Applications of Raman spectroscopy in dentistry part II: Soft tissue analysis

Raman spectroscopy is rapidly moving from an experimental technique for the analysis of biological molecules to a tool for the real-time clinical diagnosis and in situ evaluation of the oral tissue in medical and dental research. The purpose of this study is to identify various applications of Raman spectroscopy, to evaluate the contemporary status, and to explore future directions in the field of dentistry. Several in-depth applications are presented to illustrate Raman spectroscopy in early diagnosis of soft tissue abnormalities. Raman spectroscopy allows researchers to analyze histological and biochemical composition of biological tissues. The technique not only demonstrates its role in the disclosure of dysplasia and malignancy, but also in performing guided biopsies, diagnosing sialoliths, and assessment of surgical margins. Raman spectroscopy is used to identify the molecular structures and their components to give substantial information about the chemical structure properties of these molecules. In this article, we acquaint the utilization of Raman spectroscopy in analyzing the soft tissues in relation to dentistry.     

A Microporous Metal-Organic Framework with Unique Aromatic Pore Surfaces for High Performance C2H6/C2H4 Separation

Developing adsorptive separation processes based on C₂H₆-selective sorbents to replace energy-intensive cryogenic distillation is a promising alternative for C₂H₄ purification from C₂H₄/C₂H₆ mixtures, which however remains challenging. During our studies on two isostructural metal–organic frameworks ( Ni-MOF 1 and Ni-MOF 2 ), we found that Ni-MOF 2 exhibited significantly higher performance for C₂H₆/C₂H₄ separation than Ni-MOF-1 , as clearly established by gas sorption isotherms and breakthrough experiments. Density-Functional Theory (DFT) studies showed that the unblocked unique aromatic pore surfaces within Ni-MOF 2 induce more and stronger C−H⋅⋅⋅π with C₂H₆ over C₂H₄ while the suitable pore spaces enforce its high C₂H₆ uptake capacity, featuring Ni-MOF 2 as one of the best porous materials for this very important gas separation. It generates 12 L kg⁻¹ of polymer-grade C₂H₄ product from equimolar C₂H₆/C₂H₄ mixtures at ambient conditions.     

A Targeted Review of Current Progress,Challenges and Future Perspective of g-C3N4 based Hybrid Photocatalyst Toward Multidimensional Applications

The increasing demand for searching highly efficient and robust technologies in the context of sustainable energy production totally rely onto the cost-effective energy efficient production technologies. Solar power technology in this regard will perceived to be extensively employed in a variety of ways in the future ahead, in terms of the combustion of petroleum-based pollutants, CO₂ reduction, heterogeneous photocatalysis, as well as the formation of unlimited and sustainable hydrogen gas production. Semiconductor-based photocatalysis is regarded as potentially sustainable solution in this context. g-C₃N₄ is classified as non-metallic semiconductor to overcome this energy demand and enviromental challenges, because of its superior electronic configuration, which has a median band energy of around 2.7 eV, strong photocatalytic stability, and higher light performance. The photocatalytic performance of g-C₃N₄ is perceived to be inadequate, owing to its small surface area along with high rate of charge recombination. However, various synthetic strategies were applied in order to incorporate g-C₃N₄ with different guest materials to increase photocatalytic performance. After these fabrication approaches, the photocatalytic activity was enhanced owing to generation of photoinduced electrons and holes, by improving light absorption ability, and boosting surface area, which provides more space for photocatalytic reaction. In this review, various metals, non-metals, metals oxide, sulfides, and ferrites have been integrated with g-C₃N₄ to form mono, bimetallic, heterojunction, Z-scheme, and S-scheme-based materials for boosting performance. Also, different varieties of g-C₃N₄ were utilized for different aspects of photocatalytic application i. e., water reduction, water oxidation, CO₂ reduction, and photodegradation of dye pollutants, etc. As a consequence, we have assembled a summary of the latest g-C₃N₄ based materials, their uses in solar energy adaption, and proper management of the environment. This research will further well explain the detail of the mechanism of all these photocatalytic processes for the next steps, as well as the age number of new insights in order to overcome the current challenges.     

Zinc oxide: A case study in contemporary computational solid state chemistry

Computational techniques have been applied to study a broad range of chemical and physical properties of zinc oxide. Both interatomic-potential and density functional theory methods are used to investigate structural, thermodynamic, surface, and defect properties. We survey the structures and energies of nano-particulate zinc oxide.     

PHOTOCHROMIC PROPERTIES OF (E)-DICYCLOPROPYLMETHYLENE-(2,5-DIMETHYL-3-FURYLETHYLIDENE)-SUCCINIC ANHYDRIDE DOPED IN POLYSTYRENE THIN FILMS

Fulgide 1-E doped in polystyrene polymer films was heated at various annealing temperatures.Upon irradiation with UV light(366 nm),fulgide 1-E undergoes a conrotatory ring closure to the pink colored closed form 1-C.The later color was switched back to the original color when the films were irradiated with white light.The kinetics of photocoloration and photobleaching processes were followed spectrophotometrically by monitoring the absorbance of the ring closed product 1-C at itsλ_(max) of 525 nm.The fir...     

An Inhibitive Determination Method for Heavy Metals Using Bromelain,A Cysteine Protease

A heavy-metal assay has been developed using bromelain, a protease. The enzyme is assayed using casein as a substrate with Coomassie dye to track completion of hydrolysis of casein. In the absence of inhibitors, casein is hydrolysed to completion, and the solution is brown. In the presence of metal ions such as Hg²⁺ and Cu²⁺, the hydrolysis of casein is inhibited, and the solution remains blue. Exclusion of sulfhydryl protective agent and ethylenediaminetetraacetic in the original assay improved sensitivity to heavy metals several fold. The assay is sensitive to Hg²⁺ and Cu²⁺, exhibiting a dose–response curve with an IC₅₀ of 0.15 mg l⁻¹ for Hg²⁺ and a one-phase binding curve with an IC₅₀ of 0.23 mg l⁻¹ for Cu²⁺. The IC₅₀ value for Hg²⁺ is found to be lower to several other assays such as immobilized urease and papain assay, whilst the IC₅₀ value for Cu²⁺ is lower than immobilized urease, 15-min Microtox™, and rainbow trout.     

Hexavalent Molybdenum Reduction to Molybdenum Blue by <Emphasis Type="Italic">S. Marcescens</Emphasis> Strain Dr. Y6

A molybdate-reducing bacterium has been locally isolated. The bacterium reduces molybdate or Mo⁶⁺ to molybdenum blue (molybdate oxidation states of between 5+ and 6+). Different carbon sources such as acetate, formate, glycerol, citric acid, lactose, fructose, glucose, mannitol, tartarate, maltose, sucrose, and starch were used at an initial concentration of 0.2% (w/v) in low phosphate media to study their effect on the molybdate reduction efficiency of bacterium. All of the carbon sources supported cellular growth, but only sucrose, maltose, glucose, and glycerol (in decreasing order) supported molybdate reduction after 24 h of incubation. Optimum concentration of sucrose for molybdate reduction is 1.0% (w/v) after 24 h of static incubation. Ammonium sulfate, ammonium chloride, valine, OH-proline, glutamic acid, and alanine (in the order of decreasing efficiency) supported molybdate reduction with ammonium sulfate giving the highest amount of molybdenum blue after 24 h of incubation at 0.3% (w/v). The optimum molybdate concentration that supports molybdate reduction is between 15 and 25 mM. Molybdate reduction is optimum at 35 °C. Phosphate at concentrations higher than 5 mM strongly inhibits molybdate reduction. The molybdenum blue produced from cellular reduction exhibits a unique absorption spectrum with a maximum peak at 865 nm and a shoulder at 700 nm. The isolate was tentatively identified as Serratia marcescens Strain Dr.Y6 based on carbon utilization profiles using Biolog GN plates and partial 16s rDNA molecular phylogeny.     

Synthesis of cyclopropane-annulated conduritol derivatives: norcaran-2,3,4,5-tetraoles

Norcaran-2,3,4,5-tetraoles were synthesized starting from methyl 1,3,5-cycloheptatriene-7-carboxylate in several steps. Norcaradiene endoperoxide is the key component; it was obtained by photooxygenation of methyl 1,3,5-cycloheptatriene-7-carboxylate. The other oxygen functionalities are introduced through epoxide ring opening and OsO₄-hydroxylation reactions.     

Radioactivity levels in some wild edible mushroom species in Turkey

Eleven different wild-growing edible mushroom species collected from various regions of Turkey were analysed for their content of 137Cs, 40K, 226Ra and 232Th using a high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometry. Specific activities of 226Ra and 232Th were generally below detection limits. The specific activities of 137Cs and 40K ranged from 2.4+/-0.3 to 109.0+/-7.3 Bq kg-1 with a mean of 28.4+/-27.2 Bq kg-1 (dry matter) and 715.5+/-50.1 to 1779.0+/-163.7 Bq kg-1 with a mean of 1150.8+/-315.2 Bq kg-1 (dry matter), respectively. The mean annual effective dose of 137Cs and 40K through mushrooms were estimated to be (7.0+/-6.0)x10(-3) microSv and 0.13+/-0.03 microSv, respectively. The overall intake of 137Cs is quite low and no significant contamination was found in collected mushroom species. The highest contents of 137Cs and 40K among the analysed mushrooms were in Morchella esculenta and Stropharia coronilla, respectively.     

Environmental impact assessment of post illegal mining activities in Chini Lake with regards to natural radionuclides and heavy metals in water and sediment

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - Comprehensive radiological survey and evaluation of heavy metal contamination were conducted in Chini Lake, which has been awarded a pristine...