177 research outputs found

    Contribution à l'étude structurale par PY/CG-SM de la matière organique liée aux particules fines (0-50 µm) dans quelques sols sous formations naturelles de longue durée au Burkina Faso

    Get PDF
    Contribution to the study by PY/GC-MS of organic matter linked to fine particles (0-50 µm) in some soils under long-term natural formations in Burkina Faso. The study aims to enhance the knowledge on organic matter of Arenosols, Ferralsols, and Cambisols in Burkina Faso. It deals with the distribution of C and N in three particles size fractions and is focused on the structures of organic matter linked to the (0-50 µm) fraction. The results showed that total organic matter was lower than 2% in all soil units. More than 70% of total carbon were held by the finest fraction. The main products released by PY/GC-MS technique of the (0-50 µm) fraction were lignin derived compounds, non lignin derived aromatic compounds, carbohydrates derived compounds, fatty acids methyl esters and nitrogen derived compounds. The aliphatic compounds ranged from C12 to C18, C16 being the dominant one. The aliphatic compounds were negatively correlated with the aromatic compounds. A positive correlation was observed between the nitrogen derived compounds and the amounts of clay. On the other hand, the carbohydrates derived compounds were negatively correlated with clay particles. Furthermore, the study pointed out some different structures of lignin such as syringyl, guaiacyl, and p.hydrophenyl. Depending on the nature of wood (hard wood, soft wood and grasses), they reflected the composition of vegetation on the studied sites. Therefore, PY/GC-MS technique was efficient for structural characterization of low amounts of soil organic matter

    Transdural Spinal Cord Herniation: Tips and Tricks

    Get PDF
    Recognition of transdural spinal cord herniation has increased over the past decade. This condition remains little known, particularly outside the specialized fields of spinal surgery and neuroradiology, leading to a significant delay in clinical diagnosis and treatment. It should be considered among the differential diagnoses in patients with gradual-onset lower-limb weakness of presumed spinal origin. Reaching a diagnosis using magnetic resonance imaging is essential to refer patients for surgery before their myelopathy worsens. We describe our surgical experience to untether the spinal cord by wrapping a dura graft around the spinal cord. Three case reports and a review of the literature are discussed

    Post-surgical vestibular schwannoma remnant tumors: What to do?

    Get PDF
    AbstractBackgroundVestibular schwannomas (VS) are benign tumors of the vestibular nerve's myelin sheath. The current trend in VS surgery is to preserve at the facial function, even if it means leaving a small vestibular schwannoma tumor remnant (VSTR) after the surgery. There is no defined therapeutic management VSTR. The aim of this study was to assess the evolution of the VSTR to define the best therapeutic management and identify predictive factors of VSTR progression.MethodsAmong the 256 patients treated surgically for VS in the Department of Neurosurgery at Angers University Hospital, 33 patients with a post-surgical VSTR were included in this retrospective study. For all surgical patients, the data collected were age at diagnosis, the Koos classification, the surgical access, the existence of a type 2 neurofibromatosis (NF2), the TR location and size on control MRI-scans. Patients had a bi-annual follow-up with clinical status and VSTR size assessment with MRI-scan. Survival analyzes were performed to determine the time and rate of VSTR progression, and identify factors of progression.ResultsThe mean follow-up of the population was 51 months. All VS remnant progression occurred between 38 and 58 months after surgery. In non-NF2 patients with first follow-up MRI-scan three months after surgery, 43% presented a spontaneous regression, 50% a stability and 7% a progression of the VSTR. In the same population with the 1-year MR-scan after surgery as baseline, 25% presented a spontaneous regression, 62.5% a stability and 12.5% a VSTR progression. These data are consistent with the data reported in the literature. The post-operative facial function impairment and an initial remnant ≥ 1.5cm3 were found to be significant risk factors of VS remnant progression in non-NF2 population in univariate analysis (P=0.048 and 0.031) but not in multivariate analysis.ConclusionIn our experience, the best therapeutic management of the post-surgical VSTP in non-NF2 patients with no risk factor of progression is a simple clinical radiological follow-up otherwise complementary radiosurgery should be considered

    Direct interpretation of the X-ray and neutron three-dimensional difference pair distribution functions (3D-ΔPDFs) of yttria-stabilized zirconia

    Get PDF
    Three-dimensional difference pair distribution functions (3D-ΔPDFs) from X-ray and neutron diffraction experiments are reported for yttria-stabilized zirconia (Zr0.82Y0.18O1.91). A quantitative analysis of the signatures in the three-dimensional difference pair distribution functions is used to establish that oxygen ions neighbouring a vacancy shift by 0.525 (5) Å along ⟨1, 0, 0⟩ towards the vacancy while metal ions neighbouring a vacancy shift by 0.465 (2) Å along ⟨1, 1, 1⟩ away from the vacancy. The neutron 3D-ΔPDF shows a tendency for vacancies to cluster along ⟨½, ½, ½⟩, which results in sixfold coordinated metal ions

    Long term surgical results of 154 petroclival meningiomas: A retrospective multicenter study

    Get PDF
    BACKGROUND: Outcomes of petroclival meningiomas (PCM) (morbidity, permanent cranial nerves deficit, tumor removal and recurrence) are inconsistent in the literature, making it a challenge to predict surgical morbidity. METHODS: A multicenter study of patients with PCMs larger than 2.5cm between 1984 and 2017 was conducted. The authors retrospectively reviewed the patients\u27 medical records, imaging studies and pathology reports to analyze presentation, surgical approach, neurological outcomes, complications, recurrence rates and predictive factors. RESULTS: There were 154 patients. The follow-up was 76.8 months on average (range 8-380 months). Gross total resection (GTR) was achieved in 40 (26.0%) patients, subtotal resection (STR) in 101 (65.6%), and partial resection in 13 (8.3%). Six (2.6%) perioperative deaths occurred. The 5-year, 10-year and 15-year progression-free survival (PFS) of GTR and STR with radiation therapy (RT) was similar (100%, 90% and 75%). PFS of STR without adjuvant radiation was associated with progression in 71%, 51% and 31%, respectively. Anterior petrosectomy and combined petrosectomy were associated with higher postoperative CN V and CN VI deficits compared to the retrosigmoid approach. The latter had a significantly higher risk of CN VII, CN VIII and LCN deficit. Temporal lobe dysfunction (seizure and aphasia) were significantly associated with the anterior petrosectomy approach. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that optimal subtotal resection of PCMs associated with postoperative RT or stereotactic radiosurgery results in long-term tumor control to equivalent radical surgery. Case selection and appropriate intraoperative judgement are required to reduce the morbidity

    Phase Transition in a One-Dimensional Extended Peierls-Hubbard Model with a Pulse of Oscillating Electric Field: I. Threshold Behavior in Ionic-to-Neutral Transition

    Full text link
    Photoinduced dynamics of charge density and lattice displacements is calculated by solving the time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation for a one-dimensional extended Peierls-Hubbard model with alternating potentials for the mixed-stack organic charge-transfer complex, TTF-CA. A pulse of oscillating electric field is incorporated into the Peierls phase of the transfer integral. The frequency, the amplitude, and the duration of the pulse are varied to study the nonlinear and cooperative character of the photoinduced transition. When the dimerized ionic phase is photoexcited, the threshold behavior is clearly observed by plotting the final ionicity as a function of the increment of the total energy. Above the threshold photoexcitation, the electronic state reaches the neutral one with equidistant molecules after the electric field is turned off. The transition is initiated by nucleation of a metastable neutral domain, for which an electric field with frequency below the linear absorption peak is more effective than that at the peak. When the pulse is strong and short, the charge transfer takes place on the same time scale with the disappearance of dimerization. As the pulse becomes weak and long, the dimerization-induced polarization is disordered to restore the inversion symmetry on average before the charge transfer takes place to bring the system neutral. Thus, a paraelectric ionic phase is transiently realized by a weak electric field. It is shown that infrared light also induces the ionic-to-neutral transition, which is characterized by the threshold behavior.Comment: 24 pages, 11 figure
    • …
    corecore