MgO/KHPO and Curing Moisture Content in MKPC Matrices to Optimize the Immobilization of Pure Al and Al-Mg Alloys.

Magnesium Potassium Phosphate Cements (MKPCs) are considered a good alternative for the immobilization of aluminium radioactive waste. MKPC composition and moisture curing conditions are relevant issues to be evaluated. The corrosion of pure aluminium (A1050) and AlMg alloys (AA5754) with 3.

Evaluation of Fillers for Magnesium Potassium Phosphate Cement (MKPC) for the Encapsulation of Low and Intermediate Level Metallic Radioactive Wastes.

This study investigates the effect of coal fly ash (FA), wollastonite (WO), pumice (PM), and metakaolin (MK) as filler materials in the rheological, mechanical, chemical, and mineralogical properties of a magnesium potassium phosphate cement (MKPC), designed for the encapsulation of low and intermediate level radioactive wastes containing reactive metals. Workability, compression strength, dimensional stability, pH, chemical composition, and mineralogical properties were studied in different pastes and mortars of MKPC with a fixed molar ratio of MgO/KH2PO4 = 1. No new mineral phases were found with the addition of the fillers, denoting their low chemical impact on the MKPC system.

Generation of periodic and quasi-periodic two-dimensional non-diffractive beams with inhomogeneous polarization.

In this work, two-dimensional periodic and quasi-periodic non-diffractive spatial inhomogeneous polarization optical fields are generated, numerically and experimentally, by the superposition of multiple plane waves with different polarizations. For the experimental implementation of the fields, synthetic phase holograms are employed in conjunction with half-wave and quarter-wave retarder films as polarization modulators. The obtained spatially inhomogeneous polarization optical fields show good quality and are in good agreement with numerical results.

Severe Sulfuric Acid Attack on Self-Compacting Concrete with Granulometrically Optimized Blast-Furnace Slag-Comparison of Different Test Methods.

The corrosion by severe sulfuric acid attack at pH 2 of two self-compacting concrete (SCC) types that are based on ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and granulometrically optimized blast-furnace slag cement was evaluated by three complementary tests that were performed in different research institutes. The use of SCC is a smart and promising solution to improve the performance of concrete in an aggressive environment, especially regarding ready-mixed concrete applications, since good compaction is less dependent on workmanship. The relevance and practical advantages of the different test protocols and the influence of the experimental parameters are discussed.

The effects of truncal adiposity in forced spirometry: Sex differences.

The aim of the current paper is to establish the influence of truncal fat accumulation on the spirometric results of a group of healthy individuals. A cross-sectional study of 305 healthy, non-smoking adult subjects (144 males, 161 females) was conducted. Forced spirometry and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry to quantify body fat were performed.

Relationship of Muscle Mass Determined by DEXA with Spirometric Results in Healthy Individuals.

Introduction: Muscle mass maybe a determining factor in the variability of spirometry results in individuals of the same sex and age who have similar anthropometric characteristics. The aim of this study was to determine the association between spirometric results from healthy individuals and their muscle mass assessed by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA).

Methods: A sample of 161 women and 144 men, all healthy non-smokers, was studied.

Osseointegration of TI6Al4V dental implants modified by thermal oxidation in osteoporotic rabbits.

Background: In this work, the effect of the heat treatment on Ti6Al4V implants and topical administration of growth hormone to address a better osseointegration in osteoporotic patients has been analysed.

Methods: The osseointegration process of Ti6Al4V implants modified by oxidation treatment at 700 °C for 1 h and the influence of local administration of growth hormone (GH) in osteoporotic female rabbits after 15 and 30 days of implantation have been studied. Bone response was analysed through densitometric and histomorphometric studies.

Functionalized gold nanoclusters as fluorescent labels for immunoassays: Application to human serum immunoglobulin E determination.

A quantitative immunoassay for the determination of immunoglobulin E (IgE) in human serum using gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) as fluorescent label was developed. Water soluble AuNCs were synthesized using lipoic acid and then thoroughly characterized. The obtained AuNCs have a particle size of 2.

Topological variability of fingerprint ridge density in a sub-Saharan population sample for application in personal identification.

Variability in ridge density in a sub-Saharan population sample was studied by counting ridges in three fingerprint areas (two distal regions, radial and ulnar, and one proximal region) on the epidermal surface of the distal phalanx. Study material was obtained from the fingerprint impressions of 100 male sub-Saharan subjects aged between 18- and 48-years old. The results were compared with those obtained from a Spanish population sample.

[Infant mortality due to congenital malformations and socioeconomic status: the case of Argentina].

Objective: Compare the infant mortality rate due to congenital malformations ( IMRCM) and the percentage of deaths due to congenital malformations (%DCM) with sociodemographic and economic characteristics in Argentina.

Methods: The Argentine study population resided in 511 departments of 23 provinces, grouped into five geographic regions (Northwest, Northeast, Central, Cuyo, and Patagonia). The analyzed variables were the IMRCM and the %DCM calculated on the basis of births and deaths during 2002-2006 period.

An Interactive Technique for Cartographic Feature Extraction from Aerial and Satellite Image Sensors.

In this paper, an interactive technique for extracting cartographic features from aerial and spatial images is presented. The method is essentially an interactive method of image region segmentation based on pixel grey level and texture information. The underlying segmentation method is seeded region growing.

Differential trafficking of Kif5c on tyrosinated and detyrosinated microtubules in live cells.

Kinesin-1 is a molecular transporter that trafficks along microtubules. There is some evidence that kinesin-1 targets specific cellular sites, but it is unclear how this spatial regulation is achieved. To investigate this process, we used a combination of in vivo imaging of kinesin heavy-chain Kif5c (an isoform of kinesin-1) fused to GFP, in vitro analyses and mathematical modelling.

An ATP gate controls tubulin binding by the tethered head of kinesin-1.

Kinesin-1 is a two-headed molecular motor that walks along microtubules, with each step gated by adenosine triphosphate (ATP) binding. Existing models for the gating mechanism propose a role for the microtubule lattice. We show that unpolymerized tubulin binds to kinesin-1, causing tubulin-activated release of adenosine diphosphate (ADP).

What kinesin does at roadblocks: the coordination mechanism for molecular walking.

Competing models for the coordination of processive stepping in kinesin can be tested by introducing a roadblock to prevent lead head attachment. We used T93N, an irreversibly binding mutant monomer, as a roadblock, and measured the rates of nucleotide-induced detachment of kinesin monomers or dimers with and without the T93N roadblock using microflash photolysis combined with stopped flow. Control nucleotide-induced monomer (rK340) unbinding was 73.

Direct long-term observation of kinesin processivity at low load.

The hand-over-hand stepping mechanism of kinesin at low loads is inadequately understood because the number of molecular steps taken per encounter with the microtubule is difficult to measure: optical traps do not register steps at zero load, while evanescent wave microscopy of single molecules of GFP-kinesin suffers from premature photobleaching. Obtaining low-load data is important because it can efficiently distinguish between alternative proposed mechanisms for molecular walking. We report a novel experiment that records the missing data.

Modulation of substrate adhesion dynamics via microtubule targeting requires kinesin-1.

Recent studies have shown that the targeting of substrate adhesions by microtubules promotes adhesion site disassembly (Kaverina, I., O. Krylyshkina, and J.