Biopolymer-bound Soil Composites(BSC),are a novel bio-based construction material class,produced through the mixture and desiccation of biopolymers with inorganic aggregates with applications in soil stabilization,bri...Biopolymer-bound Soil Composites(BSC),are a novel bio-based construction material class,produced through the mixture and desiccation of biopolymers with inorganic aggregates with applications in soil stabilization,brick creation and in situ construction on Earth and space.This paper introduces a mixture design methodology to produce maximum strength for a given soil-biopolymer combination.Twenty protein and sand mix designs were investigated,with varying amounts of biopolymer solution and compaction regimes during manufacture.The ultimate compressive strength,density,and shrinkage of BSC samples are reported.It is observed that the compressive strength of BSC materials increases proportional to tighter particle packing(soil dry bulk density)and binder content.A theory to explain this peak compressive strength phenomenon is presented.展开更多
The effect of UV- and 137Cs gamma radiation on the structural and chemical integrity of human hair was studied to determine the feasibility of using human hair as a non-invasive biomarker of radiation exposure to ioni...The effect of UV- and 137Cs gamma radiation on the structural and chemical integrity of human hair was studied to determine the feasibility of using human hair as a non-invasive biomarker of radiation exposure to ionized gamma- and non-ionized UV-radiation. Steady state tryptophan (Trp) fluorescence and chemical analytical methods were used to evaluate the molecular integrity of Trp fluorophores and SH-groups in hair proteins and to assess the radiation induced damage quantitatively. It was found that human hair fibers were progressively damaged by exposure to both UV- and ionized gamma radiation. Damage to the hair was evidenced by a decrease in the fluorescence intensity as a result of observed depletion of the amino acid tryptophan as well as significant reduction in a number of free SH-groups in hair proteins. Hair damage was dose-dependent for exposures between 0 and 10.0 Gy and 0 - 20 J/cm2 of UV-radiation. Additional results demonstrate that hair-fibers exposed to gamma rays, with much higher quantum energy than UV, undergo a smaller extent of changes in Trp fluorescence than when exposed to lower or equal energy of UV-irradiation. The stable Trp fluorophore appears to be extremely sensitive to UV-radiation in contrast to the ionized gamma radiation whose damage is originated from the reaction of free radicals and direct deposition of energy. We conclude that fluorescence spectroscopy represents a useful tool in the quantitative evaluation of the radiation exposure and could also be used for the rapid and non-invasive assessment of radiation dose i.e. biodosimeter. The approach is simple, non-invasive and appears to have considerable potential that enables quantitative evaluation of radiation dose exposure in a single hair fiber.展开更多
文摘Biopolymer-bound Soil Composites(BSC),are a novel bio-based construction material class,produced through the mixture and desiccation of biopolymers with inorganic aggregates with applications in soil stabilization,brick creation and in situ construction on Earth and space.This paper introduces a mixture design methodology to produce maximum strength for a given soil-biopolymer combination.Twenty protein and sand mix designs were investigated,with varying amounts of biopolymer solution and compaction regimes during manufacture.The ultimate compressive strength,density,and shrinkage of BSC samples are reported.It is observed that the compressive strength of BSC materials increases proportional to tighter particle packing(soil dry bulk density)and binder content.A theory to explain this peak compressive strength phenomenon is presented.
文摘The effect of UV- and 137Cs gamma radiation on the structural and chemical integrity of human hair was studied to determine the feasibility of using human hair as a non-invasive biomarker of radiation exposure to ionized gamma- and non-ionized UV-radiation. Steady state tryptophan (Trp) fluorescence and chemical analytical methods were used to evaluate the molecular integrity of Trp fluorophores and SH-groups in hair proteins and to assess the radiation induced damage quantitatively. It was found that human hair fibers were progressively damaged by exposure to both UV- and ionized gamma radiation. Damage to the hair was evidenced by a decrease in the fluorescence intensity as a result of observed depletion of the amino acid tryptophan as well as significant reduction in a number of free SH-groups in hair proteins. Hair damage was dose-dependent for exposures between 0 and 10.0 Gy and 0 - 20 J/cm2 of UV-radiation. Additional results demonstrate that hair-fibers exposed to gamma rays, with much higher quantum energy than UV, undergo a smaller extent of changes in Trp fluorescence than when exposed to lower or equal energy of UV-irradiation. The stable Trp fluorophore appears to be extremely sensitive to UV-radiation in contrast to the ionized gamma radiation whose damage is originated from the reaction of free radicals and direct deposition of energy. We conclude that fluorescence spectroscopy represents a useful tool in the quantitative evaluation of the radiation exposure and could also be used for the rapid and non-invasive assessment of radiation dose i.e. biodosimeter. The approach is simple, non-invasive and appears to have considerable potential that enables quantitative evaluation of radiation dose exposure in a single hair fiber.
