Following the futile efforts of generations to reach the high standard of excellence achieved by the luthiers in Cremona, Italy, by variations of design and plate tuning, current interest is being focused on differences in material properties. The long-standing question whether the wood of Stradivari and Guarneri were treated with wood preservative materials could be answered only by the examin...

The disposition of actinides, most recently 239Pu from dismantled nuclear weapons, requires effective containment of waste generated by the nuclear fuel cycle. Because actinides (e.g., 239Pu and 237Np) are long-lived, they have a major impact on risk assessments of geologic repositories. Thus, demonstrable, long-term chemical and mechanical durability are essential properties of waste forms for...

Yttrium-stabilized zirconium dioxide implants made of brezirkon (whiteSKY, Bredent medical, Senden, Germany) were used for the treatment of edentulous ridge rehabilitation in the Dental Clinic of the University of Milan (Head of the Department, Prof. F. Santoro). Zirconium dioxide is a highly resistant ceramic material obtained by cleaning zirconium dioxide and zirconium silicate. The implant u...

The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the fracture load and marginal accuracy of crowns made from a shrinkage-free ZrSiO4 ceramic cemented with glass-ionomer or composite cement after chewing simulation. Thirty-two human mandibular molars were randomly divided into two groups. All teeth were prepared for and restored with shrinkage-free ZrSiO4 ceramic crowns (Everest HPC, KaVo). The cr...

The Isère River system drains parts of the Western Alps in south-eastern France. Zircon fission-track data of the Isère River and its tributaries show a range of apparent cooling ages from about 7 to 150 Ma. Zircons with Jurassic to early Tertiary cooling ages are derived from partially reset or non-reset sedimentary cover units of the internal and external Alps, while grains belonging to the m...

In the Variscan Western Tatra granites hybridization phenomena such as mixing and mingling can be observed at the contact of mafic precursors of dioritic composition and more felsic granitic host rocks. The textural evidence of hybridization include: plagioclase-K-feldspar-sphene ocelli, hornblende- and biotite-rimmed quartz ocelli, plagioclase with Ca-rich spike zonation, inversely zoned K-fel...

This study assessed the radiological health hazards to various body organs of workers working within Transnet Precinct in Richards Bay in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa due to radionuclide content of mineral ores often stored within the facility. Thirty samples were collected from five mineral ores (rock phosphate, rutile, zircon, coal and hematite) and analyzed for 238U, 234U, 226Ra, 210Pb, 235U,...

[1] New apatite and zircon (U-Th)/He ages from the Fiordland region of New Zealand’s South Island expand on earlier results and provide new constraints on patterns of Late Cenozoic exhumation and cooling across this region. Zircon (U-Th)/He cooling ages, in combination with increased density of apatite ages, show that in addition to a gradual northward decrease in cooling ages that was seen dur...