Marble Research Articles

Weighted genomic prediction for growth and carcass-related traits in Nelore cattle.

This study aimed to assess the impact of differential weighting in genomic regions harboring candidate causal loci on the genomic prediction accuracy and dispersion for growth and carcass-related traits in Nelore cattle. The dataset contained 168 793 phenotypic records for adjusted weight at 450 days of age (W450), 83 624 for rib eye area (REA), 24 480 for marbling (MAR) and 82 981 for subcutaneous backfat thickness (BFT) and rump fat thickness (RFT). The pedigree harbored information from 244 254 animals born between 1977 and 2016, including 6283 sires and 50 742 dams. Animals (n=7769) were genotyped with the low-density panel (Clarifide® Nelore 3.0), and the genotypes were imputed to a panel containing 735 044 markers. A linear animal model was applied to estimate the genetic parameters and to perform the weighted single-step genome-wide association study (WssGWAS). A total of seven models for genomic prediction were evaluated combining the SNP weights obtained in the iterations of the WssGWAS and the candidate QTL. The heritability estimated for W450 (0.35) was moderate, and for carcass-related traits, the estimates were moderate for REA (0.27), MAR (0.28) and RFT (0.28), and low for BFT (0.18). The prediction accuracy for W450 incorporating reported QTL previously described in the literature along with different SNPs weights was like those described for the default ssGBLUP model. The use of the ssGWAS to weight the SNP effects displayed limited advantages for the REA prediction accuracy. Comparing the ssGBLUP with the BLUP model, a meaningful improvement in the prediction accuracy from 0.09 to 0.63 (700%) was observed for MAR. The highest prediction accuracy was obtained for BFT and RFT in all evaluated models. The application of information obtained from the WssGWAS is an alternative to reduce the genomic prediction dispersion for growth and carcass-related traits, except for MAR. Furthermore, the results obtained herein pointed out that is possible to improve the prediction accuracy and reduce the genomic prediction dispersion for growth and carcass-related traits in young animals.

Optimization of dry sliding wear behaviour of industrial wastes reinforced aluminium based metal matrix composites

AbstractMarble dust and basalt powder are industrial waste generated during the machining of marble stone and basalt rock. This paper presents an approach for the optimization of dry sliding wear parameters of aluminium 7075 reinforced with marble dust and basalt powder hybrid metal matrix composite using Taguchi based grey relational analysis. In this work, the composite is fabricated by stir casting technique and the wear parameters namely load, sliding velocity and sliding distance are optimized with consideration of multi responses such as wear rate and coefficient of friction. Experiments are conducted as per Taguchi's L9 orthogonal array. A grey relational analysis is carried out and grey relational grade is obtained. Based on the grey relational grade, optimum level of wear parameters has been identified by analysis of variance. The test results are validated by conducting the confirmation test. Experimental results have shown that the sliding velocity is the most effective factor among the control parameters on dry sliding wear, followed by the sliding distance and load. Finally, the micro structural investigations on the worn surfaces are performed by scanning electron microscope.

Alkali-activation potential of stone wastes

The industrial processing of dimensional stones generates a significant amount of waste. According to the data released in 2020 by the nations with active dimensional stone industries, it is estimated that out of 316 million tons of dimensional stones extracted each year, 161.5 million tons end up as mining or quarry waste. These are dumped in open locations creating noxious conditions for mine workers, residents of nearby communities, and the environment. In the current work, an effort has been made to manufacture alkali-activated materials (AAM) using sandstone waste (SW) and marble stone waste (MW) obtained from Rajasthan (India). The primary precursor is SW, whereas MW is partially substituted as an admixture. The elemental composition of stone wastes was determined using X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF). Stone waste-based geopolymer composite was prepared using alkaline activating solutions sodium hydroxide (NH, NaOH) and sodium silicate (NS, Na2SiO3) and tested for mechanical and physical properties. Characterization and microstructural analysis of geopolymer composite was performed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) fitted with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The findings suggest that the developed geopolymer composite can be employed as a construction material that will improve the re-utilization of stone wastes, offering a workable solution to the challenges associated with their disposal.

Genetic correlation between feed efficiency and carcass traits in Nellore cattle in Brazil

The aim was to estimate the genetic correlations between residual feed intake (RFI) and dry matter intake (DMI) with carcass finish (CF), rib eye area (REA), and marbling (MAR) of Nellore cattle. Data from 7,808 animals were considered. In addition, data from 2,261 females included in the complete database were also considered. Estimates of variance and covariance components, as well as heritabilities and genetic correlations were obtained by means of two-character analysis under animal model. Heritability estimates were found to be moderate for the RFI (0.22) and DMI (0.29) traits. It was observed that genetic correlation was close to zero for all traits, except between RFI and REA (-0.11). However, considering the female population, there was an increase in the estimated genetic correlation between RFI and DMI, although still a favorable genetic association of low magnitude (-0.30). There was also an increase in the genetic association of REA with RFI (-0.21). It can be concluded that the direct selection for RFI and DMI will not influence the CF, MAR, or REA of Nellore cattle. However, this selection may generate some favorable responses in MAR and REA in Nellore females.

Physical, mechanical and sliding wear behaviour of epoxy composites filled with micro-sized marble dust composites

The main purpose of this paper is to establish the utilization of waste material i.e. marble dust for the preparation of polymeric composites. Here, epoxy/marble stone dust composites are prepared for different content of marble stone dust using the hand lay-up method and their physical, mechanical and sliding wear properties are evaluated. In the present investigation, it is observed that the addition of micro-sized marble stone dust increases the density as well as the void content of the epoxy composites. The addition of filler in epoxy results in low absorption of water i.e. 1.15 % for maximum filler loading of 40 wt% and immersed in water for a duration of 168 h. The tensile strength and flexural strength show decreasing trends with filler loading, whereas, the tensile modulus, flexural modulus, compressive strength and hardness are increasing with marble stone dust loading. The tensile strength and flexural strength of the composite marginally decrease to 28.5 MPa and 37.2 MPa respectively for a marble dust loading of 40 wt%. The maximum compressive strength and hardness obtained in the work are 94 MPa and 86.2 Shore-D number respectively which is an appreciable increment over the properties of neat epoxy. Taguchi’s experimental design was used to obtain the optimal parameter setting to minimize a specific wear rate. From the analysis, it was found that the content of marble dust is the most noteworthy factor in minimizing the material loss of the composite body.

Experimental study on strain field evolution around a simulated thrust fault

Earthquakes result from continuous geodynamic processes. A topic of significant interest for the scientific community is to elaborate on the phenomena governing the faulting and fracturing of crustal rocks. Therefore, in this study, uniaxial compressive shear failure experiments were conducted on Fangshan marble rock samples with a prefabricated slot to simulate thrust faulting. The center of each marble plate (105 mm × 80 mm × 5 mm) was engraved with a 30-mm long double-sided nonpenetrating slot (depth: 2 mm, width: 0.5 mm). The deformation and destruction processes of the rock surface were recorded using a high-speed camera. The digital image correlation method was used to calculate the displacement and strain distribution and variation at different loading stages. The accumulative and incremental displacement fields u and v, strain field ex and ey, and shear strain exy were analyzed. When the loading level reached its ultimate value, the strain field was concentrated around the prefabricated slot. The concentration reached a maximum at the ends of the prefabricated slot. The magnitude of shear strain reached 0.1. This experiment contributes to our understanding of the dynamic process of active faulting.

On the value of adding commercial data into the reference population of the Angus SteerSELECT genomic tool

Context Angus SteerSELECT is a genomic tool designed to provide genomic estimated breeding values (GEBV) for nine traits related to growth, feedlot performance, carcase characteristics and immune competence. At present, GEBV for carcase characteristics are based on a reference population of 3766 Australian Angus steers. Aims We aimed to investigate the potential benefit of incorporating commercial data into the existing reference population of the Angus SteerSELECT. To this aim, we employ a population of 2124 genotyped commercial Angus steers with carcase performance data from four commercial feedlot operators. Methods The benefit of incorporating the commercial data (COMM) into the reference (REFE) population was assessed in terms of quality and integrity of the COMM data and meta-data to model the phenotypes adequately. We computed bias, dispersion, and accuracy of GEBV for carcase weight (CWT) and marbling (MARB) before and after including the COMM data, in whole or in partial, into the REFE population. Key results The genomic estimate of the Angus content in the COMM population averaged 96.9% and ranged from 32.87% to 100%. For CWT, the estimates of heritability were 0.419 ± 0.026 and 0.368 ± 0.038 for the REFE and COMM populations respectively, and with a genetic correlation of 0.756 ± 0.068. For MARB, the same three parameter estimates were 0.357 ± 0.027, 0.340 ± 0.038 and 0.879 ± 0.073 respectively. The ACC of CWT GEBV increased significantly (P < 0.0001) from 0.475 when the COMM population was not part of the REFE to 0.546 (or 15%) when a random 50% of the COMM population was included in the REFE. Similarly significant increases in ACC were observed for MARB GEBV (0.470–0.521 or 11%). Conclusions The strong genomic relationship between the REFE and the COMM populations, coupled with the significant increases in GEBV accuracies, demonstrated the potential benefits of including the COMM population into the reference population of a future improved version of the Angus SteerSELECT genomic tool. Implications Commercial feedlot operators finishing animals with a strong Angus breed component will benefit from having their data represented in the reference population of the Angus SteerSELECT genomic tool.

THE SIZE CORRECTION AND CORRELATION OF POINT LOAD INDEX WITH COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH OF SOME DIMENSION STONES OF TECTONIC ZONES, NORTH PAKISTAN

The Uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) is an important geotechnical property of rock used in tunnel design, rock mass classification and other surface and underground mining projects. It is the Key parameter of rock mass rating (RMR) and the RMR is the basic of all the slope stability analyses methods. This key parameter of slope stability analyses and tunneling can be determine easily by axial and diametral point load test (PLI/Is50). In the past irregular lumps PLI is also correlated with UCS but the data is limited particularly the rocks along Karakoram High Way (KKH), North Pakistan. In this study the diametral, axial and the irregular lumps PLI is correlated with UCS using dimension stones of tectonic regions along KKH. A methodology of size correction of irregular lumps have been set. Using regression analyses the PLI of cores and lumps have been correlated with UCS. The significance of the correlation were developed by correlations coefficients. It is found that the Is(50) of irregular lump of white marble is 1.8MPa. For pink and white granite the Is(50) value is recorded as 3.2MPa and 2.4MPa respectively. In the size correction factor (F) the power n for irregular lump is corrected as 0.8 for marble lumps and the n value for pink and white granite is 0.9 and 1.4 respectively. For diametral and axial PLI the power n is used as 0.45. The correction factor F=(De/50)0.8 is suggested for marble irregular lumps while for axial and diametral specimens of marble the correction factor is F=(De/50)0.45 is recommended. In the case of pink and white granite the correction factors are F=(De/50)0.9 and F=(De/50)1.4 respectively.

Strength Properties of Concrete Using Marble Dust Powder

Construction expenses have mostly grown unaffordable in recent years. Civil engineering institutes and stakeholders throughout the world have worked to develop recyclable and resource-saving concrete for building applications in order to reduce these expenses. The majority of environmental issues arise from the disposal of trash in areas where marble sculpting takes place. The marble stone slurry generates both stone slurry and solid wastes, and with the massive discharge of marble trash locally, emphasis has been focused on the utilisation of waste material. This study looked into the use of marble dust powder in concrete, with varied percentages of marble dust (0%, 5%, 10%, 15% & 20%) replaced by sharp sand in M20 grade concrete mixes, while the water cement ratio was kept constant at 0.45. The compressive and split tensile strength of the concrete were evaluated after 7 and 28 days of curing time to determine its quality, performance, and dependability. The laboratory findings revealed that replacing marble dust powder with cement boosted concrete strength by up to 10% in terms of compressive load resistance and tensile strength.

Contemporary Qur’anic Lithography in Indonesia: Aesthetic of Reception of the Marble Al-Qur’an Manuscript

This study discusses the marble manuscripts of the Al-Qur’an and the meaning of its aesthetic reception manuscripts. The type of research is field research with the research locus at Masjid Al-Muhtaram, Kajen, Pekalongan Regency as a place to store the marble stone manuscripts. This study used Wolfgang Iser’s reception theory. Therefore, the results of this study are (1) the marble stone Manuscript of the Qur’an made by Nur Hidayat Siba that started in 2011 until 2021. It has reached 13 juz of Qur’an derived from marble measuring 60 x 90 cm with a marble thickness of 2 cm. It is also written with beautiful khat and gold colour wrapping on every khat. (2) Those manuscript provides three meanings of aesthetic reception. First, the objective meaning of the Qur’an as a holy book must be preserved through beautiful media as a form of appreciation for the greatness of the Qur’an. Second, the expressive meaning is used as a medium of Islamic da’wah, and spirituality increases faith and religious aspects for those who see and read it. Third, the meaning of documentary as a form of habitus to always interact with the Qur’an in everyday life.

Archaeometric investigations on marble provenance of two statues from the newly uncovered Roman bath at the center of the historical Amman, Jordan

This research investigates the quarry origin of the white marble used to sculpt two draped female statues found in the newly uncovered Roman bath at the center of the ancient city of Rabbath-Ammon (Philadelphia, Amman). It aims to shed more light on the trade and origin of the marble used for sculpture at the city during its prosperous period (2nd −3rd c. AD). The use of macroscopic examination and multiple analytical techniques (X-ray diffractometry, optical microscopy, C13 and O18 isotope mass spectrometry) showed that both statues were carved out of the dolomitic Thasian-3 marble quarries at Cape Vathy, Thasos Island, Greece. The stylistic features of the two statues that were common during the late 2nd and early 3rd c. AD and the wide use and distribution of this marble in Jordan during the 2nd and 3rd c. AD might be an indication to date them to the same period of the Roman times. The assigned date concords with the time of expansion, large construction activity and prosperity of the city and the use of imported and luxury stones to carve statues and embellish the structures of the city.

Marble trade in the Roman Mediterranean: a quantitative and diachronic study

AbstractMarble provenance studies in archaeology have become increasingly popular in recent decades. This has resulted in a large quantity of analytical data becoming available for archaeological marbles. This article presents the results of a quantitative study of the distribution of white marble in the Mediterranean based on an analysis of the available provenance data for the Roman period. The study shows increased distribution of white marble between the late 1st c. BCE and the end of the 2nd c. CE. A decline in distribution from the 3rd c. CE was less abrupt than traditionally believed and shows object-, material-, and region-specific trajectories. The marble distribution data is finally evaluated within a wider socio-economic frame, considering factors such as the marble trade system and broader Roman economy, changes in cultural practices related to statue erection, importance of reuse and recycling, growing ruralization, and reduced interest of the elite in urban capital investment in the later Roman periods.

Weathering Characteristics of White Marble Relics Around the Hall of Supreme Harmony (Taihe Dian) in the Forbidden City

Fangshan Hanbaiyu is a typical white marble in China that was mainly used in high-grade royal buildings represented by the Forbidden City. Over centuries of natural erosion, most marble artifacts have undergone a variety of deterioration. Based on the deterioration investigation of a total of 726 balusters, 559 dragon heads, and 698 frieze panels around the Hall of Supreme Harmony (Taihe Dian), nondestructive testing technology, including portable x-ray fluorescence, colorimeter, and surface hardness tester, were also used to evaluate the weathering degree and analyze the relationship between the deterioration patterns and the type and spatial distribution of marble components. The results show that the temperature difference stress caused by solar radiation and the erosion caused by rainwater are the main reasons for the weathering. This explains why the components facing the South and East are more deteriorated. In addition, an evaluation method for stone relics deterioration based on three indicators (surface integrity, surface color, and surface hardness) of stone relics was established, and the health index of 12 typical marble components was calculated by this method, the values showed a good linear correlation with the field survey, which can provide a useful reference for subsequent investigation and assessment of the deterioration of the marble relics.

Materia mortis

Abstract This essay offers a revaluation of the materiality of early modern Netherlandish tombs, a field that has only recently attracted serious scholarly attention. Her contribution focuses on the role played by materiality as a crucial yet often overlooked aspect of these monuments. Tomb sculpture generally relied on a combination of material properties: the potential of realistic representation, durability, intrinsic value, and material splendour. Most suitable for a convincing representation of a dead body in this period was translucent alabaster with its warm flesh tone, while Italian white marble and bronze referenced antiquity and classical notions of durability. The use of specific sets of local and imported materials resulted in a unique ‘material image’ of Netherlandish tomb sculpture, which effectively contributed to the preservation of the deceased’s memoria, social status, and dynastic and personal magnificence.

The use of waste marble for cleaner production of structural concrete: A comprehensive experimental study

Waste marble is a byproduct that is produced as a result of cutting and reshaping marble stone that is commonly used in the construction sector. From a sustainability perspective, waste marble can be a potential alternative to limestone sand with slightly reduced ecological footprint which is aligned with novel concepts, such as circularity of construction industry. To provide a comprehensive outline of marble’s use as coarse aggregate in concrete production, this study adopted utilizing waste coarse marble aggregate (WCMA) at a quantity of 50% and 100% to substitute coarse limestone aggregates (also natural coarse aggregate (NCA)). Likewise, since marble stone is considered as a metamorphic rock with slightly different microspores, compared to limestone, three different water-to-cement ratios (w/c) of 0.35, 0.42 and 0.49 have also been used. Results show that concretes incorporating WMCA exhibit a slightly better mechanical performance than concretes incorporating NCA, given that the w/c ratio is enough to lubricate WMCA’s surface but not to the point of increasing free water in concrete’s microstructure. In other words, it is found that WMCA is relatively sensitive to the mixture’s w/c ratio which can have a large impact on the resulting physico-mechanical and thermo-durability properties of the specimens. In this regard, despite the WMCA’s slightly enhanced performance in certain thermo-durability tests, the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) areas are found to be more susceptible to deteriorating factors. Nonetheless, the result of this study is found to be significant and point to the suitability of utilizing WMCA as an alternative to NCA.

Petrological, Geochemical and Mechanical Characteristics of Afghan White Marble

The aim of this article is to examine the Geological, Geochemical, Mineralogical, and Physical-Mechanical characteristic of Afghan White Marble deposit in Nangahar province Afghanistan. The objective of the article includes information about the value, quantity & quality of the marble mine. In addition, this study summarizes information related to the marble mining methods, Processing and production tools technologies used for extracting of Marble in Afghanistan. To achieve, the aim of the research, library, field and Laboratory methods have been used. The library result shows the general information related to Geology, Tectonic and Magmatic of the study areas. A fieldwork was conducted in the study area and appropriate measurements i.e. Geographical location and reserve estimation were taken and also 10 sample of marble were collected from the mine of Ghondy n Mamakhail for lab analyses. The collected samples were analyzed by using different analytical methods such as XRF, Electron polarizing microscope and mechanical tests such as compressive strength, specific gravity, absorption, and unit weight. ASTM standard is used to interpret and compare the results from the above mechanical analyses. The XRF and microscopic analyses show that the marble from Nangrhar Province Shirzad district Kodikhel have dolomite composition. The results from different mechanical and physical tests showed that these marbles have high consistency against any types of applied pressure, and have high value, which can be used in various construction’s affairs. In Summary, you need to focus on the results and interpretation of those analyses.

Experimental and theoretical assessment of crack kinking in marble stones in the presence of a V-notch under mode I loading

Marble has been used extensively in the historical monuments as a building material. Notches and sharp corners in these buildings are potential locations for crack formation, crack extension and in some cases their eventual failure. In this study, some fracture tests are accomplished on a number of V-notched marble specimens under mode I loading condition. The specimens are in the configurations of double cantilever beam (DCB) and compact tension (CT) each embedding two various notch opening angles. It is substantiated that although both the loading conditions and geometry were symmetric, the crack initiation angle is not necessarily along the notch bisector line. It is also shown that the classical fracture criteria are not able to predict crack kinking in the tested marble specimens. Thus, the conventional strain energy density and maximum tangential stress criteria used for V-notches, V-SED and V-MTS respectively, are generalized by introducing the first non-singular term of notch stress field into the calculations. Finally, it is demonstrated that the generalized criteria, V-GSED and V-GMTS, can predict the fracture strength and the crack initiation angle of the tested marble specimens well.

PSXV-5 Incorporating Breed of Origin and Runs-of-Homozygosity Information in a Genome-Wide Association for Meat Traits in a Brangus Commercial Herd

Abstract Heterosis is the tendency of crossbreed animals performing better than the average of the purebred parents. Heterosis retention is essential in crossbreeding and composite breeding systems. However, not every genomic region benefits from heterosis, with certain traits showing an improvement when certain genomic regions are kept fixed for a certain breed. The objectives of this study were to detect such regions in a commercial Brangus herd, using genotypes, and Breed of Origin (BO) genotypes to identify runs of homozygosity (ROH) and investigate their effects on meat traits. The Brangus herd was genotyped with the Bovine GGP F250 array, after quality control, 99,669 variants, and 1,046 cattle remained. These genotypes were converted into BO genotypes with LAMP-LD, which describes the origin of the markers either from Angus or Brahman ancestry. The new BO genotypes and original genotypes were then used to identify ROH using the –homozyg function PLINK. The ROH genotypes were fit into a single locus mixed model for hot carcass weight (HCW) and marbling (MARB) using the EMMAX procedures in Golden Helix. The same single locus mixed model was used on both genotypes and Breed of Origin genotypes using the EMMAX procedures in Golden Helix. Using BO alleles, and ROH alongside traditional genotypes can help identify regions with significant effects on carcass traits. Providing important information for crossbreeding/composite breed systems about regions which should remain fixed for breeds.

Heritability and genetic correlations between marbling in longissimus dorsi muscle and conventional economic traits in Nellore beef cattle

In Nellore beef cattle, studies addressing genetic correlations between ultrasound marbling content and other economically important traits are still incipient. Therefore, this work aimed to estimate heritability and genetic correlations between ultrasound marbling content in the longissimus dorsi muscle (MARB) and growth, reproductive, feed efficiency, and carcass-related traits in a Nellore beef cattle population from Brazil. Phenotypic records of 614,395 Nellore animals were used and included adjusted weight at 210 (W210) and 450 (W450) days of age, adult cow weight (AW), early heifer pregnancy (EH), stayability (STAY), adjusted scrotal circumference at 365days of age (SC365), ribeye area (REA), subcutaneous backfat thickness (BF), rump fat thickness (RF), and marbling (MARB). The genetic parameters for all traits but EH and STAY were estimated considering a linear animal model, whereas for those two nonlinear traits, a threshold animal model was used. The direct and correlated response to selection for MARB versus the other traits, and the relative efficiency of selection, were also calculated. The heritability estimate for MARB was 0.31 and for the other conventional evaluated traits was low to moderate, with values ranging from 0.14 to 0.41. The genetic correlations between MARB and growth, reproductive, feed efficiency, and carcass-related trait were very low, with values close to zero, with similar correlated responses. The MARB displayed adequate genetic variability to respond to selection and crossbreeding programs looking forward to higher meat quality and differential market standards for the Nellore beef. The selection for growth, reproductive, feed efficiency, and carcass-related traits would not affect MARB in Nellore beef cattle and vice versa. Therefore, this trait should be included as a selection criterion in the Nellore breeding program.

Review: Painting in Stone: Architecture and the Poetics of Marble from Antiquity to the Enlightenment

Review: <i>Painting in Stone: Architecture and the Poetics of Marble from Antiquity to the Enlightenment</i>