The jamming transition of non-spherical particles is fundamentally different from the spherical case. Non-spherical particles are hypostatic at their jamming points, while isostaticity is ensured in the case of the jamming of spherical particles. This structural difference implies that the presence of asphericity affects the critical exponents related to the contact number and the vibrational density of states. Moreover, while the force and gap distributions of isostatic jamming present power-law behaviors, even an infinitesimal asphericity is enough to smooth out these singularities. In a recent work (Brito et al 2018 Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. 115 11736–41), we have used a combination of marginal stability arguments and the replica method to explain these observations. We argued that systems with internal degrees of freedom, like the rotations in ellipsoids, or the variation of the radii in the case of the breathing particles fall in the same universality class. In this paper, we review comprehensively the results about the jamming with internal degrees of freedom in addition to the translational degrees of freedom. We use a variational argument to derive the critical exponents of the contact number, shear modulus, and the characteristic frequencies of the density of states. Moreover, we present additional numerical data supporting the theoretical results, which were not shown in the previous work.

In this paper, a reinterpretation of the older 14C ages of the Pleistocene substrate of the Holocene barrier-lagoon system of three coastal localities in southern Brazil is presented (Hermenegildo, Cassino, and Curumim). Sedimentological, geochronological, palynological, and diatom analyses of a sedimentary deposit formed in an estuarine/shallow marine environment are examined. This sedimentary deposit is presently found between 22 and 25 m depth below sea level in the Pinheira coastal plain. Results from all studied sites indicate that the deposit was formed under a former sea level of Marine Isotopic Stage 3 (MIS 3) that may have oscillated in the study region between 5 and 23 m depth below present sea level, from 36.2 to 47.7 ka. These results are reinforced by studies of nearby sites, including southeast Brazil. The Pleistocene substrate of the Holocene lagoonal-barrier system, at depths lower than 5 m below sea level, seems to correspond to sedimentary deposits of the Pleistocene barrier formed during MIS 5, while at depths greater than 5 m below sea level, they might correspond to sedimentary deposits that were formed during the relative high sea levels of MIS 3.

In the Southern Brazil ShelfSouthern Brazil Shelf (SBS), surface bioclastic concentrationsBioclastic concentrations are associated with putative paleo-shorelines formed where wave ravinement surfaces are probably present. From the late Last Glacial Maximum, the SBS can be considered a sediment-starved passive margin continental shelf, with its morphostructural development fairly known. There, fourteen molluscan shell samples from near shelf-break deposits (“distal shell-rich”), eleven from proximal, low depth bioclastic deposits (“proximal shell-rich”) and ten samples from sandy substrate (“shell-poor”) were evaluated for taphonomic damage accordingly to updated protocols. Multivariate statistical analysis showed significant differences between the three groups of shelly samples. Low-intensity damage states (such as natural bright and ornamentation) dominate samples from the distal shell-rich deposit, whereas the inverse occurs in the proximal deposit (samples from the shell-poor locations present an intermediate damage pattern). This pattern is consistent either with onlap/toplap and backlap shell bedShell bed formation, according to characteristics determined in the literature. The condition of these three areas may reflect degrees of exposure at the taphonomically-active zone, the magnitude of time averagingTime-averaging and duration of shell accumulation, and even the lack of shelf accommodation space, which in turn is related to glacioeustatic sea-level oscillations.

Neste breve texto, discuto algumas características do conhecimento científico, em especial a incerteza envolvida no risco indutivo, que devem ser levadas em consideração quando aplicamos a ciência na solução de problemas sociais e no final vou esboçar algumas considerações sobre o uso adequado do conhecimento científico.

Oral and oropharyngeal cancer is considered a public health problem in several countries due to its high incidence and mortality rate.

Objective:

This study aimed to analyze oral and oropharyngeal cancer mortality in Uruguay from 1997 to 2014 by age, sex and country region.

Methodology:

A time series ecological study using secondary data was performed. Data on mortality due to oral and oropharyngeal cancers were obtained from the Vital Statistics Department of Uruguay's Ministry of Public Health.

Results:

The cumulative mortality rate due to oral and oropharyngeal cancer over the study period was of 19.26/100,000 persons in women and 83.61/100.000 in men, with a mean annual rate of 1.75/100,000 in women and 7.60/100,000 in men. Mortality rate from both sites during the study period was 4.34 times higher in men than in women. Malignant neoplasms of other parts of the tongue and base of tongue showed the highest mortality rate. The means of the annual coefficients of deaths were higher for the age groups between 50 and 69 years. Higher mortality rates of oral and oropharyngeal cancer were observed in Artigas (4.63) and Cerro Largo (3.75).

Conclusions:

Our study described a high mortality rate for oral and oropharyngeal cancer in Uruguay from 1997 to 2014. According to the country's health department, men, tongue cancer, and oral cavity had higher mortality rates, with some variation. Prevention strategies with control of risk factors and early diagnosis are necessary to improve survival in the Uruguayan population.