Distributed hydrostatic pressure measurement using phase OTDR in a highly birefringent photonic crystal fiber

Although distributed fiber-optic sensing of axial strain and temperature is a well-established technique, there are almost no demonstrations of distributed hydrostatic pressure sensing. The main obstacle for such measurements is the low sensitivity to pressure of standard optical fibers. Structured fibers, such as photonic crystal fibers can be made pressure-sensitive by means of an optimized arrangement of their internal microstructure. In this paper, we demonstrate - for the first time to our knowledge - distributed birefringence and hydrostatic pressure measurements based on phase sensitive optical time-domain reflectometry (OTDR) in highly birefringent photonic crystal fibers. We study the response to hydrostatic pressure of two dedicated pressure-sensitive photonic crystal fibers in the range from ∼0.8 bar to ∼67 bar with a 5 cm spatial resolution using a phase-OTDR approach. We find differential pressure sensitivities between the slow and fast polarization axes of the studied fibers of -219 MHz/bar and -95.4 MHz/bar. These values are ∼3.8 to ∼8.8 times larger than those demonstrated previously in distributed pressure measurements with other photonic crystal fibers

Preliminary Results on Irradiance Measurements from Lyra and Swap

International audienceThe first and preliminary results of the photometry of Large Yield Radiometer (LYRA) and Sun Watcher using Active Pixel system detector and Image Processing (SWAP) onboard PROBA2 are presented in this paper. To study the day-to-day variations of LYRA irradiance, we have compared the LYRA irradiance values (observed Sun as a star) measured in Aluminum filter channel (171 Å-500 Å) with spatially resolved full-disk integrated intensity values measured with SWAP (174 Å) and Ca II K 1 Å index values (ground-based observations from NSO/Sac Peak) for the period from 01 April 2010 to 15 Mar 2011. We found that there is a good correlation between these parameters. This indicates that the spatial resolution of SWAP complements the high temporal resolution of LYRA. Hence SWAP can be considered as an additional radiometric channel. Also the K emission index is the integrated intensity (or flux) over a 1 Å band centered on the K line and is proportional to the total emission from the chromosphere; this comparison clearly explains that the LYRA irradiance variations are due to the various magnetic features, which are contributing significantly. In addition to this we have made an attempt to segregate coronal features from full-disk SWAP images. This will help to understand and determine the actual contribution of the individual coronal feature to LYRA irradiance variations

Guideline for Use of Fibre Optic Sensors

Development of standards and guidelines for performance specifications and testing for fibre optic sensors has been discussed since the mid-nineties of the last century in the scientific community as well as in the industry. Very global standards for the use of fibre optic components in data communication and telecommunication have been available for more than 20 years. Guidelines or substantial standards for fibre optic sensors are rather an exception. The first standard draft on generic specification of fibre optic sensors has been published in 1995 (IEC 61757-1:1995); the first draft for a specific type of fibre sensor - the fibre optic gyroscope - was published in 1996 (IEEE Standard Specification Format Guide and Test Procedures for Single-Axis Interferometric Fiber Optic Gyros; Working Draft P952/D24). Some terms used in fibre optic communication are quite close to the terminology typically used in fibre optic sensor technology. However, there are a huge number of specific issues associated with specifically fibre optic sensing systems. These items are not considered in existing guidelines or standards. For instance, standards for fibre optic sensors have to cover characteristic details related to the respective physical sensor mechanism, to the sensor response for different measurands, to the application, and finally to specific environmental conditions. Naturally, it is not possible to cover either all different aspects of fibre optic sensors in one standard or a set of harmonized standards. This very complex matter requires specific guidelines for specific sensor types (e.g. distributed sensors, point sensors such as fibre Bragg grating (FBG) sensors, sensors for mechanical measurands such as strain, deformation, biological and chemical sensors or sensors for physical quantities such as pressure, humidity, and ionizing radiation). In order to define clear guidelines and/or regulations for appropriate characterization of performance specifications and better understanding of frequently used fibre optic sensors, particular activity has been established within the European COST Action 299 “FIDES” (Optical Fibres for New Challenges Facing the Information Society) in the framework of its Working Group 4: “New Challenges in Fibre Optic Sensors”

Guidelines for the characterization and use of fibre optic sensors: basic definitions and a proposed standard for FBG-based strain sensors

This paper describes the outcome of two groups which are involved in the specification of guidelines for fibre optic sensors performance and testing. The "Guideline for use of fibre optic sensors" from the COST-299 guideline group, and the "Optical Strain Sensor based on Fibre Bragg Grating" from the GESA guideline group of the VDI - "The Association of German Engineers". Through appropriate specifications and definitions, both guidelines aim at enabling better understanding of fibre optic sensors characteristics and performances. A concise view into the structure of the guidelines is presented, emphasizing important aspects. The English version of the two guidelines will be available in autumn 2009

Bacterial infection profiles in lung cancer patients with febrile neutropenia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The chemotherapy used to treat lung cancer causes febrile neutropenia in 10 to 40% of patients. Although most episodes are of undetermined origin, an infectious etiology can be suspected in 30% of cases. In view of the scarcity of data on lung cancer patients with febrile neutropenia, we performed a retrospective study of the microbiological characteristics of cases recorded in three medical centers in the Picardy region of northern France.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We analyzed the medical records of lung cancer patients with neutropenia (neutrophil count < 500/mm³) and fever (temperature > 38.3°C).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The study included 87 lung cancer patients with febrile neutropenia (mean age: 64.2). Two thirds of the patients had metastases and half had poor performance status. Thirty-three of the 87 cases were microbiologically documented. Gram-negative bacteria (mainly enterobacteriaceae from the urinary and digestive tracts) were identified in 59% of these cases. <it>Staphylococcus </it>species (mainly <it>S. aureus</it>) accounted for a high proportion of the identified Gram-positive bacteria. Bacteremia accounted for 60% of the microbiologically documented cases of fever. 23% of the blood cultures were positive. 14% of the infections were probably hospital-acquired and 14% were caused by multidrug-resistant strains. The overall mortality rate at day 30 was 33% and the infection-related mortality rate was 16.1%. Treatment with antibiotics was successful in 82.8% of cases. In a multivariate analysis, predictive factors for treatment failure were age >60 and thrombocytopenia < 20000/mm³.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Gram-negative species were the most frequently identified bacteria in lung cancer patients with febrile neutropenia. Despite the success of antibiotic treatment and a low-risk neutropenic patient group, mortality is high in this particular population.</p

Peri-operative red blood cell transfusion in neonates and infants: NEonate and Children audiT of Anaesthesia pRactice IN Europe: A prospective European multicentre observational study

BACKGROUND: Little is known about current clinical practice concerning peri-operative red blood cell transfusion in neonates and small infants. Guidelines suggest transfusions based on haemoglobin thresholds ranging from 8.5 to 12 g dl-1, distinguishing between children from birth to day 7 (week 1), from day 8 to day 14 (week 2) or from day 15 (≥week 3) onwards. OBJECTIVE: To observe peri-operative red blood cell transfusion practice according to guidelines in relation to patient outcome. DESIGN: A multicentre observational study. SETTING: The NEonate-Children sTudy of Anaesthesia pRactice IN Europe (NECTARINE) trial recruited patients up to 60 weeks' postmenstrual age undergoing anaesthesia for surgical or diagnostic procedures from 165 centres in 31 European countries between March 2016 and January 2017. PATIENTS: The data included 5609 patients undergoing 6542 procedures. Inclusion criteria was a peri-operative red blood cell transfusion. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary endpoint was the haemoglobin level triggering a transfusion for neonates in week 1, week 2 and week 3. Secondary endpoints were transfusion volumes, 'delta haemoglobin' (preprocedure - transfusion-triggering) and 30-day and 90-day morbidity and mortality. RESULTS: Peri-operative red blood cell transfusions were recorded during 447 procedures (6.9%). The median haemoglobin levels triggering a transfusion were 9.6 [IQR 8.7 to 10.9] g dl-1 for neonates in week 1, 9.6 [7.7 to 10.4] g dl-1 in week 2 and 8.0 [7.3 to 9.0] g dl-1 in week 3. The median transfusion volume was 17.1 [11.1 to 26.4] ml kg-1 with a median delta haemoglobin of 1.8 [0.0 to 3.6] g dl-1. Thirty-day morbidity was 47.8% with an overall mortality of 11.3%. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate lower transfusion-triggering haemoglobin thresholds in clinical practice than suggested by current guidelines. The high morbidity and mortality of this NECTARINE sub-cohort calls for investigative action and evidence-based guidelines addressing peri-operative red blood cell transfusions strategies. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT02350348

Médecine générale, prévention et programme de santé communautaire: le point en Belgique francophone

Symposium satellite du réseau "La santé du cœur en francophonie" du Réfipsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublishe

L'enquête sur la santé des jeunes dans le Hainaut: méthodes et premiers échos du terrain

Symposium satellite du réseau international réseau "La santé du cœur en francophonie" du Réfipsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublishe

Rougeole, rubéole, oreillons: Un défi pour la Communauté française

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe