Introduction: Among the calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs) there exists a small subgroup referred to as FUN CAIs (for Fractionation and Unidentified Nuclear effects [1]) that exhibit unusually large mass-dependent fractionations and mass-independent isotopic variations [1-3]. Understanding the origin, conditions of formation, genetic relationship of these inclusions with other CAIs and the...

The LUCIAE model predictions are compared with experimental data on light vector meson (ρ, ω, φ) production in pp, p+Pb and Pb+Pb collisions at 158 A GeV. The model reproduces the general trends of the data, but fails in describing the yield of high-pT vector mesons in the central Pb+Pb collisions. Predictions for In+In and p+A (A varying from Be to U) collisions at 158 A GeV are also presented.

The 24 hour urinary excretion of cadmium (U-Cd) and lead (U-Pb), and the excretion of beta-2- microglobulins and retinol binding protein concentration in spot urines, were determined in a random 4% sample of the population of a small Belgian town. Blood pressure and body weight were measured on two separate occasions. U-Cd averaged 2.4 nmol/24 h in 46 youths, increased with age, and was signifi...

Zircon (ZrSiO4) is the most commonly used geochronometer, preserving age and geochemical information through a wide range of geological processes. However, zircon U-Pb geochronology can be affected by redistribution of radiogenic Pb, which is incompatible in the crystal structure. This phenomenon is particularly common in zircon that has experienced ultra-high temperature metamorphism, where io...

Introduction: The U-Pb isotope system provides unparalleled chronological resolution in the determination of absolute ages of events occurring in early solar system history. Proper comparison of these absolute ages with the relative chronologies emerging from studies of now-extinct nuclides such as Al, Mn, and Hf requires identification of fixed time points in the evolution of materials in the ...