Comparison of four methods to assess high-on platelet reactivity under P2Y12 receptor inhibitor

P2Y12 receptor inhibitors are antiplatelet agents commonly prescribed in the treatment of coronary artery disease. Their efficacy can be limited by high on-treatment platelet reactivity (HPR), which can be evaluated by different biological assays. Most commonly, HPR is evaluated by flow cytometric vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein-phosphorylation (VASP-P) assay, which can be time consuming. To evaluate the potential interest of novel technologies, we compared four different assays. Ninety patients receiving P2Y12 inhibitors were included. Four technologies were evaluated: the current standard test measuring VASP-P by flow cytometry, the historical reference test based on light transmittance aggregation (LTA), and two relatively novel techniques: whole blood multiple electrode aggregometry (MEA) and platelet function analyzer (PFA), which are less time consuming. The three latter tests were compared with the VASP-P assay as a reference using receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis: LTA has an excellent comparability with the VASP test (ROC AUC > 0.9); the other two tests (multiplate and PFA) have only satisfactory comparability (ROC AUC around 0.7) and therefore may not replace the VASP "gold standard" test, if importance is attached to a quantitative assessment of the substitution parameter of VASP. Nevertheless, if a binary approach of the anti-aggregation result is sought, then one can conclude that the three tests are equivalent since Cohen\u27s kappa coefficients are very close for the three tests (k = 0.548 for LTA; k = 0.554 for MEA; k = 0.570 for PFA/P2Y), and a similar proportion of patients are misclassified (15% for LTA, 14% for MEA, and 13.6% for PFA). Discriminant factor analysis using all the parameters provided by each test did not improve the diagnostic performance of MEA or PFA. In conclusion, only LTA shows a good comparability to the VASP assay using ROC curve analysis, probably because misclassified patients have results close to the cutoff values. All three tests have moderate agreement regarding the classification of patients as responders to P2Y12 inhibition

High-temperature oxidation evaluation usingcrystal microbalance

High-temperature oxidising environments are frequently encountered but the limited number of in situ techniques that can be implemented has hindered the monitoring possibilities and a better comprehension of the oxidation phenomenon. In this paper, the high-temperature oxidation behaviours of three alloys (AISI 316L, AISI 310 and HAYNES\uae HR-120\uae) were studied by using crystal microbalances. Two types of crystal were tested: quartz or gallium orthophosphate crystals. First the behaviour of thin sputtered deposited alloys on quartz slides was studied at 400 and 700\ub0C under air oxidising conditions and compared to bulk samples. Kinetics measurements were performed on the three alloy films deposited on the resonators at 400 or 700\ub0C: it was possible to measure very small mass variations associated with thin oxide formation between 5 and 180 nm of thickness. The crystal microbalance technique gives promising perspectives in understanding the high-temperature corrosion and scaling mechanisms and also for in situ monitoring

Setting tools for the early assessment of the quality of thawed Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) D-larvae

International audienceParameters used to assess the survival of larvae after cryopreservation generally misestimate the damages that prevent larval development. The objectives of the present study were to 1) define the reliability of the survival rate, assessed at 2 and 7 days post fertilization, to estimate Pacific oyster larval quality after thawing, and 2) select complementary tools allowing an early and reliable estimation of their quality. Oyster larvae were reared for 25 h after fertilization at 19 °C and cryopreserved at early D-stage. Then, thawed larvae were incubated in 2-L beakers. At 2 days post fertilization, the survival rate of thawed Pacific oyster larvae was lower than that of fresh larvae for only one experiment (Experiment 3) among the four identical experiments carried out in this work (Experiments 1-4). By contrast, the survival of thawed larvae, as assessed 7 days after fertilization, was lower than that of fresh larvae for the four experiments. These results confirm that the quality of thawed larvae is lower than that of fresh larvae and that the survival rate, estimated 2 days post fertilization, is not adapted to a reliable estimation of the subsequent development ability of thawed larvae. Then, complementary parameters were tested at 2 days: the movement characteristics (Experiments 1 and 2) and the morphologic features (Experiments 3 and 4) of thawed larvae. Compared to values observed on fresh larvae, the percentage of thawed motile larvae was different for only one experiment (Experiment 2) of the two. Compared to control, a reduced Average Path Velocity (VAP) of larvae (determined at the D-larval stage using a CASA-Computer Assisted Sperm Analysis-system) was observed after thawing for both experiments (Experiments 1 and 2), suggesting the ability of larval movement velocity to assess the decrease of the quality of thawed oyster larvae. Using an ASMA (Automated Sperm Morphology Analysis) device, a lower area of thawed larvae was observed, compared to control and for the two experiments (Experiments 3 and 4). By contrast, the Crofton perimeter of thawed larvae was lower than that of control larvae for only one experiment (Experiment 3) and no significant difference of circularity between fresh and thawed larvae was recorded for Experiments 3 and 4. In conclusion, changes in the movement velocity (assessed by CASA) and in the area (measured by ASMA) of D-larvae allow an early and reliable estimation of the quality of thawed Pacific oyster larvae

ALIDISSI, a Research Program to Evaluate Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy as a SoC and SoH Diagnosis Tool for Li-ion Batteries

International audienceALIDISSI is a French research project aiming at evaluating Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) as a diagnosis tool for Li-ion batteries to be used in future Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV) and on-grid photovoltaic (PV) systems. This paper describes the project methodology. A review of ageing mechanisms in lithium-ion batteries is proposed first to point out the main processes reported in the literature and their related accelerating factors. The accelerating ageing profiles developed in this project to accelerate ageing in lithium-ion batteries are described next for both applications. Preliminary results obtained on 3-electrode prototype pouch cells made with traditional electrode couple like LiNiCoAlO2/LiC6 and a promising electrode couple (LiFePO4/Li4Ti5O12) are also presented in the last part of this work

ALIDISSI, a Research Program to Evaluate Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy as a SoC and SoH Diagnosis Tool for Li-ion Batteries ALIDISSI, un programme de recherche destiné à évaluer la spectroscopie d’impédance électrochimique comme outil de détermination de l’état de charge et de l’état de santé des batteries lithium-ion

ALIDISSI is a French research project aiming at evaluating Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) as a diagnosis tool for Li-ion batteries to be used in future Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV) and on-grid photovoltaic (PV) systems. This paper describes the project methodology. A review of ageing mechanisms in lithium-ion batteries is proposed first to point out the main processes reported in the literature and their related accelerating factors. The accelerating ageing profiles developed in this project to accelerate ageing in lithium-ion batteries are described next for both applications. Preliminary results obtained on 3-electrode prototype pouch cells made with traditional electrode couple like LiNiCoAlO2/LiC6 and a promising electrode couple (LiFePO4/Li4Ti5O12) are also presented in the last part of this work. ALIDISSI est un projet de recherche français dont l’objectif est d’évaluer l’utilité de la Spectroscopie d’Impédance Électrochimique (SIE) comme outil de diagnostic pour les batteries Li-ion. Cet outil pourra être utilisé pour le diagnostic des batteries de véhicules hybrides et des systèmes de stockage de l’énergie d’origine photovoltaïque. Cet article a pour objectif de présenter le projet ALIDISSI. Il décrit la méthodologie mise en place et les procédures originales définies pour accélérer le vieillissement d’éléments de batteries Li-ion. Les profils de vieillissement ont été définis pour être représentatifs de l’application et font suite à une étude bibliographique des mécanismes de vieillissement et des facteurs influençant le vieillissement. Les premiers résultats d’impédance obtenus à partir d’un couple d’électrodes conventionnel (LiNiCoAlO2/graphite) et d’un couple émergent (LiFePO4/Li4Ti5O12) sont présentés ici. Ils ont été obtenus sur des éléments prototypes ensachés de petite capacité incluant une électrode de référence

Influence of one selected Tisochrysis lutea strain rich in lipids on Crassostrea gigas larval development and biochemical composition

Effects of a remarkably high overall lipid Tisochrysis lutea strain (T+) upon gross biochemical composition, fatty acid (FA), sterol and lipid class composition of Crassostrea gigas larvae were evaluated and compared with a normal strain of Tisochrysis lutea (T) and the diatom Chaetoceros neogracile (Cg). In a first experiment, the influence of different single diets (T, T+ and Cg) and a bispecific diet (TCg) was studied, whereas, effects of monospecific diets (T and T+) and bispecific diets (TCg and T+Cg) were evaluated in a second experiment. The strain T+ was very rich in triglycerides (TAG: 93–95% of total neutral lipids), saturated FA (45%), monounsaturated FA (31–33%) and total fatty acids (4.0–4.7 pg cell−1). Larval oyster survival and growth rate were positively correlated with 18:1n-7 and 20:1n-7, in storage lipids (SL), and negatively related to 14:0, 18:1n-9, 20:1n-9, 20:4n-6 and trans-22-dehydrocholesterol in membrane lipids (ML). Surprisingly, only the essential fatty acid 20:5n-3 in SL was correlated positively with larval survival. Correlations suggest that physiological disruption by overabundance of TAG, FFA and certain fatty acids in larvae fed T+ was largely responsible for the poor performance of these larvae. ‘High-lipid’ strains of microalgae, without regard to qualitative lipid composition, do not always improve bivalve larval performance

Soft power, global governance of cultural industries and rising powers: the case of China

peer reviewedThis article addresses the importance of cultural industries for the strengthening of the soft power of the rising powers and it seeks to understand how the cultural industries allow rising powers to shape the structures of their international environment. More specifically, studying the cases of People’s Republic of China and of the movie industry, my article focuses on the current evolution of the relationship between the Chinese authorities and the film industry, as well as on the development of the domestic film market. I further aim to draw up an inventory of China’s role within the global governance of cultural industries. Finally, I aim to highlight the global cultural competition that China faces, emphasizing the practices of the US administration and Hollywood. I argue that even if China is the current centre of gravity within the world economy, it still has a long way to go in order to shape the distribution of resources within the global governance of cultural industries and to play a crucial role in the international battle of cultural symbols