Sample temperatures during outdoor and laboratory weathering exposures

Effective exposure temperatures (T_eff) in Arizona were calculated from hourly or 10-min parsed irradiation data along with ambient, black panel, and sample temperatures. The T_eff represents a constant temperature that creates the same amount of photodegradation as the naturally varying temperature and provides a benchmark temperature for making lifetime predictions from accelerated laboratory exposures. The annual ambient and black panel T_eff at a Wittmann, Arizona site were 30 °C and 42 °C, respectively, assuming that the photodegradation has an activation energy (E_a) of 21 kJ/mol (5 kcal/mol). T_eff was only weakly dependent on E_a over the range of 10-40 kJ/mol (3-10 kcal/mol). Samples exposed as van sunroofs were found to have T_eff that were offset from the black panel temperatures by a constant amount for the entire year. Thus, measurements of sample and black panel need to be made for only a few weeks to determine the offset and give the annual sample T_eff if the annual black panel T_eff is known. Light-colored samples probably are better compared with the ambient temperatures. Sample temperatures in xenon arc exposures usually are higher than the outdoor T_eff, so Arrhenius temperature corrections need to be carried out to relate accelerated to outdoor exposures. Temperatures in xenon arc exposure tests often correspond more closely to maximum temperatures that samples might encounter for only a few hours per year.     

Characterisation of archaeological waterlogged wood by pyrolytic and mass spectrometric techniques

Two techniques based on analytical pyrolysis and mass spectrometry, direct exposure-MS (DE-MS) and pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS), were used to characterise waterlogged archaeological wood and to study degradation patterns of wood in aqueous environments. The two techniques were applied to samples from the excavation of the Site of the Ancient Ships of Pisa San Rossore in Pisa (Italy), and data were compared to those relative to native sound wood of the same species (pine, elm, beech). Both the methods result valuable in the analysis of ancient wood artefacts, avoiding the long wet-chemical procedures that are commonly used in wood analysis, and allowing us to use a minimal sample size. DE-MS achieves a global mass spectral fingerprint of lignin and polysaccharides pyrolysis compounds in few minutes, and the results have been interpreted with the support of principal component analysis (PCA) of mass spectra. Py-GC/MS permits detailed molecular analysis of pyrolysis compounds and highlights some chemical modifications of lignin in archaeological samples, as demethylation of both guaiacyl and syringyl lignin units. Both the techniques demonstrate consistent loss of polysaccharides in archaeological wood.     

子宫内低铅暴露对婴儿早期神经行为影响的研究

为探讨低铅暴露对婴儿智能发育的影响,随机选择足月顺产新生儿110例,0.48 μmol/L＞脐血铅水平≥0.24 μmol/L,作为观察组;同一时期配对足月顺产新生儿110例,脐血铅水平＜0.24 μmol/L,作为对照组;采用新生儿20项新生儿神经行为、Gesell婴幼儿发育检查量表,在出生24～36 h和3月龄时进行测试.结果表明,观察组神经行为总得分显著性低于对照组;头竖立得分显著低于对照组,头竖立时间较对照组缩短;3月龄观察组适应性、语言能力和个人社会交往显著低于对照组. 提示血铅水平低于0.48 μmol/L时,仍可对婴儿神经行为发育产生不良影响.     

A consensus procedure improving solvent accessibility prediction

Prediction methods of structural features in 1D represent a useful tool for the understanding of folding, classification, and function of proteins, and, in particular, for 3D structure prediction. Among the structural aspects characterizing a protein, solvent accessibility has received great attention in recent years. The available methods proposed for predicting accessibility have never considered the combination of the results deriving from different methods to construct a consensus prediction able to provide more reliable results. A consensus approach that increases prediction accuracy using three high-performance methods is described. The results of our method for three different protein data sets show that up to 3.0% improvement in prediction accuracy of solvent accessibility may be obtained by a consensus approach. The improvement also extends to the correlation coefficient. Application of our consensus approach to the accessibility prediction using only three prediction methods gives results better than single methods combined for consensus formation. Currently, the scarce availability of predictors with similar parameters defining solvent accessibility hinders the testing of other methods in our consensus procedure.     

Polyurethane foam chips combined with liquid chromatography in the determination of unmetabolized polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons excreted in human urine

A method suitable for the determination of unmetabolized polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) excreted at trace levels (ng/L) in human urine for the monitoring of exposure of the general population to PAH contamination was developed. PAHs were determined, after enrichment by solid-phase extraction on polyurethane foam (PUF) chips, by HPLC with fluorescence detection. Different parameters affecting analyte extraction to the PUF, including urine salting-out and organic additives, and optimization of conditions for clean-up and desorption have been investigated. Optimized conditions were 40 mL acidified urine sample, added with magnesium sulfate, tetrahydrofuran and a 2 cm3 PUF chip, and extracted by shaking at 30 rpm for 1 h at ambient temperature. Desorption was performed, after a clean-up step with diluted sodium hydroxide, using a small amount of diethyl ether. The recovery of PAH congeners from spiked urines was >90% in the 2-100 ng/L range; the detection limit was 0.1-0.5 ng/L, depending on the considered PAH congener; day-to-day precision, at 50 ng/L native PAH content, was CV = 10-20%. The proposed technique provides a simple, economical and effective procedure for the determination of trace amounts of unmetabolized PAHs excreted in human urine spot samples.     

固相萃取-高效液相色谱-串联质谱测定水中8种双酚-二环氧甘油醚

建立了水中8种双酚-二环氧甘油醚（双酚A二缩水甘油醚（BADGE）及其衍生物双酚A（3-氯-2-羟丙基）甘油醚（BADGE·5HCl）、双酚A双（3-氯-2-羟丙基）醚（BADGE·52HCl）、双酚A（2,3-二羟丙基）甘油醚（BADGE·5H₂O）、双酚A双（2,3-二羟丙基）醚（BADGE·52H₂O）、双酚A（3-氯-2-羟丙基）（2,3-二羟丙基）醚（BADGE·5HCl·5H₂O）和双酚F-二环氧甘油醚（BFDGE）及其衍生物双酚F双（3-氯-2-羟丙基）醚（BFDGE·52HCl））的固相萃取-高效液相色谱-串联质谱（SPE-HPLC-MS/MS）测定方法。10个饮用水接触涂料样品在室温避光条件下,以超纯水浸泡（24±1）h,然后取200 mL经C₁₈固相萃取柱进行净化浓缩,以C₁₈色谱柱进行分离,以5 mmol/L醋酸铵、甲醇和水为流动相进行梯度洗脱,质谱多反应监测（MRM）模式检测,外标法定量。结果表明,8种双酚-二环氧甘油醚在0.007~5.00 μg/L线性关系良好,相关系数均大于0.9990,该方法对8种双酚-二环氧甘油醚的定量限为7~91 ng/L,回收率为79.1%~101%,RSD为4.0%~12%。该方法具有灵敏度高、选择性强的特点,能够满足水中双酚-二环氧甘油醚的快速检测和准确定量。     

Variation of gamma radiation shielding properties with incident photon energy and penetration depth for WC/Al composites

In this work, we examined the usefulness of the WC_x/Al_100?x composites (x?=?10, 20, 50, 80 wt. %) for gamma-ray shielding materials. The mass attenuation coefficient (μ/ρ), effective atomic number (Z_eff), electron density (N_e) and energy absorption buildup factor (EABF) and exposure buildup factor (EBF) for WC_x/Al_100?x composites have been calculated by theoretical approach using XCOM program within the energy range 1?keV–100?GeV, 10 keV–1?GeV, 10 keV–1?GeV and 0.015?MeV–15?MeV, respectively. The results showed that both the values of mass attenuation coefficient and Z_eff of the WC_x/Al_100?x composites tend to increase with the increase of the WC concentration. For the energy region below 3?MeV, the WC₈₀/Al₂₀ composite was found to possess superior gamma-ray shielding effectiveness due to its higher values of both mass attenuation coefficient and effective atomic number, and lower values of both EABF and EBF values. However, for the energy region above 3?MeV, the EBF and EABF values of the WC/Al composites are directly proportional to their Z_eff values, leading to the lowest EBF and EABF values of the WC₁₀/Al₉₀ composites.     

Preheated solvent exposure on P3HT:PCBM thin film: A facile strategy to enhance performance in bulk heterojunction photovoltaic cells

In this study, we explored the ability of a preheated solvent (methanol) to induce characteristic changes at the organic active layer/metal interface, thereby improving the performance of fabricated organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells composed of poly(3-hexylthiopene) (P3HT) and a [6,6]-phenyl-C₇₁-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) photoactive blend. Our results demonstrate that exposure to methanol (at room temperature, or preheated at 45 °C or 65 °C) improves the performance of the fabricated OPV cells. After preheated methanol exposure, the P3HT:PCBM thin films were tested for crystallinity, morphology, mobility, and photovoltaic characteristics. Our results revealed that use of the preheated solvent on the organic active layer significantly influences the micro/nano scale morphology and phase segregation of the P3HT:PCBM thin films, as well as the charge carrier mobility. It is hypothesized that the side chain ordering of P3HT and redistribution of PCBM could be results of the modified active layer. Consequently, OPV cells modified with the methanol preheated at 65 °C exhibited a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 3.36%, with open-circuit voltage of 0.59 V, short-circuit current density of 13.83 mA/cm², and fill-factor of 0.41. In contrast, the unmodified P3HT:PCBM thin film (without methanol exposure) showed a PCE of only 2.13%.     

X射线CCD标定及模拟

 在北京同步辐射光源4B7B实验站上,采用透射光栅配X射线电荷耦合元件(CCD)的方法对单色光进行了检验,在优化高次谐波抑制方法后,开展了X射线CCD的灵敏度标定实验研究;在标定数据处理过程中,提出了等效曝光时间的概念,修正了快门开合造成的曝光时间误差。标定实验获得了100~1 500 eV能区CCD的灵敏度,补充了300~600 eV能区CCD灵敏度标定数据,验证了简化模型的正确性。     

MR susceptibility artifact due to occupational cause: an unusual case

Susceptibility artefact is one of the magnetic resonance artefacts. It may occur due to ferromagnetic foreign bodies.We present an unusual artefact due to occupational reason.