Numerical and analytical investigation towards performance enhancement of a newly developed rockfall protective cable-net structure

In a previous companion paper, we presented a three-tier modelling of a particular type of rockfall protective cable-net structure (barrier), developed newly in Japan. Therein, we developed a three-dimensional, Finite Element based, nonlinear numerical model having been calibrated/back-calculated and verified with the element- and structure-level physical tests. Moreover, using a very simple, lumped-mass, single-degree-of-freedom, equivalently linear analytical model, a global-displacement-predictive correlation was devised by modifying the basic equation – obtained by combining the principles of conservation of linear momentum and energy – based on the back-analysis of the tests on the numerical model. In this paper, we use the developed models to explore the performance enhancement potential of the structure in terms of (a) the control of global displacement – possibly the major performance criterion for the proposed structure owing to a narrow space available in the targeted site, and (b) the increase in energy dissipation by the existing U-bolt-type Friction-brake Devices – which are identified to have performed weakly when integrated into the structure. A set of parametric investigations have revealed correlations to achieve the first objective in terms of the structure's mass, particularly by manipulating the wire-net's characteristics, and has additionally disclosed the effects of the impacting-block's parameters. Towards achieving the second objective, another set of parametric investigations have led to a proposal of a few innovative improvements in the constitutive behaviour (model) of the studied brake device (dissipator), in addition to an important recommendation of careful handling of the device based on the identified potential flaw

Total Ionizing Dose Tolerance of Micro-SD Cards for Small Satellite Missions

Tests have determined damage thresholds and failure rates as a function of total ionizing dose (TID) of beta radiation for various types of COTS micro-SD cards commonly used for memory storage in space applications. Radiation tolerance of high-density electronics are common critical failure modes for satellites, particularly for small satellites that often use lower shielding and less radiation-hardened COTS components. The tests evaluated SD-card formatting and read/write speeds at nine radiation intervals for up to ~ 1000 Gy TID, equivalent to ~15 times TID typically experienced annually on the unshielded exterior of satellites in Low Earth Orbit. A limited number of failures were observed beginning after ~ 400 Gy TID. Cards experiencing failures were subsequently tested at more rapid interval intervals, and typically recovered their initial read/write speeds after ≤ 24 hrs, except in more severe cases after \u3e 400 Gy TID. These results will facilitate satellite designers’ selection of the appropriate quality and cost of the micro-SD cards for their particular mission, based on reliability and radiation tolerance

Baylisascaris procyonis: An Emerging Helminthic Zoonosis

Baylisascaris procyonis, a roundworm infection of raccoons, is emerging as an important helminthic zoonosis, principally affecting young children. Raccoons have increasingly become peridomestic animals living in close proximity to human residences. When B. procyonis eggs are ingested by a host other than a raccoon, migration of larvae through tissue, termed larval migrans, ensues. This larval infection can invade the brain and eye, causing severe disease and death. The prevalence of B. procyonis infection in raccoons is often high, and infected animals can shed enormous numbers of eggs in their feces. These eggs can survive in the environment for extended periods of time, and the infectious dose of B. procyonis is relatively low. Therefore, the risk for human exposure and infection may be greater than is currently recognized

On the origin of interface states at oxide/III-nitride heterojunction interfaces

The energy spectrum of interface state density, D-it(E), was determined at oxide/III-N heterojunction interfaces in the entire band gap, using two complementary photo-electric methods: (i) photo-assisted capacitance-voltage technique for the states distributed near the midgap and the conduction band (CB) and (ii) light intensity dependent photo-capacitance method for the states close to the valence band (VB). In addition, the Auger electron spectroscopy profiling was applied for the characterization of chemical composition of the interface region with the emphasis on carbon impurities, which can be responsible for the interface state creation. The studies were performed for the AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor heterostructures (MISH) with Al2O3 and SiO2 dielectric films and AlxGa1-x layers with x varying from 0.15 to 0.4 as well as for an Al2O3/InAlN/GaN MISH structure. For all structures, it was found that: (i) D-it(E) is an U-shaped continuum increasing from the midgap towards the CB and VB edges and (ii) interface states near the VB exhibit donor-like character. Furthermore, D-it(E) for SiO2/AlxGa1-x/GaN structures increased with rising x. It was also revealed that carbon impurities are not present in the oxide/III-N interface region, which indicates that probably the interface states are not related to carbon, as previously reported. Finally, it was proven that the obtained D-it(E) spectrum can be well fitted using a formula predicted by the disorder induced gap state model. This is an indication that the interface states at oxide/III-N interfaces can originate from the structural disorder of the interfacial region. Furthermore, at the oxide/barrier interface we revealed the presence of the positive fixed charge (Q(F)) which is not related to D-it(E) and which almost compensates the negative polarization charge (Q(pol)(-))

Causes of large-scale landslides in the Lesser Himalaya of central Nepal

Abstract: Geologically and tectonically active Himalayan Range is characterized by highly elevate

Detection of drug-sensitizing EGFR exon 19 deletion mutations in salivary gland carcinoma

Activating mutations within the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) identify lung adenocarcinoma patients with improved clinical responses to tyrosine kinase inhibitors gefitinib and erlotinib. By screening salivary gland carcinoma, two drug-sensitizing EGFR exon 19 delE746-A750 mutations were identified in an adenocystic and in a mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the parotid gland

Pathologic Diagnosis of Advanced Lung Cancer Based on Small Biopsies and Cytology: A Paradigm Shift

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Radiographic interpretation using high-resolution Cbct to diagnose degenerative temporomandibular joint disease

The objective of this study was to use high-resolution cone-beam computed images (hr-CBCT) to diagnose degenerative joint disease in asymptomatic and symptomatic subjects using the Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders DC/TMD imaging criteria. This observational study comprised of 92 subjects age-sex matched and divided into two groups: clinical degenerative joint disease (c-DJD, n = 46) and asymptomatic control group (n = 46). Clinical assessment of the DJD and high-resolution CBCT images (isotropic voxel size of 0.08mm) of the temporomandibular joints were performed for each participant. An American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology certified radiologist and a maxillofacial radiologist used the DC/TMD imaging criteria to evaluate the radiographic findings, followed by a consensus of the radiographic evaluation. The two radiologists presented a high agreement (Cohen’s Kappa ranging from 0.80 to 0.87) for all radiographic findings (osteophyte, erosion, cysts, flattening, and sclerosis). Five patients from the c- DJD group did not present radiographic findings, being then classified as arthralgia. In the asymptomatic control group, 82.6% of the patients presented radiographic findings determinant of DJD and were then classified as osteoarthrosis or overdiagnosis. In conclusion, our results showed a high number of radiographic findings in the asymptomatic control group, and for this reason, we suggest that there is a need for additional imaging criteria to classify DJD properly in hr-CBCT images

Insulated gate and surface passivation structures for GaN-based power transistors

Recent years have witnessed GaN-based devices delivering their promise of unprecedented power and frequency levels and demonstrating their capability as an able replacement for Si-based devices. High-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs), a key representative architecture of GaN-based devices, are well-suited for high-power and high frequency device applications, owing to highly desirable III-nitride physical properties. However, these devices are still hounded by issues not previously encountered in their more established Si- and GaAs-based devices counterparts. Metal–insulator–semiconductor (MIS) structures are usually employed with varying degrees of success in sidestepping the major problematic issues such as excessive leakage current and current instability. While different insulator materials have been applied to GaN-based transistors, the properties of insulator/III-N interfaces are still not fully understood. This is mainly due to the difficulty of characterizing insulator/AlGaN interfaces in a MIS HEMT because of the two resulting interfaces: insulator/AlGaN and AlGaN/GaN, making the potential modulation rather complicated. Although there have been many reports of low interface-trap densities in HEMT MIS capacitors, several papers have incorrectly evaluated their capacitance–voltage (C–V) characteristics. A HEMT MIS structure typically shows a 2-step C–V behavior. However, several groups reported C–V curves without the characteristic step at the forward bias regime, which is likely to the high-density states at the insulator/AlGaN interface impeding the potential control of the AlGaN surface by the gate bias. In this review paper, first we describe critical issues and problems including leakage current, current collapse and threshold voltage instability in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs. Then we present interface properties, focusing on interface states, of GaN MIS systems using oxides, nitrides and high-κ dielectrics. Next, the properties of a variety of AlGaN/GaN MIS structures as well as different characterization methods, including our own photo-assisted C–V technique, essential for understanding and developing successful surface passivation and interface control schemes, are given in the subsequent section. Finally we highlight the important progress in GaN MIS interfaces that have recently pushed the frontier of nitride-based device technology

Osteoarthritis of the Temporomandibular Joint can be diagnosed earlier using biomarkers and machine learning

After chronic low back pain, Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) disorders are the second most common musculoskeletal condition affecting 5 to 12% of the population, with an annual health cost estimated at $4 billion. Chronic disability in TMJ osteoarthritis (OA) increases with aging, and the main goal is to diagnosis before morphological degeneration occurs. Here, we address this challenge using advanced data science to capture, process and analyze 52 clinical, biological and high-resolution CBCT (radiomics) markers from TMJ OA patients and controls. We tested the diagnostic performance of four machine learning models: Logistic Regression, Random Forest, LightGBM, XGBoost. Headaches, Range of mouth opening without pain, Energy, Haralick Correlation, Entropy and interactions of TGF-β1 in Saliva and Headaches, VE-cadherin in Serum and Angiogenin in Saliva, VE-cadherin in Saliva and Headaches, PA1 in Saliva and Headaches, PA1 in Saliva and Range of mouth opening without pain; Gender and Muscle Soreness; Short Run Low Grey Level Emphasis and Headaches, Inverse Difference Moment and Trabecular Separation accurately diagnose early stages of this clinical condition. Our results show the XGBoost + LightGBM model with these features and interactions achieves the accuracy of 0.823, AUC 0.870, and F1-score 0.823 to diagnose the TMJ OA status. Thus, we expect to boost future studies into osteoarthritis patient-specific therapeutic interventions, and thereby improve the health of articular joints