RATIONALE Cartilaginous metaplasia of vascular smooth muscle (VSM) is characteristic for arterial calcification in diabetes and uremia and in the background of genetic alterations in matrix Gla protein (MGP). A better understanding of the molecular details of this process is critical for the development of novel therapeutic approaches to VSM transformation and arterial calcification. OBJECTIV...

Recent studies of soil–landscape relationships in northeastern Patagonia identified fibrous-clay minerals in calcic and petrocalcic horizons developed on old fluvio-glacial plains called “Rodados Patagónicos” (RP). The objectives of this study were: i) to evaluate the occurrence of fibrous-clay minerals in the arid soil environment, and ii) to establish the relationship between the soil propert...

The remediation of chromium-contaminated sites requires knowledge of the processes that control the migration and transformation of chromium. Advection, dispersion, and diffusion are physical processes affecting the rate at which contaminants can migrate in the subsurface. Heterogeneity is an important factor that affects the contribution of each of these mechanisms to the migration of chromium...

Both microbially produced enzymes and mineral surfaces can be considered catalysts of chemical transformation in soils and other geological environments such as sediments and subsurface aquifers. While both are important direct agents of organic matter (OM) remineralization and transformation, mineral surfaces can also act as “heterogeneous co-catalysts,” influencing the kinetic properties of b...

Biological activity can accelerate soil processes and can thus have profound effects on weathering and the transformation of phosphorus (P). Here we show that the transformation of P is closely linked to soil development across an about 9000 years old soil chronosequence formed through glacial rebound. Easily weathered forms of P such as apatite are rapidly lost from the surface mineral horizon...

The formation of transition-metal surface precipitates may occur during sorption to clay minerals under ambient soil conditions. This process may lead to significant longterm stabilization of the metal within the soil profile. However, the rates and mechanisms controlling surface precipitate formation are poorly understood. We monitored changes in the reversibility of Ni sorbed to a clay minera...

Bauxite residue is an alkaline, saline tailings material generated as a byproduct of the Bayer process used for alumina refining. Developing effective plans for the long term management of potential environmental impacts associated with storage of these tailings is dependent on understanding how the chemical and mineralogical properties of the tailings will change during weathering and transfor...

cacl2 treatment followed by heat shock is the most common method for artificial transformation. here, the cells were transformed using cacl2 treatment either with heat shock (standard protocol) or without heat shock (lab protocol) to comprehend the difference in transformation efficiency. the bl21 strain of escherichia coli (e. coli) was being susceptible using cacl2 treatment. some cells were ...