Long-term outcome of severe herpes simplex encephalitis: a population-based observational study

Literature review for adult case reports and series of patients undergoing decompressive hemicraniectomy for severe herpes simplex encephalitis. (PDF 57 kb

Dempster-Shafer's Basic Probability Assignment Based on Fuzzy Membership Functions

In this paper, an image segmentation method based on Dempster-Shafer evidence theory is proposed. Basic probability assignment (bpa) is estimated in unsupervised way using pixels fuzzy membership degrees derived from image histogram. No assumption is made about the images data distribution. bpa is estimated at pixel level. The effectiveness of the method is demonstrated on synthetic and real images

Rare gas systematics on Lucky Strike basalts (37°N, North Atlantic): Evidence for efficient homogenization in a long-lived magma chamber system?

International audienceWe present rare gas data in fresh glasses from the Lucky Strike segment located on the Mid Atlantic Ridge (∼37.3°N), close to the Azores plateau. We analyzed the helium and neon isotopes in 28 samples by melting as well as He‐Ne‐Ar‐Kr‐Xe isotopes in 9 samples by crushing. Samples were collected during the Graviluck06, MOMAR08, and Bathyluck09 cruises over a ridge length of ∼13 km (mean sample spacing of ∼500 m), and at depths ranging from 1550 m to 2174 m. The helium isotopic ratio varies between 84,410 and 88,235 (R/Ra between 8.19 and 8.56). The samples having the “most” primitive helium isotopic ratio are the enriched samples (e.g. high K2O/TiO2) although the difference to the depleted samples is small. It appears that all of our samples derive from the same and well‐homogenized magma chamber. Neon isotopes clearly show the influence of the Azores hotspot, which is not seen with helium because of lower 3He/22Ne in the plume source compared to the MORB source

Tectonic Regime as a Control Factor for Crustal Fault Zone (CFZ) Geothermal Reservoir in an Amagmatic System: A 3D Dynamic Numerical Modeling Approach

Crustal fault zones provide interesting geological targets for high-temperature geothermal energy source in naturally deep-fractured basement areas. Field and laboratory studies have shown the ability of these systems to let fluid flow down to the brittle–ductile transition. However, several key questions about exploration still exist, in particular the fundamental effect of tectonic regimes on fluid flow in fractured basement domains. Based on poro-elasticity assumption, we considered an idealized 3D geometry and realistic physical properties. We examined a model with no tectonic regime (benchmark experiment) and a model with different tectonic regimes, namely a compressional, an extensional and a strike-slip tectonic regime. Compared to the benchmark experiment, the results demonstrate that different tectonic regimes cause pressure changes in the fault/basement system. The tectonic-induced pressure changes affect convective patterns, onset of convection as well as the spatial extent of thermal plumes and the intensity of temperature anomalies. Driven by poro-elastic forces, temperature anomalies around vertical faults in a strike-slip tectonic regime have a spatial extent that should be considered in preliminary exploratory phases

Peptide Fractions Obtained from Rice By- Products by Means of an Environment- Friendly Process Show In Vitro Health-Related Bioactivities

Recently, the isolation of new health-related bioactive molecules derived from agro-food industrial by-products by means of environment-friendly extraction processes has become of particular interest. In the present study, a protein by-product from the rice starch industry was hydrolysed with five commercial proteolytic enzymes, avoiding the use of solvents or chemicals. The digestion processes were optimised, and the digestates were separated in fractions with four different molecular weight ranges by using a cross-flow membrane filtration technique. Total hydrolysates and fractions were tested in vitro for a wide range of biological activities. For the first time rice-derived peptides were assayed for anti-tyrosinase, anti-inflammatory, cytotoxicity and irritation capacities. Antioxidant and anti-hypertensive activities were also evaluated. Protamex, Alcalase and Neutrase treatments produced peptide fractions with valuable bioactivities without resulting cytotoxic or irritant. Highest levels of bioactivity were detected in Protamex-derived samples, followed by samples treated with Alcalase. Based on the present results, a future direct exploitation of isolated peptide fractions in the nutraceutical, functional food and cosmetic industrial fields may be foreseen

Advancing the Contour Method for the Measurement of Residual Stress in Unbalanced Asymmetric CFRP Laminate

Residual stresses are inevitably generated in composites during the curing phase of manufacture, where cooling from high cure temperature to room temperature is accompanied by constrained shrinkage. The high cure temperature represents a stress free state owing to the viscous nature of the matrix. Due to their inherent anisotropic and heterogeneous nature, both fibre and matrix constituents contract and expand differently leading to constraint induced differences in strains between fibre and matrix at the micro-scale and between plies having different fibre orientations at the macro-scale. The resulting residual stresses are directly associated with dimensional stability such as warpage, shape distortion and the structural integrity of composite structures (e.g matrix cracking, reduced fibre-matrix bondage and delamination). Therefore, knowledge and accurate characterisation of residual stress is imperative for optimising the design and structural integrity of polymer composites. Up until now, numerous analytical, computational and experimental methods have been developed to characterise residual stresses in polymer composites. However for analytical models, knowledge of anisotropic viscoelastic behaviour of materials involves extensive characterisation in order to capture complex thermo-chemo-rheological properties [1]. Numerical models get computationally expensive when internal state variables such as cure and temperature dependent viscoelasticity, mechanical properties and chemical shrinkage of resin are considered to simulate the entire complicated curing cycle. Furthermore, composites may also undergo temperature and moisture changes during and after the manufacturing process inducing hygrothermal residual stress; but these parameters cannot be readily predicted in numerical or analytical models. In addition, the reliability of the numerical and analytical solutions are highly dependent on the quality of input data. Experimental measurements offer an alternative solution for developing a quantitative understanding of the sign, magnitude and distribution of residual stresses. But there is no consensus regarding what experimental method to use for measuring bulk (through-thickness) residual stress in polymer composites. The present PhD research will investigate the viability of using the Contour Method for measuring residual stress in polymer composites. The contour method is a powerful measurement technique that provides two-dimensional (2D) map of residual stress in engineering components [2]. It involves sectioning the component in two halves along the plane of interest, measuring the deformation of the created cut surfaces and use the measured deformations to back calculate residual stresses by an elastic stress analysis. Traditionally, the contour method has been solely applied to metallic structures. The challenge to address in this research is to expand its applications to non-metallic materials such as composites

Kallikrein-related peptidase 5 contributes to H3N2 influenza virus infection in human lungs

Hemagglutinin (HA) of influenza virus must be activated by proteolysis before the virus can become infectious. Previous studies indicated that HA cleavage is driven by membrane-bound or extracellular serine proteases in the respiratory tract. However, there is still uncertainty as to which proteases are critical for activating HAs of seasonal influenza A viruses (IAVs) in humans. This study focuses on human KLK1 and KLK5, 2 of the 15 serine proteases known as the kallikrein-related peptidases (KLKs). We find that their mRNA expression in primary human bronchial cells is stimulated by IAV infection. Both enzymes cleaved recombinant HA from several strains of the H1 and/or H3 virus subtype in vitro, but only KLK5 promoted the infectivity of A/Puerto Rico/8/34 (H1N1) and A/Scotland/20/74 (H3N2) virions in MDCK cells. We assessed the ability of treated viruses to initiate influenza in mice. The nasal instillation of only the KLK5-treated virus resulted in weight loss and lethal outcomes. The secretion of this protease in the human lower respiratory tract is enhanced during influenza. Moreover, we show that pretreatment of airway secretions with a KLK5-selective inhibitor significantly reduced the activation of influenza A/Scotland/20/74 virions, providing further evidence of its importance. Differently, increased KLK1 secretion appeared to be associated with the recruitment of inflammatory cells in human airways regardless of the origin of inflammation. Thus, our findings point to the involvement of KLK5 in the proteolytic activation and spread of seasonal influenza viruses in humans

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements