THE INFLUENCE OF THE SIZE OF QUARTZ DUST PARTICLES ON THE REACTION OF LUNG TISSUE*

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (80) ◽  
pp. 20120923 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter W. Lucas ◽  
Ridwaan Omar ◽  
Khaled Al-Fadhalah ◽  
Abdulwahab S. Almusallam ◽  
Amanda G. Henry ◽  
...  

The wear of teeth is a major factor limiting mammalian lifespans in the wild. One method of describing worn surfaces, dental microwear texture analysis, has proved powerful for reconstructing the diets of extinct vertebrates, but has yielded unexpected results in early hominins. In particular, although australopiths exhibit derived craniodental features interpreted as adaptations for eating hard foods, most do not exhibit microwear signals indicative of this diet. However, no experiments have yet demonstrated the fundamental mechanisms and causes of this wear. Here, we report nanowear experiments where individual dust particles, phytoliths and enamel chips were slid across a flat enamel surface. Microwear features produced were influenced strongly by interacting mechanical properties and particle geometry. Quartz dust was a rigid abrasive, capable of fracturing and removing enamel pieces. By contrast, phytoliths and enamel chips deformed during sliding, forming U-shaped grooves or flat troughs in enamel, without tissue loss. Other plant tissues seem too soft to mark enamel, acting as particle transporters. We conclude that dust has overwhelming importance as a wear agent and that dietary signals preserved in dental microwear are indirect. Nanowear studies should resolve controversies over adaptive trends in mammals like enamel thickening or hypsodonty that delay functional dental loss.


1950 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 187-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Bedford ◽  
C. G. Warner
Keyword(s):  

1984 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 69-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Vilím ◽  
J. Wilhelm ◽  
P. Brzák ◽  
J. Hurych

1984 ◽  
Vol 75 ◽  
pp. 597
Author(s):  
E. Grün ◽  
G.E. Morfill ◽  
T.V. Johnson ◽  
G.H. Schwehm

ABSTRACTSaturn's broad E ring, the narrow G ring and the structured and apparently time variable F ring(s), contain many micron and sub-micron sized particles, which make up the “visible” component. These rings (or ring systems) are in direct contact with magnetospheric plasma. Fluctuations in the plasma density and/or mean energy, due to magnetospheric and solar wind processes, may induce stochastic charge variations on the dust particles, which in turn lead to an orbit perturbation and spatial diffusion. It is suggested that the extent of the E ring and the braided, kinky structure of certain portions of the F rings as well as possible time variations are a result of plasma induced electromagnetic perturbations and drag forces. The G ring, in this scenario, requires some form of shepherding and should be akin to the F ring in structure. Sputtering of micron-sized dust particles in the E ring by magnetospheric ions yields lifetimes of 102to 104years. This effect as well as the plasma induced transport processes require an active source for the E ring, probably Enceladus.


Author(s):  
M. G. Williams ◽  
C. Corn ◽  
R. F. Dodson ◽  
G. A. Hurst

During this century, interest in the particulate content of the organs and body fluids of those individuals affected by pneumoconiosis, cancer, or other diseases of unknown etiology developed and concern was further prompted with the increasing realization that various foreign particles were associated with or caused disease. Concurrently particularly in the past two decades, a number of methods were devised for isolating particulates from tissue. These methods were recently reviewed by Vallyathan et al. who concluded sodium hypochlorite digestion was both simple and superior to other digestion procedures.


Author(s):  
Jerrold L. Abraham

Inorganic particulate material of diverse types is present in the ambient and occupational environment, and exposure to such materials is a well recognized cause of some lung disease. To investigate the interaction of inhaled inorganic particulates with the lung it is necessary to obtain quantitative information on the particulate burden of lung tissue in a wide variety of situations. The vast majority of diagnostic and experimental tissue samples (biopsies and autopsies) are fixed with formaldehyde solutions, dehydrated with organic solvents and embedded in paraffin wax. Over the past 16 years, I have attempted to obtain maximal analytical use of such tissue with minimal preparative steps. Unique diagnostic and research data result from both qualitative and quantitative analyses of sections. Most of the data has been related to inhaled inorganic particulates in lungs, but the basic methods are applicable to any tissues. The preparations are primarily designed for SEM use, but they are stable for storage and transport to other laboratories and several other instruments (e.g., for SIMS techniques).


Author(s):  
J. R. Porter ◽  
J. I. Goldstein ◽  
D. B. Williams

Alloy scrap metal is increasingly being used in electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking and the alloying elements are also found in the resulting dust. A comprehensive characterization program of EAF dust has been undertaken in collaboration with the steel industry and AISI. Samples have been collected from the furnaces of 28 steel companies representing the broad spectrum of industry practice. The program aims to develop an understanding of the mechanisms of formation so that procedures to recover residual elements or recycle the dust can be established. The multi-phase, multi-component dust particles are amenable to individual particle analysis using modern analytical electron microscopy (AEM) methods.Particles are ultrasonically dispersed and subsequently supported on carbon coated formvar films on berylium grids for microscopy. The specimens require careful treatment to prevent agglomeration during preparation which occurs as a result of the combined effects of the fine particle size and particle magnetism. A number of approaches to inhibit agglomeration are currently being evaluated including dispersal in easily sublimable organic solids and size fractioning by centrifugation.


Author(s):  
E. C. Buck ◽  
N. L. Dietz ◽  
J. K. Bates

Operations at former weapons processing facilities in the U. S. have resulted in a large volume of radionuclidecontaminated soils and residues. In an effort to improve remediation strategies and meet environmental regulations, radionuclide-bearing particles in contaminant soils from Fernald in Ohio and the Rocky Flats Plant (RFP) in Colorado have been characterized by electron microscopy. The object of these studies was to determine the form of the contaminant radionuclide, so that it properties could be established [1]. Physical separation and radiochemical analysis determined that uranium contamination at Fernald was not present exclusively in any one size/density fraction [2]. The uranium-contamination resulted from aqueous and solid product spills, air-borne dust particles, and from the operation of an incinerator on site. At RFP the contamination was from the incineration of Pu-bearing materials. Further analysis by x-ray absorption spectroscopy indicated that the majority of the uranium was in the 6+ oxidation state [3].


Author(s):  
Daniel C. Pease

It is reasonable to think that phospholipid micelles should be visible and identifiable in electron micrographs of ultrathin sections if only they can be preserved throughout the embedding process. The development of highly polar, water-containing, aminoplastic embedments has made this a likely possibility. With this in mind, an investigation of the lecithin-secreting, Type II pneumocytes of the lung is underway.Initially it has been easiest to recognize phospholipid micelles in lung tissue fixed first with glutaraldehyde, and then secondarily exposed to osmium tetroxide. However, the latter is not a necessary concomitant for micellar preservation. Conventional uranyl acetate and lead citrate staining is finally applied. Importantly, though, the micelles have been most easily seen in tissue embedded in 507. glutaraldehyde polymerized with urea, as described in detail by D.C. Pease and R.G. Peterson (J. Ultra- struct. Res., 41, 133, 1972). When oriented appropriately, the micellar units are seen as tiny, bilayer plates.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document