Chinese fir is a tall, fast-growing species that is unique to southern China. In Chinese fir plantations, successive plantings have led to a decline in soil fertility, and aluminum toxicity is thought to be one of the main reasons for this decline. In this study, Non-invasive Micro-test Technology was used to study the effect of aluminum stress on the absorption of 4 different ions in the roots...

Although aluminum excess is an apparent pathogenetic factor underlying osteomalacia in dialysis-treated patients with chronic renal failure, the mechanism by which aluminum impairs bone mineralization is unclear. However, the observation that aluminum is present at osteoid-bone interfaces in bone biopsies of affected patients suggests that its presence at calcification fronts disturbs the cellu...

Aluminum foam has received considerable attention in various fields and is expected to be used as an engineering material owing to its high energy absorption properties and light weight. To improve the mechanical properties of aluminum foam, combining it with dense tubes, such as aluminum foam-filled tubes, was considered necessary. In this study, an aluminum foam-filled steel tube, which consi...

Utilisation of bauxite residue, the secondary material of alumina production, has been the object of numerous research efforts striving to introduce the by-product in useful applications. In fact, bauxite residue is used today in fabrication of ceramics, in cement production as a colouring agent and in abandoned quarries as a filling material. On the contrary, rare are the research initiatives ...

The aim of the study was to evaluate the protective status of an antioxidant combination (melatonin and Sempervivum tectorum extract) on aluminium accumulation in genital organs of male rats. The 12 weeks study was carried out on 35 Wistar male rats divided in five groups: C – control, receiving distillated water; E1 – aluminium sulphate 0.1 mg/L; E2 – melatonin 10 mg/kg b.w. in drinking water;...

Fire blight (FB), caused by Erwinia amylovora, is one of the most important pome fruit pathogens worldwide. To control this devastating disease, various chemical and biological treatments are commonly applied in Switzerland, but they fail to keep the infection at an acceptable level in years of heavy disease pressure. The Swiss authorities therefore currently allow the controlled use of the ant...

Focused ion beam lithography and a two-step anodization have been combined to fabricate a vertical fan-out platform containing an array of unique probes. Each probe comprises three anodic alumina nanochannels with a fan-out arrangement. The lithography is used to pattern an aluminum sheet with a custom-designed array of triangular 'cells' whose apexes are composed of nanoholes. The nanoholes gr...

Mechanisms inhibiting legume nodulation by low soil pH, although highly prevalent and economically significant, are poorly understood. We addressed this in soybean (Glycine max) using a combination of physiological and genetic approaches. Split-root and grafting studies using an autoregulation-of-nodulation-deficient mutant line, altered in the autoregulation-of-nodulation receptor kinase GmNAR...

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Korean Red Ginseng marc with aluminum sulfate as litter amendments on ammonia, soluble reactive phosphorus, and pathogen populations in poultry litters. METHODS Increasing levels of Korean Red Ginseng marc with aluminum sulfate were applied onto the surface of rice hull as a top-dress application; untreated rice hulls served as c...

Porous alumina film on aluminum with gel-like pore wall was prepared by a two-step anodization of aluminum, and the corresponding gel-like porous film was etched in diluted NaOH solution to produce alumina nanowires in the form of densely packed alignment. The resultant alumina nanowires were reacted with NH(3) and evaporated aluminum at an elevated temperature to be converted into densely pack...