Measurement of the perceived quality of a product - Characterization of aesthetic anomalies.

For some companies, visual inspection has become an essential step when seeking to improve the quality of their products. The aim of this control is to be sure of the perceived quality of the product, which often goes well beyond the quality expected by the customer. For this type of control, the controller should be able to detect any anomaly on a product, characterize this anomaly, and then evaluate it in order to decide if the product should be accepted or rejected. This paper describes how this characterization can be carried out and, more specifically, how to measure the impact of the local environment of an anomaly on the perceived quality of the product

Mitoxantrone Therapy for Acute Posterior Multifocal Placoid Pigment Epitheliopathy with Cerebral Vasculitis

Purpose. To report favorable outcome of a case of acute posterior multifocal placoid pigment epitheliopathy (APMPPE) associated with cerebral vasculitis after treatment with immunosuppressive therapy by mitoxantrone. Design. Single case report. Method. A 22-year-old man presented with acute isolated bilateral loss of vision revealing APMPPE. Corticosteroid therapy was initiated and visual acuity gradually improved. Seventeen days later, visual function deteriorated again, associated with flu-like syndrome and severe headaches. A relapse of APMPPE was diagnosed, complicated with lymphocytic meningitis and cerebral ischemia. Intravenous therapy with mitoxantrone was performed in combination with methylprednisolone. Results. Headaches disappeared in a few days whereas visual acuity gradually improved and stabilized at 20/40 in the right eye and 20/32 in the left eye. No adverse event was observed. Clinical improvement was confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging. Conclusion. Cerebral vasculitis is the most severe complication of the extraocular manifestations of APMPEE. This diagnosis should be evoked when severe headaches or behavior disorder are associated with APMPEE

Micropaleontology and chemostratigraphy of the Neoproterozoic Mbuji-Mayi Supergroup, Democratic Republic of Congo.

peer reviewe

New geochronological history of the Mbuji-Mayi Supergroup (Proterozoic, DRC) through U-Pb and Sm-Nd dating

peer reviewe

How to date a sedimentary serie: Different approaches to better constrain the diversification of early eukaryotes in Central Africa (Mbuji-Mayi Supergroup, Proterozoic, DRCongo)

Peer reviewe

Intermediate-term results after en bloc double-lung transplantation with bronchial arterial revascularization

AbstractObjective: Between May 1990 and January 1994, 18 patients underwent en bloc double-lung transplantation with tracheal anastomosis and bronchial arterial revascularization. Because at that time it was already suggested that chronic ischemia could be a contributing factor in occurrence of obliterative bronchiolitis, the purpose of this study was to evaluate, with a follow-up ranging from 22 to 69 months, the midterm effects of bronchial arterial revascularization on development of obliterative bronchiolitis. Results: Results were assessed according to tracheal healing, functional results, rejection, infection, and incidence of obliterative bronchiolitis. There were no intraoperative deaths or reexplorations for bleeding related to bronchial arterial revascularization, but there were three hospital deaths and five late deaths, two of them related to obliterative bronchiolitis. According to the criteria previously defined, tracheal healing was assessed as grade I, IIa, or IIb in 17 patients and grade IIIa in only one patient. Early angiography (postoperative days 20 to 40) demonstrated a patent graft in 11 of the 14 patients in whom follow-up information was obtained. Ten patients are currently alive with a 43-month mean follow-up. Among the 15 patients surviving more than 1 year, functional results have been excellent except in five in whom obliterative bronchiolitis has developed and who had an early or late graft thrombosis. Furthermore, those patients had a significantly higher incidence of late acute rejection (p < 0.02), cytomegalovirus disease (p < 0.006), and bronchitis episodes (p < 0.0008) than patients free from obliterative bronchiolitis. Conclusion: We conclude that besides its immediate beneficial effect on tracheal healing, long-lasting revascularization was, at least in this small series, associated with an absence of obliterative bronchiolitis, thus suggesting but not yet proving the possible role of chronic ischemia in this multifactorial disease. (J THORAC CARDIOVASC SURG 1996;112:1292-300

Maîtrise de la qualité visuelle des produits - Formalisation du processus d'expertise et proposition d'une approche robuste de contrôle visuel humain

L'apparence d'un produit joue un rôle important dans la perception de sa qualité par le client. Au-delà des fonctionnalités qu'il doit remplir, un produit doit désormais avoir un aspect irréprochable. Il n'y a cependant pas de surface parfaite car, à un niveau de grossissement donné, un écart par rapport à une surface idéale peut toujours être identifié. Pour détecter cet écart et évaluer son impact sur la qualité perçue du produit, les entreprises mettent généralement en place un contrôle visuel d'aspect de surface de leurs produits. Une première thèse a été réalisée au Laboratoire SYMME afin de proposer une méthodologie permettant de réduire la variabilité généralement observée sur les résultats de ce type de contrôle. Nos travaux se situent dans la continuité de ces travaux avec l'objectif de proposer des méthodes et des outils pour la maîtrise des trois étapes d'un contrôle visuel d'aspect : exploration, évaluation et décision. Le projet de thèse réalisé dans le cadre d'un programme européen de recherche INTERREG IV réunissait différentes Universités et Entreprises. Les pratiques des entreprises partenaires ont procurés un terrain d'expérimentation des recherches proposées. Partant de cette observation, nous avons proposé une conceptualisation du contrôle visuel humain débouchant sur des propositions de méthodes et outils adaptés aux trois étapes. Ces propositions ont été testées dans les entreprises partenaires pour vérifier leur robustesse à la variété des situations industriels. Nous avons par exemple proposé un nouveau test R2&E2 Conformité qui mesure la variabilité d'un contrôle visuel et contribue à l'identification des sources possibles de cette variabilité. Outre cette conceptualisation pour la création d'outils, nous listons un ensemble de recommandations à suivre par les entreprises pour une meilleure exploration des anomalies. Nous proposons également un ensemble d'attributs sensoriels permettant de caractériser, en vue de l'évaluer, toute anomalie d'aspect. Enfin, nous montrons comment, en formalisant le processus d'expertise, un contrôleur peut évaluer une anomalie d'aspect et juger de son impact sur la qualité perçue du produit.The product appearance plays an important role in the perception of quality by the customer. Beyond the features that must be satisfied, now a product must have a flawless appearance. However, there is no perfect surface, because a given level of magnification, a deviation from an ideal surface can always be identified. To detect this deviation and assess its impact on perceived product quality, companies usually set up a visual inspection of the surface appearance of their products. A first PhD thesis was carried out at the Laboratoire SYMME to propose a methodology to reduce the variability generally observed on the results of this type of inspection. Our work is in the continuity of this thesis with the aim to propose methods and tools for the control of three stages of visual inspection of surface appearance: exploration, evaluation and decision. The thesis project carried out under of a European research program INTERREG IV brought together different Universities and Companies. The practices of corporate partners have brought a testing field for the proposed researches. Based on this observation, we proposed a conceptualization of human visual inspection leading to proposals for methods and tools adapted to the three stages. These proposals were tested in the partner companies to verify their robustness to a variety of industrial situations. For example, we proposed a new test R2&E2 Compliance which measures the variability of a visual inspection and helps to identify possible sources of this variability. In addition to this conceptualization for the development of tools, we list a set of recommendations to be followed by companies for a better exploration of anomalies. We also propose a set of sensory attributes to characterize, with a view to evaluate any anomaly appearance. Finally, we show how to formalize the expertise process, a controller can evaluate an anomaly appearance and judge its impact on the perceived quality of the product.SAVOIE-SCD - Bib.électronique (730659901) / SudocGRENOBLE1/INP-Bib.électronique (384210012) / SudocGRENOBLE2/3-Bib.électronique (384219901) / SudocSudocFranceF

Analyse De La Variabilite Hydroclimatique Et Impacts Des Barrages Sur Le Regime Hydrologique D’une Riviere De Zone Semi-Aride : Le Sebou Au Maroc

The analysis and characterization of hydroclimatic variability over a long period of time is fundamental for understanding the impacts of climate change and vulnerability of hydrological regimes. The present work is a study of the spatial and temporal variability of the climatic and hydrological series in the Sebou river basin (Morocco) over the past sixty years using Hanning low-pass filter of second order and statistical tests of stationarity of climate and hydrological time series. These statistic testing methods were applied to analyze the spatial and temporal evolution to the hydroclimatologic data of the AzibEsSoltane, M'jara and MechraBelKsiri hydrometric stations, which are, respectively, located in the Middle Sebou, the Ouerrha Tributary of the Sebou and the Low Sebou. This analysis shows that climate variability has resulted particularly in strong interannual fluctuations in rainfall reflected by a succession of dry and wet periods between 1939 and 1979 and a general decrease in precipitation since 1980. The Water flow time series analysis are marked by ruptures detected mainly between 1972 and 1978 reflecting rainoff declines of about 50% in the Sebou downstream and 70% in the middle Sebou. Several decreases in water discharge (up to 90%) were also detected in the Ouerrhariver since 1996, when the Al Wahda dam started operating.The analysis of the relationships between rainfall and water discharge shows that the impacts of dams constructions are stronger than the climatic effect in the Ouerrha river. The results of this study are important indicators for the assessment of combined climate risks

In-Depth Analysis of Exoproteomes from Marine Bacteria by Shotgun Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry: the Ruegeria pomeroyi DSS-3 Case-Study

Microorganisms secrete into their extracellular environment numerous compounds that are required for their survival. Many of these compounds could be of great interest for biotechnology applications and their genes used in synthetic biology design. The secreted proteins and the components of the translocation systems themselves can be scrutinized in-depth by the most recent proteomic tools. While the secretomes of pathogens are well-documented, those of non-pathogens remain largely to be established. Here, we present the analysis of the exoproteome from the marine bacterium Ruegeria pomeroyi DSS-3 grown in standard laboratory conditions. We used a shotgun approach consisting of trypsin digestion of the exoproteome, and identification of the resulting peptides by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. Three different proteins that have domains homologous to those observed in RTX toxins were uncovered and were semi-quantified as the most abundantly secreted proteins. One of these proteins clearly stands out from the catalogue, representing over half of the total exoproteome. We also listed many soluble proteins related to ABC and TRAP transporters implied in the uptake of nutrients. The Ruegeria pomeroyi DSS-3 case-study illustrates the power of the shotgun nano-LC-MS/MS strategy to decipher the exoproteome from marine bacteria and to contribute to environmental proteomics