This system includes a C-code software program and a set of MATLAB software tools for statistical analysis and rock distribution mapping. The major functions include rock detection and rock detection validation. The rock detection code has been evolved into a production tool that can be used by engineers and geologists with minor training. The software takes as an input an image of a scene cont...

Rock varnish is a dark-colored Mnand Fe-rich coating that forms on exposed rock surfaces in almost every terrestrial weathering environment, particularly in arid and semiarid regions. Varnishes average about 100 μm in thickness but can reach thicknesses of several hundred micrometers, with accumulation rates of 1–15 μm/1000 years (Liu and Dorn 1996). Rock varnishes have attracted considerable r...

BACKGROUND Rho kinases (ROCKs) mediate cell contraction, local adhesion, and cell motility, which are considered to be important in cell differentiation. We postulated that ROCKs are involved in controlling embryonic stem (ES) cell renewal and differentiation. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS CCE, a murine ES cell, was treated with Y-27632 for 48 to 96 hours and colony formation was evaluated. ...

We study the structural instability mechanism and effect of a multi-echelon support in very-deep roadways. We conduct a scale model test for analysing the structural failure mechanism and the effect of multi-echelon support of roadways under high horizontal stress. Mechanical bearing structures are classified according to their secondary stress distribution and the strength degradation of the s...

How Mining Releases Toxic Metals Large amounts of waste rock and tailings contaminated with toxic metals can be produced by mine sites. In the case of the Donlin Creek mine, there are only 0.072 ounces of gold for every ton of ore, a figure that does not take into account the waste rock. Toxic substances contained within the rock and tailings are more easily released once these substances are p...

Measurements of aerosol absorption and scattering in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area during the MILAGRO field campaign: a comparison of results from the T0 and T1 sites N. A. Marley, J. S. Gaffney, T. Castro, A. Salcido, and J. Frederick Graduate Institute of Technology, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Little Rock, AR, USA Department of Chemistry, University of Arkansas at Little Rock,...

In this paper, three rock types including Sandstone, Mudstone, and Crystalline Gypsum were part of a laboratory study conducted to develop a dataset for predicting the unconfined compressive strength of UAE intact sedimentary rock specimens. Four hundred nineteen rock samples from various areas along the coastal region of the UAE were collected and tested for the development of this dataset and...

Amyloid-beta (Abeta) overproduction and dendrite arbor atrophy are hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. The RhoA GTPase (Rho) signals through Rho kinase (ROCK) to control cytoskeletal dynamics and regulate neuron structure. Hyperactive Rho signaling destabilizes neurons leading to dendritic regression that can be rescued by genetic or pharmacological reduction of ROCK signaling. To understand what...

Loss of stress support caused by hydrate dissociation may result in a significant reduction of rock strength. The strength of a hydrate-bearing sedimentary formation is a function of the strengths of inter-granular bonds and the interactions between the rock grains and the hydrates in the pore space. Myriads of such bonds and interactions define the macroscopic rock strength parameters. We expe...

When examining a rock mass, joint sets and their orientations can play a signiŽ cant role with regard to how the rock mass will behave. To identify joint sets present in the rock mass, the orientation of individual fracture planes can be measured on exposed rock faces and the resulting data can be examined for heterogeneity. In this article, the expectation–maximization algorithm is used to Ž t...