Proposition d'un modèle unifié pour la prévision de la tenue et la durée de vie de structures composites tissées 3D à matrice organique

International audienceA unified damage and failure approach has been proposed to estimate the failure of 3D woven composite materials with polymer matrix subjected to static and/or fatigue loadings. Indeed, the existing damage and failure approach developed by Onera for static loading has been extended in the present paper to predict the damage evolution during fatigue loading, even for multiaxial spectral loadings, using an incremental damage formalism. The fatigue lifetime predictions, meaning the evolution of apparent modulus and S-N curves for different stress ratios, have been compared successfully with the available tests carried-out by Safran Groupor Onera. Moreover, this unified approach has been implemented into a commercial finite element code and applied successfully to different composite structures, presenting an increasing complexity, subjected to fatigue loadings.Une approche unifiée de l’endommagement et la rupture a été proposée pour prévoir la ruine et la durée de vie de matériaux composites tissés 3D à matrice polymère soumise à des charges statiques et/ou de fatigue. L'approche macroscopique de l’endommagement et de la rupture développée par l'Onera pour les chargements statiques a été étendue dans cette étude pour prévoir l'évolution des endommagements durant les chargements de fatigue, même pour des chargements spectraux multiaxiaux, en utilisant un formalisme d’endommagement incrémental. Les prévisions de durée de vie en fatigue, aussi bien en termes d'évolution du module apparent que de courbes S-N pour différents rapports de charge, ont été comparées avec succès aux essais disponibles réalisés par le groupe Safran ou à l’Onera. De plus, cette approche unifiée a été mise en œuvre dans un code commercial par éléments finis et appliquée avec succès à des structures composites, présentant une complexité croissante, soumises à des chargements de fatigue

Assessing Social Impacts: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

<p>The UNEP /SETAC Life Cycle Initiative has put together an extensive list of social impacts that can be used within a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) framework (Benoit and Mazjin 2009). The goal of this project is to enable assessment of a supply chain’s social impacts in a Social LCA, much the same way as environmental LCA assesses environmental impacts. Two examples of these social impacts are Child Labor and Freedom of Association/Collective Bargaining. A closer look at how assessment of these two impacts might be used reveals some disturbing potential outcomes that may be indicative of flaws in the concept of using LCA to assess social impacts. There are, however, limited applications of Social LCA that seem to offer value. Consideration of worker illness and injury, for example, appears to result in metrics that can be used to identify hot spots, much in the way that a life cycle measurement of respiratory inorganics (particulates) can. EarthShift has been working with an alternative method to assess social impacts called Sustainability Return on Investment. This methodology uses environmental LCA results, environmental and social risk assessment and traditional cost accounting to achieve a coherent triple bottom line assessment. After using this methodology for more than 10 years, we have found it addresses many of the weaknesses of Social LCA, while bringing in the benefits of multicriteria decision analysis and transdisciplinarity. Extensive use of uncertainty and stakeholder perspective make this a robust methodology.</p

From toad to frog, a CT-based reconsideration of Bufo servatus, an Eocene anuran mummy from Quercy (France)

International audienceIn the 19th century, natural mummies of amphibians were discovered in the Quercy Phosphorites. The specific collection site was never formally reported, which hampers precise dating of these specimens. Still, the name Bufo servatus was erected based on the external morphology of one of the mummified specimens. A tomography of a similarly preserved specimen revealed a preserved skeleton, soft tissues and gut contents. We analyze here the holotype of Bufo servatus using CT-scanning in order to investigate its potentially preserved internal features. Like the previous specimen, a subcomplete articulated skeleton was identified in the B. servatus holotype. Surprisingly, this skeleton is almost identical to that of Thaumastosaurus gezei, an Eocene anuran from Western Europe to which other specimens from this mummy series were previously assigned. The few differences between the specimen skeletons highlight ontogenetic and intraspecific variations, making T. gezei a junior synonym of B. servatus and creating the new combination Thaumastosaurus servatus. Given its association with previously described Quercy specimens, this redescribed anuran is probably from the same time interval as T. gezei. Previous phylogenetic analyses assigned T. servatus to Ranoides, with natatanuran affinities. Using data from this newly described specimen, we tested here further its taxonomic affinities. Our analyses confirm this position, and formally identify T. servatus as a Natatanuran member of Pyxicephalidae (currently endemic of equatorial Africa) and more precisely, a stem-Pyxicephalinae. This result confirms the origin of Thaumastosaurus, a member of the African herpetofauna occupying Western Europe before the Grande Coupure at the Eocene/Oligocene transition

Les facteurs et enjeux relationnels lors de l’évaluation des résidents en médecine familiale

Contexte : Plusieurs études en pédagogie des sciences de la santé ont documenté le malaise des cliniciens enseignants à accorder des évaluations faibles ou un échec lorsqu’ils constatent des difficultés significatives chez les résidents. Parmi les raisons évoquées figurent les facteurs relationnels superviseur-résident, soit la nature des rapports interpersonnels qui pourraient influencer les décisions du superviseur qui doit traduire le niveau de compétence du résident sur la fiche d’évaluation. Objectifs : Explorer les facteurs et enjeux relationnels auxquels sont exposés les médecins de famille enseignants lors de l’évaluation des résidents en médecine familiale et décrire comment ils les gèrent. Méthodes : En 2020, nous avons réalisé une étude qualitative exploratoire et descriptive auprès de 15 médecins de famille enseignants provenant de divers milieux de formation clinique du département de médecine de famille et de médecine d’urgence de l’Université de Montréal. Ils ont participé à une entrevue téléphonique individuelle semi-dirigée. Les entrevues ont été transcrites intégralement, puis anonymisées. L’analyse thématique inductive des verbatim d’entrevues a été réalisée de manière indépendante selon le principe de la triangulation des chercheurs. Résultats : Des facteurs relationnels influencent à divers degrés l’évaluation des résidents. En voulant préserver « à tout prix » l’alliance pédagogique telle qu’ils la conçoivent, les superviseurs se trouvent piégés par des enjeux relationnels au moment d’évaluer les résidents. Des dérives conceptuelles quant à la relation pédagogique semblent être à l’origine du malaise des enseignants à jouer le rôle d’évaluateur. Conclusion : La relation pédagogique que les superviseurs entretiennent avec les résidents représente un enjeu majeur lors de l’évaluation. Les enseignants devraient être sensibilisés aux enjeux relationnels qui sont inhérents à l’évaluation dans le contexte de continuité pédagogique de manière à assumer plus aisément leur rôle d’évaluateur

Health Impacts and Characteristics of Deprescribing Interventions in Older Adults: Protocol for a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

BackgroundDeprescribing, a relatively recent concept, has been proposed as a promising solution to the growing issues of polypharmacy and use of medications of questionable benefit among older adults. However, little is known about the health outcomes of deprescribing interventions. ObjectiveThis paper presents the protocol of a study that aims to contribute to the knowledge on deprescribing by addressing two specific objectives: (1) describe the impact of deprescribing in adults ≥60 years on health outcomes or quality of life; and (2) determine the characteristics of effective interventions in deprescribing. MethodsPrimary studies targeting three concepts (older adults, deprescribing, and health or quality of life outcomes) will be included in the review. The search will be performed using key international databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Ageline, PsycInfo), and a special effort will be made to identify gray literature. Two reviewers will independently screen the articles, extract the information, and evaluate the quality of the selected studies. If methodologically feasible, meta-analyses will be performed for groups of intervention studies reporting on deprescribing interventions for similar medications, used for similar or identical indications, and reporting on similar outcomes (eg, benzodiazepines used against insomnia and studies reporting on quality of sleep or quality of life). Alternatively, the results will be presented in bottom-line statements (objective 1) and a matrix outlining effective interventions (objective 2). ResultsThe knowledge synthesis may be limited by the availability of high-quality clinical trials on deprescribing and their outcomes in older adults. Additionally, analyses will likely be affected by studies on the deprescribing of different types of molecules within the same indication (eg, different pharmacological classes and medications to treat hypertension) and different measures of health and quality of life outcomes for the same indication. Nevertheless, we expect the review to identify which deprescribing interventions lead to improved health outcomes among seniors and which of their characteristics contribute to these outcomes. ConclusionsThis systematic review will contribute to a better understanding of the health outcomes of deprescribing interventions among seniors. Trial RegistrationPROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews CRD42015020866; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42015020866 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)PRR1-10.2196/2520