Vertebrate mineralized tissues, i.e., enamel, dentin, cementum, and bone, have unique hierarchical structures and chemical compositions. Although these tissues are similarly comprised of a crystalline calcium apatite mineral phase and a protein component, they differ with respect to crystal size and shape, level and distribution of trace mineral ions, the nature of the proteins present, and the...

As already exemplified by the highly successful first volume of this Special Issue, both theoretical understanding mineral exploration and its practical application in field are undergoing a profound significant transformation [...]

This review describes the structure, physicochemical properties and sources of asbestos as well as other mineral fibres in the natural environment. The diversity of character and methods for the determination of airborne inorganic fibres are discussed with particular attention to the biological effects on humans health. It also demonstrates the practical significance of asbestos. This article a...

Bend it, shape it, remember it Shape-memory alloys have the useful property of returning to their original shape after being greatly deformed. This process depends on the collective behavior of many small mineral grains in the metal. Using threedimensional x-ray diffraction, Sedmák et al. tracked over 15,000 grains in a nickel-titanium shape-memory alloy as it moved through this transformation,...

Mineral formation is regulated by molecular based promoters or inhibitors in biological systems. Among serum proteins, fetuin-A can effectively inhibit unwanted calcification vivo via forming fetuin-mineral complexes called calciprotein particles (CPPs). Here, the and phase transformation mechanisms of CPPs are investigated detail combining situ potentiometric measurements solid characterizatio...

A new analytical method for the determination of halogenated and aromatic volatile organic compounds in groundwater, mineral water, and drinking water at concentrations ranging between 1-10000 ng/L is developed. A new type of headspace sampler that combines static headspace sampling with a trap is used, yielding very low detection limits and good repeatability without carryover effects. An unex...

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is the most common mesothelial malignancy, which arises from the malignant transformation of mesothelial cells that line the pleural cavity. Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a highly invasive disease with a very long latency and treatment is rarely effective, since only few patients survive more than one year after diagnosis (Carbone et al., 2007). Asbestos, a fi...

Mantle-derived garnet peridotites are a minor component in many very high-pressure metamorphic terranes that formed during continental subduction and collision. Some of these mantle rocks contain trace amounts of zircon and micrometer-sized inclusions. The constituent minerals exhibit pre- and postsubduction microstructures, including polymorphic transformation and mineral exsolution. Experimen...