Fibre directions at a branch-stem junction in Norway spruce: a microscale investigation using X-ray computed tomography

The connection between branch and trunk in a tree must be strong enough to transfer all loads acting on the branch, and it is well known that such branch-stem connections are indeed very strong. In this paper, X-ray computer tomography is employed to investigate the local fibre orientation in the close surrounding of a knot in a Norway spruce specimen to better understand the origins of the mechanical strength of the branch-trunk connection. First, a wood specimen containing an entire knot from pith to bark was imaged with a voxel size of 52 µm. Subsequently, smaller specimens were cut from this original specimen and imaged again with increasingly higher resolution over four levels. With the highest resolution level (2.6 µm voxel size), the tracheids with smallest lumen were successfully traced. The results revealed how the direction of the fibre paths that start below the knot curve around it as the paths progress upwards to the region just above the knot, where the paths divide into two: one set of paths integrating with the knot on its top side and the other set continuing up along the trunk. Fibres that integrate with the knot at its top follow paths just before they continue into the knot, with a radius of curvature of only about 1 mm in both vertical and horizontal directions. No abrupt change of fibre pattern between latewood and earlywood is observed; rather, a continuous change of fibre direction across annual layers can be seen. The detailed characterisation of the local fibre structure around the knot provides new data that can explain the remarkable strength of the branch-trunk connection.

Effect of Material Type and Minimum Diameter of Specimens on the Fatigue Life

The obstacle faced during the fatigue test is the waiting time which is quite long and inefficient, especially for test specimens made of ductile metal with waiting times of up to several days. The research method includes reducing the specimen radius to obtain a flexural stress approaching 400 MPa which was originally 229 MPa from a radius of 254 mm to 240 mm with the results of turning the original specimen obtained a minimum diameter of 8.6 mm is reduced to 7.3 mm at a maximum loading of 10 kg. Results of the research are brass specimens C3604BD type with a minimum diameter of 8.6 mm at a flexural stress of 298 MPa showing a fatigue life of 2455546 cycles with a test duration of 1754 minutes and a minimum specimen diameter of 7.3 mm at a flexural stress of 299 MPa showing a fatigue life of 684311 cycles with a test duration of 489 minutes which means that with a minimum specimen diameter of 7.3 mm the fatigue life is 3.59 times shorter than a minimum specimen diameter of 8.6 mm. Meanwhile, for aluminium AA1101 type with a minimum specimen diameter of 7.3 mm at a flexural stress of 182 MPa, the fatigue life is 422117 cycles with a test duration of 278 minutes and with a minimum specimen diameter of 8.6 mm at a flexural stress of 183 MPa, the fatigue life is 389232 cycles with a test duration of 302 minutes which means that with a minimum specimen diameter of 7.3 mm the fatigue life is 1.05 times shorter than the minimum specimen diameter of 8.6 mm or almost the same.

Microstructure and Wear Properties of Laser Cladding WC/Ni-Based Composite Layer on Al–Si Alloy

The microstructural and wear properties of laser-cladding WC/Ni-based layer on Al–Si alloy were investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) and wear-testing. The results show that, compared with the original specimen, the microhardness and wear resistance of the cladding layer on an Al–Si alloy were remarkably improved, wherein the microhardness of the layer achieved 1100 HV and the average friction coefficient of the layer was barely 0.14. The mainly contributor to such significant improvement was the generation of a WC/Ni-composite layer of Al–Si alloy during laser cladding. Two types of carbides, identified as M7C3 and M23C6, were found in the layer. The wear rate of the layer first increased and then decreased with the increase in load; when the load was 20 N, 60 N and 80 N, the wear rate of layer was1.89 × 10−3 mm3·m−1, 3.73 × 10−3 mm3·m−1 and 2.63 × 10−3 mm3·m−1, respectively, and the average friction coefficient (0.14) was the smallest when the load was 60 N.

Low tumor cell content predicts favorable prognosis in germinoma patients

Background Germinoma preferentially occurs in pediatric and young adult age groups. Although they are responsive to treatment with chemotherapy and radiation, the treatment may cause long-term sequelae in their later lives. Here, we searched for clinical and histopathological features to predict the prognosis of germinoma and affect treatment response. Methods A total of 114 germinoma cases were included in the analysis. We investigated the association between clinical factors, tumor cell content, and progression-free survival (PFS). Results The tumor cell content was widely distributed from <5% to 90% in the specimens, with a median value of 50%. Female patients showed higher tumor cell content in the specimens (p=0.002). Cases with lesions at atypical sites showed shorter PFS than those with lesions at other sites (p=0.03). Patients with a higher tumor cell content (≥50%) showed shorter PFS than those with a lower tumor cell content (<50 %) (p=0.03). In multivariate analysis, tumor cell content was the only statistically significant prognostic factor (p=0.04). Among the seven cases treated with local radiation and chemotherapy, all three cases that recurred (two outside of the radiation field, one unknown) had tumor cell content of ≥50% in the original specimen, whereas all four cases without recurrence had tumor cell contents of <50%. Conclusions We found that tumor cell content significantly affected the prognosis of germinomas. Although validation of these results using an independent and larger cohort is necessary, this potentially opens the possibility of leveraging this pathological factor in future clinical trials when stratifying the treatment intensity.

Typification of two names in the genus Punica L. (Lythraceae)

The typification of the names Punica nana L. and Punica protopunica Balf. f. is discussed. The Linnaean name is neotypified using a modern and complete specimen kept at VAL (Herbarium of the Botanical Garden of the University of Valencia). The name Punica protopunica is lectotypifed from an original specimen collected by Schweinfurth in Socotra and preserved at K (Kew Herbarium).

Fatigue Performance of High- and Low-Strength Repaired Welded Steel Joints

Large portions of infrastructure buildings, for example highway- and railway bridges, are steel constructions and reach the end of their service life, as a reason of an increase of traffic volume. As lifetime extension of a commonly used weld detail (transverse stiffener) of these structures, a validated approach for the weld repair was proposed in this study. For this, welded joints made of S355J2+N and S960QL steels were subjected to cyclic loading until a pre-determined crack depth was reached. The cracks were detected by non-destructive testing methods and repaired by removal of the material around the crack and re-welding with the gas metal arc welding (GMAW). Then, the specimens were subjected to cyclic loading again. The hardness, the weld geometry, and the residual stress state was investigated for both the original- and the repaired conditions. It was determined that nearly all repaired specimens reached at least the fatigue life of the original specimen.

A new species of Sphaerotheca Günther, 1859 (Anura: Dicroglossidae) from the degraded urban ecosystems of Bengaluru, Deccan Plateau, India

The dicroglossid genus Sphaerotheca was erected by Günther in 1859, with its range of distribution in South Asia. Since then, 13 species have been described and 10 species are considered valid. Many of these descriptions were from low to mid-elevation ranges of homestead areas, agroecosystems and degraded landscapes with a few from forested areas. In the present account, a new species of Sphaerotheca, a genetically distinct lineage with a morphological character set distinguishable from its congeners, is described from the surroundings of Bengaluru city, India. Based on evidence for the origin of the original specimen, we also designated a neotype for Rana variegata Gravenhorst, 1829, a junior primary homonym of Rana variegata Linnaeus, 1758, and permanently invalid name, so that it is now a subjective synonym of Rana (Tomopterna) breviceps rolandae Dubois, 1983.

Extreme dispersal or human-transport? The enigmatic case of an extralimital freshwater occurrence of a Southern elephant seal from Indiana

Elephant seals (Mirounga spp.) are the largest living pinnipeds, and the spatial scales of their ecology, with dives over 1 km in depth and foraging trips over 10,000 km long, are unrivalled by their near relatives. Here we report the discovery of an incomplete Holocene age Southern elephant seal (M. leonina) rostrum from Indiana, USA. The surviving material are two casts of the original specimen, which was collected in a construction excavation close to the Wabash River near Lafayette, Indiana. The original specimen was mostly destroyed for radiometric dating analyses in the 1970s, which resulted in an age of 1,260 ± 90 years before the present. The existence of sediments in the original specimen suggests some type of post depositional fluvial transportation. The prevalent evidence suggests that this male Southern elephant seal crossed the equator and the Gulf of Mexico, and then entered the Mississippi River system, stranding far upriver in Indiana or adjacent areas, similar to other reported examples of lost marine mammals in freshwater systems. Based on potential cut marks, we cannot exclude human-mediated transportation or scavenging by Indigenous peoples as a contributing factor of this occurrence. The material reported here represents by far the northernmost occurrence of a Southern elephant seal in the Northern Hemisphere ever recorded. The unusual occurrence of a top marine predator >1,000 km from the closest marine effluent as a potential extreme case of dispersal emphasizes how marine invasions of freshwater systems have happened frequently through historical (and likely geological) time.

Scelidosaurus harrisonii from the Early Jurassic of Dorset, England: cranial anatomy

Scelidosaurus harrisonii is an early (Late Sinemurian) armoured ornithischian dinosaur whose remains have, to date, only been recovered from a restricted location on the south coast of Dorset (Charmouth), England. This dinosaur has been known since 1859, but only on the basis of a partial description found in two articles published in the early 1860s by Richard Owen. The original material, discovered in 1858, comprised the majority of the skull and its associated postcranial skeleton, and represents the first ever, more or less complete dinosaur discovered. In addition to the original material, a number of further discoveries have been made at Charmouth; these latter supplement the information that can be gleaned from the original specimen. This article describes the skull of Scelidosaurus. The external surface of individual skull bones in ontogenetically relatively mature individuals displays exostoses, a patina of fibrous or granular-textured bone that anchored an external shielding of keratinous scales. There is a small, edentulous rostral beak, behind which is found a row of five heterodont premaxillary teeth. There is a minimum of 22 maxillary teeth and 27 dentary teeth in jaws of the largest well-preserved individuals known to date. Both dentitions (upper and lower) are bowed medially and are sinuous longitudinally. Maxillary and dentary crowns are tilted lingually on their roots, trapezoidal in outline and have crenellate (coarsely denticulate) margins. Adjacent crowns of teeth have mesiodistally (anteroposteriorly) expanded bases that overlap slightly and are consequently arranged en echelon. The dentitions are flanked by deep cheek pouches. Tooth abrasion is usually discontinuous along the dentition. In one individual nearly all teeth seem to be fully emerged and there is little evidence of abrasion. There is no physical evidence of a predentary, but the presence of this (typically ornithischian) element may be inferred from the structure of the symphyseal region of the dentary. The external narial and antorbital fenestrae are comparatively small, whereas the orbit and temporal fenestrae are large and open. A sclerotic ring was undoubtedly present and supported the eyeball, but it is too poorly preserved to allow it to be reconstructed with accuracy. A prominent supraorbital brow ridge overhangs the orbit. There are three osteoderms: palpebral, middle supraorbital and posterior supraorbital, sutured to the dorsal margin of the orbit. The occiput provides an area for attachment of a pair of curved, keratin-sheathed, osteodermal horns. Epistyloid bones project from the ventrolateral region of the braincase; their distal ends flank the anterolateral region of the neck. Rugose facets on either side of the basioccipital are suggested to have provided attachment sites for the epistyloid bones. Internally, the skull has a deeply vaulted snout and the nasal chambers are roofed by what are here named epivomer bones that appear to have been sutured to the dorsolateral edges of the vomers. Unusually, among dinosaurs generally, an epipterygoid is preserved attached to the dorsolateral surface of the pterygoid; there is no obvious point of articulation for the epipterygoid against the lateral wall of the braincase. A deep pit on the posterior surface of the quadrate of an immature specimen is suggestive of the existence of a remnant of cranial pneumatism. This pit becomes occluded in larger, more mature specimens.

The Burden of Add-On Orders in a Laboratory With Manual Processing

In order to avoid additional blood draws for their patients, clinicians frequently order add-on tests on existing specimens in the laboratory. Manually processing these add-ons is problematic, utilizes tremendous resources, and raises concerns regarding specimen integrity. The objective of this study was to analyze add-on ordering patterns and assess the time and resources required to complete these orders. In this retrospective study conducted at a large, multisite, academic medical center, a report was generated from the laboratory information system (LIS) to identify all the add-on orders that were placed with details about the type of add-on test, which specimen it was added to, and location from where an add-on order was placed for a 2-month period (August 5 to October 4, 2018). The workflow was observed and financial cost was calculated. The laboratory received 5,658 add-on orders during the study period. By laboratory protocol, 859 tests were cancelled, leaving 4,799 tests to be processed. Add-on orders were most common for liver tests (7.48%), creatine kinase (6.35%), troponin (6.31%), vancomycin level (5.93%), thyroid-stimulating hormone (4.91%), magnesium (4.81%), and vitamin B12 (4.33%). The add-on orders were mainly generated for inpatient (74.07%) followed by emergency (17.79%) and outpatient departments (8.12%). The add-on request is placed by the clinical provider in the hospital information system (HIS) as a generic “Add-on Order” test, with free text to specify the test and specimen. A clerk in the laboratory uses the LIS-generated work list to electronically order the requested tests to the original specimen. Subsequently, a clerk must manually locate the original specimen and deliver it to the performing lab to run the add-on test. The median turnaround time from the provider placing the generic add-on order in the HIS to the lab placing the add-on in the LIS is 119 minutes. The median time for the provider to place an add-on after the initial order is 462 minutes. The average time needed to monitor the add-on work list, electronically place the add-on to the original order, and retrieve the sample for one test for a skilled senior statistical clerk is 7 minutes. The average number of add-on requests received daily is 71. Therefore, the daily time to process add-ons is 497 minutes (8.2 hours). Based on the hourly cost and fringe in the laboratory ($28.92/hour), these add-on tests cost $237/day in labor ($86,000/year). Our study demonstrates the significant cost and labor burden of add-on tests in a laboratory with manual processing. The laboratory is considering transitioning to direct provider ordering of add-ons to existing specimens using laboratory-defined rules in the HIS and moving to total laboratory automation with robotic specimen archival and retrieval to reduce the manual efforts, which would streamline the add-on workflow.