Investigation of LANDSAT D Thematic Mapper geometric performance: Line to line and band to band registration

The geometric accuray of LANDSAT TM raw data of Toulouse (France) raw data of Mississippi, and preprocessed data of Mississippi was examined using a CDC computer. Analog images were restituted on the VIZIR SEP device. The methods used for line to line and band to band registration are based on automatic correlation techniques and are widely used in automated image to image registration at CNES. Causes of intraband and interband misregistration are identified and statistics are given for both line to line and band to band misregistration

Les opérations archéologiques aux abords des cathédrales d'après les données du Centre national d'archéologie urbaine.

International audienceApports de l'archéologie pour la connaissance des cathédrales et de leurs abords immédiats en France

Influence of ICU-bed availability on ICU admission decisions

BACKGROUND: The potential influence of bed availability on triage to intensive care unit (ICU) admission is among the factors that may influence the ideal ratio of ICU beds to population: thus, high bed availability (HBA) may result in the admission of patients too well or too sick to benefit, whereas bed scarcity may result in refusal of patients likely to benefit from ICU admission. METHODS: Characteristics and outcomes of patient admitted in four ICUs with usual HBA, defined by admission refusal rate less than 11 % because of bed unavailability, were compared to patients admitted in six ICUs with usual low bed availability (LBA), i.e., an admission refusal rate higher than 10 % during a 90-day period. RESULTS: Over the 90 days, the mean number of days with no bed available was 30 ± 16 in HBA units versus 48 ± 21 in LBA units (p < 0.01). The proportion of admitted patients was significantly higher in the HBA (80.1 %; n = 659/823) than in the LBA units [61.6 %: n = 480/779; (p < 0.0001)]. The proportion of patients deemed too sick to benefit from admission was higher in LBA (9.0 %; n = 70) than in the HBA (6.3 %; n = 52) units (p < 0.05). The HBA group had a significantly greater proportion of patients younger than 40 years of age (22.5 %; n = 148 versus 14 %; n = 67 in LBA group; p < 0.001) and higher proportions of patients with either high or low simplified acute physiologic score II values. CONCLUSIONS: Bed availability affected triage decisions. Units with HBA trend to admit patients too sick or too well to benefit

Le Stratifiant, un outil de traitement des données stratigraphiques

“Le Stratifiant” is a simple tool for stratigraphic data processing, which can create stratigraphic diagrams with various functions: inscription in the absolute time, according to the TPQ (terminus post quem) and TAQ (terminus ante quem) available, the processing of dubious relations and the phasing of data. Developed under the software Microsoft Excel, “Le Stratifiant” can communicate with excavation databases

Differential effects of concentric and eccentric contractions on the primary motor cortex in healthy young and elderly participants

IntroductionAging is associated with a decline in musculoskeletal function, particularly muscle weakness, which affects a significant proportion of older adults and is associated with reduced quality of life and increased mortality. Two major contributors to age-related muscle weakness are muscle atrophy and cortical alterations. Eccentric exercise has been identified as a promising intervention to counteract these declines, as it has the potential to increase both muscle mass and cortical activity in young people. However, while the benefits of eccentric contractions on muscle mass in older adults are well documented, their effects on cortical activity, particularly in the lower limbs, remain unclear. The aim of this study was to compare cortical activity during concentric and eccentric quadriceps contractions of young and older adults.MethodsThis prospective study included 32 healthy participants: 17 young (23 ± 4 years, 6 women, 11 mens) and 15 older (62 ± 7 years, 7 women, 8 mens). Muscle strength was assessed using an isokinetic ergometer, muscular activity with electromyography electrodes positioned on quadriceps, and cortical activity using electroencephalography (EEG). Participants performed 40 concentric and 40 eccentric voluntary contractions against 20% of their maximal voluntary isometric contraction. EEG data were processed to analyze motor-related cortical potentials, specifically the negative potential (NP). The NP was divided into two main components: latency and amplitude as indicators of cortical activity during movement preparation and execution.ResultsThere were no significant differences in participants characteristics between groups, except for age. Muscular activity was lower during eccentric than concentric contractions (p &lt; 0.05). Cortical activity was significantly lower in older compared to young adults, which was reflected in reduced NP latency across several electrodes (Cz, p = 0.03; C4, p = 0.02; FC2, p = 0.02). However, regarding NP amplitude, it was significantly higher during eccentric contractions in Cz, C4, FC5, and C2 electrodes (p &lt; 0.05) across both age groups.ConclusionThis study is the first to investigate cortical activity during eccentric lower limb contractions in older adults. The results suggest that eccentric contractions induce greater cortical activation compared to concentric, even in older adults who generally exhibit reduced cortical activity. These findings support the potential of eccentric as an effective intervention to improve motor function and muscle strength in older adults

Circulating adrenomedullin estimates survival and reversibility of organ failure in sepsis: the prospective observational multinational Adrenomedullin and Outcome in Sepsis and Septic Shock-1 (AdrenOSS-1) study

Background: Adrenomedullin (ADM) regulates vascular tone and endothelial permeability during sepsis. Levels of circulating biologically active ADM (bio-ADM) show an inverse relationship with blood pressure and a direct relationship with vasopressor requirement. In the present prospective observational multinational Adrenomedullin and Outcome in Sepsis and Septic Shock 1 (, AdrenOSS-1) study, we assessed relationships between circulating bio-ADM during the initial intensive care unit (ICU) stay and short-term outcome in order to eventually design a biomarker-guided randomized controlled trial. Methods: AdrenOSS-1 was a prospective observational multinational study. The primary outcome was 28-day mortality. Secondary outcomes included organ failure as defined by Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, organ support with focus on vasopressor/inotropic use, and need for renal replacement therapy. AdrenOSS-1 included 583 patients admitted to the ICU with sepsis or septic shock. Results: Circulating bio-ADM levels were measured upon admission and at day 2. Median bio-ADM concentration upon admission was 80.5 pg/ml [IQR 41.5-148.1 pg/ml]. Initial SOFA score was 7 [IQR 5-10], and 28-day mortality was 22%. We found marked associations between bio-ADM upon admission and 28-day mortality (unadjusted standardized HR 2.3 [CI 1.9-2.9]; adjusted HR 1.6 [CI 1.1-2.5]) and between bio-ADM levels and SOFA score (p &lt; 0.0001). Need of vasopressor/inotrope, renal replacement therapy, and positive fluid balance were more prevalent in patients with a bio-ADM &gt; 70 pg/ml upon admission than in those with bio-ADM ≤ 70 pg/ml. In patients with bio-ADM &gt; 70 pg/ml upon admission, decrease in bio-ADM below 70 pg/ml at day 2 was associated with recovery of organ function at day 7 and better 28-day outcome (9.5% mortality). By contrast, persistently elevated bio-ADM at day 2 was associated with prolonged organ dysfunction and high 28-day mortality (38.1% mortality, HR 4.9, 95% CI 2.5-9.8). Conclusions: AdrenOSS-1 shows that early levels and rapid changes in bio-ADM estimate short-term outcome in sepsis and septic shock. These data are the backbone of the design of the biomarker-guided AdrenOSS-2 trial. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02393781. Registered on March 19, 2015

Platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase and haemophagocytosis in the sepsis syndrome.

Sepsis syndrome (SS) is associated with depressed PAF acetylhydrolase, the enzyme responsible for the degradation of platelet activating factor. PAF acetylhydrolase is in a large part produced by macrophages, whose inadequate activation with haemophagocytosis is frequent in patients with SS. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that PAF acetylhydrolase levels could be affected in these critically ill patients, because of the large amounts produced by activated macrophages in vitro and in vivo in animal models. The levels of serum PAF acetylhydrolase were assessed in 90 SS patients, who were divided into three groups: patients with (n = 34) or without haemophagocytosis (n = 31), and patients without thrombocytopenia (n = 25) who were used as a control group. The number of organ dysfunctions was matched between patients with haemophagocytosis and controls. Normal reference values were obtained in 59 randomly selected blood donors. Circulating levels of PAF acetylhydrolase were significantly (p = 0.0001) decreased in patients with SS (57+/-3 nmol/ml/min, n = 90) when compared with healthy subjects (69+/-3 nmol/ml/min, n = 59). PAF acetylhydrolase levels were greater in the presence of a haemophagocytosis but without statistical significance (64.2+/-6.5 vs. 50.1+/-2.8:p = 0.25). Despite the fact that macrophagic activation stimulates the in vitro release of PAF acetylhydrolase, no difference was found between patients with or without haemophagocytosis. The mechanism and the role of the PAF acetylhydrolase reduction in SS patients remain to be determined