The group of man-made mineral or vitreous fibres (MMMFs or MMVFs) includes glass wool, rock wool, slag wool, glass filaments and microfibres, and refractory ceramic fibres (RCFs). Experimental observations have provided evidence that some types of MMVF are bioactive under certain conditions. The critical role of size parameters has been demonstrated in cellular and animal experiments, when inta...

Phosphorylation of the myosin-targeting subunit 1 of myosin light chain phosphatase (MYPT1) plays an important role in the regulation of smooth muscle contraction, and several sites of phosphorylation by different protein Ser/Thr kinases have been identified. Furthermore, in some instances, phosphorylation at specific sites affects phosphorylation at neighboring sites, with functional consequen...

BACKGROUND Sustained vascular smooth muscle contraction is mediated by extracellular Ca(2+) influx through L-type voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels (VGCC) and RhoA/Rho-associated kinase (ROCK)-dependent Ca(2+) sensitization of the contractile machinery. VGCC activation can also trigger an ion-independent metabotropic pathway that involves G-protein/phospholipase C activation, inositol 1,4,5-trispho...

This paper presents experiences with design and construction process of the Tanju Tunnel, West Nusa Tenggara. The objective this research was to characterize volcanic intrusive rock masses for designs tunnel excavation method support system. Engineering geological investigations were carried out, upon which stand-up time estimated system determined based on mass classifications RMR (Bieniawski,...

The uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) of intact rocks is an important geotechnical parameter required for designing geotechnical and mining engineering projects. Obtaining accurate estimates of the rock mass UCS parameter throughout a 3D geological model of the deposit is vital for determining optimum rock slope stability, designing new exploratory and blast boreholes, mine planning, optimizi...

To assess how the grain size/rock fabric of laboratory-matured shale samples impact oil, gas production, and formation pores during laboratory thermal maturation, cores (4.5 mm*1 cm) bulk rock, millimetric equidimensional rock fragments (3*3 mm), fine grind powder (<200 μm) were obtained from an organic-rich mudstone (Kimmeridge Clay Fm. “KCF”, Yorkshire, UK) artificially matured under anhydrou...

Once segmentation of 3D surface data of a rock pile has been performed, the next task is to determine the visibility of the surface rocks. A region boundary-following algorithm that accommodates irregularly spaced 3D coordinate data is presented for determining this visibility. We examine 3D surface segmentations of laboratory rock piles and determine which regions in the segmentation correspon...

The stability and kinematics of rock slopes are widely considered to be functions lithological, structural, environmental features. Conversely, slope damage features often overlooked as byproducts deformation. This paper analyzes discusses the potential role damage, its time-dependent nature, control on both their kinematics. analysis several major landslides unstable slopes, combined with a li...

Abstract In this research, the failure mechanism and anomalous behavior of intact jointed rock block having a circular tunnel under compression are studied. This was done by monitoring progressive subjected to uniaxial loading. The tests were conducted in sandstone blocks “ Acoustic Emission ” (AE) technique used identify crack damage other attributes. Three cases have been considered i.e. rock...