Contrast hysterosonography: an efficient means of investigation in gynecology. Review of the literature

The structure of WA8242B, a potent novel inhibitor against phospholipase A2, was fully characterized by spectroscopic methods and chemical degradation. The success of total synthesis of WA8242B confirmed the structure and allowed the pharmacological study of WA8242B. The structures of WA8242A1 and A2 were also described.     

Phenylhydrazones as new good substrates for the dioxygenase and peroxidase reactions of prostaglandin synthase: formation of iron(III)-sigma-phenyl complexes

Phenylhydrazones of various aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes or ketones act as good substrates of the dioxygenase reaction of prostaglandin synthase (PGHS). Corresponding alpha-azo hydroperoxides are formed as intermediates with maximum initial rates of O2 consumption between 8 and 230 mol (mol of PGHS)-1 s-1 for benzophenone and hexanal phenylhydrazone, respectively. The Km values for these reactions vary from 100 to 300 microM. These alpha-azo hydroperoxides are then converted to the corresponding alpha-azo alcohols by the peroxidase reaction of PGHS. During such oxidations of phenylhydrazones by PGHS, a new complex of this hemeprotein characterized by peaks at 438 and 556 nm is formed. This complex was obtained both by direct reaction of PGHS Fe(III) with phenyldiazene and by reaction of PGHS Fe(III) with phenylhydrazine in the presence of O2. By analogy to results previously reported for hemoglobin, myoglobin, catalase, and cytochrome P450, this species should be a sigma-phenyl PGHS FeIII-Ph complex. The PGHS FeIII-Ph complex should derive from an oxidation of the intermediate alpha-azo alcohol by PGHS Fe(III), cleavage of the resulting alkoxy radical with formation of a ketone (or aldehyde) and Ph*, and combination of PGHS Fe(II) with Ph*. Such an oxidation of alpha-azo alcohols by lipoxygenase-FeIII with formation of Ph* was reported previously. The formation of Ph* and of PGHS FeIII-Ph is likely the cause of the inhibitory effects previously reported for arylhydrazones toward PGHS.     

Rapid mold-free manufacturing of microfluidic devices with robust and spatially directed surface modifications

A new and easy-to-use method that allows for mold-free and rapid prototyping of microfluidic devices, comprising channels, access holes, and surface-modified patterns, is presented. The innovative method is based on direct photolithographic patterning of an off-stoichiometry thiol-ene (OSTE) polymer formulation, tailor-made for photolithography, which offers unprecedented spatial resolution and allows for efficient, robust and reliable, room temperature surface modification and glue-free, covalent room temperature bonding. This mold-free process does not require clean room equipment and therefore allows for rapid, i.e., less than one hour, design-fabricate-test cycles, using a material suited for larger-scale production. The excellent photolithographic properties of this new OSTE formulation allow patterning with unprecedented, for thiol-ene polymer systems, resolution in hundreds of micrometers thick layers, 200 μm thick in this work. Moreover, we demonstrated robust, covalent and spatially controlled modification of the microchannel surfaces with an initial contact angle of 76° by patterning hydrophobic/hydrophilic areas with contact angles of 102° and 43°, respectively.     

Subsurface texture mapping.

This article presents a rendering technique for multilayered materials. Unlike existing methods, our technique does not assume that the thickness of these layers is constant. We use relief texture mapping to model a material's interior. Instead of representing the surface details, we use this method to represent the object's inner structure. We describe the material's layers using a simple 2D texture, in which each channel encodes a thickness. Our method supports nonplanar surfaces and falls between subsurface rendering methods based on surfaces and 3D texture-based algorithms. Furthermore, our solution provides a compact way to design translucent objects using a small amount of data.     

Monitoring of bacterial and parasitological contamination during various treatment of sludge

Wastewater treatment results in the production of large quantities of sludge. Agricultural use is an interesting alternative provided that the health risks are taken into account. In France, a decree (1998) defines "sanitized" sludge as sludge that has been treated so that pathogens (Salmonella, enteroviruses, viable nematode eggs) are no longer detectable. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of various sludge treatments on 2 types of pathogens (Salmonella and nematode eggs). We also assessed the levels of micro-organisms that indicate faecal contamination (E. coli, Enterococci, sulfite-reducing anaerobes spores). Various treatment processes were analyzed: 4 biological, 3 chemical, 1 heat, 2 storage and 4 sampling campaigns were carried out. Concerning the parasitological contamination of sludge at the entrance of all sites, concentrations of total nematode eggs and viable nematode eggs were highly heterogeneous (respectively, from 2 to 53 eggs/10 g DM and from 2 to 45 eggs/10 g DM) with viable eggs present in all samples. The total concentration of nematode eggs in the sludge was not greatly affected by treatment or storage, and was in the range < 1-66 eggs/10 g DM. However, the situation was different for mean viable egg counts. For four treatments, no viable eggs were detected. Mesophilic processes are inefficient at eliminating viable nematode eggs. Salmonella were systematically detected in all sludge samples at the entry to the station, except for limed sludge intended for storage. At the end of four treatments Salmonella had been totally eliminated. For the fecal contamination indicators, the largest decrease in E. coli contamination was observed following liming and after thermophilic treatment. The mesophilic treatments resulted in very small decreases in contamination. A similar pattern was observed with Enterococci. For the spores of sulfite-reducing anaerobe bacteria, with the exception of heat treatment, which reduced contamination by 3.2 log units, the maximum decrease in contamination was 1.7 log. For storage of sludge, E. coli and Enterococci levels had decreased at first but then increased between 6 and 8 months of storage.     

Distribution et richesse taxonomiques des épiphytes de quelques phorophytes au Parc national de Korup (Cameroun)

Les 50 ha de la parcelle permanente établie par le Smithsonian Institutes (Korup Forest Dynamics Plot: KFDP) ont constitués la surface d’étude. Un total de 100 phorophytes appartenant à 5 espèces soit 20 individus par espèce choisie a fait l’objet d’échantillonnage suivant la méthode de Johansson [1]. Des échantillons récoltés indifféremment sur les autres phorophytes de cette parcelle ont permis d’avoir une idée de la flore épiphytique de ce Parc. Au total, 154 espèces dont 19 Ptéridophytes représentant 12,33 % de la flore, 10 Dicotylédones représentant 6,49 % de la flore et 125 Monocotylédones avec 81,17 % des espèces ont été récoltées. Nos investigations révèlent 9 familles et 46 genres. Les plus abondants sont les Orchidaceae (66,23 % des espèces), les Araceae (14,94 % des espèces), les Polypodiaceae (5,84 % des espèces) et les Begoniaceae (5,19 % des espèces). Au niveau genérique, Bulbophyllum est le plus abondant. Il représente 22,07 % de la flore. D’autres genres importants sont Polystachya, Culcacia et Angraecum. L’analyse canonique de la flore de ces cinq espèces supports, montre que Oubanguia alata, Cola praecuta et Strephonema pseudocola présentent une similitude floristique. La distribution verticale des espèces indique que les niveaux II, III et IV de Johansson [1] sont les plus représentés en terme d’abondance épiphytique.

Mots clés: Flore; phorophyte; épiphyte; distribution et abondance

The study of vascular epiphytic flora of Korup National Park has been carried out in 50 hectares of the Korup Forest Dynamics Plot (KFDP). The sampling used Johansson’s method [1] of over 100 phorophytes belonging to five species of which each species is made up of 20 individuals of the same species. A collection was made through KFDP. It was noted that a total of 154 species where 19 Pteridophytes (12.33 %), 10 Dicotyledons (6.49 %) and 125 Monocotyledons (81.17 %) were thus registered. These epiphytes were divided into nine families and 46 genera. The families of greater abundance are Orchidaceae with the species of 66.23%, Araceae with the species of 14.94% and Polypodiaceae with the species of 5.84%. Other important family is Begoniaceae with the species of 5.19%. The genus Bulbophyllum is the most abundant; it is represented by the species of 22.07%. The analysis of flora, thanks to the statistical test, shows that Oubanguia alata, Cola praecuta and Strephonema pseudocola are floristically the same. The vertical distribution shows that, the II, III and IV levels of Johansson [1] are those mostly represented.     

A Bulk Built-In Voltage Sensor to Detect Physical Location of Single-Event Transients

A novel built-in voltage sensor circuit has been developed in 90-nm CMOS technology to characterize temporal and physical locations of ion hits. The sensing circuit only has 8 transistors, with very small area and power overhead. Simulations and laser experimental results illustrate the effectiveness of the sensing circuit. The sensors can be implemented in grid formation to systematically detect the ion hits in real time.     

Epidemiology of major trauma and trauma deaths in Los Angeles County

The aims of this study were to identify differences in the centre of buoyancy (CB) and centre of mass (CM) locations of male and female collegiate swimmers, and to assess the influence that buoyancy has on freestyle kicking performance. Sixteen female collegiate swimmers (mean +/- s: age 19.1 +/- 1.2 years) had significantly more adipose tissue (20.2 +/- 4.4%) than 15 male collegiate swimmers (19.9 +/- 1.0 years, 12.6 +/- 3.8%). The ratio of the sum of abdominal and suprailiac skinfolds to the thigh skinfold was significantly greater for the males (2.07 +/- 0.37) than the females (1.31 +/- 0.32), implying that females had proportionately more fatty tissue caudally than males. The distance d between the centres of buoyancy and mass was significantly larger for the males (0.79 +/- 0.43 cm) than the females (0.16 +/- 0.34 cm). Both points were more caudal in the female subjects (59.9 +/- 0.7% and 59.8 +/- 0.7% of body height respectively) than in the male subjects (61.7 +/- 0.8% and 61.2 +/- 0.9% respectively). These data suggest that the difference in d may be attributed to the difference in the location of the centre of buoyancy, because the centre of mass difference was not significant and was characterized by a smaller effect size. The amount and distribution of adipose tissue accounted for a significant proportion of variance in d (R2 = 0.25 and 0.29 respectively). Males had a significantly higher proportional kick time, defined as the ratio of times to complete a 22.9 m sprint when kicking and swimming respectively, than females (1.57 +/- 0.09 and 1.51 +/- 0.13 respectively). This shows that the male swimmers kicked proportionally more slowly than the female swimmers. However, the distance d did not account for a significant proportion of variance in the proportional kick time. Therefore, our results do not support the notion that skilled male swimmers are at a performance disadvantage in terms of natural buoyancy characteristics.     

Development of the pavement structural health index based on falling weight deflectometer testing

Non-structural parameters such as surface distresses and ride quality have commonly been used as functional indicators in the treatment selection process. However, transportation agencies have considered in recent years implementing structural capacity indicators into their pavement management system (PMS) and decision-making processes. The objective of this study was to develop a structural condition index for Louisiana, known as the Structural Health Index (SHI), on a scale from 0 to 100 that describes the structural integrity of the pavement structure based on the backcalculated layer moduli of in-service pavements as predicted from FWD testing. Based on the developed methodology, the SHI is estimated by first backcalculating the layer moduli using a backcalculation software. Then, a sigmodal function is used to calculate the SHI. Evaluation and validation of the SHI was successful and demonstrated that the new index responded realistically to sections in poor and in good structural conditions. Furthermore, it was shown that the new index provided additional information that complements existing functional indices in PMS by successfully identifying structurally deficient sections. The implementation of the SHI into the LADOTD decision matrix is demonstrated.