data from Tantou Beach, a sandy beach in Xiangshan County, Zhejiang Province, China, to explore beach topography and geomorphology in response to typhoon events. The UAV LiDAR data in four survey periods showed an overall vertical accuracy of approximately 5 cm. Based on the evaluated four time periods of the UAV LiDAR data, we created four corresponding DEMs for the beach. We calculated the DEM of difference (Dod), which showed that the erosion and siltation on Tantou Beach over different temporal scales had a significant alongshore zonal feature with a broad change range. The tidal level significantly impacted beach erosion and siltation changes. However, the storm surge did not affect the beach area above the spring high-tide level. After storms, siltation occurred above the spring high-tide zone. This study reveals the advantage of UAV LiDAR in monitoring beach changes and provides novel insights into the impacts of typhoon storms on coastal topographic and geomorphological change and recovery processes.

Globally, prioritizing short-term economic gains from mineral extraction has led to a critical dilemma: a planet rich in resources struggles with environmental degradation and a diminishing ability to sustain future generations. Open-pit mining exemplifies this paradox, causing significant environmental damage. In Georgia, this extractive industry presents environmental problems. Despite these known consequences, the long-term impacts of mining activities remain understudied. This study addressed this gap by analyzing the effects of open-pit mining on terrain morphology, and water dynamics in the Kazreti region over a 50-year period (1970–2020) and vegetation health over 35-year period (1987–2022). By integrating water quality assessment, spatial analysis and remote sensing, we revealed the significant human-induced changes to the region’s ecosystem. Spatial analysis results suggested that over 156.7 million cubic meters of bedrock have been fragmented by mining in southern East Georgia, with 125.5 million cubic meters deposited in valleys. Consequently, discernible shifts in the trajectories of water flow were observed based on the hydrological model. Additionally, a comparative analysis of NDVI and EVI values revealed a decline in vegetation health near mining zones, while remote forest areas remained stable. June typically showed healthier vegetation due to cooler temperatures and optimal growing conditions, while August presented lower vegetation health due to increased heat stress. Water quality revealed significant loadings of Cu (58–1855 μg l ^−1 ), Zn (54–2582 μg l ^−1 ), Mn (1–2167 μg l ^−1 ), and Cd (0.1–4.5 μg l ^−1 ), in local river systems, which are higher than the Georgian official guideline values (Cu - 1000, Zn - 1000, Mn—100, Cd—1 μg l ^−1 ). This study highlighted the need for a broader long-term monitoring strategy to assess the migration of these contaminants within the food web and the consequent socio-economic impact.

Abstract Background As one of the main components of land-use change, deforestation is considered the greatest threat to global environmental diversity with possible irreversible environmental consequences. Specifically, one example could be the impacts of land-use changes from oak forests into agricultural ecosystems, which may have detrimental impacts on soil mobilization across hillslopes. However, to date, scarce studies are assessing these impacts at different slope positions and soil depths, shedding light on key geomorphological processes. Methods In this research, the Caesium-137 (137Cs) technique was applied to evaluate soil redistribution and soil erosion rates due to the effects of these above-mentioned land-use changes. To achieve this goal, we select a representative area in the Lordegan district, central Iran. 137Cs depth distribution profiles were established in four different hillslope positions after converting natural oak forests to rainfed farming. In each hillslope, soil samples from three depths (0–10, 10–20, and 20–50 cm) and in four different slope positions (summit, shoulder, backslope, and footslope) were taken in three transects of about 20 m away from each other. The activity of 137Cs was determined in all the soil samples (72 soil samples) by a gamma spectrometer. In addition, some physicochemical properties and the magnetic susceptibility (MS) of soil samples were measured. Results Erosion rates reached 51.1 t·ha− 1·yr− 1 in rainfed farming, whereas in the natural forest, the erosion rate was 9.3 t·ha− 1·yr− 1. Magnetic susceptibility was considerably lower in the cultivated land (χ hf = 43.5 × 10− 8 m3·kg− 1) than in the natural forest (χ hf = 55.1 × 10− 8 m3·kg− 1). The lower soil erosion rate in the natural forest land indicated significantly higher MS in all landform positions except at the summit one, compared to that in the rainfed farming land. The shoulder and summit positions were the most erodible hillslope positions in the natural forest and rainfed farming, respectively. Conclusions We concluded that land-use change and hillslope positions played a key role in eroding the surface soils in this area. Moreover, land management can influence soil erosion intensity and may both mitigate and amplify soil loss.

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of different concentrations of hydrofluoric acid (HF) on the contact angle and the resin bond strength durability to feldspathic ceramic. Materials and Methods: To evaluate the contact angles of distilled water on etched feldspathic ceramic, 25 specimens (12 × 10 × 2.4 mm) of VitaBlocks Mark II were used, divided into 5 groups (n = 5): one unconditioned control (UC) group with no ceramic surface treatment, and 4 other groups that were etched for 60 s with different concentrations of HF: 1% (HF1), 3% (HF3), 5% (HF5) and 10% (HF10). The bond testing utilized 40 ceramic blocks (12 × 10 × 4 mm) that were fabricated and subjected to the same surface treatments as previously mentioned (excluding the control). The etched surfaces were silanized and resin cement was applied. After 24 h, the blocks were sectioned to produce bar specimens that were divided into two groups, non-aged (immediate testing) and aged (storage for 230 days + 12,000 thermocycles at 5°C and 55°C), and subjected to microtensile testing (µTBS). Micromorphogical analysis of the treated surfaces was also performed (atomic force and scanning electron microscopy). One-way ANOVA and Tukey's tests were applied for data analysis. Results: UC had the highest contact angle (61.4°), whereas HF10 showed the lowest contact angle (17.5°). In non-aged conditions, different acids promoted statistically similar bond strengths (14.2 to 15.7 MPa) (p > 0.05); in terms of bond durability, only the bond strength of the HF1 group presented a statistically significant decrease comparing before and after aging (14.5 to 10.2 MPa). Conclusion: When etched with 3%, 5%, or 10% hydrofluoric acid, the ceramic tested showed stable resin adhesion after long-term aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As one of the main components of land-use change, deforestation is considered the greatest threat to global environmental diversity with possible irreversible environmental consequences. Specifically, one example could be the impacts of land-use changes from oak forests into agricultural ecosystems, which may have detrimental impacts on soil mobilization across hillslopes. However, to date, scarce studies are assessing these impacts at different slope positions and soil depths, shedding light on key geomorphological processes. Methods: In this research, the Caesium-137 (137Cs) technique was applied to evaluate soil redistribution and soil erosion rates due to the effects of these above-mentioned land-use changes. To achieve this goal, we select a representative area in the Lordegan district, central Iran. 137Cs depth distribution profiles were established in four different hillslope positions after converting natural oak forests to rainfed farming. In each hillslope, soil samples from three depths (0–10, 10–20, and 20–50 cm) and in four different slope positions (summit, shoulder, backslope, and footslope) were taken in three transects of about 20 m away from each other. The activity of 137Cs was determined in all the soil samples (72 soil samples) by a gamma spectrometer. In addition, some physicochemical properties and the magnetic susceptibility (MS) of soil samples were measured. Results: Erosion rates reached 51.1 t·ha− 1·yr− 1 in rainfed farming, whereas in the natural forest, the erosion rate was 9.3 t·ha− 1·yr− 1. Magnetic susceptibility was considerably lower in the cultivated land (χhf = 43.5 × 10− 8 m3·kg− 1) than in the natural forest (χhf = 55.1 × 10− 8 m3·kg− 1). The lower soil erosion rate in the natural forest land indicated significantly higher MS in all landform positions except at the summit one, compared to that in the rainfed farming land. The shoulder and summit positions were the most erodible hillslope positions in the natural forest and rainfed farming, respectively. Conclusions: We concluded that land-use change and hillslope positions played a key role in eroding the surface soils in this area. Moreover, land management can influence soil erosion intensity and may both mitigate and amplify soil loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Zirconia is a widely used restorative material in dentistry due to its superior aesthetic and mechanical properties. The oral cavity is a complex ecosystem with various components, which affect the teeth, as well as artificial restorative materials. Various personal and professional interventions carried out can severely affect the properties of restorative materials, thus altering the longevity of the prosthesis; 1.23% acidulated phosphate fluoride (APF) gel is one such professionally applied topical fluoride agent used to prevent caries. The interaction of this APF gel with highly aesthetic restorative material such as zirconia crowns is unknown. Objective The objective of this study is the evaluation of the surface deterioration of prefabricated zirconia crowns on exposure to deionised water and 1.23% acidulated phosphate fluoride (APF) gel with field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) and mass loss analysis. Material and method Sixty prefabricated paediatric zirconia crowns were taken, 10 samples were immersed in deionised water, 40 samples were immersed in 1.23% APF gel and 10 samples were used as control. Surface morphology and mass loss analysis were carried out at time intervals of four minutes, 24 hours, 48 hours and 72 hours using FE-SEM and digital weighing machine. Results No visual change was observed in the samples immersed in deionised water at the time interval of 72 hours. There was a marked visual change in samples immersed in 1.23% APF gel at the time interval of four minutes to 72 hours; this change involved a loss of gloss to the appearance of chalkiness. FE-SEM analysis for the control group and samples immersed in deionised water showed a smooth, continuous, undisrupted top layer, while samples immersed in 1.23% APF gel showed changes ranging from surface etching, to pinhole porosities, to crack formation and disruption of the surface depending upon the exposure time. Conclusions On the immersion of zirconia crowns in an aqueous acidic medium of 1.23% APF gel, the crowns showed flaws, imperfections and uneven superficial layers. It has been observed that surface grains are disrupted and micropores have been formed. This degraded superficial surface when undergoes cyclic mechanical loading can accelerate the ageing phenomenon of zirconia. Mechanical forces along with a dynamic electrochemical environment can degrade the material properties of zirconia., Competing Interests: Human subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve human participants or tissue. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Makwana et al.)

The aim of this study was to mechanically characterize through flexural fatigue test two CAD-CAM glass-ceramics according to distinct surface etching protocols. To do so, feldspathic (FELD) and lithium disilicate (LD) glass ceramics were subjected to different surface treatments: (1) control – no treatment (Ctrl); (2) conventional protocol etching with 5% hydrofluoric acid followed by silane coupling agent application (HF + SIL; Monobond N, Ivoclar); or (3) using a self-etching ceramic primer (E&P; Monobond Etch & Prime, Ivoclar). Ceramic discs (N = 120; Ø = 12 mm; thickness = 1.2 mm) were produced from CAD-CAM blocks, with 60 being from FELD (VITABLOCS Mark II, Vita Zahnfabrik) and 60 from LD (IPS e.max CAD, Ivoclar). Next, 20 disks of each ceramic were allocated into three groups: Ctrl, HF + SIL, or E&P. Surface roughness data were collected on all samples before and after surface treatments (except for Ctrl). Cyclic fatigue (n = 15) biaxial flexural strength tests were performed by the piston-on-three-balls geometry (ISO 6872) considering the test parameters established from a monotonic test (n = 5). The monotonic test was carried out at a 1 mm/min loading rate and 500 kgf loading cell until fracture to obtain the failure data. The cyclic fatigue test was executed underwater at a frequency up to 20 Hz, with the first stress being 25% of the monotonic test for 5000 cycles, followed by increments of 5% of the monotonic test at each step of 10,000 cycles until failure (fracture). Complementary fractography, topography and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) analyses were performed. Characteristic Fatigue Strength (CFS) and Weibull modulus were analyzed by Weibull analysis using the fatigue test data. Roughness and complementary analysis data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA. The statistical results exhibited similar CFS among Ctrl, HF + SIL and E&P for both glass-ceramics. The survival analysis corroborates the findings, however the Weibull modulus pointed out superior structural reliability of FELD treated with the E&P group compared to HF + SIL. According to the complementary analyses, HF + SIL exhibited a higher surface area than E&P and Ctrl for FELD (p = 0.001). Roughness showed statistically significant differences among conditions for FELD (E&P < Ctrl = HF + SIL; p < 0.05) and no difference for LD (p > 0.05). Therefore, the CFS were not influenced by any condition evaluated for FELD and LD glass-ceramics; however, superior structural reliability (higher Weibull modulus) for the feldspathic ceramic treated with the E&P was observed. • The characteristic fatigue strength of the glass-ceramics was not affected by the surface treatments. • The Weibull modulus of feldspathic ceramic was improved by the E&P surface treatment. • Feldspathic ceramic showed increased roughness and surface area when treated with HF + SIL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives To evaluate the effect of different glass-ceramic surface treatments and aging on the fatigue failure load of a lithium disilicate glass-ceramic adhesively cemented to a dentin analogue material. Methods One hundred and twenty (120) disc-shaped lithium disilicate specimens (Ø = 10 mm, thickness = 1.5 mm) were produced and randomly allocated (n = 20) into 6 groups, considering 2 study factors: “surface treatment” in 3 levels (SIL—silane application only; HF5+SIL—5% hydrofluoric acid etching and silane application; ME&P—etching with an one-step ceramic primer), and “storage” in 2 levels (baseline—storage for 7 days; aging—storage for 90 days + 12,000 thermal cycles). Ceramic discs were adhesively cemented to discs of a dentin analogue material (Ø = 10 mm, thickness = 2.0 mm) following the manufacturers’ instructions. The fatigue failure load was determined by the staircase approach (250,000 cycles; 20 Hz; initial load = 1050 N [∼70% of mean load-to-failure]; step size = 52.5 N [5% of initial load]). Micro-morphologic, fractographic, and atomic force microscope analysis were also performed. Fatigue failure load data were evaluated by one-way ANOVA, Bonferroni and t-tests for independent samples. Results HF5+SIL presented higher fatigue failure load in both conditions (baseline and aging); ME&P presented intermediary mean values, while the SIL group presented the worst performance. All groups had a statistically significant decrease in the fatigue performance after aging. Significance Hydrofluoric acid followed by silane application showed the best fatigue performance for an adhesively-cemented lithium disilicate ceramic. Aging negatively influenced the fatigue performance for all tested groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lee, C.K. and Yun, K., 2023. Time-series forecasting of topographical changes on Byunsan Beach in South Korea. In: Lee, J.L.; Lee, H.; Min, B.I.; Chang, J.-I.; Cho, G.T.; Yoon, J.-S., and Lee, J. (eds.), Multidisciplinary Approaches to Coastal and Marine Management. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 116, pp. 255-259. Charlotte (North Carolina), ISSN 0749-0208. Tides continuously affect the intertidal zone, erosion and deposition are caused by cataclysmic events such as hurricanes and typhoons in coastal areas, leading to a variety of issues. In particular, recent land reclamation, the creation of man-made islands, land expansion, and the construction of coastal power plants as a result of various forms of coastal development may distort the sedimentary environment to attain a new equilibrium state. As a result, there may be a shift in the external forcing on the coastal environment, which may restrict the supply of soil or alter its movement. The Saemangeum reclamation project is a large-scale project that involves building a 33.9 Km embankment from Buan to Bieung-do, Kunsan, and reclaiming the nearby land of 291 km2. This has been ongoing since the start of the seawall construction in the central coastal area of the west coast of the Korean Peninsula in 1991. This study observed and predicted the long-term topographical changes at Byeonsan Beach in Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do, using aerial photography and drone-based Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data collected over a period of nine years. This was accomplished using the Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) difference approach based on raster operations using the DEM derived from the source data to estimate the change in elevation and volume for each period. The error propagation equation was also used to calculate the probability-based volume change for the inherent error of each data source. As a result, the Region of Interest (ROI) experienced 18,847 m3 depositions between 2014 and 2022, with the area affected comprising 92.3% of the ROI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peri-implant disease is usually caused by the accumulation of dental biofilm around the implant, and this biofilm can irradiate the gingiva tissue, which leads to inflammation and, more severely, to a deterioration of the bone structure. There is a concern regarding the removal of biofilm from the implant surface by using different hygiene instruments. Some hygiene instruments may have some effect on the dental implant surface, resulting in roughening or damage to the implant surfaces. This study reviewed the effects of titanium implant surfaces on different hygiene instruments. A literature search was conducted from PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Scopus databases for articles published from 1992 to 2021. A total of 19 full-text papers with keywords of interest that met all the eligibility criteria were selected. Surface roughness was evaluated with a scanning electron microscope and also using a profilometer, laser scanning, scanning probe, and atomic force microscopes. A metal curette produced a roughened surface on the titanium implant, but a plastic curette did not alter the surface. Instrumentation with rubber cups left the surface unchanged and appeared to smoothen the surface, whereas the air-powder abrasive instrumentation altered the surface with the presence of micro pits and pores. A conventional metal ultrasonic scaler showed significant surface topographical changes and scratches on both titanium surfaces, as a diode laser, light-emitting diode (LED), and laser treatment did not show any alteration on the rough and smooth titanium surfaces. Thus, a non-metallic instrument such as a plastic curette, rubber cups, and novel technology including diode laser, LED, and laser treatment is appropriate and can be used for debridement on smooth and machined titanium implant surfaces as well as sandblasted and acid-etched (SLA), titanium plasma-sprayed (TPS), and resorbable blasted media (RBM) surfaces. The use of metallic instruments should be avoided, and it is not recommended., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2022, Yen Nee et al.)

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of a ceramic primer and its increased passive application on the fatigue performance of adhesively cemented lithium disilicate simplified restorations. Ceramic discs (Ø = 10 mm; thickness = 1.0 mm) were submitted to an in-lab simulation of CAD/CAM milling and allocated into 8 groups (n = 15), considering 2 factors: "surface treatment"– PRIMER, only coupling agent application (Monobond N); HF5+PRIMER, 5% hydrofluoric acid and coupling agent; E&P 20s + 40s and E&P 20s+5min, ceramic etching/priming (Monobond Etch & Prime, E&P) for 20 s of active application followed by 40 s or 5 min of passive application, respectively; and "aging condition"– baseline, storage for 24 h to 5 days; aged, storage for 90 days +12,000 thermal cycles. Adhesive cementation (Multilink N) was performed onto epoxy discs (Ø = 10 mm; thickness = 2 mm) and the cemented assemblies were subjected to step-stress fatigue tests (initial load of 200 N; step-size of 50 N; 10,000 cycles per step; 20 Hz). The results showed that the groups had similar fatigue performance in the baseline condition (except for E&P 20s+5min: 940.0 N; 123,000 cycles > PRIMER: 786.7 N; 92,333 cycles). When aged, the PRIMER group presented the worst fatigue performance (480.8 N; 31,154 cycles) compared to the other groups (810.0–840.0 N; 97,000–103,000 cycles). In addition, only the PRIMER treatment showed unstable fatigue performance (baseline > aged). Therefore, ceramic surface treatment promoting micromechanical interlocking and chemical bonds is mandatory for stable fatigue performance of adhesively cemented lithium disilicate restorations. The one-step ceramic primer/conditioner promoted similar fatigue performance to the 5% hydrofluoric acid + coupling agent, but increased E&P etching time did not improve the fatigue behavior. • Etching is required for proper mechanical behavior of lithium disilicate restorations. • One-step ceramic primer is an alternative to hydrofluoric acid etching + coupling agent. • Increased etching time of one-step ceramic primer does not improve fatigue behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]