Numerical simulations of strong wind situations near the Mediteranean French Coast: comparison with FETCH data

A detailed analysis is made of some typical strong wind situations near the French Mediterranean coast. Special attention has been paid to the wind from the north-northwest in the Gulf of Lion, also called the mistral. The analysis is made from both the synoptic and mesoscale point of view with the aid of numerical simulations carried out with the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS) to study the main atmospheric, climatic, and meteorological characteristics of this wind in the Gulf of Lion. Simulations were made with this model during the periods of 20-22 March and 24-26 March 1998. Afterward, a comparison was made with the meteorological measurements collected during the international Flux, Etat de la Mer et Te´le´de´tection en Condition de Fetch Variable (FETCH) campaign (Gulf of Lion, March-April 1998). The comparison between the simulated wind fields and the values measured by the coastal meteorological stations, an oceanographic buoy, and the ship Atalante at sea help to give full understanding of the complicated physical processes that characterize strong wind situations in coastal zone

Fetal and early neonatal interleukin-6 response

In 1998, a systemic fetal cytokine response, defined as a plasma interleukin-6 (IL-6) value above 11 pg/mL, was reported to be a major independent risk factor for the subsequent development of neonatal morbid events even after adjustments for gestational age and other confounders. Since then, the body of literature investigating the use of blood concentrations of IL-6 as a hallmark of the fetal inflammatory response syndrome (FIRS), a diagnostic marker of early-onset neonatal sepsis (EONS) and a risk predictor of white matter injury (WMI), has grown rapidly. In this article, we critically review: IL-6 biological functions; current evidence on the association between IL-6, preterm birth, FIRS and EONS; IL-6 reference intervals and dynamics in the early neonatal period; IL-6 response during the immediate postnatal period and perinatal confounders; accuracy and completeness of IL-6 diagnostic studies for EONS (according to the Standards for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy statement); and recent breakthroughs in the association between fetal blood IL-6, EONS, and WMI

In vitro characterization of PlyE146, a novel phage lysin that targets Gram-negative bacteria.

The recent rise of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria represents a serious threat to public health and makes the search for novel effective alternatives to antibiotics a compelling need. Bacteriophage (Phage) lysins are enzymes that hydrolyze the cell wall of bacteria and represent a promising alternative to tackle this ever-increasing problem. Despite their use is believed to be restricted to Gram-positive bacteria, recent findings have shown that they can also be used against Gram-negative bacteria. By using a phage genome-based screening approach, we identified and characterized a novel lysin, PlyE146, encoded by an Escherichia coli prophage and with a predicted molecular mass of ca. 17 kDa. PlyE146 is composed of a C-terminal cationic peptide and a N-terminal N-acetylmuramidase domain. Histidine-tagged PlyE146 was overexpressed from a plasmid in Lactococcus lactis NZ9000 and purified by NI-NTA chromatography. PlyE146 exhibited in vitro optimal bactericidal activity against E. coli K12 (3.6 log10 CFU/mL decrease) after 2 h of incubation at 37°C at a concentration of 400 μg/mL in the absence of NaCl and at pH 6.0. Under these conditions, PlyE146 displayed antimicrobial activity towards several other E. coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa (3 to 3.8-log10 CFU/mL decrease) and Acinetobacter baumannii (4.9 to >5-log10 CFU/mL decrease) strains. Therefore, PlyE146 represents a promising therapeutic agent against E. coli, P. aeruginosa and A. baumannii infections. However, further studies are required to improve the efficacy of PlyE146 under physiological conditions

Mobile radio interferometric geodetic systems

Operation of the Astronomical Radio Interferometric Earth Surveying (ARIES) in a proof of concept mode is discussed. Accuracy demonstrations over a short baseline, a 180 km baseline, and a 380 km baseline are documented. Use of ARIES in the Sea Slope Experiment of the National Geodetic Survey to study the apparent differences between oceanographic and geodetic leveling determinations of the sea surface along the Pacific Coast is described. Intergration of the NAVSTAR Global Positioning System and a concept called SERIES (Satellite Emission Radio Interferometric Earth Surveying) is briefly reviewed

Quantum-inspired interferometry with chirped laser pulses

We introduce and implement an interferometric technique based on chirped femtosecond laser pulses and nonlinear optics. The interference manifests as a high-visibility (> 85%) phase-insensitive dip in the intensity of an optical beam when the two interferometer arms are equal to within the coherence length of the light. This signature is unique in classical interferometry, but is a direct analogue to Hong-Ou-Mandel quantum interference. Our technique exhibits all the metrological advantages of the quantum interferometer, but with signals at least 10^7 times greater. In particular we demonstrate enhanced resolution, robustness against loss, and automatic dispersion cancellation. Our interferometer offers significant advantages over previous technologies, both quantum and classical, in precision time delay measurements and biomedical imaging.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

Similitude and scale effects of air entrainment in hydraulic jumps

A hydraulic jump is characterised by some strong turbulence and air entrainment in the roller. New measurements were performed in two channels in which similar experiments with identical inflow Froude numbers and relative channel widths were conducted with a geometric scaling ratio of 2:1. Void fraction distributions showed the presence of an advection/diffusion shear layer in which the data followed an analytical solution of the diffusion equation for air bubbles. The data indicated some scale effects in the small channel in terms of void fraction and bubble count rate. Void fraction distributions implied comparatively greater detrainment at low Reynolds numbers yielding to lesser overall aeration of the jump roller. Dimensionless bubble count rates were significantly lower in the smaller channel especially in the mixing layer. The study is believed to be the first systematic investigation of scale effects affecting air entrainment in hydraulic jumps using an accurate air-water measurement technique

Measurement of Surface Crack Opening Displacements Using Microwave Frequency Eddy Currents

An electromagnetic NDE technique for measuring the crack opening displacement of surface fatigue cracks is described. A ferromagnetic resonance probe utilizing yttrium-iron-garnet was used to induce eddy currents in an aluminum plate. The crack opening disolacement of a semi-elliptical fatigue crack evaluated at the surface was measured optically at several values of bending stress on the specimen. A technique is presented which allows the crack depth to be calculated from the measured COD at a given stress. The relative phase and magnitude of input vs. output signal to and from the resonating YIG sphere was recorded during the interaction of the FMR probe eddy currents and the fatigue crack. A method is shown to extract quantitative information from these signals and to correlate this information with the crack opening displacement

Pulsatile Wall Motion (PWM) Measurements after Endovascular Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Exclusion are not Useful in the Classification of Endoleak

AbstractThe pulsatile wall motion (PWM) of AAA is reduced after endovascular stent-graft placement. The purpose of this study was to identify whether PWM after endografting was useful in the classification of endoleak.Patients and Methods162 patients treated with EVAR underwent pre- and post-operative PWM assessment with ultrasonography. Follow-up was 1–9 years. 111 patients had well-excluded aneurysms, three patients had enlarging aneurysms without any recognizable endoleak (endotension), 16 had type I, 31 had type II and 1 had type III endoleak.ResultsThe PWM was reduced from about 1mm pre-operatively to 0.24mm post-operatively in well-excluded aneurysms. PWM remained stable during follow-up. Type I endoleak was associated with moderately reduced PWM (proximal endoleak 0.79mm and distal 0.32mm). PWM in patients with type II endoleak was higher (0.32mm) post-operatively (p=0.002) compared to well-excluded aneurysms.ConclusionPWM is permanently reduced after endografting. The smallest reduction in PWM was in patients with type II endoleaks. However, the overlap between the groups does not allow reliable identification of patients having endoleak with PWM-measurements