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Mineral characterization using tunable external cavity quantum cascade lasers for mid-infrared reflectance spectroscopy is presented. Reflection spectra taken on common minerals are shown along with their spectral variations. Measurements at different incident angles were also obtained to mimic in the field applications. Finally, spectra were obtained on mineral mixtures and their analysis assesses the quality and usability of the technique for mineral characterization.

Minerals play an important role in the oil sands extraction efficiency. It is thus important to assess the major mineral abundance in oil sands ores. This paper presents the application of tunable quantum cascade lasers for mid-infrared reflectance spectroscopy on oil sands minerals. The investigations and results show a new tool to determine oil sands mineral type and to determine potentially quartz and clay contents.

Clinical investigation at the University Hospital of Nantes is carried out within the investigation department, which consists of coordination and 24 clinical research teams gathered at four different hospital sites. The Clinical Investigation Units are all equipped with a Quality Management System. This has been in place for more than 12 years and was initially created for the Clinical Investigation Units of the Clinical Investigation Centre (CIC 1413) in Nantes and then transposed in 2013, to the emerging Clinical Investigation Units., Objective: In order to evaluate the performance of this quality approach applied to all UHC investigations, the Investigation Department is committed to obtaining an ISO 9001:2015 certification., Methods: The quality division of the investigation department conducted the project according to a methodology, based on internal and external evaluations to determine an inventory and the retro-planning of the certification approach., Results: The scope of the certification involved the investigation department of the University Hospital: 24 clinical investigation units, over 500 medical staff, 150 non-medical staff. In our certification approach, the client was the promoter of the clinical study. The process lasted 18 months and included phases of training and awareness-raising for all the staff involved. The quality management system of the investigation department has been revised and improved in accordance with current regulations. The Investigation Department obtained the ISO 9001:2015 certification for all clinical investigations at the Nantes University Hospital in June 2017 without any non-compliance., Conclusion: Our work shows that the investigation department has successfully adapted the ISO 9001:2015 standard to institutional clinical research. The certification for specific activities in clinical investigation is the guarantee of an optimized and relevant organization for the safety of volunteers, participating in clinical research as well as the scientific quality of the research and contributes to the satisfaction of sponsors., (Copyright © 2019 Société française de pharmacologie et de thérapeutique. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Laser-ultrasound resonance spectroscopy, a non-contact ultrasonic technique, was used to determine reliably and rapidly the crystallographic texture, the average plastic strain ratio, and the thickness of sheet metal on the production line. As with laser-ultrasonics, a short laser pulse is used to generate a wide-band pulse of ultrasound and a laser interferometer is used for its detection. In this paper, a large number of echoes are collected and analyzed together using Fourier techniques to measure the natural resonance frequencies in the thickness of the sheet. One longitudinal and two shear resonance frequencies were measured together with their harmonics. From these frequencies, two crystallographic orientation distribution coefficients, W(400) and W(420), are obtained, as well as a highly accurate measurement of the sheet thickness that is corrected for changes in ultrasonic velocity caused by texture variations. Using these coefficients, the average and in-plane twofold and fourfold variations of the plastic strain ratio, respectively r delta(2)r, and delta(4)r, can be evaluated. These parameters are indications of the formability of metals sheets, which is of industrial interest. Measurements on 1 mm thick, low carbon steel sheets have shown the following measurement accuracies: r to within +/-0.08, delta(2)r, and delta(4)r to within +/-0.1, and thickness to better than +/-1 microm. On-line tests at LTV Steel Company showed that the sensitivity of the apparatus is sufficient to detect systematic variations in texture along the length of similar production coils and that the on-line repeatability for r was of order +/-0.02.