A large collection of vertebrate coprolites from black lacustrine shales in the Late Triassic (Rhaetian–Sinemurian) Kap Stewart Formation, East Greenland is examined with regard to internal and external morphology, prey inclusions, and possible relationships to the contemporary vertebrate fauna. A number of the coprolites were mineralogically examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), showing the primary mineral composition to be apatite, clay minerals, carbonates and, occasionally, quartz in the form of secondary mineral grains. The coprolite assemblage shows multiple sizes and morphotypes of coprolites, and different types of prey inclusions, demonstrating that the coprolite assemblage originates from a variety of different producers.Supplementary material: A description of the size, shape, structure, texture, contents and preservation of the 328 specimens is available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.2134335

This paper presents a low-offset comparator based on n-type amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide thin-film transistors (TFTs). An a-Si:H TFT model was adapted to fit the electrical characterization data obtained for these devices. The proposed comparator comprises three pre-amplification stages, a positive-feedback analog latch and a fully dynamic digital latch. Simulation results show that the proposed circuit can work at several tens of kHz, with an accuracy of the order of 10 mV, considering a supply voltage of 10 V and a current consumption of 380 μA. Monte-Carlo simulations exhibit a 1-sigma random offset voltage smaller than 10 mV and 40 mV, respectively, with and without using autozeroing techniques. © 2015 IEEE.

Abstract The strain rate dependent mechanical behaviour was studied for the common out-of-autoclave aerospace textile composite 5-harness-satin carbon–epoxy. End-loaded 15 ° , 30 ° and 45 ° off-axis and 90 ° compression tests were carried out at three different strain rate levels ( 4 × 10 - 4 s - 1 , 200 s - 1 and 1000 s - 1 ) to determine the effect of strain rate for transverse compression and combined transverse compression/in-plane shear loading. The dynamic tests were carried out on a split-Hopkinson pressure bar, where high speed photography and digital image correlation allowed a detailed study of the specimen deformation and failure process. Quasi-static reference tests were carried out on an electro-mechanical test machine using the same specimen type and a static \{DIC\} system. Pronounced strain rate effects on the axial stress–strain response were observed for all specimen types. Failure envelopes for the combined σ 22 c - τ 12 stress state were derived from the experimental data and compared with the maximum stress criterion, which appears well suited to approximate the experimental failure envelope at all strain rate levels. It was observed that the failure envelope was simply scaled up with increasing strain rate, while the overall shape was found to be strain rate independent.

Nucleation is a critical step determining the outcome of the entire crystallization process. Finding an effective nucleant for protein crystallization is of utmost importance for structural biology. The latter relies on good-quality crystals to solve the three-dimensional structures of macromolecules. In this study we show that crystalline barium sulfate (BaSO4) with an etched and/or ionic liquid (IL)-functionalized surface (1) can induce protein nucleation at concentrations well below the concentration needed to promote crystal growth under control conditions, (2) can shorten the nucleation time, (3) can increase the growth rate, and finally (4) may help to improve the protein crystal morphology. These effects were shown for lysozyme, RNase A, trypsin, proteinase K, myoglobin, and hemoglobin. Therefore, the use of BaSO4 particles enables us to reduce the amount of protein in crystallization trials and increases the chance of obtaining protein crystals of the desired quality. In the context of the underlying mechanism, it is shown that the protein-solid contact formation is governed by the interaction of the polar compartments of the biomacromolecule with the support. The tendency of a protein to concentrate near the solid surface is enhanced by both the hydrophobicity of the protein and that of the surface (tuned by the functionalizing IL). These mechanisms of interaction of biomacromolecules with inorganic hydrophilic solids correspond to the principles of amphiphilic IL-mineral interactions.

Este artículo describe una actividad de robótica educativa llevada a cabo en una escuela en Hortolandia, São Paulo, Brasil, como parte de un taller de capacitación docente sobre robótica educativa en contexto inclusivo. Los participantes