Echocardiography in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: usefulness of old and new techniques in the diagnosis and pathophysiological assessment

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is one of the most common inherited cardiomyopathy. The identification of patients with HCM is sometimes still a challenge. Moreover, the pathophysiology of the disease is complex because of left ventricular hyper-contractile state, diastolic dysfunction, ischemia and obstruction which can be coexistent in the same patient. In this review, we discuss the current and emerging echocardiographic methodology that can help physicians in the correct diagnostic and pathophysiological assessment of patients with HCM

The DBR Methodology for the Study of Context in Learning

In the Design-Based Research (DBR) methodology, the process is as im-portant as the product, and each iteration is considered a sub-result leading to the next one. This methodology is being used in the TEE project, to both study and elaborate solutions for Learning in Context. This paper describes the origins of the project, as well as the steps taken to conduct it, with a perspective for future work. The DBR methodology is presented as applied in the TEEC project (TEEC= Tech-nologies Educatives et Enseignement en Contexte). Keywords: Design-Based Research, DBR, Methodology, Modelling, Context, Learning, Intelligent Tutoring System

A bistable piezoelectric harvester for wideband mechanical frequency excitation.

International audienceThe developments of autonomous systems as for the self health monitoring, embedded systems are increasingly used in industrial applications. The energy supply is a key point for the development of such systems. Solutions based on battery are life time limited and the power supply trough wires aren't always appropriate and easy to install. The researches on power supply through harvesting systems are increasing in the same way as the autonomous systems. The researches on this fields progress in two ways: the mechanical structure and the electrical circuit. The paper focuses on the mechanical structure of the harvesting systems. A structure based on bistable configuration is presented. Usually, bistable systems are based on magnetic interaction or buckled beams. The proposed solution is abuckled spring-mass (BSM) harvesting solution using amplified piezoelectric actuators (APA®). The description of the architecture and the concept are presented in the first part of this document. In the second part, the presentation of the BSM first prototype based on standard product (APA120S®) is given and described. The second prototype based on APA50μXS® has been designed and modelled. The chirp and band-imited noise excitations are used to evaluate the proposed harvester's performances

The Financial Costs of Mass Media Interventions Used for Improving Breastfeeding Practices in Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, and Vietnam

Breastfeeding is essential for child survival but globally less than fifty percent of infants receive adequate breastfeeding. Gaps in breastfeeding knowledge and misinformation are widespread. Mass media aims to motivate mothers and families, encourage care-seeking, improve social norms, and counteract misleading advertising. However, the costs and coverage of mass media are not well documented. Our study provides a cost-accounting of four large-scale mass media interventions and coverage obtained through mass media. We retrospectively calculated annual costs and costs per beneficiary of mass media interventions based on expenditure records in four countries. The interventions were a part of multi-component breastfeeding strategies in Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, and Vietnam. Annual costs ranged from 566,366 USD in Nigeria to 1,210,286 USD in Vietnam. The number of mothers of children under two years and pregnant women ranged from 685,257 to 5,566,882, and all designated recipients reached during the life of programs ranged from 1,439,040 to 11,690,453 in Burkina Faso and Bangladesh, respectively. The cost per mother varied from USD 0.13 USD in Bangladesh to 0.85 USD in Burkina Faso. Evaluations showed that mass media interventions reached high coverage and frequent exposure. This analysis documents the financial costs and budgetary needs for implementing mass media components of large-scale breastfeeding programs. It provides annual costs, cost structures, and coverage achieved through mass media interventions in four low- and middle-income countries