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Simple Summary: Early embryonic mortality is one of the main causes of poor reproductive health and is influenced by many factors, including mycotoxins and their metabolites in feed. When several mycotoxins are present in feed, they can have different effects and cause significant animal health problems; however, their synergistic effects have not yet been explored. We found that the blastocyst rate was affected by acetonitrile as a vehicle for the mycotoxin. When the desired mycotoxin concentrations were diluted with the lowest possible amount of acetonitrile, we found no statistical difference between blastocyst rates, although there was a trend suggesting that the combination caused poorer blastocyst development. However, a less invasive vehicle should be used to see if the combination of mycotoxins can affect blastocyst rates. The quality of animal feed is increasingly affected by weather conditions, high humidity, and damage to grains, which have led to various mycotoxin-producing moulds. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of the combination of deepoxy-deoxynivalenol and beta-zearalenol on the development of preimplantation bovine embryos, the extent to which the presence of both mycotoxin metabolites affects the development of in vitro cultured bovine embryos, or whether the effect of both toxins enhances embryotoxicity. Ovaries were transported from the abattoir to the laboratory and, after maturation and fertilisation, zygotes were placed in an embryo culture medium (IVC) with different mycotoxin metabolite concentrations diluted in acetonitrile. It was found that the blastocyst rate of cleaved embryos was affected by 1 μL acetonitrile in 400 μL medium (0.25%) compared to the group without acetonitrile. For this reason, it was decided to use acetonitrile as a control group, and the desired mycotoxin metabolite concentrations were diluted in the lowest possible amount of acetonitrile (0.5 μL) that could be accurately added to the study groups. There was no statistical difference when the higher mycotoxin metabolite concentrations were added. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seismic attributes are derived measures from seismic data that help characterize subsurface geological features and enhance the interpretation of subsurface structures: we propose to exploit the hidden layers of Long–Short Time Memory neural network predictions as possible new reflection seismic attributes. The idea is based on the inference process of a neural network, which in its hidden layers stores information related to different features embedded in the input data and which usually are not considered. Neural network applications typically ignore such intermediate steps because the main interest lies in the final output, which is considered as the exclusive exploitable feature of the process. On the contrary, here we analyse the possibility to exploit the intermediate prediction steps, hereafter referred as 'deep attributes' because they are produced by a deep learning algorithm, to highlight features and emphasize characteristics embedded in the data but neither recognizable by traditional interpretation, nor evident with classical attributes or multi-attribute approaches. Nowadays, classical signal attributes are numerous and used for different purposes; we here propose an original strategy to calculate attributes previously never exploited, which are potentially complementary or a good alternative to the classical ones. We tested the proposed procedure on synthetic and field 2-D and 3-D reflection seismic data sets to test and demonstrate the stability, affordability and versatility of the entire approach. Furthermore, we evaluated the performance of deep attributes on a 4-D seismic data set to assess the applicability and effectiveness for time-monitoring purposes and comparing them with the sweetness attribute. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose an integrated methodology to image the internal structure, evaluate the volume and estimate the densities of different units within ice bodies, useful for more precise mass estimation of very small glaciers. The procedure encompasses light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and ground penetrating radar (GPR) common offset data. The case study is the Canin Eastern Glacieret (CEG), a very small and maritime glacier in the Eastern Alps, and one of the lowermost glaciers of the European Alps. We calculate both volumetric and mass variations of the analysed ice body by integrating GPR measurements with LiDAR surveys acquired in different years (2006 and 2011). Between 2006 and 2011, the area of the glacieret increased from 8,510 to 17,530 m with a gain of 9,016 m. The observed volume increase has been estimated in 96,350 m (+97 %), which corresponds to a positive mass balance of 3.89 m w.e.. This quite unusual finding in the present global warming behaviour is mainly due to the above-average winter accumulation (c) in the considered period. Moreover, the winter season 2008-2009 represented an exceptional event with a c equal to 13.38 m, the highest of the available record. Thanks to density estimation, we infer the total mass of the CEG at the time of the geophysical surveys, comparing such results with the ones obtained with available empirical equations, observing an important mass gain in the 5 years considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We implemented a procedure to estimate the electromagnetic (EM) velocity using common offset ground penetrating radar (GPR) data. The technique is based on the inversion of reflection amplitudes to compute the series of reflection coefficients used to estimate the velocity in each interpreted layer. The proposed method recursively calculates the incident angles at any interface, taking into account the offset between antennas, and needs as input, in addition to the picked amplitudes values, a reference amplitude for each analysed GPR trace and a velocity value for the first (shallowest) layer. The latter two parameters can be estimated directly from the available data or can be better constrained by further dedicated GPR acquisitions or by additional direct measurements. We critically evaluated the performances for both synthetic and real data acquired with different antenna frequencies and we demonstrated that the new method can be applied in several real situations. Despite the necessary approximations and simplifying hypotheses, the velocity values calculated for each layer are consistent with direct information and with cross-validations obtained considering profiles acquired using different antennas and various path directions. Tests of the method on synthetic and real data sets show that the errors in the calculated velocity fields are quite low and comparable with more demanding velocity analysis techniques. The obtained EM velocity field is crucial in many processing steps, such as, for example, true amplitude recovery, depth conversion and imaging, and provide essential information to characterize the subsurface materials. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The so-called ‘Tunguska Event’ refers to a major explosion that occurred on 30 June 1908 in the Tunguska region of Siberia, causing the destruction of over 2000 km2 of taiga, globally detected pressure and seismic waves, and bright luminescence in the night skies of Europe and Central Asia, combined with other unusual phenomena. The ‘Tunguska Event’ may be related to the impact with the Earth of a cosmic body that exploded about 5–10 km above ground, releasing in the atmosphere 10–15 Mton of energy. Fragments of the impacting body have never been found, and its nature (comet or asteroid) is still a matter of debate. We report results from the investigation of Lake Cheko, located ∼8 km NNW of the inferred explosion epicenter. Its funnel-like bottom morphology and the structure of its sedimentary deposits, revealed by acoustic imagery and direct sampling, all suggest that the lake fills an impact crater. Lake Cheko may have formed due to a secondary impact onto alluvial swampy ground; the size and shape of the crater may have been affected by the nature of the ground and by impact-related melting and degassing of a permafrost layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a simple simulation model of the lifting procedure that can be used to predict the total time required for the sequence of basic manual assembly tasks depending on the various parameters of the load and with regard to the workers' health. The aim of the research is to determine the appropriateness of using simulation tool for (re)setting time standards for manual assembly tasks. An avatar in the simulation model performs sequences of tasks with a handling mass of up to 20.5 kg. The individual times obtained from the simulation model were analysed and compared with several time prediction methods and validated in laboratory environment. An analysis of the influence of different load parameters on the total time was also performed. Dependency is mostly linear, so from the practitioner point of view, we can predict with reasonable certainty the total time for any sequence of manual assembly tasks for every size and mass of the box. Based on the results we can confirm that simulation tool JACK is suitable not only for ergonomic analyses but also for setting time standards for the workers. Furthermore, with the simulation tool we analyse the process and get the accurate results in shorter time compared to other mentioned methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we proposed a new architectural model of the smart factory to allow production experts to make easier and more exact planning of new, smart factories by using all the key technologies of Industry 4.0. The existing complex reference architectural model of Industry 4.0 (RAMI 4.0) offers a good overview of the smart-factory architecture, but it leads to some limitations and a lack of clarity for the users. To overcome these limitations, we have developed a simple model with the entire and very simple architecture of the smart factory, based on the concept of distributed systems with exact information and the data flows between them. The proposed architectural model enables more reliable and simple modelling of the smart factory than the existing RAMI 4.0 model. Our approach improves the existing methodology for planning the smart factory and makes all the necessary steps clearer. At the end of the paper a comparison of the proposed architectural model LASFA (LASIM Smart Factory) with the existing RAMI 4.0 model was made. The developed LASFA model was already successfully implemented in the laboratory environment for building the demo centre of a smart factory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a procedure for the polarity assessment in reflection seismic data based on a Neural Network approach. The algorithm is based on a fully 1D approach, which does not require any input besides the seismic data since the necessary parameters are all automatically estimated. An added benefit is that the prediction has an associated probability, which automatically quantifies the reliability of the results. We tested the proposed procedure on synthetic and real reflection seismic data sets. The algorithm is able to correctly extract the seismic horizons also in case of complex conditions, such as along the flanks of salt domes, and is able to track polarity inversions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The seismic risk reduction of important community buildings and critical facilities is one of the most delicate problems that administrators are being asked to tackle. The ASSESS project, aimed at assessing the seismic risk of school buildings in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region (NE of Italy), is a prototypal study, developed on sound technical and scientific bases, and useful for defining decision-making tools for preventive purposes. In particular, the ASSESS methodology identifies the possible actions for improving seismic safety, it makes an economic evaluation of these actions, and, moreover, defines through specific indicators the intervention priorities for reducing the seismic risk of school buildings throughout the studied area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite several offshore data are available, a general model of the central part of the izmit Gulf is still a challenge and only few measurements have been done on the Hersek peninsula. This area is a key point not only because represents the only onshore segment of the North Anatolian Fault (NAF) within the central part of the izmit Gulf, but also because the new Istanbul-izmit highway will cross such gulf in this zone, with a suspension bridge, which will be the second longest bridge of such type in the world. This paper, integrating different analyses and data sets aims verifying at some of the present hypotheses. In particular, we propose the joint interpretation of new seismic reflection profiles from the Hersek Peninsula, as well as geophysical, remote sensing and geological data from the izmit Gulf (Sea of Marmara, Turkey), close to the epicenter of the 1999, Mw 7.4 izmit earthquake, to identify shallow-crustal deformations associated with the NAF. Our seismic reflection profiles, which are the first onshore two-components records within the izmit Gulf, image compressive features that form a structural high cut by the principal deformation zone of the NAF. The observed transpressive stress pattern appears to be the main factor contributing to the physiography of the peninsula, together with the growth northwards of the Yalakdere River deposits. We demonstrate that this pattern is compatible with an 8° bending of the NAF strand. Based on these new data, we propose a kinematic model for the evolution of this structure around the Hersek Peninsula during Holocene, and we test our reconstruction using a finite-elements numerical simulation model of the stress/strain distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We processed and interpreted a newly acquired geophysical dataset (WS10 project) integrated with vintage seismic profiles to study the evolution of the Sardinian passive margin of the Sardo-Provençal basin. The most prominent features of the area of study are a consequence of the Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC) which produced a thick salt layer in the deep basin. Complex halokinetic tectonics deformed the overlying Messinian Upper Unit (UU) and the Pliocene–Quaternary (PQ) sediments, sometimes also bending the sea bottom. A thinner autochthonous salt in the UU suggests at least one further low stand during the late MSC. The Messinian Erosional Surface (MES) separates the erosional truncation of the pre-Messinian sedimentary sequence from the overlaying Plio-Pleistocene sequence with a clear angular discordance, which almost completely masks possible earlier erosional events. The MES is present across the middle and upper slopes of the Sardinian margin and can be easily recognized down to the lower slope, where it interfingers with the Messinian evaporites which gradually thicken basinward. We propose a correlation between the main erosional surface of the lower slope and the salt layer recognized in the UU as a consequence of a falling stage during the last part of the MSC. The seismic profiles now available along the West Sardinian margin provide novel and crucial information to correlate the Messinian depositional units in the deep basin with those present in the lower continental slope and with the erosional surface of the middle and upper slopes. Our data and interpretation highlight the main units of the Messinian trilogy and further internal sequences that are probable related to cyclic fluctuations during their deposition. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We have observed a strong seismic reflection, with high attenuation below the event, at a depth of 1700-1800 ms TWT (about 700 m below the sea bottom), above the Apulia carbonate platform, in the Salento Adriatic offshore, Otranto Channel. The Merlo-1 explorative well penetrated the Plio-Pleistocene and Upper Miocene sediments covering a structural high of the Cretaceous-Oligocene units of the platform margin. This position, in our opinion, compromised the possibility of crossing the reflector, terminating in onlap or in pinch-out around the structure drilled by the well. We performed a dedicated signal analysis in order to evaluate if this bright spot effectively represents a gas reservoir. We used seismic attribute analysis considering amplitude, phase and frequency related attributes, velocity analysis and AVO to improve the interpretation and to obtain semi-quantitative data. Interpretation of all the available seismic profiles was used to map the extension of the possible reservoir and its relation to the Apulia platform margins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]