Oceanic forcing of Antarctic climate change: A study using a stretched-grid atmospheric general circulation model

E-print/Working paper (2013)

A variable-resolution atmospheric general circulation model is used for climate change projections over the Antarctic. The present-day simulation uses prescribed observed sea-surface conditions, while a ... [more ▼]

A variable-resolution atmospheric general circulation model is used for climate change projections over the Antarctic. The present-day simulation uses prescribed observed sea-surface conditions, while a set of five simulations for the end of the 21st century (2070-2099) under the SRES-A1B scenario uses sea-surface condition anomalies from selected CMIP3 coupled models. Analysis of the results shows that the prescribed sea- surface condition anomalies have a very strong influence on the simulated climate change on the Antarctic continent, up to twice the direct effect of the prescribed greenhouse gas concentration changes in the AGCM simulations. An analysis of circulation changes using self-organizing maps shows that the simulated climate change on regional scales is not principally caused by shifts of the frequencies of the dominant circulation patterns, except for precipitation changes in some coastal regions. We suggest that in some respects the use of bias-corrected sea-surface boundary conditions in climate projections with a variable-resolution atmospheric general circulation model has some distinct advantages over the use of limited-area atmospheric circulation models directly forced by generally biased AOGCM output. [less ▲]

Genetic analysis in young patients with sporadic pituitary macroadenomas:Beside AIP don't forget MEN1 genetic analysis.

in European Journal of Endocrinology (2013)

CONTEXT: germline mutations in the AIP gene have been identified in young patients (age </= 30 years old) with sporadic pituitary macroadenomas. Otherwise, there are few data concerning the prevalence of ... [more ▼]

CONTEXT: germline mutations in the AIP gene have been identified in young patients (age </= 30 years old) with sporadic pituitary macroadenomas. Otherwise, there are few data concerning the prevalence of MEN1 mutations in such population. OBJECTIVE: We assessed the prevalence of both AIP and MEN1 genetic abnormalities (mutations and large gene deletions) in young patients (age </= 30 years old) diagnosed with sporadic and isolated macroadenoma, without hypercalcemia and/or MEN1-associated lesions. DESIGN: The entire coding sequences of AIP and MEN1 were screened for mutations. In cases of negative sequencing screening, multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification was performed for the detection of large genetic deletions. PATIENTS AND SETTINGS: 174 patients from Endocrinology Departments of 15 French University Hospital Centers were eligible for this study. RESULTS: 21/174(12%) patients had AIP (n=15, 8.6%) or MEN1 (n=6, 3.4%) mutations. In pediatric patients (age </= 18 years old), AIP/MEN1 mutation frequency reached nearly 22% (n=10/46). AIPmut and MEN1mut were respectively identified in 8/79 (10.1%) and 1/79 (1.2%) somatotropinoma patients; they each accounted for 4/74 (5.4%) prolactinoma patients with mutations. Half of patients (n=3/6) with gigantism displayed mutations in AIP. Interestingly, 4/12 (33%) patients with non-secreting adenomas bore either AIP or MEN1 mutations, whereas none of the 8 corticotroph-adenomas and a single thyrotropinoma case had mutations. No large gene deletions were observed in sequencing-negative patients. CONCLUSION: mutations in MEN1 can be of significance in young patients with sporadic isolated pituitary macroadenomas, particularly prolactinomas, and together with AIP, we suggest genetic analysis of MEN1 in such population. [less ▲]

Chromatography in the detection and characterisation of illegal pharmaceutical preparations

in Journal of Chromatographic Science (2013)

Counterfeit and illegal pharmaceutical products are an increasing worldwide problem and constitute a major challenge for analytical laboratories to detect and characterize them. Spectroscopic techniques ... [more ▼]

Counterfeit and illegal pharmaceutical products are an increasing worldwide problem and constitute a major challenge for analytical laboratories to detect and characterize them. Spectroscopic techniques as infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy were always the first methods of choice to detect counterfeits and illegal preparations, but due to the evolution in the products seized and the necessity of risk assessment, chromatographic methods are becoming more important in this domain. This review intends to give a general overview of the techniques described in literature to characterize counterfeit and illegal pharmaceutical preparations, focussing on the role of chromatographic techniques, with different detection tools. [less ▲]

Familial Isolated Pituitary Adenomas (FIPA) and the Pituitary Adenoma Predisposition due to Mutations in the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Interacting Protein (AIP) Gene.

in Endocrine Reviews (2013)

Pituitary adenomas are one of the most frequent intracranial tumors and occur with a prevalence of approximately 1:1000 in the developed world. Pituitary adenomas have a serious disease burden, and their ... [more ▼]

Pituitary adenomas are one of the most frequent intracranial tumors and occur with a prevalence of approximately 1:1000 in the developed world. Pituitary adenomas have a serious disease burden, and their management involves neurosurgery, biological therapies, and radiotherapy. Early diagnosis of pituitary tumors while they are smaller may help increase cure rates. Few genetic predictors of pituitary adenoma development exist. Recent years have seen two separate, complimentary advances in inherited pituitary tumor research. The clinical condition of familial isolated pituitary adenomas (FIPA) has been described, which encompasses the familial occurrence of isolated pituitary adenomas outside of the setting of syndromic conditions like multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 and Carney complex. FIPA families comprise approximately 2% of pituitary adenomas and represent a clinical entity with homogeneous or heterogeneous pituitary adenoma types occurring within the same kindred. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor interacting protein (AIP) gene has been identified as causing a pituitary adenoma predisposition of variable penetrance that accounts for 20% of FIPA families. Germline AIP mutations have been shown to associate with the occurrence of large pituitary adenomas that occur at a young age, predominantly in children/adolescents and young adults. AIP mutations are usually associated with somatotropinomas, but prolactinomas, nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas, Cushing disease, and other infrequent clinical adenoma types can also occur. Gigantism is a particular feature of AIP mutations and occurs in more than one third of affected somatotropinoma patients. Study of pituitary adenoma patients with AIP mutations has demonstrated that these cases raise clinical challenges to successful treatment. Extensive research on the biology of AIP and new advances in mouse Aip knockout models demonstrate multiple pathways by which AIP may contribute to tumorigenesis. This review assesses the current clinical and therapeutic characteristics of more than 200 FIPA families and addresses research findings among AIP mutation-bearing patients in different populations with pituitary adenomas. [less ▲]

PROCEDURAL LEARNING ACROSS MODALITIES IN FRENCH SPEAKING CHILDREN WITH SPECIFIC LANGUAGE IMPAIRMENT.

in Applied Psycholinguistics (2013)

It has been suggested that the language problems encountered in specific language impairment (SLI) arise from basal ganglia abnormalities that lead to impaired procedural memory. However, recent serial ... [more ▼]

It has been suggested that the language problems encountered in specific language impairment (SLI) arise from basal ganglia abnormalities that lead to impaired procedural memory. However, recent serial reaction time (SRT) studies did not reveal any differences between the SLI and typically developing (TD) groups on the measures of procedural memory, linked to visual sequence learning. In this paper, sixteen children with and without SLI were compared on two versions of SRT tasks: a visual task and an auditory one. Results showed that children with SLI were as fast as their TD peers in both modalities. All the children obtained similar specific sequence learning indices, indicating that they were able to detect regularities in both modalities. While children with SLI were as accurate as their TD peers for the visual SRT task, they made more errors than their TD peers in auditory SRT conditions. The results indicate that, in relation to procedural memory, the core of the impairment in SLI is not linked to difficulties in the detection of regularities. We argue that when children with SLI present some difficulties, the children’s weaknesses might depend on the type of processing involved (e.g. tasks involving auditory sequences). [less ▲]

Numerical modeling and digital image correlation strain measurements of coated metal sheets submitted to large bending deformation

in Proceedings of the 16th ESAFORM conference on Material Forming (2013)

The recently developed SSH3D solid-shell element, which is based on the Enhanced Assumed Strain (EAS) and the Assumed Natural Strain (ANS) techniques, is utilized for the modeling of a severe bending ... [more ▼]

The recently developed SSH3D solid-shell element, which is based on the Enhanced Assumed Strain (EAS) and the Assumed Natural Strain (ANS) techniques, is utilized for the modeling of a severe bending sheet forming process. To improve the element's ability to capture the through thickness gradients, a specific integration scheme was developed. In this paper, the performances of this element for the modeling of the T-bent process were assessed thanks to comparison between experimental and numerical results in terms of the strain field at the outer surface of the sheet. The experimental results were obtained by Digital Image Correlation. It is shown that a qualitative agreement between experimental and numerical results is obtained but some numerical parameters should be optimized to improve the accuracy of the simulation predictions. In this respect, the influence of the penalty coefficient of the contact modeling was analyzed. [less ▲]

Assessing urbanisation effects on rainfall-runoff using a remote sensing supported modelling strategy

in International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation (2013), 21

This paper aims at developing a methodology for assessing urban dynamics in urban catchments and the related impact on hydrology. Using a multi-temporal remote sensing supported hydrological modelling ... [more ▼]

This paper aims at developing a methodology for assessing urban dynamics in urban catchments and the related impact on hydrology. Using a multi-temporal remote sensing supported hydrological modelling approach an improved simulation of runoff for urban areas is targeted. A time-series of five medium resolution urban masks and corresponding sub-pixel sealed surface proportions maps was generated from Landsat and SPOT imagery. The consistency of the urban mask and sealed surface proportion timeseries was imposed through an urban change trajectory analysis. The physically based rainfall-runoff model WetSpa was successfully adapted for integration of remote sensing derived information of detailed urban land use and sealed surface characteristics. A first scenario compares the original land-use class based approach for hydrological parameterisation with a remote sensing sub-pixel based approach. A second scenario assesses the impact of urban growth on hydrology. Study area is the Tolka River basin in Dublin, Ireland. The grid-based approach of WetSpa enables an optimal use of the spatially distributed properties of remote sensing derived input. Though change trajectory analysis remains little used in urban studies it is shown to be of utmost importance in case of time series analysis. The analysis enabled to assign a rational trajectory to 99% of all pixels. The study showed that consistent remote sensing derived land-use maps are preferred over alternative sources (such as CORINE) to avoid over-estimation errors, interpretation inconsistencies and assure enough spatial detail for urban studies. Scenario 1 reveals that both the class and remote sensing sub-pixel based approaches are able to simulate discharges at the catchment outlet in an equally satisfactory way, but the sub-pixel approach yields considerably higher peak discharges. The result confirms the importance of detailed information on the sealed surface proportion for hydrological simulations in urbanised catchments. In addition a major advantage with respect to hydrological parameterisation using remote sensing is the fact that it is site- and period-specific. Regarding the assessment of the impact of urbanisation (scenario 2) the hydrological simulations revealed that the steady urban growth in the Tolka basin between 1988 and 2006 had a considerable impact on peak discharges. Additionally, the hydrological response is quicker as a result of urbanisation. Spatially distributed surface runoff maps identify the zones with high runoff production. It is evident that this type of information is important for urban water management and decision makers. The results of the remote sensing supported modelling approach do not only indicate increased volumes due to urbanisation, but also identifies the locations where the most relevant impacts took place. [less ▲]

Using merged kinematic and anatomical data to evaluate humeral motion estimation: a pilot study

in Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering. Imaging & Visualization (2013)

Optoelectronic systems are widely used in 3D motion capture. However, the reliability of the motion estimation depends on soft tissue artifacts and should therefore be validated. Two different sets of ... [more ▼]

Optoelectronic systems are widely used in 3D motion capture. However, the reliability of the motion estimation depends on soft tissue artifacts and should therefore be validated. Two different sets of humeral markers were studied on four subjects. Anatomical and kinematic measurements were combined and the plausibility of the relative position of the bones in the glenohumeral joint during motion was evaluated using a new coherence index. Our findings show that an identical protocol leads to a large variability of the articular coherence for the subjects. However the use of an extra marker on the distal part of the humerus improves the humeral kinematics for three of the four subjects. Scientists and clinicians using 3D systems should remain aware of the influence of subject-specific morphology on the accuracy of the measure. Differences with a reference group may come from clinical reasons but also from measurement errors due to the inter-individual morphological differences. [less ▲]

Preliminary assessment of the risk linked to furan ingestion by babies consuming only ready-to-eat food

in Food Additives & Contaminants. Part A. Chemistry, Analysis, Control, Exposure & Risk Assessment (2013)

The risk linked to furan ingestion has been assessed in previous papers for Belgian adults and children (Scholl et al., 2012b; Scholl et al., 2012c). The present paper focuses on infants consuming only ... [more ▼]

The risk linked to furan ingestion has been assessed in previous papers for Belgian adults and children (Scholl et al., 2012b; Scholl et al., 2012c). The present paper focuses on infants consuming only ready-to-eat baby food. As there is no Belgian baby dietary database, the furan exposure assessment was carried out by using Italian infant consumption database and Belgian contamination data. The estimated daily intake (EDI) was calculated according to a deterministic methodology. It involved 42 commercially available ready-to-eat baby food and 36 baby consumption records. The mean EDI was 1,460 ng * (kgb.w.*day)-1 which is 3.8 times higher than the 381 ng * (kgb.w.*day)-1 reported for Belgian adults, and 3.5 times higher than the 419 ng * (kgb.w. * day)-1 measured for Belgian children. To assess and characterize the risk for babies exposure the Margin of Exposure (MoE) was calculated. It highlighted that 74% of infants have a MoE below 1,000, with a minimum of 140. However, these are only preliminary results as they were calculated from a very small dataset and the infant cytochrome P450 activity is significantly different compared to the adult. Therefore, the risk linked to furan ingestion by babies should be assessed in a different manner. To this end, additional data regarding a baby diet as well as a better understanding of furan toxicity for babies are needed to characterize more accurately the risk for infants. [less ▲]

Investigation of advanced materials for fusion alpha particle diagnostics

in Fusion Engineering & Design (2013)

Fusion alpha particle diagnostics for ITER remain a challenging task. Standard escaping alpha particle detectors in present tokamaks are not applicable to ITER and techniques suitable for fusion reactor ... [more ▼]

Fusion alpha particle diagnostics for ITER remain a challenging task. Standard escaping alpha particle detectors in present tokamaks are not applicable to ITER and techniques suitable for fusion reactor conditions need further research and development [1,2]. The activation technique is widely used for the characterization of high fluence rates inside neutron reactors. Tokamak applications of the neutron activation technique are already well developed [3] whereas measuring escaping ions using this technique is a novel fusion plasma diagnostic development. Despite low alpha particle fluence levels in present tokamaks, promising results using activation technique combined with ultra-low level gamma-ray spectrometry [4] were achieved before in JET [5,6]. In this research work, we use new advanced detector materials. The material properties beneficial for alpha induced activation are (i) moderate neutron cross-sections (ii) ultra-high purity which reduces neutron-induced background activation and (iii) isotopic tailoring which increases the activation yield of the measured activation product. Two samples were obtained from GERDA[7], an experiment aimed at measuring the neutrinoless double beta decay in 76Ge. These samples, made of highly pure (9 N) germanium highly enriched to 87% in isotope Ge-76, were irradiated in real D-D fusion plasma conditions inside the TEXTOR tokamak. Comparison of the calculated and the experimentally measured activity shows good agreement. Compared to previously investigated high temperature ceramic material [8], this candidate detector offers better prospects for signal to background S/B ratio, energy resolution and particle selectivity due to a unique alpha particle signature. Applicability to ITER is discussed. Finally, research needs for further development of this diagnostic technique are outlined. © 2013. [less ▲]