Paramagnetic Semiconducting Se-Mn Clusters: A Mn3Se4-Stabilized Selenide Radical Intermediate and Its Aggregated Derivatives.

The transition metal-stabilized heavy main group radicals are extremely scarce due to their highly reactive natures, making them difficult to be isolated and identified. We report here a rare class of the Se radical-containing manganese carbonyl anionic cluster, [(µ-Se)(µ3-Se2)2Mn3(CO)9]•2- (1), which was successfully obtained from the one-pot reaction of Se powder and Mn2(CO)10 in concentrated KOH/MeOH/MeCN solutions at 90 °C. Dianion 1 and its dimeric cluster, [(µ4-Se2){(µ3-Se2)2Mn3(CO)9}2]4- [(1)2], could undergo the reversible Se-Se bond breakage or reformation by the thermal cracking of (1)2 or self-dimerization of 1, showing the µ-Se•- radical character of 1. Complex 1 could react with (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-yl)oxyl (TEMPO) to form the Se radical-captured complex [(µ-Se(TEMPO)) (µ3-Se2)2Mn3(CO)9]2- (1-TEMPO) or could react with alkylene bromides (CH2)nBr2 (n = 1, 2) to give the Mn4-based oxidative coupling products, [(µ4-Se2)(µ-Se2LSe)2Mn4(CO)12]2- (L = CH2, 2-CH2; Se, 2-Se). In addition, dianion 1 and its aggregated derivatives (1)2, 1-TEMPO, 2-CH2, and 2-Se exhibited unusual paramagnetic properties with the spin-state switching from S = 1 (Mn) + 1/2 (Se) to S = 1 (Mn), in which their magnetic centers were proved to be mixed-valent Mn atoms and the µ-Se•- radical, as evidenced by Evans method, superconducting quantum interference device, X-ray photoelectron spectra, electron paramagnetic resonance, and density functional theory calculations. Importantly, these clusters showed semiconducting behaviors with low and tunable energy gaps (1.50-2.01 eV) and varied electrical conductivities (2.52 × 10-8-4.58 × 10-9 S/cm), where efficient electron transports mainly arose from C-H(phenyl)···O(carbonyl) interactions within the solid-state frameworks.

Ultrasound Cycloplasty in Chinese Glaucoma Patients: Results of a 6-Month Prospective Clinical Study.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the short-term efficacy and safety of ultrasound cycloplasty (UCP) procedure in Chinese glaucoma patients. METHODS: As a single-center, prospective, noncomparative study, 23 eyes of 23 patients suffering from glaucoma with uncontrolled intraocular pressure (IOP) ≥21 mm Hg underwent a multidose UCP treatment with the activations of 6, 8, or10 sectors. Types of glaucoma include primary open-angle glaucoma (7/23), primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG) (9/23), and secondary glaucoma (SG) (7/23). A complete ophthalmic examination including intraocular pressure (IOP) measurements was performed before UCP procedure and at 1 day, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months after the procedure. An IOP reduction of ≥20% and IOP >5 mm Hg without increasing hypotensive medication at the follow-up visit was defined as therapeutic success. The postoperative complications were also recorded and compared to baseline for safety evaluation. RESULTS: The mean baseline IOP of 23 treated eyes was 37.2 ± 12.1 mm Hg. The IOP reduction after UCP procedure was 23, 49, 33, and 34% at 1 day, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months, respectively. Thus, the corresponding overall therapeutic success rates reached 61% (14/23), 83% (19/23), 65% (15/23), and 61% (14/23), respectively. Baseline IOPs of 8- and 10-sector groups (37.0 ± 9.9 mm Hg and 50.1 ± 12.2 mm Hg) were significantly higher than that of 6 sector groups (30.1 ± 8.2 mm Hg). Therapeutic success rates of 6-, 8-, and 10-sector groups reached 44% (4/9), 56% (5/9), and 100% (5/5), respectively. There were the highest percentage of IOP reduction (50 and 41%) and therapeutic success rate (6/7; 86% and 7/9; 78%) in the SG group and PACG group, respectively. In addition, preoperative ocular pain symptoms of 4 patients were all disappeared within 1 week after UCP. No serious intraoperative or postoperative complications occurred. CONCLUSION: UCP procedure is an effective and well-tolerated treatment to reduce IOP in Chinese glaucoma patients, which offered a novel alternative for glaucoma treatment.

Systematic review on the definition and predictors of severe Clostridiodes difficile infection.

Clostridiodes difficile infection (CDI) is one of the most common hospital-acquired infections with high mortality rates. Optimal management of CDI depends on early recognition of severity. However, currently, there is no acceptable standard of prediction. We reviewed severe CDI predictors in published literature and its definition according to clinical guidelines. We systematically reviewed studies describing clinical predictors for severe CDI in medical databases (Cochrane, EMBASE, Global Health Library, and MEDLINE/PubMed). They were independently evaluated by two reviewers. Six hundred thirty-three titles and abstracts were screened, and 31 studies were included. We excluded studies that were restricted to a specific patient population. There were 16 articles that examined mortality in CDI, as compared with 15 articles investigating non-mortality outcomes of CDI. The commonest risk factors identified were comorbidities, white blood cell count, serum albumin level, age, serum creatinine level and intensive care unit admission. Generally, the studies had small patient populations, were retrospective in nature, and mostly from Western centers. The commonest severe CDI criteria in clinical guidelines were raised white blood cell count, followed by low serum albumin and raised serum creatinine levels. There was no commonly agreed upon definition of severe CDI severity in the literature. Current clinical guidelines' definitions for severe CDI are heterogeneous. Hence, there is a need for prospective multi-center studies using standardized protocol for biospecimen investigation collection and shared data on outcomes of patients in order to devise a universally accepted definition for severe CDI.

Absent pulmonary valve syndrome with tetralogy of fallot and patent ductus arteriosus at 14 weeks of gestation and follow-up 2 weeks later: Case report and review of literature.

Classical absent pulmonary valve syndrome (APVS) with tetralogy of fallot (TOF) is a rare congenital cardiac anomaly commonly associated with the absence of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), which is mostly diagnosed after 20 weeks of gestation by fetal echocardiography. This case of APVS with TOF was suspected at 13 weeks of gestation and diagnosed at 14 weeks of gestation with an obvious PDA. The pulmonary arterial trunk and the branches did not dilate obviously. Fifteen days later, the PDA narrowed down with the discovery of pulmonary artery ectasia at the same time. This progress indicated that the absence of PDA is not necessary for the survival of APVS with TOF in utero, in contrast, the absence or restriction of PDA may be nothing less than adaptation to the disease. Fetal autopsy confirmed the accuracy of fetal echocardiography. Chromosome microarray analysis (CMA) showed 20p12 deletion in this fetus, which is rare among TOF cases.

Fluoride absorption, transportation and tolerance mechanism in Camellia sinensis, and its bioavailability and health risk assessment: a systematic review.

Tea is the one of the most popular non-alcoholic caffeinated beverages in the world. Tea is produced from the tea plant (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze), which is known to accumulate fluoride. This article systematically analyzes the literature concerning fluoride absorption, transportation and fluoride tolerance mechanisms in tea plants. Fluoride bioavailability and exposure levels in tea infusions are also reviewed. The circulation of fluoride within the tea plantation ecosystems is in a positive equilibrium, with greater amounts of fluoride introduced to tea orchards than removed. Water extractable fluoride and magnesium chloride (MgCl2 ) extractable fluoride in plantation soil are the main sources of absorption by tea plant root via active trans-membrane transport and anion channels. Most fluoride is readily transported through the xylem as F- /F-Al complexes to leaf cell walls and vacuole. The findings indicate that tea plants employ cell wall accumulation, vacuole compartmentalization, and F-Al complexes to co-detoxify fluoride and aluminum, a possible tolerance mechanism through which tea tolerates higher levels of fluoride than most plants. Furthermore, dietary and endogenous factors influence fluoride bioavailability and should be considered when exposure levels of fluoride in commercially available dried tea leaves are interpreted. The relevant current challenges and future perspectives are also discussed. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Manganese Telluride Carbonyl Complexes: Facile Syntheses and Exotic Properties-Reversible Transformations, Hydrogen Generation, Paramagnetic, and Semiconducting Properties.

A novel family of five Mn-Te-CO complexes was prepared via facile syntheses: mono spirocyclic [Mn4Te(CO)16]2- (1), four-membered Mn2Te2 ring-type [Mn2Te2(CO)8]2- (2), hydride-containing square pyramidal [HMn3Te2(CO)9]2- (3), and dumbbell-shaped [Mn6Te6(CO)18]4- (4) and [Mn6Te10(CO)18]4- (5). Electron-precise complexes 4 and 5 exhibit unusual paramagnetism arising from two types of Mn atoms in different oxidation states, as determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The structural transformations from small-sized Mn4Te 1 and Mn2Te2 2 to the largest Mn6Te10 5 were controllable, the off/on magnetic-switched transformation between HMn3Te2 3 and 5 was reversible, and the magnetic transformation between Mn6Te6 4 and 5 was observed. Interestingly, the reversible dehydridation and hydridation between the HMn3Te2-based cluster 3 and [Mn3Te2(CO)9]- were successfully accomplished, in which the release of a high yield of H2 was detected by gas chromatography. In addition, upon the addition of CO, cluster 3 first forms a carbonyl-inserted intermediate [HMn3Te2(CO)10]2- (3'), detected by the high resolution ESI-MS, which is readily transformed to a dimeric dihydrido cluster [{HMn3Te2(CO)10}2]2- (6) with the introduction of O2. These low- to high-nuclearity complexes exhibit rich redox properties with semiconducting behavior in solids, possessing low but tunable energy gaps (1.06-1.62 eV) due to efficient electron transport via nonclassical C-H···O(carbonyl) interactions. The structural nature, reversible structural transformations, controllable on/off magnetic switches, electron communication networks, and associated chemical properties for hydrogen generation are discussed in detail and supported by DFT calculations, density of states, band structures, and noncovalent interaction analyses.

Amperometric immunosensor based on covalent organic frameworks and Pt/Ru/C nanoparticles for the quantification of C-reactive protein.

An ultrasensitive and nonenzymatic electrochemical sandwich-type immunoassay using covalent organic framework (COF-LZU1) material applied as a fixed matrix was developed for the determination of C-reactive protein (CRP). COFs with large specific surface area, good conductivity and stability were employed for functionalisation of the surface. Au nanoparticles were loaded on COF-LZUl to immobilise the CRP antibody (anti-CRP) on the surface of a glassy carbon electrode. Microwave method was employed for the synthesis of the Pt/Ru/C nanoparticles to imitate the protein enzyme with high catalytic activity. The as-synthesised activated carbon-supported bimetallic Pt/Ru/C nanoparticle composite was used to label secondary CRP antibody because it exhibited excellent catalytic behaviour toward hydrogen peroxide. After incubation of CRP, Pt/Ru/C-labelled anti-CRP was combined with CRP through specific antibody-antigen recognition process. The reduction current of H202 at - 0.2 V catalysing by tag Pt/Ru/C as measured by a chronoamperometric method is proportional to the concentration of CRP. Under optimal experimental conditions, employing chronoamperometry to investigate the CRP, the obtained linear range was 0.2 to 20 ng/mL with a detection limit of 0.1 ng/mL. This immunosensor provides an attractive platform for the applicability of COF-LZU1 materials and Pt/Ru/C nanoparticles in electrochemical assays. Graphical abstract An ultrasensitive and nonenzymatic electrochemical immunoassay using covalent organic frameworks (COF-LZU1) material as the fixed matrix was developed for the detection of C-reactive protein (CRP). Microwave method was employed to synthesis the bimetallic metal composites Pt/Ru/C nanoparticles, which exhibited excellent catalytic behavior toward small molecules H2O2. COFs with large specific surface area, good conductivity and stability were employed for surface functionalization. Our proposed biosensor is highly sensitive, with the detection limit of 0.1 ng/mL.

Evaluation of the feasibility of short-term electrodialysis for separating naturally occurring fluoride from instant brick tea infusion.

BACKGROUND: Removing excessive naturally occurring fluoride from tea and/or infusions is difficult because the process has low efficiency and causes secondary pollution. In this study, a novel electrodialysis (ED) technology was developed. We examined the effect of crucial parameters (electrolyte concentration, operation voltage, ED duration and initial concentration of the tea infusion) on defluoridation performance using a highly efficient ion-exchange membrane with five-compartment cells. RESULTS: The most effective ED system results were obtained at an electrolyte concentration of 10 g kg-1 and operating voltage of 20 V. Moreover, the fluoride removal capacity (10.70-66.93%) was highly dependent on the ED duration (1-15 min) and initial concentration of the tea infusion (0.5-10 g kg-1 ). The longer the ED duration and the lower the initial concentration, the higher was the defluoridation performance. During ED, limited loss of the main inclusions (total polyphenols, catechins, caffeine and selected ions) was observed. Furthermore, the D201 anion resin-filled ED stack (0.5-5 g) and improvement of concentrate compartment electrolyte (≥5 times the dilute compartment electrolyte) in the ED system enhanced the defluoridation rate significantly. CONCLUSION: ED is a potentially effective method that can be used for defluoridation in the deep processing of tea products. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Peptide-free Synthetic Nicotine Vaccine Candidates with α-Galactosylceramide as Adjuvant.

Peptides are generally needed as T-helper epitopes in nicotine vaccines to induce effective antibody responses, but the highly polymorphic property of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules may limit opportunities of B cell to receive CD4+ T-cell help. Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells recognize lipid antigens presented by the nonpolymorphic CD1d molecule that is conserved in mammals to a great extent. iNKT cells also display some similar functions to conventional CD4+ T-helper cells, especially they license dendritic cells stimulate antibody isotype switching by B cells. Herein, α-galactosylceramide (αGalCer), a classical iNKT cell agonist, serves as an adjuvant in synthetic nicotine vaccine candidates absent of peptide or protein. Our study reveals that αGalCer displays better adjuvant activity than Pam3CSK4 (a commonly used lipopeptide TLR agonist). Remarkably, the covalent linker between the nicotine hapten and αGalCer is not critical. Self-assembly of the lipid-tailed nicotine and αGalCer into the liposome represents a structurally simple but immunologically effective way to develop nicotine vaccines. This is the first time to introduce the iNKT cell agonist as an adjuvant to an antidrug vaccine. This discovery may contribute to improving the efficacy of clinical candidate nicotine vaccines in the future.

Using stable isotope signatures to delineate the geographic point-of-origin of Keemun black tea.

BACKGROUND: Confirmation of food labeling that claims production in a small geographic region is critical to traceability, quality control and brand protection. In the current study, isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) was used to generate profiles of δ13 C and δ15 N to determine if the stable isotope signatures of Keemun black tea differ within the three counties that claim production. Other factors (cultivar type, leaf maturity and manufacturing process) were considered for their potential effects. RESULTS: Both cultivar type and leaf maturity have remarkable impact on the δ15 N values of tea leaves, and that the cultivar influenced the δ13 C values. Keemun black tea from Qimen county could be easily discriminated from samples from Dongzhi and Guichi counties based on δ15 N signatures. The k-NN model was cross-validated with an accuracy of 91.6%. Environmental factors and/or genotype seem to be the major reasons for δ15 N differences in Keemun black tea from the selected regions. CONCLUSION: This article provides a potential effective method to delineate the geographic point-of-origin of Keemun black tea based on δ15 N signatures. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

EMP2 re-expression inhibits growth and enhances radiosensitivity in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Although radiation therapy is the primary treatment for nasopharyngeal carcinoma, radioresistance remains a major obstacle to successful treatment in many cases, and the exact underlying molecular mechanisms are still ill-defined. EMP2, epithelial membrane protein-2, was a recently identified potential oncogene involved in multiple biological processes including cell migration and cell proliferation. This study was to explore the potential relationship between EMP2 expression, nasopharyngeal carcinoma genesis, and radioresistance. EMP2 expression status in 98 nasopharyngeal carcinoma clinical samples was examined by immunohistochemical staining. As a result, most of the nasopharyngeal carcinoma tumor samples were weakly or negatively stained, while paired adjacent normal tissues were moderately or strongly stained. Moreover, patients with higher expression of EMP2 had significant longer survival times. EMP2 re-expression suppresses cell growth, induces S-phase cell cycle arrest, and promotes radiosensitivity and apoptosis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells. These results support that loss of EMP2 is common, and its re-expression may serve as an approach to enhance radiation sensitivity in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Analysis of Fusarium graminearum Species Complex from Wheat-Maize Rotation Regions in Henan (China).

Fusarium head blight (FHB) and maize stalk rot (MSR), caused by members of the Fusarium graminearum species complex (FGSC), are among the most destructive and economically important diseases in the world. Species identity and the trichothecene chemotype of 312 members of the FGSC from diseased wheat spikes and maize stalks in Henan was determined using phylogenetic analyses and a polymerase chain reaction trichothecene chemotype assay. F. graminearum sensu stricto accounted for more than 93% of the FGSC isolates associated with FHB (N = 168) and MSR (N = 130). The remaining isolates were F. asiaticum. Significant differences were found in the frequencies of the two species within the hosts (P < 0.01). However, the frequencies of the same species in FHB and MSR were similar (P > 0.05) for wheat and maize isolates, indicating that the composition of the FGSC with respect to wheat and maize in these fields varied little. The 15-acetyl-deoxynivalenol (15-ADON) trichothecene chemotype represented 92.7 and 98.5% of isolates from wheat (N = 167) and maize (N = 130), respectively. However, the 3-acetyl-deoxynivalenol chemotype was found in 6.7% of wheat isolates, and the nivalenol chemotype in 1.5% of MSR isolates and in 0.6% of FHB isolates. Mycelial growth at different concentrations of carbendazim and difenoconazole did not differ between F. graminearum sensu stricto and F. asiaticum. These results suggest that the 15-ADON chemotype of F. graminearum sensu stricto is the predominant pathogen that causes wheat- and maize-related diseases in this region. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license .

Transcriptome sequencing and metabolite analysis for revealing the blue flower formation in waterlily.

BACKGROUND: Waterlily (Nymphaea spp.), a perennial herbaceous aquatic plant, is divided into two ecological groups: hardy waterlily and tropical waterlily. Although the hardy waterlily has no attractive blue flower cultivar, its adaptability is stronger than tropical waterlily because it can survive a cold winter. Thus, breeding hardy waterlily with real blue flowers has become an important target for breeders. Molecular breeding may be a useful way. However, molecular studies on waterlily are limited due to the lack of sequence data. RESULTS: In this study, six cDNA libraries generated from the petals of two different coloring stages of blue tropical waterlily cultivar Nymphaea 'King of Siam' were sequenced using the Illumina HiSeq™ 2500 platform. Each library produced no less than 5.65 Gb clean reads. Subsequently, de novo assembly generated 112,485 unigenes, including 26,206 unigenes annotated to seven public protein databases. Then, 127 unigenes could be identified as putative homologues of color-related genes in other species, including 28 up-regulated and 5 down-regulated unigenes. In petals, 16 flavonoids (4 anthocyanins and 12 flavonols) were detected in different contents during the color development due to the different expression levels of color-related genes, and four flavonols were detected in waterlily for the first time. Furthermore, UA3GTs were selected as the most important candidates involved in the flavonoid metabolic pathway, UA3GTs induced blue petal color formation in Nymphaea 'King of Siam'. CONCLUSIONS: This study will improve our understanding of the molecular mechanism of blue flowers in waterlily and provide the basis for molecular breeding of blue hardy waterlily cultivars.

Metal-Organic Framework Nanomaterials as Novel Signal Probes for Electron Transfer Mediated Ultrasensitive Electrochemical Immunoassay.

A novel and simple electrochemical immunoassay for C-reactive protein was developed using metal-organic frameworks (Au-MOFs) as signal unit. In this study, we found MOFs could be used as signal probe. And this new class of signal probe differs from traditional probe. The signal of the copper ions (Cu2+) from MOFs could be directly detected without acid dissolution and preconcentration, which would greatly simplify the detection steps and reduce the detection time. Moreover, MOFs contain large amounts of Cu2+ ions, providing high electrochemical signals. Our report represents the first example of using MOFs themselves as electrochemical signal probe for biosensors. Platinum nanoparticle modified covalent organic frameworks (Pt-COFs) with high electronic conductivity was employed as the substrate, which is the first time demonstrating the use of Pt-COFs for electrochemical immunoassay. Under the optimized experimental conditions, the proposed sensing strategy provides a linear dynamic ranging from 1 to 400 ng/mL. A detection limit of 0.2 ng/mL was obtained, indicating an improved analytical performance. With these merits, this stable, simple, low-cost, sensitive and selective electrochemical immunoassay shows promise for applications in the point-of-care diagnostics of dieses and environmental monitoring.

Two New Oleanane-Type Saponins with Anti-Proliferative Activity from Camellia oleifera Abel. Seed Cake.

Two new oleanane-type saponins, named oleiferasaponins C4 (1) and C5 (2), were isolated from Camellia oleifera Abel. seed cake residue. Their respective structures were identified as 16α-hydroxy-22α-O-angeloyl-23α-aldehyde-28-dihydroxymethylene-olean-12-ene-3ß-O-[ß-d-galacto-pyranosyl-(1→2)]-[ß-d-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)-ß-d-galactopyranosy-(1→3)]-ß-d-glucopyranosid-uronic acid methyl ester (1) and 16α-hydroxy-22α-O-angeloyl-23α-aldehyde-28-dihydroxy-methylene-olean-12-ene-3ß-O-[ß-d-galactopyranosyl-(1→2)]-[ß-d-galactopyranosyl-(1→3)]-ß-d-glucopyranosiduronic acid methyl ester (2) through 1D- and 2D-NMR, HR-ESI-MS, and GC-MS spectroscopic methods. The two compounds exhibited potent cytotoxic activities against five human tumor cell lines (BEL-7402, BGC-823, MCF-7, HL-60 and KB).

[Effect of Postpartum Depression on Adolescent Depression of Mice Offspring].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of postpartum depression (PPD) on adolescent depression of mice offspring. METHODS: Totally 48 Balb/c female mice were equally randomized into control group and stress group. Control group was not given any stress, whereas stress group were given chronic stress: constraining (6 h/d) combined with light stimulation for 24 hours (twice a week). The stress group was divided into 3 groups to measue the animals' behaviors immediately after modeling, three weeks after modeling, and three weeks after delivery to test whether the PPD models were successfully constructed. The first generation (F1) of normal mothers and PPD-born F1 were as follows: control group (CTL-F1) and PPD offspring group (PPD-F1). The 3-4-week-old male CTL-F1 and PPD-F1 mice (n=8 each) were weighed, and received sucrose preference test, forced swimming test, and novelty-supressed feeding test to measure the depression-like behaviors. RESULTS: The 3-and 4-week-old PPD-F1 had significantly lower body mass than CTL-F1 (P=0.000, P=0.002). Also, the sucrose preference significantly decreased (P=0.000), the forced swimming immobility time significantly increased (P=0.001), the latency to feed significantly increased (P=0.000), while food intake significantly decreased (P=0.005). CONCLUSION: PPD offspring may be more susceptible to depression,with a possible eary onset in adolescence.

[Use of Near-Infrared Hyperspectral Images to Differentiate Architectural Coatings with Different Qualities].

Architectural coatings sold in market fall into many categories which mean different models and qualities. The research plans to differentiate different kinds of architectural coatings in quality using hyperspectral technology. Near-Infrared hyperspectral images of four kinds of architectural coatings (in a descending quality order of brand A, B, C, and D) in same color were acquired. The optimal wavelengths were selected at 1283 and 2447 nm to differentiate the four kinds of coatings through ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) method. The band ratio index of R1283/R2447 was built and the results were segmented into the corresponding coatings, and the accuracies of segmentation were compared with that from Maximum Likely Classification (MLC). The results indicated all J-M distances are more than 1.8 except between C and D; the lowest accuracy of 87.54% in segmentation and 95.63% in MLC were both from brand D, and others' accuracies all were over 90% in both ratio index and MLC. Therefore, the ratio index R1283/R2447 could be used to distinguish different kinds of architectural coatings. Also, the research could provide support for identification, quality acceptance, as well as conformity assessment of architectural coatings.

[Simulated Experimental Research on Using Canopy Spectra of Surface Vegetation to Detect CO2 Microseepage Spots].

With the global warming, people now pay more attention to the problem of the emission of greenhouse gas (CO2). Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology is an effective measures to reduce CO2 emission. But there is a possible risk that the CO2 might leak from underground. However, there need to research and develop a technique to quickly monitor CO2 leaking spots above sequestration fields. The field experiment was performed in the Sutton Bonington campus of University of Nottingham (52. 8N, 1. 2W) from May to September in 2008. The experiment totally laid out 16 plots, grass (cv Long Ley) and beans (Vicia faba cv Clipper) were planted in eight plots, respectively. However, only four grass and bean plots were stressed by the CO2 leakage, and CO2 was always injected into the soil at a rate of 1 L x min(-1). The canopy spectra were measured using ASD instrument, and the grass was totally collected 6 times data and bean was totally collected 3 times data. This paper study the canopy spectral characteristics of grass and beans under the stress of CO2 microseepages through the field simulated experiment, and build the model to detect CO2 microseepage spots by using hyperspectral remote sensing. The results showed that the canopy spectral reflectance of grass and beans under the CO2 leakage stress increased in 580-680 nm with the stressed severity elevating, moreover, the spectral features of grass and beans had same rule during the whole experimental period. According to the canopy spectral features of two plants, a new index AREA(5800680 nm) was designed to detect the stressed vegetations. The index was tested through J-M distance, and the result suggested that the index was able to identify the center area and the core area grass under CO2 leakage stress, however, the index had a poor capability to discriminate the edge area grass from control. Then, the index had reliable and steady ability to identify beans under CO2 leakage stress. This result could provide theoretical basis and methods for detecting CO2 leakage spots using hyperspectral remote sensing in the future.

Calcium hydroxide removal in curved root canals with apical transportation In Vitro.

Calcium hydroxide (CH) is applied to improve disinfection of root canals in most root canal retreatment. This study aimed to analyze the CH removal efficacy using 7 different root preparing files (K file, pre-curved K file, EndoActivator, Ultrasonic file, pre-curved ultrasonic file, F file and needle irrigation alone) with apical transportation. Standardized models of curved canal with such apical transportation or not were set up before applying CH to root canal for 7 days. Seven techniques described above were used for its removal. Then the roots were disassembled and digital photos were taken. The ratio of residual CH in the overall canal surface was calculated using the image analyzer image pro plus 6.0. The data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA with post hoc Tukey test. Results revealed that CH was effectively removed (P<0.05) by using all 6 mechanical methods except irrigation alone. In curved root canals with apical transportation, EndoActivator, pre-curved ultrasonic file and F file were found to be more effective in removing CH than the other four file (P<0.001), while there was no significant difference among EndoActivator, pre-curved ultrasonic file and F file groups (P>0.05). The percentage of residual CH in the canal with apical transportation was higher than that in the canal without apical transportation (P<0.05). In conclusion, CH can be hardly removed completely. Canal with apical transportation will result in insufficient CH removal. EndoActivator, pre-curved ultrasonic file and F file are more effective in the curved root canal with apical transportation.