Identification of acoustic emission sources in machinery; application to injection/combustion processes in diesel engines

The high temporal resolution of Acoustic Emission offers great promise in the on-line monitoring of complex machines such as diesel engines. The fuel injection process is one of the most important processes in the diesel engine and its timing and fuel delivery control are critical in combustion efficiency. In this work, the phenomena leading to the generation of acoustic emission during injection are investigated by simulation of the injection process in a specially designed rig and through test in running engines on a test-bed. Signal processing approaches are devised to produce diagnostic indicators for the quality of the injection process. The novelty of the research lies in; 1) obtaining a coherent set of data which allows the separation of the part of the signal associated with injection in a given cylinder from other sources adjacent in time and space, and 2) in developing a signal processing approach which allows this separation to be achieved on line using an array of sensors. As such, the research is generic to multi-source multi-sensor analysis in machines. A series of experiments were performed on an experimental injector rig, and two-stroke and four-stroke diesel engines under different operating conditions. The injector rig experiments provided useful information on the characteristic signatures of the injection events, finding which could be implemented to the more complex signal from the running engines. A number of sensor arrays (sets of two and three sensors) were used on two types of four-stroke engine at different running speeds to investigate the source identification of the injection events, the essential strategy being to add complexity to the information in the AE record by using engines of varying degrees of mechanical sophistication. It has been concluded that the AE signals are generated by the mechanical movements of the components in the pump and injector as well as aspects of the fuel flow through the injector and the piping. Also, it is found that the temporal structure of the AE is highly sensitive to sensor position, and that transmission path differences to a sensor array are generally large enough to allow source separation. Applying a purpose-designed thresholding technique, followed by canonical correlation allows the separate identification of parts of the AE signal in the short crank angle widow where sources involved in injection, inlet valve opening and combustion are operating

L’emploi de la caricature dans le développement des habiletés de la lecture critique des apprenants de français langue étrangère et leurs perceptions

La lecture joue un grand rôle dans le processus d’enseignement-apprentissage. Elle constitue une base solide de la formation didactique de l’apprenant pour s’adapter à la société. Il existe quatre niveaux de compréhension en lecture : littérale, inférentielle ou interprétative, critique et créative. Les habiletés de ces quatre niveaux de compréhension sont organisées selon la hiérarchie de la taxonomie de Bloom. Notre recherche portait sur le niveau de la compréhension critique en lecture : la lecture critique. À la suite d’une recension de la littérature scientifique, nous avons constaté que les recherches connues à ce jour appuient l’importance de s’intéresser à la didactique de la lecture en classe de français. Cependant, les résultats semblent peu concluants à l’égard de la lecture critique, malgré son importance. La problématique de notre recherche consiste au fait que les apprenants du Français Langue Étrangère (FLE) éprouvent des difficultés en lecture critique. Ils tendent vers une compréhension globale du texte sans chercher ni comprendre le sens implicite. D’une part, différents auteurs ont montré que les raisons de ces difficultés ne sont pas dues seulement aux étudiants eux-mêmes mais aussi aux méthodes d'enseignement non appropriées à enseigner la lecture critique en FLE. Dans le domaine de l'enseignement des langues étrangères aux locuteurs d'autres langues, certains auteurs préconisent également la didactique de la lecture critique où les enseignants ne font pas juste enseigner aux étudiants les compétences linguistiques de base ou de former leurs habiletés de communication, mais aussi le besoin de développer la conscience critique chez les apprenants qui leur permettent de poser des questions plutôt que d'accepter passivement l'information qu'ils trouvent. D’autre part, la recension a montré que l’enseignement basé sur la caricature semble motivant et amène les apprenants à réfléchir, mais que ce support didactique n’a pas été utilisé auprès d’apprenants de français, surtout au niveau universitaire. Des études ont prouvé l’efficacité de la caricature dans l’enseignement de l’histoire, les sciences et la littératie visuelle et politique. Aucune étude, d’après notre recension d’écrits, n’a porté sur la caricature en didactique de FLE. D’ailleurs c’est un domaine peu investigué. Notre recherche exploratoire voulait intégrer la caricature dans l'enseignement de la lecture critique en FLE. En définitive, notre recherche visait à répondre à la question générale suivante : Quelle est la contribution de la caricature comme support didactique au développement des habiletés de la lecture critique chez les apprenants du FLE ? De cette question découlent les questions spécifiques suivantes : 1- Quel est le rôle de la caricature comme support didactique dans le développement de la lecture critique chez les apprenants du FLE ? Et 2- quelles sont les perceptions des apprenants ciblés à l’égard de la caricature ? Pour ce faire, notre recherche a impliqué l’élaboration d’un dispositif didactique au cœur duquel figurait la caricature. Afin de recueillir les données, nous avons choisi un échantillon volontaire parmi des étudiants adultes qui apprennent le FLE, à l’Université de Sherbrooke. Notre expérimentation didactique consistait à leur faire vivre des activités de lecture critique de textes basés sur la caricature en trois séances complémentaires. Les outils de collecte de données étaient les suivants : des prétests qui précédaient chaque séance du dispositif didactique pour diagnostiquer le niveau des étudiants en lecture critique, des posttests en lecture critique qui suivaient chacune des séances, des entrevues pour identifier les perceptions et les productions des participants. Nous avons analysé l'ensemble des données. Il s’agissait d’une analyse évaluative des réponses des participants dans les pré/posttests; d’une analyse thématique du verbatim des entrevues afin d’identifier les perceptions des participants ; et d’une analyse du contenu des caricatures produites par les participants pour appuyer les résultats obtenus. Les résultats de l’analyse ont indiqué que la caricature a contribué au développement de la lecture critique chez les apprenants du FLE : grandement chez les débutants et les intermédiaires et partiellement chez les avancés. En parallèle, la caricature était positivement perçue par tous les participants. Ceux-ci ont avancé que la caricature était pour eux une expérience originale, motivante et transférable. Ces résultats combinés avec ceux des recherches antérieures dans le même domaine laissent entrevoir que la caricature comme support didactique pourrait favoriser la compréhension en lecture en général chez les apprenants adultes.  Abstract: Reading plays an important role in the teaching / learning process. It constitutes a solid basis for the didactic training of the learner to adapt to society. There are four levels of reading comprehension: literal, inferential or interpretive, critical and creative. The skills of these four levels of understanding are organized according to the hierarchy of Bloom's taxonomy. Our research focused on the level of critical reading comprehension: critical reading. Following a review of the scientific literature, we found that the research known to date supports the importance of taking an interest in reading literacy in French. However, the results seem inconclusive with regard to critical reading, despite its importance. The problem of our research is that the learners of the French Foreign Language (FFL) have difficulties in critical reading. They tend towards a global understanding of the text without going further in the implicit sense. On the one hand, different authors have shown that the reasons for these difficulties are not only due to the students themselves but also to the teaching methods not appropriate to teach critical reading in FFL. In the field of foreign language teaching to speakers of other languages, some authors also advocate the teaching of critical reading where teachers do not just teach students basic language skills or train their communication skills, but also the need to develop critical awareness in learners that allow them to ask questions rather than passively accepting the information they find. On the other hand, the review showed that teaching based on caricature seems motivating and leads learners to think, but that this didactic support was not used with learners of French, especially at the university level. Studies have proven the effectiveness of caricature in the teaching of history, science and visual and political literacy. No study, according to our review of writings, has focused on the caricature in didactics of FFL. Besides, it is a little investigated field. Our exploratory research wanted to integrate caricature into the teaching of critical reading in FFL. As a conclusion, our research aimed to answer the following general question: What is the contribution of caricature as a didactic medium to the development of the skills of critical reading in the learners of the FFL? From this issue arise the following specific questions: 1- What is the role of caricature as a didactic medium in the development of critical reading in the learners of the FFL? And what are the perceptions of targeted learners about caricature? To do this, our research involved the development of a didactic system at the heart of which caricature was included. In order to collect the data, we chose a sample of adult learners who were studying at the University of Sherbrooke. Our didactic experimentation consisted in making them live the activities of critical reading of texts based on caricature in three complementary stages. The data collection tools included pre-tests that preceded each stage of the didactic experimentation to diagnose the participant’s level in critical reading; post-tests that followed each stage; interviews to identify their perceptions, and drawings produced by them. We analyzed all the data. This was an evaluative analysis of the students' responses in pre / posttests; a thematic analysis of the interview verbatim in order to identify their perceptions; and an analysis of the content of the caricatures produced in support of the results obtained. The results of the analysis showed that caricature has greatly contributed to the development of critical reading in FFL among the beginners and intermediates and partially among the advanced students. At the same time, the caricature was positively perceived by all participants. These ones argued that caricature was an original, motivating and transferable experience. These results, combined with previous research in the same field, suggest that caricature as a didactic medium could promote reading comprehension in adult learners in general

Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Improves Outcome in Myelodysplastic Syndrome Across High-Risk Genetic Subgroups:Genetic Analysis of the Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network 1102 Study

PURPOSE:Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) improves overall survival (OS). We evaluated the impact of MDS genetics on the benefit of HCT in a biological assignment (donor v no donor) study.METHODS:We performed targeted sequencing in 309 patients age 50-75 years with International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) intermediate-2 or high-risk MDS, enrolled in the Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network 1102 study and assessed the association of gene mutations with OS. Patients with TP53 mutations were classified as TP53multihit if two alleles were altered (via point mutation, deletion, or copy-neutral loss of heterozygosity).RESULTS:The distribution of gene mutations was similar in the donor and no donor arms, with TP53 (28% v 29%; P =.89), ASXL1 (23% v 29%; P =.37), and SRSF2 (16% v 16%; P =.99) being most common. OS in patients with a TP53 mutation was worse compared with patients without TP53 mutation (21% ± 5% [SE] v 52% ± 4% at 3 years; P &lt;.001). Among those with a TP53 mutation, OS was similar between TP53single versus TP53multihit (22% ± 8% v 20% ± 6% at 3 years; P =.31). Considering HCT as a time-dependent covariate, patients with a TP53 mutation who underwent HCT had improved OS compared with non-HCT treatment (OS at 3 years: 23% ± 7% v 11% ± 7%; P =.04), associated with a hazard ratio of 3.89; 95% CI, 1.87 to 8.12; P &lt;.001 after adjustment for covariates. OS among patients with molecular IPSS (IPSS-M) very high risk without a TP53 mutation was significantly improved if they had a donor (68% ± 10% v 0% ± 12% at 3 years; P =.001).CONCLUSION:HCT improved OS compared with non-HCT treatment in patients with TP53 mutations irrespective of TP53 allelic status. Patients with IPSS-M very high risk without a TP53 mutation had favorable outcomes when a donor was available.</p

Comparing Outcomes with Bone Marrow or Peripheral Blood Stem Cells as Graft Source for Matched Sibling Transplants in Severe Aplastic Anemia across Different Economic Regions

Bone marrow (BM) is the preferred graft source for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in severe aplastic anemia (SAA) compared to mobilized peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC). We hypothesized that this recommendation may not apply to those regions where patients present later in their disease course, with heavier transfusion load and with higher graft failure rates. Patients with SAA who received HSCT from an HLA-matched sibling donor from 1995 to 2009 and reported to the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research or the Japan Society for Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation were analyzed. The study population was categorized by gross national income per capita (GNI) and region/countries into four groups. Groups analyzed were high income countries (HIC), which were further divided into US-Canada (N=486) and other HIC (N=1264), upper middle-income (UMIC) (N=482), and combined lower middle, low income countries (LM-LIC) (N=142). In multivariate analysis, overall survival (OS) was highest with BM as graft source in HIC compared to PBSC in all countries or BM in UMIC or LM-LIC (p<0.001). There was no significant difference in OS between BM and PBSC in UMIC (p=0.32) or LM-LIC (p=0.23). In LM-LIC the 28-day neutrophil engraftment was higher with PBSC compared to BM (97% vs. 77%, p<0.001). Chronic GVHD was significantly higher with PBSC in all groups. Whereas BM should definitely be the preferred graft source for HLA-matched sibling HSCT in SAA, PBSC may be an acceptable alternative in countries with limited resources when treating patients at high risk of graft failure and infective complications

Trends in volumes and survival after hematopoietic cell transplantation in racial/ethnic minorities.

There has been an increase in volume as well as an improvement in overall survival (OS) after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for hematologic disorders. It is unknown if these changes have affected racial/ethnic minorities equally. In this observational study from the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research of 79 904 autologous (auto) and 65 662 allogeneic (allo) HCTs, we examined the volume and rates of change of autoHCT and alloHCT over time and trends in OS in 4 racial/ethnic groups: non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs), non-Hispanic African Americans (NHAAs), and Hispanics across 5 2-year cohorts from 2009 to 2018. Rates of change were compared using Poisson model. Adjusted and unadjusted Cox proportional hazards models examined trends in mortality in the 4 racial/ethnic groups over 5 study time periods. The rates of increase in volume were significantly higher for Hispanics and NHAAs vs NHW for both autoHCT and alloHCT. Adjusted overall mortality after autoHCT was comparable across all racial/ethnic groups. NHAA adults (hazard ratio [HR] 1.13; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04-1.22; P&nbsp;= .004) and pediatric patients (HR 1.62; 95%&nbsp;CI 1.3-2.03; P&nbsp;&lt; .001) had a higher risk of mortality after alloHCT than NHWs. Improvement in OS over time was seen in all 4 groups after both autoHCT and alloHCT. Our study shows the rate of change for the use of autoHCT and alloHCT is higher in NHAAs and Hispanics than in NHWs. Survival after autoHCT and alloHCT improved over time; however, NHAAs have worse OS after alloHCT, which has persisted. Continued efforts are needed to mitigate disparities for patients requiring alloHCT

Prophylactic, preemptive, and curative treatment for sinusoidal obstruction syndrome/veno-occlusive disease in adult patients : a position statement from an international expert group

Sinusoidal obstruction syndrome, also known as veno-occlusive disease (SOS/VOD), is a potentially life-threatening complication that can develop after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). While SOS/VOD may resolve within a few weeks in the majority of patients with mild-to-moderate disease, the most severe forms result in multiorgan dysfunction and are associated with a high mortality rate (>80%). Therefore, careful surveillance may allow early detection of SOS/VOD, particularly as the licensed available drug is proven to be effective and reduce mortality. The aim of this work is to propose an international consensus guideline for the treatment and prevention of SOS/VOD in adult patients, on behalf of an international expert group.Peer reviewe

Tocilizumab, tacrolimus and methotrexate for the prevention of acute graft-versus-host disease: low incidence of lower gastrointestinal tract disease

We conducted a phase 2 study in which patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation received tocilizumab in addition to standard immune suppression with tacrolimus and methotrexate for graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis. Thirty-five patients were enrolled between January 2015 and June 2016. The median age of the cohort was 66 (range: 22-76). All patients received busulfan-based conditioning, and were transplanted with human leukocyte antigen-matched related or matched unrelated bone marrow or peripheral stem cell grafts. The cumulative incidences of grades II-IV and III-IV acute graft-versus-host disease were 14% (95% CI 5-30) and 3% (95% CI 0-11) at day 100, and 17% (95% CI 7-31) and 6% (95% CI 1-16) at day 180, respectively. Notably, there were no cases of graft-versus-host disease of the lower gastrointestinal tract within the first 100 days. A comparison to 130 matched controls who only received tacrolimus and methotrexate demonstrated a lower cumulative incidence of grades II-IV acute graft-versus-host disease (17% versus 45%, P=0.003) and a significant increase in grades II-IV acute graft-versus-host disease-free survival at six months (69% versus 42%, P=0.001) with tocilizumab, tacrolimus and methotrexate, which was the primary endpoint of the study. Immune reconstitution was preserved in patients treated with tocilizumab, tacrolimus and methotrexate, as T-cell and B-cell subsets recovered to near normal levels by 6-12 months post-transplantation. We conclude that tocilizumab has promising activity in preventing acute graft-versus-host disease, particularly in the lower gastrointestinal tract, and warrants examination in a randomized setting

In-hospital mortality in SARS-CoV-2 stratified by hemoglobin levels : a retrospective study

This study is to estimate in-hospital mortality in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) patients stratified by hemoglobin (Hb) level. Patients were stratified according to hemoglobin level into two groups, that is, Hb 100 g/L. A total of 6931 patients were included. Of these, 6377 (92%) patients had hemoglobin levels >100 g/L. The mean age was 44 ± 17 years, and 66% of the patients were males. The median length of overall hospital stay was 13 days [2; 31]. The remaining 554 (8%) patients had a hemoglobin level 100 g/L (52, 0.82%). Risk factors associated with increased mortality were determined by multi- variate analysis. The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed hemoglobin as a predictor of mortality. Cox proportional hazards regression coefficients for hemoglobin for the HB ≤ 100 category of hemoglobin were significant, B = 2.79, SE = 0.17, and HR = 16.34, p < 0.001. Multivariate logistic regression showed Hb < 100 g/L had a higher cumu- lative all-cause in-hospital mortality (22.4% vs. 0.8%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.33; 95% [CI]: [0.20–0.55]; p < 0.001). In this study, hemoglobin levels <100 g/L were found to be an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality

Scoring System Prognostic of Outcome in Patients Undergoing Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation for Myelodysplastic Syndrome

To develop a system prognostic of outcome in those undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo HCT) for myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS)