47 research outputs found
Adaptive optics in high-contrast imaging
The development of adaptive optics (AO) played a major role in modern
astronomy over the last three decades. By compensating for the atmospheric
turbulence, these systems enable to reach the diffraction limit on large
telescopes. In this review, we will focus on high contrast applications of
adaptive optics, namely, imaging the close vicinity of bright stellar objects
and revealing regions otherwise hidden within the turbulent halo of the
atmosphere to look for objects with a contrast ratio lower than 10^-4 with
respect to the central star. Such high-contrast AO-corrected observations have
led to fundamental results in our current understanding of planetary formation
and evolution as well as stellar evolution. AO systems equipped three
generations of instruments, from the first pioneering experiments in the
nineties, to the first wave of instruments on 8m-class telescopes in the years
2000, and finally to the extreme AO systems that have recently started
operations. Along with high-contrast techniques, AO enables to reveal the
circumstellar environment: massive protoplanetary disks featuring spiral arms,
gaps or other asymmetries hinting at on-going planet formation, young giant
planets shining in thermal emission, or tenuous debris disks and micron-sized
dust leftover from collisions in massive asteroid-belt analogs. After
introducing the science case and technical requirements, we will review the
architecture of standard and extreme AO systems, before presenting a few
selected science highlights obtained with recent AO instruments.Comment: 24 pages, 14 figure
2022 Upgrade and Improved Low Frequency Camera Sensitivity for CMB Observation at the South Pole
Constraining the Galactic foregrounds with multi-frequency Cosmic Microwave
Background (CMB) observations is an essential step towards ultimately reaching
the sensitivity to measure primordial gravitational waves (PGWs), the sign of
inflation after the Big-Bang that would be imprinted on the CMB. The BICEP
Array telescope is a set of multi-frequency cameras designed to constrain the
energy scale of inflation through CMB B-mode searches while also controlling
the polarized galactic foregrounds. The lowest frequency BICEP Array receiver
(BA1) has been observing from the South Pole since 2020 and provides 30 GHz and
40 GHz data to characterize the Galactic synchrotron in our CMB maps. In this
paper, we present the design of the BA1 detectors and the full optical
characterization of the camera including the on-sky performance at the South
Pole. The paper also introduces the design challenges during the first
observing season including the effect of out-of-band photons on detectors
performance. It also describes the tests done to diagnose that effect and the
new upgrade to minimize these photons, as well as installing more dichroic
detectors during the 2022 deployment season to improve the BA1 sensitivity. We
finally report background noise measurements of the detectors with the goal of
having photon noise dominated detectors in both optical channels. BA1 achieves
an improvement in mapping speed compared to the previous deployment season.Comment: Proceedings of SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation 2022
(AS22
Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries
Background
Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres.
Methods
This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries.
Results
In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia.
Conclusion
This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries
Experience with ECMO support after congenital cardiac surgery in a single tertiary center
Introduction: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
(ECMO) has been used as rescue
therapy in children since the 1980s for persistent
pulmonary hypertension (PHT) of the
newborn or in congenital heart disease
(CHD) either before or after cardiac surgery.
We report here our overall experience.
Methods: Retrospective study with chart
review of all patients necessitating ECMO
support after congenital cardiac surgery between
April 1999 and December 2004.
Results: 17 children needed ECMO support
after congenital heart surgery. Their
mean age was 1.8 ± 3.3 years (2 days-10
years). The mean weight was 8.4 kg (2.7-30
kg). 4 patients (24%) presented a transposition
of the great arteries; 4 patients an unbalanced
double outlet right ventricle with or
without aortic malposition; 4 patients a ventricular
septal defect or aorto-pulmonary window
or a complete atrio-ventricular septal
defect with secondary pulmonary hypertension;
3 patients a tetralogy of Fallot; 1 patient
a critical aortic stenosis and 1 patient a cardiac
transplantation. Surgery was in 12 patients
(70%) a corrective procedure and in the
5 others patients (30%) a palliation. ECMO
was initiated in the OR after failure of weaning
from cardiopulmonary bypass in 11 children
(65%). In 6 children (35%), it was
started in the ICU within 24 hours for low
cardiac output or cardiac arrest. The ECMO
pump consisted of a Biomedicus membrane
oxygenator. In the first 5 patients regular
cardiopulmonary bypass canulas were used,
thereafter ECMO canulas were used with a
completely heparinised circuit and activated
clotting time ideally at 190-210. Mean time
on ECMO was 98 hours (20-249 hours). In
4 patients the intensive care was stopped
because of multiple organ failure or severe
cerebral lesions, in 3 patients a technical problem
of the ECMO (massive haemorrhage,
canulas dislocation or massive thrombosis)
lead to death of the patient. 10 patients could
be weaned from the ECMO. The immediate
survival rate of the ECMO was 59% and the
overall survival rate at 30 days post surgery
was 41%.
Conclusions: Cardiac support with ECMO
after congenital heart surgery permits a longterm
survival in about 40% of patients in
critical condition who would otherwise die.
These results correspond to the results published
in big series. It should be available to
centres performing congenital heart surgery
as a rescue therapy in selected cases
Les attaches de l’homme
Spectaculaire, l’essor des grandes villes indiennes n'est pas le résultat d’un exode rural qui viderait peu à peu les campagnes. Bien au contraire, la population villageoise continue de croître, et l’essentiel des migrations indiennes sont intra-rurales. Fruit d’une recherche de terrain conduite dans le sud du pays, ce livre éclaire, en des milieux divers, les logiques d’enracinement paysan et les multiples stratégies de mobilité, bien plus complexes que ne le suggèrent les modèles dominants du comportement migratoire. Territoires, ressources, idéologie et parenté dessinent ainsi sans déterminisme sommaire l’éventail des choix possibles, auxquels chaque famille ou presque est confrontée, dans un large cadre socio-économique en constante évolution
Integrating postoperative value of cardiac Troponin I for a better correlation with in-hospital outcomes after congenital heart surgery.
Objective: Cardiac Troponin-I (cTnI) is a well-recognized early postoperative marker for myocardial damage in adults and children after heart surgery. The present study was undertaken to evaluate whether the integrated value (area under the curve(AUC)) of postoperative cTnI is a better mode to predict long-term outcome than post operative cTnI maximum value, after surgery for congenital heart defects (CHD).
Methods: retrospective cohort study. 279 patients (mean age 4.6 years; range 0-17 years-old, 185 males) with congenital heart defect repair on cardiopulmonary by-pass were retrieved from our database including postoperative cTnI values. Maximal post operative cTnI value, post operative cTnI AUC value at 48h and total post operative cTnI AUC value were calculated and then correlated with duration of intubation, duration of ICU stay and mortality.
Results: the mean duration of mechanical ventilation was 5.1+/-7.2 days and mean duration of ICU stay was 11.0+/- 13.3 days,11 patients (3.9%) died in post operative period. When comparing survivor and deceased groups, there was a significant difference in the mean value for max cTnI (16.7+/- 21.8 vs 59.2+/-41.4 mcg/l, p+0.0001), 48h AUC cTnI (82.0+/-110.7 vs 268.8+/-497.7 mcg/l, p+0.0001) and total AUC cTnI (623.8+/-1216.7 vs 2564+/-2826.0, p+0.0001). Analyses for duration of mechanical ventilation and duration of ICU stay by linear regression demonstrated a better correlation for 48h AUC cTnI (ventilation time r+0.82, p+0.0001 and ICU stay r+0.74, p+0.0001) then total AUC cTnI (ventilation time r+0.65, p+0.0001 and ICU stay r+0.60, p+0.0001) and max cTnI (ventilation time r+0.64, p+0.0001 and ICU stay r+0.60, p+0.0001).
Conclusion: Cardiac Troponin I is a specific and sensitive marker of myocardial injury after congenital heart surgery and it may predict early in-hospital outcomes. Integration of post operative value of cTnI by calculation of AUC improves prediction of early in-hospital outcomes. It probably takes into account, not only the initial surgical procedure, but probably also incorporates the occurrence of hypoxic-ischemic phenomena in the post-operative period
Producing and recognizing words with two pronunciation variants: Evidence from novel schwa words
This study examined the lexical representations and psycholinguistic mechanisms underlying the production and recognition of novel words with two pronunciation variants in French. Participants first learned novel schwa words (e.g., /ʃənyk/), which varied in their alternating status (i.e., whether these words were learned with one or two variants) and, for alternating words, in the frequency of their variants. They were then tested in picture-naming (free or induced) and recognition memory tasks (i.e., deciding whether spoken items were learned during the experiment or not). Results for free naming show an influence of variant frequency on responses, more frequent variants being produced more often. Moreover, our data show an effect of the alternating status of the novel words on naming latencies, with longer latencies for alternating than for nonalternating novel words. These induced naming results suggest that both variants are stored as lexical entries and compete during the lexeme selection process. Results for recognition show an effect of variant frequency on reaction times and no effect of variant type (i.e., schwa versus reduced variant). Taken together, our findings suggest that participants both comprehend and produce novel French schwa words using two lexical representations, one for each variant