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Soil erosion, considered a major environmental and social problem, leads to the loss of soil nutrients and the degradation of soil structure and impacts plant growth. However, data on the effects of land use changes caused by vegetation restoration on soil nutrients and erodibility for different slope aspects are limited. This study was conducted to detect the response of soil nutrients and erodibility to slope aspect in a typical watershed in the northern agro-pastoral ecotone in China. The following indexes were used to determine the improvement in soil nutrients and erodibility through a weighted summation method: the comprehensive soil nutrient index and the comprehensive soil erodibility index. The results showed that the vegetation types with the highest comprehensive soil quality index (CSQI) values on western, northern, southern, and eastern slopes were Pinus sylvestris and Astragalus melilotoides (1.45), Caragana korshinskii and Capillipedium parviflorum (2.35), Astragalus melilotoides (4.78), and Caragana korshinskii and Lespedeza bicolor (5.00), respectively. Slope aspect had a significant effect on understory vegetation characteristics, soil nutrients, and soil erodibility. Understory vegetation and soil characteristics explained 50.86 %–74.56 % of the total variance in soil nutrients and the erodibility. Mean weight diameter and total phosphorus were the main factors that affected the CSQI for different slope aspects. Our study suggests that the combinations of species, such as C. korshinskii and L. bicolor, were the optimal selection to improve soil nutrients and soil erodibility for any slope aspect.

Orthodontic therapy is becoming a mainstay for the correction of esthetic and functional disturbances in both young and older adults. Orthodontic forces act on the periodontium and can have wide-ranging effects, from beneficial to harmful, from being a hindrance to oral hygiene maintenance to causing irreversible periodontal breakdown. In some patients, the presence of periodontal conditions like gingival recession, before start of orthodontic therapy, raises many questions. Much controversy and confusion exist regarding the need for periodontal therapy, its sequencing, especially in case of recession in a young patient who needs orthodontic therapy. An interactive, interdisciplinary approach is essential in such cases for success. This case report illustrates the interdisciplinary management of a young patient with gingival recession with an eight-year follow-up of the case.

The demand for high-intensity lasers has grown ever since the invention of lasers in 1960, owing to their applications in the fields of inertial confinement fusion, plasma-based relativistic particle accelerators, complex X-ray and gamma-ray sources, and laboratory astrophysics. To create such high-intensity lasers, free-running lasers were either Q-switched or mode-locked to increase the peak power to the gigawatt range. Later, chirped pulse amplification was developed, allowing the generation of peak power up to 1012 W. However, the next generation of high-intensity lasers might not be able to be driven by the solid-state technology alone as they are already operating close to their damage thresholds. In this scenario, concepts of amplification based on plasmas has the potential to revolutionize the laser industry, as plasma is already a broken-down medium, and hence does not pose any problems related to the damage thresholds. On the other hand, there are many other aspects that need to be addressed before developing technologies based on plasma-based amplification, and they are being investigated via theoretical and numerical methods and supported by several experiments. In this report, we review the prospects of employing plasma as the medium of amplification by utilising stimulated scattering techniques, such as the stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) and stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) techniques, to modulate high-power laser pulses, which would possibly be the key to the next generation of high-power lasers. The 1980s saw the commencement of research in this field, and possibilities of obtaining high peak powers were verified theoretically with the help of numerical calculations and simulations. The extent of amplification by these stimulated scattering schemes are limited by a number of instabilities such as forward Raman scattering (FRS), filamentation, etc., and here, magnetised plasma played an important role in counteracting these parasitic effects. The current research combines all these factors to experimentally realise a large-scale plasma-based amplifier, which can impact the high-energy laser industry in the near future.

In this work, a commercially available water treatment polymer poly(N,N-diallyl-N,N-dimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC) and a hydrophobically modified polymer (HMP) designed to adhere to bubble surfaces were applied for the first time in the novel Posi-dissolved air flotation process (PosiDAF) that uses polymer-modified bubbles, at pilot-scale for the treatment of waste stabilisation pond samples rich in algae. It was found that PDADMAC in PosiDAF gave comparable removal to that achieved using conventional DAF at >95% cell separation. Furthermore, the float layer was more uniform and thicker with up to 8% solid contents compared to conventional DAF, which comprised discrete floc clusters with an average solid concentration of ∼4.1%. In contrast to the use of PDADMAC, the application of the HMP did not achieve similarly good separation at pilot scale. It was hypothesised that this may be due to the micellisation of the HMP on the bubble surface, creating unstable bubbles that coalesced and prevented polymer–bubble–cell interactions, which are crucial for effective cell separation. On comparison of the costs of PosiDAF and conventional DAF, it was found that PosiDAF resulted in cost-savings of up to 74% due to low chemical consumption. In summary, PosiDAF reduced chemical cost and increased solid contents in the metal-free float. HIGHLIGHTS Effective translation of PosiDAF from laboratory to pilot-scale is achieved.; PosiDAF float layer is structurally coherent compared to the conventional DAF float layer.; Compared to conventional DAF, PosiDAF can reduce 74% costs due to low chemical use.;

The stability of calcium alginate beads for microalgae immobilization in wastewater treatment has been a concern due to the potential exchange of Ca2+ ions from the bead surface with the environment. To overcome this constraint, adding biopolymers might improve the properties of alginate gel. The purpose of the study is to immobilize Chlorella vulgaris in blends of sodium alginate with carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) or pectin in different concentrations (1%, 1.5%, and 2%) to evaluate the microalgae growth and nutrient removal from culture media. The microalgae growth was assessed by cell counting and chlorophyll content using a fluorescent excitation–emission matrix. Nutrient removal was conducted by measuring the phosphate and nitrate concentration using ion chromatography. The characterization of beads, such as size, shrinkage degree, swelling ratio, water content, and dry weight, was also investigated. Compared to alginate-only beads, the results present better performance for cell growth and, similarly, for removing nutrients in the presence of pectin and CMC blends. Microalgae in alginate with 1.0% of pectin grew 26% more than in alginate-only beads on day 8. The blends with CMC showed faster removal of nutrients compared to pectin blends and alginate-only in only 3 days. For phosphate, the highest removal was by immobilized microalgae of 95% for 2.0% of CMC and 86% for 2.0% of pectin. For nitrate, the immobilized microalgae removed 100% in 1.0% and 1.5% of CMC and 98% in 1.0% of pectin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peripheral ossifying fibroma (POF) is the most common reactive gingival lesion. The cause and pathology are well understood. Peripheral giant cell granuloma, pyogenic granuloma, fibroma, and peripheral fibroma are among the differential diagnoses. The confirmed diagnosis for POF is based on histopathological evidence. A healthy 49-year-old man with fibrous swelling in the lower left anterior region of his jaw is discussed in this case report. Excisional biopsy was performed utilizing a diode laser in pulse mode at 980 nm. The patient was monitored for a year, and there was no recurrence.

The ability to mentally represent future events is a significant human psychological achievement. A challenge that people encounter is that they often lack detailed specifics about distant relative to near future events. Construal level theory proposes that people represent distant future events by their abstract and essential features-a process referred to as high-level construal. As events become temporally proximal, people represent events by their increasingly available and reliable concrete and idiosyncratic features-a process referred to as low-level construal. The present fMRI experiment provides direct neural evidence for these assertions. Using the why-how localizer as a measure of construal level, results revealed brain regions associated with both temporal distance and high-level construal (medial prefrontal cortex), as well as temporal proximity and low-level construal (precuneus). We discuss the implications of these findings for the neuroscience of mental time travel and cognitive representation.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of direct and indirect composite resin restorations placed in posterior teeth after 2 years. Materials and Methods: A total of 60 teeth were restored with a direct composite resin (BRILLIANT EverGlowTM– Coltene) and an indirect composite resin (CeramageTM– Shofu). All restorations were assessed using the Modified United States Public Health Service criteria at baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, and 24 months after placement. Statistical analysis was performed with Chi-Square test and Cochran's Q test. Results: At the 2-year evaluation, all restorations were retained, with Alpha ratings at 100%. Only two teeth (in the direct restoration group) required endodontic intervention after 18 months due to secondary caries. Surface texture, marginal discoloration, and marginal integrity were predominantly scored as Alpha after 2 years for both groups. Color match was scored as Alpha in 65.4% of direct restorations and 84.4% of indirect restorations. Conclusion: Within the limitations of this study it can be concluded that the clinical performance of the indirect restorations was much improved than that of direct restorations.

Background: The association between preganancy and poor oral health and its effects on preterm low birth infants are well documented in scientific literature. A pilot study was conducted with 160 pregnant women in the year 2016 showed that oral hygiene awareness among pregnant women was least among those who did not complete basic school education. This was the motive to conduct the present survey. Aims and Objectives: The Aim of this survey is to determine the knowledge and awareness on oral hygiene practices and to evaluate the role of education status on awareness of poor oral health and pregnancy outcomes among 500 pregnant women in Chennai city, Tamil Nadu, using self-tested questionnaire. Materials and Methods: A Descriptive cross sectional study was conducted among 500 pregnant women attending maternity clinics in Chennai using Self administered questionnaire. Results: Among 500 participants majority of them 72% of school educated never visited dentist. Only 6.2% of Undergraduate women was referred by gynecologist for dental check up during pregnancy. 31.3% of school educated felt that first trimester was safe to undergo dental treatment with p=0.000. Conclusion: This survey showed that level of education played a significant role in awareness about oral hygiene among pregnant women.

The realization of compact X-ray sources is one of the most intriguing applications of laser-plasma based electron acceleration. These sources based on the oscillation of short micron-sized bunches of relativistic electrons provide femtosecond X-ray pulses that are collimated, bright, and partially coherent. The state-of-the-art laser plasma X-ray sources can provide photon flux of over 1011 photons/shot. The photon flux can further be enhanced with the availability of high repetition rate, high-power lasers, providing capacities complementary to the large scale facilities such as synchrotrons and X-ray free-electron lasers. Even though the optimization of such sources has been underway for the last two decades, their applications in material and biological sciences are still emerging, which entail the necessity of a user-oriented X-ray beamlines. Based on this concept, a high-power-laser-based user-oriented X-ray source is being developed at ELI Beamlines. This article reports on the ELI Gammatron beamline and presents an overview of the research accessible with the ultrashort hard X-ray pulses at the ELI Gammatron beamline.

The DNA helicase RECQL4 is known for its roles in DNA replication and repair. RECQL4 mutations cause several genetic disorders including Rothmund-Thomson syndrome (RTS), characterized by developmental defects and predisposition to osteosarcoma. Here we reprogrammed fibroblasts with a heterozygous RECQL4 mutation (c.1878 + 32_1878 + 55del24) to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). These iPSCs are pluripotent and are able to be differentiated into all three germ layers, providing a novel tool to further interrogate the role of RECQL4 DNA helicase in vitro.

Three dimensional meta surface lens is proposed to improve the gain and beam shaping of horn antenna. Hence an array of SRR as a meta surface lens has been designed, fabricated and investigated. This meta surface lens can be used to convert the spherical wave to plane wave for a wide range of frequency. It is proved by permeability and permittivity of meta surface. In this work the operating bandwidth of the proposed antenna is in the range of 9GHz to 11GHz for satellite application. The radiation pattern of E and H plane is sharpened in this work. The antenna 3dB beam width, and front to back ratio were 9.2, 28dB at 10GHz. The radiation characteristics of horn antenna with meta surface have been studied numerically and confirmed experimentally, showing an average gain improvement of ~3dB with respect to horn antenna without meta surface lens.

Genetic mutations in TP53 contribute to multiple human cancers. Here we report the generation of a H1-p53(R248W/R248W) human embryonic stem cell line harboring a homozygous TP53 R248W mutation created by TALEN-mediated precise gene editing. The H1-p53(R248W/R248W) cell line maintains a normal karyotype, robust pluripotency gene expression, and the potential to differentiate to the three germ layers.

The tumor suppressor gene TP53 is the most frequently mutated gene in human cancers. Many hot-spot mutations of TP53 confer novel functions not found in wild-type p53 and contribute to tumor development and progression. We report on the generation of a H1 human embryonic stem cell line carrying a homozygous TP53 R282W mutation using TALEN-mediated genome editing. The generated cell line demonstrates normal karyotype, maintains a pluripotent state, and is capable of generating a teratoma in vivo containing tissues from all three germ layers.

A series of complex post-build heat treatment procedures are usually inevitable for selective laser melted (SLMed) Al-Si-Mg alloys, aiming to remove significant process-induced residual strains. In this work, we propose a new method to avoid the post-build heat treatment without compromising the mechanical properties in SLMed Al alloy A357. By heating up the build platform (up to 90 °C) during SLM fabrication or applying post heat treatment after SLM, the evolution of microstructure and mechanical properties for Al-7Si-0.6Mg alloy are compared at different conditions. Characterisations using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and hardness tests suggest heating up the build platform is more effective in alleviating residual strain and resulting in uniform precipitates in the Al matrix. Tensile properties imply that SLMed A357 fabricated with a heated substrate possesses improved mechanical properties compared to SLMed A357 build on room temperature platforms and even with post-build heat treatment. Keywords: Selective laser melting, Al-Si-Mg alloys, Heat treatment, Residual strains, Mechanical properties