Diagenesis of a light, tight-oil chert reservoir at the Ediacaran/Cambrian boundary, Sultanate of Oman

The Al Shomou Silicilyte Member (Athel Formation) in the South Oman Salt Basin shares many of the characteristics of a light, tight-oil (LTO) reservoir: it is a prolifi c source rock mature for light oil, it produces light oil from a very tight matrix and reservoir, and hydraulic fracking technology is required to produce the oil. What is intriguing about the Al Shomou Silicilyte, and different from other LTO reservoirs, is its position related to the Precambrian/Cambrian Boundary (PCB) and the fact that it is a ‘laminated chert‘ rather than a shale. In an integrated diagenetic study we applied microstructural analyses (SEM, BSE) combined with state-of-the-art stable isotope and trace element analysis of the silicilyte matrix and fractures. Fluid inclusion microthermometry was applied to record the salinity and minimum trapping temperatures. The microstructural investigations reveal a fi ne lamination of the silicilyte matrix with a mean lamina thickness of ca. 20 μm consisting of predominantly organic matter-rich and fi nely crystalline quartz-rich layers, respectively. Authigenic, micron-sized idiomorphic quartz crystals are the main matrix components of the silicilyte. Other diagenetic phases are pyrite, apatite, dolomite, magnesite and barite cements. Porosity values based on neutron density logs and core plug data indicate porosity in the silicilyte ranges from less than 2% to almost to 40%. The majority of the pore space in the silicilyte is related to (primary) inter-crystalline pores, with locally important oversized secondary pores. Pore casts of the silica matrix show that pores are extremely irregular in three dimensions, and are generally interconnected by a complex web or meshwork of fi ne elongate pore throats. Mercury injection capillary data are in line with the microstructural observations suggesting two populations of pore throats, with an effective average modal diameter of 0.4 μm. The acquired geochemical data support the interpretation that the primary source of the silica is the ambient seawater rather than hydrothermal or biogenic. A maximum temperature of ca. 45°C for the formation of microcrystalline quartz in the silicilyte is good evidence that the lithifi cation and crystallization of quartz occurred in the fi rst 5 Ma after deposition. Several phases of brittle fracturing and mineralization occurred in response to salt tectonics during burial. The sequences of fracture-fi lling mineral phases (dolomite - layered chalcedony – quartz – apatite - magnesite I+II - barite – halite) indicates a complex fl uid evolution after silicilyte lithifi cation. Primary, all-liquid fl uid inclusions in the fracturefi lling quartz are good evidence of growth beginning at low temperatures, i.e. ≤ 50ºC. Continuous precipitation during increasing temperature and burial is documented by primary two-phase fl uid inclusions in quartz cements that show brines at 50°C and fi rst hydrocarbons at ca. 70°C. The absolute timing of each mineral phase can be constrained based on U-Pb geochronometry, and basin modelling. Secondary fl uid inclusions in quartz, magnesite and barite indicate reactivation of the fracture system after peak burial temperature during the major cooling event, i.e. uplift, between 450 and 310 Ma. A number of fi rst-order trends in porosity and reservoir-quality distribution are observed which are strongly related to the diagenetic and fl uid history of the reservoir: the early in-situ generation of hydrocarbons and overpressure development arrests diagenesis and preserves matrix porosity. Chemical compaction by pressure dissolution in the fl ank areas could be a valid hypothesis to explain the porosity variations in the silicilitye slabs resulting in lower porosity and poorer connectivity on the fl anks of the reservoir. Most of the hydrocarbon storage and production comes from intervals characterized by Amthor et al. 114488 preserved micropores, not hydrocarbon storage in a fracture system. The absence of oil expulsion results in present-day high oil saturations. The main diagenetic modifi cations of the silicilyte occurred and were completed relatively early in its history, i.e. before 300 Ma. An instrumental factor for preserving matrix porosity is the diffi culty for a given slab to evacuate all the fl uids (water and hydrocarbons), or in other words, the very good sealing capacity of the salt embedding the slab.

Bond Strength of Resin Composite to Dentin with Different Adhesive Systems: Influence of Relative Humidity and Application Time.

PURPOSE To investigate the influence of relative humidity and application time on bond strength to dentin of different classes of adhesive systems. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 360 extracted human molars were ground to mid-coronal dentin. The dentin specimens were treated with one of six adhesive systems (Syntac Classic, OptiBond FL, Clearfil SE Bond, AdheSE, Xeno Select, or Scotchbond Universal), and resin composite (Filtek Z250) was applied to the treated dentin surface under four experimental conditions (45% relative humidity/application time according to manufacturers' instructions; 45% relative humidity/reduced application time; 85% relative humidity/application time according to manufacturers' instructions; 85% relative humidity/reduced application time). After storage (37°C, 100% humidity, 24 h), shear bond strength (SBS) was measured and data analyzed with nonparametric ANOVA followed by Kruskal-Wallis tests and Mann-Whitney U-tests with Bonferroni-Holm correction for multiple testing (level of significance: α = 0.05). RESULTS Increased relative humidity and reduced application time had no effect on SBS for Clearfil SE Bond and Scotchbond Universal (p = 1.00). For Syntac Classic, OptiBond FL, AdheSE, and Xeno Select there was no effect on SBS of reduced application time of the adhesive system (p ≥ 0.403). However, increased relative humidity significantly reduced SBS for Syntac Classic, OptiBond FL, and Xeno Select irrespective of application time (p ≤ 0.003), whereas for AdheSE, increased relative humidity significantly reduced SBS at recommended application time only (p = 0.002). CONCLUSION Generally, increased relative humidity had a detrimental effect on SBS to dentin, but reduced application time had no effect.

VEGFR2 Signaling Prevents Colorectal Cancer Cell Senescence to Promote Tumorigenesis in Mice With Colitis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Senescence prevents cellular transformation. We investigated whether vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling via its receptor, VEGFR2, regulates senescence and proliferation of tumor cells in mice with colitis-associated cancer (CAC). METHODS CAC was induced in VEGFR2(ΔIEC) mice, which do not express VEGFR2 in the intestinal epithelium, and VEGFR2(fl/fl) mice (controls) by administration of azoxymethane followed by dextran sodium sulfate. Tumor development and inflammation were determined by endoscopy. Colorectal tissues were collected for immunoblot, immunohistochemical, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction analyses. Findings from mouse tissues were confirmed in human HCT116 colorectal cancer cells. We analyzed colorectal tumor samples from patients before and after treatment with bevacizumab. RESULTS After colitis induction, VEGFR2(ΔIEC) mice developed significantly fewer tumors than control mice. A greater number of intestinal tumor cells from VEGFR2(ΔIEC) mice were in senescence than tumor cells from control mice. We found VEGFR2 to activate phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate-3-kinase and AKT, resulting in inactivation of p21 in HCT116 cells. Inhibitors of VEGFR2 and AKT induced senescence in HCT116 cells. Tumor cell senescence promoted an anti-tumor immune response by CD8(+) T cells in mice. Patients whose tumor samples showed an increase in the proportion of senescent cells after treatment with bevacizumab had longer progression-free survival than patients in which the proportion of senescent tumor cells did not change before and after treatment. CONCLUSIONS Inhibition of VEGFR2 signaling leads to senescence of human and mouse colorectal cancer cells. VEGFR2 interacts with phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate-3-kinase and AKT to inactivate p21. Colorectal tumor senescence and p21 level correlate with patient survival during treatment with bevacizumab.

Einfluss von relativer Luftfeuchtigkeit und Applikationszeit auf die Dentinhaftkraft von sechs verschiedenen Adhäsivsystemen

Einleitung und Ziel: Das Arbeiten mit Adhäsivsystemen und Kompositmaterialien ist techniksensitiv und oft auch zeitaufwändig. Adhäsivsysteme und Kompositmaterialien sind feuchtigkeitsanfällig, weswegen die Verwendung eines Kofferdams von den Herstellern empfohlen wird - nicht nur, um während des Arbeitens mit Adhäsivsystemen und Kompositmaterialien die Gefahr einer Blut- oder Speichelkontamination zu minimieren sondern auch, um die hohe relative Luftfeuchtigkeit in der Mundhöhle auf die Luftfeuchtigkeit der Umgebung zu reduzieren. Abgesehen davon bestehen viele Adhäsivsysteme aus mehreren Applikationsschritten und diese Applikationsschritte weisen jeweils von den Herstellern genau angegebene Applikationszeiten auf. Je nach Adhäsivsystem erscheinen diese Applikationszeiten relativ lang und im klinischen Alltag kann die Gefahr bestehen, dass es zu einer Reduktion der vom Hersteller angegeben Applikationszeiten kommt. Es ist sehr wahrscheinlich, dass sowohl erhöhte relative Luftfeuchtigkeit als auch reduzierte Applikationszeiten die Dentinhaftkraft von Adhäsivsystemen negativ beeinflussen. Das Ziel dieser Studie war folglich, den Einfluss von relativer Luftfeuchtigkeit und Applikationszeit auf die Dentinhaftkraft von sechs verschiedenen Adhäsivsystemen zu untersuchen. Material und Methoden: Insgesamt 360 extrahierte menschliche Molaren ohne Füllungen und/oder Karies wurden verwendet (n=15 pro Gruppe; 24 Gruppen). Die Molaren wurden gereinigt und von okklusal bis ins mittlere Zahnkronendentin plangeschliffen. Die plangeschliffenen Molaren wurden anschliessend in selbsthärtendem Kunststoff eingebettet. Danach wurden die Oberflächen des Zahnkronendentins mit einem von sechs Adhäsivsystemen behandelt und Komposit (Filtek Z250; 3M ESPE) in Form eines Zylinders appliziert. Die sechs Adhäsivsysteme umfassten: 1) Syntac Classic (Ivoclar Vivadent), 2) OptiBond FL (Kerr), 3) Clearfil SE Bond (Kuraray), 4) AdheSE (Ivoclar Vivadent), 5) Xeno Select (DENTSPLY DeTrey) sowie 6) Scotchbond Universal (3M ESPE). Die Applikation des Adhäsivsystems und des Kompositzylinders wurde unter vier experimentellen Bedingungen durchgeführt. Die vier experimentellen Bedingungen wurden in einer modifizierten Handschuhbox erstellt (Abb. 1; CSL-GB24, Cleaver Scientific, Rugby, Grossbritannien) und umfassten: a) relative Luftfeuchtigkeit der Umgebung (~45%) und Applikationszeit gemäss Herstellerangaben, b) relative Luftfeuchtigkeit der Umgebung (~45%) und reduzierte Applikationszeit, c) erhöhte relative Luftfeuchtigkeit (≥85%) und Applikationszeit gemäss Herstellerangaben sowie d) erhöhte relative Luftfeuchtigkeit (≥85%) und reduzierte Applikationszeit. Nach 24 Stunden Lagerung wurden die auf Dentin applizierten Kompositzylinder in einer Universalprüfmaschine (Abb. 2; zwicki Z1.0 TN, Zwick, Ulm, Deutschland) mittels Scherkrafttest belastet (Traversengeschwindigkeit: 1 mm/min) und so die Haftkraftwerte bestimmt. Die Haftkraftwerte wurden anschliessend mit einer nichtparametrischen Varianzanalyse statistisch analysiert, gefolgt von Kruskal-Wallis- und Mann Whitney U-Tests sowie einer Bonferroni-Holm Korrektur für multiples Testen. Das Signifikanzniveau wurde auf α = 0.05 festgelegt. Resultate: Erhöhte relative Luftfeuchtigkeit sowie reduzierte Applikationszeit hatten keinen signifikanten Einfluss auf die Haftkraft von zwei der sechs untersuchten Adhäsivsysteme (Clearfil SE Bond und Scotchbond Universal; p = 1.00). Die Haftkraft der anderen vier Adhäsivsysteme (Syntac Classic, OptiBond FL, AdheSE und Xeno Select) wurde durch eine reduzierte Applikationszeit nicht signifikant beeinflusst (p ≥ 0.403). Allerdings reduzierte eine erhöhte relative Luftfeuchtigkeit (ungeachtet der Applikationszeit) die Haftkraft von Syntac Classic, OptiBond FL und Xeno Select signifikant (p ≤ 0.003). Eine erhöhte relative Luftfeuchtigkeit reduzierte die Haftkraft von AdheSE nur dann signifikant, wenn das Adhäsivsystem mit Applikationszeit gemäss Herstellerangaben verwendet wurde (p = 0.002). Hinsichtlich Unterschiede in der Haftkraft zwischen den sechs Adhäsivsystemen zeigte sich, dass OptiBond FL und Scotchbond Universal generell (sprich ungeachtet der vier experimentellen Bedingungen) die höchste Haftkraft erzielten. Von den anderen vier Adhäsivsystemen wurde Clearfil SE Bond am wenigsten durch erhöhte relative Luftfeuchtigkeit oder reduzierte Applikationszeit beeinflusst und zeigte zwar niedrigere Haftkraftwerte im Vergleich zu OptiBond FL und Scotchbond Universal dafür aber die konstanteste Haftkraft unter allen vier experimentellen Bedingungen. Schlussfolgerung: Die Dentinhaftkraft von zwei der sechs untersuchten Adhäsivsysteme (Clearfil SE Bond und Scotchbond Universal) wurde weder durch erhöhte relative Luftfeuchtigkeit noch durch reduzierte Applikationszeiten beeinflusst. Die Haftkraft der anderen vier Adhäsivsysteme wurde vor allem durch eine erhöhte relative Luftfeuchtigkeit negativ beeinflusst, grossmehrheitlich aber nicht durch eine reduzierte Applikationszeit. Klinisch ist daher die Kontrolle und Reduktion der relativen Luftfeuchtigkeit durch die Verwendung eines Kofferdams sehr zu empfehlen. Obwohl diese Studie gezeigt hat, dass reduzierte Applikationszeiten einen weniger starken, negativen Einfluss auf die Haftkraft haben, ist es trotzdem angezeigt, die Gebrauchsanleitungen der Adhäsivsysteme zu befolgen und sich an die Herstellerangaben zu halten.

Chemical studies of elements with Z ⩾ 104 in gas phase

Chemical investigations of superheavy elements in the gas-phase, i.e. elements with Z≥104Z≥104, allow assessing the influence of relativistic effects on their chemical properties. Furthermore, for some superheavy elements and their compounds quite unique gas-phase chemical properties were predicted. The experimental verification of these properties yields supporting evidence for a firm assignment of the atomic number. Prominent examples are the high volatility observed for HsO4 or the very weak interaction of Cn with gold surfaces. The unique properties of HsO4 were exploited to discover the doubly-magic even–even nucleus 270Hs and the new isotope 271Hs. The combination of kinematic pre-separation and gas-phase chemistry allowed gaining access to a new class of relatively fragile compounds, the carbonyl complexes of elements Sg through Mt. A not yet resolved issue concerns the interaction of Fl with gold surfaces. While competing experiments agree on the fact that Fl is a volatile element, there are discrepancies concerning its adsorption on gold surfaces with respect to its daughter Cn. The elucidation of these and other questions amounts to the fascination that gas-phase chemical investigations exert on current research at the extreme limits of chemistry today.

Two pre-treatments for bonding to non-carious cervical root dentin

Purpose: To investigate the effect of airborne-particle abrasion or diamond bur preparation as pretreatment steps of non-carious cervical root dentin regarding substance loss and bond strength. Methods: 45 dentin specimens produced from crowns of extracted human incisors by grinding the labial surfaces with silicon carbide papers (control) were treated with one of three adhesive systems (Group 1A-C; A: OptiBond FL, B: Clearfil SE Bond, or C: Scotchbond Universal; n=15/adhesive system). Another 135 dentin specimens (n=15/group) produced from the labial, non-carious cervical root part of extracted human incisors were treated with one of the adhesive systems after either no pre-treatment (Group 2A-C), pre-treatment with airborne-particle abrasion (CoJet Prep and 50 µm aluminum oxide powder; Group 3A-C), or pre-treatment with diamond bur preparation (40 µm grit size; Group 4A-C). Substance loss caused by the pre-treatment was measured in Groups 3 and 4. After treatment with the adhesive systems, resin composite was applied and all specimens were stored (37°C, 100% humidity, 24 hours) until measurement of microshear bond strength (µSBS). Data were analyzed with a nonparametric ANOVA followed by Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon rank sum tests (level of significance: alpha=0.05). Results: Overall substance loss was significantly lower in Group 3 (median: 19 µm) than in Group 4 (median: 113 µm; p<0.0001). There were no significant differences in µSBS between the adhesive systems (A-C) in Group 1, Group 3, and Group 4 (p>=0.133). In Group 2, OptiBond FL (Group 2A) and Clearfil SE Bond (Group 2B) yielded significantly higher µSBS than Scotchbond Universal (Group 2C; p<=0.032). For OptiBond FL and Clearfil SE Bond, there were no significant differences in µSBS between the ground crown dentin and the non-carious cervical root dentin regardless of any pre-treatment of the latter (both p=0.661). For Scotchbond Universal, the µSBS to non-carious cervical root dentin without pre-treatment was significantly lower than to ground crown dentin and to non-carious cervical root dentin pre-treated with airborne-particle abrasion or diamond bur preparation p<=0.014).

Probabilistic Justification Logic

We present a probabilistic justification logic, PPJ, to study rational belief, degrees of belief and justifications. We establish soundness and completeness for PPJ and show that its satisfiability problem is decidable. In the last part we use PPJ to provide a solution to the lottery paradox.

The muscarinic antagonists scopolamine and atropine are competitive antagonists at 5-HT3 receptors

Scopolamine is a high affinity muscarinic antagonist that is used for the prevention of post-operative nausea and vomiting. 5-HT3 receptor antagonists are used for the same purpose and are structurally related to scopolamine. To examine whether 5-HT3 receptors are affected by scopolamine we examined the effects of this drug on the electrophysiological and ligand binding properties of 5-HT3A receptors expressed in Xenopus oocytes and HEK293 cells, respectively. 5-HT3 receptor-responses were reversibly inhibited by scopolamine with an IC50 of 2.09 μM. Competitive antagonism was shown by Schild plot (pA2 = 5.02) and by competition with the 5-HT3 receptor antagonists [3H]granisetron (Ki = 6.76 µM) and G-FL (Ki = 4.90 µM). The related molecule, atropine, similarly inhibited 5-HT evoked responses in oocytes with an IC50 of 1.74 µM, and competed with G-FL with a Ki of 7.94 µM. The reverse experiment revealed that granisetron also competitively bound to muscarinic receptors (Ki = 6.5 µM). In behavioural studies scopolamine is used to block muscarinic receptors and induce a cognitive deficit, and centrally administered concentrations can exceed the IC50 values found here. It is therefore possible that 5-HT3 receptors are also inhibited. Studies that utilise higher concentrations of scopolamine should be mindful of these potential off-target effects.