Development of experimental concepts for investigating the strength behavior of fine-grained cohesive soil in the Spacelab/space shuttle zero-g environment

Three different sets of tests are proposed for the NASA Spacelab experimental program. The first of tests, designed to measure the true cohesion of several different soils, would be carried out in space through use of a specially prepared direct shear apparatus. As part of this first series of tests, it is recommended that a set of drained unconfined compression tests be performed terrestrially on the same soils as tested in space. A form of the direct tension test is planned to measure the true tensile strength of the same types of soils used in the first series of tests. The direct tension tests could be performed terrestrially. The combined results of the direct shear tests, direct tension tests, and unconfined compression tests can be used to construct approximate failure envelopes for the soils tested in the region of the stress origin. Relationships between true cohesion and true tensile strength can also be investigated. In addition, the role of physio-chemical variables should be studied. The third set of tests involves using a multiaxial cubical or true triaxial test apparatus to investigate the influence of gravity induced fabric anisotropy and stress nonhomogeneities on the stress strain behavior of cohesive soils at low effective stress levels. These tests would involve both in space and terrestrial laboratory testing

Donna Karran International 1996

This case provides students with an opportunity to study the operations of a rapidly growing firm in the fashion segment of the global apparel industry. In order to finance its rapid growth, the company must explore a variety of financing options, one of which is the decision to take the firm public. In addition to exploring the costs of different financing alternatives, the implications of moving from private to public ownership are examined and evaluated in the context of the financial markets of the mid-1990s

Histological evidence for a supraspinous ligament in sauropod dinosaurs

Supraspinous ossified rods have been reported in the sacra of some derived sauropod dinosaurs. Although different hypotheses have been proposed to explain the origin ofthis structure, histological evidence has never been provided to support or reject any of them. In order to establish its origin, we analyse and characterize the microstructure of thesupraspinous rod of two sauropod dinosaurs from the Upper Cretaceous of Argentina. The supraspinous ossified rod is almost entirely formed by dense Haversian bone. Remains ofprimary bone consist entirely of an avascular tissue composed of two types of fibre-like structures, which are coarse and longitudinally (parallel to the main axis of the element) oriented. These structures are differentiated on the basis of their optical properties under polarized light. Very thin fibrous strands are also observed in some regions. These small fibres are all oriented parallel to one another but perpendicular to the element main axis. Histological features of the primary bone tissue indicate that the sacral supraspinous rod corresponds to an ossified supraspinous ligament. The formation of this structure appears to have been a non-pathological metaplastic ossification, possibly induced by the continuous tensile forces applied to the element.Fil: Cerda, Ignacio Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigación en Paleobiología y Geología; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Río Negro; ArgentinaFil: Casal, Gabriel. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia; ArgentinaFil: Martínez, Rubén Darío. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia ; ArgentinaFil: Ibiricu, Lucio Manuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentin

Investigation of Radiation-Induced Toxicity in Head and Neck Cancer Patients through Radiomics and Machine Learning: A Systematic Review

Background. Radiation-induced toxicity represents a crucial concern in oncological treatments of patients affected by head and neck neoplasms, due to its impact on survivors' quality of life. Published reports suggested the potential of radiomics combined with machine learning methods in the prediction and assessment of radiation-induced toxicities, supporting a tailored radiation treatment management. In this paper, we present an update of the current knowledge concerning these modern approaches. Materials and Methods. A systematic review according to PICO-PRISMA methodology was conducted in MEDLINE/PubMed and EMBASE databases until June 2019. Studies assessing the use of radiomics combined with machine learning in predicting radiation-induced toxicity in head and neck cancer patients were specifically included. Four authors (two independently and two in concordance) assessed the methodological quality of the included studies using the Radiomic Quality Score (RQS). The overall score for each analyzed study was obtained by the sum of the single RQS items; the average and standard deviation values of the authors' RQS were calculated and reported. Results. Eight included papers, presenting data on parotid glands, cochlea, masticatory muscles, and white brain matter, were specifically analyzed in this review. Only one study had an average RQS was ≤ 30% (50%), while 3 studies obtained a RQS almost ≤ 25%. Potential variability in the interpretations of specific RQS items could have influenced the inter-rater agreement in specific cases. Conclusions. Published radiomic studies provide encouraging but still limited and preliminary data that require further validation to improve the decision-making processes in preventing and managing radiation-induced toxicities

A new prozostrodontian cynodont (Therapsida) from the Late Triassic Riograndia Assemblage Zone (Santa Maria Supersequence) of Southern Brazil

We report here on a new prozostrodontian cynodont, Botucaraitherium belarminoi gen. et sp. nov., from the Late Triassic Riograndia Assemblage Zone (AZ) of the Candelária Sequence (Santa Maria Supersequence), collected in the Botucaraí Hill Site, Candelária Municipality, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The new taxon is based on a single specimen (holotype MMACR-PV-003-T) which includes the left lower jaw, without postdentary bones, bearing the root of the last incisor, canine and four postcanines plus one partial crown inside the dentary, not erupted, and two maxillary fragments, one with a broken canine and another with one postcanine. The features of the lower jaw and lower/upper postcanines resemble those of the prozostrodontians Prozostrodon brasiliensis from the older Hyperodapedon AZ and Brasilodon quadrangularis and Brasilitherium riograndensis from the same Riograndia AZ. The inclusion of Botucaraitherium within a broad phylogenetic analysis, positioned it as a more derived taxon than tritylodontids, being the sister-taxon of Brasilodon, Brasilitherium plus Mammaliaformes. Although the new taxon is based on few cranial elements, it represents a additional faunal component of the Triassic Riograndia AZ of southern Brazil, in which small-sized derived non-mammaliaform cynodonts, closely related to the origin of mammaliaforms, were ecologically well succeed and taxonomically diverseNós reportamos aqui um novo cinodonte prozostrodonte, Botucaraitherium belarminoi gen. et sp. nov., do Triássico Tardio da Zona de Assembleia (ZA) de Riograndia da Sequência Candelária (Supersequência Santa Maria), coletado no afl oramento Sítio Botucaraí, no município de Candelária, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. O novo táxon está baseado em um único espécime (holótipo MMACR-PV- 003-T) o qual inclui a mandíbula esquerda, sem os ossos pós-dentários, com a raiz do último incisivo preservada, o canino e quatro dentes pós-caninos, além de uma coroa parcial, não erupcionada, do quinto pós-canino, e dois fragmentos maxilares, um com um canino quebrado, e outro portando apenas um dente pós-canino. As feições mandibulares e dentárias assemelham-se àquelas dos cinodontes prozostrodontes Prozostrodon brasiliensis da ZA de Hyperodapedon, mais antiga, e de Brasilodon quadrangularis e Brasilitherium riograndensis da mesma ZA de Riograndia. A inclusão de Botucaraitherium em uma ampla análise filogenética posicionou-o como um táxon mais derivado do que os tritilodontídeos, sendo o táxon-irmão de Brasilodon, Brasilitherium e mais Mammaliaformes. Apesar de o novo táxon ser baseado em poucos elementos cranianos, ele representa um componente faunístico adicional na ZA de Riograndia do Triássico sul-brasileiro, na qual os cinodontes não-mamaliaformes de pequeno tamanho, intimamente relacionados à origem dos mamíferos, foram ecologicamente bem sucedidos e taxonomicamente diverso

A New Basal Sauropodomorph (Dinosauria: Saurischia) from Quebrada del Barro Formation (Marayes-El Carrizal Basin), Northwestern Argentina

BACKGROUND: Argentinean basal sauropodomorphs are known by several specimens from different basins; Ischigualasto, El Tranquilo, and Mogna. The Argentinean record is diverse and includes some of the most primitive known sauropodomorphs such as Panphagia and Chromogisaurus, as well as more derived forms, including several massospondylids. Until now, the Massospondylidae were the group of basal sauropodomorphs most widely spread around Pangea with a record in almost all continents, mostly from the southern hemisphere, including the only record from Antarctica. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDING: We describe here a new basal sauropodomorph, Leyesaurus marayensis gen. et sp. nov., from the Quebrada del Barro Formation, an Upper Triassic-Lower Jurassic unit that crops out in northwestern Argentina. The new taxon is represented by a partial articulated skeleton that includes the skull, vertebral column, scapular and pelvic girdles, and hindlimb. Leyesaurus is diagnosed by a set of unique features, such as a sharply acute angle (50 degrees) formed by the ascending process of the maxilla and the alveolar margin, a straight ascending process of the maxilla with a longitudinal ridge on its lateral surface, noticeably bulging labial side of the maxillary teeth, greatly elongated cervical vertebrae, and proximal articular surface of metatarsal III that is shelf-like and medially deflected. Phylogenetic analysis recovers Leyesaurus as a basal sauropodomorph, sister taxon of Adeopapposaurus within the Massospondylidae. Moreover, the results suggest that massospondylids achieved a higher diversity than previously thought. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our phylogenetic results differ with respect to previous analyses by rejecting the massospondylid affinities of some taxa from the northern hemisphere (e.g., Seitaad, Sarahsaurus). As a result, the new taxon Leyesaurus, coupled with other recent discoveries, suggests that the diversity of massospondylids in the southern hemisphere was higher than in other regions of Pangea. Finally, the close affinities of Leyesaurus with the Lower Jurassic Massospondylus suggest a younger age for the Quebrada del Barro Formation than previously postulated

MetroMMC: Electron-Capture Spectrometry with Cryogenic Calorimeters for Science and Technology

Accurate decay data of radionuclides are necessary for many fields of science and technology, ranging from medicine and particle physics to metrology. However, data that are in use today are mostly based on measurements or theoretical calculation methods that are rather old. Recent measurements with cryogenic detectors and other methods show significant discrepancies to both older experimental data and theory in some cases. Moreover, the old results often suffer from large or underestimated uncertainties. This is in particular the case for electron-capture (EC) decays, where only a few selected radionuclides have ever been measured. To systematically address these shortcomings, the European metrology project MetroMMC aims at investigating six radionuclides decaying by EC. The nuclides are chosen to cover a wide range of atomic numbers Z, which results in a wide range of decay energies and includes different decay modes, such as pure EC or EC accompanied by γ- and/or β+-transitions. These will be measured using metallic magnetic calorimeters (MMCs), cryogenic energy-dispersive detectors with high-energy resolution, low-energy threshold and high, adjustable stopping power that are well suited for measurements of the total decay energy and X-ray spectrometry. Within the MetroMMC project, these detectors are used to obtain X-ray emission intensities of external sources as well as fractional EC probabilities of sources embedded in a 4 π absorber. Experimentally determined nuclear and atomic data will be compared to state-of-the-art theoretical calculations which will be further developed within the project. This contribution introduces the MetroMMC project and in particular its experimental approach. The challenges in EC spectrometry are to adapt the detectors and the source preparation to the different decay channels and the wide energy range involved, while keeping the good resolution and especially the low-energy threshold to measure the EC from outer shells. © 2019, The Author(s)

Amino Acid for Japanese Quails: Methodologies and Nutritional Requirement

The methodologies applied to chickens and laying hens, to determine the digestibility and requirement of protein and amino acids are used with quails, however, they need a more careful evaluation due to peculiarities inherent to the Coturnix genus, in order to provide consistent results. The nutritional requirements of the birds are determinate using the dose-response and the factorial method. Several mathematical models and techniques of diet formulation are allied to the dose-response method in determining nutritional requirements. The curvilinear (hyperbolic) models better portray population behaviour in response to increasing nutrient doses in diets. The reading model, allow a better estimation of the requirement, in relation to the mathematical models used in the dose-response method. The techniques of comparative slaughter and nitrogen balance are effective in determining the nutritional requirements of quails, however, the latter need to be corrected by the loss of nitrogen in the feathers in determining the requirements of crude protein and amino acids for maintenance. The protein-free diet, coupled with the industrial amino acid supplementation, provides more robust digestibility values, since it more effectively predicts the endogenous excretion pattern

Dengue vaccine breakthrough infections reveal properties of neutralizing antibodies linked to protection

The 4 serotypes of dengue virus (DENV1-4) are mosquito-borne flaviviruses that infect humans. Live attenuated tetravalent DENV vaccines are at different phases of clinical testing. DENV vaccine developers have relied on neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) as a correlate of protection. A leading tetravalent vaccine (Dengvaxia) stimulated NAbs to the 4 DENV serotypes, yet overall vaccine efficacy was low in children who were DENV seronegative at baseline before vaccination. We compared the properties of (a) NAbs induced by WT DENV1 or DENV3 infections, which are strongly correlated with protection from repeat infections, and (b) NAbs induced by Dengvaxia in individuals who subsequently experienced DENV1 or DENV3 breakthrough infections. WT infections induced NAbs that recognized epitopes unique (type specific) to each serotype, whereas the vaccine stimulated qualitatively different NAbs that recognized epitopes conserved (crossreactive) between serotypes. Our results indicate that, among children who were DENV-seronegative at baseline, unbalanced replication of the DENV type 4 vaccine component in the tetravalent vaccine stimulates Abs capable of crossneutralizing DENV1 and DENV3 in vitro, but not protecting in vivo. In DENV-seronegative individuals who are vaccinated, we propose that type-specific NAbs are a better correlate of protection than total levels of NAbs

Phylogenetic placement of Adalatherium hui (Mammalia, Gondwanatheria) from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar : implications for allotherian relationships

The phylogenetic position of Gondwanatheria within Mammaliaformes has historically been controversial. The well-preserved skeleton of Adalatherium hui from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar offers a unique opportunity to address this issue, based on morphological data from the whole skeleton. Gondwanatheria were, until recently, known only from fragmentary dental and mandibular material, as well as a single cranium. The holotype of A. hui provides the first postcranial skeleton for gondwanatherians and substantially increases the amount of character data available to score. We sampled 530 characters and 84 cynodonts (including 34 taxa historically affiliated with Allotheria) to test the phylogenetic relationships of Gondwanatheria and Allotheria using parsimony, undated Bayesian, and tip-dated Bayesian methods. We tested three lower dental formulae for Adalatherium, because its postcanines are distinctly different from those of other mammaliaforms and cannot readily be homologized with any known dental pattern. In all analyses, Adalatherium is recovered within Gondwanatheria, most frequently outside of Sudamericidae or Ferugliotheriidae, which is congruent with establishment of the family Adalatheriidae. The different dental coding schemes do not greatly impact the position of Adalatherium, although there are differences in character optimization. In all analyses, Gondwanatheria are placed within Allotheria, either as sister to Multituberculata, nested within Multituberculata, or as sister to Cifelliodon (and Euharamiyida), or in a polytomy with other allotherians. The composition of Allotheria varies in our analyses. The haramiyidans Haramiyavia and Thomasia are placed outside of Allotheria in the parsimony and tip-dated Bayesian analyses, but in a polytomy with other allotherians in the undated Bayesian analyses