[Two-stage Inhibition Effects of Burkholderia sp. Y4 Application on Cadmium Uptake and Transport in Wheat]

In order to evaluate the feasibility of using Burkholderia sp. Y4 as a cadmium （Cd）-reducing bacterial agent in contaminated wheat fields， the changes in the rhizosphere soil microbial community and Cd available state， as well as the content and transport characteristics of Cd in the wheat root， basal node， internode， and grain under the treatment of strain Y4 were tested using microbial high-throughput sequencing， step-by-step extraction， subcellular distribution， and occurrence analyses. The results showed that root application of strain Y4 significantly reduced the root and grain Cd content of wheat by 7.7% and 30.3%， respectively， compared with that in the control treatment. The Cd content and Cd transfer factor results in wheat vegetative organs showed that strain Y4 reduced the Cd transfer factor from basal node to internode by 79.3%， and Cd content in the wheat internode stem also decreased by 50.9%. The study of Cd occurrence morphology showed that strain Y4 treatment increased the proportion of residual Cd in roots and basal ganglia， decreased the contents of inorganic and water-soluble Cd in roots， and increased the content of residual Cd in basal ganglia. Further examination of the subcellular distribution of Cd showed that the Cd content in root cell walls and basal ganglia cell fluid increased by 21.3% and 98.2%， respectively， indicating that the Cd fixation ability of root cell walls and basal ganglia cell fluid was improved by the strain Y4 treatment. In the rhizosphere soil， it was found that the microbial community structure was changed by strain Y4 application. Under the Y4 treatment， the relative abundance of Burkholderia increased from 9.6% to 11.5%， whereas that of Acidobacteriota decreased. Additionally， the relative abundance of Gemmatimonadales， Pseudomonadales， and Chitinophagales were also increased by strain Y4 treatment. At the same time， the application of strain Y4 increased the pH value of rhizosphere soil by 8.3%. The contents of exchangeable Cd， carbonate-bound Cd， and iron-manganese oxide-bound Cd in the soil decreased by 44.4%， 21.7%， and 15.9%， respectively， whereas the proportion of residual Cd reached 53.6%. Root application of strain Y4 increased the contents of nitrate nitrogen and ammonium nitrogen in the soil by 22.0% and 21.4%， respectively， and the contents of alkaline nitrogen also increased to a certain extent. In conclusion， the root application of strain Y4 not only improved soil nitrogen availability but also inhibited Cd transport and accumulation from contaminated soil to wheat grains in a "two-stage" manner by reducing Cd availability in rhizosphere soil and improving Cd interception and fixation capacity of wheat roots and basal nodes. Therefore， Burkholderia Y4 has application potential as a Cd-reducing and growth-promoting agent in wheat.

[A preliminary exploration into the efficacy of personalized surgical schemes in the repair of maxillary sinus perforation and maxillary sinus fistula]

To explore the efficacy and value of personalized surgical schemes in the repair of maxillary sinus perforation and maxillary sinus fistula based on the size of the maxillary sinus perforation and maxillary sinus fistula. A total of 28 patients with maxillary sinus perforation and maxillary sinus fistula who were admitted to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Stomatology Hospital of Kunming Medical University from July 2017 to May 2020 were included to conduct a prospective case clinical study. After the inflammation in the maxillary sinus was controlled, a proper surgical repair method was selected according to the size of the perforation and fistula based on the double-layer closure technique. The diameter of the perforation and fistula was measured with the assistance of cone-beam CT. After that, the platelet rich fibrin (PRF) repair was performed on the perforation and fistula with 3 mm≤diameter<7 mm in size in 14 patients. The PRF repair and buccal flap repair were performed on the perforation and fistula with 7 mm ≤diameter<15 mm in size in 7 patients. The adjacent buccal pad repair, palatine flap repair, and buccal flap repair were performed on the perforation and fistula with 15 mm≤ diameter<25 mm in size in 4 patients. The nasolabial axial flap repair and nasolabial free flap repair were performed on the perforation and fistula with a diameter ≥25 mm in size in 3 patients. The medical follow-up was conducted in all patients in the 1st, 2nd, and 4th week after surgery, with an overall success rate reaching 96.4% (27/28) after the initial intervention. The relapse of disease occurred in one patient (4.6%) with diabetes and a smoking history in the 2nd week after surgery. Identifying a proper surgical repair method according to the size of the oral and maxillary sinus perforation and maxillary sinus fistula based on the double-layer closure technique can improve the one-time cure rate in these patients under the premise that the inflammation in the maxillary sinus can be controlled.

[Effects of Burkholderia sp. Y4 on Cadmium Damage and Uptake in Rice Seedlings]

In order to investigate the effects of Burkholderia sp. Y4 on rice seedlings under cadmium (Cd) stress, seed germination and vermiculite culture experiments were conducted using low Cd-accumulation xiangzaoxian 24 (X24) and high Cd-accumulation Tyou 705 (T705) varieties. The effects of Burkholderia sp. Y4 on rice growth, oxidative damage caused by Cd, and Cd accumulation were studied. Additionally, the Cd²⁺ flux rates in the elongation zone of rice roots under Burkholderia sp. Y4 application were detected using non-invasive micro-test technology. Burkholderia sp. Y4 alleviated the inhibition effect of Cd on rice seed germination by 13.8%. After inoculation with Burkholderia sp. Y4 for 7 d, the length of rice roots and buds increased by 83.3% and 12.2%, and their dry weight increased by 56.8% and 12.5%, respectively; those in the 10 d Y4 inoculation group increased by 28.6% and 20.0% in length and by 113.2% and 46.0% in dry weight, respectively. Burkholderia sp. Y4 inoculation also alleviated rice oxidative stress damage caused by Cd. The application of strain Y4 significantly reduced the content of the oxidative damage product malondialdehyde (MDA) in the shoots and roots of rice seedlings by 21.5% and 16.9%, respectively. Under Burkholderia sp. Y4 inoculation, the significant changes in antioxidant enzyme SOD and CAT activities caused by Cd stress disappeared in rice roots; those in shoots also decreased from 176.9% and 74.8% to 53.3% and 21.5%, respectively. Conversely, Burkholderia sp. Y4 inhibited Cd uptake by rice seedlings with different genotypes, including the low Cd-accumulation variety X24 and high Cd-accumulation variety T705. The root application of strain Y4 significantly reduced Cd accumulation in the shoots and roots of rice seedlings by 79.2% and 62.7% in T705 and by 57.3% and 24.1% in X24, respectively. The Cd²⁺ flux rate of high Cd-accumulation variety T705 was significantly higher than that of low Cd-accumulation variety X24. Under Burkholderia sp. Y4 inoculation, the yellow membrane was formed on the root surface of rice seedlings, and the Cd²⁺ flux rate in the elongation zone of T705 and X24 roots decreased by 36.0% and 35.0% in 3-day-old seedlings, as well as by 44.6% and 24.9% in 10-day-old seedlings, respectively. In conclusion, Burkholderia sp. Y4 inoculation inhibited the toxic effects of Cd on rice seedling growth through alleviating oxidative stress and damage caused by Cd. Furthermore, the root application of Burkholderia sp. Y4 effectively decreased the Cd²⁺ flux rate in the elongation zone of roots to inhibit the Cd uptake and accumulation in roots and shoots of rice seedlings. This study provides theoretical basis and data support for the application of Burkholderia sp. Y4 as a Cd-reducing and growth-promoting agent for rice in contaminated farmland.

[Isolation and Identification of the Plant Endophyte R-13 and Its Effect on Cadmium Accumulation in Solanum nigrum L]

The combination of endophytes and hyperaccumulator plants can significantly improve the efficiency of heavy metal phytoremediation in contaminated soil. A plant endophyte named Herbaspirillum R-13 was isolated from rice roots in a cadmium (Cd) contaminated paddy field. This strain exhibited a strong tolerance to Cd²⁺ and could grow on a solid medium with a Cd²⁺ concentration of 300 mg·kg^-1. The R-13 strain was able to produce siderophores and Indole acetic acid (IAA), through color reactions. In addition, Pikovskaya's and Ashby's solid medium tests showed that the R-13 strain had a lower capacity for dissolving phosphorus but a higher capacity for fixing nitrogen. In the pot experiment, high-throughput sequencing technology was used to track the colonization of the R-13 strain in Solanum nigrum L. roots. Three days after inoculation, the relative abundance of Herbaspirillum in the root of Solanum nigrum L. had increased by 201.88% compared to the blank control (CK) and after two inoculations, the relative abundance of Herbaspirillum in the root of Solanum nigrum L. had increased by 1182.44% compared to CK. The relative abundance of Herbaspirillum in the root of Solanum nigrum L. began to decrease significantly from 5 days after inoculation. Inoculation with 20 mL·pot^-1 of R-13 fermentation broth resulted in no significant effects on the Cd content of roots, stems, leaves, or fruits of S. nigrum L. With 40 mL·pot^-1 of fermentation broth, the Cd content of vegetative organs and fruits was significantly increased. When it reached 200 mL·pot^-1, the Cd content of vegetative organs was the highest, with Cd concentrations in the roots, stems, leaves, and fruits increasing by 84.42%, 43.67%, 64.06%, and 20.29%, respectively. In conclusion, root inoculation with endophytic Herbaspirillum R-13 can significantly increase the relative content of Herbaspirillum in the root system and enhance Cd absorption of S. nigrum L. Therefore, this strain has excellent prospects for application in the phytoremediation of soil contaminated with Cd.

[Foliar Application of L-Cysteine: Effects on the Concentration of Cd and Mineral Elements in Rice]

To evaluate the feasibility of applying L-cysteine (L-Cys) as a foliar conditioner for Cd reduction in rice, a field experiment was conducted to investigate the concentration of Cd and mineral elements in rice after the foliar application of L-Cys. The variation in Cd distribution and morphology in key rice organs was examined to study the Cd reduction mechanisms of spraying L-Cys on rice. The results showed that foliar application of L-Cys at the rice-flowering stage significantly decreased Cd concentration in grains, in a concentration dependent manner, without inhibiting the accumulation of mineral elements Ca, Mg, K, Mn, and Zn. With a 10 mmol ·L^-1 L-Cys application, Cd concentration in rice grains decreased by 59.2%, to below 0.2 mg ·kg^-1, which is the maximum safety limit in China. Foliar application of L-Cys also inhibited Cd accumulation in rice vegetative organs, including rachises, first nodes, neck-panicles, flag leaves, second internodes, second nodes, second leaves, stalks, and roots (58.3%, 56.0%, 62.7%, 67.0%, 59.3%, 61.5%, 60.2%, 54.9%, and 50.3%, respectively). After transfer factor calculation, first nodes were found to be the key organ for Cd blocking in rice. The application of L-Cys increased Cd transfer from flag leaves and second internodes to first nodes (105.4% and 45.8%, respectively), but decreased Cd transfer from first nodes up to neck-panicles (27.5%). In rice first nodes, the concentrations of Cd in the inorganic, water soluble, and residue states were all lower following L-Cys application, and the proportion of residual Cd increased to 94.4%. Therefore, foliar application of L-Cys significantly inhibited Cd transport and accumulation in rice grains, by decreasing the Cd concentrations of various vegetative organs and improving Cd interception in the first nodes. This is a promising way to produce rice with lower Cd concentrations and normal mineral element concentrations in Cd-contaminated paddy fields.

[Mechanism of S-allyl-L-cysteine Alleviating Cadmium Stress in Seedling Roots and Buds of Rice Seedlings]

Cd has toxic effects on rice seed germination and plant growth, which may eventually lead to decreased yield and excessive Cd content in rice grains. The potential mechanism of S-allyl-L-cysteine (SAC), a natural sulfur compound derived from garlic extract, in alleviating Cd²⁺ stress in young roots and buds of rice seedlings was studied by a seed germination experiment. "Zhong zao 35", one of the main rice varieties in Southern China, was selected as the test material. Firstly, the alleviating effect of SAC on Cd²⁺ stress in rice seedling roots and buds was studied. Following this, the physiological mechanism of Cd²⁺ stress alleviation by SAC was examined based on the expression of the Cd transporter coding gene using real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR. The results showed that when the Cd²⁺ stress concentration reached 50 μmol·L^-1, the young roots and buds of rice seedlings were significantly inhibited, and when the SAC concentration reached 200 μmol·L^-1, Cd²⁺ stress was significantly alleviated. Compared to a Cd²⁺ stress treatment group, the total root length, surface area, and volume of young roots was increased by 173.5%, 65.52%, and 37.04%, respectively; CAT and SOD activity in young roots and buds was increased by 212.42% and 110.76%, and 31.41% and 47.31%, respectively; MDA and GSH content was decreased by 43.09% and 34.12%, and 33.97% and 35.74%, respectively; and Cd content was decreased by 35.91% and 28.86%, respectively. The results of quantitative real-time PCR showed that the relative expression levels of OsNramp5 and OsHMA2 were significantly reduced by 33.38% and 34.99% compared with the Cd²⁺ stress group, respectively. However, the relative expression level of OsHMA3 was significantly increased by 33.96%. From the above experimental results, the main mechanism by which SAC reduces Cd²⁺ stress in the young roots and buds of rice is via the regulation of Cd transporter-encoding genes, reducing Cd²⁺ transport to young roots and buds, and increasing transport to vacuoles.

[Effects of Foliar Spraying of 2,3-dimercaptosuccinic Acid on Cadmium Uptake, Transport, and Antioxidant System in Rice Seedlings]

Rice contaminated by Cd has aroused widespread public concern. It is of great importance to find effective ways to reduce Cd translocation from roots to shoots and alleviate Cd stress in rice to ensuring food quality and safety. In this study, 2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) was sprayed onto the leaves of rice seedlings to evaluate the feasibility of DMSA reducing Cd translocation to rice shoots and alleviating Cd stress. Therefore, seedlings of Zhongzao 35, one of the main rice cultivars in southern China, were used to study the effects of different concentrations of DMSA on the uptake and transport of Cd in rice seedlings by hydroponics. The effects of DMSA on MDA and GSH content, and activities of antioxidant enzymes such as CAT and SOD in rice seedlings, were also investigated. The results showed that after four iterations of foliar application of DMSA at concentrations of 0.2, 0.4, and 1.0 mmol·L^-1, the Cd concentration in the rice seedling shoots decreased significantly with increasing DMSA spraying concentration. Compared with the control, the Cd concentration in shoots decreased by 22.1%, 39.7%, and 43.5%, respectively, but had no significant effect on the root Cd concentration. There was no significant effect on the concentrations of K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, or Mn in the shoot or root. The content of MDA and GSH in the shoots of rice seedlings decreased significantly after four spraying times of DMSA and the activity of CAT and SOD increased significantly, which shows that spraying DMSA alleviated the stress effect of Cd on rice seedlings. Foliar application of DMSA can significantly reduce the accumulation of Cd in rice shoots but has no significant effect on the content of six common mineral elements, and can effectively relieve the oxidative damage caused by Cd stress. DMSA has the potential to develop a foliar modulator for reducing rice grain Cd content.

[Epidemiological characteristics of HIV infected pregnant women and exposed infants in Guangdong province, 2014-2017]

Objective: To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of HIV-infected pregnant women and exposed infant in Guangdong province and identify the factors associated with infant HIV infection through mother-to-child transmission. Methods: National Information System for Prevention of mother-to-child HIV Transmission and Early Infant Diagnosis Information Management Platform were used to collect the individual information about HIV-infected pregnant women and exposed infants who were delivered in Guangdong from January 1, 2014 to December 31 in 2017. The differences in pregnant women's demographic data, history of pregnancy and childbirth, the utilization of mother-to-child transmission prevention services and early infant diagnosis between the infected HIV exposed infants and uninfected HIV exposed infants were compared, and univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify the factors associated with mother-to-child HIV transmission. Results: Among 349 HIV infected pregnant women, the proportions of the pregnant women whose HIV infection status were confirmed before pregnancy, during pregnancy and at or after childbirth were 30.4% (106/349), 49.6% (173/349) and 20.0% (70/349) respectively. The proportions of those with sexual partners whose HIV infection status were unknown and those receiving no antiviral treatment were 39.5% (138/349) and 13.2% (46/349) respectively. Among the HIV exposed infants, the mother-to-child transmission rate was 4.2%(15/353), the HIV exposed infants had the first or second early diagnosis tests within 44 (P(25)-P(75): 42-50) days and 96 (P(25)-P(75): 92-106) days after birth, respectively. Univariate logistic regression analysis indicated that the risk for mother-to-child HIV transmission increased in those whose HIV infection status were confirmed at or after childbirth compared with before pregnancy (OR=5.72, 95%CI: 1.52-21.61) and in the group that antiviral treatment was given to either mothers or infants compared with the group that antiviral treatment was given to both mothers and infants (OR=33.56, 95%CI: 9.04-124.55), while there was lower mother-to-child HIV transmission risk in artificial feeding group compared with breast feeding group (OR=0.07, 95%CI: 0.01-0.76). Conclusion: The risk of mother-to-child HIV transmission in Guangdong can be effectively reduced by the measures of early diagnosis, antiviral treatment and artificial feeding as well as the improvement of mother-to-child transmission prevention service.

Rice vegetative organs alleviate cadmium toxicity by altering the chemical forms of cadmium and increasing the ratio of calcium to manganese

Altering Cd chemical form is one of the mechanisms to alleviate Cd toxicity in rice plant. Field experiments were carried out in this study to investigate the potential of rice vegetative organs in altering Cd into insoluble chemical forms in the natural environment. Experimental results showed that more than 80% of Cd in rice roots existed in the insoluble forms. Uppermost nodes altered Cd into insoluble form preferentially and generally had higher content of insoluble Cd than other organs. Rachises displayed a slow increasing trend in soluble Cd when total Cd in roots was less than 1.8 mg kg^-1. However, when Cd content in roots exceeded 2.8 mg kg^-1, the ratio of insoluble to soluble Cd remained stable at 85:15 in rachises and roots, and at 75:25 in uppermost nodes and flag leaves. Cd concentration in grains was greatly lower than that in vegetative organs, and closely correlated with the content of soluble Cd in rachises (r = 0.991**) as well as in uppermost nodes. Soluble Cd in the uppermost nodes displayed a much lower mobility than that in other organs. Accumulation of soluble Cd was always companied by decrease of Ca and increase of Mn in roots, uppermost nodes and rachises. A small increase of soluble Cd from 0.05 to 0.1 mg kg^-1 caused a sharp decline of Ca:Mn ratio in roots and rachises. Roots and nodes had much higher Ca:Mn ratio than rachises when soluble Cd was less than 0.5 mg kg^-1 in them. These results indicate that vegetative organs have a great potential to alter more than 75% Cd into insoluble forms and increasing Ca:Mn ratio may be another way to alleviate Cd toxicity by establishing new ionic homeostasis in rice plants.

Fungal Denitrification Activity in Vertical Flow Constructed Wetlands as Impacted by Plant Species Richness, Carbon, Nitrogen and pH Amendments

To control potential fungal denitrification rate (PFDR) in vertical flow simulated wetlands (VFSW) microcosms, thirty VFSW microcosms were established and planted with three plant species richness levels (i.e. unplanted, monoculture, and four-species polyculture treatment), and effects of carbon, nitrogen and pH amendments on the PFDR were investigated using a room-incubating method. Among seven carbon compounds, sodium citrate, glycerol, glucose and sodium succinate were more effective in enhancing PFDRs. These enhanced effects were dependant on a given species richness level. Sodium nitrite mostly stimulated PFDRs to a greater extent than the other three nitrogen compound amendments at any richness level. Treatments with pH 5.6 or 8.4 had significantly greater PFDRs than the treatment with pH 2.8 in the three species richness levels. However, no effect of plant species richness on the PFDR was observed among any carbon, nitrogen and pH amendments. Current results suggest carbon, nitrogen and pH factors should be considered when mediating fungal denitrification in VFSW microcosms.

[Characterization and uncertainty evaluation of aqueous reference materials for cholesterol]

Objective: Characterization and evaluation of the uncertainty of the reference materials of cholesterol in aqueous solution. Methods: The certified reference material GBW09203b was weighed accurately and dissolved into methyl cyclodextrin aqueous solution to prepare six kinds of candidate reference materials of cholesterol according to the concentration. The materials were tested for homogeneity and stability using routine methods and were evaluated the uncertainty derived from the inhomogeneity and instability. The uncertainty due to measurement was derived from the purity of the raw material, the weighing and the density measurement. The certified values and expanded uncertainties were calculated according to the ISO Guide. The expanded uncertainty of the certified value was the combination of standard uncertainty of measurement, inhomogeneity and instability. The coverage factor, k, was determined from the Student's t-distribution corresponding to the calculated effective degrees of freedom and 95% level of confidence. Results: It showed that the six candidate reference materials were homogeneous and were tested to be stable for at least 1 year at -70 ℃ and -20 ℃ using the isochronous stability study. The relative uncertainties due to the inhomogeneity were 0.14%, 0.11%, 0.13%, 0.47%, 0.39% and 0.11%. The relative uncertainty due to the instability was 0.25% at -70 ℃. The uncertainties of measurement were 0.06%, 0.05%, 0.05%, 0.05%, 0.05% and 0.05%.The certified values (reference value ± expanded uncertainty, mmol/L) were as follows: (0.651±0.004), (1.310 ±0.007), (2.574±0.015), (5.210±0.055), (7.710±0.072), (10.242±0.056) mmol/L. Conclusions: Six kinds of certified reference materials for cholesterol in aqueous solution have been prepared, which were homogeneity, stable and reliable. It showed that the uncertainty of measurement was very small compared with the uncertainty due to inhomogeneity and instability.

[Effect of sandblasting on bending strength and subcritical crack growth of the dental zirconia ceramics]

Objective: To evaluate the effect of sandblasting on bending strength and subcritical crack growth (SCG) under cyclic loading of yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (Y-TZP) ceramics. Methods: After being polished, sixty bar-shaped specimens of Y-TZP (Wieland zirconia ceramics) were assigned to two groups (n=30) according to the random number table, the sandblasting group (SG) which was treated with sandblasting and the control group (CG) which remained untouched. In each group, half of the specimens (n=15) were subjected to bending strength test, and the results were examined by Weibull statistics and analyzed with ANOVA. The other 15 specimens in each group were subjected to fatigue tests. The results were examined by Weibull statistics and subcritical crack propagation rates were calculated. Results: The bending strengths of SG and CG were (1 291±133) and (1 140±124) MPa (F=10.117, P=0.004), and the Weibull modules of the two groups were 11.06 and 10.64 respectively. The crack growth rate of SCG of SG was lower than that of CG under the same cyclic loading. Conclusions: Proper sandblasting on Y-TZP ceramic can increase its bending strength and resistance to SCG.

Observation of η'→π+ π π+ π- and η'→π+π- π0 π0

Using a sample of 1.3 × 10(9)  J/ψ events collected with the BESIII detector, we report the first observation of η(')→π(+)π(-)π(+)π(-) and η(')→π(+)π(-)π(0)π(0). The measured branching fractions are B(η(')→π(+)π(-)π(+)π(-)) = [8.53 ± 0.69(stat.) ± 0.64(syst.)]×10(-5) and B(η(')→π(+)π(-)π(0) π(0)) = [1.82 ± 0.35(stat.) ± 0.18(syst.)] × 10(-4), which are consistent with theoretical predictions based on a combination of chiral perturbation theory and vector-meson dominance.

Observation of e+e- → γX(3872) at BESIII

With data samples collected with the BESIII detector operating at the BEPCII storage ring at center-of-mass energies from 4.009 to 4.420 GeV, the process e+e-→ γX(3872) is observed for the first time with a statistical significance of 6.3σ. The measured mass of the X(3872) is (3871.9 ± 0.7s tat ± 0.2 syst)  MeV/c(2), in agreement with previous measurements. Measurements of the product of the cross section σ[e+e- → γX(3872)] and the branching fraction B[X(3872)→π+π-J/ψ] at center-of-mass energies 4.009, 4.229, 4.260, and 4.360 GeV are reported. Our measurements are consistent with expectations for the radiative transition process Y(4260) → γX(3872).

Observation of a charged (DD*)± mass peak in e+ e- → πDD* at sqrt[s] = 4.26 GeV

We report on a study of the process e+ e- → π± (DD*)∓ at sqrt[s] = 4.26  GeV using a 525 pb(-1) data sample collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII storage ring. A distinct charged structure is observed in the (DD*)∓ invariant mass distribution. When fitted to a mass-dependent-width Breit-Wigner line shape, the pole mass and width are determined to be Mpole = (3883.9±1.5(stat)±4.2(syst))  MeV/c2 and Γpole = (24.8±3.3(stat)±11.0(syst))  MeV. The mass and width of the structure, which we refer to as Zc(3885), are 2σ and 1σ, respectively, below those of the Zc(3900) → π± J/ψ peak observed by BESIII and Belle in π+ π- J/ψ final states produced at the same center-of-mass energy. The angular distribution of the πZc(3885) system favors a JP = 1+ quantum number assignment for the structure and disfavors 1- or 0-. The Born cross section times the DD* branching fraction of the Zc(3885) is measured to be σ(e+ e- → π± Zc(3885)∓)×B(Zc(3885)∓ → (DD*)∓) = (83.5±6.6(stat)±22.0(syst))   pb. Assuming the Zc(3885) → DD* signal reported here and the Zc(3900) → πJ/ψ signal are from the same source, the partial width ratio (Γ(Zc(3885) → DD*)/Γ(Zc(3900) → πJ/ψ)) = 6.2±1.1(stat)±2.7(syst) is determined.

Observation of a charged charmoniumlike structure Zc(4020) and search for the Zc(3900) in e+e-→π+π-hc

We study e+e-→π+π-hc at center-of-mass energies from 3.90 to 4.42 GeV by using data samples collected with the BESIII detector operating at the Beijing Electron Positron Collider. The Born cross sections are measured at 13 energies and are found to be of the same order of magnitude as those of e+e-→π+π-J/ψ but with a different line shape. In the π±hc mass spectrum, a distinct structure, referred to as Zc(4020), is observed at 4.02  GeV/c2. The Zc(4020) carries an electric charge and couples to charmonium. A fit to the π±hc invariant mass spectrum, neglecting possible interferences, results in a mass of (4022.9±0.8±2.7)  MeV/c2 and a width of (7.9±2.7±2.6)  MeV for the Zc(4020), where the first errors are statistical and the second systematic. The difference between the parameters of this structure and the Zc(4025) observed in the D*D[over ¯]* final state is within 1.5σ, but whether they are the same state needs further investigation. No significant Zc(3900) signal is observed, and upper limits on the Zc(3900) production cross sections in π±hc at center-of-mass energies of 4.23 and 4.26 GeV are set.

Effects of electrokinetic treatment of contaminated sludge on migration and transformation of Cd, Ni and Zn in various bonding states

This study assesses the effect of electrokinetic processes on the migration and bonding states of various heavy metals in municipal sludge. The transformation and migration are discussed through the examination of sludge characteristics and distribution of Cd, Zn and Ni after electrokinetic treatments. The migration and distribution of the contaminants after the electrokinetic treatments were determined for each sludge sample by sequential extraction. The noticeable changes on the average speciation fractions of Cd, Zn and Ni were observed that oxidizable heavy metals increased and reducible fraction decreased due to the application of voltage. Bivariate correlation analysis indicated that the amounts of different bonding states of Zn and Ni were significantly correlated (P<0.05) with durations and resistance. The oxidizable Zn was negatively correlated with exchangeable and reducible Zn. Moreover, reducible Zn had a close negative relationship with residual Zn. The bonding state of Ni was significantly related to the durations of electrokinetic processes, indicating the existing of mutual transformation between different speciation fractions over time. The analysis also indicated that the exchangeable Cd showed a close negative relationship with reducible Cd (P<0.01), whereas the reducible Cd was negatively related to residual Cd (P<0.05).

[Stabilization and long-term effect of chromium contaminated soil]

Short-term (3 d and 28 d) and long-term (1 a) stabilization effects of Cr contaminated soil were investigated through nature curing, using four amendments including ferrous sulfide, ferrous sulfate, zero-valent iron and sodium dithionite. The results indicated that ferrous sulfide and zero-valent iron were not helpful for the stabilization of Cr(VI) when directly used because of their poor solubility and immobility. Ferrous sulfate could effectively and rapidly decrease total leaching Cr and Cr(VI) content. The stabilization effect was further promoted by the generation of iron hydroxides after long-term curing. Sodium dithionite also had positive effect on soil stabilization. Appropriate addition ratio of the two chemicals could help maintain the soil pH in range of 6-8.

Investigation on maternal physiological and psychological factors of cheilopalatognathus

OBJECTIVE

Case-control study on mothers of cheilopalatognathus children was conducted, to investigate the maternal physiological and psychological factors for occurrence of cheilopalatognathus.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

One hundred ten mothers of cheilopalatognathus children who were scheduled for one-stage surgery were selected as a research group, and 110 mothers of normal children served as a normal control group at the same time. Trait Anxiety Inventory (T-AI), Life Events Scale (LES), Trait Coping Style Questionnaire (TCSQ), Type C Behavior Scale (CBS), adult Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), and homemade general questionnaire survey were employed for the investigation.

RESULTS

Compared with the control group, the scores for negative event tension value, anxiety, and depressive factors were higher in the study group (p < 0.05); while the scores for positive event tension value, intellect, optimism, and social support factors were lower (p < 0.05). Regression analysis found that physiological factors included were five: education, changes in body weight during pregnancy, the intake amount of milk and beans, and intake of healthcare products, and supplementary folic acid taken or not, while the psychological factors included were four: positive event stimulation, negative event stimulation, the amount of social support, as well as introvert and extrovert personalities.

CONCLUSION

The study results suggest that pregnant women's physiological and psychological factors can cause changes in cheilopalatognathus incidence, which is expected to be guidance for healthcare during pregnancy, to prevent the occurrence of cheilopalatognathus.

[Predicting the cadmium bioavailability in the soil of sugarcane field based on the diffusive gradients in thin films with binding phase of sodium polyacrylate]

The diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique with solid-state binding phases has been widely used for in situ collection and measurement of available heavy metals in waters, soils or sediments, whereas DGT with liquid binding phase is primarily used in the in situ analysis of heavy metals in waters. In this paper, rhizosphere soils of sugarcane were collected in Guangxi and the concentrations of cadmium (Cd) were determined by DGT with a solid-state binding phase of chelex100 (chelex100-DGT) and modified DGT with a liquid binding phase of sodium polyacrylate (CDM-PAAS-DGT). The result showed that the Cd contents in soils measured by DGT with both binding phases and Cd in the roots, leaves and unpolished stems of sugarcane had significant positive correlation. The extraction ability of the CDM-PAAAS-DGT was much higher than that of the chelex100-DGT. In addition, multivariate analyses were used to assess the impact of pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), soil organic matter (OM) and texture. Two principal components were extracted and the linear regression models were established. The Cd bioavailability in soils could be accurately predicted by the CDM-PAAAS-DGT technique, which expanded its applicable area.

[Remediation of chromium (VI) contaminated soils using permeable reactive composite electrodes technology]

Electrokinetic transport processes have been shown to have potential for the effective removal of heavy metals from soils. However, pH changes near the anode and cathode limit their widespread application in the remediation of contaminated soils. Permeable reactive composite electrodes (PRCE) were made by attaching reactive materials such as Fe(0) and zeolite to the electrodes, and the effects of the composite electrodes on pH control, chromium removal efficiency and Cr speciation changes were studied in the electrokinetic remediation process of Cr( VI) contaminated soil. Composite electrodes consisting of permeable reactive materials gave better pH control and Cr removal efficiency compared to traditional electrodes, and a Fe(0) + zeolite reactive layer in the anode exhibited the best performance compared to zeolite or Fe(0) alone. After 5 days of electrokinetic remediation with a DC voltage of 2 V x cm(-1), the Fe(0) + zeolite reactive layer lowered the pH fluctuation, maintained the soil pH in the range of 5.5 to 8.5, raised the Cr(VI) removal efficiency up to 97% in any soil section, produced lower Cr(III) residues, enhanced the amount of Cr retention up to 8 and 1.8 times respectively, and transformed 98% of the Cr(VI) into lower toxicity Cr(III). This study provides a theoretical basis for the exploitation of permeable reactive composite electrodes which are a practical option for future applications.

Distribution of phthalate esters in soil of e-waste recycling sites from Taizhou city in China

In recent years, increasing concern has surrounded the consequences of improper electric and electronic waste (e-waste) disposal. In this paper, Phthalate esters (PAEs) including dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and di-n-octyl phthalate (DnOP) in the e-waste soils were collected and analyzed from sites Fengjiang, Nanshan and Meishu in Taizhou city. The result showed that the total PAEs concentrations ranged from 12.566 to 46.669 mg/kg in these three sites. DEHP, DBP and DEP were the major phthalates accounting for more than 94% of total phthalates studied. Comparing to the results from other studies, the e-waste soils from Taizhou city were severely contaminated with PAEs.

[Application of robust estimator in source identification of soil pollutants: a case study at a heavy metal contaminated site]

Spatial outliers can give us useful information on locations of pollution sources. A Genton's estimator based variogram was applied to analyse the concentration of Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, As, Se and Hg in soils at a contaminated site. Spatial outliers were identified to imply the location of the pollution sources of heavy metals. The results showed that the semivariograms of 7 elements were best described by spherical model, and the nugget variances were very small, especially for Cu, Zn and Pb, which were 0.000. Compared with Matheron's estimator, Genton's estimator can damp the effect of outliers, and so get a smaller nugget effect. The spatial outliers existed in a cluster pattern, whose locations coincided with those of copper smelters in the area. This indicated that the copper smelters were the important sources of soil heavy metals.

Sympathetic cooling of complex molecular ions to millikelvin temperatures

Gas-phase singly protonated organic molecules of mass 410 Da (Alexa Fluor 350) have been cooled from ambient temperature to the hundred millikelvin range by Coulomb interaction with laser-cooled barium ions. The molecules were generated by an electrospray ionization source, transferred to and stored in a radio-frequency trap together with the atomic ions. Observations are well described by molecular dynamics simulations, which are used to determine the spatial distribution and thermal energy of the molecules. In one example, an ensemble of 830 laser-cooled 138Ba+ ions cooled 200 molecular ions to less than 115 mK. The demonstrated technique should allow a large variety of protonated molecules to be sympathetically cooled, including molecules of much higher mass, such as proteins.

[Construction of CgA gene antisense transgenic mice]

In order to get CgA gene antisense DNA transgenic mouse, we constructed the CgA gene antisense DNA plasmid pCAS2C and microinjected it into the female pronucleus of fertilized mouse eggs, and transplanted them into oviduct of the foster. Every offspring of the fosters was determined by the PCR method. The positive mice had a 300 bp DNA electrophoresis band. We selected two male positive mice from 50 offspring survived of the pseudomother. Then, two positive mice crossed with normal mice respectively to reproduce offspring of F1. All offspring of F1 were determined by PCR to select positive offspring. Positive offspring of F1 carried only one allele of pCAS2C (heterozygous pCAS2C/-). Positive F1 offspring were selfcrossed, 1/4 offspring of F2 carrying two unites of one allele pCAS2C (pCAS2C/pCAS2C) are homozygous. Then, all offspring of homozygous F2 crossed with normal mice, could produce 300 bp DNA electrophoresis band by PCR. Total RNA of brain tissue of transgenic mouse was used to RT-PCR method, the 300 bp DNA product was obtained. The result indicates that the reading frame of CgA antisense DNA of pCAS2C has expressed in the transgenic mice.

[Observation on muscular glycogen in spleen-deficient rats treated with a jian pi yi qi decoction]

The relationship between "Spleen" and muscles was explored by determining the amount of muscular glycogen to indicate the stored energy in muscles. The amount of muscular glycogen in normal rats was 6.34 +/- 0.20 mg/g muscles, it was much more than that in Spleen deficiency rats caused by rhubarb (4.27 +/- 0.40 mg/g muscles). In order to observe the effects of Jian Pi Yi Qi decoction on Spleen deficiency, the Spleen deficiency rats were divided into two groups, one of which was treated with Jian Pi Yi Qi decoction as experimental group, the other with distilled water as control. After one week, the amount of muscular glycogen in experimental group was 5.35 +/- 0.16 mg/g muscles and in control 4.63 +/- 0.15 mg/g muscles. It showed that the rising of the amount of muscular glycogen in experimental group was more than that in control with statistic significance but it was still lower than that in normal rats.

Frequency of lambda light chain subtypes in mouse antibodies to the 2,4-dinitrophenyl (DNP) group

Of the three lambda chain subtypes made by inbred mice, chains of the lambda 1 subtype are much more frequent than those of the other subtypes (lambda 2,lambda 3) in antibodies (Ab) to those few antigenic structures that are known to elicit responses, in which lambda chains are the predominant type of light chain [(4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenyl)acetyl (NP) and dextran]. The reason for the frequency differences are not understood, and the large difference between the lambda 1 and lambda 3 frequencies is particularly puzzling, because in nearly all (about 95%) chains of these subtypes the N-terminal 97 or 98 amino acids are endoded by the same V lambda-gene segment. In an effort to identify an Ab response that has different lambda subtype frequencies, we analyzed the light chains of the Ab made by BALB/c and B6 mice in response to 2,4-dinitrophenylated chicken gamma globulin (DNP-CGG). We found that approximately 40% of the elicited anti-DNP molecules had lambda chains and of these approximately 40% were of the lambda 2 or lambda 3 subtype. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis indicated that the lambda 2 and lambda 3 chains were about equally abundant. Similar lambda subtype frequencies were found in the anti-DNP Ab produced by the hybridoma made with spleen cells from the same immunized mice. In the anti-DNP Ab elicited by DNP-CGG and in the anti-NP Ab elicited by NP-CGG the different lambda subtype frequencies (lambda 1/lambda 2 + lambda 3 = ca. 1.0-1.5 in anti-DNP and ca. 30 in anti-NP) were unaffected by immunizing mice with each of these antigens alone or with a mixture of the two. This finding, though preliminary, suggests that isotype-specific regulatory T cells are not responsible for the markedly different lambda subtype frequencies in anti-DNP and anti-NP Ab.