VICARIA: An e-Learning System for Risk Assessment

An e-learning system in the risk assessment engineering domain has been developed by a consortium led by Ligeron® in the context of the Vicaria project (Leonado da Vinci – N° PP 118018). The e-learning platform: www.vicaria.fr has been implemented and hosted by OVH in compliance with SCORM (Shareable Content Object Reference Model) standard. The Vicaria modules contents have been defined according to an investigation performed in different European countries, particularly in France, to gather the user requirements. The Vicaria contents dedicated mainly to the environmental risks and ICPE are now available for use in French. The issue of the performed work and the e-learning system specifics are partly summarized in this pape

Analysis of the conform process: a specific form of aluminium extrusion.

Since the Conform process was patented 30 years ago, there have only been approximately 200 machines sold worldwide. Given that Conform competes economically with conventional extrusion and is also reported to be a more energy efficient process, it is surprising that the use of Conform is not more widespread in today's increasingly environmentally conscious and high-production focussed world. One explanation for this is likely to be due to the fact that there is still limited knowledge of the thermo-mechanical behaviour of the workpiece during extrusion. Furthermore, for the aluminium industry, there are still issues remaining regarding the production of flash and the quality of the extrudate in terms of mechanical properties. This study provides the reader with the findings of the research and experimental work undertaken by the author, his co-workers and fellow specialists, in the field of aluminium extrusion including Conform. The experimental work includes both laboratory experiments performed with a direct extrusion press and an experimental machine set up to replicate the Conform process. The experimental work is also simulated using finite element modelling techniques. The results from these analyses are then validated by comparing industrial and experimental data. The finite element analyses are enhanced by using parallel processing technology and user sub-routines. The author proposes new models to allow for the study of the different sub-processes in Conform. These include the coining of the feedstock, formation of the upset zone, extrusion of the flash, the filling-up of the expansion chamber / feeder plate and the extrusion of the extrudate. The author also investigates methods which predict microstructure and surface cracks in the extrudate. The author suggests innovative techniques to improve the efficiency of finite element analysis in metal forming. Finally the author recommends procedures for the study of structural integrity and the optimisation of the tooling used in Conform

Analysis of the conform process : a specific form of aluminium extrusion

Since the Conform process was patented 30 years ago, there have only been approximately 200 machines sold worldwide. Given that Conform competes economically with conventional extrusion and is also reported to be a more energy efficient process, it is surprising that the use of Conform is not more widespread in today's increasingly environmentally conscious and high-production focussed world. One explanation for this is likely to be due to the fact that there is still limited knowledge of the thermo-mechanical behaviour of the workpiece during extrusion. Furthermore, for the aluminium industry, there are still issues remaining regarding the production of flash and the quality of the extrudate in terms of mechanical properties. This study provides the reader with the findings of the research and experimental work undertaken by the author, his co-workers and fellow specialists, in the field of aluminium extrusion including Conform. The experimental work includes both laboratory experiments performed with a direct extrusion press and an experimental machine set up to replicate the Conform process. The experimental work is also simulated using finite element modelling techniques. The results from these analyses are then validated by comparing industrial and experimental data. The finite element analyses are enhanced by using parallel processing technology and user sub-routines. The author proposes new models to allow for the study of the different sub-processes in Conform. These include the coining of the feedstock, formation of the upset zone, extrusion of the flash, the filling-up of the expansion chamber / feeder plate and the extrusion of the extrudate. The author also investigates methods which predict microstructure and surface cracks in the extrudate. The author suggests innovative techniques to improve the efficiency of finite element analysis in metal forming. Finally the author recommends procedures for the study of structural integrity and the optimisation of the tooling used in Conform.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Motor expertise for typing impacts lexical decision performance

International audienceThe shift of writing habits in the general population calls for a better understanding of the possible consequences of typing practice on language processing. To address this issue, we have built a set of words and pseudowords differing by their ratio of bimanual transitions between letters, an index of typing difficulty. An effect of typing difficulty was observed in expert participants who were actually typing the items, and not in non-expert typists. We then tested whether word recognition performance, measured with the task of lexical decision, was impacted by typing expertise and the typing difficulty of words. Lexical decision latencies varied as a function of typing motor difficulty. The effect was mostly driven by lexical decision times for pseudowords. This constitutes a first suggestion that motor representations built during the acquisition and practice of the typing skill have a collateral effect on visual recognition processes leading to lexical decision. Suggested Reviewers

Functional Specificity in the Motor System: Evidence From Coupled fMRI and Kinematic Recordings During Letter and Digit Writing

International audienceA few intriguing neuropsychologial studies report dissociations where agraphic patients are severely impaired for writing letters whereas they write digits nearly normally. Here, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) together with graphic tablet recordings, we tested the hypothesis that the motor patterns for writing letters are coded in specific regions of the cortex. We found a set of three regions that were more strongly activated when participants wrote letters than when theywrote digits and whose response was not explained by low-level kinematic features of the graphic movements. Two of these regions (left dorsal premotor cortex and supplementary motor complex) are part of a motor control network. The left premotor activation belongs to what is considered in the literature a key area for handwriting. Another significant activation, likely related to phoneme-tographeme conversion, was found in the right anterior insula. This constitutes the first neuroimaging evidence of functional specificity derived from experience in the cortical motor system

Whole genome sequencing of 7 strains of Staphylococcus lugdunensis allows identification of mobile genetic elements

Coagulase negative staphylococci are normal inhabitant of the human skin flora that account for an increasing number of infections, particularly hospital-acquired infections. Staphylococcus lugdunensis has emerged as a most virulent species causing various infections with clinical characteristics close to what clinicians usually observe with Staphylococcus aureus and both bacteria share more than 70% of their genome. Virulence of S. aureus relies on a large repertoire of virulence factors, many of which are encoded on mobile genetic elements. S. lugdunensis also bears various putative virulence genes but only one complete genome with extensive analysis has been published with one prophage sequence (φSL2) and a unique plasmid was previously described. In this study, we performed de novo sequencing, whole genome assembly and annotation of seven strains of S. lugdunensis from VISLISI clinical trial. We searched for the presence of virulence genes and mobile genetics elements using bioinformatics tools. We identified four new prophages, named φSL2 to φSL4, belonging to the Siphoviridae class and five plasmids, named pVISLISI_1 to pVISLISI_5. Three plasmids are homologous to known plasmids that include, amongst others, one S. aureus plasmid. The two other plasmids were not described previously. This study provides a new context for the study of S. lugdunensis virulence suggesting the occurrence of several genetic recombination' with other staphylococci

A new hot spot for tick-borne encephalitis (TBE): A marked increase of TBE cases in France in 2016

International audienceOBJECTIVES:Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is a zoonotic agent causing severe encephalitis. In 2016, in Northeastern France, we faced a TBEV infection increase, leading to a warning from the Regional Health Agency. Here, we report the confirmed TBE cases diagnosed between January 2013 and December 2016, with particular emphasis on the year 2016.METHODS:A total of 1643 blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from everywhere in France, corresponding to 1460 patients, were prospectively tested for anti-TBEV-specific IgM and IgG antibodies by ELISA. Additional 39 blood and CSF samples from patients with suspected Lyme neuroborreliosis were retrospectively investigated.RESULTS:The TBEV seropositivity rate was estimated to 5.89% and 54 patients were diagnosed as TBE-confirmed cases. A significant increase in TBE cases was observed during the year 2016 with 29 confirmed cases, instead of a mean of eight cases during the three previous years (p=0.0006). Six imported cases and 48 autochthonous cases, located in the Alsace region (n=43) and in the Alpine region (n=5) were reported. Forty-six patients experienced neurological impairment. Nine patients showed an incomplete recovery at last follow-up (from 15days to eight months post-infection). TBE diagnosis was performed earlier for patients taken in charge in the Alsace region than those hospitalized elsewhere in France (p=0.0087). Among the 39 patients with suspected Lyme neuroborreliosis retrospectively investigated, one showed a TBEV recent infection.CONCLUSION:The TBE increase that occurred in France in 2016 highlights the need to improve our knowledge about the true burden of TBEV infection and subsequent long-term outcomes