Solar System formation models predict that the building-blocks of planetesimals were mmto cm-sized pebbles, aggregates of ices and non-volatile materials, consistent with the compact particles ejected by comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P hereafter) and detected by GIADA (Grain Impact Analyzer and Dust Accumulator) on-board the Rosetta spacecraft. Planetesimals were formed by the gentle gravi...

There is little empirical evidence to indicate that dairy cow live weight affects the extent of soil damage at the hoof-soil interface during grazing on poorly drained permanent grassland. In the present study the impact of Holstein-Friesian (HF) dairy cows with a mean (±standard deviation) live weight of 570 (±61) kg were compared with Jersey × Holstein-Friesian (JX) with a mean live weight of...

:‘)ii$ Machine piling of slash and brush after harvest is commonly practiced when establishing new conifer plantations. However, it can result in increased soil bulk density, decreased soil macroporosity, and increased soil strength, thus reducing conifer root development and above-ground growth (Froehlich 1979, Sands and Bowen 1978). Because natural recovery of soil from compaction is slow, wa...

This study describes the modulation of the rodent foreign body giant cell (FBGC) response to subcutaneously implanted, biodegradable poly(lactide-co-glycolide)/calcium phosphate (PLGA/CaP) composites by application of a thin surface coat of calcium phosphate. Macroporous PLGA/CaP composite scaffolds, with interconnecting macroporosity, were half coated with a 3mm thick layer of CaP by immersion...

Drinking-water treatment residuals (WTRs) can immobilize excess soil phosphorus (P), but little is known about the long-term P retention by WTRs. To evaluate the long-term P sorption characteristics of one Fe- and one Al-based WTR, physicochemical properties pertinent to time-dependency and hysteresis of P sorption were assessed. This study also investigated the P sorption mechanisms that could...

Porous carbon monoliths with defined multilength scale pore structures, a nitrogen-containing framework, and high mechanical strength were synthesized through a self-assembly of poly(benzoxazine-co-resol) and a carbonization process. Importantly, this synthesis can be easily scaled up to prepare carbon monoliths with identical pore structures. By controlling the reaction conditions, porous carb...

Resorcinol-formaldehyde cryogels prepared at different dilution ratios have been activated with phosphoric acid at 450 C and compared with their carbonaceous counterparts obtained by pyrolysis at 900 C. Whereas the latter were, as expected, highly mesoporous carbons, the former cryogels had very different pore textures. Highly diluted cryogels allowed preparation of microporous materials with h...

In clayey, swelling and more or less sodic soils, cultivation and seasonal climatic cycles induce variations in soil moisture which in turn cause variations in the soil structure. In particular, when the soil profile is saturated, some soils become impermeable because the soil porosity value does not remain sufficiently high throughout the drainage period to be effective for water movement. In ...

Porous materials are highly preferred for bone tissue engineering due to space for blood vessel ingrowth, but this may introduce extra experimental variations because of the difficulty in precise control of porosity. In order to decide whether it is absolutely necessary to use porous materials in in vitro comparative osteogenesis study of materials with different chemistries, we carried out ost...

Fast pyrolysis bio-oils possess unfavorable physicochemical properties and poor stability, in large part, owing to the presence of carboxylic acids, which hinders their use as biofuels. Catalytic esterification offers an atom- and energy-efficient route to upgrade pyrolysis bio-oils. Propyl sulfonic acid (PrSO3 H) silicas are active for carboxylic acid esterification but suffer mass-transport l...