Développement et pré-test d’un plan de soins de suivi pour des femmes atteintes du cancer de l’endomètre avec traitements adjuvants lors de la transition de la fin du traitement actif vers la survie au cancer

La fin du traitement actif et le début de la phase de survie correspondent à une période de transition qui présente de nombreux défis pour la personne survivante au cancer, les soignants et le système de santé. La phase de survie au cancer est une phase distincte mais négligée du continuum de soins. Pour faciliter la transition de la fin du traitement actif vers la survie et optimiser la coordination des soins de suivi, la mise en place d’un plan de soins de suivi (PSS) est proposée. Le but de cette recherche est de développer, de mettre en place et d’évaluer si un plan de soins de suivi (PSS) permet de répondre aux besoins globaux, de diminuer la détresse émotionnelle et de favoriser les comportements d’autogestion de santé de femmes atteintes du cancer de l’endomètre (FACE) lors de la transition de la fin du traitement actif vers la survie au cancer. Elle comprend deux phases distinctes. La première phase visait d’abord le développement d’un plan de soins de suivi (PSS) pour des femmes atteintes du cancer de l’endomètre avec traitements adjuvants. La sélection du contenu du PSS a été faite à partir de la recension des écrits et des données recueillies lors d’entrevues individuelles avec 19 FACE, 24 professionnels de la santé travaillant avec cette clientèle et quatre gestionnaires de proximité en oncologie. Cette première phase avait également pour but la validation du contenu du PSS auprès de dix professionnels de la santé impliqués dans l’étude. La seconde phase consistait à évaluer la faisabilité, l’acceptabilité du PSS et à en pré-tester l’utilité à répondre aux besoins globaux, à diminuer la détresse émotionnelle (peur de la récidive) et à favoriser l’autogestion de santé auprès d’un groupe de 18 femmes atteintes du cancer de l’endomètre avec traitements adjuvants à la fin du traitement actif vers la survie. Sur le plan de la faisabilité, les résultats suggèrent que la mise en place du PSS comporte des défis en termes de temps, de ressources et de coordination pour l’infirmière pivot en oncologie (IPO). Concernant l’acceptabilité du PSS, les FACE le perçoivent comme un outil d’information utile qui favorise la communication avec le médecin de famille ou d’autres professionnels de la santé. Les IPO soutiennent sa valeur ajoutée à la fin du traitement et soulignent que la discussion du contenu du PSS fait ressortir des éléments de surveillance et de suivi essentiels à prendre en compte pour la phase de survie et permet de mettre l’emphase sur l’autogestion de sa santé. Pour les médecins de famille, le PSS est un outil d’information pour les survivantes qui favorise la réassurance, la communication et la continuité des soins entre professionnels de la santé. Enfin, pour ce qui est de l’utilité du PSS à répondre aux besoins globaux, les résultats suggèrent que l’ensemble des besoins sont plus satisfaits trois mois après la fin des traitements pour le groupe ayant reçu un PSS. Bien que la peur de récidive du cancer (PRC) s’améliore au suivi de trois mois pour le groupe exposé au PSS, 55% des FACE conservent un score cliniquement significatif de 13 à la sous-échelle de sévérité de peur de récidive à la fin du traitement et 42% au suivi de trois mois. Les comportements d’autogestion de santé s’améliorent entre la fin du traitement et le suivi de trois mois pour le groupe exposé un PSS. Considérant ces résultats, la démarche soutient la pertinence de mettre en place un PSS à la fin du traitement actif pour les FACE pour répondre à des besoins d’information, favoriser la communication et la continuité des soins avec les professionnels de la santé et les comportements d’autogestion de santé dans la phase de survie. Cependant, des contraintes de temps, de ressources et de coordination doivent être prises en compte pour sa mise en place dans le milieu clinique. Mots-clés : Transition, fin du traitement actif, besoins, survie au cancer, plan de soins de suivi.

Non-contact test set-up for aeroelasticity in a rotating turbomachine combining a novel acoustic excitation system with tip-timing

Due to trends in aero-design, aeroelasticity becomes increasingly important in modern turbomachines. Design requirements of turbomachines lead to the development of high aspect ratio blades and blade integral disc designs (blisks), which are especially prone to complex modes of vibration. Therefore, experimental investigations yielding high quality data are required for improving the understanding of aeroelastic effects in turbomachines. One possibility to achieve high quality data is to excite and measure blade vibrations in turbomachines. The major requirement for blade excitation and blade vibration measurements is to minimize interference with the aeroelastic effects to be investigated. Thus in this paper, a non-contact-and thus low interference-experimental set-up for exciting and measuring blade vibrations is proposed and shown to work. A novel acoustic system excites rotor blade vibrations, which are measured with an optical tip-timing system. By performing measurements in an axial compressor, the potential of the acoustic excitation method for investigating aeroelastic effects is explored. The basic principle of this method is described and proven through the analysis of blade responses at different acoustic excitation frequencies and at different rotational speeds. To verify the accuracy of the tip-timing system, amplitudes measured by tip-timing are compared with strain gage measurements. They are found to agree well. Two approaches to vary the nodal diameter (ND) of the excited vibration mode by controlling the acoustic excitation are presented. By combining the different excitable acoustic modes with a phase-lag control, each ND of the investigated 30 blade rotor can be excited individually. This feature of the present acoustic excitation system is of great benefit to aeroelastic investigations and represents one of the main advantages over other excitation methods proposed in the past. In future studies, the acoustic excitation method will be used to investigate aeroelastic effects in high-speed turbomachines in detail. The results of these investigations are to be used to improve the aeroelastic design of modern turbomachines.

Development of paper-based color test-strip for drug detection in aquatic environment: Application to oxytetracycline

The wide use of antibiotics in aquaculture has led to the emergence of resistant microbial species. It should be avoided/minimized by controlling the amount of drug employed in fish farming. For this purpose, the present work proposes test-strip papers aiming at the detection/semi-quantitative determination of organic drugs by visual comparison of color changes, in a similar analytical procedure to that of pH monitoring by universal pH paper. This is done by establishing suitable chemical changes upon cellulose, attributing the paper the ability to react with the organic drug and to produce a color change. Quantitative data is also enabled by taking a picture and applying a suitable mathematical treatment to the color coordinates given by the HSL system used by windows. As proof of concept, this approach was applied to oxytetracycline (OXY), one of the antibiotics frequently used in aquaculture. A bottom-up modification of paper was established, starting by the reaction of the glucose moieties on the paper with 3-triethoxysilylpropylamine (APTES). The so-formed amine layer allowed binding to a metal ion by coordination chemistry, while the metal ion reacted after with the drug to produce a colored compound. The most suitable metals to carry out such modification were selected by bulk studies, and the several stages of the paper modification were optimized to produce an intense color change against the concentration of the drug. The paper strips were applied to the analysis of spiked environmental water, allowing a quantitative determination for OXY concentrations as low as 30 ng/mL. In general, this work provided a simple, method to screen and discriminate tetracycline drugs, in aquaculture, being a promising tool for local, quick and cheap monitoring of drugs.

PREVALENCE AND FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PERFORMANCE OF MAMMOGRAPHY AND PAP SMEAR TEST

Objective: To estimate the prevalence and factors associated with the performance of mammography and pap smear test in women from the city of Maringá, Paraná. Methods: Population-based cross-sectional study conducted with 345 women aged over 20 years in the period from March 2011 to April 2012. An interview was carried out using a questionnaire proposed by the Ministry of Health, which addressed sociodemographic characteristics, risk factors for chronic noncommunicable diseases and issues related to mammographic and pap screening. Data were analyzed using bivariate analysis, crude analysis with odds ratio (OR) and chi-squared test using Epi Info 3.5.1 program; multivariate analysis using logistic regression was performed using the software Statistica 7.1, with a significance level of 5% and a confidence interval of 95%. Results: The mean age of the women was 52.19 (±5.27) years. The majority (56.5%) had from 0 to 8 years of education. Additionally, 84.6% (n=266) of the women underwent pap smear and 74.3% (n=169) underwent mammography. The lower performance of pap smear test was associated with women with 9-11 years of education (p=0.01), and the lower performance of mammography was associated with women without private health insurance (p<0.01). Conclusion: The coverage of mammography and pap smear test was satisfactory among the women from Maringá, Paraná. Low education level and women who depended on the public health system presented lower performance of mammography.

Random Mating Between Two Widely Divergent Mitochondrial Lineages of Cryptolestes ferrugineus (Coleoptera: Laemophloeidae): A Test of Species Limits in a Phosphine-Resistant Stored Product Pest

Effective pest management relies on accurate delimitation of species and, beyond this, on accurate species identification. Mitochondrial COI sequences are useful for providing initial indications in delimiting species but, despite acknowledged limitations in the method, many studies involving COI sequences and species problems remain unresolved. Here we illustrate how such impasses can be resolved with microsatellite and nuclear sequence data, to assess more directly the amount of gene flow between divergent lineages. We use a population genetics approach to test for random mating between two 8 ± 2% divergent COI lineages of the rusty grain beetle, Cryptolestes ferrugineus (Stephens). This species has become strongly resistant to phosphine, a fumigant used worldwide for disinfesting grain. The possibility of cryptic species would have significant consequences for resistance management, especially if resistance was confined to one mitochondrial lineage. We find no evidence of restricted gene flow or nonrandom mating across the two COI lineages of these beetles, rather we hypothesize that historic population structure associated with early Pleistocene climate changes likely contributed to divergent lineages within this species.

Graph analysis of verbal fluency test discriminate between patients with Alzheimer’s disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment and normal elderly controls

Verbal fluency is the ability to produce a satisfying sequence of spoken words during a given time interval. The core of verbal fluency lies in the capacity to manage the executive aspects of language. The standard scores of the semantic verbal fluency test are broadly used in the neuropsychological assessment of the elderly, and different analytical methods are likely to extract even more information from the data generated in this test. Graph theory, a mathematical approach to analyze relations between items, represents a promising tool to understand a variety of neuropsychological states. This study reports a graph analysis of data generated by the semantic verbal fluency test by cognitively healthy elderly (NC), patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment – subtypes amnestic(aMCI) and amnestic multiple domain (a+mdMCI) - and patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Sequences of words were represented as a speech graph in which every word corresponded to a node and temporal links between words were represented by directed edges. To characterize the structure of the data we calculated 13 speech graph attributes (SGAs). The individuals were compared when divided in three (NC – MCI – AD) and four (NC – aMCI – a+mdMCI – AD) groups. When the three groups were compared, significant differences were found in the standard measure of correct words produced, and three SGA: diameter, average shortest path, and network density. SGA sorted the elderly groups with good specificity and sensitivity. When the four groups were compared, the groups differed significantly in network density, except between the two MCI subtypes and NC and aMCI. The diameter of the network and the average shortest path were significantly different between the NC and AD, and between aMCI and AD. SGA sorted the elderly in their groups with good specificity and sensitivity, performing better than the standard score of the task. These findings provide support for a new methodological frame to assess the strength of semantic memory through the verbal fluency task, with potential to amplify the predictive power of this test. Graph analysis is likely to become clinically relevant in neurology and psychiatry, and may be particularly useful for the differential diagnosis of the elderly.

THERMAL VACUUM TEST CORRELATION OF A ZERO PROPELLANT LOAD CASE THERMAL CAPACITANCE PROPELLANT GAUGING ANALYTICAL MODEL

This thesis describes the development and correlation of a thermal model that forms the foundation of a thermal capacitance spacecraft propellant load estimator. Specific details of creating the thermal model for the diaphragm propellant tank used on NASA’s Magnetospheric Multiscale spacecraft using ANSYS and the correlation process implemented are presented. The thermal model was correlated to within +/- 3 Celsius of the thermal vacuum test data, and was determined sufficient to make future propellant predictions on MMS. The model was also found to be relatively sensitive to uncertainties in applied heat flux and mass knowledge of the tank. More work is needed to improve temperature predictions in the upper hemisphere of the propellant tank where predictions were found to be 2-2.5 Celsius lower than the test data. A road map for applying the model to predict propellant loads on the actual MMS spacecraft in 2017-2018 is also presented.

Test Anxiety, Coping, Gender and Academic Performance in English Exams: A Study of Finnish Upper Secondary School Students

In this MA thesis, test anxiety related to English exams among Finnish upper secondary school students was studied. In addition, the ways students try to cope with test anxiety were investigated. The purpose of the study was to investigate gender differences in test anxiety, the effects of test anxiety on academic performance and relationships between test anxiety, academic performance and coping strategies. Test anxiety and coping strategies were analysed as scores of questionnaire responses. Coping strategies comprised of three categories – task-orientation and preparation, seeking social support and avoidance. Academic performance was analysed as teacher ratings of general performance in English exams. In total 67 subjects were studied. The subjects were Finnish general upper secondary school students. The data were collected by using online questionnaires. This data were mainly quantitative, but also qualitative elements were included. The quantitative data were analysed by using statistical methods. The results showed that females experienced statistically significantly more test anxiety than males. In addition, a statistically significant correlation was found between test anxiety levels and academic performance ratings of the subjects: the higher the test anxiety score, the lower the academic performance rating. A meaningful correlation was found between test anxiety and seeking social support as a coping strategy: a higher test anxiety score was related to using social support as a coping strategy. However, no relationships were found between academic performance and the three coping strategies when quantitative and qualitative data were analysed. Therefore, different coping strategies per se did not seem to be related to academic performance, but instead it was assumed that the effectiveness of coping strategies is dependent on individual differences. In order to obtain more generalisable results and to gain more understanding of test anxiety and coping with it, a larger number of subjects form different areas of Finland and of different ages could be examined in future studies. Moreover, cross-national and cross-cultural studies could provide valuable information. As a practical recommendation for educational purposes, the results of this study indicated that a more individualised approach is needed.

Student, school, and country differences in sustained test-taking effort in the 2009 PISA reading assessment

In this article, the change in examinee effort during an assessment, which we will refer to as persistence, is modeled as an effect of item position. A multilevel extension is proposed to analyze hierarchically structured data and decompose the individual differences in persistence. Data from the 2009 Program of International Student Achievement (PISA) reading assessment from N = 467,819 students from 65 countries are analyzed with the proposed model, and the results are compared across countries. A decrease in examinee effort during the PISA reading assessment was found consistently across countries, with individual differences within and between schools. Both the decrease and the individual differences are more pronounced in lower performing countries. Within schools, persistence is slightly negatively correlated with reading ability; but at the school level, this correlation is positive in most countries. The results of our analyses indicate that it is important to model and control examinee effort in low-stakes assessments. (DIPF/Orig.)

Self-ordered pointing as a test of working memory in typically developing children

The self-ordered pointing test (SOPT; Petrides & Milner, 1982) is a test of non-spatial executive working memory requiring the ability to generate and monitor a sequence of responses. Although used with developmental clinical populations there are few normative data against which to compare atypical performance. Typically developing children (5!11 years) and young adults performed two versions of the SOPT, one using pictures of familiar objects and the other hard-to-verbalise abstract designs. Performance improved with age but the children did not reach adult levels of performance. Participants of all ages found the object condition easier than the abstract condition, suggesting that verbal processes are utilised by the SOPT. However, performance on the task was largely independent from verbal and nonverbal cognitive ability. Overall the results suggest that the SOPT is a sensitive measure of executive working memory.

Mathematical analysis of maximum power generated by photovoltaic systems and fitting curves for standard test conditions

The rural electrification is characterized by geographical dispersion of the population, low consumption, high investment by consumers and high cost. Moreover, solar radiation constitutes an inexhaustible source of energy and in its conversion into electricity photovoltaic panels are used. In this study, equations were adjusted to field conditions presented by the manufacturer for current and power of small photovoltaic systems. The mathematical analysis was performed on the photovoltaic rural system I- 100 from ISOFOTON, with power 300 Wp, located at the Experimental Farm Lageado of FCA/UNESP. For the development of such equations, the circuitry of photovoltaic cells has been studied to apply iterative numerical methods for the determination of electrical parameters and possible errors in the appropriate equations in the literature to reality. Therefore, a simulation of a photovoltaic panel was proposed through mathematical equations that were adjusted according to the data of local radiation. The results have presented equations that provide real answers to the user and may assist in the design of these systems, once calculated that the maximum power limit ensures a supply of energy generated. This real sizing helps establishing the possible applications of solar energy to the rural producer and informing the real possibilities of generating electricity from the sun.

CATARINA 2012-Leg 1 - CTD-O2 Data report

The CATARINA Leg1 cruise was carried out from June 22 to July 24 2012 on board the B/O Sarmiento de Gamboa, under the scientific supervision of Aida Rios (CSIC-IIM). It included the occurrence of the OVIDE hydrological section that was performed in June 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010, as part of the CLIVAR program (name A25) ), and under the supervision of Herlé Mercier (CNRSLPO). This section begins near Lisbon (Portugal), runs through the West European Basin and the Iceland Basin, crosses the Reykjanes Ridge (300 miles north of Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone, and ends at Cape Hoppe (southeast tip of Greenland). The objective of this repeated hydrological section is to monitor the variability of water mass properties and main current transports in the basin, complementing the international observation array relevant for climate studies. In addition, the Labrador Sea was partly sampled (stations 101-108) between Greenland and Newfoundland, but heavy weather conditions prevented the achievement of the section south of 53°40’N. The quality of CTD data is essential to reach the first objective of the CATARINA project, i.e. to quantify the Meridional Overturning Circulation and water mass ventilation changes and their effect on the changes in the anthropogenic carbon ocean uptake and storage capacity. The CATARINA project was mainly funded by the Spanish Ministry of Sciences and Innovation and co-funded by the Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional. The hydrological OVIDE section includes 95 surface-bottom stations from coast to coast, collecting profiles of temperature, salinity, oxygen and currents, spaced by 2 to 25 Nm depending on the steepness of the topography. The position of the stations closely follows that of OVIDE 2002. In addition, 8 stations were carried out in the Labrador Sea. From the 24 bottles closed at various depth at each stations, samples of sea water are used for salinity and oxygen calibration, and for measurements of biogeochemical components that are not reported here. The data were acquired with a Seabird CTD (SBE911+) and an SBE43 for the dissolved oxygen, belonging to the Spanish UTM group. The software SBE data processing was used after decoding and cleaning the raw data. Then, the LPO matlab toolbox was used to calibrate and bin the data as it was done for the previous OVIDE cruises, using on the one hand pre and post-cruise calibration results for the pressure and temperature sensors (done at Ifremer) and on the other hand the water samples of the 24 bottles of the rosette at each station for the salinity and dissolved oxygen data. A final accuracy of 0.002°C, 0.002 psu and 0.04 ml/l (2.3 umol/kg) was obtained on final profiles of temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen, compatible with international requirements issued from the WOCE program.

Absence of LPA1 receptor results in altered pattern of limbic activation after tail suspension test

Stress serves as an adaptive mechanism and helps organisms to cope with life-threatening situations. However, individual vulnerability to stress and dysregulation of this system may precipitate stress-related disorders such as depression. The neurobiological circuitry in charge of dealing with stressors has been widely studied in animal models. Recently our group has demonstrated a role for lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) through the LPA1 receptor in vulnerability to stress, in particular the lack of this receptor relates to robust decrease of adult hippocampal neurogenesis and induction of anxious and depressive states. Nevertheless, the specific abnormalities in the limbic circuit in reaction to stress remains unclear. The aim of this study is to examine the differences in the brain activation pattern in the presence or absence of LPA1 receptor after acute stress. For this purpose, we have studied the response of maLPA1-null male mice and normal wild type mice to an intense stressor: Tail Suspension Test. Activation induced by behaviour of brain regions involved in mood regulation was analysed by stereological quantification of c-Fos immunoreactive positive cells. We also conducted multidimensional scaling analysis in order to unravel coativation between structures. Our results revealed hyperactivity of stress-related structures such as amygdala and paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus in the knockout model and different patterns of coactivation in both genotypes using a multidimensional map. This data provides further evidence to the engagement of the LPA1 receptors in stress regulation and sheds light on different neural pathways under normal and vulnerability conditions that can lead to mood disorders.