The naturally occurring primordial radionuclides in coals might exhibit high radioactivity, and can be exported to the surrounding environment during coal combustion. In this study, nine coal samples were collected from eastern Yunnan coal deposits, China, aiming at characterizing the overall radioactivity of some typical nuclides (i.e., 40K, 238U, 232Th, 226Ra) and assessing their ecological i...

The activity concentrations of naturally occurring radionuclides 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K were determined in 30 agricultural and virgin soil samples randomly collected from Kedah, north of Malaysia, at a fertile soil depth of 0-30 cm. Gamma-ray spectrometry was applied using high-purity germanium (HPGe) gamma-ray detector and a PC-based MCA. The mean radioactivity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, a...

In this study, we evaluated the activity concentration of natural radionuclides (226Ra, 232Th and 40K) for fifteen (15) different brands of tile samples used for building purposes in Nigeria. The tile samples were analyzed using High purity Germanium gamma detector. The mean activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K were observed to be 61.1 ± 5.5 Bq/kg, 70.2 ± 6.08 Bq/kg and 514.7 ± 59.8...

The major outer membrane protein of molecular weight 40,000 (the 40K protein) of a virulent isolate of Bordetella pertussis was purified to apparent homogeneity. The purified protein formed an oligomer band (of apparent molecular weight 90,000) on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels after solubilization at low temperatures. The porin function of this protein was characterized by the blac...

The genome of Leishmania mexicana encompasses a cluster of three glucose transporter genes designated LmxGT1, LmxGT2 and LmxGT3. Functional and genetic studies of a cluster null mutant (Δlmxgt1-3) have dissected the roles of these proteins in Leishmania metabolism and virulence. However, null mutants were recovered at very low frequency, and comparative genome hybridizations revealed that Δlmxg...

The age-related changes in both skeletal mass and muscle mass were directly measured in normal black women ages 30-80 yr. The levels of total-body calcium (TBCa) were determined with the use of in vivo neutron activation. The muscle mass was measured by wholebody counting of 40K. In the same population, the bone mineral content of the radius was measured using a photon absorptiometric technique...

In Egypt, nineteen water springs with temperatures exceeding 35 degrees C, which can be considered thermal waters, were reported. The radiological aspects of thermal water in three northern regions of Egypt (Gulf of Suez, Cairo, and Bahariya Oasis) were investigated. The activity concentrations of natural radionuclides of 226Ra, 40K, total uranium and 210Pb (210Po) in water samples were determi...

The natural radioactivities of five characteristic igneous rocks of the eastern foreland of the Opava Mountains (Eastern Sudetes, Poland), obtained in the laboratory and under in situ conditions, are presented. The activity concentrations of 232Th, 238U, and 40K were measured using an HPGe gamma-ray spectrometry system. The ranges of the activity concentrations of 232Th were 7-71 Bq kg-1 in the...

Transient receptor potential (TRP) cation channels are a critical pathway for Ca2+ entry during pulmonary artery (PA) smooth muscle contraction. However, whether canonical TRP (TRPC) subunits and which TRP channel isoforms are involved in store depletion-induced pulmonary vasoconstriction in vivo remain unclear. This study was designed to test whether overexpression of the human TRPC1 gene (hTR...

Natural radioactivity is the main source of radiation which affects the human body [1]. Anthropogenic activities (e.g. high-altitude fl ights, mining and living in buildings) have increased the exposure to these sources [2]. In particular, the problem of natural radioactivity in buildings is of great interest since the building materials are of terrestrial origin and they consequently contain s...