Sample records for kerem enn listra

  1. The ENN project. ENN exploitation plan.

    PubMed

    Dekena, R; Rehm-Berbenni, C; Seyfried, K

    2000-01-01

    The objective of the ENN-European Neurologic Network project is to improve knowledge and treatment of sleep disorders, headache and epilepsy. The means to obtain this objective shall be certain software to be distributed to the appropriate users in the medical field and the collection of relevant cases, in order to set up a neurological database. It is intended that the distribution of the above mentioned software and access to the database, will be able to finance research projects in the neurological field. The outcome of the EU funded project have been six prototypes, which need further work in order to establish a system of compatible and linked products. A particular emphasis of this work should be put on making the products as process oriented as possible. At the time being there are already products available in the market, which would be competing with particular ENN prototypes, but there is no set of compatible and linked products, which would be comparable with the intended set of ENN neurological tools. Such set of tools therefore could be a unique selling proposition. Intellectual property rights and legal implications have to be taken into consideration for the marketing of the ENN products. It has to be made sure, that no third party can assert violation of its IPRs and that, a protection of the products can be attained by appropriate application for IPRs. In the legal field in particular the prescriptions of data protection legislation have to be observed e.g. by obtaining the written consent of patients, whose cases are reported. The marketing concept should be set up as a short-term, middle-term, long-term strategy. The short-term strategy should concentrate on carrying out a market validation study at European level and simultaneously the development from prototype to products. The middle-term strategy should be directed towards the market introduction of the ENN products in Europe. The long-term strategy should comprise marketing of the products

  2. Active Masks and Active Inhibition: A Comment on Lleras and Enns (2004) and on Verleger, Jaskowski, Aydemir, van der Lubbe, and Groen (2004)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schlaghecken, Friederike; Eimer, Martin

    2006-01-01

    Verleger, Jaskowski, Aydemir, van der Lubbe, and Groen (see record 2004-21166-002) and Lleras and Enns (see record 2004-21166-001) have argued that negative compatibility effects (NCEs) obtained with masked primes do not reflect self-inhibition processes in motor control. Instead, NCEs are assumed to reflect activation of the response opposite to…

  3. Dietary intake, physical activity and nutritional status in adults: the French nutrition and health survey (ENNS, 2006-2007).

    PubMed

    Castetbon, Katia; Vernay, Michel; Malon, Aurélie; Salanave, Benoit; Deschamps, Valérie; Roudier, Candice; Oleko, Amivi; Szego, Emmanuelle; Hercberg, Serge

    2009-09-01

    The French National Programme on Nutrition and Health (Programme national nutrition santé (PNNS)), the aim of which is to reduce nutrition-related chronic diseases, necessitates monitoring of nutritional characteristics. Our objective was to describe dietary intake, physical activity and nutritional status in a national sample of adults, especially according to current French recommendations. The study is based on a cross-sectional population-based survey using a multistage sampling design (Etude nationale nutrition santé (ENNS)). Between February 2006 and March 2007, 3115 18-74-year-old adults were included (participation rate 59.7 %). Energy, macronutrient and food consumption were estimated through three randomly distributed 24 h recalls, and compared to PNNS recommendations; physical activity was described using International Physical Activity Questionnaire guidelines; anthropometry, blood pressure and biochemical measurements were assessed according to national and international references. When compared to current recommendations, intake of carbohydrates (>50 % energy intake without alcohol: 26.4 %), SFA ( < 35 % total lipids: 18.5 %) and total fibre (>25 g/d: 13.7 %) was frequently unsatisfactory. While overall consumption of 'meat, seafood and eggs' was satisfactory, that of fruits and vegetables ( > or = 400 g/d: 43.8 %) and seafood (two or more servings per week: 29.9 %) was frequently too low. The physical activity level was satisfactory at 63.2 %. Overweight was observed in 49.3 % of adults, while 30.9 % were hypertensive and 44.1 % had dyslipidaemia. Vitamin and iron-poor status was found to affect less than 10 % of the population. Based on the ENNS survey, overall nutrition remains a problem in France. Comparison of these data with those of other countries could contribute to a better understanding of variations in nutrition-related diseases.

  4. Flood induced infiltration affecting a bank filtrate well at the River Enns, Austria

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wett, Bernhard; Jarosch, Hannes; Ingerle, Kurt

    2002-09-01

    Bank filtration employs a natural filtration process of surface water on its flow path from the river to the well. The development of a stable filter layer is of major importance to the quality of the delivered water. Flooding is expected to destabilise the riverbed, to reduce the filter efficiency of the bank and therefore to endanger the operation of water supply facilities near the riverbank. This paper provides an example of how bank storage in an unconfined alluvial aquifer causes a significant decrease of the seepage rate after a high-water event. Extensive monitoring equipment has been installed in the river bank of the oligotrophic alpine River Enns focusing on the first metre of the flow path. Head losses measured by multilevel probes throughout a year characterise the development of the hydraulic conductivity of different riverbed layers. Concentration profiles of nitrate, total ions and a NaCl tracer have been used to study infiltration rates of river water and its dilution with groundwater. Dynamic modelling was applied in order to investigate the propagation of flood induced head elevation and transport of pollutants.

  5. Different effects of the two types of spatial pre-cueing: what precisely is "attention" in Di Lollo's and Enns' substitution masking theory?

    PubMed

    Luiga, I; Bachmann, T

    2007-11-01

    Enns and Di Lollo [Psychological Science, 8 (2), 135-139, 1997] have introduced the object substitution theory of visual masking. Object substitution masking occurs when focusing attention on the target is delayed. However, Posner (Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 32, 3-25, 1980) has already shown that attention can be directed to a target at least in two ways: intentionally (endogenously) and automatically (exogenously). We conducted two experiments to explore the effects of endogenous and exogenous cues on substitution masking. The results showed that when attention was shifted to the target location automatically (using a local peripheral pre-cue), masking was attenuated. A decrease in target identification dependent on a delay of mask offset, typical to substitution masking, was not observed. However, strong substitution masking occurred when the target location was not pre-cued or when attention was directed to the target location intentionally (using a symbolic pre-cue displayed centrally). The hypothesis of two different mechanisms of attentional control in substitution masking was confirmed.

  6. Mycotoxin production by Fusarium avenaceum strains isolated from Norwegian grain and the cytotoxicity of rice culture extracts to porcine kidney epithelial cells.

    PubMed

    Morrison, Ellen; Kosiak, Barbara; Ritieni, Alberto; Aastveit, Are H; Uhlig, Silvio; Bernhoft, Aksel

    2002-05-08

    The secondary metabolites of 24 isolates of Fusarium avenaceum from Norwegian cereals and grown on rice have been characterized. Moniliformin (MON), enniatins (ENNs), and beauvericin (BEA) were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. Porcine kidney epithelial cells (PK15, American Type Culture Collection) were used to study the cytotoxicity of MON in the extracts. The following metabolites were produced by all isolates, ranked by concentration in rice cultures: ENN-B, MON, ENN-B1, and ENN-A. BEA was produced by eight isolates. The productions of BEA and ENN-A were significantly correlated, as was the case with ENN-B and ENN-B1. MON production was correlated neither to any of the other toxins nor to toxicity.

  7. Enniatin A1, enniatin B1 and beauvericin on HepG2: Evaluation of toxic effects.

    PubMed

    Juan-García, Ana; Ruiz, María-José; Font, Guillermina; Manyes, Lara

    2015-10-01

    Hepatotoxicity of three Fusarium mycotoxins, beauvericin (BEA) and two enniatins (ENNs) ENN A1 and ENN B1, in hepatocarcinoma cells (HepG2) were evaluated and compared. Concentrations used were 1.5 and 3 μM at 24, 48 and 72 h for each mycotoxin. Flow cytometry was used to examine enniatins effects on cell proliferation, to characterize the cell cycle phase where the cells blocked and to study the mitochondria role in ENNs-induced apoptosis. ENN B1 treated cells showed a time dependent G1 blockade at both concentrations used. ENN A1 and BEA decreased the apoptotic-necrotic percentage of cells comparing to control and disrupted the MMP as observed by TMRM and ToPro-3 fluorochromes signal. It is proposed a decreasing mycotoxin order by number of effects as follows: BEA > ENN B1 > ENN A1, with 47, 20 and 16%, respectively out of all situations compared. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Interaction effects of enniatin B, deoxinivalenol and alternariol in Caco-2 cells.

    PubMed

    Fernández-Blanco, Celia; Font, Guillermina; Ruiz, Maria-Jose

    2016-01-22

    Enniatin B (ENN B), deoxinivalenol (DON) and alternariol (AOH) are secondary metabolites of filamentous fungi. These mycotoxins are contaminants of vegetables and cereals. They are cytotoxic and their effects are enhanced by their mixtures. The objectives of this study were to compare the cytotoxicity of ENN B, DON and AOH alone or in combination in human adenocarcinoma (Caco-2) cells and to evaluate the type of interactions of mycotoxin mixtures by the isobologram analysis. Cells were treated with concentrations ranging from 1.85 to 90μM (AOH) and from 0.312 to 10μM (for ENN B and DON), individually and in combination of two and three mycotoxins (from 1.85 to 30μM for AOH and from 0.312 to 5μM for ENN B and DON). The relation ratios between the mixtures DON+ENN B was 1:1; AOH+DON and ENN B+AOH was 1:6, and for the tertiary combination DON, ENN B and AOH 1:1:6. The IC50 value of ENN B and DON were 3.87 and 5.54μM, respectively. No IC50 values were obtained for the AOH at any time tested in Caco-2 cells. With the isobologram the type of interaction between mycotoxin was evaluated. Synergistic, antagonistic and addictive effect was observed for the combination studied depending on the concentration affected. Mycotoxins combinations reduce cellular viability in the following increasing order: (DON+ENN B)>(ENN B+AOH)>(DON+AOH)>(DON+AOH+ENN B). Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

  9. Involvement of enniatins-induced cytotoxicity in human HepG2 cells.

    PubMed

    Juan-García, Ana; Manyes, Lara; Ruiz, María-José; Font, Guillermina

    2013-04-12

    Enniatins (ENNs) are mycotoxins found in Fusarium fungi and they appear in nature as mixtures of cyclic depsipeptides. The ability to form ionophores in the cell membrane is related to their cytotoxicity. Changes in ion distribution between inner and outer phases of the mitochondria affect to their metabolism, proton gradient, and chemiosmotic coupling, so a mitochondrial toxicity analysis of enniatins is highly recommended because they host the homeostasis required for cellular survival. Two ENNs, ENN A and ENN B on hepatocarcinoma cells (HepG2) at 1.5 and 3 μM and three exposure times (24, 48 and 72 h) were studied. Flow cytometry was used to examine their effects on cell proliferation, to characterize at which phase of the cell cycle progression the cells were blocked and to study the role of the mitochondrial in ENNs-induced apoptosis. In conclusion, apoptosis induction on HepG2 cells allowed to compare cytotoxic effects caused by both ENNs, A and B. It is reported the possible mechanism observed in MMP changes, cell cycle analysis and apoptosis/necrosis, identifying ENN B more toxic than ENN A. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Biotransformation of the mycotoxin enniatin B1 in pigs: A comparative in vitro and in vivo approach.

    PubMed

    Ivanova, Lada; Uhlig, Silvio; Devreese, Mathias; Croubels, Siska; Fæste, Christiane Kruse

    2017-07-01

    Enniatins (ENNs) are hexadepsipeptidic mycotoxins produced by Fusarium species. They occur in mg/kg levels in grain from Northern climate areas. Major ENNs such as ENN B and B1 have shown considerable cytotoxicity in different in vitro test systems. To adequately assess exposure and in vivo toxicity the toxicokinetic properties need to be investigated. The present study describes the metabolism of ENN B1 both in vitro and in vivo in pigs, comparing metabolites found in vitro in experiments with liver microsomes from different pig strains to those found in the plasma of pigs after single oral or intravenous application of ENN B1. Metabolites of hepatic biotransformation were tentatively identified and characterised by high performance liquid chromatography coupled to ion trap and high-resolution mass spectrometry, as well as chemical derivatisations. Kinetic parameters of metabolite formation and elimination were determined. Metabolite formation was higher when ENN B1 was absorbed from the gut compared to intravenous administration indicating pre-systemic metabolism of ENN B1 after oral uptake. The in vitro approach resulted in the detection of ten ENN B1 metabolites, while six were detected in in vivo samples. The putative ENN B1 metabolites were products of hydroxylation, carbonylation, carboxylation and oxidative demethylation reactions. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  11. Enniatin B-induced cell death and inflammatory responses in RAW 267.4 murine macrophages

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gammelsrud, A.; Department of Air Pollution and Noise, Division of Environmental Medicine, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, N-0403 Oslo; Solhaug, A.

    2012-05-15

    The mycotoxin enniatin B (EnnB) is predominantly produced by species of the Fusarium genera, and often found in grain. The cytotoxic effect of EnnB has been suggested to be related to its ability to form ionophores in cell membranes. The present study examines the effects of EnnB on cell death, differentiation, proliferation and pro-inflammatory responses in the murine monocyte–macrophage cell line RAW 264.7. Exposure to EnnB for 24 h caused an accumulation of cells in the G0/G1-phase with a corresponding decrease in cyclin D1. This cell cycle-arrest was possibly also linked to the reduced cellular ability to capture and internalizemore » receptors as illustrated by the lipid marker ganglioside GM1. EnnB also increased the number of apoptotic, early apoptotic and necrotic cells, as well as cells with elongated spindle-like morphology. The Neutral Red assay indicated that EnnB induced lysosomal damage; supported by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showing accumulation of lipids inside the lysosomes forming lamellar structures/myelin bodies. Enhanced levels of activated caspase-1 were observed after EnnB exposure and the caspase-1 specific inhibitor ZYVAD-FMK reduced EnnB-induced apoptosis. Moreover, EnnB increased the release of interleukin-1beta (IL-1β) in cells primed with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and this response was reduced by both ZYVAD-FMK and the cathepsin B inhibitor CA-074Me. In conclusion, EnnB was found to induce cell cycle arrest, cell death and inflammation. Caspase-1 appeared to be involved in the apoptosis and release of IL-1β and possibly activation of the inflammasome through lysosomal damage and leakage of cathepsin B. -- Highlights: ► The mycotoxin EnnB induced cell cycle arrest, cell death and inflammation. ► The G0/G1-arrest was linked to a reduced ability to internalize receptors. ► EnnB caused lysosomal damage, leakage of cathepsin B and caspase-1 cleavage. ► Caspase-1 was partly involved in both apoptosis and release of

  12. Reflections on "Twenty Years of Feminist Counseling and Therapy."

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rawlings, Edna I.

    1993-01-01

    Responds to previous article by Carolyn Zerbe Enns on feminist counseling and psychotherapy. Sees Enns's article as a valuable resource and reacts to Enns's article from the perspective of a radical feminist therapist. Discusses the difficulty involved in trying to effectively integrate radical feminism with psychotherapy. (NB)

  13. The Third Decade of Feminist Therapy and the Personal Is Still Political.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gilbert, Lucia Albino; Rossman, Karen M.

    1993-01-01

    Responds to earlier article by Carolyn Zerbe Enns on feminist counseling and psychotherapy. Asserts that Enns presents concise summary and overview but offers little beyond her examination of "themes of change, agreement, and disagreement." Focuses comments on two topics addressed by Enns: the importance of context and interrelationships…

  14. A Review of the Mycotoxin Enniatin B

    PubMed Central

    Prosperini, Alessandra; Berrada, Houda; Ruiz, María José; Caloni, Francesca; Coccini, Teresa; Spicer, Leon J.; Perego, Maria Chiara; Lafranconi, Alessandra

    2017-01-01

    Mycotoxin enniatin B (ENN B) is a secondary metabolism product by Fusarium fungi. It is a well-known antibacterial, antihelmintic, antifungal, herbicidal, and insecticidal compound. It has been found as a contaminant in several food commodities, particularly in cereal grains, co-occurring also with other mycotoxins. The primary mechanism of action of ENN B is mainly due to its ionophoric characteristics, but the exact mechanism is still unclear. In the last two decades, it has been a topic of great interest since its potent mammalian cytotoxic activity was demonstrated in several mammalian cell lines. Moreover, the co-exposure in vitro with other mycotoxins enhances its toxic potential through synergic effects, depending on the concentrations tested. Despite its clear cytotoxic effect, European Food Safety Authority stated that acute exposure to ENNs, such as ENN B, does not indicate concern for human health, but a concern might be the chronic exposure. However, given the lack of relevant toxicity data, no firm conclusion could be drawn and a risk assessment was not possible. In fact, very few studies have been carried out in vivo and, in these studies, no adverse effects were observed. So, research on toxicological effects induced by ENN B is still on-going. Recently, some studies are dealing with new advances regarding ENN B. This review summarizes the information on biochemical and biological activity of ENN B, focusing on toxicological aspects and on the latest advances in research on ENN B. PMID:29201864

  15. A Review of the Mycotoxin Enniatin B.

    PubMed

    Prosperini, Alessandra; Berrada, Houda; Ruiz, María José; Caloni, Francesca; Coccini, Teresa; Spicer, Leon J; Perego, Maria Chiara; Lafranconi, Alessandra

    2017-01-01

    Mycotoxin enniatin B (ENN B) is a secondary metabolism product by Fusarium fungi. It is a well-known antibacterial, antihelmintic, antifungal, herbicidal, and insecticidal compound. It has been found as a contaminant in several food commodities, particularly in cereal grains, co-occurring also with other mycotoxins. The primary mechanism of action of ENN B is mainly due to its ionophoric characteristics, but the exact mechanism is still unclear. In the last two decades, it has been a topic of great interest since its potent mammalian cytotoxic activity was demonstrated in several mammalian cell lines. Moreover, the co-exposure in vitro with other mycotoxins enhances its toxic potential through synergic effects, depending on the concentrations tested. Despite its clear cytotoxic effect, European Food Safety Authority stated that acute exposure to ENNs, such as ENN B, does not indicate concern for human health, but a concern might be the chronic exposure. However, given the lack of relevant toxicity data, no firm conclusion could be drawn and a risk assessment was not possible. In fact, very few studies have been carried out in vivo and, in these studies, no adverse effects were observed. So, research on toxicological effects induced by ENN B is still on-going. Recently, some studies are dealing with new advances regarding ENN B. This review summarizes the information on biochemical and biological activity of ENN B, focusing on toxicological aspects and on the latest advances in research on ENN B.

  16. Enniatin and Beauvericin Biosynthesis in Fusarium Species: Production Profiles and Structural Determinant Prediction.

    PubMed

    Liuzzi, Vania C; Mirabelli, Valentina; Cimmarusti, Maria Teresa; Haidukowski, Miriam; Leslie, John F; Logrieco, Antonio F; Caliandro, Rocco; Fanelli, Francesca; Mulè, Giuseppina

    2017-01-25

    Members of the fungal genus Fusarium can produce numerous secondary metabolites, including the nonribosomal mycotoxins beauvericin (BEA) and enniatins (ENNs). Both mycotoxins are synthesized by the multifunctional enzyme enniatin synthetase (ESYN1) that contains both peptide synthetase and S-adenosyl-l-methionine-dependent N -methyltransferase activities. Several Fusarium species can produce ENNs, BEA or both, but the mechanism(s) enabling these differential metabolic profiles is unknown. In this study, we analyzed the primary structure of ESYN1 by sequencing esyn1 transcripts from different Fusarium species. We measured ENNs and BEA production by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode array and Acquity QDa mass detector (UPLC-PDA-QDa) analyses. We predicted protein structures, compared the predictions by multivariate analysis methods and found a striking correlation between BEA/ENN-producing profiles and ESYN1 three-dimensional structures. Structural differences in the β strand's Asn789-Ala793 and His797-Asp802 portions of the amino acid adenylation domain can be used to distinguish BEA/ENN-producing Fusarium isolates from those that produce only ENN.

  17. Evaluation of immunologic effect of Enniatin A and quantitative determination in feces, urine and serum on treated Wistar rats.

    PubMed

    Juan, Cristina; Manyes, Lara; Font, Guillermina; Juan-García, Ana

    2014-09-01

    Study of dietary supplementation with ENN A mycotoxin during 28 days of exposure time on Wistar rats to determinate its levels in serum, urine and feces and, to evaluate the immunologic effect in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) is presented. The first method for ENN A extraction, determination and detection by LC-MS/MS in serum, urine and feces samples is reported. ENN A food dose administrated was detected in serum samples and influenced lymphocyte phenotyping. Levels in serum were founded from the second week of the experiment; reaching values of 4.76 μg/ml on the fourth week, which corresponds to 3.24 μg/ml in blood. PBL as T helper (CD4(+)) were presented in greater percentages compared to control (p ≤ 0.001), while T cytotoxic (CD8(+)) decreased significantly compared to control (p ≤ 0.001). ENN A treatment significantly increased CD4(+)/CD3(+) and CD4(+)/CD8(+) ratios but significantly decreased CD8(+)/CD3(+) ratio. CD4(+)/CD8(+) ratio was 2.94:1, indicating that PBL surface antigen expression and immune status in Wistar rats treated were impaired by the ENN A mycotoxin. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Feminist Therapy: Not for or by White Women Only.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Espin, Olivia M.

    1993-01-01

    Responds to earlier article by Carolyn Zerbe Enns on feminist counseling and psychotherapy, noting that Enns could have elaborated on what the challenge of multiculturalism meant for the future of feminist therapy and counseling. Asserts that tendency to overgeneralize from data and information gathered from experience of white women continues for…

  19. Feminist Counseling/Therapy for the 21st Century.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Worell, Judith; Robinson, Damon

    1993-01-01

    Responds to earlier article by Carolyn Zerbe Enns on feminist counseling and psychotherapy. Acknowledges productive impact of Enns's review, but raises some concerns related to the conception of history and some of the conclusions that are reached. Discusses two important parameters that merit more attention, focusing on the future of feminist…

  20. Robust Kalman filtering cooperated Elman neural network learning for vision-sensing-based robotic manipulation with global stability.

    PubMed

    Zhong, Xungao; Zhong, Xunyu; Peng, Xiafu

    2013-10-08

    In this paper, a global-state-space visual servoing scheme is proposed for uncalibrated model-independent robotic manipulation. The scheme is based on robust Kalman filtering (KF), in conjunction with Elman neural network (ENN) learning techniques. The global map relationship between the vision space and the robotic workspace is learned using an ENN. This learned mapping is shown to be an approximate estimate of the Jacobian in global space. In the testing phase, the desired Jacobian is arrived at using a robust KF to improve the ENN learning result so as to achieve robotic precise convergence of the desired pose. Meanwhile, the ENN weights are updated (re-trained) using a new input-output data pair vector (obtained from the KF cycle) to ensure robot global stability manipulation. Thus, our method, without requiring either camera or model parameters, avoids the corrupted performances caused by camera calibration and modeling errors. To demonstrate the proposed scheme's performance, various simulation and experimental results have been presented using a six-degree-of-freedom robotic manipulator with eye-in-hand configurations.

  1. Serum levels of organochlorine pesticides in the French adult population: the French National Nutrition and Health Study (ENNS), 2006-2007.

    PubMed

    Saoudi, Abdessattar; Fréry, Nadine; Zeghnoun, Abdelkrim; Bidondo, Marie-Laure; Deschamps, Valérie; Göen, Thomas; Garnier, Robert; Guldner, Laurence

    2014-02-15

    Although most organochlorine (OC) pesticides were banned in France in the 1970s and 1980s, they remain a source of public concern. Because of their high persistence in the environment, they are still detected in foodstuffs, leading to continued human exposure. The purpose of this study was to assess the distribution of serum organochlorine (OC) pesticides in the French adult population and to identify the main risk factors for p,p'-dichlorodiphenyl dichlorethylene (DDE), β-hexachlorocyclohexane (β-HCH) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB). The selected OC pesticides (HCB, DDE, DDT, α-HCH, β-HCB and γ-HCH) were measured in serum samples collected in 2006-2007 from 386 persons (aged 18-74 years) randomly selected among the participants in the clinical and biological component of the French Nutrition and Health Survey (Etude Nationale Nutrition Santé [ENNS]), a cross-sectional survey carried out in the general population. Collected data included biological samples, socio-demographic characteristics, and data about environmental and occupational exposure factors. Of the six OC pesticides investigated, the highest concentrations were observed for HCB, β-HCH and DDE. Median serum concentrations were as follows: 22.8 ng/g lipid for HCB, 0.74 and 27.0 ng/g lipid, respectively, for α- and ß-HCH, and 3.8 and 104.6 ng/g lipid, respectively, for DDT and DDE. Lindane (γ-HCH) was detected in approximately 10% of the sample. OC pesticide levels in serum in French adults were higher (except for DDT and DDE) than those observed in American, Canadian and German populations and generally lower than or in the same range as those observed in other European countries. The low serum DDT/DDE ratio in the present study (3.7%) would suggest that the concentrations observed for these two OC pesticides were mainly the result of past exposure. The most important predictors of serum DDE, HCB and β-HCH concentrations among the French adult population included individual factors (age, gender

  2. Intelligent nonsingular terminal sliding-mode control using MIMO Elman neural network for piezo-flexural nanopositioning stage.

    PubMed

    Lin, Faa-Jeng; Lee, Shih-Yang; Chou, Po-Huan

    2012-12-01

    The objective of this study is to develop an intelligent nonsingular terminal sliding-mode control (INTSMC) system using an Elman neural network (ENN) for the threedimensional motion control of a piezo-flexural nanopositioning stage (PFNS). First, the dynamic model of the PFNS is derived in detail. Then, to achieve robust, accurate trajectory-tracking performance, a nonsingular terminal sliding-mode control (NTSMC) system is proposed for the tracking of the reference contours. The steady-state response of the control system can be improved effectively because of the addition of the nonsingularity in the NTSMC. Moreover, to relax the requirements of the bounds and discard the switching function in NTSMC, an INTSMC system using a multi-input-multioutput (MIMO) ENN estimator is proposed to improve the control performance and robustness of the PFNS. The ENN estimator is proposed to estimate the hysteresis phenomenon and lumped uncertainty, including the system parameters and external disturbance of the PFNS online. Furthermore, the adaptive learning algorithms for the training of the parameters of the ENN online are derived using the Lyapunov stability theorem. In addition, two robust compensators are proposed to confront the minimum reconstructed errors in INTSMC. Finally, some experimental results for the tracking of various contours are given to demonstrate the validity of the proposed INTSMC system for PFNS.

  3. Human skin permeation of emerging mycotoxins (beauvericin and enniatins).

    PubMed

    Taevernier, Lien; Veryser, Lieselotte; Roche, Nathalie; Peremans, Kathelijne; Burvenich, Christian; Delesalle, Catherine; De Spiegeleer, Bart

    2016-01-01

    Currently, dermal exposure data of cyclic depsipeptide mycotoxins are completely absent. There is a lack of understanding about the local skin and systemic kinetics and effects, despite their widespread skin contact and intrinsic hazard. Therefore, we provide a quantitative characterisation of their dermal kinetics. The emerging mycotoxins enniatins (ENNs) and beauvericin (BEA) were used as model compounds and their transdermal kinetics were quantitatively evaluated, using intact and damaged human skin in an in vitro Franz diffusion cell set-up and ultra high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC)-MS analytics. We demonstrated that all investigated mycotoxins are able to penetrate through the skin. ENN B showed the highest permeation (kp,v=9.44 × 10(-6) cm/h), whereas BEA showed the lowest (kp,v=2.35 × 10(-6) cm/h) and the other ENNs ranging in between. Combining these values with experimentally determined solubility data, Jmax values ranging from 0.02 to 0.35 μg/(cm(2) h) for intact skin and from 0.07 to 1.11 μg/(cm(2) h) for damaged skin were obtained. These were used to determine the daily dermal exposure (DDE) in a worst-case scenario. On the other hand, DDE's for a typical occupational scenario were calculated based on real-life mycotoxin concentrations for the industrial exposure of food-related workers. In the latter case, for contact with intact human skin, DDE's up to 0.0870 ng/(kg BW × day) for ENN A were calculated, whereas for impaired skin barrier this can even rise up to 0.3209 ng/(kg BW × day) for ENN B1. This knowledge is needed for the risk assessment after skin exposure of contaminated food, feed, indoor surfaces and airborne particles with mycotoxins.

  4. Evolutionary neural networks for anomaly detection based on the behavior of a program.

    PubMed

    Han, Sang-Jun; Cho, Sung-Bae

    2006-06-01

    The process of learning the behavior of a given program by using machine-learning techniques (based on system-call audit data) is effective to detect intrusions. Rule learning, neural networks, statistics, and hidden Markov models (HMMs) are some of the kinds of representative methods for intrusion detection. Among them, neural networks are known for good performance in learning system-call sequences. In order to apply this knowledge to real-world problems successfully, it is important to determine the structures and weights of these call sequences. However, finding the appropriate structures requires very long time periods because there are no suitable analytical solutions. In this paper, a novel intrusion-detection technique based on evolutionary neural networks (ENNs) is proposed. One advantage of using ENNs is that it takes less time to obtain superior neural networks than when using conventional approaches. This is because they discover the structures and weights of the neural networks simultaneously. Experimental results with the 1999 Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Intrusion Detection Evaluation (IDEVAL) data confirm that ENNs are promising tools for intrusion detection.

  5. Gestalt grouping and common onset masking.

    PubMed

    Kahan, Todd A; Mathis, Katherine M

    2002-11-01

    A four-dot mask that surrounds and is presented simultaneously with a briefly presented target will reduce a person's ability to identity that target if the mask persists beyond target offset and attention is divided (Enns & Di Lollo, 1997, 2000). This masking effect, referred to as common onset masking, reflects reentrant processing in the visual system and can best be explained with a theory of object substitution (Di Lollo, Enns, & Rensink, 2000). In the present experiments, we investigated whether Gestalt grouping variables would influence the strength of common onset masking. The results indicated that (1) masking was impervious to grouping by form, similarity of color, position, luminance polarity, and common region and (2) masking increased with the number of elements in the masking display.

  6. Occurrence of 26 Mycotoxins in the Grain of Cereals Cultivated in Poland

    PubMed Central

    Bryła, Marcin; Waśkiewicz, Agnieszka; Podolska, Grażyna; Szymczyk, Krystyna; Jędrzejczak, Renata; Damaziak, Krzysztof; Sułek, Alicja

    2016-01-01

    The levels of 26 mycotoxins were determined in 147 samples of the grain of cereals cultivated in five regions of Poland during the 2014 growing season. The HPLC-HRMS (time-of-flight) analytical technique was used. An analytical procedure to simultaneously determine 26 mycotoxins in grain was developed, tested and verified. Samples from eastern and southern Poland were more contaminated with mycotoxins than the samples from northern and western Poland. Toxins produced by Fusarium fungi were the main contaminants found. Some deoxynivalenol (DON) was found in 100% of the tested samples of wheat (Osiny, Borusowa, Werbkowice), triticale, winter barley and oats, while the maximum permissible DON level (as defined in the EU Commission Regulation No. 1881/2006) was exceeded in 10 samples. Zearalenone (ZEN), DON metabolites and enniatins were also commonly found. The presence of mycotoxins in grain reflected the prevailing weather conditions during the plant flowering/earing stages, which were favorable for the development of blight. Among all investigated wheat genotypes, cv. Fidelius was the least contaminated, while Bamberka, Forkida and Kampana were the most contaminated. However, the single-factor ANOVA analysis of variance did not reveal (at a statistical significance level α = 0.05) any differences between levels of mycotoxins in individual genotypes. Triticale was the most contaminated grain among all of the tested varieties. ZEN, DON and the sum of 3-acetyldexynivalenol and 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol (3- and 15-ADON) were found in 100% of the tested triticale samples at concentrations within the 4–86, 196–1326 and 36–374 µg·kg−1 range, respectively. Of particular concern was the fact that some “emerging mycotoxins” (enniatins) (in addition to commonly-known and legally-regulated mycotoxins) were also found in the tested triticale samples (enniatin B (Enn-B), enniatin B1 (Enn-B1), enniatin A-1 (Enn-A1), 100% of samples, and enniatin A (Enn-A), 70% of

  7. Genetics Home Reference: genitopatellar syndrome

    MedlinePlus

    ... hypoplasia, renal anomalies, facial dysmorphism, and mental retardation GPS Related Information How are genetic conditions and genes ... Kwan A, Schlaubitz S, Barsh GS, Enns GM, Hudgins L. Genitopatellar syndrome: expanding the phenotype and excluding mutations ...

  8. AFLP Phylogeny of 36 Erythroxylum species- genetic relationships among Erythroxylum species inferred by AFLP analysis

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The plant genus Erythroxylum is known for four cultivated taxa, Erythroxylum coca var. coca (Ecc), Erythroxylum coca var. ipadu (Eci), Erythroxylum novogranatense var. novogranatense (Enn) and Erythroxylum novogranatense var. truxillense (Ent) that are cultivated primarily for the illicit extraction...

  9. Missense variations in the cystic fibrosis gene: Heteroduplex formation in the F508C mutation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Macek, M. Jr.; Ladanyi, L.; Buerger, J.

    1992-11-01

    Kobayashi et al. (1990) have described missense variations in the conserved region of exon 10 of the cystic fibrosis (CF) transmembrane conductance regulator gene. In their paper, two [Delta]F508/F508C compound heterozygous individuals were reported. Clinical and epithelial physiological studies in both cases were normal, suggesting that the substitution of cysteine for phenylalanine at position 508, the F508C mutation, is benign. However, Kerem et al. reported a patient with this substitution who had typical symptoms of CF. In routine [Delta]F508 mutation screening by visualization of the 3-bp deletion on a 12% polyacrylamide gel the authors detected an abnormal heteroduplex in themore » father of a CF patient of German origin. Subsequent direct sequencing of the PCR product confirmed that this clinically normal father is a compound heterozygote for the [Delta]F508/F508C mutations. This heteroduplex is slightly different from the usual heteroduplex in [Delta]F508/F508C heteroduplex was not published, it is likely that similar cases can be overseen during the widely performed [Delta]F508 mutation screening by PAGE. Detection of more cases, such as the one presented here, together with careful, standardized clinical examination of the proband, would be valuable to verify the nature of this mutation. 4 refs., 1 fig.« less

  10. Role of codeposited impurities during growth. II. Dependence of morphology on binding and barrier energies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sathiyanarayanan, Rajesh; Hamouda, Ajmi Bh.; Pimpinelli, A.; Einstein, T. L.

    2011-01-01

    In an accompanying article we showed that surface morphologies obtained through codeposition of a small quantity (2%) of impurities with Cu during growth (step-flow mode, θ = 40 ML) significantly depends on the lateral nearest-neighbor binding energy (ENN) to Cu adatom and the diffusion barrier (Ed) of the impurity atom on Cu(0 0 1). Based on these two energy parameters, ENN and Ed, we classify impurity atoms into four sets. We study island nucleation and growth in the presence of codeposited impurities from different sets in the submonolayer (θ⩽ 0.7 ML) regime. Similar to growth in the step-flow mode, we find different nucleation and growth behavior for impurities from different sets. We characterize these differences through variations of the number of islands (Ni) and the average island size with coverage (θ). Further, we compute the critical nucleus size (i) for all of these cases from the distribution of capture-zone areas using the generalized Wigner distribution.

  11. Utilizing gamma band to improve mental task based brain-computer interface design.

    PubMed

    Palaniappan, Ramaswamy

    2006-09-01

    A common method for designing brain-computer Interface (BCI) is to use electroencephalogram (EEG) signals extracted during mental tasks. In these BCI designs, features from EEG such as power and asymmetry ratios from delta, theta, alpha, and beta bands have been used in classifying different mental tasks. In this paper, the performance of the mental task based BCI design is improved by using spectral power and asymmetry ratios from gamma (24-37 Hz) band in addition to the lower frequency bands. In the experimental study, EEG signals extracted during five mental tasks from four subjects were used. Elman neural network (ENN) trained by the resilient backpropagation algorithm was used to classify the power and asymmetry ratios from EEG into different combinations of two mental tasks. The results indicated that ((1) the classification performance and training time of the BCI design were improved through the use of additional gamma band features; (2) classification performances were nearly invariant to the number of ENN hidden units or feature extraction method.

  12. Role of microbial iron reduction in the dissolution of iron hydroxysulfate minerals

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Jones, E.J.P.; Nadeau, T.-L.; Voytek, M.A.; Landa, E.R.

    2006-01-01

    Iron-hydroxysulfate minerals can be important hosts for metals such as lead, mercury, copper, zinc, silver, chromium, arsenic, and selenium and for radionuclides such as 226Ra. These mineral-bound contaminants are considered immobilized under oxic conditions. However, when anoxic conditions develop, the activities of sulfate- or iron-reducing bacteria could result in mineral dissolution, releasing these bound contaminants. Reduction of structural sulfate in the iron-hydroxysulfate mineral jarosite by sulfate-reducing bacteria has previously been demonstrated. The primary objective of this work was to evaluate the potential for anaerobic dissolution of the iron-hydroxysulfate minerals jarosite and schwertmannite at neutral PH by iron-reducing bacteria. Mineral dissolution was tested using a long-term cultivar, Geobacter metallireducens strain GS-15, and a fresh isolate Geobacter sp. strain ENN1, previously undescribed. ENN1 was isolated from the discharge site of Shadle Mine, in the southern anthracite coalfield of Pennsylvania, where schwertmannite was the predominant iron-hydroxysulfate mineral. When jarosite from Elizabeth Mine (Vermont) was provided as the sole terminal electron acceptor, resting cells of both G. metallireducens and ENN1 were able to reduce structural Fe(III), releasing Fe+2, SO4-2, and K+ ions. A lithified jarosite sample from Utah was more resistant to microbial attack, but slow release of Fe+2 was observed. Neither bacterium released Fe+2 from poorly crystalline synthetic schwertmannite. Our results indicate that exposure of jarosite to iron-reducing conditions at neutral pH is likely to promote the mobility of hazardous constituents and should therefore be considered in evaluating waste disposal and/or reclamation options involving jarosite-bearing materials.

  13. Feminism and Feminist Therapy: Lessons from the Past and Hopes for the Future

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Evans, Kathy M.; Kincade, Elizabeth A.; Marbley, Aretha F.; Seem, Susan R.

    2005-01-01

    Feminist therapy and counseling emerged nearly 40 years ago to better meet the needs of women experiencing psychological distress (Enns, 1997). Since its inception, feminist therapy has evolved in terms of theory, therapeutic techniques, and scope of application. In this article, the authors explore five areas relevant to counselors and counselor…

  14. Attentional Distractor Interference May Be Diminished by Concurrent Working Memory Load in Normal Participants and Traumatic Brain Injury Patients

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    de Liano, Beatriz Gil-Gomez; Umilta, Carlo; Stablum, Franca; Tebaldi, Francesca; Cantagallo, Anna

    2010-01-01

    A reduction in congruency effects under working memory (WM) load has been previously described using different attentional paradigms (e.g., Kim, Kim, & Chun, 2005; Smilek, Enns, Eastwood, & Merikle, 2006). One hypothesis is that different types of WM load have different effects on attentional selection, depending on whether a specific memory load…

  15. Complexity, Contextualism, and Multiculturalism: Responses to the Critiques and Future Directions for the Gender Role Conflict Research Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    O'Neil, James M.

    2008-01-01

    The author reacts to three reviews by Carolyn Enns, Stephen Wester, and P. Paul and Mary Heppner on "The Counseling Psychologist" Major Contribution "Summarizing 25 Years of Research on Men's Gender Role Conflict Using the Gender Role Conflict Scale: New Research Paradigms and Clinical Implications." The reviews provide support for assessing the…

  16. The Role of Education as a Tool in Transmitting Cultural Stereotypes Words (Formal's): The Case of "Kerem and Asli" Story

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bulut, Mesut; Bars, Mehmet Emin

    2013-01-01

    In terms of the individual and society folk literature is an important educational tool product; plays an important role in the transmission of culture between generations is an important element of the social culture. Which is an important educational tool for the individual and society folk literature, folk tales products, is one of the major…

  17. Updating a Cautionary Tale of Masked Priming: Reply to Klapp (2005)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lleras, Alejandro; Enns, James T.

    2005-01-01

    The commentary by S. T. Klapp (see record 2005-09704-010) on our recent article (A. Lleras & J. T. Enns, [see record 2004-21166-001]) proposes that the empirical finding of negative compatibility in masked priming be attributed to 2 distinct theoretical constructs: (a) perceptual priming through object updating, as described in our article, and…

  18. Detection of Oil Chestnuts Infected by Blue Mold Using Near-Infrared Hyperspectral Imaging Combined with Artificial Neural Networks.

    PubMed

    Feng, Lei; Zhu, Susu; Lin, Fucheng; Su, Zhenzhu; Yuan, Kangpei; Zhao, Yiying; He, Yong; Zhang, Chu

    2018-06-15

    Mildew damage is a major reason for chestnut poor quality and yield loss. In this study, a near-infrared hyperspectral imaging system in the 874⁻1734 nm spectral range was applied to detect the mildew damage to chestnuts caused by blue mold. Principal component analysis (PCA) scored images were firstly employed to qualitatively and intuitively distinguish moldy chestnuts from healthy chestnuts. Spectral data were extracted from the hyperspectral images. A successive projections algorithm (SPA) was used to select 12 optimal wavelengths. Artificial neural networks, including back propagation neural network (BPNN), evolutionary neural network (ENN), extreme learning machine (ELM), general regression neural network (GRNN) and radial basis neural network (RBNN) were used to build models using the full spectra and optimal wavelengths to distinguish moldy chestnuts. BPNN and ENN models using full spectra and optimal wavelengths obtained satisfactory performances, with classification accuracies all surpassing 99%. The results indicate the potential for the rapid and non-destructive detection of moldy chestnuts by hyperspectral imaging, which would help to develop online detection system for healthy and blue mold infected chestnuts.

  19. SVM classification of microaneurysms with imbalanced dataset based on borderline-SMOTE and data cleaning techniques

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Qingjie; Xin, Jingmin; Wu, Jiayi; Zheng, Nanning

    2017-03-01

    Microaneurysms are the earliest clinic signs of diabetic retinopathy, and many algorithms were developed for the automatic classification of these specific pathology. However, the imbalanced class distribution of dataset usually causes the classification accuracy of true microaneurysms be low. Therefore, by combining the borderline synthetic minority over-sampling technique (BSMOTE) with the data cleaning techniques such as Tomek links and Wilson's edited nearest neighbor rule (ENN) to resample the imbalanced dataset, we propose two new support vector machine (SVM) classification algorithms for the microaneurysms. The proposed BSMOTE-Tomek and BSMOTE-ENN algorithms consist of: 1) the adaptive synthesis of the minority samples in the neighborhood of the borderline, and 2) the remove of redundant training samples for improving the efficiency of data utilization. Moreover, the modified SVM classifier with probabilistic outputs is used to divide the microaneurysm candidates into two groups: true microaneurysms and false microaneurysms. The experiments with a public microaneurysms database shows that the proposed algorithms have better classification performance including the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the free-response receiver operating characteristic (FROC) curve.

  20. [Eccentricity-dependent influence of amodal completion on visual search].

    PubMed

    Shirama, Aya; Ishiguchi, Akira

    2009-06-01

    Does amodal completion occur homogeneously across the visual field? Rensink and Enns (1998) found that visual search for efficiently-detected fragments became inefficient when observers perceived the fragments as a partially-occluded version of a distractor due to a rapid completion process. We examined the effect of target eccentricity in Rensink and Enns's tasks and a few additional tasks by magnifying the stimuli in the peripheral visual field to compensate for the loss of spatial resolution (M-scaling; Rovamo & Virsu, 1979). We found that amodal completion disrupted the efficient search for the salient fragments (i.e., target) even when the target was presented at high eccentricity (within 17 deg). In addition, the configuration effect of the fragments, which produced amodal completion, increased with eccentricity while the same target was detected efficiently at the lowest eccentricity. This eccentricity effect is different from a previously-reported eccentricity effect where M-scaling was effective (Carrasco & Frieder, 1997). These findings indicate that the visual system has a basis for rapid completion across the visual field, but the stimulus representations constructed through amodal completion have eccentricity-dependent properties.

  1. SEAC - European Society for Astronomy in Culture

    Science.gov Websites

    relationship between astronomy and culture. It is named to commemorate the outstanding contributions of Carlos , Société Européenne pour l'Astronomie dans la Culture / European Society for Astronomy in Culture (SEAC) SEAC Educational Strategy for Cultural Astronomy Read on here. Further Conferences: 2018 Graz

  2. Sciences and society

    ScienceCinema

    None

    2017-12-09

    J.Luns des Pays-Bas, ancien sécétaire général de NATO (OTAN=Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique Nord) parle du passé, présent et future de la défense européenne et des relations est et ouest

  3. J and CTOD Estimation Equations for Shallow Cracks in Single Edge Notch Bend Specimens,

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1993-01-01

    Landes, A. Saxena, and J.G. Merkle , eds., American Society for Testing and Materials, pp. 415-432,1989. [7] Kirk, M.T, and Dodds, R.H., "An Analytical...Specimen," Enn&eed fte:w Mechanics, Vol, 18, No. 1, pp. 83 -95, 1983. [11] Sorem, W.A., Dodds, R.H., and Rolfe , S.T., "Effects of Crack Depth on

  4. High-Altitude Flight Cooling Investigation of a Radial Air-Cooled Engine

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1946-08-01

    in series with respect to the oil–flow, one on each corner of the fuselage at tt.erear of the engine. -. En@ne cooling-aL- ~ essure rneasnrements...Momentumloss (station 1 to station 2) (12) ‘enven Ah = ~ (’e’ - “n) ——. 20 9 . NACA TN No. 1089 or Exii-~ essure recovery (staticn 2 to station 3) or (13) ‘e

  5. History of Cern

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    None

    2007-12-20

    Cérémonie à l'occasion de l'apparition du premier volume du livre sur l'histoire du Cern, avec plusieurs personnes présentes qui jouaient un rôle important dans cette organisation européenne couronnée de succès grâce à l'esprit des membres fondateurs qui est et restera essentiel

  6. Evaluation of the United States Drug War Policy Abroad: A Case Study in Colombia

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-12-01

    Case Study in Colombia By: Kevin T. Wright and Joseph S. Hamilton December 2010 Advisors: David R. Henderson, John Enns...States Drug War Policy Abroad: A Case Study in Colombia 6. AUTHOR(S) Kevin T. Wright, Joseph S. Hamilton 5. FUNDING NUMBERS 7. PERFORMING...public release; distribution is unlimited EVALUATION OF THE UNITED STATES DRUG WAR POLICY ABROAD: A CASE STUDY IN COLOMBIA Kevin T. Wright

  7. History of Cern

    ScienceCinema

    None

    2017-12-09

    Cérémonie à l'occasion de l'apparition du premier volume du livre sur l'histoire du Cern, avec plusieurs personnes présentes qui jouaient un rôle important dans cette organisation européenne couronnée de succès grâce à l'esprit des membres fondateurs qui est et restera essentiel

  8. Meningitis and Meningoencephalitis among Israel Defense Force Soldiers: 20 Years Experience at the Hadassah Medical Centers.

    PubMed

    Pikkel, Yoav Y; Ben-Hur, Tamir; Eliahou, Ruth; Honig, Asaf

    2015-11-01

    Meningitis and meningoencephalitis pose major risks of morbidity and mortality. To describe 20 years of experience treating infections of the central nervous system in Israel Defense Force (IDF) soldiers, including the common presentations, pathogens and sequelae, and to identify risk groups among soldiers. All soldiers who were admitted to the Hadassah University Medical Center (both campuses: Ein Kerem and Mt. Scopus) due to meningitis and meningoencephalitis from January 1993 to January 2014 were included in this retrospective study. Clinical, laboratory and radiologic data were reviewed from their hospital and army medical corps files. Attention was given to patients' military job description, i.e., combat vs. non-combat soldier, soldiers in training, and medical personnel. We identified 97 cases of suspected meningitis or meningoencephalitis. Six were mistakenly filed and these patients were found to have other disorders. Four soldiers were diagnosed with epidural abscess and five with meningitis due to non-infectious in flammatory diseases. Eighty-two soldiers in active and reserve duty had infectious meningitis or meningoencephalitis. Of these, 46 (56.1%) were combat soldiers and 31 (37.8%) non-combat; 20 (29.2%) were soldiers in training, 10 (12.2%) were training staff and 8 (9.8%) were medical staff. The main pathogens were enteroviruses, Epstein-Barr virus an d Neisseria meningitidis. In our series, soldiers in training, combat soldiers and medical personnel had meningitis and meningoencephalitis more than other soldiers. Enteroviruses are highly infectious pathogens and can cause outbreaks. N. meningitidis among IDF soldiers is still a concern. Early and aggressive treatment with steroids should be considered especially in robust meningoencephalitis cases.

  9. Clinical Significance and Mechanistic Insights into Ovarian Cancer Mitochondrial Dysfunction

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2017-05-01

    during the reporting period. If there is nothing to report under a particular item, state “Nothing to Report.” • Publications, conference papers , and...yes Books or other non-periodical, one-time publications. Nothing to Report Other publications, conference papers , and presentations...scites w ere obtained from stage III-IV ovarian cancer patients (S U N Y / P enn S tate H ershey IR B approved study). O varian cancer cells w ere

  10. Development of a Rapid Qualitative Assay for Determining Elevated Antibody Levels to Periodontopathic Organisms

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1990-01-01

    Titers 31 1. Collection of samples 31 2. Enzyme-linkedimmunosorbent assay 31 B. Development of Dot-Blot Assay 32 1. Selection of en2yme-sUbstrate system...ELISA results 39 2., Selection -of appropriate serum dilution 46 3. Selection -of appropriate antigen diltion 59 4. Selection of blockina concentration 64 5... Selection of incubation time for antibody-containing 65 fluid .6. Selection -of enn’me Conitumate reation. time . 6 7. Selection of svbstrate

  11. Archaeological Investigations at Site 45-OK-18, Chief Joseph Dam Project, Washington.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1984-01-01

    A summary of elements representing each taxon is provided in Appendix C. SPECIES LIST MAMMALS (NISP=32) Marn IayJ.enn Eri ( yellow - bellied marmot ) -- 3...elements. Marmots are common residents of talus slopes. They estivate from late June and may pass directly Into hibernation In August. They do not...come . , out again until some time In February or March (Dalquest 1948; Ingles 1965). Ethnographical ly, marmots were exploited as a small game resource

  12. A General Framework for Analyzing, Characterizing, and Implementing Spectrally Modulated, Spectrally Encoded Signals

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2006-09-01

    Postes des et Télécommunication . 19 GSM Global System for Mobile communications . . . . . . . . . 19 FDD Frequency Division Duplexing...entertainment centric in nature [84]. This evolution de - mands more from communication systems – improved quality of service (QoS), higher throughput...Spécial Mobile (GSM) emerged from the Conférence Européenne Postes des et Télécommunication (CEPT) and was commercially introduced in 1991 [103

  13. Block Iterative Methods for Elliptic and Parabolic Difference Equations.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1981-09-01

    S V PARTER, M STEUERWALT N0OO14-7A-C-0341 UNCLASSIFIED CSTR -447 NL ENN.EEEEEN LLf SCOMPUTER SCIENCES c~DEPARTMENT SUniversity of Wisconsin- SMadison...suggests that iterative algorithms that solve for several points at once will converge more rapidly than point algorithms . The Gaussian elimination... algorithm is seen in this light to converge in one step. Frankel [14], Young [34], Arms, Gates, and Zondek [1], and Varga [32], using the algebraic structure

  14. Food Commensals as a Potential Major Avenue in Transmitting Antibiotic Resistance Genes

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2005-08-01

    bacteria in the G1 system (Levy 1998). Particularly, oral cavity could bl an important ,rcea where man1y initial interactions bctwccn fibid microbes anti...the oral cavity . In fact, the zeiS/M and ennB genes were lbund to be abundant in bacteria isolated from foods, which is in agreement with the...Wilson M, Mullany P. 2005. TIhe maintenance in the oral cavity of children of tctracyclinc-rcsistant bacteria and the genes encoding such rcsistanee. J

  15. Automatic Vehicle Scheduling (AVS) Programmer’s Instruction Manual for the Burroughs B3500 Computers.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1981-02-01

    N E. Of CAPA:;hINTRK) INCAP AV; TNJ73 170 GO t) 3000 A V.; T NI 1 7 3100 NT=I A V’ NI 17 SUBROUTINE AVSlN 74./74 OPTzg ROUND-*/ YRACE FTN N.lj# 4bD ...bSTOP FRR 6 tD ERR 7 SUFRUUTIKE LNCF(ICEVI ENflF 2 INiTLt.Ei% DATL.02.IPARK.REGPI53l.EPAL1501 ENDF 3 ,RLAL ISHFT ENnF 1 ALPHA INAIIEI5C ).0§IG(501

  16. Clustering Similarity Digest Bloom Filters in Self-Organizing Maps

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-12-01

    www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/ pii/S1742287610000368 [4] M. Rogers, J . Goldman, R. Mislan, T. Wedge, and S. Debrota, “Computer forensics field triage...1990. [9] T. Kohonen, S. Kaski, K. Lagus, J . Salojarvi, J . Honkela, V. Paatero, and A. Saarela, “Self organization of a massive document collection...the IEEE-INNS-ENNS Interna- tional Joint Conference on, vol. 6, 2000, pp. 15 –19 vol.6. [12] G. Salton , A. Wong, and C. Yang, “A vector space model for

  17. The Development of a Tactical Dual-Wavelength Nephelometer.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1982-11-24

    Instrument Layout 50 4.5 Optical Systems 53 4.6 Electronic Systems 56 4.6.1 Transmitter System 56 4.6.2 Receiver Systems 58 5. R&D TEST AND ACCEPTANCE PLAN 61... PLAN , 136 HSS-B-086, 10 DEC1981. APPENDIX B ARVIN CALSPAN DOCUMENTATION OF 155 EXTINCTION AND PARTICLE SIZE MEASUREMENTS FOR CHAMBER TESTS OF MAY 1982. 6...121 FP’enn Aerosol Models. 8.9 Aerosol Extinction Coefficients at Two Wavelenghts 129 and their Ratio for Four Deirmendjian Aerosol Models. 10

  18. [Not Available].

    PubMed

    El Ketani, A; Amir, F; Ali, T B; Hamdani, M; Zaghloul, K

    2006-12-31

    Les enfants célèbrent la fête de Achoura au Maroc par des jeux de feu, ce qui occasionne des blessures oculaires plus au moins graves. Nous rapportons 15 observations de malades traités au Service d'Ophtalmologie Pédiatrique de l'Hôpital 20 Août 1953 de Casablanca. L'âge moyen des patients était de 12 ans et demi, avec des extrêmes de 3 et 25 ans. Les pétards, la première cause des accidents (50%), ont occasionné des contusions oculaires avec parfois un oedème de Berlin (deux cas). L'atteinte oculaire par fusée a occasionné un éclatement de globe et une plaie de paupière. Les bombes de carbone ont été responsables de brûlures de deuxième degré palpébrales et conjonctivo-cornéennes avec de multiples corps étrangers cornéens profonds. Les «étoiles» et la limaille de fer ont provoqué des brûlures cornéennes moins graves avec des corps étrangers superficiels. Les pistolets à bille ont été responsables de contusions oculaires. La réglementation de vente des jeux de feu et la sensibilisation du grand public par les moyens audiovisuels permettraient de prévenir ces blessures oculaires.

  19. The Molecular View of Plastic Deformation and Precursor Processes of Crazing in Glassy Polypropylene and Polycarbonate

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1991-05-31

    Room 1-306 800 North Quincy Street Cambridge, MA 02139 Arlington, VA 22217 Ba NAME OF ;jNDING SPONSORING 8b OFF CE SYMBOL . 9 PROCUREMENT INSTRUMENT...Arta Code)T77=O~iE SYMBOL Dr. &enne th Wynne 1 703/696-4100 DO FORM 1473, 84 MAR 83 APR ed4,O’i ’I’y oQ used until exhaiusted SECURITY CLASSIFICATION... interactionE by means of Lennard-Jones potentials. In addition to these, the bonds between backbone atoms and their angular arrangements are considered rigid

  20. Virtual Reality: State of Military Research and Applications in Member Countries (La realite virutelle: L’etat actuel des travaux de recherche et des applications militaires dans les pays membres de l’Alliance)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2003-02-01

    conducteur pour des sources liées au véhicule (bruits liés au moteur et à la transmission, bruits d’équipements, bruits des passagers , …), pour des...maquette de film , de pièce de théâtre ou de publicité. Initié par le département Réalité Virtuelle de CS, et financé par la Communauté Européenne, le projet... films vidéo, l’utilisateur interagit avec la simulation. L’objectif était de permettre d’étudier les apports de la Réalité Virtuelle dans les

  1. L'ÉDUCATION Musicale pour la Formation D'une IDENTITÉ EUROPÉENNE Pluraliste

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Albarea, Roberto

    1997-01-01

    This paper presents some of the elements which have been typical of music in different contexts and cultures, and describes an approach to musical phenomena which relates them to the intercultural and interdisciplinary dimension of lifelong education (music considered as a cultural good, an expression form, a field of creativity, an artistic production and an aesthetic experience). From the educational point of view, the aim is to form "multi-musical" individuals. In this framework are set the problem of musical identity and the need to spell out that identity in relation to stereotypes (popular music, classical music, folk music, etc.) and the differing shades of diversity. Particular attention needs to be given to the question of the universals seen in the psychology of music and the configuration of musical phenomena as structures which are organized hierarchically in several dimensions. In short, music in all its forms can help to form a dynamic, pluralist identity in the European context.

  2. The RDF and Amphibious Warfare.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1982-03-01

    Retrieval oy Manfred Kocnen," 10 pp., Mcr 78 lPuolisnea 3s a Letter to the Editor, Journal of Documentation, vol. 31 , PP 226 No. 4, pages 298-301...ctlon rants,w 25 pp., 3cr 1979, ’C 4061 529 𔃿 ’~~~~~~-s’. Roa~ ., n a .e~nn mlzrani, marce i~., "The 38,i:,asslcaI -- efs70 71 . Soverai 5xiIeCTlI...a Vtaas," 71 Do-. an 1981, A2 V96.)5q 0nln 1. OIme0 2 -P 300 pp 313 Jondow. James and Schmildt. Peter, * wOn tha Estimation of Roberts, Stephen S

  3. Italian Exposition

    ScienceCinema

    None

    2017-12-09

    Le DG parle dans son allocution à l'occasion de l'exposition (suivi d'une visite)de la contribution du Cern à la création d'une espace de la technologie européenne. Il parle de la manière comment organiser des formes fructueuses de coopération et coordination internationales dans ce domaine. "Afin de renforcer encore notre relation avec l'industrie et intensifier le transfert de la technologie nous proposerons au ministre de recherche de poursuivre dans le cadre du programme EUREKA ensemble avec les industries des programmes concrètes." Le ministre italien prend ensuite la parole.

  4. PBPK and population modelling to interpret urine cadmium concentrations of the French population

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Béchaux, Camille, E-mail: Camille.bechaux@anses.fr; Bodin, Laurent; Clémençon, Stéphan

    As cadmium accumulates mainly in kidney, urinary concentrations are considered as relevant data to assess the risk related to cadmium. The French Nutrition and Health Survey (ENNS) recorded the concentration of cadmium in the urine of the French population. However, as with all biomonitoring data, it needs to be linked to external exposure for it to be interpreted in term of sources of exposure and for risk management purposes. The objective of this work is thus to interpret the cadmium biomonitoring data of the French population in terms of dietary and cigarette smoke exposures. Dietary and smoking habits recorded inmore » the ENNS study were combined with contamination levels in food and cigarettes to assess individual exposures. A PBPK model was used in a Bayesian population model to link this external exposure with the measured urinary concentrations. In this model, the level of the past exposure was corrected thanks to a scaling function which account for a trend in the French dietary exposure. It resulted in a modelling which was able to explain the current urinary concentrations measured in the French population through current and past exposure levels. Risk related to cadmium exposure in the general French population was then assessed from external and internal critical values corresponding to kidney effects. The model was also applied to predict the possible urinary concentrations of the French population in 2030 assuming there will be no more changes in the exposures levels. This scenario leads to significantly lower concentrations and consequently lower related risk. - Highlights: • Interpretation of urine cadmium concentrations in France • PBPK and Bayesian population modelling of cadmium exposure • Assessment of the historic time-trend of the cadmium exposure in France • Risk assessment from current and future external and internal exposure.« less

  5. The role of unique color changes and singletons in attention capture.

    PubMed

    von Mühlenen, Adrian; Conci, Markus

    2016-10-01

    Previous studies have shown that a sudden color change is typically less salient in capturing attention than the onset of a new object. Von Mühlenen, Rempel, and Enns (Psychological Science 16: 979-986, 2005) showed that a color change can capture attention as effectively as the onset of a new object given that it occurs during a period of temporal calm, where no other display changes happen. The current study presents a series of experiments that further investigate the conditions under which a change in color captures attention, by disentangling the change signal from the onset of a singleton. The results show that the item changing color receives attentional priority irrespective of whether this change goes along with the appearance of a singleton or not.

  6. Exceptional Form of D=11 Supergravity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hohm, Olaf; Samtleben, Henning

    2013-12-01

    Eleven-dimensional supergravity reveals large exceptional symmetries upon reduction, in accordance with the U-duality groups of M theory, but their higher-dimensional geometric origin has remained a mystery. In this Letter, we show that D=11 supergravity can be extended to be fully covariant under the exceptional groups En(n), n=6, 7, 8. Motivated by a similar formulation of double field theory we introduce an extended “exceptional spacetime.” We illustrate the construction by giving the explicit E6(6) covariant form: the full D=11 supergravity, in a 5+6 splitting of coordinates but without truncation, embeds into an E6(6) covariant 5+27 dimensional theory. We argue that this covariant form likewise comprises type IIB supergravity.

  7. 20. 'Erection Plan, Renewal of Bridge 210 C over Sacramento ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    20. 'Erection Plan, Renewal of Bridge 210 C over Sacramento River near Tehama, Calif., 3 140'-0' S. T. Riveted Thru Truss Spans, 17'-9' C. to C. Trusses, 31'-0' C. To C. Chords. U.S.S. P. Co. Pacific Coast Dept., Order No. SF 604, Southern Pacific Co., Order No. 51168-P-38428, 1925 Specifications, Scale in. ft., American Bridge Co., Ambridge Plant, Dwgs. made at Ambridge No. 5 in charge of Reehl, Detailed by W.F.R., Date, Checked by L.A.E., Date 1/5/29, Fld. conn. chk. by ENN, Date 3/9/29, Order No. F5659, Sheet No. E3.' - Southern Pacific Railroad Shasta Route, Bridge No. 210.52, Milepost 210.52, Tehama, Tehama County, CA

  8. Non-Immune Binding of Human IgG to M-Related Proteins Confers Resistance to Phagocytosis of Group A Streptococci in Blood

    PubMed Central

    Courtney, Harry S.; Li, Yi

    2013-01-01

    The non-immune binding of immunoglobulins by bacteria is thought to contribute to the pathogenesis of infections. M-related proteins (Mrp) are group A streptococcal (GAS) receptors for immunoglobulins, but it is not known if this binding has any impact on virulence. To further investigate the binding of immunoglobulins to Mrp, we engineered mutants of an M type 4 strain of GAS by inactivating the genes for mrp, emm, enn, sof, and sfbX and tested these mutants in IgG-binding assays. Inactivation of mrp dramatically decreased the binding of human IgG, whereas inactivation of emm, enn, sof, and sfbx had only minor effects, indicating that Mrp is a major IgG-binding protein. Binding of human immunoglobulins to a purified, recombinant form of Mrp indicated that it selectively binds to the Fc domain of human IgG, but not IgA or IgM and that it preferentially bound subclasses IgG1>IgG4>IgG2>IgG3. Recombinant proteins encompassing different regions of Mrp were engineered and used to map its IgG-binding domain to its A-repeat region and a recombinant protein with 3 A-repeats was a better inhibitor of IgG binding than one with a single A-repeat. A GAS mutant expressing Mrp with an in-frame deletion of DNA encoding the A-repeats had a dramatically reduced ability to bind human IgG and to grow in human blood. Mrp exhibited host specificity in binding IgG; human IgG was the best inhibitor of the binding of IgG followed by pig, horse, monkey, and rabbit IgG. IgG from goat, mouse, rat, cow, donkey, chicken, and guinea pig were poor inhibitors of binding. These findings indicate that Mrp preferentially binds human IgG and that this binding contributes to the ability of GAS to resist phagocytosis and may be a factor in the restriction of GAS infections to the human host. PMID:24205299

  9. IONCAP Prediction-Based Automatic Link Establishment (ALE) Frequency Selection for a Ten-Node Australian High-Frequency Network

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1994-07-11

    r. H %D -% P. Ilt %D 𔃺 in @ 1 %D% qv .~ m ’ S 4’ qwv nI"mm0" qva 0% 0% m% 0% 0% 0% 0% 4% 0% m’𔃾~ M 4 M enN9 e N N r4 V4 M P4 4 V4 4 N m 0%Cha %a 0% 0...3422). Reviewed and Approved: I 1 July 1994 Head, Submarine Electromagnetic Systems Department d REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE OMB Ao. 0700185 I I ow idd...SA me. muec de WW eew I igaid go Sevbad id WNmL SOW id S tlnm US kud.. uiliSŚy 1 1 aps 0" Wes ftf 12K0u -VAs.a mqgdumS asii Ut buADs Wila We~ham P

  10. Paralysie flasque en début de grossesse: penser à l'hypokaliémie due aux vomissements gravidiques, à propos de deux observations dans un pays en voie de développement

    PubMed Central

    Fall, Maouly

    2015-01-01

    Les vomissements gravidiques peuvent être responsables de rares complications neuromusculaires mais graves notamment la paralysie hypokaliémique. Nous rapportons des observations de deux jeunes femmes d'origine guinéenne, sans histoires familiales ni antécédents particuliers, admises pour paralysie flasque des quatre membres dans un contexte de vomissements incoercibles en début de grossesse. Le bilan retrouvait une hypokaliémie majeure associée à quelques troubles électro-cardiographiques. L'apport de potassium par voie parentérale avait permis une récupération motrice totale. La paralysie hypokaliémique est une complication rare des vomissements gravidiques. Une supplémentation potassique prudente avec une surveillance électro-cardiographique et biologique permet une disparition spectaculaire des troubles neuromusculaires. PMID:26327956

  11. Role of codeposited impurities during growth. I. Explaining distinctive experimental morphology on Cu(0 0 1)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hamouda, Ajmi Bh.; Sathiyanarayanan, Rajesh; Pimpinelli, Alberto; Einstein, T. L.

    2011-01-01

    A unified explanation of the physics underlying all the distinctive features of the growth instabilities observed on Cu vicinals has long eluded theorists. Recently, kinetic Monte Carlo studies showed that codeposition of impurities during growth could account for the key distinctive experimental observations [Hamouda , Phys. Rev. BPLRBAQ0556-280510.1103/PhysRevB.77.245430 77, 245430 (2008)]. To identify the responsible impurity atom, we compute the nearest-neighbor binding energies (ENN) and terrace diffusion barriers (Ed) for several candidate impurity atoms on Cu(0 0 1) using DFT-based VASP. Our calculations show that codeposition (with Cu) of midtransition elements, such as Fe, Mn, and W, could—in conjunction with substantial Ehrlich-Schwoebel barriers—cause the observed instabilities; when the experimental setup is considered, W emerges to be the most likely candidate. We discuss the role of impurities in nanostructuring of surfaces.

  12. Sleep atlas and multimedia database.

    PubMed

    Penzel, T; Kesper, K; Mayer, G; Zulley, J; Peter, J H

    2000-01-01

    The ENN sleep atlas and database was set up on a dedicated server connected to the internet thus providing all services such as WWW, ftp and telnet access. The database serves as a platform to promote the goals of the European Neurological Network, to exchange patient cases for second opinion between experts and to create a case-oriented multimedia sleep atlas with descriptive text, images and video-clips of all known sleep disorders. The sleep atlas consists of a small public and a large private part for members of the consortium. 20 patient cases were collected and presented with educational information similar to published case reports. Case reports are complemented with images, video-clips and biosignal recordings. A Java based viewer for biosignals provided in EDF format was installed in order to move free within the sleep recordings without the need to download the full recording on the client.

  13. Myélome multiple survenant au cours d'une Fièvre Méditerranéenne Familiale

    PubMed Central

    Salem, Bouomrani; Afef, Farah; Nadia, Bouassida; Nabil, Ayadi; Zouhir, Bahloul; Maher, Béji

    2013-01-01

    L'objectif de ce travail est de rapporter une observation particulière de myélome multiple survenant au cours d'une maladie périodique. Il s'agit d'un patient tunisien de 53 ans suivi depuis le jeune âge pour maladie périodique dont le diagnostic était confirmé par l’étude génétique montrant l'homozygotie pour la mutation M694V du gène MEFV, fut admis pour exploration d'une douleur avec tuméfaction fessière droite récente. Les explorations biologiques et radiologiques ont permis de retenir le diagnostic d'un myélome multiple de type IgA à chaînes légères kappa stade III B, associé à une volumineuse localisation plasmocytaire très agressive de l'aile iliaque droite envahissant les structures musculaires avoisinantes. Notre observation, qui à notre connaissance est la deuxième signalant une telle association, se distingue par sa survenue brutale, sa progression rapide et le caractère très agressif de l'hémopathie. PMID:24255729

  14. Interhemispheric interaction expands attentional capacity in an auditory selective attention task.

    PubMed

    Scalf, Paige E; Banich, Marie T; Erickson, Andrew B

    2009-04-01

    Previous work from our laboratory indicates that interhemispheric interaction (IHI) functionally increases the attentional capacity available to support performance on visual tasks (Banich in The asymmetrical brain, pp 261-302, 2003). Because manipulations of both computational complexity and selection demand alter the benefits of IHI to task performance, we argue that IHI may be a general strategy for meeting increases in attentional demand. Other researchers, however, have suggested that the apparent benefits of IHI to attentional capacity are an epiphenomenon of the organization of the visual system (Fecteau and Enns in Neuropsychologia 43:1412-1428, 2005; Marsolek et al. in Neuropsychologia 40:1983-1999, 2002). In the current experiment, we investigate whether IHI increases attentional capacity outside the visual system by manipulating the selection demands of an auditory temporal pattern-matching task. We find that IHI expands attentional capacity in the auditory system. This suggests that the benefits of requiring IHI derive from a functional increase in attentional capacity rather than the organization of a specific sensory modality.

  15. Mycotoxin contamination in laboratory rat feeds and their implications in animal research.

    PubMed

    Escrivá, Laura; Font, Guillermina; Berrada, Houda; Manyes, Lara

    2016-09-01

    Compound feed is particularly vulnerable to multi-mycotoxin contamination. A method for the determination of 12 mycotoxins; enniatins A, A1, B, B1; aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, G2; OTA; ZEA; T-2 and HT-2 by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry has been developed and applied for the analysis of laboratory rat commercial feeds. The method trueness was checked by recovery assays at three different spiked levels (n = 9). Recoveries ranged from 73% to 112%, and the intra-day and inter-day precision were lower than 9% and 13%, respectively. Limits of quantitation were lower than 15 μg/kg. Twenty-seven laboratory rats feed samples showed multi-contamination by at least three up to six different mycotoxins. ENNs B and B1, followed by ZEA were the most prevalent mycotoxins. T-2, HT-2, and OTA were not detected. ZEA showed the highest concentration levels reaching 492 μg/kg. The results underline the importance of implementing mycotoxin regular surveillance programs for laboratory animal feeds.

  16. Attentional gating models of object substitution masking.

    PubMed

    Põder, Endel

    2013-11-01

    Di Lollo, Enns, and Rensink (2000) proposed the computational model of object substitution (CMOS) to explain their experimental results with sparse visual maskers. This model supposedly is based on reentrant hypotheses testing in the visual system, and the modeled experiments are believed to demonstrate these reentrant processes in human vision. In this study, I analyze the main assumptions of this model. I argue that CMOS is a version of the attentional gating model and that its relationship with reentrant processing is rather illusory. The fit of this model to the data indicates that reentrant hypotheses testing is not necessary for the explanation of object substitution masking (OSM). Further, the original CMOS cannot predict some important aspects of the experimental data. I test 2 new models incorporating an unselective processing (divided attention) stage; these models are more consistent with data from OSM experiments. My modeling shows that the apparent complexity of OSM can be reduced to a few simple and well-known mechanisms of perception and memory. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

  17. Leadless Pacing: Current State and Future Direction.

    PubMed

    Merkel, Matthias; Grotherr, Philipp; Radzewitz, Andrea; Schmitt, Claus

    2017-12-01

    Leadless pacing is now an established alternative to conventional pacing with subcutaneous pocket and transvenous lead for patients with class I or II single-chamber pacing indication. Available 12-month follow-up data shows a 48% fewer major complication rate in patients with Micra™ compared to a historical control group in a nonrandomized study [1]. There is one system with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval and two with the Communauté Européenne (CE) mark. The OPS code for the implantation is 8-83d.3 and the procedure has recently been rated as a "new Examination and Treatment Method (NUB)" in the German DRG system, meaning adequate reimbursement is negotiable with health insurance providers. The systems offer similar generator longevity and programming possibilities as conventional pacemaker systems, including rate response, remote monitoring, and MRI safety. The biggest downsides to date are limitations to single-chamber stimulation, lack of long-time data, and concerns of handling of the system at the end of its life span. However, implant procedure complication rates and procedure times do not exceed conventional pacemaker operations, and proper training and patient selection is provided.

  18. Astronomical Books and Charts in the Book of Bibliographie Coreenne

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Ki-Won; Yang, Hong-Jin; Park, Myeong-Gu

    2008-06-01

    We investigate astronomical materials listed in the book of Bibliographie Coréenne written by Maurice Courant. He classified ancient Korean books into nine Divisions (?) and thirty six Classes (?), and published them as three volumes (ranging from 1894 to 1896) and one supplement (in 1901). In total, 3,821 books including astronomical ones are listed together with information on physical size, possessional place, bibliographical note, and so forth. Although this book is an essential one in the field of Korea bibliography and contains many astronomical materials such as Cheon-Mun-Ryu-Cho ????, Si-Heon-Seo ??????, and Cheon-Sang-Yeol-Cha-Bun-Ya-Ji-Do ????????, it has not been well known to the public nor to astronomical society. Of 3,821 catalogues, we found that about 50 Items (?) are related to astronomy or astrology, and verified that most ! of them are located in the Kyujanggak Royal Library ???. We also found an unknown astronomical chart, Hon-Cheon-Chong-Seong-Yeol-Cha-Bun-Ya-Ji-Do ??????????. Because those astronomical materials are not well known to international astronomical community and there have been few studies on the materials in Korea, we here introduce and review them, particularly with the astronomical viewpoint.

  19. Gap Shape Classification using Landscape Indices and Multivariate Statistics.

    PubMed

    Wu, Chih-Da; Cheng, Chi-Chuan; Chang, Che-Chang; Lin, Chinsu; Chang, Kun-Cheng; Chuang, Yung-Chung

    2016-11-30

    This study proposed a novel methodology to classify the shape of gaps using landscape indices and multivariate statistics. Patch-level indices were used to collect the qualified shape and spatial configuration characteristics for canopy gaps in the Lienhuachih Experimental Forest in Taiwan in 1998 and 2002. Non-hierarchical cluster analysis was used to assess the optimal number of gap clusters and canonical discriminant analysis was used to generate the discriminant functions for canopy gap classification. The gaps for the two periods were optimally classified into three categories. In general, gap type 1 had a more complex shape, gap type 2 was more elongated and gap type 3 had the largest gaps that were more regular in shape. The results were evaluated using Wilks' lambda as satisfactory (p < 0.001). The agreement rate of confusion matrices exceeded 96%. Differences in gap characteristics between the classified gap types that were determined using a one-way ANOVA showed a statistical significance in all patch indices (p = 0.00), except for the Euclidean nearest neighbor distance (ENN) in 2002. Taken together, these results demonstrated the feasibility and applicability of the proposed methodology to classify the shape of a gap.

  20. Gap Shape Classification using Landscape Indices and Multivariate Statistics

    PubMed Central

    Wu, Chih-Da; Cheng, Chi-Chuan; Chang, Che-Chang; Lin, Chinsu; Chang, Kun-Cheng; Chuang, Yung-Chung

    2016-01-01

    This study proposed a novel methodology to classify the shape of gaps using landscape indices and multivariate statistics. Patch-level indices were used to collect the qualified shape and spatial configuration characteristics for canopy gaps in the Lienhuachih Experimental Forest in Taiwan in 1998 and 2002. Non-hierarchical cluster analysis was used to assess the optimal number of gap clusters and canonical discriminant analysis was used to generate the discriminant functions for canopy gap classification. The gaps for the two periods were optimally classified into three categories. In general, gap type 1 had a more complex shape, gap type 2 was more elongated and gap type 3 had the largest gaps that were more regular in shape. The results were evaluated using Wilks’ lambda as satisfactory (p < 0.001). The agreement rate of confusion matrices exceeded 96%. Differences in gap characteristics between the classified gap types that were determined using a one-way ANOVA showed a statistical significance in all patch indices (p = 0.00), except for the Euclidean nearest neighbor distance (ENN) in 2002. Taken together, these results demonstrated the feasibility and applicability of the proposed methodology to classify the shape of a gap. PMID:27901127

  1. Parental lack of care and overprotection. Longitudinal associations with DSM-III-R disorders.

    PubMed

    Overbeek, Geertjan; ten Have, Margreet; Vollebergh, Wilma; de Graaf, Ron

    2007-02-01

    This study served to replicate and extend the findings from the National Comorbidity Survey [Enns MW, Cox BJ, Clara I (2002) Psychol Med 32:997-1008], in examining associations between recalled parental bonding and the prevalence and incidence of mental disorders in adulthood. Data were used from 4,796 adults aged 18-64, who had participated in three waves (i.e., 1996, 1997, and 1999) of a large-scale Dutch epidemiological study. Parental lack of care and overprotection were significantly associated with both prevalence and incidence of DSM-III-R disorders. However, the impact of parental bonding was modest, explaining only 1-5% of the variance in the occurrence and onset of psychopathology. Chi-square tests demonstrated there were no differences between the impact of paternal and maternal rearing behaviors on mental disorders, or between lack of care and overprotection in the prediction of mental disorders. Overall, individuals' recollections of parental lack of care and overprotection appear to be non-specifically, modestly related to the prevalence and incidence of DSM-III-R disorders in adults from the general population. Future research may examine indirect or mediated links between parental bonding and (clinical diagnoses of) mental health problems.

  2. Limited Awareness of the Essences of Certification or Compliance Markings on Medical Devices.

    PubMed

    Foo, Jong Yong Abdiel; Tan, Xin Ji Alan

    2017-06-01

    Medical devices have been long used for odiagnostic, therapeutic or rehabilitation purposes. Currently, they can range from a low-cost portable device that is often used for personal health monitoring to high-end sophisticated equipment that can only be operated by trained professionals. Depending on the functional purposes, there are different certification or compliance markings on the device when it is sold. One common certification marking is the Conformité Européenne affixation but this has a range of certification mark numbering for a variety of functional purposes. While the regulators and medical device manufacturers understand the associated significance and clinical implications, these may not be apparent to the professionals (using or maintaining the device) and the general public. With portable healthcare devices and mobile applications gaining popularity, better awareness of certification marking will be needed. Particularly, there are differences in the allowed functional purposes and the associated cost derivations of devices with a seemingly similar nature. A preferred approach such as an easy-to-understand notation next to any certification marking on a device can aid in differentiation without the need to digest mountainous regulatory details.

  3. Attentional distractor interference may be diminished by concurrent working memory load in normal participants and traumatic brain injury patients.

    PubMed

    Gil-Gómez de Liaño, Beatriz; Umiltà, Carlo; Stablum, Franca; Tebaldi, Francesca; Cantagallo, Anna

    2010-12-01

    A reduction in congruency effects under working memory (WM) load has been previously described using different attentional paradigms (e.g., Kim, Kim, & Chun, 2005; Smilek, Enns, Eastwood, & Merikle, 2006). One hypothesis is that different types of WM load have different effects on attentional selection, depending on whether a specific memory load demands resources in common with target or distractor processing. In particular, if information in WM is related to the distractors in the selective attention task, there is a reduction in distraction (Kim et al., 2005). However, although previous results seem to point to a decrease in interference under high WM load conditions (Kim et al., 2005), the lack of a neutral baseline for the congruency effects makes it difficult to differentiate between a decrease in interference or in facilitation. In the present work we included neutral trials in the task introduced by Kim et al. (2005) and tested normal participants and traumatic brain injury patients. Results support a reduction in the processing of distractors under WM load, at least for incongruent trials in both groups. Theoretical as well as applied implications are discussed. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Les déformations eburnéennes de l'unité birrimienne de la comoé (côte d'ivoire)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vidal, M.

    The analysis of Eburnean strain fields in the Upper (?) Birrimian Comoé Unit shows four great stages of tectogenesis: an early cleavage subparallel to stratification which results from synkinematic granitoïd intrusions; a folding (N40°E to N60°E); a transcurrent faulting period, essentially ductile N-S sinistral; N120°E schistosity, and a N110°E transcurrent ductile sinistral (?) faulting phase. The importance of the sinistral N-S faulting system and, to a lesser extent, the N120°E schistosity direction, is shown. The probable rôle of these directions (particularly N-S) from Liberian to Upper Cretaceous is shown by the within-plate tectonic occurrences in the West-African craton.

  5. l- and n-changing collisions during interaction of a pulsed beam of Li Rydberg atoms with CO2

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dubreuil, B.; Harnafi, M.

    1989-07-01

    The pulsed Li atomic beam produced in our experiment is based on controlled transversely-excited-atmospheric CO2 laser-induced ablation of a Li metal target. The atomic beam is propagated in vacuum or in CO2 gas at low pressure. Atoms in the beam are probed by laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy. This allows the determination of time-of-flight and velocity distributions. Li Rydberg states (n=5-13) are populated in the beam by two-step pulsed-laser excitation. The excited atoms interact with CO2 molecules. l- and n-changing cross sections are deduced from the time evolution of the resonant or collision-induced fluorescence following this selective excitation. l-changing cross sections of the order of 104 AṦ are measured; they increase with n as opposed to the plateau observed for Li* colliding with a diatomic molecule. This behavior is qualitatively well explained in the framework of the free-electron model. n-->n' changing processes with large cross sections (10-100 AṦ) are also observed even in the case of large electronic energy change (ΔEnn'>103 cm-1). These results can be interpreted in terms of resonant-electronic to vibrational energy transfers between Li Rydberg states and CO2 vibrational modes.

  6. Fixation not required: characterizing oculomotor attention capture for looming stimuli.

    PubMed

    Lewis, Joanna E; Neider, Mark B

    2015-10-01

    A stimulus moving toward us, such as a ball being thrown in our direction or a vehicle braking suddenly in front of ours, often represents a stimulus that requires a rapid response. Using a visual search task in which target and distractor items were systematically associated with a looming object, we explored whether this sort of looming motion captures attention, the nature of such capture using eye movement measures (overt/covert), and the extent to which such capture effects are more closely tied to motion onset or the motion itself. We replicated previous findings indicating that looming motion induces response time benefits and costs during visual search Lin, Franconeri, & Enns(Psychological Science 19(7): 686-693, 2008). These differences in response times were independent of fixation, indicating that these capture effects did not necessitate overt attentional shifts to a looming object for search benefits or costs to occur. Interestingly, we found no differences in capture benefits and costs associated with differences in looming motion type. Combined, our results suggest that capture effects associated with looming motion are more likely subserved by covert attentional mechanisms rather than overt mechanisms, and attention capture for looming motion is likely related to motion itself rather than the onset of motion.

  7. Intelligent complementary sliding-mode control for LUSMS-based X-Y-theta motion control stage.

    PubMed

    Lin, Faa-Jeng; Chen, Syuan-Yi; Shyu, Kuo-Kai; Liu, Yen-Hung

    2010-07-01

    An intelligent complementary sliding-mode control (ICSMC) system using a recurrent wavelet-based Elman neural network (RWENN) estimator is proposed in this study to control the mover position of a linear ultrasonic motors (LUSMs)-based X-Y-theta motion control stage for the tracking of various contours. By the addition of a complementary generalized error transformation, the complementary sliding-mode control (CSMC) can efficiently reduce the guaranteed ultimate bound of the tracking error by half compared with the slidingmode control (SMC) while using the saturation function. To estimate a lumped uncertainty on-line and replace the hitting control of the CSMC directly, the RWENN estimator is adopted in the proposed ICSMC system. In the RWENN, each hidden neuron employs a different wavelet function as an activation function to improve both the convergent precision and the convergent time compared with the conventional Elman neural network (ENN). The estimation laws of the RWENN are derived using the Lyapunov stability theorem to train the network parameters on-line. A robust compensator is also proposed to confront the uncertainties including approximation error, optimal parameter vectors, and higher-order terms in Taylor series. Finally, some experimental results of various contours tracking show that the tracking performance of the ICSMC system is significantly improved compared with the SMC and CSMC systems.

  8. Adjustment of spatio-temporal precipitation patterns in a high Alpine environment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Herrnegger, Mathew; Senoner, Tobias; Nachtnebel, Hans-Peter

    2018-01-01

    This contribution presents a method for correcting the spatial and temporal distribution of precipitation fields in a mountainous environment. The approach is applied within a flood forecasting model in the Upper Enns catchment in the Central Austrian Alps. Precipitation exhibits a large spatio-temporal variability in Alpine areas. Additionally the density of the monitoring network is low and measurements are subjected to major errors. This can lead to significant deficits in water balance estimation and stream flow simulations, e.g. for flood forecasting models. Therefore precipitation correction factors are frequently applied. For the presented study a multiplicative, stepwise linear correction model is implemented in the rainfall-runoff model COSERO to adjust the precipitation pattern as a function of elevation. To account for the local meteorological conditions, the correction model is derived for two elevation zones: (1) Valley floors to 2000 m a.s.l. and (2) above 2000 m a.s.l. to mountain peaks. Measurement errors also depend on the precipitation type, with higher magnitudes in winter months during snow fall. Therefore, additionally, separate correction factors for winter and summer months are estimated. Significant improvements in the runoff simulations could be achieved, not only in the long-term water balance simulation and the overall model performance, but also in the simulation of flood peaks.

  9. Traumatismes Oculaires par Petards: Bilan sur Trois Annees

    PubMed Central

    Zouaoui-Kesraoui, N.; Derdour, A.

    2009-01-01

    Summary Les accidents dus aux pétards sont des accidents graves. Leur recrudescence ces dernières années en Algérie, essentiellement durant les fêtes du Mawlid Ennabaoui (fête de la naissance du prophète), mérite à notre sens d'entreprendre des bilans exhaustifs dont celui-ci dans le but d'une sensibilisation de toutes les compétences concernées. Nous avons réuni sur trois années consécutives (2002, 2003, 2004) 60 dossiers de malades ayant subi des accidents oculaires par pétards. Nos patients sont répartis en 42 consultations pour blessures légères et 18 hospitalisations pour blessures graves. Parmi ces derniers, neuf ont présenté des complications et séquelles graves (cinq cas de cécité par atrophie du globe oculaire, trois cas de cécité cornéenne et un cas de cécité par trou maculaire). Dans tous ces cas l'incapacité permanente partielle est au minimum de 30%. Au vu de ces données nous proposons des mesures d'éducation sanitaire et une sensibilisation du grand public aux traumatismes oculaires, par le biais de mé dias appropriés: radio, télévision, affiches. PMID:21991157

  10. [Not Available].

    PubMed

    Zouaoui-Kesraoui, N; Derdour, A

    2009-06-30

    Les accidents dus aux pétards sont des accidents graves. Leur recrudescence ces dernières années en Algérie, essentiellement durant les fêtes du Mawlid Ennabaoui (fête de la naissance du prophète), mérite à notre sens d'entreprendre des bilans exhaustifs dont celui-ci dans le but d'une sensibilisation de toutes les compétences concernées. Nous avons réuni sur trois années consécutives (2002, 2003, 2004) 60 dossiers de malades ayant subi des accidents oculaires par pétards. Nos patients sont répartis en 42 consultations pour blessures légères et 18 hospitalisations pour blessures graves. Parmi ces derniers, neuf ont présenté des complications et séquelles graves (cinq cas de cécité par atrophie du globe oculaire, trois cas de cécité cornéenne et un cas de cécité par trou maculaire). Dans tous ces cas l'incapacité permanente partielle est au minimum de 30%. Au vu de ces données nous proposons des mesures d'éducation sanitaire et une sensibilisation du grand public aux traumatismes oculaires, par le biais de mé dias appropriés: radio, télévision, affiches.

  11. Multimycotoxin LC-MS/MS Analysis in Tea Beverages after Dispersive Liquid-Liquid Microextraction (DLLME).

    PubMed

    Pallarés, Noelia; Font, Guillermina; Mañes, Jordi; Ferrer, Emilia

    2017-11-29

    The aim of the present study was to develop a multimycotoxin liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method with a dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction procedure (DLLME) for the analysis of AFs, 3aDON, 15aDON, NIV, HT-2, T-2, ZEA, OTA, ENNs, and BEA in tea beverages and to evaluate their mycotoxin contents. The proposed method was characterized in terms of linearity, limits of detection (LODs), limits of quantification (LOQs), recoveries, repeatability (intraday precision), reproducibility (interday precision), and matrix effects to check suitability. The results show LODs in the range of 0.05-10 μg/L, LOQs in the range of 0.2-33 μg/L, and recoveries in the range of 65-127% (RSD < 20%). The method developed in this study was applied to 44 commercial samples of black tea, red tea, green tea, and green mint tea. The results show that, of the analyzed mycotoxins, AFB2, AFG2, 15aDON, AFG1, and ENB were detected in the samples. AFB2 (14.4-32.2 μg/L) and 15aDON (60.5-61 μg/L) presented the highest levels. Green mint tea contained the highest concentration of mycotoxins. The risk assessment study shows that the population is not much exposed to mycotoxins through the consumption of tea beverages.

  12. First unitary, then divided: the temporal dynamics of dividing attention.

    PubMed

    Jefferies, Lisa N; Witt, Joseph B

    2018-04-24

    Whether focused visual attention can be divided has been the topic of much investigation, and there is a compelling body of evidence showing that, at least under certain conditions, attention can be divided and deployed as two independent foci. Three experiments were conducted to examine whether attention can be deployed in divided form from the outset, or whether it is first deployed as a unitary focus before being divided. To test this, we adapted the methodology of Jefferies, Enns, and Di Lollo (Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance 40: 465, 2014), who used a dual-stream Attentional Blink paradigm and two letter-pair targets. One aspect of the AB, Lag-1 sparing, has been shown to occur only if the second target pair appears within the focus of attention. By presenting the second target pair at various spatial locations and assessing the magnitude of Lag-1 sparing, we probed the spatial distribution of attention. By systematically manipulating the stimulus-onset-asynchrony between the targets, we also tracked changes to the spatial distribution of attention over time. The results showed that even under conditions which encourage the division of attention, the attentional focus is first deployed in unitary form before being divided. It is then maintained in divided form only briefly before settling on a single location.

  13. Lifespan changes in attention revisited: Everyday visual search.

    PubMed

    Brennan, Allison A; Bruderer, Alison J; Liu-Ambrose, Teresa; Handy, Todd C; Enns, James T

    2017-06-01

    This study compared visual search under everyday conditions among participants across the life span (healthy participants in 4 groups, with average age of 6 years, 8 years, 22 years, and 75 years, and 1 group averaging 73 years with a history of falling). The task involved opening a door and stepping into a room find 1 of 4 everyday objects (apple, golf ball, coffee can, toy penguin) visible on shelves. The background for this study included 2 well-cited laboratory studies that pointed to different cognitive mechanisms underlying each end of the U-shaped pattern of visual search over the life span (Hommel et al., 2004; Trick & Enns, 1998). The results recapitulated some of the main findings of the laboratory study (e.g., a U-shaped function, dissociable factors for maturation and aging), but there were several unique findings. These included large differences in the baseline salience of common objects at different ages, visual eccentricity effects that were unique to aging, and visual field effects that interacted strongly with age. These findings highlight the importance of studying cognitive processes in more natural settings, where factors such as personal relevance, life history, and bodily contributions to cognition (e.g., limb, head, and body movements) are more readily revealed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

  14. Young adults' recollections of parental bonds--does satisfaction with partner relationships mediate the longitudinal association with mental disorders?

    PubMed

    Overbeek, Geertjan; Vollebergh, Wilma; Meeus, Wim; de Graaf, Ron; Engels, Rutger C M E

    2004-09-01

    Recollections of cold and overprotective behaviors from parents have been hypothesized to lead to the presence of mental disorders in young adulthood through their detrimental effects on individuals' satisfaction in later partner relationships. Previous studies have not explicitly tested, however, whether partner relationship satisfaction mediates the longitudinal relationship from parental bonds to DSM-III-R disorders in young adults. We examined: (1) whether recollections of parental bonds in the first 16 years of life were related to the prevalence of DSM-III-R mental disorders in young adulthood, and (2) whether young adults' satisfaction with current partner relationships mediated these links. Data were used from 1,581 Dutch young adults aged 18-34 years, who were interviewed in three waves (1996, 1997, and 1999) of a nationwide epidemiological study. Structural Equation Models demonstrated that recollections of caring, non-intrusive parenting behaviors were significantly, negatively associated with the prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders (but not substance disorders) in young adulthood. The satisfaction with current partner relationships did not mediate these negative associations. Results replicate and extend earlier findings from the National Comorbidity Survey (Enns et al. 2002), demonstrating that mental disorders are directly related to people's recollections of parental care and overprotection. Low-quality parental bonds were only related to internalizing types of psychopathology, however, and were of a modest strength. Results may indicate that there is relatively little cross-relationship continuity in the experience of intimacy between relationships with parents and with partners.

  15. An Intelligent Ensemble Neural Network Model for Wind Speed Prediction in Renewable Energy Systems.

    PubMed

    Ranganayaki, V; Deepa, S N

    2016-01-01

    Various criteria are proposed to select the number of hidden neurons in artificial neural network (ANN) models and based on the criterion evolved an intelligent ensemble neural network model is proposed to predict wind speed in renewable energy applications. The intelligent ensemble neural model based wind speed forecasting is designed by averaging the forecasted values from multiple neural network models which includes multilayer perceptron (MLP), multilayer adaptive linear neuron (Madaline), back propagation neural network (BPN), and probabilistic neural network (PNN) so as to obtain better accuracy in wind speed prediction with minimum error. The random selection of hidden neurons numbers in artificial neural network results in overfitting or underfitting problem. This paper aims to avoid the occurrence of overfitting and underfitting problems. The selection of number of hidden neurons is done in this paper employing 102 criteria; these evolved criteria are verified by the computed various error values. The proposed criteria for fixing hidden neurons are validated employing the convergence theorem. The proposed intelligent ensemble neural model is applied for wind speed prediction application considering the real time wind data collected from the nearby locations. The obtained simulation results substantiate that the proposed ensemble model reduces the error value to minimum and enhances the accuracy. The computed results prove the effectiveness of the proposed ensemble neural network (ENN) model with respect to the considered error factors in comparison with that of the earlier models available in the literature.

  16. Empirical evidence for an invariant three-factor structure of the Parental Bonding Instrument in six European countries.

    PubMed

    Heider, Dirk; Matschinger, Herbert; Bernert, Sebastian; Vilagut, Gemma; Martínez-Alonso, Montserrat; Dietrich, Sandra; Angermeyer, Matthias C

    2005-06-30

    The objective of the present study was to test the Parental Bonding Instrument's (PBI) three-factor structure (care, overprotection, and authoritarianism) found by [Cox, B.J., Enns, M.W., Clara, I.P. 2000, The Parental Bonding Instrument: confirmatory evidence for a three-factor model in a psychiatric clinical sample and in the National Comorbidity Survey, Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 35 (2000) 353-357.] on an eight-item short form of the scale. A total of 8813 respondents from the six European countries participating in the ESEMeD project (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, and Spain) completed either the PBI-paternal or the PBI-maternal scale. Maximum likelihood confirmatory factor analysis was used to compare the original factor model of Cox et al. with a three-factor solution that emerged from an exploration of the structure with principal component factor analysis. When gender and age subgroups, as well as different countries, were taken into account, the accuracy of the model was confirmed. The fit indices for the new model indicated a generally better model fit than the ones for the model originally developed by Cox et al. Further efforts should be directed to the modeling of the dimension authoritarianism. The results provide the opportunity to estimate the influence of the extracted factors on mental disorders in different countries. The application of the short form of the PBI seems suitable primarily for large epidemiological studies.

  17. Two invaders instead of one: the true identity of species under the name Ceracis cucullatus (Coleoptera: Ciidae).

    PubMed

    Antunes-Carvalho, Caio; Lopes-Andrade, Cristiano

    2013-01-01

    The Neotropical obligate fungivorous beetle Ceracis cucullatus (Mellié) has attracted attention of coleopterists due to the increasing number of records of populations in Africa. Although its disjunct populations have been interpreted as a cohesive taxonomic unity, previous comparisons between African and Neotropical specimens revealed differences in their external morphology, causing uncertainty about the true unity of the species. Here, we compare the external morphology of specimens named Cer. cucullatus from several localities of the Neotropical, Palearctic, Afrotropical, Afrotemperate and Oriental regions. As results, we reverse three previous junior synonymies of Cer. cucullatus, proposing Cer. lamellatus (Pic) and Cer. tabellifer (Mellié), both reinstated status and new combinations, as separate species. We also propose Enn. bilamellatum Pic as a new synonym of Cer. tabellifer. In face of these taxonomic changes, we identify Cer. tabellifer as the actual invasive species on African lands, instead of Cer. cucullatus as was previously accepted. Then, through historical records gathered from scientific collections and literature, and through examination of recently collected specimens from South Africa and Brazil, we provide data on host fungi and geographic distribution of Cer. tabellifer. Based on these data, we discuss possible explanations to the successful invasion of Cer. tabellifer in Africa and elsewhere and its potential threat to native faunas of ciids. This study helps to fulfil an old gap in the literature on biological invasions, with considerably more studies on predatory species, disease vectors or potential pests of agricultural crops, than on non-pest fungivorous organisms.

  18. An Intelligent Ensemble Neural Network Model for Wind Speed Prediction in Renewable Energy Systems

    PubMed Central

    Ranganayaki, V.; Deepa, S. N.

    2016-01-01

    Various criteria are proposed to select the number of hidden neurons in artificial neural network (ANN) models and based on the criterion evolved an intelligent ensemble neural network model is proposed to predict wind speed in renewable energy applications. The intelligent ensemble neural model based wind speed forecasting is designed by averaging the forecasted values from multiple neural network models which includes multilayer perceptron (MLP), multilayer adaptive linear neuron (Madaline), back propagation neural network (BPN), and probabilistic neural network (PNN) so as to obtain better accuracy in wind speed prediction with minimum error. The random selection of hidden neurons numbers in artificial neural network results in overfitting or underfitting problem. This paper aims to avoid the occurrence of overfitting and underfitting problems. The selection of number of hidden neurons is done in this paper employing 102 criteria; these evolved criteria are verified by the computed various error values. The proposed criteria for fixing hidden neurons are validated employing the convergence theorem. The proposed intelligent ensemble neural model is applied for wind speed prediction application considering the real time wind data collected from the nearby locations. The obtained simulation results substantiate that the proposed ensemble model reduces the error value to minimum and enhances the accuracy. The computed results prove the effectiveness of the proposed ensemble neural network (ENN) model with respect to the considered error factors in comparison with that of the earlier models available in the literature. PMID:27034973

  19. Success Stories in Control: Nonlinear Dynamic Inversion Control

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bosworth, John T.

    2010-01-01

    NASA plays an important role in advancing the state of the art in flight control systems. In the case of Nonlinear Dynamic Inversion (NDI) NASA supported initial implementation of the theory in an aircraft and demonstration in a space vehicle. Dr. Dale Enns of Honeywell Aerospace Advanced Technology performed this work in cooperation with NASA and under NASA contract. Honeywell and Lockheed Martin were subsequently contracted by AFRL to create "Design Guidelines for Multivariable Control Theory". This foundational work directly contributed to the advancement of the technology and the credibility of the control law as a design option. As a result Honeywell collaborated with Lockheed Martin to produce a Nonlinear Dynamic Inversion controller for the X-35 and subsequently Lockheed Martin did the same for the production Lockheed Martin F-35 vehicle. The theory behind NDI is to use a systematic generalized approach to controlling a vehicle. Using general aircraft nonlinear equations of motion and onboard aerodynamic, mass properties, and engine models specific to the vehicle, a relationship between control effectors and desired aircraft motion can be formulated. Using this formulation a control combination is used that provides a predictable response to commanded motion. Control loops around this formulation shape the response as desired and provide robustness to modeling errors. Once the control law is designed it can be used on a similar class of vehicle with only an update to the vehicle specific onboard models.

  20. [Applicability of traditional landscape metrics in evaluating urban heat island effect].

    PubMed

    Chen, Ai-Lian; Sun, Ran-Hao; Chen, Li-Ding

    2012-08-01

    By using 24 landscape metrics, this paper evaluated the urban heat island effect in parts of Beijing downtown area. QuickBird (QB) images were used to extract the landscape type information, and the thermal bands from Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) images were used to extract the land surface temperature (LST) in four seasons of the same year. The 24 landscape pattern metrics were calculated at landscape and class levels in a fixed window with 120 mx 120 m in size, with the applicability of these traditional landscape metrics in evaluating the urban heat island effect examined. Among the 24 landscape metrics, only the percentage composition of landscape (PLAND), patch density (PD), largest patch index (LPI), coefficient of Euclidean nearest-neighbor distance variance (ENN_CV), and landscape division index (DIVISION) at landscape level were significantly correlated with the LST in March, May, and November, and the PLAND, LPI, DIVISION, percentage of like adjacencies, and interspersion and juxtaposition index at class level showed significant correlations with the LST in March, May, July, and December, especially in July. Some metrics such as PD, edge density, clumpiness index, patch cohesion index, effective mesh size, splitting index, aggregation index, and normalized landscape shape index showed varying correlations with the LST at different class levels. The traditional landscape metrics could not be appropriate in evaluating the effects of river on LST, while some of the metrics could be useful in characterizing urban LST and analyzing the urban heat island effect, but screening and examining should be made on the metrics.

  1. Ostéo-arthrite tuberculeuse tarsienne: à propos d’un cas

    PubMed Central

    Yacoubi, Hicham; Erraji, Moncef; Abdelillah, Rachid; Abbassi, Najib; Abdeljawad, Najib; Daoudi, Abdelkrim

    2012-01-01

    Nous rapportons le cas d’une patiente de 45 ans sans antécédents médicaux particuliers, qui a présenté une atteinte inflammatoire du pied gauche, sans notion de traumatisme ni de fièvre, avec apparition secondaire d’une fistule cutanée purulente à la face externe du cou de pied. Les radiographies standards et la Tomodensitométrie de la cheville mettaient en évidence une ostéite calcanéenne avec atteinte articulaire subtalienne. Une biopsie chirurgicale associée à une excision des tissus inflammatoires et nécrotiques et l’ablation du trajet fistuleux, ont été réalisées. L’analyse histologique montrait une image de granulome épithélio-giganto-cellulaire avec une nécrose caséeuse et les prélèvements bactériologiques (retrouvaient Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Une chimiothérapie antituberculeuse a été administrée pendant 12 mois. À 24 mois, la patiente ne présentait pas de récidive mais une arthropathie dégénérative secondaire subtalienne. Il nous semble intéressant de rappeler que tout tableau clinique traînant ou toute lésion osseuse suspecte et de présentation atypique doit faire évoquer le diagnostic de tuberculose afin d’éviter des retards de diagnostic. Ceci permet une prise en charge thérapeutique précoce de la pathologie. PMID:22655098

  2. Two Invaders Instead of One: The True Identity of Species under the Name Ceracis cucullatus (Coleoptera: Ciidae)

    PubMed Central

    Antunes-Carvalho, Caio; Lopes-Andrade, Cristiano

    2013-01-01

    The Neotropical obligate fungivorous beetle Ceracis cucullatus (Mellié) has attracted attention of coleopterists due to the increasing number of records of populations in Africa. Although its disjunct populations have been interpreted as a cohesive taxonomic unity, previous comparisons between African and Neotropical specimens revealed differences in their external morphology, causing uncertainty about the true unity of the species. Here, we compare the external morphology of specimens named Cer. cucullatus from several localities of the Neotropical, Palearctic, Afrotropical, Afrotemperate and Oriental regions. As results, we reverse three previous junior synonymies of Cer. cucullatus, proposing Cer. lamellatus (Pic) and Cer. tabellifer (Mellié), both reinstated status and new combinations, as separate species. We also propose Enn. bilamellatum Pic as a new synonym of Cer. tabellifer. In face of these taxonomic changes, we identify Cer. tabellifer as the actual invasive species on African lands, instead of Cer. cucullatus as was previously accepted. Then, through historical records gathered from scientific collections and literature, and through examination of recently collected specimens from South Africa and Brazil, we provide data on host fungi and geographic distribution of Cer. tabellifer. Based on these data, we discuss possible explanations to the successful invasion of Cer. tabellifer in Africa and elsewhere and its potential threat to native faunas of ciids. This study helps to fulfil an old gap in the literature on biological invasions, with considerably more studies on predatory species, disease vectors or potential pests of agricultural crops, than on non-pest fungivorous organisms. PMID:24015233

  3. Random ensemble learning for EEG classification.

    PubMed

    Hosseini, Mohammad-Parsa; Pompili, Dario; Elisevich, Kost; Soltanian-Zadeh, Hamid

    2018-01-01

    Real-time detection of seizure activity in epilepsy patients is critical in averting seizure activity and improving patients' quality of life. Accurate evaluation, presurgical assessment, seizure prevention, and emergency alerts all depend on the rapid detection of seizure onset. A new method of feature selection and classification for rapid and precise seizure detection is discussed wherein informative components of electroencephalogram (EEG)-derived data are extracted and an automatic method is presented using infinite independent component analysis (I-ICA) to select independent features. The feature space is divided into subspaces via random selection and multichannel support vector machines (SVMs) are used to classify these subspaces. The result of each classifier is then combined by majority voting to establish the final output. In addition, a random subspace ensemble using a combination of SVM, multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural network and an extended k-nearest neighbors (k-NN), called extended nearest neighbor (ENN), is developed for the EEG and electrocorticography (ECoG) big data problem. To evaluate the solution, a benchmark ECoG of eight patients with temporal and extratemporal epilepsy was implemented in a distributed computing framework as a multitier cloud-computing architecture. Using leave-one-out cross-validation, the accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and both false positive and false negative ratios of the proposed method were found to be 0.97, 0.98, 0.96, 0.04, and 0.02, respectively. Application of the solution to cases under investigation with ECoG has also been effected to demonstrate its utility. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Life History and Risk of Death after 50: A Survival Analysis for Europe.

    PubMed

    Nicińska, Anna; Kalbarczyk-Stęclik, Małgorzata

    2015-12-01

    RÉSUMÉ Dans notre étude nous avons examiné l'influence des événements du passé des individus sur le risque de décès des Européens âgés de plus de 50 ans, en contrôlant autres variables pertinentes. Notre analyse était basée sur les données d'entretiens biographiques rétrospectifs, les données d'entretiens réguliers au suivi longitudinal et celles d'entretiens de fin de vie de l'Enquête européenne SHARE sur la santé, le vieillissement et la retraite en Europe. En particulier, nous relevons l'état de santé auto-déclaré pendant l'enfance; les périodes de pauvreté, de faim et de mauvaise santé éprouvées dans le passé; et aussi l'histoire des soins de santé, y compris les soins dentaires, les analyses de sang et les mesures de pression artérielle. Ces informations, avec l'age, le sexe, l'état de santé subjectif et objectif, et d'autres facteurs socio-démographiques, permettent d'expliquer le risque de décès. L'analyse de survie, en contrôlant des variables pertinentes, montre que les événements du passé ont un impact significatif sur le risque de décès des Européens âgés de plus de 50 ans.

  5. A comparison of the analytical performance of five commercially available assays for neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin using urine.

    PubMed

    Kift, Rebecca L; Messenger, Michael P; Wind, Tobias C; Hepburn, Sophie; Wilson, Michelle; Thompson, Douglas; Smith, Matthew Welberry; Sturgeon, Catharine; Lewington, Andrew J; Selby, Peter J; Banks, Rosamonde E

    2013-05-01

    Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) is a promising biomarker for acute kidney injury that is beginning to be used in clinical practice in addition to research studies. The current study describes an independent validation and comparison of five commercially available NGAL assays, focusing on urine samples. This is an essential step in the translation of this marker to clinical use in terms of allowing valid inter-study comparison and generation of robust results. Two CE (Conformité Européenne)-marked assays, the NGAL Test (BioPorto) on Siemens ADVIA(®) 1800 and the ARCHITECT Urine NGAL assay on i2000SR (Abbott Laboratories), and three research-use-only (RUO) ELISAs (R&D Systems, Hycult and BioPorto) were evaluated. Imprecision, parallelism, recovery, selectivity, limit of quantitation (LOQ), vulnerability to interference and hook effect were assessed and inter-assay agreement was determined using 68 urine samples from patients with various renal diseases and healthy controls. The Abbott and R&D Systems assays demonstrated satisfactory performance for all parameters tested. However for the other three assays evaluated, problems were identified with LOQ (BioPorto/ADVIA(®)), parallelism (BioPorto ELISA) or several parameters (Hycult). Between-method agreement varied with the Hycult assay in particular being markedly different and highlighting issues with standardization and form of NGAL measured. Variability exists between the five NGAL assays in terms of their performance and this should be taken into account when interpreting results from the various clinical or research studies measuring urinary NGAL.

  6. Research and Innovation of Engineering Education in Europe the contribution of SEFI

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Graaff, Erik De; Borri, Claudio

    The roots of engineering education lie in the workplace. It was not until the 19th century that higher engineering education moved to a more scholarly environment. True to its origins, research in the applied sciences never aimed at pure understanding alone. The goal of engineering investigations has always been to devise solutions to practice problems with a mixture of design, construction and innovation. If the establishing of a research tradition in engineering has taken quite a long time, the time needed to apply an academic mode of thinking to the approach to teaching and learning has been much longer. In fact, most of the design choices concerning the curricula in higher engineering education were made based on intuition, rather than on insight, until well over the half of the last century. Aiming at to support the development of engineering education in Europe, in 1973 the European Society of Engineering Education was established (labelled SEFI according to the French acronym Société. Européenne pour la Formation des Ingénieurs). Presently the society represents 196 institutional members. SEFI promotes cooperation between higher engineering education institutions and other scientific and international bodies on issues of research and development in Engineering Education, for instance through participating in European network projects such as the SOCRATES Thematic Network “TREE” (Teaching and Research in Engineering Education in Europe). SEFI is also engaged in policy development regarding engineering education publishing statements regarding issues like the Bologna process and the proposed European Institute of Technology. In the future SEFI aims to consolidate and strengthen its role in the European arena and to represent Europe on the Global stage.

  7. European Multicenter Study on Analytical Performance of Veris HIV-1 Assay.

    PubMed

    Braun, Patrick; Delgado, Rafael; Drago, Monica; Fanti, Diana; Fleury, Hervé; Hofmann, Jörg; Izopet, Jacques; Kalus, Ulrich; Lombardi, Alessandra; Marcos, Maria Angeles; Mileto, Davide; Sauné, Karine; O'Shea, Siobhan; Pérez-Rivilla, Alfredo; Ramble, John; Trimoulet, Pascale; Vila, Jordi; Whittaker, Duncan; Artus, Alain; Rhodes, Daniel W

    2017-07-01

    The analytical performance of the Veris HIV-1 assay for use on the new, fully automated Beckman Coulter DxN Veris molecular diagnostics system was evaluated at 10 European virology laboratories. The precision, analytical sensitivity, performance with negative samples, linearity, and performance with HIV-1 groups/subtypes were evaluated. The precision for the 1-ml assay showed a standard deviation (SD) of 0.14 log 10 copies/ml or less and a coefficient of variation (CV) of ≤6.1% for each level tested. The 0.175-ml assay showed an SD of 0.17 log 10 copies/ml or less and a CV of ≤5.2% for each level tested. The analytical sensitivities determined by probit analysis were 19.3 copies/ml for the 1-ml assay and 126 copies/ml for the 0.175-ml assay. The performance with 1,357 negative samples demonstrated 99.2% with not detected results. Linearity using patient samples was shown from 1.54 to 6.93 log 10 copies/ml. The assay performed well, detecting and showing linearity with all HIV-1 genotypes tested. The Veris HIV-1 assay demonstrated analytical performance comparable to that of currently marketed HIV-1 assays. (DxN Veris products are Conformité Européenne [CE]-marked in vitro diagnostic products. The DxN Veris product line has not been submitted to the U.S. FDA and is not available in the U.S. market. The DxN Veris molecular diagnostics system is also known as the Veris MDx molecular diagnostics system and the Veris MDx system.). Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

  8. Renal denervation: a new therapeutic approach for resistant hypertension.

    PubMed

    Cao, Longxing; Fu, Qiang; Wang, Binghui; Li, Zhiliang

    2014-01-01

    To review the advances in studies on renal denervation. References concerning renal denervation and resistant hypertension cited in this review were collected from PubMed published in English and those of renal denervation devices from official websites of device manufacturers up to January 2014. Articles with keywords "renal denervation" and "resistant hypertension" were selected. Renal and systemic sympathetic overactivity plays an important role in pathology of hypertension as well as other diseases characterized by sympathetic overactivity. Renal denervation is a new, catheter based procedure to reduce renal and systemic sympathetic overactivity by disruption of renal sympathetic efferent and afferent nerves through radiofrequency or ultrasound energy delivered to the endoluminal surface of both renal arteries. Although several studies have shown the efficacy and safety of renal denervation in the treatment of resistant hypertension and the potential benefit of the procedure in other diseases, Symplicity HTN 3 study, the most rigorous clinical trial of renal denervation to date, failed to meet its primary endpoint. The procedure also has other limitations such as the lack of long term, efficacy and safety data and the lack of the predictors for the blood pressure lowering response and nonresponse to the procedure. An overview of current renal denervation devices holding Conformité Européenne mark is also included in this review. Renal denervation is a promising therapeutic approach in the management of resistant hypertension and other diseases characterized by sympathetic overactivity. In its early stage of clinical application, the efficacy of the procedure is still controversial. Large scale, blind, randomized, controlled clinical trials are still necessary to address the limitations of the procedure.

  9. Eligibility for renal denervation: experience at 11 European expert centers.

    PubMed

    Persu, Alexandre; Jin, Yu; Baelen, Marie; Vink, Eva; Verloop, Willemien L; Schmidt, Bernhard; Blicher, Marie K; Severino, Francesca; Wuerzner, Grégoire; Taylor, Alison; Pechère-Bertschi, Antoinette; Jokhaji, Fadi; Fadl Elmula, Fadl Elmula M; Rosa, Jan; Czarnecka, Danuta; Ehret, Georg; Kahan, Thomas; Renkin, Jean; Widimsky, Jiři; Jacobs, Lotte; Spiering, Wilko; Burnier, Michel; Mark, Patrick B; Menne, Jan; Olsen, Michael H; Blankestijn, Peter J; Kjeldsen, Sverre; Bots, Michiel L; Staessen, Jan A

    2014-06-01

    Based on the SYMPLICITY studies and CE (Conformité Européenne) certification, renal denervation is currently applied as a novel treatment of resistant hypertension in Europe. However, information on the proportion of patients with resistant hypertension qualifying for renal denervation after a thorough work-up and treatment adjustment remains scarce. The aim of this study was to investigate the proportion of patients eligible for renal denervation and the reasons for noneligibility at 11 expert centers participating in the European Network COordinating Research on renal Denervation in treatment-resistant hypertension (ENCOReD). The analysis included 731 patients. Age averaged 61.6 years, office blood pressure at screening was 177/96 mm Hg, and the number of blood pressure-lowering drugs taken was 4.1. Specialists referred 75.6% of patients. The proportion of patients eligible for renal denervation according to the SYMPLICITY HTN-2 criteria and each center's criteria was 42.5% (95% confidence interval, 38.0%-47.0%) and 39.7% (36.2%-43.2%), respectively. The main reasons of noneligibility were normalization of blood pressure after treatment adjustment (46.9%), unsuitable renal arterial anatomy (17.0%), and previously undetected secondary causes of hypertension (11.1%). In conclusion, after careful screening and treatment adjustment at hypertension expert centers, only ≈40% of patients referred for renal denervation, mostly by specialists, were eligible for the procedure. The most frequent cause of ineligibility (approximately half of cases) was blood pressure normalization after treatment adjustment by a hypertension specialist. Our findings highlight that hypertension centers with a record in clinical experience and research should remain the gatekeepers before renal denervation is considered.

  10. Relevance of Trust Marks and CE Labels in German-Language Store Descriptions of Health Apps: Analysis

    PubMed Central

    Hillebrand, Uta; von Jan, Ute

    2018-01-01

    Background In addition to mandatory CE marking (“CE” representing Conformité Européenne, with the CE marking being a symbol of free marketability in the European Economic Area) for medical devices, there are various seals, initiatives, action groups, etc, in the health app context. However, whether manufacturers use them to distinguish their apps and attach relevance to them is unclear. Objective The objective was to take a snapshot of quality seals, regulatory marks, and other orientation aids available on the German app market and to determine whether manufacturers deem such labels relevant enough to apply them to their apps, namely as reflected by mentions in app description texts in a typical app store (ie, Apple’s App Store). Methods A full survey of the metadata of 103,046 apps from Apple’s German App Store in the Medicine and Health & Fitness categories was carried out. For apps with German-language store descriptions (N=8767), these were automatically searched for the occurrence of relevant keywords and validated manually (N=41). In addition, the websites of various app seal providers were checked for assigned seals. Results Few manufacturers referenced seals in the descriptions (5/41), although this would have been expected more often based on the seals we were able to identify from the seal providers’ Web pages, and there were 34 of 41 that mentioned CE status in the descriptions. Two apps referenced an app directory curated by experts; however, this is not an alternative to CE marks and seals of approval. Conclusions Currently, quality seals seem to be irrelevant for manufacturers. In line with regulatory requirements, mentions of medical device status are more frequent; however, neither characteristic is effective for identifying high-quality apps. To improve this situation, a possibly legally obligatory, standardized reporting system should be implemented. PMID:29695374

  11. Innovation in immediate neonatal care: development of the Bedside Assessment, Stabilisation and Initial Cardiorespiratory Support (BASICS) trolley

    PubMed Central

    Watt, P; Yoxall, C W; Gallagher, A; Burleigh, A; Bewley, S; Heuchan, A M; Duley, L

    2015-01-01

    Objective Babies receive oxygen through their umbilical cord while in the uterus and for a few minutes after birth. Currently, if the baby is not breathing well at birth, the cord is cut so as to transfer the newborn to a resuscitation unit. We sought to develop a mobile resuscitation trolley on which newly born babies can be resuscitated while still receiving oxygenated blood and the ‘placental transfusion’ through the umbilical cord. This would also prevent separation of the mother and baby in the first minutes after birth. Design Multidisciplinary iterative product development. Setting Clinical Engineering Department of a University Teaching Hospital. Methods Following an initial design meeting, a series of prototypes were developed. At each stage, the prototype was reviewed by a team of experts in the laboratory and in the hospital delivery suite to determine ease of use and fitness for purpose. A commercial company was identified to collaborate on the trolley's development and secure marking with the Conformité Européenne mark, allowing the trolley to be introduced into clinical practice. Results The trolley is a small mobile resuscitation unit based on the concept of an overbed hospital table. It can be manoeuvred to within 50 cm of the mother's pelvis so that the umbilical cord can remain intact during resuscitation, irrespective of whether the baby is born naturally, by instrumental delivery or by caesarean section. Warmth for the newborn comes from a heated mattress and the trolley has the facility to provide suction, oxygen and air. Conclusions This is the first mobile resuscitation device designed specifically to facilitate newborn resuscitation at the bedside and with an intact cord. The next step is to assess its safety, its acceptability to clinicians and parents, and to determine whether it allows resuscitation with an intact cord. PMID:26191414

  12. Pregnancy Requires Major Changes in the Quality of the Diet for Nutritional Adequacy: Simulations in the French and the United States Populations

    PubMed Central

    Bianchi, Clélia M.; Mariotti, François; Verger, Eric O.; Huneau, Jean-François

    2016-01-01

    Background Maternal nutrition is critical to the health of both mother and offspring, but there is a paucity of data on the nutritional adequacy of diets during pregnancy. Objective Our objective was to identify to what extent pregnancy reduces the nutritional adequacy of the expecting mother’s diet and if this nutritional gap can be resolved by simple quantitative or qualitative changes in the diet. Materials and Methods We evaluated the observed overall nutritional adequacy of diets of French and American women of childbearing age participating in ENNS (n = 344) and NHANES (n = 563) using the probabilistic approach of the PANDiet system, resulting in a 100-point score. Then, we simulated the changes in the PANDiet scores of women of childbearing age who would remain on their diet during pregnancy. Finally, by either increasing the quantity of consumed foods or using eleven snacks recommended during pregnancy, we simulated the effect of a 150-kcal increase in the energy intake of French women. Results Observed PANDiet scores were equal to 59.3 ± 7.0 and 58.8 ± 9.3 points respectively in France and in the US. Simulation of pregnancy for women of childbearing age led to a decrease in nutritional adequacy for key nutrients during pregnancy and resulted in reducing PANDiet scores by 3.3 ± 0.1 and 3.7 ± 0.1 points in France and in the US. Simulated 150-kcal increases in energy intake proved to be only partially effective in filling the gap both when the quantity of food consumed was increased and when recommended snacks were used. Conclusions The decrease in nutritional adequacy induced by pregnancy cannot be addressed by simply following generic dietary guidelines. PMID:26959492

  13. Multicentre clinical trial experience with the HeartMate 3 left ventricular assist device: 30-day outcomes.

    PubMed

    Zimpfer, Daniel; Netuka, Ivan; Schmitto, Jan D; Pya, Yuriy; Garbade, Jens; Morshuis, Michiel; Beyersdorf, Friedhelm; Marasco, Silvana; Rao, Vivek; Damme, Laura; Sood, Poornima; Krabatsch, Thomas

    2016-09-01

    The objective of this study was to describe the operative experience and 30-day outcomes of patients implanted with the HeartMate 3 Left Ventricular Assist System (LVAS) during the Conformité Européenne (CE) Mark clinical trial. Adult patients met inclusion and exclusion criteria defining advanced-stage heart failure and included the indications of bridge to transplant and destination therapy. Operative parameters, outcomes, adverse events, physical status and quality-of-life parameters were assessed in the first 30 days after LVAS implant. Fifty patients were implanted with the HeartMate 3 at 10 centres in 6 countries. The 30-day survival rate was 98%. The median operative and cardiopulmonary bypass times were 200 (range: 95-585) min and 84 (range: 47-250) min, respectively. Patients required transfusion with packed red blood cells (3.6 ± 2.3 units), fresh frozen plasma (6.5 ± 5 units) and platelets (2 ± 1 units). Six patients (12%) required reoperation for postoperative bleeding and 10 patients (20%) did not require blood transfusion. The median intensive care time was 6 days (range: 1-112 days) and the total hospital stay was 28 days (range: 14-116 days). The most common adverse events were bleeding (15, 30%), arrhythmia (14, 28%) and infection (10, 20%). There were 2 (4%) strokes. The 30-day outcomes following implantation of the HeartMate 3 demonstrates excellent survival with low adverse event rates. The LVAD performed as intended with no haemolysis or device failure. NCT02170363. HeartMate 3™ CE Mark Clinical Investigation Plan (HM3 CE Mark). © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.

  14. Development and evaluation of the Nurotron 26-electrode cochlear implant system.

    PubMed

    Zeng, Fan-Gang; Rebscher, Stephen J; Fu, Qian-Jie; Chen, Hongbin; Sun, Xiaoan; Yin, Li; Ping, Lichuan; Feng, Haihong; Yang, Shiming; Gong, Shusheng; Yang, Beibei; Kang, Hou-Yong; Gao, Na; Chi, Fanglu

    2015-04-01

    Although the cochlear implant has been widely acknowledged as the most successful neural prosthesis, only a fraction of hearing-impaired people who can potentially benefit from a cochlear implant have actually received one due to its limited awareness, accessibility, and affordability. To help overcome these limitations, a 26-electrode cochlear implant has been developed to receive China's Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) approval in 2011 and Conformité Européenne (CE) Marking in 2012. The present article describes design philosophy, system specification, and technical verification of the Nurotron device, which includes advanced digital signal processing and 4 current sources with multiple amplitude resolutions that not only are compatible with perceptual capability but also allow interleaved or simultaneous stimulation. The article also presents 3-year longitudinal evaluation data from 60 human subjects who have received the Nurotron device. The objective measures show that electrode impedance decreased within the first month of device use, but was stable until a slight increase at the end of two years. The subjective loudness measures show that electric stimulation threshold was stable while the maximal comfort level increased over the 3 years. Mandarin sentence recognition increased from the pre-surgical 0%-correct score to a plateau of about 80% correct with 6-month use of the device. Both indirect and direct comparisons indicate indistinguishable performance differences between the Nurotron system and other commercially available devices. The present 26-electrode cochlear implant has already helped to lower the price of cochlear implantation in China and will likely contribute to increased cochlear implant access and success in the rest of the world. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled . Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Estimating carbon cluster binding energies from measured Cn distributions, n <= 10

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pargellis, A. N.

    1990-08-01

    Experimental data are presented for the cluster distribution of sputtered negative carbon clusters, C-n, with n≤10. Additionally, clusters have been observed with masses indicating they are CsC-2n, with n≤4. The C-n data are compared with the data obtained by other groups, for neutral and charged clusters, using a variety of sources such as evaporation, sputtering, and laser ablation. The data are used to estimate the cluster binding energies En, using the universal relation, En=(n-1)ΔHn+RTe [ln(Jn/J1)+0.5 ln(n)-α-(ΔSn-ΔS1)/R], derived from basic kinetic and thermodynamic relations. The estimated values agree astonishingly well with values from the literature, varying from published values by at most a few percent. In this equation, Jn is the observed current of n-atom clusters, ΔHn is the heat of vaporization, ΔH1=7.41 eV, and Te ≊0.25 eV (2900 K) is the effective source temperature. The relative change in cluster entropy during sublimation from the solid to vapor phase is approximated to first order by the relation (ΔSn-ΔS1)/R =3.1+0.9(n-2), and is fit to published data for n between 2 and 5 and temperatures between 2000 and 4000 K. The parameter α is empirical, obtained by fitting the data to known binding energies for Cn≤5 clusters. For evaporation sources, α must be zero, but α˜7 when sputtering with Cs+ ions, indicating the sputtered clusters appear to be in thermodynamic equilibrium, but not the atoms. Several possible mechanisms for the formation of clusters during sputtering are examined. One plausible mechanism is that atoms diffuse on the graphite surface to form clusters which are then desorbed by energetic, recoil atoms created in subsequent sputtering events.

  16. Task difficulty, risk, effort and comfort in a simulated driving task--Implications for Risk Allostasis Theory.

    PubMed

    Lewis-Evans, Ben; Rothengatter, Talib

    2009-09-01

    Risk Allostasis Theory states that drivers seek to maintain a feeling of risk within a preferred range [Fuller, R., 2008. What drives the driver? Surface tensions and hidden consensus. In: Keynote at the 4th International Conference on Traffic and Transport Psychology, Washington, DC, August 31-September 4, 2008]. Risk Allostasis Theory is the latest version of Task-Difficulty Homeostasis theory, and is in part based on the findings of experiments where participants were asked to rate the task difficulty, feeling of risk and chance of collision of scenes shown in digitally altered video clips [Fuller, R., McHugh, C., Pender, S., 2008b. Task difficulty and risk in the determination of driver behaviour. Revue européenne de psychologie appliqée 58, 13-21]. The focus of the current research was to expand upon the previous video based experiments using a driving simulator. This allowed participants to be in control of the vehicle rather than acting as passive observers, as well as providing additional speed cues. The results support previous findings that ratings of task difficulty and feeling of risk are related, and that they are also highly related to ratings of effort and moderately related to ratings of comfort and habit. However, the linearly increasing trend for task difficulty and feeling of risk described by the previous research was not observed: instead the findings of this experiment support a threshold effect where ratings of risk (feeling of and chance of loss of control/collision), difficulty, effort, and comfort go through a period of stability and only start to increase once a certain threshold has been crossed. It is within the period of stability where subjective experience of risk and difficulty is low, or absent, that drivers generally prefer to operate.

  17. Vitamins A, and C and folate status in Mexican children under 12 years and women 12-49 years: a probabilistic national survey.

    PubMed

    Villalpando, Salvador; Montalvo-Velarde, Irene; Zambrano, Norma; García-Guerra, Armando; Ramírez-Silva, Claudia Ivonne; Shamah-Levy, Teresa; Rivera, Juan A

    2003-01-01

    To describe the epidemiology of Vitamin A and C and folic acid deficiencies and their association with sociodemographic and dietary factors in a national probabilistic sample of Mexican women and children. This is a probabilistic sample from the National Nutrition Survey 1999 (ENN-99) including 1,966 children and 920 women. Vitamins A and C were measured in serum by high-performance liquid chromatography, and folic acid in total blood by a microbiological method. Determinants for such deficiencies were explored by multiple regression models. Vitamin A deficiency (retinol < 10 micrograms/dl) was rare in both children and women. But subclinical deficiency (retinol > 10 and < 20 micrograms/dl) was present in 25% of children. The likelihood of subclinical deficiency of vitamin A was less in older children (OR = 0.98, p = 0.01) and in women with higher body mass index (OR = 0.93, p = 0.01). About 30% of children < 2 years of age and 40% of women were vitamin C deficient. The likelihood of vitamin C deficiency was less in children and women as socioeconomic level increased (OR = 0.69, p = 0.03, and OR = 0.80, p = 0.04), and higher in older women (OR = 1.02, p = 0.05). The prevalence of folate deficiency varied in children (2.3 to 11.2), in women it was 5%. Folate deficiency was less in children of higher socioeconomic level (OR = 0.62, p = 0.01), and in those eating more vegetables (OR = 0.22, p = 0.01). The high prevalence of subclinical deficiency of vitamin A in children is indicative of risk of further deterioration under adverse circumstances. Vitamin C deficiency in both children and women implies in addition diminished ability for iron absorption. The English version of this paper is available too at: http://www.insp.mx/salud/index.html.

  18. Quantum Chemical Investigation of the Transition States and Intermediates for the Reaction of the Nitrosonium Ion with the Pentaammineazidocobalt(III) Ion.

    PubMed

    Rotzinger, François P

    2016-12-19

    The water exchange reaction on Co(NH 3 ) 5 OH 2 3+ was investigated with various density functionals and basis sets. A Gibbs activation energy (ΔG ⧧ ) agreeing with experiment was obtained with the long-range-corrected functionals ωB97X-D3 and LC-BOP-LRD, SMD hydration, and modified Karlsruhe def2-TZVP basis sets. This computational technique was then applied to the reaction of NO + with Co(NH 3 ) 5 N 3 2+ . All of the possible pathways were investigated, NO + attack at the terminal N of Co(NH 3 ) 5 N 3 2+ via the E and the Z isomers of the transition states, and NO + attack at the bound N of azide, also via both isomers. The most favorable pathway proceeds via the attack at the bound N via the Z isomer. This leads to the intermediate with an oxatetrazole ligand bound to Co(III) at the N in the 3-position, Co(NH 3 ) 5 (cycl-N 4 O) 3+ , which undergoes N 2 elimination to yield the Co(NH 3 ) 5 N 2 O 3+ intermediate. The subsequent substitution of N 2 O by water follows the I d mechanism with retention of the configuration. No evidence for the existence of the square-pyramidal pentacoordinated intermediate Co(NH 3 ) 5 3+ was found. All of the investigated intermediates, Co(NH 3 ) 5 N 2 3+ , Co(NH 3 ) 5 [E-N(N 2 )(NO)] 3+ , Co(NH 3 ) 5 (E-ON 4 ) 3+ , Co(NH 3 ) 5 ON 2 3+ , Co(NH 3 ) 5 (cycl-N 4 O) 3+ , and Co(NH 3 ) 5 N 2 O 3+ , exhibit short lifetimes of less than ∼60 μs and react via the I d mechanism.

  19. Considerations for an institution for evaluation of diabetes technology devices to improve their quality in the European Union.

    PubMed

    Heinemann, Lutz; Freckmann, Guido; Koschinsky, Theodor

    2013-03-01

    All medical devices used for self-monitoring of blood glucose (BG), insulin injection, continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion, and continuous glucose monitoring in the European Union (EU) must have a Communauté Européenne (CE) mark. However, the approval process for obtaining this mark is different from that used by the European Medicines Agency in the EU for drugs or by the Food and Drug Administration in the United States for such medical and in vitro diagnostic devices. The notified bodies involved in the CE mark process perform this evaluation in cooperation with the manufacturers. They have only limited diabetes know-how; they have to handle all kinds of medical devices. There are devices for therapy on the market in the EU (i.e., they have market approval) that do not fulfill quality requirements, as indicated, for example, in the international norm ISO 15197 for BG test systems. Evaluation of the performance of such systems is usually provided by the manufacturers. What is missing in the EU is an independent institution that performs regular and critical evaluation of the quality of devices used for diabetes therapy before and also after their market approval. The work of such an institution would focus on BG test systems (these represent two-thirds of the market of medical devices for diabetes treatment) but would also evaluate the performance of other devices. It has to be clarified what legal framework is required for such an institution and how it can be financed; probably this can be done in a shared manner by the manufacturers of such devices and the health insurance companies. Positive evaluation results should be a prerequisite prior to any reimbursement for such devices. © 2013 Diabetes Technology Society.

  20. An analysis of the convergence of Newton iterations for solving elliptic Kepler's equation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Elipe, A.; Montijano, J. I.; Rández, L.; Calvo, M.

    2017-12-01

    In this note a study of the convergence properties of some starters E_0 = E_0(e,M) in the eccentricity-mean anomaly variables for solving the elliptic Kepler's equation (KE) by Newton's method is presented. By using a Wang Xinghua's theorem (Xinghua in Math Comput 68(225):169-186, 1999) on best possible error bounds in the solution of nonlinear equations by Newton's method, we obtain for each starter E_0(e,M) a set of values (e,M) \\in [0, 1) × [0, π ] that lead to the q-convergence in the sense that Newton's sequence (E_n)_{n ≥ 0} generated from E_0 = E_0(e,M) is well defined, converges to the exact solution E^* = E^*(e,M) of KE and further \\vert E_n - E^* \\vert ≤ q^{2^n -1} \\vert E_0 - E^* \\vert holds for all n ≥ 0. This study completes in some sense the results derived by Avendaño et al. (Celest Mech Dyn Astron 119:27-44, 2014) by using Smale's α -test with q=1/2. Also since in KE the convergence rate of Newton's method tends to zero as e → 0, we show that the error estimates given in the Wang Xinghua's theorem for KE can also be used to determine sets of q-convergence with q = e^k \\widetilde{q} for all e \\in [0,1) and a fixed \\widetilde{q} ≤ 1. Some remarks on the use of this theorem to derive a priori estimates of the error \\vert E_n - E^* \\vert after n Kepler's iterations are given. Finally, a posteriori bounds of this error that can be used to a dynamical estimation of the error are also obtained.

  1. Contemporary formulation and distribution practices for cold-filled acid products: Australian industry survey and modeling of published pathogen inactivation data.

    PubMed

    Chapman, B; Scurrah, K J; Ross, T

    2010-05-01

    A survey of 12 Australian manufacturers indicated that mild-tasting acids and preservatives are used to partially replace acetic acid in cold-filled acid dressings and sauces. In contrast to traditional ambient temperature distribution practices, some manufacturers indicated that they supply the food service sector with cold-filled acid products prechilled for incorporation into ready-to-eat foods. The Comité des Industries des Mayonnaises et Sauces Condimentaires de la Communauté Economique Européenne (CIMSCEE) Code, a formulation guideline used by the industry to predict the safety of cold-filled acid formulations with respect to Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli, does not extend to the use of acids and preservatives other than acetic acid nor does it consider the effects of chill distribution. We found insufficient data in the published literature to comprehensively model the response of S. enterica and E. coli to all of the predictor variables (i.e., pH, acetic acid, NaCl, sugars, other acids, preservatives, and storage temperature) of relevance for contemporary cold-filled acid products in Australia. In particular, we noted a lack of inactivation data for S. enterica at aqueous-phase NaCl concentrations of >3% (wt/wt). However, our simple models clearly identified pH and 1/absolute temperature of storage as the most important variables generally determining inactivation. To develop robust models to predict the effect of contemporary formulation and storage variables on product safety, additional empirical data are required. Until such models are available, our results support challenge testing of cold-filled acid products to ascertain their safety, as suggested by the CIMSCEE, but suggest consideration of challenging with both E. coli and S. enterica at incubation temperatures relevant to intended product distribution temperatures.

  2. Single-center experience and short-term outcome with the JenaValve: a second-generation transapical transcatheter aortic valve implantation device.

    PubMed

    Reuthebuch, Oliver; Inderbitzin, Devdas Thomas; Rüter, Florian; Jeger, Raban; Kaiser, Christoph; Buser, Peter; Fassl, Jens; Eckstein, Friedrich S

    2014-01-01

    We present the post-CE(Conformité Européenne)-mark single-center implantation experience and short-term outcome with the second-generation transapical JenaValve transcatheter aortic valve implantation system. Patients [N = 27; 9 women; mean (SD) age, 80.3 (5.5) years] were operated on between November 2011 and August 2012. Via a transapical approach, the valve was positioned, in some cases, repositioned, and finally implanted. All data were collected during the hospital stay. The implantation success rate was 100%; the mean (SD) operation time was 124.7 (43.2) minutes; and the size of the implanted prosthesis was 23 mm (n = 6), 25 mm (n = 14), and 27 mm (n = 7). The in-hospital major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events were as follows: intraoperative resuscitation with subsequent aortic rupture (n = 1), postoperative hemorrhage needing revision (n = 1), myocardial infarction (n = 1), atrioventricular block needing a definitive pacemaker (n = 1), new-onset renal failure needing hemodialysis (n = 1), and stroke (n = 1). The 30-day mortality was 11.1% (n = 3). The mean (SD) intensive care unit/total stay was 2.2 (1.7)/11.7 (7.9) days. Postoperative echocardiography [day 6.7 (4.8)] revealed residual paravalvular leakage of trace to grade 1 in 12 patients (44.5%) and no leakage in 15 patients, with a mean (SD) transvalvular pressure gradient of 11.6 (5.6) mm Hg with significant reduction by 36.0 (17.7) mm Hg (P = 0.0001, Wilcoxon signed rank test). This second-generation repositionable transcatheter aortic valve implantation device could safely and successfully be implanted with a fast learning curve, significant reduction in pressure gradients, overall clinical improvement at discharge, as well as an acceptable morbidity and mortality rate in this highest-risk patient cohort.

  3. Complement-mediated opsonization of invasive group A Streptococcus pyogenes strain AP53 is regulated by the bacterial two-component cluster of virulence responder/sensor (CovRS) system.

    PubMed

    Agrahari, Garima; Liang, Zhong; Mayfield, Jeffrey A; Balsara, Rashna D; Ploplis, Victoria A; Castellino, Francis J

    2013-09-20

    Group A Streptococcus pyogenes (GAS) strain AP53 is a primary isolate from a patient with necrotizing fasciitis. These AP53 cells contain an inactivating mutation in the sensor component of the cluster of virulence (cov) responder (R)/sensor (S) two-component gene regulatory system (covRS), which enhances the virulence of the primary strain, AP53/covR(+)S(-). However, specific mechanisms by which the covRS system regulates the survival of GAS in humans are incomplete. Here, we show a key role for covRS in the regulation of opsonophagocytosis of AP53 by human neutrophils. AP53/covR(+)S(-) cells displayed potent binding of host complement inhibitors of C3 convertase, viz. Factor H (FH) and C4-binding protein (C4BP), which concomitantly led to minimal C3b deposition on AP53 cells, further showing that these plasma protein inhibitors are active on GAS cells. This resulted in weak killing of the bacteria by human neutrophils and a corresponding high death rate of mice after injection of these cells. After targeted allelic alteration of covS(-) to wild-type covS (covS(+)), a dramatic loss of FH and C4BP binding to the AP53/covR(+)S(+) cells was observed. This resulted in elevated C3b deposition on AP53/covR(+)S(+) cells, a high level of opsonophagocytosis by human neutrophils, and a very low death rate of mice infected with AP53/covR(+)S(+). We show that covRS is a critical transcriptional regulator of genes directing AP53 killing by neutrophils and regulates the levels of the receptors for FH and C4BP, which we identify as the products of the fba and enn genes, respectively.

  4. The relief operation in puno district, peru, after the 1986 floods of lake titicaca.

    PubMed

    Sztorch, L; Gicquel, V; Desenclos, J C

    1989-03-01

    The 1985-86 rainy season in Peru was disastrous due to very high precipitation. Because of the unusual level of floods in the Lake Titicaca area and the increasing number of affected people, the Peruvian Government established an emergency relief plan and appealed for international aid. At that time the situation was already very critical. The lack of preparedness made the implementation of the relief operation difficult. Our paper describes the intervention of a French N.G.O. (Médecins Sans Trontières), requested by the Peruvian authorities. The early phase of the relief programme and its methodology are described. Problems within this relief programme and the further long-term development action that should be undertaken are discussed. Au Pérou, la saison des pluies 85-86 a été catastrophique par l'importance des précipitations. Au cours des premiers mois de l'année 1986, devant l'ampleur inhabituelle des inondations dans la région du lac Titicaca et le nombre sans cesse croissant de sinistrés, le gouvernement pbruvien décide de mettre en route un plan national de secours d'urgence enfaisant appel à l'aide internationale. Mais la réponse est déjá tardive et le manque de mesures préventives fait que l'organisation des secours se heurte à un grand nombre de difficultés. Notre étude se situe dans le cadre de l'intervention d'une organisation non gouvernementale européenne, sollicitée par le gouvernement péruvien pour une collaboration dans la phase des premiers secours à cette population. Les problémes posés lors de cette opération et la suite à donner à l'assistance a moyen et a long terme sont discutés.

  5. Durangites, Protacanthodiscus (Ammonitina) et formes voisines du Tithonien supérieur — Berriasien dans la Téthys méditerranéenne (SE France, Espagne, Algérie et Tunisie)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Enay, Raymond; Boughdiri, Mabrouk; Le Hégarat, Gérard

    1998-09-01

    The relationships between Durangites and Protacanthoduscus are revised using also calpionellids ages. The earliest Durangites in the calpionellids A2 and A3 ( pars) subzones are both microconchs and macroconchs. In the A3 subzone, microconchs are differentiated only at species level, while macroconchs change into Protacanthodiscus type which is in part the macroconch of Durangites. Durangites and Protacanthodiscus are Mediterranean Tethyan taxa from which originated the Tethyan afflux during A2 subzone (France, Tunisia) and, at the same time (according to the ammonites), the Durangites of Mexico where the genus was first described and considered for a long time as endemic. Another line of Durangites develops Dalmasiceras-like forms.

  6. Panitumumab Use in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer and Patterns of KRAS Testing: Results from a Europe-Wide Physician Survey and Medical Records Review

    PubMed Central

    Trojan, Jörg; Mineur, Laurent; Tomášek, Jiří; Rouleau, Etienne; Fabian, Pavel; de Maglio, Giovanna; García-Alfonso, Pilar; Aprile, Giuseppe; Taylor, Aliki; Kafatos, George; Downey, Gerald; Terwey, Jan-Henrik; van Krieken, J. Han

    2015-01-01

    Background From 2008–2013, the European indication for panitumumab required that patients’ tumor KRAS exon 2 mutation status was known prior to starting treatment. To evaluate physician awareness of panitumumab prescribing information and how physicians prescribe panitumumab in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), two European multi-country, cross-sectional, observational studies were initiated in 2012: a physician survey and a medical records review. The first two out of three planned rounds for each study are reported. Methods The primary objective in the physician survey was to estimate the prevalence of KRAS testing, and in the medical records review, it was to evaluate the effect of test results on patterns of panitumumab use. The medical records review study also included a pathologists’ survey. Results In the physician survey, nearly all oncologists (299/301) were aware of the correct panitumumab indication and the need to test patients’ tumor KRAS status before treatment with panitumumab. Nearly all oncologists (283/301) had in the past 6 months of clinical practice administered panitumumab correctly to mCRC patients with wild-type KRAS status. In the medical records review, 97.5% of participating oncologists (77/79) conducted a KRAS test for all of their patients prior to prescribing panitumumab. Four patients (1.3%) did not have tumor KRAS mutation status tested prior to starting panitumumab treatment. Approximately one-quarter of patients (85/306) were treated with panitumumab and concurrent oxaliplatin-containing chemotherapy; of these, 83/85 had confirmed wild-type KRAS status prior to starting panitumumab treatment. All 56 referred laboratories that participated used a Conformité Européenne-marked or otherwise validated KRAS detection method, and nearly all (55/56) participated in a quality assurance scheme. Conclusions There was a high level of knowledge amongst oncologists around panitumumab prescribing information and the

  7. Emergency sternal intraosseous access for warm fresh whole blood transfusion in damage control resuscitation.

    PubMed

    Bjerkvig, Christopher Kalhagen; Fosse, Theodor Kaurin; Apelseth, Torunn Oveland; Sivertsen, Joar; Braathen, Hanne; Eliassen, Håkon Skogrand; Guttormsen, Anne Berit; Cap, Andrew P; Strandenes, Geir

    2018-06-01

    Intraosseous (IO) vascular access is increasingly used as an emergency tool for achieving access to the systemic circulation in critically ill patients. The role of IO transfusion of blood in damage control resuscitation is however questionable due to possible inadequate flow rate and hemolysis. Some experts claim that IO transfusion is contraindicated. In this study, we have challenged this statement by looking at flow rates of autologous fresh whole blood reinfusion and hemolysis using two of the commonly used Food and Drug Administration-approved and Conformité Européenne (CE)-marked sternal needles. Additionally, the success rate of sternal access between the two devices is evaluated. Volunteer professional military personnel, were enrolled prospectively in a nonrandomized observational study design. We collected 450 mL of autologous whole blood from each participant. Participants were divided into the following three groups of 10: Tactically Advanced Lifesaving IO Needle (T.A.L.O.N.) IO, FAST1 IO, and intravenous group. The reinfusion was done by gravity only. Blood sampling was performed before blood collection and 30 minutes after reinfusion. Investigation of hemolysis was performed by measurements of haptoglobin and lactate dehydrogenase. Success rate was evaluated by correct aspiration of bone marrow. Median reinfusion rate was 46.2 mL/min in the FAST1 group, 32.4 mL/min in the T.A.L.O.N. group, and 74.1 mL/min in the intravenous group. Blood samples from all participants were within normal ranges. There was no statistically significant difference in haptoglobin and lactate dehydrogenase between the groups. In the FAST1 group, 1 (9%) of 11 procedures failed. In the T.A.L.O.N. group, 4 (29%) of 14 procedures failed. Although preferable, achieving peripheral venous access in the bleeding patient is a major problem. Our findings suggest that fresh whole-blood transfusion through the IO route is safe, reliable, and provide sufficient flow for resuscitation

  8. Prevalence of anemia in children 1 to 12 years of age. Results from a nationwide probabilistic survey in Mexico.

    PubMed

    Villalpando, Salvador; Shamah-Levy, Teresa; Ramírez-Silva, Claudia Ivonne; Mejía-Rodríguez, Fabiola; Rivera, Juan A

    2003-01-01

    To describe the epidemiology and analyze factors associated with iron deficiency anemia in a probabilistic sample of the Encuesta Nacional de Nutrición 1999 (ENN-99) [National Nutritional Survey 1999 (NNS-99)]. The sample included 8,111 children aged 1 to 12 years, and was nationally representative by rural and urban strata and by four geographical regions. Capillary hemoglobin was measured using a portable photometer (HemoCue). The analysis of the determining factors of anemia was performed by odds ratios derived from a logistic regression model and multiple regression models. The prevalence of anemia was 50% in infants < 2 years of age, with no significant differences between urban and rural strata or among regions. It varied between 14 and 22% in 6-11 year-old children and was higher in the South region and among the indigenous children. Dietary intake of iron was 50% of the recommended daily allowance in children < 2 years of age, but not in older children. Phytate ( approximately 500-800 mg/d) and tannin (approximately 19 mg/d) intakes were very high in children over 7 years of age. Hemoglobin was positively associated with nutritional status of children (p = 0.01), socioeconomic status (p range 0.05-0.001), duration of lactation in children under 2 years of age (p = 0.1), and iron and calcium intake (p = 0.02), but not with folic acid or vitamin B12 intake. Hemoglobin was negatively associated with maternal education (p = 0.01) in older children, but not in those under 2 years of age. We present evidence of an alarming national epidemic of anemia, particularly marked in children 12 to 24 months of age. The control of anemia should be considered as an urgent national concern given its grave consequences on the physical and mental development of these children and on their long-term health. The English version of this paper is available too at: http://www.insp.mx/salud/index.html.

  9. Updated survey of Fusarium species and toxins in Finnish cereal grains.

    PubMed

    Hietaniemi, Veli; Rämö, Sari; Yli-Mattila, Tapani; Jestoi, Marika; Peltonen, Sari; Kartio, Mirja; Sieviläinen, Elina; Koivisto, Tauno; Parikka, Päivi

    2016-05-01

    The aim of the project was to produce updated information during 2005-14 on the Fusarium species found in Finnish cereal grains, and the toxins produced by them, as the last comprehensive survey study of Fusarium species and their toxins in Finland was carried out at the turn of the 1960s and the 1970s. Another aim was to use the latest molecular and chemical methods to investigate the occurrence and correlation of Fusarium species and their mycotoxins in Finland. The most common Fusarium species found in Finland in the FinMyco project 2005 and 2006 were F. avenaceum, F. culmorum, F. graminearum, F. poae, F. sporotrichioides and F. langsethiae. F. avenaceum was the most dominant species in barley, spring wheat and oat samples. The occurrence of F. culmorum and F. graminearum was high in oats and barley. Infection by Fusarium fungi was the lowest in winter cereal grains. The incidence of Fusarium species in 2005 was much higher than in 2006 due to weather conditions. F. langsethiae has become much more common in Finland since 2001. F. graminearum has also risen in the order of importance. A highly significant correlation was found between Fusarium graminearum DNA and deoxynivalenol (DON) levels in Finnish oats, barley and wheat. When comparing the FinMyco data in 2005-06 with the results of the Finnish safety monitoring programme for 2005-14, spring cereals were noted as being more susceptible to infection by Fusarium fungi and the formation of toxins. The contents of T-2 and HT-2 toxins and the frequency of exceptionally high DON concentrations all increased in Finland during 2005-14. Beauvericin (BEA), enniatins (ENNs) and moniliformin (MON) were also very common contaminants of Finnish grains in 2005-06. Climate change is leading to warmer weather, and this may indicate more changes in Finnish Fusarium mycobiota and toxin contents and profiles in the near future.

  10. PREFACE: 5th International EEIGM/AMASE/FORGEMAT Conference on Advanced Materials Research

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ayadi, Zoubir; Czerwiec, Thierry; Horwat, David; Jamart, Brigitte

    2009-07-01

    This issue of IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, contains manuscripts of talks that will be presented at the 5th International EEIGM/AMASE/FORGEMAT Conference on Advanced Materials Research that will be held at the Ecole Européenne d'Ingénieurs en Génie des Matériaux - European School of Materials Science and Engineering (EEIGM) in Nancy on November 4-5 2009. The conference will be organized by the EEIGM. The aim of the conference is to bring together scientists from the six European universities involved in the EEIGM and in the ''Erasmus Mundus'' AMASE Master (Advanced Materials Science and Engineering) programmes and in the Tempus FORGEMAT European project: Nancy-Université - EEIGM/INPL (Nancy, France), Universität des Saarlandes (Saarbrücken, Germany), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - ETSEIB (Barcelona, Spain), Luleå Tekniska Universitet (Luleå, Sweden), Universidad Politecnica de Valencia - ETSII (Valencia, Spain) and AGH University of Science and Technology, (Kralow, Poland). This conference is also open to other universities who have strong links with the EEIGM and it will provide a forum for exchange of ideas, cooperation and future directions by means of regular presentations, posters and a round-table discussion. After careful refereeing of all manuscripts, equally shared between the four editors, 26 papers have been selected for publication in this issue. The papers are grouped together into different subject categories: polymers, metallurgy, ceramics, composites and nanocomposites, simulation and characterization. The editors would like to take this opportunity to thank all the participants who submitted their manuscripts during the conference and responded in time to the editors' request at every stage from reviewing to final acceptance. The editors are indebted to all the reviewers for painstakingly reviewing the papers at very short notice. Special thanks are called for the sponsors of the conference including

  11. Relevance of Trust Marks and CE Labels in German-Language Store Descriptions of Health Apps: Analysis.

    PubMed

    Albrecht, Urs-Vito; Hillebrand, Uta; von Jan, Ute

    2018-04-25

    In addition to mandatory CE marking ("CE" representing Conformité Européenne, with the CE marking being a symbol of free marketability in the European Economic Area) for medical devices, there are various seals, initiatives, action groups, etc, in the health app context. However, whether manufacturers use them to distinguish their apps and attach relevance to them is unclear. The objective was to take a snapshot of quality seals, regulatory marks, and other orientation aids available on the German app market and to determine whether manufacturers deem such labels relevant enough to apply them to their apps, namely as reflected by mentions in app description texts in a typical app store (ie, Apple's App Store). A full survey of the metadata of 103,046 apps from Apple's German App Store in the Medicine and Health & Fitness categories was carried out. For apps with German-language store descriptions (N=8767), these were automatically searched for the occurrence of relevant keywords and validated manually (N=41). In addition, the websites of various app seal providers were checked for assigned seals. Few manufacturers referenced seals in the descriptions (5/41), although this would have been expected more often based on the seals we were able to identify from the seal providers' Web pages, and there were 34 of 41 that mentioned CE status in the descriptions. Two apps referenced an app directory curated by experts; however, this is not an alternative to CE marks and seals of approval. Currently, quality seals seem to be irrelevant for manufacturers. In line with regulatory requirements, mentions of medical device status are more frequent; however, neither characteristic is effective for identifying high-quality apps. To improve this situation, a possibly legally obligatory, standardized reporting system should be implemented. ©Urs-Vito Albrecht, Uta Hillebrand, Ute von Jan. Originally published in JMIR Mhealth and Uhealth (http://mhealth.jmir.org), 25.04.2018.

  12. Panitumumab Use in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer and Patterns of KRAS Testing: Results from a Europe-Wide Physician Survey and Medical Records Review.

    PubMed

    Trojan, Jörg; Mineur, Laurent; Tomášek, Jiří; Rouleau, Etienne; Fabian, Pavel; de Maglio, Giovanna; García-Alfonso, Pilar; Aprile, Giuseppe; Taylor, Aliki; Kafatos, George; Downey, Gerald; Terwey, Jan-Henrik; van Krieken, J Han

    2015-01-01

    From 2008-2013, the European indication for panitumumab required that patients' tumor KRAS exon 2 mutation status was known prior to starting treatment. To evaluate physician awareness of panitumumab prescribing information and how physicians prescribe panitumumab in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), two European multi-country, cross-sectional, observational studies were initiated in 2012: a physician survey and a medical records review. The first two out of three planned rounds for each study are reported. The primary objective in the physician survey was to estimate the prevalence of KRAS testing, and in the medical records review, it was to evaluate the effect of test results on patterns of panitumumab use. The medical records review study also included a pathologists' survey. In the physician survey, nearly all oncologists (299/301) were aware of the correct panitumumab indication and the need to test patients' tumor KRAS status before treatment with panitumumab. Nearly all oncologists (283/301) had in the past 6 months of clinical practice administered panitumumab correctly to mCRC patients with wild-type KRAS status. In the medical records review, 97.5% of participating oncologists (77/79) conducted a KRAS test for all of their patients prior to prescribing panitumumab. Four patients (1.3%) did not have tumor KRAS mutation status tested prior to starting panitumumab treatment. Approximately one-quarter of patients (85/306) were treated with panitumumab and concurrent oxaliplatin-containing chemotherapy; of these, 83/85 had confirmed wild-type KRAS status prior to starting panitumumab treatment. All 56 referred laboratories that participated used a Conformité Européenne-marked or otherwise validated KRAS detection method, and nearly all (55/56) participated in a quality assurance scheme. There was a high level of knowledge amongst oncologists around panitumumab prescribing information and the need to test and confirm patients' tumors as

  13. Dissolution along faults-fractures and hypogenic karst in carbonates: examples from Brazil

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ennes-Silva, Renata; Cazarin, Caroline; Bezerra, Francisco; Auler, Augusto; Klimchouk, Alexander

    2015-04-01

    Dissolution along faults-fractures and hypogenic karst in carbonates: examples from Brazil Ennes-Silva, R.A; Cazarin, C.L.; Bezerra, F.H.; Auler, A.S.; Klimchouk, A.B. Dissolution along zones of preferential flow enhances anisotropy in geological media and increases its complexity. Changes in parameters such as porosity and permeability due to diagenesis and presence of ascendant fluids along fractures and faults can be responsible for hypogenic karstic system. The present study investigates the relationship between lithofacies, tectonics and karstification in the Neoproterozoic Salitre Formation, located in the central-eastern Brazil. This unit comprises several systems of caves including the Toca da Boa Vista and da Barriguda hypogenic caves, the largests in South America, and focus of this study. We focused on cave mapping and morphogenetic analysis, determination of petrophysical properties, thin-section description, micro-tomography, and isotopic analysis. The Salitre Formation, deposited in an epicontinental sea, comprises mud/wakestones, grainstones, microbial facies, and fine siliciclastic rocks. Passages occur in several levels within ca. 60 m thick cave-forming section, limited at the top by lithofacies with low permeability and fractures. Cave development occurred in phreatic sluggish-flow environment with overall upwelling flow. Fluids rise via cross-formational fractures and were distributed laterally within the cave-forming section using geological heterogeneities to eventually discharge up through outlets breaching across the upper confining beds. Maps of conduits show preferred directions for development of conduits: NNE-SSW and E-W. These two directions represents a relation between structures and hypogenic morphology. Joints, axis fold and fractures allowed pathways to the fluid rises, and then development of channels of entrance (feeders), outputs (outlets) and some cupolas, which are clearly aligned to fractures. Our data indicate several events

  14. Les politiques éducatives dans l'Union européenne - d'une approche intergouvernementaliste vers une démarche d'intégration ? Enquête auprès de fonctionnaires européens

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ruşitoru, Mihaela-Viorica

    2015-10-01

    Educational policies in the European Union: from intergovernmentalism to integration? A survey conducted among European officials - Officially, education remains a national competence of the Member States of the European Union. However, in the context of Europeanisation, policy changes are taking place in education. In this article, the author argues that, at the dawn of the third millennium, educational policies in the European Union are shifting from intergovernmentalism to integration. The European Qualifications Framework, the key competencies for lifelong education and training, and the benchmark criteria set out in two European strategies - Lisbon and Europe 2020 - attest to a real change in the field of educational policies. The author conducted interviews with officials from various European institutions, including the Commission, the Parliament and the Council, in order to compare their testimonies to the official discourse on education policies. The qualitative analysis of the interviews reveals that the principles of subsidiarity and neutrality have been called into question since the introduction of the open method of coordination. In contradiction with the legal framework and the official discourse, it would appear that, due to the growing influence of the European Union in education policy, the objective of reaching a common education policy in the Member States could become a reality in the coming decades.

  15. Prevalence and correlates of intimate partner violence among family planning clients in Conakry, Guinea.

    PubMed

    Delamou, Alexandre; Samandari, Ghazaleh; Camara, Bienvenu Salim; Traore, Pernamou; Diallo, Fatoumata Guilinty; Millimono, Sita; Wane, Defa; Toliver, Maimouna; Laffe, Kira; Verani, Fabio

    2015-12-23

    Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global public health problem that affects women's physical, mental, sexual and reproductive health. Very little data on IPV experience and FP use is available in resource-poor settings, such as in West Africa. The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence, patterns and correlates of IPV among clients of an adult Family Planning clinic in Conakry, Guinea. The study data was collected for four months (March to June 2014) from women's family planning charts and from an IPV screening form at the Adult Family Planning and Reproductive Health Clinic of "Association Guinéenne pour le Bien-Etre Familial", a non-profit organization in Conakry, Guinea. 232 women out of 245 women who attended the clinic for services during the study period were screened for IPV and were included in this study. Of the 232 women screened, 213 (92%) experienced IPV in one form or another at some point in their lifetime. 169 women reported psychological violence (79.3%), 145 reported sexual violence (68.1%) and 103 reported physical violence (48.4%). Nearly a quarter of women reported joint occurrence of the three forms of violence(24%).Half of the IPV positive women were current users of family planning (51.2%) and of these, 77.9% preferred injectable contraceptives. The odds of experiencing IPV was higher in women with secondary or vocational level of education than those with higher level of education (AOR: 8.4; 95% CI 1.2-58.5). Women residing in other communes of Conakry (AOR: 5.6; 95% CI 1.4-22.9) and those preferring injectable FP methods (AOR: 4.5; 95% CI 1.2-16.8) were more likely to experience lifetime IPV. IPV is prevalent among family planning clients in Conakry, Guinea where nine out of ten women screened in the AGBEF adult clinic reported having experienced one or another type of IPV. A holistic approach that includes promotion of women's rights and gender equality, existence of laws and policies is needed to prevent and respond to IPV

  16. Surface and Ground Water Quality in Köprüören Basin (Kütahya), Turkey

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Arslan, Şebnem; Çelik, Mehmet; Erdem Dokuz, Uǧur; Abadi Berhe, Berihu

    2014-05-01

    In this study, quality of the water resources in Köprüören Basin, located to the west of Kütahya city in western Anatolia, were investigated. The total catchment area of the basin is 275 km2 and it is located upstream of Kütahya and Eskişehir plains. Therefore, besides 6,000 people residing in the basin, a much larger population will be impacted by the quality of surface and groundwater resources. Groundwater occurs under confined conditions in the limestones of Pliocene units. Groundwater flow is from north to south and south to north towards Kocasu stream, which flows to Enne Dam. The surface and ground water quality in this area are negatively affected by the mining activities. In the northern part of the area, there are coal deposits present in Miocene Tunçbilek formation. Ground waters in contact with the coal deposits contain low concentrations of arsenic (up to 30 µg/l). In the southern part, the only silver deposit of Turkey is present, which is developed in metamorphic basement rocks, Early Miocene volcanics and Pliocene units near Gümüşköy (Gümüş means silver, köy means village in Turkish). The amount of silver manufactured annually in this silver plant is huge and comprises about 1% of the World's Silver Production. The wastes, enriched in cyanide, arsenic, stibnite, lead and zinc, are stored in waste pools and there is extensive leakage of these heavy metals from these pools. Therefore, surface waters, soils and plants in the affected areas contain high concentrations of arsenic, stibnite and lead. The As, Sb, Pb and Zn concentrations are up to 733 µg/l, 158 µg/l, 48 µg/l, and 286 µg/l in surface waters (in dry season), 6180 ppm, 410 ppm, 4180 ppm, 9950 ppm in soils and 809 ppm, 399 ppm, 800 ppm, 2217 ppm in plants, respectively. Today, most of the As, Sb, Pb and Zn are absorbed by the soils and only a small part are dissolved in water. However, conditions might change in future leading to desorption of these contaminants. Therefore

  17. Matériaux pour la dépollution des gaz d'échappement automobile

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mouaddib-Moral, N.; Gauthier, C.

    2002-04-01

    Les premières législations antipollution ont été mises en place suite à la détection, aux Etats Unis plus particulièrement en Californie, du smog photochimique et des pluies acides, néfastes pour la faune et la flore. Les estimations de la contribution de l'automobile aux émissions de composés, considérés comme précurseurs de ces phénomènes, ont été suffisantes pour provoquer la mise en place de normes draconiennes en matière d'émissions automobiles. Les matériaux catalytiques ont été évalués en tant que solution possible pour réduire les émissions à l'échappement. En Europe, l'utilisation des catalyseurs trois voies a été généralisée sur les véhicules essence fonctionnant à richesse stoechiométrique à partir de 1993. Une nouvelle génération de catalyseurs appelée piège à oxydes d'azote (NOx) est maintenant nécessaire pour le post-traitement des gaz d'échappement des motorisations à essence fonctionnant en mélange pauvre (combustion en présence d'un excès d'oxygène) pour diminuer la consommation et par conséquent réduire les émissions du CO2 connu pour son impact sur l'effet de serre. La dépollution des moteurs diesel via un catalyseur d'oxydation a été généralisée en Europe depuis 1996. La sévérisation des normes européennes impose pour les moteurs diesel le recours à des matériaux spécifiques pour le traitement des oxydes d'azotes et des particules par l'intermédiaire de filtres à particules dont l'efficacité de filtration est supérieure à 95%, mais doivent subir des régénérations périodiques.

  18. Guidelines by the AAPM and GEC-ESTRO on the use of innovative brachytherapy devices and applications: Report of Task Group 167

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Nath, Ravinder; Rivard, Mark J., E-mail: mark.j.rivard@gmail.com; DeWerd, Larry A.

    devices and applications. The current report covers regulatory approvals, calibration, dose calculations, radiobiological issues, and overall safety concerns that should be addressed during the commissioning stage preceding clinical use. These guidelines are based on review of requirements of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, U.S. Department of Transportation, International Electrotechnical Commission Medical Electrical Equipment Standard 60601, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, European Commission for CE Marking (Conformité Européenne), and institutional review boards and radiation safety committees.« less

  19. Urinary arsenic levels in the French adult population: the French National Nutrition and Health Study, 2006-2007.

    PubMed

    Saoudi, Abdessattar; Zeghnoun, Abdelkrim; Bidondo, Marie-Laure; Garnier, Robert; Cirimele, Vincent; Persoons, Renaud; Fréry, Nadine

    2012-09-01

    The French Nutrition and Health Survey (ENNS) was conducted to describe dietary intakes, nutritional status, physical activity, and levels of various biomarkers for environmental chemicals (heavy metals and pesticides) in the French population (adults aged 18-74 years and children aged 3-17 years living in continental France in 2006-2007). The aim of this paper was to describe the distributions of total arsenic and the sum of iAs+MMA+DMA in the general adult population, and to present their main risk factors. In the arsenic study, 1500 and 1515 adults (requested to avoid seafood intake in the previous 3 days preceding urine collection) were included respectively for the analysis of the sum of inorganic arsenic (iAs) and its two metabolites, monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), and for the total arsenic. Results were presented as geometric means and selected percentiles of urinary arsenic concentrations (μg/L) and creatinine-adjusted urinary arsenic (μg/g of creatinine) for total arsenic, and the sum of inorganic arsenic and metabolites (iAs+MMA+DMA). The geometric mean concentration of the sum of iAs+MMA+DMA in the adult population living in France was 3.34 μg/g of creatinine [3.23-3.45] (3.75 μg/L [3.61-3.90]) with a 95th percentile of 8.9 μg/g of creatinine (10.68 μg/L). The geometric mean concentration of total arsenic was 11.96 μg/g of creatinine [11.41-12.53] (13.42 μg/L [12.77-14.09]) with a 95th percentile of 61.29 μg/g of creatinine (72.75 μg/L). Urinary concentrations of total arsenic and iAS+MMA+DMA were influenced by sociodemographic and economic factors, and by risk factors such as consumption of seafood products and of wine. In our study, covariate-adjusted geometric means demonstrated several slight differences, due to consumption of fish, shellfish/crustaceans or wine. This study provides the first reference value for arsenic in a representative sample of the French population not particularly exposed to high levels

  20. Compliance with French nutrition and health program recommendations is strongly associated with socioeconomic characteristics in the general adult population.

    PubMed

    Malon, Aurélie; Deschamps, Valérie; Salanave, Benoit; Vernay, Michel; Szego, Emmanuelle; Estaquio, Carla; Kesse-Guyot, Emmanuelle; Hercberg, Serge; Castetbon, Katia

    2010-06-01

    In many countries, nutrition policies such as the Programme National Nutrition Santé (PNNS), implemented in France since 2001, have been developed to prevent and reduce the risk of chronic disease. However, the way in which such programs might benefit persons having different socioeconomic characteristics is unknown. The French nutrition and health survey (Etude Nationale Nutrition Santé [ENNS]) represented an opportunity to address this issue. To describe compliance with PNNS recommendations in the general population and to investigate the relationship between social, economic, and educational characteristics and poor compliance with French nutrition recommendations. A national cross-sectional multistage sampling survey. Food intake was estimated through three 24-hour recalls. Adherence to French nutrition recommendations was estimated using the PNNS guideline score (15 possible points). Two thousand five hundred seventy-seven adults aged 18 to 74 years living in France in 2006-2007 were included in these analyses. All analyses were carried out in men and women separately. Sex-specific quartiles of score were estimated. Multiple logistic models were used to identify socioeconomic characteristics (ie, age, marital status, occupational status, education level, and holiday trip in the past 12 months) associated with poor compliance with recommendations (first PNNS guideline score quartile vs three other quartiles), estimating odds ratios (ORs), and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The mean PNNS guideline score was 7.67+/-0.17 in men and 8.55+/-0.12 in women. In both sex groups, a difference of approximately four attained recommendations (out of 13 maximum) was observed between the lowest and highest quartiles. In multivariate models, being in the first PNNS guideline score quartile was significantly associated with lower age and lower occupational status for both sexes. Moreover, women living without a partner were at higher risk of poor compliance with

  1. The JUPITER registry: 1-year results of transapical aortic valve implantation using a second-generation transcatheter heart valve in patients with aortic stenosis.

    PubMed

    Silaschi, Miriam; Treede, Hendrik; Rastan, Ardawan J; Baumbach, Hardy; Beyersdorf, Friedhelm; Kappert, Utz; Eichinger, Walter; Rüter, Florian; de Kroon, Thomas L; Lange, Rüdiger; Ensminger, Stephan; Wendler, Olaf

    2016-11-01

    Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is an established therapy for patients with aortic stenosis (AS) at high surgical risk. The JenaValve™ is a second-generation, self-expanding transcatheter heart valve (THV), implanted through transapical access (TA). During stent deployment, a specific 'clipping-mechanism' engages native aortic valve cusps for fixation. We present 1-year outcomes of the JUPITER registry, a post-market registry of the JenaValve for TA-TAVR. The JUPITER registry is a prospective, multicentre, uncontrolled and observational European study to evaluate the long-term safety and effectiveness of the Conformité Européenne-marked JenaValve THV. A total of 180 patients with AS were enrolled between 2012 and 2014. End-points were adjudicated in accordance with the valve academic research consortium document no. 1 definitions. The mean age was 80.4 ± 5.9 years and the mean logistic European system for cardiac operative risk evaluation I 21.2 ± 14.7%. The procedure was successful in 95.0% (171/180), implantation of a second THV (valve-in-valve) was performed in 2.2% (4/180) and conversion to surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) was necessary in 2.8% (5/180). No annular rupture or coronary ostia obstruction occurred. Two patients required SAVR after the day of index procedure (1.1%). All-cause mortality at 30 days was 11.1% (20/180), being cardiovascular in 7.2% (13/180). A major stroke occurred in 1.1% (2/180) at 30 days, no additional major strokes were observed during 1 year. All-cause mortality after 30 days was 13.1% (21/160) and combined efficacy at 1 year was 80.8% (122/151). At 1-year follow-up, no patient presented with more than moderate paravalvular leakage, while 2 patients (3.2%) showed moderate, 12 (19.0%) mild and 49 (82.4%) trace/none paravalvular regurgitation. In a high-risk cohort of patients undergoing TA-TAVR for AS, the use of the JenaValve THV is safe and effective. In patients at higher risk for coronary ostia

  2. Flash-Flood hydrological simulations at regional scale. Scale signature on road flooding vulnerability

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Anquetin, Sandrine; Vannier, Olivier; Ollagnier, Mélody; Braud, Isabelle

    2015-04-01

    evaluation procedure provides new insights on the active hydrological processes at small scales (catchments area < 10 km²) since these small scales, distributed over the whole region, are analyzed through road cuts data and post-flood field investigations. As shown in Vannier (2013), the signature of the altered geological layer is significant on the simulated discharges. For catchments under schisty geology, the simulated discharge, whatever the catchment size, is usually overestimated. Vannier, O, 2013, Apport de la modélisation hydrologique régionale à la compréhension des processus de crue en zone méditerranéenne, PhD-Thesis (in French), Grenoble University.

  3. Contributions à l'Interférométrie spatiale. Astrométrie globale et Détection de Planètes extra-solaires.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Thomas, Eric

    2000-03-01

    En 1992, L'Agence Spatiale Européenne chargeait un comité d'experts d'établir les priorités scientifiques de ses futures grandes missions spatiales. En réponse, ce comité recommandait à l'ESA l'initiation d'un programme en interférométrie avec deux objectifs. Le premier est la réalisation d'observations astrométriques avec des précisions de l'ordre de 10 micro-secondes d'arc et le second, la détection de planètes extra-solaires en interférométrie infrarouge. Dans ce mémoire, après un rappel des grands principes de l'interférométrie, je présente les études de concepts d'interféromètres adaptés à chacun des types de mission identifiés précédemment. Dans une première partie, plusieurs configurations d'interféromètres sont présentées, compatibles avec la mission d'astrométrie globale GAIA et permettant la détection directe des franges dans un plan image. Ces configurations font l'objet d'une analyse comparative, suivie d'une proposition d'architecture pour la configuration retenue. Dans une deuxième partie, je présente l'étude, dans la cadre de la mission DARWIN de l'ESA, d'un concept d'interféromètre dédié à la détection de planètes extra-solaires dans le domaine spectral de l'infrarouge thermique. Les principes de l'interférométrie à frange noire sont rappelés, et les performances en termes de temps d'intégration du concept retenu, composé de 6 télescopes collecteurs de 1.5 m de diamètre en orbite à 1 u.a. du Soleil, sont estimées. La dernière partie de ce mémoire est consacrée à l'étude de l'implantation d'un mode imagerie sur le concept d'instrument identifié pour le mode détection de planètes de la mission DARWIN. L'utilisation d'un seul banc de recombinaison des faisceaux pour réaliser les deux missions est proposée, en ayant rajouté les fonctionnalités propres à l'imagerie par synthèse d'ouverture. Cette partie est complétée par une estimation des performances de la mission imagerie.

  4. Performance of hepatitis B assays on the Bayer ADVIA Centaur Immunoassay System.

    PubMed

    van Helden, Josef; Denoyel, Gérard; Karwowska, Sylwia; Reamer, Randy; Schmalz, John; Wright, Ted; Preisel-Simmons, Barbara

    2004-01-01

    Bayer HealthCare LLC, Diagnostics Division, has developed several new assays on the ADVIA Centaur immunoassay system for the detection of markers of hepatitis B virus infection in human serum and plasma. This panel includes assays for: hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), a confirmatory test method for HBsAg, antibodies to hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs), IgM and IgG antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc Total) and IgM antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc IgM). These assays employ magnetic particle separation technology with direct chemiluminescence for optimal assay performance. All of the assays are fully automated, require sample volumes ranging from 15 microl to 100 microl (with the exception of the ADVIA Centaur HBsAg Confirmatory Assay, which requires 2 x 100 microl), and have throughputs of up to 240 tests per hour. The five ADVIA Centaur HBV assays were tested in extensive performance evaluations conducted at two sites in Europe. The performance evaluations, which included samples from HBV-infected individuals, blood donors, hospitalized/clinical patients, and HBV vaccinees (for Anti-HBs evaluation), generated performance data in support of obtaining the Communautés Européennes (CE) mark for European market distribution. The HBV performance evaluations resulted in an overall diagnostic specificity > 99%, i.e. 99.94% for the ADVIA Centaur HBsAg Assay, 100% for the ADVIA Centaur Anti-HBs Assay, 100% for the ADVIA Centaur HBc IgM Assay and 99.94% for the ADVIA Centaur HBc Total Assay. All of the ADVIA Centaur assays showed a very good diagnostic sensitivity on these populations with 100% for the ADVIA Centaur HBsAg Assay, 99.0% for the ADVIA Centaur Anti-HBs Assay, 98.53% for the ADVIA Centaur HBc IgM Assay and 100% for the ADVIA Centaur HBc Total Assay. The ADVIA Centaur HBsAg Confirmatory Test confirmed 100% of the positive HBsAg samples. Testing of interfering substances and potential cross-reacting samples for all ADVIA

  5. Tolerability and performance of BIP endotracheal tubes with noble metal alloy coating--a randomized clinical evaluation study.

    PubMed

    Björling, Gunilla; Johansson, Dorota; Bergström, Linda; Jalal, Shah; Kohn, Ivar; Frostell, Claes; Kalman, Sigridur

    2015-12-01

    Hospital acquired infections worsen the outcome of patients treated in intensive care units and are costly. Coatings with silver or metal alloys may reduce or alter the formation of biofilm on invasive medical devices. An endotracheal tube (ETT) is used to connect the patient to a ventilator and coated tubes have been tested in relation to bacterial colonization and respiratory infection. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate and compare a coated and uncoated ETT for patient symptoms and local tracheal tolerability during short term clinical use. Degree of bacterial colonization was also described. A silver-palladium-gold alloy coating ('Bactiguard®'Infection Protection, BIP) has been extensively used on urinary tract catheters and lately also on central venous catheters. We performed a randomised, single-blinded, controlled, first in man, post Conformité Européenne (EC) certification and CE marking study, focused on Bactiguard® coated ETTs (BIP ETT). Thirty patients at a tertiary university hospital scheduled for upper abdominal elective surgery with an expected duration of anaesthesia of at least 3 h were randomised; BIP ETT (n = 20) or standard ETT (n = 10). The tolerability was assessed with a modified version of Quality of Life Head and Neck Module, QLQ-H&N35 and by inspection of the tracheal mucosa with a fibre-optic bronchoscope before intubation and at extubation. Adverse Events (AE) and bacterial adherence were also studied. Statistical evaluations were carried out with the Fisher's Exact Test, the Clopper-Pearson method, as well as a Proportional Odds Model. Differences between groups were identified in 2 of 8 patient related symptoms with regard to tolerability by QLQ-H&N35 (cough, p = 0.022 and dry mouth, p = 0.014 in the treatment group.). No mucosal damage was identified with bronchoscopy. A low level of bacterial colonization with normal flora, equal between groups, was seen after short-term of intubation (median 5 h). No

  6. Single-centre experience with next-generation devices for transapical aortic valve implantation.

    PubMed

    Seiffert, Moritz; Conradi, Lenard; Kloth, Benjamin; Koschyk, Dietmar; Schirmer, Johannes; Schnabel, Renate B; Blankenberg, Stefan; Reichenspurner, Hermann; Diemert, Patrick; Treede, Hendrik

    2015-01-01

    Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has become an established procedure in patients with aortic stenosis and high surgical risk. Experience with first-generation transcatheter heart valves (THVs) is broad but limitations, e.g. paravalvular regurgitation, have been demonstrated. Much hope rests on the recently Conformité Européenne mark approved next-generation devices to improve results in these patients. However, apart from the initial approval studies, clinical data with these new devices are still scarce. We aimed to assess short-term outcomes of 200 consecutive patients who underwent transapical TAVI with next-generation THV at our institution. Transapical TAVI was performed in 200 consecutive patients 80.5±6.7 years old (38.5% female) at high surgical risk (log EuroSCORE 20.2±16.5%). Devices implanted were the Engager (Medtronic, Inc., Minneapolis, MN, USA; n=50), JenaValve (JenaValve Technology, Munich, Germany; n=88) and Symetis Acurate (Symetis SA, Ecublens, Switzerland; n=62) THV that were selected by the heart team on an individual basis. Data at baseline, during the procedure and follow-up were analysed according to standardized Valve Academic Research Consortium end points. Median follow-up was 219 days. Implantation was successful in 96.5% of cases. Valve function improved significantly with an increase in effective orifice area from 0.8±0.4 to 1.8±0.3 cm2 and a reduction in mean transvalvalvular gradients from 34.0±17.0 to 11.2±5.4 mmHg. Paravalvular regurgitation was none or trace in 70.3% of patients, Grade 1 in 26.1%, and Grade 2 in 3.5%. No patients developed aortic regurgitation>Grade 2. Major access site complications occurred in 6.5%, major stroke in 1.5% and stage-3 kidney injury in 2.5% of patients. A permanent pacemaker was implanted in 20.5% of patients overall and in 8.0% for a complete heart block. At 30-day follow-up 72.8% of patients were in New York Heart Association class I or II (10.5% at baseline). Overall

  7. Seasonal variations in CO2 and CH4 fluxes of four different plant compositions of a Sphagnum-dominated Alpine peat bog

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Drollinger, Simon; Maier, Andreas; Karer, Jasmin; Glatzel, Stephan

    2017-04-01

    Peatlands are the only type of ecosystems which have the ability to accumulate significant amounts of carbon (C) under undisturbed conditions. The amount of C sequestered in peatlands depends on the balance between gross primary production, ecosystem respiration and decomposition of plant material. Sphagnum-dominated bogs possess the greatest peat accumulation potential of all peatlands, thus in turn, feature highest C release potentials. Many studies report about the C balances of undisturbed northern peat bogs, however, little is known about the effects of peatland degradation on the C balance between different plant compositions within peat bog ecosystems. Particularly in the Alpine region, where temperature increase during the last century has been almost twice as high as the global mean. The investigated peat bog is located in the inner Alpine Enns valley in the Eastern Alps, Austria (N 47˚ 34.873' E 14˚ 20.810'). It is a pine peat bog covered by Sphagnum mosses and a present extent of about 62 ha. Due to increasing differences in surface height of the peatland compared to the surrounding areas and related lowered water retention capacity attributed to the subsidence of the adjacent intensively managed meadows on deeply drained peat soils, the function of the peatland as a carbon sink is strongly endangered. Hence, the current mean water table depth of the central peat bog area is about -12 cm. To reveal differences in peatland-atmosphere C exchanges within the peatland ecosystem, we investigated CO2 and CH4 fluxes of four different vegetation compositions (PM1-PM4) at the treeless central peat bog area. PM1 is dominated by the graminoids Rhynchospora alba and Eriophorum vaginatum. PM2 is inhabited by small individuals (< 35 cm) of the conifer Pinus mugo, whereas PM3 is dominated by the ericaceous plant Calluna vulgaris. PM4 again is populated by Pinus mugo, but higher growing (35 - 60 cm) and with corresponding higher amount of biomass. Fluxes were measured

  8. Characterization of the Lower Aptian Oceanic Anoxic Event (OAE) 1a in the Eastern Iberian Chain (Maestrat Basin, E Spain) by Means of Ammonite Biostratigraphy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moreno-Bedmar, J. A.; Company, M.; Bover-Arnal, T.; Delanoy, G.; Martinez, R.; Grauges, A.; Salas, R.

    2008-05-01

    . euglyphus Casey at these levels (Moreno et al., 2007). Thus, these taxa further support the stratigraphic position of these beds into the Deshayesites weissi Zone. Our results imply that OAE1 correlative with the Roloboceras beds in southeastern Spain and at Cassis correspond to the D. weissi Zone, as formerly established (Casey, 1961a, b; Casey et al., 1998; Moreno and Bover, 2007; Moreno et al., 2007). R. Casey, Palaeontology 3, 487-621 (1961a) R. Casey, Palaeontographical Society, London, 119-216 (1961b) R. Casey et al., Cretaceous Research 19, 511-535 (1998) J.A.Moreno and T. Bover, in XXIII Jornadas Sociedad Española de Paleontología, Libro de resúmenes. J. C. Braga, A. Checa and M. Company, Eds (Instituto Geológico y Minero de España y Universidad de Granada (2007) pp. 151-152 J. A. Moreno et al., Geogaceta 42, 75-78 (2007) P. Ropolo et al., Géologie Méditerranéenne 25 (1998), 167-175 (2000)

  9. Wind Resource Assessment in Complex Terrain with a High-Resolution Numerical Weather Prediction Model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gruber, Karin; Serafin, Stefano; Grubišić, Vanda; Dorninger, Manfred; Zauner, Rudolf; Fink, Martin

    2014-05-01

    A crucial step in planning new wind farms is the estimation of the amount of wind energy that can be harvested in possible target sites. Wind resource assessment traditionally entails deployment of masts equipped for wind speed measurements at several heights for a reasonably long period of time. Simplified linear models of atmospheric flow are then used for a spatial extrapolation of point measurements to a wide area. While linear models have been successfully applied in the wind resource assessment in plains and offshore, their reliability in complex terrain is generally poor. This represents a major limitation to wind resource assessment in Austria, where high-altitude locations are being considered for new plant sites, given the higher frequency of sustained winds at such sites. The limitations of linear models stem from two key assumptions in their formulation, the neutral stratification and attached boundary-layer flow, both of which often break down in complex terrain. Consequently, an accurate modeling of near-surface flow over mountains requires the adoption of a NWP model with high horizontal and vertical resolution. This study explores the wind potential of a site in Styria in the North-Eastern Alps. The WRF model is used for simulations with a maximum horizontal resolution of 800 m. Three nested computational domains are defined, with the innermost one encompassing a stretch of the relatively broad Enns Valley, flanked by the main crest of the Alps in the south and the Nördliche Kalkalpen of similar height in the north. In addition to the simulation results, we use data from fourteen 10-m wind measurement sites (of which 7 are located within valleys and 5 near mountain tops) and from 2 masts with anemometers at several heights (at hillside locations) in an area of 1600 km2 around the target site. The potential for wind energy production is assessed using the mean wind speed and turbulence intensity at hub height. The capacity factor is also evaluated

  10. Impact of cattle grazing on soil and vegetation - a case study in a mountainous region of Austria

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bohner, Andreas; Foldal, Cecilie; Jandl, Robert

    2015-04-01

    In mountainous regions of Austria and of many other European countries, climate change may cause a further intensification of grassland management. Therefore, the effects of intensive cattle grazing on selected soil chemical and physical properties, above- and below-ground phytomass, forage quality, plant species composition and plant species richness at the scale of a representative paddock in a mountainous region of Austria were investigated. At the study site (Styrian Enns valley; 675 m a.s.l.), climate is relatively cool and humid, with a mean annual air temperature of 6.7°C and a mean annual precipitation of 970 mm, of which 66% falls during the vegetation period (April-October). The soil is a deep, base-rich Cambisol with a loamy sand texture. The paddock investigated has a total area of about 2 ha and had been grazed by dairy cows (Brown Swiss) five times per grazing season. The stocking density was 4 cows ha-1 during 180 days from early May to the end of October with a grazing time of about 8 hours per day. The strip grazed permanent pasture was manured annually for a long time, mostly with cattle slurry. Vegetation surveys were carried out using the method of Braun-Blanquet. Above- and below-ground phytomass, forage quality and mineral element concentration in the harvestable above-ground plant biomass were determined by using standard methods. During the grazing season surface soil samples (0-10 cm depth) for chemical analyses were collected before each grazing period (5 analyses of composite samples per site). At the beginning and the end of the grazing season also soil samples for physical analyses were taken from the topsoil (0-15 cm depth). Heavy cattle treading led to a substantial soil compaction especially in the 5-10 cm layer and to a deterioration of topsoil structure. The porous crumb structure was replaced by a compact platy structure. The topsoil was enriched with nutrients (mainly nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and boron). The degree of

  11. Spontaneous development of arcuate single-sided subduction in global 3-D mantle convection models with a free surface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Crameri, Fabio; Tackley, Paul

    2014-05-01

    plate surface and weak oceanic crust produce single-sided subduction on Earth, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39(3), L03,306. Crameri, F., H. Schmeling, G. J. Golabek, T. Duretz, R. Orendt, S. J. H. Buiter, D. A. May, B. J. P. Kaus, T. V. Gerya, and P. J. Tackley (2012b), A comparison of numerical surface topography calculations in geodynamic modelling: an evaluation of the 'sticky air' method, Geophys. J. Int., 189(1), 38-54. Matsumoto, T., and Y. Tomoda (1983), Numerical simulation of the initiation of subduction at the fracture zone, J. Phys. Earth, 31(3), 183-194. Schmeling, H., A. Babeyko, A. Enns, C. Faccenna, F. Funiciello, T. Gerya, G. Golabek, S. Grigull, B. Kaus, G. Morra, S. Schmalholz, and J. van Hunen (2008), A benchmark comparison of spontaneous subduction models-Towards a free surface, Phys. Earth Planet. Int., 171(1-4), 198-223. Tackley, P. J. (2008), Modelling compressible mantle convection with large viscosity contrasts in a three-dimensional spherical shell using the yin-yang grid, Phys. Earth Planet. Int., 171(1-4), 7-18.

  12. Flood risk assessment in France: comparison of extreme flood estimation methods (EXTRAFLO project, Task 7)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Garavaglia, F.; Paquet, E.; Lang, M.; Renard, B.; Arnaud, P.; Aubert, Y.; Carre, J.

    2013-12-01

    of five watersheds located in the South of France. References : O. CAYLA : Probability calculation of design floods abd inflows - SPEED. Waterpower 1995, San Francisco, California 1995 CFGB : Design flood determination by the gradex method. Bulletin du Comité Français des Grands Barrages News 96, 18th congress CIGB-ICOLD n2, nov:108, 1994. F. GARAVAGLIA et al. : Introducing a rainfall compound distribution model based on weather patterns subsampling. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 14, 951-964, 2010. J. LAVABRE et al. : SHYREG : une méthode pour l'estimation régionale des débits de crue. application aux régions méditerranéennes françaises. Ingénierie EAT, 97-111, 2003. M. MARGOUM : Estimation des crues rares et extrêmes : le modèle AGREGEE. Conceptions et remières validations. PhD, Ecole des Mines de Paris, 1992. R. NAULET et al. : Flood frequency analysis on the Ardèche river using French documentary sources from the two last centuries. Journal of Hydrology, 313:58-78, 2005. E. PAQUET et al. : The SCHADEX method: A semi-continuous rainfall-runoff simulation for extreme flood estimation, Journal of Hydrology, 495, 23-37, 2013.

  13. Adaptation of nasometry to Hungarian language and experiences with its clinical application.

    PubMed

    Hirschberg, Jeno; Bók, Szilvia; Juhász, Márta; Trenovszki, Zsuzsa; Votisky, Péter; Hirschberg, Andor

    2006-05-01

    (1) To adopt the nasometry for the Hungarian language and to obtain normative nasalance scores. (2) To compare our results with the data of other languages and to evaluate the correlation between nasalance scores and perceptual ratings of nasality. (3) To use the nasometry in various fields of the otolaryngological, phoniatric, and logopedic diagnostics, therapy and documentation. (1) To determine the normative nasalance scores regarding the Hungarian language, we included 30 children aged 5-7 years and 45 adults in the 20-25 years age group. In the latter group 15 subjects were speech therapists and 30 phonetically untrained people-15 males and 15 females. phonation of isolated vowels, articulation of spirants, cyclical repetition of affricates, pronunciation of various (oral, nasal, mixed type) sentences and evaluation of the nasalance score in continuous speech. (2) Thirty-six persons (12 speech pathologists, 12 logopedic students, 12 phonetically uneducated individuals) evaluated the children's physiological and nasal speech recordings with a 3-point scale. (3) Two hundred and forty-eight children of kindergarten age were examined, 20 infants and 6 adult singers in the following fields: evaluation of hypernasality due to cleft palate or velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI), and of the success of the therapy; examination of hyponasality in cases of enlarged adenoid and allergic rhinitis; evaluation of the speech of hard-of-hearing people; differentiation between nasal sigmatism and hyperrhinophony; testing of the resonance in professional singers; examination of infant cry; application of nasometry in the therapy. The mean value of the nasalance score using the oral sentence: "Zsuzsi kutyája ugat" is 11-13%, in the nasal sentence ("A majom banánt enne") 56%, while that of the mixed sentence representing the Hungarian language ("Jó napot kívánok!") falls in the 30-40% range. The resonance grows with aging and there is no significant difference between genders

  14. Proposing buffer zones and simple technical solutions for safeguarding river water quality and public health

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Podimata, M. V.; Bekri, E. S.; Yannopoulos, P. C.

    2012-04-01

    Framework Directive (WFD) 2000/60, but a practical necessity for the safeguarding of public health and ecosystem health, in general. The present study aims at developing a simple methodology for assessing spatial distribution characteristics of pollution in Erymanthos catchment. Pollution loads at various sites in Erymanthos watershed were illustrated with Geographical Information System (GIS). Flow rates of Erymanthos River were also taken into consideration. Based on previous studies, in situ river discharges have been compared to simulated discharges in order to calibrate the rainfall-runoff model ENNS which can then predict future scenarios regarding the river flow rates with consideration of climate change effects. The goal of this study is to detect the pertinent points and suggest a) suitable buffer zones in areas with high pollution risk and b) simple technical works in order to prevent the main channel of Erymanthos River from direct polluting discharges. The above systems could also act supportively in groundwater enrichment, forest protection and soil erosion prevention. Authors believe that the results of the study could assist authorities and engineers to design and develop strategies of improving river water quality and safeguarding public health. The proposed measures may be applicable to other catchments as well.

  15. Superposition de la tectonique éburnéenne et panafricaine dans les granitoïdes de la bordure nord du craton ouest africain, boutonniére de Zenaga, Anti-Atlas central, Maroc(Pan-african overprint on Eburnian granitoids at the northern boundary of the West African Craton, Zenaga Inlier, central Anti-Atlas, Morocco)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ennih, N.; Laduron, D.; Greiling, R. O.; Errami, E.; de Wall, H.; Boutaleb, M.

    2001-05-01

    The Zenaga Inlier shows a comprehensive record of the Eburnian and Pan-African Orogenies. The Eburnian is characterised by high-temperature regional metamorphism and complex magmatism. The early (Azguemerzi) granodiorite has an isotopic mantle signature and was emplaced diapirically during the Eburnian Orogeny causing local thermal metamorphism. The foliation observed in this granitoid is a result of the interference between its primary syn-emplacement foliation and the regional foliation under amphibolite-facies conditions. The northern part of Zenaga has been intruded by the leucocratic granites of Tazenakht. These granites are cut by mylonites and phyllonites, corresponding to the Pan-African shear zones and accompanied with sub-greenschist-facies metamorphism during the Pan-African Orogeny. The deformation was the result of a regional sinistral transpressive event. This study in the northern part of the West African Craton shows the superposition of the Pan-African on the Eburnian Orogeny and the presence of a major fault in the Anti-Atlas.

  16. Health technology assessment of medical devices: What is different? An overview of three European projects.

    PubMed

    Schnell-Inderst, Petra; Mayer, Julia; Lauterberg, Jörg; Hunger, Theresa; Arvandi, Marjan; Conrads-Frank, Annette; Nachtnebel, Anna; Wild, Claudia; Siebert, Uwe

    2015-01-01

    With the growing use and importance of health technology assessment (HTA) in decision making during recent years, health technology assessors, decision makers and stakeholders are confronted with methodological challenges due to specific characteristics of health technologies (e. g., pharmaceuticals, diagnostic tests, screening programs), their developmental environment, and their regulation process. Being aware of the necessity to use HTA as a policy instrument for sustainable health care systems in a regulatory environment of decentralized Conformité Européenne (CE) marking, the European Union (EU) is increasingly supporting the development of methods for the assessment of medical devices (MD) on different levels: within the scope of European research projects and within joint assessment activities of the member states of the European network for Health Technology Assessment (EUnetHTA). First, this article describes three projects: MedtecHTA-Methods for Health Technology Assessment of Medical Devices, a European Perspective Work Package 3 (WP3), Comparative Effectiveness of Medical Devices led by the University for Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology (UMIT). Second, we discuss the experiences of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute Health Technology Assessment (LBI HTA) with the joint production of rapid assessments of medical devices by several European HTA agencies within EUnetHTA. Third, a brief outline is given of the framework of joint methodological guideline elaboration by the EUnetHTA partner organizations because a guideline for therapeutic MD is also being developed here. We will describe aims, methods and some preliminary results of MedtecHTA and EUnetHTA Joint Action 2 Work Package 5 Strand B (WP5B) applying the HTA Core Model for Rapid Assessment for national adaptation and reporting, and give an overview of the development process of methodological guidelines within WP 7 of EUnetHTA Joint Action 2. Based on a literature review in Medtec

  17. Calculation of ejecta thickness and structural uplift for Lunar and Martian complex crater rims.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Krüger, Tim; Sturm, Sebastian; Kenkmann, Thomas

    2014-05-01

    Martian crater, the calculated structural uplift has a value of 215.83 m [9]. For Euler and Bessel crater calculated values for the structural uplift are 310.76 m and 262.8 m, respectively [10]. The structural uplift of the crater rim only by dike injection and plastic deformation in the underlying target material seems unlikely at distances ~1 km beyond the transient crater cavity. Other mechanisms, like reverse faulting, beginning in the excavation stage of crater formation, could be responsible for additional structural uplift of the crater rim. Nevertheless, our results show that structural uplift is a more dominant effect than ejecta emplacement for complex impact craters. References: [1] Melosh H.J. (1989) Oxford monographs on geology and geophysics, 11, Impact cratering: a geologic process. [2] Poelchau M.H. et al. (2009) JGR, 114, E01006. [3] Shoemaker E. M. (1963) The Solar System, 4, 301-336. [4] Settle M., and Head J.W. (1977) Icarus, v. 31, p. 123. [5] Sturm, S. et al. (2014) LPSC 45, #1801. [6] Krüger T. et al. (2014) LPSC 45, #1834. [7] Hiesinger H. et al. (2002) GRL, 29. [8] Enns A.C. (2013) LPSC XLIV, #2751. [9] Steward S. T. and Valiant G. J. (2006) Meteoritics & Planet. Sci., 41, 1509-1537. [10] Pike R. J. (1974) EPSL, 23, 265-274. [11]Turtle, E. et al. (2005) GSA-SP. 384, 1.

  18. The Black-Scholes option pricing problem in mathematical finance: generalization and extensions for a large class of stochastic processes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bouchaud, Jean-Philippe; Sornette, Didier

    1994-06-01

    The ability to price risks and devise optimal investment strategies in thé présence of an uncertain "random" market is thé cornerstone of modern finance theory. We first consider thé simplest such problem of a so-called "European call option" initially solved by Black and Scholes using Ito stochastic calculus for markets modelled by a log-Brownien stochastic process. A simple and powerful formalism is presented which allows us to generalize thé analysis to a large class of stochastic processes, such as ARCH, jump or Lévy processes. We also address thé case of correlated Gaussian processes, which is shown to be a good description of three différent market indices (MATIF, CAC40, FTSE100). Our main result is thé introduction of thé concept of an optimal strategy in the sense of (functional) minimization of the risk with respect to the portfolio. If the risk may be made to vanish for particular continuous uncorrelated 'quasiGaussian' stochastic processes (including Black and Scholes model), this is no longer the case for more general stochastic processes. The value of the residual risk is obtained and suggests the concept of risk-corrected option prices. In the presence of very large deviations such as in Lévy processes, new criteria for rational fixing of the option prices are discussed. We also apply our method to other types of options, `Asian', `American', and discuss new possibilities (`doubledecker'...). The inclusion of transaction costs leads to the appearance of a natural characteristic trading time scale. L'aptitude à quantifier le coût du risque et à définir une stratégie optimale de gestion de portefeuille dans un marché aléatoire constitue la base de la théorie moderne de la finance. Nous considérons d'abord le problème le plus simple de ce type, à savoir celui de l'option d'achat `européenne', qui a été résolu par Black et Scholes à l'aide du calcul stochastique d'Ito appliqué aux marchés modélisés par un processus Log

  19. History of NAMES Conferences

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Filippov, Lev

    2013-03-01

    Franco-Russian NAMES Seminars are held for the purpose of reviewing and discussing actual developments in the field of materials science by researchers from Russia and from the Lorraine Region of France. In more precise terms, as set down by the organizers of the seminar (the Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys and the Institut National Polytechnique de Lorraine), the mission of the seminars is as follows: the development of scientific and academic contacts, giving a new impulse to joint fundamental research and technology transfer the development and consolidation of scientific, technical and business collaboration between the regions of Russia and Lorraine through direct contact between the universities, institutes and companies involved The first Seminar took place on 27-29 October 2004, at the Institut National Polytechnique de Lorraine (on the premises of the Ecole Européenne d'Ingénieurs en Génie des Matériaux, Nancy, France). The number, variety and quality of the oral presentations given and posters exhibited at the first Seminar were of high international standard. 30 oral presentations were given and 72 posters were presented by 19 participants from five universities and three institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences participants from 11 laboratories of three universities from the Lorraine region three industrial companies, including the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company—EADS, and ANVAR (Agence Nationale de Valorisation de la Recherche) From 2005 onwards, it was decided to organize the Seminar every other year. The second Seminar convened on the occasion of the 75th Anniversary of the Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys on 10-12 November 2005 in Moscow, Russia. The seminar demonstrated the efficiency of the scientific partnership founded between the research groups of Russia and France during the first Seminar. High productivity of the Franco-Russian scientific cooperation on the basis of the Research-Educational Franco

  20. Assessment of surface water vulnerability to pesticide contamination using the modeling tool PegOpera: Application in North Tunisia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Boukari, Amira; Habaieb, Hamadi; Deliège, Jean-François

    2017-04-01

    solid phase extraction (SPE). References: Deliège J.F., Everbecq E., Grard A., Bourouag T., Magermans P., Blockx C., (2009). PEGASE : un modèle intégré bassin hydrographique/ rivières pour la directive cadre européenne. 9es Journées Internationales de Limnologie, Luxembourg, 6-9 avril 2009 Grard A., Everbecq E., Magermans P., Bourouag M., Deliège J.F. (2014). Transnational modelling of the Meuse District with PEGOPERA simulation software. International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research, 12, pp. 251-263 Guerbet M. and Jouany J. M. (2002). Value of the SIRIS method for the classification of a series of 90 chemicals according to risk for the aquatic environment. Environmental Impact Assessment Review 22, (4), 377-391. Le Gall A. C., Morot, A., Jouglet, P., Chatelier J.-Y. (2007). Mise à jour et amélioration de la méthode SIRIS et développement d'un outil informatique pour son application; Rapport de l'étape 1 du projet, Rep. No. DRC-07- 73770-04644A. INERIS, 122 p

  1. Effects of water extraction in a vulnerable phreatic aquifer: Consequences for groundwater contamination by pesticides, Sint-Jansteen area, The Netherlands

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gaus, Irina

    Pesticides are a potential threat to the quality of extracted groundwater when the water-supply area is used for agricultural activities. This problem is discussed for the water-supply area of Sint-Jansteen, The Netherlands, where measured pesticide concentrations in the extracted water regularly exceed EU limits (0.1μg/L). Groundwater samples taken from the aquifer within the water-supply area show low contamination, but samples taken from the extracted water occasionally contain pesticides, making the water inadequate for drinking-water purposes. The more intense contamination of the extracted water is caused by the change in the natural groundwater flow pattern near the extraction wells. In this area, pesticide use cannot be avoided easily, and an approach is given to differentiate pesticide use in the area according to expected travel time toward the wells and the chemical characteristics of the pesticides. A groundwater flow model for the area is developed and the effects of groundwater extraction on the natural flow pattern are evaluated. Using particle tracking, the travel-time zones are determined. Combining these results and the degradation behavior of certain pesticides led to an optimal scheme to integrate agricultural activities and groundwater extraction in the area. This is illustrated for five different types of pesticides (atrazine, simazine, bentazone, MCPA, and mecoprop). Résumé Les pesticides sont une menace potentielle pour la qualité de l'eau souterraine prélevée lorsque la zone de captage est soumise à des activités agricoles. Ce problème est discuté dans le cas de la zone de captage de Sint-Jansteen (Pays-Bas), où les concentrations mesurées en pesticides dans les eaux pompées dépassent régulièrement les normes européennes (0,1μg/L). Les échantillons d'eau souterraine prélevés dans l'aquifère dans la zone de captage montrent une faible contamination, mais les échantillons d'eau pompée contiennent occasionnellement des

  2. Clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of second- and third-generation left ventricular assist devices as either bridge to transplant or alternative to transplant for adults eligible for heart transplantation: systematic review and cost-effectiveness model.

    PubMed

    Sutcliffe, P; Connock, M; Pulikottil-Jacob, R; Kandala, N-B; Suri, G; Gurung, T; Grove, A; Shyangdan, D; Briscoe, S; Maheswaran, H; Clarke, A

    2013-11-01

    -effectiveness of second- and third-generation US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and/or Conformité Européenne (CE) approved VADs. Publications from the last 5 years with control groups, or case series with 50 or more patients were included. Outcomes included survival, functional capacity (e.g. change in New York Heart Association functional classification), quality of life (QoL) and adverse events. Data from the BTDB were obtained. A discrete-time, semi-Markov, multistate model was built. Deterministic and probabilistic methods with multiple sensitivity analyses varying survival, utilities and cost inputs to the model were used. Model outputs were incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs), cost/quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) gained and cost/life-year gained (LYG). The discount rate was 3.5% and the time horizon varied over 3 years, 10 years and lifetime. Forty publications reported clinical effectiveness of VADs and one study reported cost-effectiveness. We found no high-quality comparative empirical studies of VADs as BTT compared with MM or as ATT compared with BTT. Approximately 15-25% of the patients receiving a device had died by 12 months. Studies reported the following wide ranges for adverse events: 4-27% bleeding requiring transfusion; 1.5-40% stroke; 3.3-48% infection; 1-14% device failure; 3-30% HF; 11-32% reoperation; and 3-53% renal failure. QoL and functional status were reported as improved in studies of two devices [HeartMate II (HMII; Thoratec Inc., Pleasanton, CA, USA) and HeartWare (HW; HeartWare Inc., Framingham, MA, USA)]. At 3 years, 10 years and lifetime, the ICERs for VADs as BTT compared with MM were £122,730, £68,088 and £55,173 respectively. These values were stable to changes in survival of the MM group. Both QoL and costs were reduced by VADs as ATT compared with VADs as BTT giving ICERs in south-west quadrant of the cost effectiveness plain (cost saving/QALY sacrificed) of £353,467, £31,685 and £20,637 over the 3 years, 10 years

  3. Contemporary attitudes and their ideological representation in Flanders (Belgium), Poland, and the Ukraine.

    PubMed

    Hiel, Alain Van; Kossowska, Malgorzata

    2007-02-01

    'un modèle idéologique d'extrême droite à deux dimensions culturelle et économique ainsi que les relations entre ces dimensions et les attitudes envers les enjeux politiques récents. Les opinions sur l'environnementalisme, sur la guerre contre le terrorisme et sur l'élargissement de l'Union Européenne (UE) ont été sélectionnés comme étant des attitudes contemporaines représentatives. Les présentes questions de recherche ont été examinées dans un échantillon flamand (N = 176), polonais (N = 93) et ukrainien (N = 93). Les résultats ont révélé que deux dimensions sont sous-jacentes au spectre idéologique dans tous les échantillons: une de ces dimensions réfère au conservatisme culturel et à l'autoritarisme d'extrême droite (RWA en anglais) et l'autre réfère au conservatisme économique et à la théorie de la dominance sociale (SDO en anglais). Même si la validité de la différentiation entre ces dimensions idéologiques a été amplement illustrée dans les études sur les échantillons occidentaux, la réplication de ces dimensions dans les anciens pays communistes ajoute à leur validité et à leur généralisabilité parce que ces pays ont une culture et une histoire politique spécifique. Cependant, d'importantes différences trans-culturelles en ce qui concerne la représentation des attitudes contemporaines dans cet espace idéologique à deux dimensions ont également été obtenues. Tandis que la guerre contre le terrorisme a été liée significativement à la dimension culturelle d'extrême droite dans tous les échantillons, les relations pour l'environnementalisme et les attitudes envers l'élargissement de l'UE variaient selon les échantillons. Ces différences trans-culturelles ont été expliquées en termes de degré de saillance du sujet (relations non significatives versus significatives dans le cas de l'environnementalisme) et des soucis pragmatiques quant aux profits et aux coûts (dans le cas de l

  4. Préface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Paulus, Werner; Meinnel, Jean

    2003-02-01

    de vue européen, si les sources de l'ILL et d'ISIS peuvent encore être considérées comme des leaders au point de vue mondial, il est évidemment souhaitable que la nouvelle source neutronique à spallation (European Spallation Source : ESS) soit rapidement réalisée. Aujourd'hui ce projet est bien avancé, cette source devrait dépasser le flux des sources actuelles par près de deux ordres de grandeur et ainsi de maintenir au meilleur niveau les compétences Européennes. Il est évident qu'une utilisation efficace et intelligente des sources existantes, mais aussi de celles de la nouvelle génération, implique une certaine infrastructure nationale tant au niveau de la conception, de la réalisation que du fonctionnement des différents spectromètres. Ceci implique un très fort engagement des universités dans les différents projets de recherche. Le devoir des universités qui en résulte est donc d'intégrer l'utilisation des “grands instruments" dans leur programme d'enseignement. Dans ce sens, nous souhaitons que ce cours, entièrement rédigé en français, contribue à la fois à aider les chercheurs “non spécialistes” à accéder plus facilement au domaine neutronique, mais aussi à servir de base aux enseignants pour l'organisation et la préparation de leurs cours.Nous tenons à remercier tous les collègues qui ont accepté de rédiger de façon détaillée les cours qu'ils avaient présentés oralement dans la grande salle du VVF de Trégastel, ainsi que toutes les personnes qui ont contribué à la réussite du séjour ou à la réalisation de ce fascicule. Nous gardons un excellent souvenir de l'atmosphère de l'École qui a eu lieu à Trégastel, en plein centre de la côte de granite rose en Bretagne, en mai 2001 et était jumelée avec les Journées de la diffusion neutronique, elles aussi organisées sous l'égide de la SFN.Nous souhaitons que la lecture de cet ouvrage soit utile à un maximum de chercheurs.

  5. Some current methods to represent the heterogeneity of natural media in hydrogeology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    de Marsily, G.; Delay, F.; Teles, V.; Schafmeister, M. T.

    souvent l'occasion de discuter de ces questions, nous présentons ici un survol général de quelques techniques de génération de telles propriétés se focalisant sur une seule d'entre elles, la perméabilité des roches. Nous expliquons d'abord quels sont les raisons qui engagent à tenter de décrire la variabilité spatiale, puis nous illustrons trois méthodes pour le faire, la méthode géostatistique, la méthode Booléenne et la méthode génétique. Nous présentons leurs avantages et inconvénients respectifs, et donnons l'état actuel de leur développement. Ces méthodes constituant un domaine de recherche actif, et la place étant ici limitée, ce survol est nécessairement incomplet, mais nous espérons qu'il encouragera l'essor de nouvelles idées et de nouvelles approches. Resumen Sabemos desde hace tiempo que las propiedades del subsuelo son altamente variables espacialmente. Hemos aprendido que esta variabilidad es debida a la extrema complejidad y variabilidad temporal de los procesos responsables de la formación de la corteza terrestre, desde la tectónica de placas a la erosión, transporte de sedimentos y deposición, así como a efectos mecánicos, climáticos y diagenéticos. Como geólogos, hemos aprendido a "leer" esta compleja historia en las rocas y a cómo tratar de extrapolar en el espacio lo que ya sabemos. Como físicos, aprendimos después que para estudiar los procesos en este tipo de medios debemos aplicar las leyes de la mecánica de los medios continuos. Como matemáticos que usan métodos analíticos, hemos aprendido que debemos simplificar el medio dividiéndolo en un número menor de unidades, como serían los acuíferos y acuitardos, y describiendo sus propiedades mediante valores equivalentes (constantes). En los últimos años, como modelistas, también hemos aprendido que tenemos la libertad de "discretizar" esta realidad compleja y describirla como un conjunto de pequeñas cajas homogéneas de medio continuo, cada una con