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• This paper derives interpretable unified closed-form expressions for the threshold ASNR along the Cox and the Sharman and Durrani criteria associated with the conventional MUSIC and NC MUSIC algorithms in the context of arbitrary circular or rectilinear distributed correlated sources and circular CES distributed noise. • Using these expressions, we investigate the impact of the non-Gaussianity of the noise, as well as of the phase and magnitude of the correlation of the sources. • In particular, we prove for the first time that the phase of the correlation, which is the non-circularity phase separation for rectilinear sources, may have a strong impact on the resolution and a zero phase may lead to overly optimistic resolution. • We quantify the resolution benefit provided when the SCM is replaced by M - estimates of the covariance matrix for CES observations. The concept of threshold array signal-to-noise ratio (ASNR) which is defined as the minimal SNR at which specific high-resolution algorithms are able to resolve two closely spaced far-field sources, allows to quantify and to compare sensors array performance in localizing remote targets. This paper generalizes and extends the expressions of the threshold ASNR given in the literature for the conventional and non-circular (NC) MUSIC direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation algorithms in the context of uncorrelated stochastic circular or rectilinear Gaussian sources and circular complex Gaussian (C-CG) noise, in a more general stochastic framework. We assume that the sources are correlated with an arbitrary distribution, which is inherent in a context of multipath or smart jammers, and that the noise is circular complex elliptically symmetric (C-CES) distributed, which can model impulsive noise with heavy-tailed distributions. The C-CES and NC-CES distributed observations are also considered to quantify the gain in resolution provided when the sample covariance matrix (SCM) of the observations is replaced by M -estimates of this matrix. Asymptotic approaches and perturbation analysis have been performed to derive closed-form expressions of the mean null spectra of the two considered MUSIC algorithms for both observation models, which allow us to derive, for the first time, general unified explicit analytical expressions of the threshold ASNR along the Cox and the Sharman and Durrani criteria. These expressions allow us to quantify the impact of the non-Gaussianity of noise and observations, as well as of the phase and magnitude of the correlation on the resolution threshold, and to quantify the benefit provided when the SCM is replaced by M -estimates of this covariance matrix for CES observations. Finally, numerical illustrations are included to support our theoretical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We report on the construction and operation of flexible, 15-line YBCO lead assemblies as low heat-leak bias lines to a complex Rapid Single Flux Quantum (RSFQ) circuit on a 2-stage cryocooler. The leads are used to supply DC bias currents of about 30mA per line to the circuitry operating at 4K. They span the temperature difference between the 1st (∼50K) and 2nd (∼4K) stages of a Gifford-McMahon cryocooler, substantially cutting the heat load to the 2nd stage when compared to optimized normal metal leads. No measurable change in the temperature of the 4K stage associated in Joule heating in the superconducting leads or end joints was observed when the full set of 24 bias lines was taken to operational current, and no degradation was observed after the cryocooler maintained temperature for six months. The leads are made by patterning 12 mm-wide 2G tape, the heat load of which is dominated by conduction through the cable''s Hastelloy substrate. We have measured the thermal and electrical transport properties of the Hastelloy® substrate and believe that they are significantly changed by processing history. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• First method for the simultaneous detection of NFs, NIIMs, dyes and CAP. • The acid hydrolysis and derivatization steps for NFs was simplified. • Not only conventional NFs but other four NFs (NPIR, DNSH, PSH, AMG) were analyzed. • The QuEChERS was used to extract NFs, NIIMs, dyes and CAP in aquatic products. LC-MS/MS method was developed for the efficient identification and quantification of 21 banned substances including various nitroimidazoles, nitrofurans, pharmacologically-active dyes and chloramphenicol, respectively in aquaculture products. The sample preparation was started by acid-treatment with 2-nitrobenzaldehyde (NBA) to liberate matrix-bound residues of nitrofurans. A modified QuEChERS method was optimized for the extraction and clean-up of the target analytes. The metabolites of the four conventional nitrofurans (nitrofurantoin, furazolidone, nitrofurazone and furaltadone) and of three other nitrofurans (nifursol, nifuroxazide, and nitrovin), and an underivatizable nitrofuran (nifurpirinol) were simultaneously detected. Furthermore, 21 banned substances were quantified by LC-MS/MS with ESI using one single injection. To evaluate and validate the performance of the method, the criteria of the Decision (EC) no 2002/657 were applied. Decision limit (CCα) of target analytes ranged 0.067–1.655 μg/kg in aquaculture products. The recovery ranged 77.2%–125.6%, and the relative standard deviations of inter-day analyses (RSD) were less than 25%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The French poet Apollinaire enrolled in the French army during World War I. In 1916, he sustained a penetrating brain injury when a fragment of shrapnel pierced his helmet in the right temporal region. Neurosurgical techniques were at that time standardized to manage the significant number of war-related neurosurgical casualties. Apollinaire, who experienced transient fainting followed by left-sided hemiparesis 2 months after his trauma, underwent trepanation. The poet's personality and behavior changed dramatically after his trauma. These neurobehavioral changes, associated with preserved cognition and no other neurologic dysfunction, were later described as Apollinaire syndrome. These personality changes were accompanied by flourishing writing changes. Hence, 15 months after his penetrating brain injury, the poet introduced the term "surrealism" to the world in his play The Breasts of Tiresias , giving birth to a major movement that paved the way for the 20th century. Linguistic shifts such as phonologic and semantic word games were at the forefront of the narrative process of the play. Traumatic brain injury often leads to cognitive impairment. In the case of Apollinaire, if the ballistic trauma were also responsible for diffuse axonal injury, it could have also led to semantic and social cognition impairment, in addition to the neuropsychological disorders that had already been widely documented by his friends and family. The world will always remember Apollinaire's writing genius as deeply associated with the birth of surrealism. But what if the poet's new writing style was caused, at least in part, by the unexpected help of a lost shrapnel fragment? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microcystins (MCs) are toxins produced by several cyanobacteria species found worldwide. MC-LR is the most frequent. Here, we used the human Caco-2 cell line grown on semi-permeable filter supports as an in vitro model for determining MC-LR intestinal bidirectional transport. In this study, there was very low and time-dependent apparent permeability of MC-LR. To identify the limiting factors involved in the low permeability of MC-LR, a mathematical model was constructed to get physiologically relevant and informative parameters. The apical-to-basolateral transport was characterised by a rapid and substantial decrease in apical MC-LR concentrations (24–40% of the initial amount). In the basolateral compartment, the concentrations increased slowly after a lag time, but represented only a small fraction of the loaded concentrations (0.3–1.3%) after 24 h. This weak permeability was mainly due to a low clearance of efflux (from the cellular to the basolateral compartment) and effective secretion (from the cellular to the apical compartment). During the basolateral-to-apical transport, we observed a slow decrease in basolateral concentrations and a rapid increase in apical concentrations. In conclusion, modelling has the potential to highlight the key mechanisms involved in the complex kinetics of toxin transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We extend, for R and QR data-like MUI and arbitrary propagation channels, the standard two-input SAIC/MAIC WL receivers to data-like MUI with an arbitrary non-zero residual FO, showing that SAIC/MAIC remains possible in this case. • We prove that for a data-like MUI having a non-zero residual frequency offset and spectrally overlapping with the SOI, the extended two-input SAIC/MAIC WL receiver is less efficient for QR signals than for R ones. • We extend, for QR data-like MUI and arbitrary propagation channels, the enhanced three-input SAIC/MAIC WL receiver aleady introduced to data-like MUI with a non-zero residual residual frequency offset, allowing a SAIC/MAIC improvement with respect to the extended two-input SAIC/MAIC WL receivers. • We analyze, both analytically and by simulations, for both R and QR data-like MUI, the impact of the non-zero MUI residual frequency offset on the performance of the proposed extended two and three-input WL FRESH receivers. Widely linear (WL) receivers have been developed in the past for single antenna interference cancellation (SAIC) of one rectilinear (R) or quasi-rectilinear (QR) data-like multi-user interference (MUI) or co-channel interference (CCI) in particular. The SAIC technology has been implemented in global system for mobile communications (GSM) handsets in particular and has been further analyzed for voice services over adaptive multi-user channels on one slot (VAMOS) standard. It remains of great interest for several current and future applications using R or QR signals, such as anti-collisions processing in radio frequency identification (RFID) or in satellite-AIS systems and to densify 5G and Beyond 5G (B5G) networks through one dimensional signaling or over-loaded large MU-MIMO systems. It may be required to cancel the inter-symbol interference (ISI) of control and non-payload communications (CNPC) links of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and the inter-carrier interference (ICI) of filter bank multi-carrier offset quadrature amplitude modulation (FBMC-OQAM), which are now candidate for B5G mobile networks. For these challenging applications, the development of enhanced WL filtering based SAIC or Multiple Antenna Interference Cancellation (MAIC) receivers for R and QR signals may be of great interest. Such a receiver, corresponding to a three-input WL frequency shift (FRESH) receiver, has been introduced recently for QR signals. However this WL receiver is not robust to a data-like MUI having a residual frequency offset (FO), which occurs for most of the previous applications. In this context, the paper first extends, for arbitrary propagation channels, the standards (for R and QR MUI) and the enhanced (for QR MUI) SAIC/MAIC WL receivers to MUI with a non-zero FO. Then, it shows the less efficiency of the two-input WL receiver for QR MUI with a non-zero FO and the performance improvement obtained with the three-input WL receiver. Finally, it analyzes, both analytically and by simulations, for R and QR MUI, the impact of the MUI FO on the performance of the proposed receivers. The results of the paper should allow the development of new powerful WL receivers for UAV CNPC links, anti-collisions AIS systems and for FBMC-OQAM networks in particular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Victoria Pure Blue BO is a dye that bears some therapeutic activity and that can be retrieved in effluent or may be used in aquaculture as a prohibited drug. In this study, the metabolism and tissue distribution during uptake and depuration of VPBO were investigated in order to propose a residue marker of illegal treatment in fish. The dye was administered to rainbow trout (oncorhynchus mykiss) for one day by water bath at a dose of 0.1 mg.L−1. The concentrations of VPBO in all tissues increased rapidly during the treatment period, reaching a C max of 567 ± 301 μg.L−1 in plasma and 1846 μg kg−1 ±517 for liver after 2 h. After placing the rainbow trout in a clean water bath for a 64 day-period of depuration, the concentrations in the tissues and plasma decreased to reach comparable levels for muscle and for skin after 33 days. The concentrations measured were still above the LOQ at 2.26 ± 0.48 μg kg−1 for muscle and 2.85 ± 1.99 μg kg−1 for skin at the end of the depuration period. The results indicated the existence of 14 phase I metabolites and one glucuronide conjugated metabolite. Non-compartmental analysis was applied to assess the pharmacokinetic parameters. The half-life in edible muscle of the main metabolite detected, deethyl-leuco-VPBO, was found to be 22.5 days compared to a half-life of 19.7 days for the parent VPBO. This study provides new information to predict a VPBO drug treatment of aquacultured species via a proposed new residue marker. Image 1 • The metabolism of Victoria Pure Blue BO (VPBO) was investigated in rainbow trout. • Residues were detected by LC-HRMS in muscle, plasma, skin, and liver. • The half-lives of VPBO and the main metabolite were assessed. • Deethyl-leuco-VPBO is proposed as a marker of exposure to VPBO in rainbow trout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The military operations carried out by the French armed forces, occasionally require the use of the Surgical Life-saving Module (SLM), to ensure the surgical support of its soldiers. Due to its extreme mobility and capacity of fast deployment, SLM is particularly useful in small-scale military operations, such as Special Forces missions. In 2017, the French SLM was for the first time used to ensure surgical support of allied forces, which were lacking forward surgical capabilities.Materials and Methods: the SLM is a mobile, heliborne, airborne, surgical structure with parachuting capability onto land or sea, therefore essentially focused on life-saving procedures, also known as "damage control" surgery. Due to the need for mobility and rapid implementation, the SLM is limited to a maximum of 5 interventions or, in terms of injuries, to 1 or 2 seriously injured patients.Results: Over a period of 2 months, 5 medical teams were successively deployed with the SLM. A total of 157 casualties were treated. The most common injuries were caused by shrapnel 561%), followed by firearms (36%), and blunt trauma (2.5%). Injuries included the limbs (56%), thorax (18%), abdomen (13%), head (11%), and neck (2%). The average ISS was 8.5 (1-25) with 26 patients presenting with an ISS greater than or equal to 15. The average NISS was 10.8 (1-75) with 34 casualties having an NISS equal to or greater than 15. The surgical procedures were broken down as follows: 126 dressings, 16 laparotomies, 7 thoracotomies, 12 isolated thoracic drains (without thoracotomy), 1 cervicotomy, 12 amputations, 7 limb splints, 2 limb fasciotomies, 2 external fixators and 1 femoral fracture traction.Conclusions: The numerous SLM deployments in larger operations highlighted its ability to adapt both in terms of equipment and personnel. Continuous management of equipment logistics, robust personnel training, and appropriate organization of the evacuation procedures, were the key elements for optimizing combat casualty care. As a consequence, the SLM appears to be an operational surgical unit of choice during deployments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction France deployed to Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014 within the International Security and Assistance Force. A French role 3 hospital was built in 2009 in the vicinity of Kabul International Airport (KaIA). The objectives of this study were to describe the epidemiology, management, and outcome of war-related craniocerebral injuries during the Afghan campaign in a French role 3 hospital. Methods From March 1, 2010 to September 30, 2012, we conducted a retrospective descriptive study in Kabul, Afghanistan. All patients presenting with a ballistic craniocerebral injury to the KaIA role 3 hospital were included. Results We analyzed 48 records. Mean age was 21.9 years (1–46 years) with a 37:11 (male:female) sex ratio and a majority Afghan population ( n = 41). Civilians represented 64.6% ( n = 31) of casualties. On the battlefield, mean Glasgow Coma Scale score was 9.4 [3–15]. On arrival at the KaIA field hospital, 20 of the 48 patients were hemodynamically unstable. All patients underwent a full-body computed tomography scan. The majority of our casualties had associated injuries. Neurosurgery was indicated for 42 (87.5%) patients. The surgery consisted of wound debridement plane by plane associated with decompressive craniectomy ( n = 11), debridement craniectomy ( n = 19), and craniotomy ( n = 12). A total of 32.4% wounded died at the point of injury, 8.4% at the emergency department, and 16.9% after surgery. Conclusions War casualties with ballistic head injuries were predominantly multitraumatized patients with hemodynamic compromise requiring neurosurgical damage control management and multidisciplinary care. The neurosurgeon has thus an essential role to play. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To describe clinical presentations of intracranial sinusitis complications in childhood, their pitfalls and imaging findings. This retrospective IRB-approved single-center study included infants diagnosed with sinusitis and empyema and/or other intracranial complications who underwent imaging between September 2008 and September 2019. Three radiologists individually reviewed clinical charts and imaging findings, including sinusitis complications and at-risk anatomical variations. 21 children (76% males and 24% females, mean age 13±3.1 years) with imaging pansinusitis were included. Headache (95%) and fever (90%) were the main clinical nonspecific signs. Ten (48%) children presented an extradural empyema, nine (43%) children had a subdural empyema and two (10%) children had both. Frontal location sinusitis was the most common (76%). In MRI, all empyema presented as a hypo intensity on pre-contrast T1-WI, a hyperintensity on T2-WI, a reduced apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) on diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) and a peripheral contrast enhancement on post-contrast T1-WI. CT or MRI revealed intracranial complications such as a collection size increase (52%), a midline shift (62%), intraparenchymal abscesses (24%), a cerebral venous thrombosis (29%), an intracranial pressure increase (29%), cerebral ischemia (43%) and Pott's Puffy Tumor (10%). Imaging highlighted sinus anatomical abnormalities in 52% of cases. All children were treated with sinus drainage and/or neurosurgery. Long-term follow-up was favorable in 14 cases (67%). Complications of sinusitis are life threatening in the studied population. Empyema and cerebral complications may be misleading. Brain contrast-enhanced CT covering sinuses and orbits, is mainly the first examination done but MRI is mandatory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To compare early brain MRI using a composite imaging score and outcome at one year in asphyxiated newborns treated by hypothermia.Methods: This retrospective study included for two years consecutive asphyxiated term newborns treated by hypothermia for hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, and who had brain MRI before day 8. Therapeutic hypothermia was initiated within the first 6 h of life and continued for 72 h. Imaging protocol included T1 and T2 sequences, diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), evaluated with a specific composite score, and spectroscopy. Clinical evaluation was performed at one year of age, outcome was classified as favorable/unfavorable. The primary endpoint was the correlation between our MRI score and outcome with the definition of a threshold. The secondary endpoints were to find the most relevant criteria within the score and to evaluate objective signal measurements to support subjective criteria.Results: Among the 33 included patients, 9 died during the first days of life, 20 had a favorable outcome, 4 an unfavorable one. MRI score was correlated to a poor clinical outcome (p < 0.001). Most of the criteria within the score and spectroscopy results were relevant (p < 0.05). Cerebral edema was objectively assessed by the signal intensity ratio of white matter compared to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) on T2-weighted images (p < 0.001).Conclusion: MRI score was predictive of neurodevelopmental outcome at one year. The most relevant criteria within the score were DWI abnormalities in basal ganglia and thalami and loss of white-cortical grey matter differentiation. Signal intensity ratio between white matter and CSF higher than 0.75 supports the presence of edema. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]