An inertial sensor-based system for spatio-temporal analysis in classic cross-country skiing diagonal technique.

The present study proposes a method based on ski fixed inertial sensors to automatically compute spatio-temporal parameters (phase durations, cycle speed and cycle length) for the diagonal stride in classical cross-country skiing. The proposed system was validated against a marker-based motion capture system during indoor treadmill skiing. Skiing movement of 10 junior to world-cup athletes was measured for four different conditions. The accuracy (i.e. median error) and precision (i.e. interquartile range of error) of the system was below 6ms for cycle duration and ski thrust duration and below 35ms for pole push duration. Cycle speed precision (accuracy) was below 0.1m/s (0.005m/s) and cycle length precision (accuracy) was below 0.15m (0.005m). The system was sensitive to changes of conditions and was accurate enough to detect significant differences reported in previous studies. Since capture volume is not limited and setup is simple, the system would be well suited for outdoor measurements on snow.

Characterization and genetic mapping of eceriferum-ym (cer-ym), a cutin deficient barley mutant with impaired leaf water retention capacity.

The cuticle covers the aerial parts of land plants, where it serves many important functions, including water retention. Here, a recessive cuticle mutant, eceriferum-ym (cer-ym), of Hordeum vulgare L. (barley) showed abnormally glossy spikes, sheaths, and leaves. The cer-ym mutant plant detached from its root system was hypersensitive to desiccation treatment compared with wild type plants, and detached leaves of mutant lost 41.8% of their initial weight after 1 h of dehydration under laboratory conditions, while that of the wild type plants lost only 7.1%. Stomata function was not affected by the mutation, but the mutant leaves showed increased cuticular permeability to water, suggesting a defective leaf cuticle, which was confirmed by toluidine blue staining. The mutant leaves showed a substantial reduction in the amounts of the major cutin monomers and a slight increase in the main wax component, suggesting that the enhanced cuticle permeability was a consequence of cutin deficiency. cer-ym was mapped within a 0.8 cM interval between EST marker AK370363 and AK251484, a pericentromeric region on chromosome 4H. The results indicate that the desiccation sensitivity of cer-ym is caused by a defect in leaf cutin, and that cer-ym is located in a chromosome 4H pericentromeric region.

Laparoscopic technique to perform a true Stamm gastrostomy in children.

PURPOSE: A surgical gastrostomy is mandatory in cases where a PEG is not feasible. Various minimally invasive techniques have been described, but many involve unusable materials in small children and/or have risk of disunion. We describe a technique for true Stamm gastrostomy performed by laparoscopy (LSG) with a purse string suture and four points of attachment onto the wall. METHOD: We reviewed 20 children who underwent an LSG from 2010 to 2013. After incision of the skin at the location planned for the gastrostomy, using three 3-5mm ports the stomach is fixed to the wall by three suspension stitches, which are entered and then emerged subcutaneously. A fourth stitch of attachment is used to make an award on the stomach and tie around the gastrostomy tube. RESULTS: Mean age was 4.2years, with 70% aged <2years. All children were malnourished, most often severely. All but two underwent a concomitant fundoplication. Feeding through the gastrostomy started on D0 or D1. Total feeding by gastrostomy was achieved in a mean duration of 2.9day. Mean hospital stay was 4.5days. There was no perioperative complication. Mean follow-up was 14months. Once, the balloon was accidently deflated and reinflated in the wall leading to its necrosis. Five peristomial granulomas were noticed. It was always possible to replace the tube by a gastrostomy device at least 6weeks after surgery. CONCLUSION: This new technique for true Stamm gastrostomy by laparoscopy reproduces exactly the one done by laparotomy, without special equipment. It can be made since the neonatal period, in all the circumstances when a laparoscopy is possible.

Electrostimulation mapping of comprehension of auditory and visual words.

In order to spare functional areas during the removal of brain tumours, electrical stimulation mapping was used in 90 patients (77 in the left hemisphere and 13 in the right; 2754 cortical sites tested). Language functions were studied with a special focus on comprehension of auditory and visual words and the semantic system. In addition to naming, patients were asked to perform pointing tasks from auditory and visual stimuli (using sets of 4 different images controlled for familiarity), and also auditory object (sound recognition) and Token test tasks. Ninety-two auditory comprehension interference sites were observed. We found that the process of auditory comprehension involved a few, fine-grained, sub-centimetre cortical territories. Early stages of speech comprehension seem to relate to two posterior regions in the left superior temporal gyrus. Downstream lexical-semantic speech processing and sound analysis involved 2 pathways, along the anterior part of the left superior temporal gyrus, and posteriorly around the supramarginal and middle temporal gyri. Electrostimulation experimentally dissociated perceptual consciousness attached to speech comprehension. The initial word discrimination process can be considered as an "automatic" stage, the attention feedback not being impaired by stimulation as would be the case at the lexical-semantic stage. Multimodal organization of the superior temporal gyrus was also detected since some neurones could be involved in comprehension of visual material and naming. These findings demonstrate a fine graded, sub-centimetre, cortical representation of speech comprehension processing mainly in the left superior temporal gyrus and are in line with those described in dual stream models of language comprehension processing.

Annuaire de la papeterie française et étrangère (technique, industriel et commercial, fondé en 1865)

Variante(s) de titre : Annuaire général de la papeterie française et étrangère

Annuaire de la papeterie française et étrangère (technique, industriel et commercial, fondé en 1865)

1865 (A1).

Gamma Knife Surgery versus Linac for Brain Metastasis: Which Technique for Which Patient? Analysis of an Historical Cohort of 63 Consecutive Patients Harboring 130 Lesions

Objectives: We present the retrospective analysis of a single-institution experience for radiosurgery (RS) in brain metastasis (BM) with Gamma Knife (GK) and Linac. Methods: From July 2010 to July 2012, 28 patients (with 83 lesions) had RS with GK and 35 patients (with 47 lesions) with Linac. The primary outcome was the local progression-free survival (LPFS). The secondary outcome was the overall survival (OS). Apart a standard statistical analysis, we included a Cox regression model with shared frailty, to modulate the within-patient correlation (preliminary evaluation showed a significant frailty effect, meaning that the correlation within patient could be ignored). Results: The mean follow-up period was 11.7 months (median 7.9, 1.7-22.7) for GK and 18.1 (median 17, 7.5-28.7) for Linac. The median number of lesions per patient was 2.5 (1-9) in GK compared with 1 (1-3) in Linac. There were more radioresistant lesions (melanoma) and more lesions located in functional areas for the GK group. The median dose was 24 Gy (GK) compared with 20 Gy (Linac). The LPFS actuarial rate was as follows: for GK at 3, 6, 9, 12, and 17 months: 96.96, 96.96, 96.96, 88.1, and 81.5%, and remained stable till 32 months; for Linac at 3, 6, 12, 17, 24, and 33 months, it was 91.5, 91.5, 91.5, 79.9, 55.5, and 17.1%, respectively (p = 0.03, chi-square test). After the Cox regression analysis with shared frailty, the p-value was not statistically significant between groups. The median overall survival was 9.7 months for GK and 23.6 months for Linac group. Uni- and multivariate analysis showed a lower GPA score and noncontrolled systemic status were associated with lower OS. Cox regression analysis adjusting for these two parameters showed comparable OS rate. Conclusions: In this comparative report between GK and Linac, preliminary analysis showed that more difficult cases are treated by GK, with patients harboring more lesions, radioresistant tumors, and highly functional located. The groups look, in this sense, very heterogeneous at baseline. After a Cox frailty model, the LPFS rates seemed very similar (p < 0.05). The OS was similar, after adjusting for systemic status and GPA score (p < 0.05). The technical reasons for choosing GK instead of Linac were the anatomical location related to highly functional areas, histology, technical limitations of Linac movements, especially lower posterior fossa locations, or closeness of multiple lesions to highly functional areas optimal dosimetry with Linac

A digital holography technique for generating beams with arbitrary polarization and shape

A method for generating beams with arbitrary polarization and shape is proposed. Our design requires the use of a Mach-Zehnder set-up combined with translucent liquid crystal displays in each arm of the interferometer; in this way, independent manipulation of each transverse beam components is possible. The target of this communication is to develop a numerical procedure for calculating the holograms required for dynamically encode any amplitude value and polarization state in each point of the wavefront. Several examples demonstrating the capabilities of the method are provided.

Aortic Annulus Stabilization Technique for Rapid Deployment Aortic Valve Replacement.

NlmCategory="UNASSIGNED">Rapid deployment aortic valve replacement (RDAVR) with the use of rapid deployment valve systems represents a smart alternative to the use of standard aortic bioprosthesis for aortic valve replacement. Nevertheless, its use is still debatable in patients with pure aortic valve regurgitation or true bicuspid aortic valve because of the risk of postoperative paravalvular leak. To address this issue, an optimal annulus-valve size match seems to be the ideal surgical strategy. This article describes a new technique developed to stabilize the aortic annulus and prevent paravalvular leak after RDAVR. To confirm the feasibility, this technique was performed in six patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis who were scheduled to undergo aortic valve replacement at our center. All patients survived surgery and were discharged from the hospital. There were no new intracardiac conduction system disturbances observed, and a permanent pacemaker implantation was not required in any of the patients. The intraoperative and postoperative echocardiogram confirmed successful positioning of the valve, and no paravalvular leak was observed. In this preliminary experience, RDAVR through a full sternotomy or an upper hemisternotomy approach with the use of aortic annulus stabilization technique was safe, and no leak was observed. Future studies on large series of patients are necessary to confirm the safety and effectiveness of this technique in preventing paravalvular leak in patients with true bicuspid aortic valves or pure aortic regurgitation.