Esophageal pH monitoring developed a dependable external reference electrode. Using this technique to monitor esophageal acid exposure patients for periods up to 24 hours, DeMeester and Johnson were able to identify the most important parameters of esophageal acid exposure, and they developed a composite pH score to quantify gastroesophageal reflux. The initial 24-hour pH studies required hospitalization until the introduction of microcircuits in the 1980s that allowed portable esophageal pH monitoring in an outpatient setting. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common disease in western countries. In the United States, 7% of the population experiences heartburn daily and 44% at least once a
Alkali–silica reaction mineral acid-base reaction between NaOH or KOH, calcium hydroxide, also known as Portlandite, or (Ca(OH)), and silicic acid (HSiO, or Si(OH)). When complete and to simplify, this reaction can be schematically represented as following: However, the ASR reaction significantly differs from the pozzolanic reaction by the fact that it is catalysed by soluble alkali hydroxides (NaOH / KOH) at very high pH. It can be represented as follows using the classical geochemical notation for fully hydrated dissolved silica (Si(OH) or silicic acid: HSiO), but an older industrial notation also exists (HSiO, hemihydrated silica (does not exist), by analogy with carbonic