Mechanical behaviour of polyethylene terephthalate & polyethylene naphthalate fibres under cyclic loading

International audiencePolyethylene naphthalate (PEN) fibres possess a higher initial stiffness than that of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibres and this makes them an attractive competitor for use in mooring ropes and other applications for which a low compliance would be an advantage. The two types of fibres have been characterised and compared in tension, creep and fatigue and found to behave in very similar ways. Failure of both fibres results in similar fracture morphologies although under high cyclic loading a new failure process has been observed for the PEN fibres which combines step by step crack propagation and final failure normal to the fibre axis. In the light of this observation, similar fracture behaviour has also been identified in PET fibres and which, until now had been overlooked. The loading criteria for fatigue failure are similar for both fibres and it has been shown that, for a given maximum cyclic load, lifetime is raised if the minimum cyclic load is increased

Brain abscesses in a patient with a patent foramen ovale: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Brain abscesses arising from right-to-left cardiac shunting are very rare in adults.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We describe the case of a 47-year-old non-hispanic white male with periodontal disease who developed several brain abscesses caused by <it>Streptococcus intermedius</it>. A comprehensive workup revealed a patent foramen ovale with oral flora as the only plausible explanation for the brain abscesses.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Based on this case and the relevant literature, we suggest an association between a silent patent foramen ovale, paradoxical microbial dissemination to the brain, and the development of brain abscesses.</p

The 1980 earthquake in southern Italy: rescue of trapped victims and mortality.

A retrospective survey was undertaken on the health effects of the 1980 earthquake in southern Italy. The study population included 3619 people living in 7 villages situated near the epicentre of the disaster. The overall casualty rate (dead and injured) was 19.7%. Nearly all the deaths (192/202) occurred among trapped people who died before they could be rescued. Eighty per cent of all the trapped people were extricated within 2 days, mostly without the use of sophisticated means. The probability of survival decreased sharply, the longer the time before extrication. The crude mortality during the 18 months following the earthquake was 19.0 per thousand among the injured people who received treatment, and 14.1 per thousand among non-injured people. After age standardization, there was no significant difference between these two figures and the expected mortality figures for the Italian population in normal times (14.4 per thousand). These results stress the importance of providing rescue activities in the first 48 hours after the impact. Strengthening the self-reliance of the community in disaster preparedness is suggested as the best way to improve the effectiveness of relief operations. In disaster-prone areas, training and education in methods of rescue should be an integral part of any primary health care programme

Beyond traditional wind farm noise characterisation using transfer learning

Published Online: 10 May 2022This study proposes an approach for the characterisation and assessment of wind farm noise (WFN), which is based on extraction of acoustic features between 125 and 7500 Hz from a pretrained deep learning model (referred to as deep acoustic features). Using data measured at a variety of locations, this study shows that deep acoustic features can be linked to meaningful characteristics of the noise. This study finds that deep acoustic features can reveal an improved spatial and temporal representation of WFN compared to what is revealed using traditional spectral analysis and overall noise descriptors. These results showed that this approach is promising, and thus it could provide the basis for an improved framework for WFN assessment in the future.Phuc D. Nguyen, Kristy L. Hansen, Bastien Lechat, Branko Zajamsek, Colin Hansen, and Peter Catchesid

Reply to Martinez-Garcia et al. and to Abreu and Punjabi

Abstract not availableBastien Lechat, Ph.D., Peter Catcheside, Ph.D. Amy Reynolds, Ph.D. Robert J. Adams, M.D. R. Doug McEvoy, M.D. Danny J. Eckert, Ph.D

Randomized clinical trial comparing percutaneous closure of patent foramen ovale (PFO) using the Amplatzer PFO Occluder with medical treatment in patients with cryptogenic embolism (PC-Trial): rationale and design

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Several studies have shown an association of cryptogenic stroke and embolism with patent foramen ovale (PFO), but the question how to prevent further events in such patients is unresolved. Options include antithrombotic treatment with warfarin or antiplatelet agents or surgical or endovascular closure of the PFO. The PC-Trial was set up to compare endovascular closure and best medical treatment for prevention of recurrent events.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The PC-Trial is a randomized clinical trial comparing the efficacy of percutaneous closure of the PFO using the Amplatzer PFO occluder with best medical treatment in patients with cryptogenic embolism, i.e. mostly cryptogenic stroke. Warfarin for 6 months followed by antiplatelet agents is recommended as medical treatment. Randomization is stratified according to patients age (<45 versus ≥45 years), presence of atrial septal aneurysm (ASA yes or no) and number of embolic events before randomization (one versus more than one event). Primary endpoints are death, nonfatal stroke and peripheral embolism.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>patients were randomized in 29 centers of Europe, Canada, and Australia. Randomization started February 2000. Enrollment of 414 patients was completed in February 2009. All patients will be followed-up longitudinally. Follow-up is maintained until the last enrolled patient is beyond 2.5 years of follow-up (expected in 2011).</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>Trial listed in ClinicalTrials.gov as <a href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00166257">NCT00166257</a> and sponsored by AGA Medical, Plymouth, MN, USA</p

GenoList: an integrated environment for comparative analysis of microbial genomes

The multitude of bacterial genome sequences being determined has generated new requirements regarding the development of databases and graphical interfaces: these are needed to organize and retrieve biological information from the comparison of large sets of genomes. GenoList (http://genolist.pasteur.fr/GenoList) is an integrated environment dedicated to querying and analyzing genome data from bacterial species. GenoList inherits from the SubtiList database and web server, the reference data resource for the Bacillus subtilis genome. The data model was extended to hold information about relationships between genomes (e.g. protein families). The web user interface was designed to primarily take into account biologists’ needs and modes of operation. Along with standard query and browsing capabilities, comparative genomics facilities are available, including subtractive proteome analysis. One key feature is the integration of the many tools accessible in the environment. As an example, it is straightforward to identify the genes that are specific to a group of bacteria, export them as a tab-separated list, get their protein sequences and run a multiple alignment on a subset of these sequences

CandidaDB: a multi-genome database for Candida species and related Saccharomycotina

CandidaDB (http://genodb.pasteur.fr/CandidaDB) was established in 2002 to provide the first genomic database for the human fungal pathogen Candida albicans. The availability of an increasing number of fully or partially completed genome sequences of related fungal species has opened the path for comparative genomics and prompted us to migrate CandidaDB into a multi-genome database. The new version of CandidaDB houses the latest versions of the genomes of C. albicans strains SC5314 and WO-1 along with six genome sequences from species closely related to C. albicans that all belong to the CTG clade of Saccharomycotina—Candida tropicalis, Candida (Clavispora) lusitaniae, Candida (Pichia) guillermondii, Lodderomyces elongisporus, Debaryomyces hansenii, Pichia stipitis—and the reference Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome. CandidaDB includes sequences coding for 54 170 proteins with annotations collected from other databases, enriched with illustrations of structural features and functional domains and data of comparative analyses. In order to take advantage of the integration of multiple genomes in a unique database, new tools using pre-calculated or user-defined comparisons have been implemented that allow rapid access to comparative analysis at the genomic scale

Multi-night measurement for diagnosis and simplified monitoring of obstructive sleep apnoea

Substantial night-to-night variability in obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) severity has raised misdiagnosis and misdirected treatment concerns with the current prevailing single-night diagnostic approach. In-home, multinight sleep monitoring technology may provide a feasible complimentary diagnostic pathway to improve both the speed and accuracy of OSA diagnosis and monitor treatment efficacy. This review describes the latest evidence on night-to-night variability in OSA severity, and its impact on OSA diagnostic misclassification. Emerging evidence for the potential impact of night-to-night variability in OSA severity to influence important health risk outcomes associated with OSA is considered. This review also characterises emerging diagnostic applications of wearable and non-wearable technologies that may provide an alternative, or complimentary, approach to traditional OSA diagnostic pathways. The required evidence to translate these devices into clinical care is also discussed. Appropriately sized randomised controlled trials are needed to determine the most appropriate and effective technologies for OSA diagnosis, as well as the optimal number of nights needed for accurate diagnosis and management. Potential risks versus benefits, patient perspectives, and cost-effectiveness of these novel approaches should be carefully considered in future trials.Bastien Lechat, Hannah Scott, Jack Manners, Robert Adams, Simon Proctor, Sutapa Mukherjee, Peter Catcheside, Danny J. Eckert, Andrew Vakulin, Amy C. Reynold