Investigation of damage evolution in short glass fibers reinforced polyamide 6,6 under tensile loading using infrared thermography

AbstractMechanical properties of polymers are very sensitive to environmental conditions in particular temperature. In the case of mechanical testing, thermomechanical coupling induce heat sources to be activated during the deformation and damage processes so that the temperature of the specimen may vary during testing. Depending on the characteristic temporal and spacial scales of the deformation and damage processes involved by the loading this temperature increase might be uniform or highly localized. The aim of the study is to investigate the temperature field evolution of glass fibers reinforced polyamide 6,6 with 0% (PA66GF00), 10% (PA66GF10), 20% (PA66GF20) and 30% (PA66GF30) glass fiber. In addition to infrared thermography, digital image correlation (DIC) was used to quantify deformation localization zones and correlate them to identified heat dissipation sources. Until necking, the heat distribution was found to be nearly homogeneous on PA66GF00 with a well marked thermoelastic region, succeeded by an homogeneous heat increase due to viscoplastic dissipation. Necking is associated to strong heat increase that is localized on the the necking area. The thermal response of short fiber reinforced materials was found to differ markedly from the uncharged one. Strong heterogeneity of the thermal was observed and was associated to localisation processes at different scales (investigated by DIC). The effect of the applied strain rate on the observed thermal heterogenities was investigated. In addition to DIC, the volume damage evolution was monitored using X-ray computed microtomography in particular region

Male breast cancer: a report of 127 cases at a Moroccan institution

Background: Male breast cancer (MBC) is a rare disease representing less than 1% of all malignancies in men and only 1% of all incident breast cancers. Our study details clinico-pathological features, treatments and prognostic factors in a large Moroccan cohort. Findings: One hundred and twenty-seven patients were collected from 1985 to 2007 at the National Institute of Oncology in Rabat, Morocco. Median age was 62 years and median time for consultation 28 months. The main clinical complaint was a mass beneath the areola in 93, 5% of the cases. Most patients have an advanced disease. Ninety-one percent of tumors were ductal carcinomas. Management consisted especially of radical mastectomy; followed by adjuvant radiotherapy and hormonal therapy with or without chemotherapy. The median of follow-up was 30 months. The evolution has been characterized by local recurrence; in twenty two cases (17% of all patients). Metastasis occurred in 41 cases (32% of all patients). The site of metastasis was the bone in twenty cases; lung in twelve cases; liver in seven case; liver and skin in one case and pleura and skin in one case. Conclusion: Male breast cancer has many similarities to breast cancer in women, but there are distinct features that should be appreciated. Future research for better understanding of this disease at national or international level are needed to improve the management and prognosis of male patients

Phenotypic features and genetic characterization of male breast cancer families: identification of two recurrent BRCA2 mutations in north-east of Italy

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer in men is an infrequent occurrence, accounting for ~1% of all breast tumors with an incidence of about 1:100,000. The relative rarity of male breast cancer (MBC) limits our understanding of the epidemiologic, genetic and clinical features of this tumor. METHODS: From 1997 to 2003, 10 MBC patients were referred to our Institute for genetic counselling and BRCA1/2 testing. Here we report on the genetic and phenotypic characterization of 10 families with MBC from the North East of Italy. In particular, we wished to assess the occurrence of specific cancer types in relatives of MBC probands in families with and without BRCA2 predisposing mutations. Moreover, families with recurrent BRCA2 mutations were also characterized by haplotype analysis using 5 BRCA2-linked dinucleotide repeat markers and 8 intragenic BRCA2 polymorphisms. RESULTS: Two pathogenic mutations in the BRCA2 gene were observed: the 9106C>T (Q2960X) and the IVS16-2A>G (splicing) mutations, each in 2 cases. A BRCA1 mutation of uncertain significance 4590C>G (P1491A) was also observed. In families with BRCA2 mutations, female breast cancer was more frequent in the first and second-degree relatives compared to the families with wild type BRCA1/2 (31.9% vs. 8.0% p = 0.001). Reconstruction of the chromosome phasing in three families and the analysis of three isolated cases with the IVS16-2A>G BRCA2 mutation identified the same haplotype associated with MBC, supporting the possibility that this founder mutation previously detected in Slovenian families is also present in the North East of our Country. Moreover, analysis of one family with the 9106C>T BRCA2 mutation allowed the identification of common haplotypes for both microsatellite and intragenic polymorphisms segregating with the mutation. Three isolated cases with the same mutation shared the same intragenic polymorphisms and three 5' microsatellite markers, but showed a different haplotype for 3' markers, which were common to all three cases. CONCLUSION: The 9106C>T and the IVS16-2A>G mutations constitute recurrent BRCA2 mutations in MBC cases from the North-East of Italy and may be associated with a founder effect. Knowledge of these two recurrent BRCA2 mutations predisposing to MBC may facilitate the analyses aimed at the identification of mutation carriers in our geographic area

Influencia de la densidad de plantación sobre el comportamiento del olivo ‘Arbequina’

The hedgerow orchard type is being increasingly used with the olive although not much information is still available about its suitability to this species. The objective of this study was to assess the influence of planting density (312, 416, 625 and 1,250 trees ha-1) on vigour and productive characteristics of ‘Arbequina’ olive trees planted in 2003. Significant linear regressions have been observed between planting density and tree width, trunk cross section area and canopy volume. Increasing planting density showed positive linear correlation (R2=0.63) with canopy volume per hectare. There was a negative correlation between planting density and production per tree in the five first crops, but it was positive with production per hectare both in olive and olive oil production with coefficients of determination ranging from 0.16 to 0.43 and from 0.28 to 0.46, respectively. A significant linear regression (R2= 0.31 and 0.48) was found between planting density and fruit size on two of the studied cropping years. Our results have not allowed establishing any relationship between planting density and fruit oil content. Finally, the studied densities did not affect the oil fatty acid composition. The production increase observed at the highest tried density is linked to the increase in canopy volume per hectare, but these results should be checked at later stages of tree development, as this study covers only until the fifth harvested crop.El cultivo en seto está siendo cada vez más usado en olivo aunque todavía no hay demasiada información acerca de su idoneidad para esta especie. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar el efecto de la densidad de plantación (312, 416, 625 y 1.250 árboles ha-1) sobre las características de vigor y productivas de árboles de ‘Arbequina’ plantados en 2003. Se han observado regresiones significativas entre la densidad de plantación y la anchura del árbol, el área de su sección de tronco y su volumen de copa. La densidad de plantación ha mostrado una relación lineal positiva (R2= 0,63) con el volumen de copa por hectárea. Hubo una correlación negativa entre la densidad de plantación y la producción por árbol de los cinco primeros años, pero fue positiva con la producción por hectárea, tanto de aceituna como de aceite, con coeficientes de determinación que variaron entre 0,16 y 0,43 y entre 0,28 y 0,46, respectivamente. Se encontró una regresión significativa (R2= 0,31 y 0,48) entre la densidad de plantación y el tamaño de los frutos en dos de las cosechas estudiadas. Nuestros resultados no han permitido establecer ninguna relación entre la densidad de plantación y el contenido en aceite del fruto. Finalmente, las densidades de plantación empleadas no afectaron a la composición acídica del aceite. El aumento de producción observado a las mayores densidades de plantación está asociado al incremento de volumen de copa por hectárea, pero estos resultados deben ser confirmados con árboles de mayor desarrollo, puesto que este estudio solo llega hasta la quinta cosecha recolectada

Adaptación de cultivares de olivo a plantaciones de alta densidad

A new olive orchard type, based on high-density planting, was introduced in Tunisia in 2000 by some investors, using mainly ‘Arbequina’, the most utilized cultivar up to that time in Spain and in some other countries. Limited cultivar choice is in fact considered one of the main inconvenients for using high planting densities in olive. Therefore, a comparative trial was set up in 2003 to evaluate the suitability of four olive cultivars (‘Arbosana’, ‘Arbequina i-18’, ‘Chemlali’ and ‘Chetoui’) to a planting density of 1250 trees ha–1. The results showed that the local cultivars ‘Chemlali’ and ‘Chetoui’ were more vigorous than ‘Arbosana’. However, ‘Arbosana’ and ‘Arbequina i-18’ presented the highest fruit yield in comparison to the local ones. Furthermore, ‘Arbosana’ showed the highest accumulated fruit yield after the first five harvests and the highest crop efficiency (0.56-1.52 kg m–3 of tree canopy). Also, ‘Arbosana’ and ‘Arbequina i-18’ presented the lowest alternate bearing indexes (0.38 and 0.44, respectively) during that period of time. Significant differences among cultivars for oil content and fatty acid composition were observed. The oleic acid content was high in ‘Arbosana’ and ‘Chetoui’ (69.4-66.7%) and intermediate to low in ‘Arbequina-i18’ and ‘Chemlali’ (64.9-56.1%). The high vigour and low production of the studied Tunisian cultivars show that it is not advisable to use them in high-density orchards. ‘Arbosana’ was the most adapted cultivar to this new planting density system in this trial.Un nuevo tipo de olivar, en alta densidad, fue introducido en Túnez en el año 2000. El cultivar estándar en estas plantaciones fue ‘Arbequina’, el más utilizado hasta ese momento en España y otros países. Una de las principales limitaciones para el uso de altas densidades de cultivo en olivo es la escasa disponibilidad de cultivares de bajo vigor. Por ello, se estableció un ensayo en 2003 para evaluar la adaptación de cuatro cultivares (‘Arbosana’, ‘Arbequina i-18’, ‘Chemlali’ y ‘Chetoui’) a una densidad de plantación de 1250 árboles ha–1. Los resultados obtenidos mostraron que los cultivares tunecinos ‘Chemlali’ y ‘Chetoui’ son más vigorosos que ‘Arbosana’. Sin embargo, ‘Arbosana’ y ‘Arbequina i-18’ presentaron la mayor producción de aceitunas en comparación con los tunecinos. ‘Arbosana’ mostró la mayor producción acumulada de aceitunas después de las primeras cinco cosechas y la mayor eficiencia productiva (0,56-1,52 kg m–3 de copa). Además, ‘Arbosana’ y ‘Arbequina i-18’ presentaron los menores índices de alternancia (0,38 and 0,44, respectivamente) durante ese período de tiempo. Se observaron también diferencias significativas entre los cultivares estudiados con respeto al contenido y la composición acídica de aceite. El contenido en ácido oleico fue alto en ‘Arbosana’ y ‘Chetoui’ (69,4-66,7%) e intermedio-bajo en ‘Arbequina i-18’ y ‘Chemlali’ (64,9-56,1%). El alto vigor y baja producción de los cultivares tunecinos estudiados muestran que no es recomendable utilizarlos en plantaciones de alta densidad. ‘Arbosana’ ha sido el cultivar mejor adaptado a la densidad de plantación utilizada en este ensayo

Dynamics of Plasmodium falciparum gametocyte carriage in pregnant women under intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine in Benin

Background: In sub-Saharan Africa, malaria is a major cause of morbidity and mortality, in particular in children and pregnant women. During pregnancy, Plasmodium falciparum infected red blood cells expressing VAR2CSA are selected from circulation by selective cytoadherence to chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan receptors expressed in the placenta, leading to an increased susceptibility to malaria, long-lasting infections and poor pregnancy outcome. Partly because of these long-lasting infections, women were reported to have a higher density of gametocytes in their peripheral blood, and are considered as a potential reservoir for malaria transmission. To improve pregnancy outcome in areas of high malaria transmission, The WHO recommends intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP) during antenatal care visits. The effect of IPTp-SP on gametocyte carriage in infected pregnant women was studied. Methods: The levels of transcription of three gametocytes stage-specific genes Pfs16 (expressed by sexually-committed ring stage parasites and fully matured gametocytes), Pfs25 (expressed by female mature gametocytes) and Pfs230 (expressed by male mature gametocytes) were assessed by real-time PCR in 50 P. falciparum infected women at early pregnancy (before implementation of IPTp-SP), and in 50 infected women at delivery. Sex ratios of male and female gametocytes were determined in these women to assess the effect of IPTp-SP on the gametocyte populations. Results: The data show that the three transcript types specific to Pfs16, Pfs25 and Pfs230 were detected in all samples, both at inclusion and delivery. Levels of Pfs25 and Pfs230 transcripts were higher at delivery than at inclusion (p = 0.042 and p = 0.003), while the opposite was observed for Pfs16 (p = 0.048). The ratio of male/female gametocyte transcript levels was higher at delivery than at inclusion (p = 0.018). Since a mixed gender late stage gametocyte culture was used as a positive control, male and female gametocytes could not be quantified in an absolute way in the samples. However, the amplification reliability of the Pfs25 and Pfs230 markers in the samples could be checked. A relative quantity of each type of Pfs transcript was, therefore, used to calculate the sex ratio proxy. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that IPTp-SP treatment contributes to modify the parasite populations' structure during pregnancy. In line with previous studies, we suggest that the continued use of SP in pregnant women as IPTp, despite having a beneficial effect on the pregnancy outcome, could be a risk factor for increased transmission. This reinforces the need for an alternative to the SP drug for malaria prevention during pregnancy

Planting density affects vigour and production of �Arbequina� olive

The hedgerow orchard type is being increasingly used with the olive although not much information is still available about its suitability to this species. The objective of this study was to assess the influence of planting density (312, 416, 625 and 1,250 trees ha-1) on vigour and productive characteristics of �Arbequina� olive trees planted in 2003. Significant linear regressions have been observed between planting density and tree width, trunk cross section area and canopy volume. Increasing planting density showed positive linear correlation (R2=0.63) with canopy volume per hectare. There was a negative correlation between planting density and production per tree in the five first crops, but it was positive with production per hectare both in olive and olive oil production with coefficients of determination ranging from 0.16 to 0.43 and from 0.28 to 0.46, respectively. A significant linear regression (R2= 0.31 and 0.48) was found between planting density and fruit size on two of the studied cropping years. Our results have not allowed establishing any relationship between planting density and fruit oil content. Finally, the studied densities did not affect the oil fatty acid composition. The production increase observed at the highest tried density is linked to the increase in canopy volume per hectare, but these results should be checked at later stages of tree development, as this study covers only until the fifth harvested crop

Olive cultivars suitability for high-density orchards

A new olive orchard type, based on high-density planting, was introduced in Tunisia in 2000 by some investors, using mainly �Arbequina�, the most utilized cultivar up to that time in Spain and in some other countries. Limited cultivar choice is in fact considered one of the main inconvenients for using high planting densities in olive. Therefore, a comparative trial was set up in 2003 to evaluate the suitability of four olive cultivars (�Arbosana�, �Arbequina i-18�, �Chemlali� and �Chetoui�) to a planting density of 1250 trees ha�1. The results showed that the local cultivars �Chemlali� and �Chetoui� were more vigorous than �Arbosana�. However, �Arbosana� and �Arbequina i-18� presented the highest fruit yield in comparison to the local ones. Furthermore, �Arbosana� showed the highest accumulated fruit yield after the first five harvests and the highest crop efficiency (0.56-1.52 kg m�3 of tree canopy). Also, �Arbosana� and �Arbequina i-18� presented the lowest alternate bearing indexes (0.38 and 0.44, respectively) during that period of time. Significant differences among cultivars for oil content and fatty acid composition were observed. The oleic acid content was high in �Arbosana� and �Chetoui� (69.4-66.7%) and intermediate to low in �Arbequina-i18� and �Chemlali� (64.9-56.1%). The high vigour and low production of the studied Tunisian cultivars show that it is not advisable to use them in high-density orchards. �Arbosana� was the most adapted cultivar to this new planting density system in this trial