Mineralogical processes taking place close to equilibrium, or with very slow kinetics, are difficult to quantify precisely. The determination of ultraslow dissolution/precipitation rates would reveal characteristic timing associated with these processes that are important at geological scale. We have designed an advanced high-resolution white-beam phase-shift interferometry microscope to measur...

Human arsenic exposure from rice consumption is a global concern. Due to the vast areas of naturally contaminated soils in rice-producing regions, the only possibility for reducing hazardous exposure is to prevent As uptake and translocation to rice grain. Sulfur inhibits As mobility both in soil and plant, indicating that soil S content may be a primary factor controlling As uptake; indeed, gy...

Introduction: Recent and on-going remote and in situ observations indicate that sulfates are present in significant abundances at various locations on Mars [1-5]. In addition, the scheduled Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) will be equipped with an imaging spectrometer (CRISM) that will return hyperspectral data at higher spatial resolution [6] than the OMEGA instrument on the Mars Express Miss...

PURPOSE To evaluate the efficacy of sodium hypochlorite (1 : 10) and iodophor disinfectants on alginate impressions along with their effect on the survived bacterium count on the gypsum cast. MATERIALS AND METHODS Four alginate impression on each dentate patients were made, of which Group I were not washed or disinfected, Group II impressions were merely washed with water, Group III were disi...

This research assessed the use of gypsum (CaSO42H2O) as a skeleton builder for sludge dewatering since polymer conditioning of sludge affected only the rate of water release, not the extent of dewatering. The use of gypsum as a physical conditioner, in association with a polymer, could improve sludge filterability. More significantly, gypsum serves as a skeleton builder, forming a permeable an...

We deal with the textural aspects, porometry and hydric behaviour of combinations of building materials and their durability under attack by salt crystallisation and freezing. We selected 4 types of lime mortar (pure lime mortar, lime mortar + air-entraining agent, lime mortar + pozzolana and lime mortar + air-entraining agent + pozzolana) which were used in combination with either brick or cal...

A corrosion sensor for monitoring the corrosion state of cover mortar was developed. The sensor was tested in cement mortar, with and without the addition of chloride to simulate the adverse effects of chloride-contaminated environmental conditions on concrete structures. In brief, a linear polarization resistance method combined with an embeddable reference electrode was utilized to measure th...

In this study, an artificial neural networks study was carried out to predict the quantity of ammonia gas (NH3) of Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GBFS) cement mortar. A data set of a laboratory work, in which a total of 4 mortars were produced, was utilized in the Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) study. The mortar mixture parameters were four different GBFS ratios (0%, 20%, 40% and 60%). Measu...