The evaluation of the instrumentation of an acoustic measurement buoy designed to monitor the underwater acoustic environment during pile driving activity

Driving large support piles in brackish estuaries results in permanent damage, and possibly death to marine mammals and fragile infant fish spawned in these areas. The damage is a result of excessive acoustic intensities produced by the pile driving activity. To monitor this \u27noise\u27, students in the Undergraduate Ocean Research Projects: TECH 797 2005-2006 (Risso et al. 2006), working with Dr. Ken Baldwin as their advisor, proposed the concept of using an \u27Acoustic Measurement Buoy\u27. Their project was funded by the National Sea Grant College Program, NOAA, and Department of Commerce. Their problem statement was To develop a portable, robust, and inexpensive system for measurement of waterborne noise associated with construction in coastal and estuarine regions (Risso et al. 2006). Based upon extensive testing and experimentation, this thesis evaluates the feasibility of their design, the problems encountered, some solutions and recommendations for improvements in putting the \u27Acoustic Measurement Buoy\u27 to practical use. The individual components were analyzed to compare their requirements, specifications and performance. Evaluations were performed on a test bench, in the tank in the Jere Chase Ocean Engineering Lab, on the R/V Gulf Challenger and at a floating dock in a coastal marine environment. The data were collected using National Instruments LabVIEW(TM) software, data acquisition hardware, and post processed using Matlab(TM) software. Standard techniques in failure and root cause analysis, such as cause and effect diagrams, fishbone diagrams, flow diagrams and process maps will be used in the data and component analysis

3D right ventricular strain: comparative analysis of Tetralogy of Fallot and atrial septal defect

International audienceBackground: Right ventricular (RV) function assessment is crucial in CHD patients, especially in atrial septaldefect (ASD) and Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) patients. Indeed, prognosis is very different between TOF patientswith pulmonary regurgitation and ASD patients, and only little is known about 3D deformation in RV overload. Purpose: The aim of our study was to assess RV remodeling differences between ASD, TOF patients andcontrols. Methods: We performed a prospective case­control study. We included 10 patients with an ASD (mean age53.3±21y) and 10 with TOF (mean age 34.9±18y) who were older than 16 years old, and compared them toa control group free from any cardiovascular disease (N=44, mean age 42.5±15y). 3D transthoracic RVechocardiographic sequences were acquired. Myocardial tracking was performed by a semi­automaticcommercial software. Output RV meshes included spatial correspondences. They were post­processed to alignthe data temporally and extract local deformation. Global and local statistics provided deformation patterns foreach subgroup of subjects. Results: Overall, ASD and TOF patients had similar but reduced RV ejection fraction (respectively 44.3±10and 44.5±12 %) and dilated right ventricles (mean RV EDV 158.3±100 and 115.4±46mL) using 3D analysis.Similar RV global area strain (GAS), global longitudinal strain (GLS) and global circumferential strain (GCS)were observed between the two groups. Compared to controls, ASD patients had lower GAS (­22.2±8 vs­29.4±5%; p=0.01), lower GCS (­12.9±4 vs ­17.1±4%; p=0.009) but similar GLS (p=0.07). TOF patientshad also lower GAS (­25.1±6%; p=0.03) but lower GLS (­10.0±3%; p=0.01) and similar GCS (­15.5±4%;p=0.4) in comparison with the control group. However, ASD patients had significantly lower CS in theinfundibular, inlet and membranous septum as compared with TOF patients (respectively p=0.02, p=0.05 andp=0.03). Conclusion: Volume overload in ASD patients seems to impact circumferential strain and preserve longitudinalstrain, whereas TOF patients tend to have lower longitudinal strain with preserved circumferential strain,probably because of the combination of RV pressure and volume overload. A larger cohort of patients couldhelp understand the insights of RV remodeling in congenital heart disease using 3D speckle­tracking imagin

Effect of macitentan in pulmonary arterial hypertension and the relationship between echocardiography and cMRI variables: REPAIR echocardiography sub-study results

INTRODUCTION The aim of this sub-study was to evaluate the relationship between echocardiography (echo) and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI) variables and to utilize echo to assess the effect of macitentan on right ventricle (RV) structure and function. METHODS REPAIR (NCT02310672) was a prospective, multicenter, single-arm, open-label, 52-week, phase 4 study in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) patients, which investigated the effect of macitentan 10 mg as monotherapy, or in combination with a phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor, on RV structure, function, and hemodynamics using cMRI and right heart catheterization. In this sub-study, patients were also assessed by echo at screening and at weeks 26 and/or 52. Post hoc correlation analyses between echo and cMRI variables were performed using Pearson's correlation coefficient, Spearman's correlation coefficient, and Bland-Altman analyses. RESULTS The Echo sub-study included 45 patients. Improvements in echo-assessed RV stroke volume (RVSV), left ventricular SV (LVSV), LV end-diastolic volume (LVEDV), RV fractional area change (RVFAC), tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), and in 2D global longitudinal RV strain (2D GLRVS) were observed at weeks 26 and 52 compared to baseline. There was a strong correlation between echo (LVSV, 2D GLRVS, and LVEDV) and cMRI variables, with a moderate correlation for RVSV. Bland-Altman analyses showed a good agreement for LVSV measured by echo versus cMRI, whereas an overestimation in echo-assessed RVSV was observed compared to cMRI (bias of - 15 mL). Hemodynamic and functional variables, as well as safety, were comparable between the Echo sub-study and REPAIR. CONCLUSIONS A good relationship between relevant echo and cMRI parameters was shown. Improvements in RV structure and function with macitentan treatment was observed by echo, consistent with results observed by cMRI in the primary analysis of the REPAIR study. Echo is a valuable complementary method to cMRI, with the potential to non-invasively monitor treatment response at follow-up. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: REPAIR NCT02310672

Social Competitiveness and Plasticity of Neuroendocrine Function in Old Age: Influence of Neonatal Novelty Exposure and Maternal Care Reliability

Early experience is known to have a profound impact on brain and behavioral function later in life. Relatively few studies, however, have examined whether the effects of early experience remain detectable in the aging animal. Here, we examined the effects of neonatal novelty exposure, an early stimulation procedure, on late senescent rats' ability to win in social competition. During the first 3 weeks of life, half of each litter received daily 3-min exposures to a novel environment while the other half stayed in the home cage. At 24 months of age, pairs of rats competed against each other for exclusive access to chocolate rewards. We found that novelty-exposed rats won more rewards than home-staying rats, indicating that early experience exerts a life-long effect on this aspect of social dominance. Furthermore, novelty-exposed but not home-staying rats exhibited habituation of corticosterone release across repeated days of social competition testing, suggesting that early experience permanently enhances plasticity of the stress response system. Finally, we report a surprising finding that across individual rat families, greater effects of neonatal novelty exposure on stress response plasticity were found among families whose dams provided more reliable, instead of a greater total quantity of, maternal care

Self-reported health experiences of children living with congenital heart defects: Including patient-reported outcomes in a national cohort study

Background: Understanding children’s views about living with congenital heart defects (CHDs) is fundamental to supporting their successful participation in daily life, school and peer relationships. As an adjunct to a health and quality of life outcomes questionnaire, we asked school-age children who survived infant heart procedures to describe their experiences of living with CHDs. Methods: In a UK-wide cohort study, children aged 10 to 14 years with CHDs self-completed postal questionnaires that included an open question about having a ‘heart problem’. We compared the characteristics of children with more and less severe cardiac diagnoses and, through collaborative inductive content analysis, investigated the subjective experiences and coping strategies described by children in both clinical severity groups. Results: Text and/or drawings were returned by 436 children (246 boys [56%], mean age 12.1 years [SD 1.0; range 10–14]); 313 had less severe (LS) and 123 more severe (MS) cardiac diagnoses. At the most recent hospital visit, a higher proportion of the MS group were underweight (more than two standard deviations below the mean for age) or cyanosed (underweight: MS 20.0%, LS 9.9%; cyanosed: MS 26.2%, LS 3.5%). Children in the MS group described concerns about social isolation and feeling ‘different’, whereas children with less severe diagnoses often characterised their CHD as ‘not a big thing’. Some coping strategies were common to both severity groups, including managing health information to avoid social exclusion, however only children in the LS group considered their CHD ‘in the past’ or experienced a sense of survivorship. Conclusions: Children’s reported experiences were not dependent on their cardiac diagnosis, although there were clear qualitative differences by clinical severity group. Children’s concerns emphasised social participation and our findings imply a need to shift the clinical focus from monitoring cardiac function to optimising participation. We highlight the potential for informing and evaluating clinical practice and service provision through seeking patient-reported outcomes in paediatric care

3D right ventricular strain: comparative analysis of Tetralogy of Fallot and atrial septal defect

International audienceBackground: Right ventricular (RV) function assessment is crucial in CHD patients, especially in atrial septaldefect (ASD) and Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) patients. Indeed, prognosis is very different between TOF patientswith pulmonary regurgitation and ASD patients, and only little is known about 3D deformation in RV overload. Purpose: The aim of our study was to assess RV remodeling differences between ASD, TOF patients andcontrols. Methods: We performed a prospective case­control study. We included 10 patients with an ASD (mean age53.3±21y) and 10 with TOF (mean age 34.9±18y) who were older than 16 years old, and compared them toa control group free from any cardiovascular disease (N=44, mean age 42.5±15y). 3D transthoracic RVechocardiographic sequences were acquired. Myocardial tracking was performed by a semi­automaticcommercial software. Output RV meshes included spatial correspondences. They were post­processed to alignthe data temporally and extract local deformation. Global and local statistics provided deformation patterns foreach subgroup of subjects. Results: Overall, ASD and TOF patients had similar but reduced RV ejection fraction (respectively 44.3±10and 44.5±12 %) and dilated right ventricles (mean RV EDV 158.3±100 and 115.4±46mL) using 3D analysis.Similar RV global area strain (GAS), global longitudinal strain (GLS) and global circumferential strain (GCS)were observed between the two groups. Compared to controls, ASD patients had lower GAS (­22.2±8 vs­29.4±5%; p=0.01), lower GCS (­12.9±4 vs ­17.1±4%; p=0.009) but similar GLS (p=0.07). TOF patientshad also lower GAS (­25.1±6%; p=0.03) but lower GLS (­10.0±3%; p=0.01) and similar GCS (­15.5±4%;p=0.4) in comparison with the control group. However, ASD patients had significantly lower CS in theinfundibular, inlet and membranous septum as compared with TOF patients (respectively p=0.02, p=0.05 andp=0.03). Conclusion: Volume overload in ASD patients seems to impact circumferential strain and preserve longitudinalstrain, whereas TOF patients tend to have lower longitudinal strain with preserved circumferential strain,probably because of the combination of RV pressure and volume overload. A larger cohort of patients couldhelp understand the insights of RV remodeling in congenital heart disease using 3D speckle­tracking imagin

Three-dimensional speckle tracking of the right ventricle : implications on survival

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