Electrochemical performances and post-operational characterization of a segmented sofc operated under load for 15k hours

In the frame of the ENDURANCE FCH-JU-FP7 project (2014-2017) a segmented cell (20 segments regularly distributed from fuel inlet to fuel outlet) was operated for 15k hours in co-flow at 750\ub0C (average temperature) in hydrogen under load. Each segment was carefully monitored during operation by periodically acquiring the impedance spectra and constantly checking the voltage under current load. After 15k hours of operation the test was stopped and the cell used for further investigations in order to compare the cell evolution with the segment degradation. The overall observation in cross section of the cell has shown a good stability, however some differences were observed in the electrodes that might be related to the local operating conditions: temperature, H2 /H2O ratio in the fuel stream. The gathered results will contribute to increase the understanding the evolution of a SOFC in real operating conditions. Evidences of the effect of temperature, time and fuel pollutants were found

Visceral myxobacteriosis in the rainbow trout, Salmo­Gairdneri R. : a new clinicat form of the Cytophaga psychrophila cold water disease

Une forme nouvelle de la myxobactériose d’eau froide est apparue en France au cours de ces dernières années chez les alevins et les trui- telles arc-en-ciel. L’agent responsable est Cytophaga psychrophila, qui ne sévissait jusqu’ici qu’en Amérique du Nord chez les salmonidés juvéniles, provoquant surtout des lésions ulcératives cutanées. En France, au contraire, les lésions causées par la bactérie sont essentiellement viscé rales. L’infection clinique est observée en saison froide, et assez souvent associée à d’autres pathologies. Le diagnostic repose essentiellement sur la mise en évidence et la caractérisation de la bactérie responsable. La maladie a été transmise expérimentalement et les essais en laboratoire ont montré l’efficacité thérapeutique du chloramphénicol et de l’oxytétra- cycline.A new form of the cold water myxobacteriosis in rainbow trout fry and Engerlings appeared in France during the last years. So far, the aetiological agent has been Cytophaga psychrophila, a myxobacteria occuring on juveniles of salmonids of North America and mostly inducing cutaneous ulcerative lesions. On the opposite, lesions observed in France have essentially been detected on internal organs. The clinical infection is prevalent during the cold season and is often associated with other pathogens. Diagnosis is mainly made on isolation and characterization of aetiological bacteria. The disease was experimentally transmitted. Trials in laboratory have also demonstrated the therapeutic efficiency of chloram phenicol and Oxytetracycline

Enhanced stability and local structure in biologically relevant amorphous materials containing pyrophosphate

There is increasing evidence that amorphous inorganic materials play a key role in biomineralisation in many organisms, however the inherent instability of synthetic analogues in the absence of the complex in vivo matrix limits their study and clinical exploitation. To address this, we report here an approach that enhances long-term stability to >1 year of biologically relevant amorphous metal phosphates, in the absence of any complex stabilisers, by utilising pyrophosphates (P2O7 4-); species themselves ubiquitous in vivo. Ambient temperature precipitation reactions were employed to synthesise amorphous Ca2P2O7.nH2O and Sr2P2O7.nH2O (3.8 < n < 4.2) and their stability and structure were investigated. Pair distribution functions (PDF) derived from synchrotron X-ray data indicated a lack of structural order beyond ~8 A° in both phases, with this local order found to resemble crystalline analogues. Further studies, including 1H and 31P solid state NMR, suggest the unusually high stability of these purely inorganic amorphous phases is partly due to disorder in the P–O–P bond angles within the P2O7 units, which impede crystallization, and to water molecules, which are involved in H-bonds of various strengths within the structures and hamper the formation of an ordered network. In situ high temperature powder X-ray diffraction data indicated that the amorphous nature of both phases surprisingly persisted to ~450° C. Further NMR and TGA studies found that above ambient temperature some water molecules reacted with P2O7 anions, leading to the hydrolysis of some P–O–P linkages and the formation of HPO4 2- anions within the amorphous matrix. The latter anions then recombined into P2O7 ions at higher temperatures prior to crystallization. Together, these findings provide important new materials with unexplored potential for enzyme-assisted resorption and establish factors crucial to isolate further stable amorphous inorganic materials

Morel_Moreau_Morella. The Metamorphoses of Adolfo Bioy Casares Invention in a (Re) Animating Universe

Adolfo Bioy Casares short novel The Invention of Morel (La invención de Morel, 1940) envisioned the wish of human beings to define themselves through technology, indeed to reanimate the human as a technological double in an environment that gradually becomes virtual. This article develops the relationships connecting The Invention of Morel with three animating forms: the phantasmagoria, the automaton, and the machine-environment, to stress the privileged association they make between invention and (re)animation. With this purpose, the paper examines key contributions to our understanding of simulation and automata in the field of animation theory, such as Alan Cholodenko s Speculations on the Animation Automaton , but also Joubert-Laurencin s La lettre volante. Quatre essais sur le cinema d animation, which directly addresses Bioy Casares story as a metaphor of animated cinema. Sigmund Freud s psychoanalytical approach to the field of aesthetics in The Uncanny , and subsequent theories like Masahiro Mori s The Uncanny Valley , are also taken into consideration.Lorenzo Hernández, MC. (2013). Morel_Moreau_Morella. The Metamorphoses of Adolfo Bioy Casares Invention in a (Re) Animating Universe. Animation: An interdisciplinary journal. 8(2):185-202. doi:10.1177/1746847713485535S18520282Buchan, S. (2011). The Quay Brothers. doi:10.5749/minnesota/9780816646586.001.0001Cholodenko, A. (2013). The Crypt, the Haunted House, of Cinema. Cultural Studies Review, 10(2), 99-113. doi:10.5130/csr.v10i2.3474Crafton, D. (1993). Before Mickey. doi:10.7208/chicago/9780226231020.001.000

Outcomes of decompression for lumbar spinal canal stenosis based upon preoperative radiographic severity

BACKGROUND: The relationship between severity of preoperative radiographic findings and surgical outcomes following decompression for lumbar degenerative spinal canal stenosis is unclear. Our aim in this paper was to gain insight into this relationship. We determined pre-operative radiographic severity on MRI scans using strict methodological controls and correlated such severity with post-operative outcomes using prospectively collected data. METHODS: Twenty-seven consecutive patients undergoing decompression for isolated degenerative spinal canal stenosis at L4-L5 were included. We measured cross-sectional area on MRI using the technique of Hamanishi. We categorized the severity of stenosis using Laurencin and Lipson's 'Stenosis Ratio'. We determined pre-operative status (prospectively) and post-operative outcomes using Weiner and Fraser's 'Neurogenic Claudication Outcome Score'. We determined patient satisfaction using standardized questionnaires. Each of these is a validated measure. Formal statistical evaluation was undertaken. RESULTS: No patients (0 of 14) with a greater than 50% reduction in cross-sectional area on pre-operative MRI had unsatisfactory outcomes. In contrast, outcomes for patients with less than or equal to 50% reduction in cross-sectional area had unsatifactory outcomes in 6 of 13 cases, with all but one negative outcome having a cross-sectional area reduction between 32% and 47%. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that there appears to be a relationship between severity of stenosis and outcomes of decompressive surgery such that patients with a greater than 50% reduction in cross sectional area are more likely to have a successful outcome

ACL reconstruction with unicondylar replacement in knee with functional instability and osteoarthritis

Severe symptomatic osteoarthritis in young and active patients with pre-existing deficiency of the anterior cruciate ligament and severe functionally instability is a difficult subgroup to manage. There is considerable debate regarding management of young patients with isolated unicompartment osteoarthritis and concomitant ACL deficiency. A retrospective analysis of was done in 9 patients with symptomatic osteoarthritis with ACL deficiencies and functional instability that were treated with unicompartment knee arthroplasty and ACL reconstruction between April 2002 and June 2005. The average arc of flexion was 119° (range 85° to 135°) preoperatively and 125° (range 105° to 140°). There were no signs of instability during the follow up of patients. No patients in this group were reoperated. In this small series we have shown that instability can be corrected and pain relieved by this combined procedure

The Impact of Biomechanics in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine

Biomechanical factors profoundly influence the processes of tissue growth, development, maintenance, degeneration, and repair. Regenerative strategies to restore damaged or diseased tissues in vivo and create living tissue replacements in vitro have recently begun to harness advances in understanding of how cells and tissues sense and adapt to their mechanical environment. It is clear that biomechanical considerations will be fundamental to the successful development of clinical therapies based on principles of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine for a broad range of musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, craniofacial, skin, urinary, and neural tissues. Biomechanical stimuli may in fact hold the key to producing regenerated tissues with high strength and endurance. However, many challenges remain, particularly for tissues that function within complex and demanding mechanical environments in vivo. This paper reviews the present role and potential impact of experimental and computational biomechanics in engineering functional tissues using several illustrative examples of past successes and future grand challenges.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78125/1/ten.teb.2009.0340.pd

Structural changes to resorbable calcium phosphate bioceramic aged <i>in vitro</i>

This work investigates the effect of mammalian cell culture conditions on 3D printed calcium phosphate scaffolds. The purpose of the studies presented was to characterise the changes in scaffold properties in physiologically relevant conditions. Differences in crystal morphologies were observed between foetal bovine serum-supplemented media and their unsupplemented analogues, but not for supplemented media containing tenocytes. Scaffold porosity was found to increase for all conditions studied, except for tenocyte-seeded scaffolds. The presence of tenocytes on the scaffold surface inhibited any increase in scaffold porosity in the presence of extracellular matrix secreted by the tenocytes. For acellular conditions the presence or absence of sera proteins strongly affected the rate of dissolution and the distribution of pore diameters within the scaffold. Exposure to high sera protein concentrations led to the development of significant numbers of sub-micron pores, which was otherwise not observed. The implication of these results for cell culture research employing calcium phosphate scaffolds is discussed

Quantitative radiologic criteria for the diagnosis of lumbar spinal stenosis: a systematic literature review

Background: Beside symptoms and clinical signs radiological findings are crucial in the diagnosis of lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). We investigate which quantitative radiological signs are described in the literature and which radilogical criteria are used to establish inclusion criteria in clincical studies evaluating different treatments in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis. Methods: A literature search was performed in Medline, Embase and the Cochrane library to identify papers reporting on radiological criteria to describe LSS and systematic reviews investigating the effects of different treatment modalities. Results: 25 studies reporting on radiological signs of LSS and four systematic reviews related to the evaluation of different treatments were found. Ten different parameters were identified to quantify lumbar spinal stenosis. Most often reported measures for central stenosis were antero-posterior diameter (< 10 mm) and cross-sectional area (< 70 mm2) of spinal canal. For lateral stenosis height and depth of the lateral recess, and for foraminal stenosis the foraminal diameter were typically used. Only four of 63 primary studies included in the systematic reviews reported on quantitative measures for defining inclusion criteria of patients in prognostic studies. Conclusions: There is a need for consensus on well-defined, unambiguous radiological criteria to define lumbar spinal stenosis in order to improve diagnostic accuracy and to formulate reliable inclusion criteria for clinical studies