Microstrip plastic scintillating detector system for quality assurance in synchrotron microbeam radiotherapy.

Synchrotron microbeam radiotherapy (MRT), which has entered the clinical transfer phase, requires the development of appropriate quality assurance (QA) tools due to very high dose rates and spatial hyperfractionation. A microstrip plastic scintillating detector system with associated modules was proposed in the context of real-time MRT QA. A prototype of such a system with 105 scintillating microstrips was developed and tested under MRT conditions.

Unraveling Ammonia and Trimethylamine Uptake on Conductive Doped Polyaniline.

Polyaniline (PAni)-based sensors are a promising solution for ammonia (NH) detection at the ppb level. However, the nature of the NH-PAni interaction and underlying drivers remain unclear. This paper proposes to characterize the interaction between doped PAni (dPAni) sensing material and NH by using a Knudsen cell.

Method development and validation for the determination of sulfites and sulfates on the surface of mineral atmospheric samples using reverse-phase liquid chromatography.

Earlier studies suggest that SO gas reacts at the surface of mineral dust and forms sulfites or bisulfites, which are then converted to sulfates. In order to monitor and quantify the amounts of both sulfites and sulfates formed on the surface of mineral dusts of volcanic and desert origins an accurate and precise reversed-phase liquid chromatography method was developed and validated to extract, stabilize and individually analyze sulfites and sulfates initially present on the surface of dusts exposed to SO. The method was developed on a 25 mm Restek Ultra Column C18, Particle size: 5 μm, I.

Reactive uptake of NO on volcanic particles: A possible source of HONO in the atmosphere.

The heterogeneous degradation of nitrogen dioxide (NO) on five samples of natural Icelandic volcanic particles has been investigated. Laboratory experiments were carried out under simulated atmospheric conditions using a coated wall flow tube (CWFT). The CWFT reactor was coupled to a blue light nitrogen oxides analyzer (NO analyzer), and a long path absorption photometer (LOPAP) to monitor in real time the concentrations of NO, NO and HONO, respectively.

Development and validation of a thermally regulated atmospheric simulation chamber (THALAMOS): A versatile tool to simulate atmospheric processes.

Atmospheric simulation chambers, are unique tools for investigating atmospheric processes in the gas and heterogeneous phases. They can provide a controlled yet realistic environment that simulates atmospheric conditions. In the current study, a Teflon atmospheric simulation chamber of 600 L, named THALAMOS (thermally regulated atmospheric simulation chamber) has been developed and cross-validated.

Does the ubiquitous use of essential oil-based products promote indoor air quality? A critical literature review.

Essential oils are frequently used as natural fragrances in housecleaning products and air fresheners marketed as green and healthy. However, these substances are volatile and reactive chemical species. This review focuses on the impact of essential oil-based household products on indoor air quality.

Heterogeneous Interaction of Various Natural Dust Samples with Isopropyl Alcohol as a Probe VOC.

The adsorption properties of mineral dust toward organic molecules are poorly characterized so far. Heterogeneous processes between trace gases and mineral particles can affect the oxidative capacity of the atmosphere as well as constitute additional sources or sinks for these species. The current study investigates the adsorption efficiencies of natural dust samples collected from North and West Africa, Saudi Arabia, and Arizona desert regions toward isopropyl alcohol (IPA), a common organic pollutant released in significant amounts in the atmosphere, which is used here as a probe molecule.

Halo Sign and Eosinophilia: What Is Your Diagnosis?

Blood eosinophilia associated with transient and migrating nodules with a halo sign on chest computed tomography scan should suggest larva migrans related to toxocariasis or ascaris suum.

Determination of the Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) of Photocatalytic Oxidation (PCO) Purifiers for Indoor Air Pollutants Using a Closed-Loop Reactor. Part II: Experimental Results.

The performances of a laboratory PhotoCatalytic Oxidation (PCO) device were determined using a recirculation closed-loop pilot reactor. The closed-loop system was modeled by associating equations related to two ideal reactors: a perfectly mixed reservoir with a volume of V = 0.42 m³ and a plug flow system corresponding to the PCO device with a volume of V = 5.

Heterogeneous Interaction of Isopropanol with Natural Gobi Dust.

The adsorption of isopropanol on Gobi dust was investigated in the temperature (T) and relative humidity (RH) ranges of 273-348 K and <0.01-70%, respectively, using zero air as bath gas. The kinetic measurements were performed using a novel experimental setup combining Fourier-Transform InfraRed spectroscopy (FTIR) and selected-ion flow-tube mass spectrometry (SIFT-MS) for gas-phase monitoring.

Investigating the Heterogeneous Interaction of VOCs with Natural Atmospheric Particles: Adsorption of Limonene and Toluene on Saharan Mineral Dusts.

The heterogeneous interaction of limonene and toluene with Saharan dusts was investigated under dark conditions, pressure of 1 atm, and temperature 293 K. The mineral dust samples were collected from six different regions along the Sahara desert, extending from Tunisia to the western Atlantic coastal areas of Morocco, and experiments were carried out with the smallest sieved fractions, that is, inferior to 100 μm. N2 sorption measurements, granulometric analysis, and X-ray fluorescence and diffraction (XRF and XRD) measurements were conducted to determine the physicochemical properties of the particles.

Hindlimb interarticular coordinations in Microcebus murinus in maximal leaping.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the pattern of coordinations of the hindlimb joints in the world's smallest living primate (Microcebus murinus). The sequencing and timing of joint rotations have been analyzed in five adult males performing maximal leaping from a take-off immobile platform to their own wooden nest. Angular kinematics of hip, knee, angle and metatarso-phalangeal (MT) joints were deduced from high-speed X-ray films in the sagittal plane of the animals.

Respiratory bronchiolitis in smokers with spontaneous pneumothorax.

Respiratory bronchiolitis (RB) is defined by the accumulation of pigmented macrophages in the lumen and wall of respiratory and membranous bronchioles of smokers. The aim of this study was to determine whether spontaneous pneumothorax was associated with a high prevalence of RB. Seventy-nine consecutive patients who underwent a surgical procedure (thoracotomy or thoracoscopy) for recurrence or persistence of primary spontaneous pneumothorax despite thoracic drainage were studied retrospectively.

Self-expanding metal stents for the management of bronchial stenosis and bronchomalacia after lung transplantation.

Background: Airway stenosis or malacia after lung transplantation, usually as a result of anastomotic ischemia, remains a major problem.

Methods: The authors report their experience with the Gianturco expandable stent for the management of 23 bronchial stenoses in 18 patients following lung transplantation. Stent placement occurred an average of 5.

[New approach for implantation of automatic defibrillators using videothoracoscopy].

Nonthoracotomy lead systems are increasingly used in patients (pts) with implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). In this setting, due to high energy requirements, a subcutaneous patch may be necessary in addition to endocardial leads. However in some patients, high defibrillation threshold (DT) may persist leading to thoracotomy for epicardial patch placement.

Disseminated Scedosporium prolificans (S. inflatum) infection after single-lung transplantation.

This report concerns the first case of disseminated infection with Scedosporium prolificans (S. inflatum) that occurred in a patient who had received an organ transplant and was verified at autopsy. The patient underwent single (right)-lung transplantation and subsequently died on the 33rd postoperative day in a context of septic shock.

[Phlebitis of the right upper limb and thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. Apropos of a case of heart-lung transplantation].

The authors report the case of a 25 year old man with unexplained pulmonary hypertension during his first hospital admission. However, a past medical history suggesting right arm vein thrombosis was obtained. Venography showed signs of thoraco-brachial compression.

[Surgery for bronchiectasis. Operative indications and results. 48 observations].

Forty-eight patients: 27 women and 21 men, with mean age of 36 +/- 14 years were operated on for bronchiectasis from 1976 to 1989. In 20 cases bronchiectasis was the sequelae of acute bronchopathy of childhood, 6 cases of tuberculosis and 5 cases of inhalated foreign bodies. The bronchiectasis was apparently primitive in 12 occasions.

[Inflammatory pseudotumor of the superior vena cava: rare etiology of mediastinal tumor].

The patient reported here had no particular past history. He presented with effort dyspnea, jugular turgescence and positional vertigo suggestive of a superior vena cava obstruction syndrome. Bronchial fibroscopy was normal, but chest X-ray, CT scan and phlebography of the superior vena cava revealed an anterior mediastinal tumour compressing the superior vena cava.

[New approach to implantation of automatic defibrillators using video-thoracoscopy].

Nonthoracotomy lead systems are increasingly used in patients (pts) with implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). In this setting, due to high energy requirements, a subcutaneous patch may be necessary in addition to endocardial leads. However in some patients, high defibrillation threshold (DT) may persist leading to thoracotomy for epicardial patch placement.

[Spontaneous and recurrent pneumothorax. Surgical treatment. Apropos of 278 cases].

Over the past 19 years, 278 patients (238 men-40 women) have undergone 325 parietal pleurectomies: 311 transaxillary apical and 14 full pleurectomies. Mean age was 32 +/- 12 years. The overall male:female ratio was 6:1.