Evaluation of dental pulp repair using low level laser therapy (688 nm and 785 nm) morphologic study in capuchin monkeys

The aim of this study was to evaluate the hypothesis that low-level laser therapy (LLLT) 688 nm and 785 nm accelerate dentin barrier formation and repair process after traumatic pulp exposure. The sample consisted of 45 premolars of capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) with pulp exposure Class V cavities. All premolars were treated with calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)(2)), divided in groups of 15 teeth each, and analyzed on 7(th), 25(th), and 60(th) day. Group GI - only Ca(OH)(2), GIF- laser 688 nm, and GIII - laser 785 nm. Laser beam was used in single and punctual dose with the parameters: continuous, 688 nm and 785 nm wavelength, tip`s area of 0.00785 cm(2), power 50 mW, application time 20 s, dose 255 J/cm(2), energy 2 J. Teeth were capped with Ca(OH)(2), Ca(OH)(2) cement and restored with amalgam. All groups presented pulp repair. On 25(th) day the thickness of the formed dentin barrier was different between the groups GI and GII (p < 0.05) and between groups GI and GIII (p < 0.01). On 60(th) day there was difference between GI and GIII (p < 0.01). It may be concluded that, LLLT 688 nm and 785 nm accelerated dentin barrier formation and consequently pulp repair process, with best results using infrared laser 785 nm. (c) 2009 by Astro Ltd. Published exclusively by WLLEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA

Predicting and characterizing new molecular species at a high-level theoretical approach: HSeCl, HClSe, and SeCl

New molecular species HSeCl, HClSe, and SeCl were investigated at a high level of theory, CCSD(T), with a series of correlation consistent basis sets with extrapolation to the CBS limit. Account has been taken for valence-only and core-valence correlation effects, and of anharmonic effects on the vibrational frequencies. HSeCl is 43.25 kcal mol (1) more stable than HClSe. A barrier (Delta G(#)) of 47.20 kcal mol (1) separates these species. Internuclear distances are generally overestimated by 0.008 angstrom in the valence-only correlation calculations. Inclusion of anharmonicity leads to much improved vibrational frequencies. For SeCl, we estimate Delta H(f) (0 K) = 23.96 and Delta H(f) (298.15 K) = 24.64 kcal mol (1); for HSeCl, we had 4.20 and 4.97 kcal mol (1), respectively. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Structural and spectroscopic properties of the diazocarbene radical (CNN) and its ions CNN(+) and CNN(-): a high-level theoretical investigation

The diazocarbene radical, CNN, and the ions CNN(+) and CNN(-) were investigated at a high level of theory. Very accurate structural parameters for the states X(3)Sigma(-) and A(3)Pi of CNN, and X(2)Pi of both CNN(+) and CNN(-) were obtained with the UCCSD(T) method using correlated-consistent basis functions with extrapolations to the complete basis set limit, with valence only and also with all electrons correlated. Harmonic and anharmonic frequencies were obtained for all species and the Renner parameter and average frequencies evaluated for the Pi states. At the UCCSD(T)/CBS(T-5) level of theory, Delta(f)H(0 K) = 138.89 kcal/mol and Delta(f)H(298 K) = 139.65 kcal/mol were obtained for diazocarbene; for the ionization potential and the electron affinity of CNN, 10.969 eV (252.95 kcal/mol), and 1.743 eV (40.19 kcal/mol), respectively, are predicted. Geometry optimization was also carried out with the CASSCF/MRCI/CBS(T-5) approach for the states X(3)Sigma(-) A(3)Pi, and a(1)Delta of CNN, and with the CASSCF/MRSDCI/aug-cc-pVTZ approach for the states b(1)Sigma(+), c(1)Pi, d(1)Sigma(-), and B(3)Sigma(-), and excitation energies (T(e)) evaluated. Vertical energies were calculated for 15 electronic states, thus improving on the accuracy of the five transitions already described, and allowing for a reliable overview of a manifold of other states, which is expected to guide future spectroscopic experiments. This study corroborates the experimental assignment for the vertical transition X (3)Sigma(-) <- E (3)Pi.

Optical energy storage properties of Sr(2)MgSi(2)O(7):Eu(2+),R(3+) persistent luminescence materials

The details of the mechanism of persistent luminescence were probed by investigating the trap level structure of Sr(2)MgSi(2)O(7):Eu(2+),R(3+) materials (R: Y, La-Lu, excluding Pm and Eu) with thermoluminescence (TL) measurements and Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations. The TL results indicated that the shallowest traps for each Sr(2)MgSi(2)O(7):Eu(2+),R(3+) material above room temperature were always ca. 0.7 eV corresponding to a strong TL maximum at ca. 90 A degrees C. This main trap energy was only slightly modified by the different co-dopants, which, in contrast, had a significant effect on the depths of the deeper traps. The combined results of the trap level energies obtained from the experimental data and DFT calculations suggest that the main trap responsible for the persistent luminescence of the Sr(2)MgSi(2)O(7):Eu(2+),R(3+) materials is created by charge compensation lattice defects, identified tentatively as oxygen vacancies, induced by the R(3+) co-dopants.

New Molecular Species of Potential Interest to Atmospheric Chemistry: Isomers on the [H, S(2), Br] Potential Energy Surface

This work reports a state-of-the-art theoretical characterization of four new sulfur-bromine species and five transition states on the [H, S(2), Br] potential energy surface. Our highest level theoretical approach employed the method coupled cluster singles and doubles with perturbative contributions of connected triples, CCSD(T), along with the series of correlation-consistent basis sets and with extrapolation to the complete basis set (CBS) limit in the optimization of the geometrical parameters and to quantify the energetic quantities. The structural and vibrational frequencies here reported are unique and represent the most accurate investigation to date of these species. The global minimum corresponds to a skewed structure HSSBr with a disulfide bond; this is followed by a pyramidal-like structure, SSHBr, 18.85 kcal/mol above the minimum. Much higher in energy, we found another skewed structure, HSBrS (50.29 kcal/mol), with one S-Br dative-type bond, and another pyramidal-like one, HBrSS (109.80 kcal/mol), with two S-Br dative-type bonds. The interconversion of HSSBr into SSHBr can occur via a transfer of either the hydrogen or the bromine atom but involves a very high barrier of about 43 kcal/mol. These molecules are potentially a new route of coupling the sulfur and bromine chemistry in the atmosphere, and conditions of high concentration of H(2)S like in volcanic eruptions might contribute to their formation. We note that HSSBr can act as a reservoir molecule for the reaction between the radicals HSS and Br. Also, an assessment of the methods DFT/B3LYP/CBS and MP2/CBS relative to CCSD(T)/CBS provides insights on the expected performance of these methods on the characterization of polysulfides and also of more complex systems containing disulfide bridges.

Renewable energy education : Report from a field trip to Melbourne, Australia, and short visits to India and New Zealand During Nov/Dec 1992

During November and December 1992 I visited several groups involved with renewable energy, most of them dealing with education. These groups and their work are described briefly in this report. The groups in Melbourne, Australia have come a long way with education in this field and we have a lot to learn from them. Government funding is needed for large scale work, but useful work can still be done at the community level with much smaller budgets.

Policy instruments to improve energy efficiency in buildings

The newly adopted energy efficiency directive (2012/27/EU) highlights the importance of energy efficiency in reaching the Union’s 2020 targets. The directive commits member states to defining national energy efficiency targets (art. 3), achieving yearly energy savings of 1.5% of the annual energy sales through the energy efficiency obligation scheme (art. 7), and providing a long-term strategy for the building sector that aims at a 3% refurbishment rate for public buildings (art. 4+5). Buildings currently account for 40% of energy use in most countries, putting them among the largest end-use sectors. This report takes a closer look at the best practices for implementing increasing energy efficiency in different regions and countries in Europe. The final aim is to identify some policy tools to be suggested to the region of Dalarna (Dalarna having been chosen as the pilot county in Sweden) as a means of implementing energy efficiency in the building sector. The final objective is to give analysts and decision-makers a better analytical foundation to explore future policy development in the area of buildings to be proposed and tested at the regional level in Dalarna and later at the national level in Sweden.

Does Gibrat’s Law hold for Swedish energy firms?

Gibrat's law predicts that firm growth is purely random and should be independent of firm size. We use a random effects-random coefficient model to test whether Gibrat's law holds on average in the studied sample as well as at the individual firm level in the Swedish energy market. No study has yet investigated whether Gibrat's law holds for individual firms, previous studies having instead estimated whether the law holds on average in the samples studied. The present results support the claim that Gibrat's law is more likely to be rejected ex ante when an entire firm population is considered, but more likely to be confirmed ex post after market selection has "cleaned" the original population of firms or when the analysis treats more disaggregated data. From a theoretical perspective, the results are consistent with models based on passive and active learning, indicating a steady state in the firm expansion process and that Gibrat's law is violated in the short term but holds in the long term once firms have reached a steady state. These results indicate that approximately 70 % of firms in the Swedish energy sector are in steady state, with only random fluctuations in size around that level over the 15 studied years.

Validation of the Deardorff model for estimating energy balance components for a sugarcane crop

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

The amount of solar energy made available for the production of a sabia (Mimosa caesalpinaefolia Benth.) seed has a determinating effect on its becoming dormant

The amount of solar energy made available for the production of a sabid seed varied as a function of the time of the year, the face of the plant in which, the position in the plant on which and the position in the pod in which it was produced.Variation in solar energy availability as a consequence of the time of the year was a direct consequence of latitude. At 21degrees5'22 S the highest amounts of Global Solar Radiation (GSR) reaching the site where the experiment was conducted took place during the months from November through February. During these months there were no marked differences between any two of the amounts of GSR reaching faces North (N), South (S), West (W) East (E). From February through November (period during which the sabid plants of this study flowered and the resulting seeds matured and were harvested) the total GSR's were the lowest and marked differences were found between faces N and S, with face N receiving much more GSR than face S. During that period, faces W and E received practically the same amount of GSR and it was much less than that received by face N and much more than the one received by face S.The amount of biological energy made available for the development of a seed seemed also to vary according to a dry matter partitioning strategy by the plant -the central third of the plant seemed to be the one receiving the highest amounts of energy, followed either by the upper or the lower third of the plant- it was not very clear which third of the plant immediately followed the central one. The partitioning of biological energy at the pod level also seemed to follow a strategy by which the central seeds would be the ones to receive more, followed by the proximal seeds and these by the distal ones.This availability of energy seemed to have a direct effect on seed size, weight and on the percentage of seeds which showed a degree of dormancy deep enough to prevent their germinating under the conditions of a standard germination test.The implications of these results for the improvement of methods for the overcoming of dormancy of sabia seeds are discussed.

Energy expenditure during daily activities as measured by two motion sensors in patients with COPD

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Influence of visual information on optimal obstacle crossing

Human motion seems to be guided by some optimal principles. In general, it is assumed that human walking is generated with minimal energy consumption. However, in the presence of disturbances during gait, there is a trade-off between stability (avoiding a fall) and energy-consumption. This work analyses the obstacle-crossing with the leading foot. It was hypothesized that energy-saving mechanisms during obstacle-crossing are modulated by the requirement to avoid a fall using the available sensory information, particularly, by vision. A total of fourteen subjects, seven with no visual impairment and seven blind, walked along a 5 meter flat pathway with an obstacle of 0.26 m height located at 3 m from the starting point. The seven subjects with normal vision crossed the obstacle successfully 30 times in two conditions: blindfolded and with normal vision. The seven blind subjects did the same 30 times. The motion of the leading limb was recorded by video at 60 Hz. There were markers placed on the subject's hip, knee, ankle, rear foot, and forefoot. The motion data were filtered with a fourth order Butterworth filter with a cut-off frequency of 4 Hz. The following variables were calculated: horizontal distance between the leading foot and the obstacle at toe-off prior to (DHPO) and after (DHOP) crossing, minimal vertical height from the foot to the obstacle (DVPO), average step velocity (VELOm). The segmental energies were also calculated and the work consumed by the leading limb during the crossing obstacle was computed for each trial. A statistical analysis repeated-measures ANOVA was conducted on these dependent variables revealing significant differences between the vision and non-vision conditions in healthy subjects. In addition, there were no significant differences between the blind and people with vision blindfolded. These results indicate that vision is crucial to determine the optimal trade-off between energy consumption and avoiding a trip during obstacle crossing.

Effect of pH of colloidal suspension on crystallization and activation energy of deep levels in SnO2 thin films obtained via sol-gel

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Evaluation of Bulk and Surfaces Absorption Edge Energy of Sol-Gel-Dip-Coating SnO2 Thin Films

The absorption edge and the bandgap transition of sol-gel-dip-coating SnO2 thin films, deposited on quartz substrates, are evaluated from optical absorption data and temperature dependent photoconductivity spectra. Structural properties of these films help the interpretation of bandgap transition nature, since the obtained nanosized dimensions of crystallites are determinant on dominant growth direction and, thus, absorption energy. Electronic properties of the bulk and (110) and (101) surfaces are also presented, calculated by means of density functional theory applied to periodic calculations at B3LYP hybrid functional level. Experimentally obtained absorption edge is compared to the calculated energy band diagrams of bulk and (110) and (101) surfaces. The overall calculated electronic properties in conjunction with structural and electro-optical experimental data suggest that the nature of the bandgap transition is related to a combined effect of bulk and (101) surface, which presents direct bandgap transition.

Theoretical analysis of the energy levels induced by oxygen vacancies and the doping process (Co, Cu and Zn) on SnO2 (110) surface models

Density functional calculation at B3LYP level was employed to study the surface oxygen vacancies and the doping process of Co, Cu and Zn on SnO2 (110) surface models. Large clusters, based on (SnO2)(15) models, were selected to simulate the oxidized (Sn15O30), half-reduced (Sn15O29) and the reduced (Sn15O28) surfaces. The doping process was considered on the reduced surfaces: Sn13Co2O28, Sn13Cu2O28 and Sn13Zn2O28. The results are analyzed and discussed based on a calculation of the energy levels along the bulk band gap region, determined by a projection of the monoelectron level structure on to the atomic basis set and by the density of states. This procedure enables one to distinguish the states coming from the bulk, the oxygen vacancies and the doping process, on passing from an oxidized to a reduced surface, missing bridge oxygen atoms generate electronic levels along the band gap region, associated with 5s/5p of four-/five-fold Sn and 2p of in-plane O centers located on the exposed surface, which is in agreement with previous theoretical and experimental investigations. The formation energy of one and two oxygen vacancies is 3.0 and 3.9 eV, respectively. (C) 2001 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.