Sungun Copper Mine is located in an area with a high level of seismic hazard. Most recently, the Ahar-Varzeqan earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 on Richter scale occurred on August 11, 2012; at a distance about 40 kilometers away from the mine. Nevertheless, the seismic stability of the final pit wall has not been comprehensively reviewed. In this research, the southwestern wall of the final p...

The mammalian pit-1 gene encodes a 33 kd transcription factor (1,2) expressed in a subset of endocrine cells of the anterior pituitary (3). Pit-1 is structurally related to the POU family of transcriptional regulators (4), containing a characteristic POU domain divided into two regions, the POU-specific and homeo subdomains. Located in the C-terminal half of the protein, the POU domain is criti...

One of the most effective parameters in economics of open-pit mines is the pit slope angle, so that the slope angle more than the optimum value increases the probability of a large failure in the pit wall and the slope angle less than the optimum value leads to increasing stripping ratio and reducing net present value of mine. Therefore, in this paper, considering the limit equilibrium methods ...

The air-seeding hypothesis predicts that xylem embolism resistance is linked directly to bordered pit functioning. We tested this prediction in trunks, roots, and branches at different vertical and radial locations in young and old trees of Pseudotsuga menziesii. Dimensions of bordered pits were measured from light and scanning electron micrographs, and physiological data were from published va...

The effect of increasing pressure difference (DeltaP) on intervessel pit membrane porosity was studied in two angiosperm tree species with differing pit architecture. Fraxinus americana L. possesses typical angiosperm bordered pit structure while Sophora japonica L. exhibits well-developed vestures in intervessel pit chambers. It was hypothesized (a) that large DeltaP across intervessel pits wo...

Water transport in conifers occurs through single-celled tracheids that are connected to one another via intertracheid pit membranes. These membranes have two components: the porous margo, which allows water to pass through the membrane, and the impermeable torus, which functions to isolate gas-filled tracheids. During drought, tracheids can become air filled and thus hydraulically dysfunctiona...

Background: Sacral pit is a shallow or deep dimple in the lower sacral region, with a reported prevalence of 3-5% among newborns. The aim of the present study was to investigate spinal cord abnormalities in newborns with sacral pit via ultrasound examinations. Methods: In this descriptive study, 3071 infants born at 34-42 weeks of gestation were studied in hospitals affiliated to Islamic Azad U...

Pleural metastases are common in patients with advanced thoracic cancers and are a cause of considerable morbidity and mortality yet is difficult to treat. Near Infrared Photoimmunotherapy (NIR-PIT) is a cancer treatment that combines the specificity of intravenously injected antibodies for targeting tumors with the toxicity induced by photosensitizers after exposure to NIR-light. Herein, we ev...

The paper presents the case study of the current formation of a Brazilian pit lake from an iron ore mining activity. The water used for the filling of the lake comes from rain, ground water and the complementary pumpage from a close river. At its final stage, which will be reached around year 2018, Lake Aguas Claras will have a surface area of 0.67 km2 and the depth of 234 m, which will make it...