Growth and development impact of sustainable nutrition education: An experimental study

Healthy societies are formed by learning and maintaining sustainable healthy eating behaviors from childhood. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of short-term sustainable nutrition education on growth and development parameters of preschool children. This study is an experimental design with pretest–posttest control group. This study was carried out in two kindergartens between February 2022 and June 2023 in Turkey. The education group received 4 months of dietary behavior training. The dietary scale and anthropometric measurements were administered at the first and last meetings. Data were analyzed with 95% confidence interval. The study was completed with 174 children. A statistically significant difference was found, especially in body weight (p < 0.05) and body weight percentile values (p < 0.05) in the posttest of the education group. A statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) was found between the groups in the eating behavior scale posttest score. Nutrition education in schools is important in promoting healthy eating habits. Nutrition education improves eating behavior positively. To maintain healthy eating behaviors, however, the continuity of education is necessary. In addition, as growth and development are physical processes, it is recognized that growth and development cannot be assessed by nutrition alone.     

Ultrasonic Irradiation during the Calcium Sulfate Hemihydrate to Dihydrate Transformation Process

The ultrasound‐assisted transformation of calcium sulfate hemihydrate (CSH) to calcium sulfate dihydrate (CSD) was studied using three ultrasonic power settings. In addition to continuously measuring the variation in the conductivity value with time, the process was followed by X‐ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. Thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared, mass spectrometry, and filtration analyses helped to determine the physicochemical properties of the as‐obtained crystals. The morphological changes in the surface morphology were observed by SEM. The experimental results indicate that ultrasonic irradiation and its intensity have a significant effect on the crystal size, morphology, adsorption, and filtration characteristics. Mandelic acid in combination with ultrasonic irradiation can be used as an accelerator for the transformation process from CSH to CSD.     

Effect of the Etching Duration and Ultrasonic Cleaning on Microtensile Bond Strength Between Feldspathic Ceramic and Resin Cement

This study assessed the effect of different etching durations of feldspathic ceramic with hydrofluoric acid (HF) and ultrasonic cleaning of the etched ceramic surface on the microtensile bond strength stability of resin to a feldspathic ceramic. The research hypotheses investigated were: (1) different etching times would not affect the adhesion resistance and (2) ultrasonic cleaning would improve the adhesion. Ceramic blocks (6 × 6 × 5 mm) (N = 48) were obtained. The cementations surfaces were duplicated in resin composite. The six study groups (n = 8) were: G1—Etching with 10% aqueous HF (30 s) + silane; G2—10% HF (1 min) + silane; G3—10% HF (2 min) + silane; G4—10% HF (30 s) + ultrasonic cleaning (4 min) in distilled water +silane; G5—10% HF (1 min) + ultrasonic cleaning + silane; G6—10% HF (2 min) ultrasonic cleaning + silane. The cemented blocks were sectioned into microbars for the microtensile test. The etching duration did not create significant difference among the groups (p = .156) but significant influence of ultrasonic cleaning was observed (p = .001) (Two-way ANOVA and Tukey's test, p > 0.05). All the groups after ultrasonic cleaning presented higher bond strength (19.38–20.08 MPa) when compared with the groups without ultrasonic cleaning (16.21–17.75 MPa). The bond strength between feldspathic ceramic and resin cement was not affected by different etching durations using HF. Ultrasonic cleaning increased the bond strength between ceramic surface and resin cement, regardless of the etching duration.     

Impact of glutamic acid on the transformation of calcium sulfate hemihydrate to dihydrate: Characterization,equilibrium, kinetics,and thermodynamics

In this study, the characteristics and mechanisms of glutamic acid adsorption on the transformation process of calcium sulfate hemihydrate to calcium sulfate dihydrate were investigated in a batch-type crystallizer. The phase transformation was followed by conductivity measurements in both the absence and the presence of glutamic acid used as additive. The structure of the samples obtained during this process was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller, thermogravimetric analyzer-mass spectrometer, and ATR-FTIR analyses. From the results, it was shown that the uptake of glutamic acid caused a retarding effect in the transformation rate. It was also found that the thin- and weak-layered structure was replaced by a thick and compact plate-like structure. The adsorption isotherms, kinetics, and thermodynamics were also explored to describe the process. According to the results, the Langmuir isotherm model fit quite well, as demonstrated by the high R² value, calculated using a linear and nonlinear procedure, and the maximum adsorption amount of 169.49?mg/g. The pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models were applied to analyze the kinetic experimental data, and it was determined that the adsorption of glutamic acid followed the pseudo-second-order model, which indicates that the adsorption rate depended on chemisorption. The thermodynamic results illustrated that the adsorption of glutamic acid in the transformation process was spontaneous and endothermic.     

A Subtractive Photoresist Platform for Micro‐ and Macroscopic 3D Printed Structures

The selective removal of structural elements plays a decisive role in 3D printing applications enabling complex geometries. To date, the fabrication of complex structures on the microscale is severely limited by multistep processes. Herein, a subtractive photoresist platform technology that is transferable from microscopic 3D printing via direct laser writing to macroscopic structures via stereolithography is reported. All resist components are readily accessible and exchangeable, offering fast adaptation of the resist's property profile. The micro‐ and macroprinted structures can be removed in a facile fashion, without affecting objects based on standard photoresists. The cleavage is analyzed by time‐lapse optical microscopy as well as via in‐depth spectroscopic assessment. The mechanical properties of the printed materials are investigated by nanoindentation. Critically, the power of the subtractive resist platform is demonstrated by constructing complex 3D objects with flying features on the microscale.     

A study of compressive strength between zirconia framework and veneering ceramic as a function of thermal expansion coefficient using Shell–Nielsen test method

This study investigated the adhesion between zirconia framework and four veneering ceramic (VC) materials with varying coefficients of thermal expansions (CTE). Zirconia rods (N?=?40) (ICE Zirkon) (diameter: 4 mm, height: 20 mm) were milled and sintered. After firing, the zirconia rods were air-abraded and cleaned. They were randomly assigned to receive four VCs (n?=?10/group), namely (a) Vita VM9 (VZ; 9–9.2?×?10^?6? K^?1), (b) Cerabien ZR (CZ; 9.1?×?10^?6 K^?1), (c) Matchmaker ZR (MM; 9.4?×?10^?6?K^?1), and (d) Ice Zirconia Ceramic (IZ; 9.6?×?10^?6?K^?1). The VCs were then fired onto zirconia rods (height: 2 mm, thickness: 2 mm) circumferentially and were thermocycled for 6000 times (5/55 °C, dwell time: 30?s). Specimens were loaded from the top of the zirconia rods (0.5 mm/min) in a universal testing machine until debonding. Shell–Nielsen bond strength values were calculated (MPa). Failure types were evaluated under SEM. The data were statistically analyzed (one-way ANOVA, Tukey’s; α?=?0.05). Weibull distribution values including the Weibull modulus (m) (0.05) was calculated. The highest mean bond strength (MPa) was obtained for CZ (42.08?±?4.08), followed by VZ (41.77?±?4.92), MM (40.7?±?3.64), and IZ (40.05?±?5.78). While mean bond strength for VZ, MM, and IZ were not significantly different (p?>?0.05), CZ was significantly higher than that of IZ (p?<?0.05). The lowest shape value was for VZ (m?=?16.94) and the highest for MM (m?=?20.16). Mainly, adhesive failures followed by mixed failures were observed. VCs with a greater mismatch of CTE with the zirconia framework exhibited similar Shell–Nielsen bond strength to those with fewer mismatches. CTE mismatch did not affect the results of CZ (9.1?×?10^?6 K^?1) and IZ (9.6?×?10^?6 K^?1).