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Traditional use of plants constitutes an important activity in Malagasy life, especially in the countryside. The Sihanaka group is found in the east of Lake Alaotra and is the dominant cultural group in the lake region, including in the Fokontany of Andreba Gara, near Park Bandro, in the east of Lake Alaotra, in Ambatondrazaka district where the study was conducted. The Sihanaka holds traditional knowledge on plant uses and makes use of this knowledge in their daily lives. The objective of this study was to describe the use of aquatic plants in the region to better understand the importance of the Alaotra wetlands in the lives of local people. Surveys conducted among the people of Andreba, including one traditional chief (the Tangalamena) and one healer, revealed 55 useful species of aquatic plants, grouped into 41 genera and 23 families. Most species were used for their medicinal and veterinary virtues (32 species), for animal food (17 species), as utensils and tools (16 species), for cultural uses (10 species), and for human food (9 species). Leaves (76%) are the most exploited plant parts. The species with the most uses were Cyperus papyrus subsp. madagascariensis (Willd.) Kük. with 26 types of use recorded, then Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud. (19 types of use), Aeschynomene elaphroxylon (Guill. & Perr.) Taub. and Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms (12 types of use each). Nymphaea nouchali, Cyperus papyrus subsp. madagascariensis and Phragmites australis were the species most frequently cited by informants, indicating that they are important for the local population. The most frequently cited types of use included joro, namely ancestor’s invocation, food, materials for house walls construction, herbal teas to treat ailments, and fencing or demarcation of land boundaries. This study highlighted the importance of the Alaotra wetlands as a source of useful plants for the local population. Sustainable management of Lake Alaotra is therefore not just necessary for biodiversity conservation, but also for maintaining local livelihoods. L’utilisation traditionnelle des plantes constitue une activité importante dans la vie des Malgaches, plus particulièrement dans les campagnes. Le groupe Sihanaka est rencontré à l’est du lac Alaotra et constitue le groupe culturel dominant dans la région du lac, y compris dans le Fokontany d’Andreba Gara, près du Parc Bandro, à l’Est du Lac Alaotra, dans le district d’Ambatondrazaka où l’étude a été menée. Les Sihanaka détiennent des connaissances traditionnelles sur l’utilisation des plantes et utilisent ces connaissances dans leur vie quotidienne. L’objectif de cette étude était de décrire l’utilisation des plantes aquatiques dans la région afin de mieux comprendre l’importance des zones humides de l’Alaotra dans la vie des populations locales. Des enquêtes menées auprès de la population d’Andreba, y compris auprès d’un chef traditionnel (le Tangalamena) et d’un guérisseur, ont révélé 55 espèces utiles de plantes aquatiques, regroupées dans 41 genres et 23 familles. La plupart des espèces étaient utilisées pour leurs vertus médicinales et vétérinaires (32 espèces), pour l’alimentation des animaux (17 espèces), en tant qu’ustensiles et outils (16 espèces), pour des usages culturels (10 espèces) et pour l’alimentation humaine (9 espèces). Les feuilles (76%) sont les parties de plante les plus exploitées. Les espèces ayant le plus d’utilisations étaient Cyperus papyrus subsp. madagascariensis (Willd.) Kük. avec 26 types d’utilisation recensés, puis Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud. (19 types d’utilisation), Aeschynomene elaphroxylon (Guill. & Perr.) Taub. et Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms (12 types d’utilisation chacune). Nymphaea nouchali, Cyperus papyrus subsp. madagascariensis et Phragmites australis etaient les espèces les plus fréquemment citées par les informateurs, ce qui indique qu’elles sont importantes pour la population locale. Les types d’utilisation les plus fréquemment cités comprenaient le joro à savoir l’invocation des ancêtres, l’alimentation, les matériaux pour la construction des murs, les tisanes pour traiter les maladies et la construction de clôtures ou démarcation des limites de terrains. Cette étude a souligné l’importance des zones humides de l’Alaotra en tant que source de plantes utiles pour la population locale. La gestion durable du lac Alaotra n’est donc pas seulement nécessaire à la conservation de la biodiversité mais également au maintien des moyens de subsistance locaux&nbsp

High-fidelity numerical simulations are carried out alongside analytical methods to investigate the effect of trailing-edge serrations on aerofoil self-noise. Serrated trailing-edges have long been studied as an effective means of noise reduction especially for wind turbine applications. This work aims to present an extensive understanding of the physical mechanisms behind the noise abatement. Two types of noise are investigated: i) the aerofoil tonal noise due to the acoustic feedback loop occurring between the trailing edge and the laminar-to-turbulent transition region and ii) the aerofoil broadband noise caused by the scattering of broadband wall pressure fluctuations at the trailing edge. Furthermore, the present study takes advantage of the accurate numerical data to develop a new approach to straight and serrated trailing-edge noise prediction. It is found that serrated trailing edges show a strong capability to reduce aerofoil tonal noise. The first tonal noise reduction mechanism is inferred to be the decreased intensity of wall pressure fluctuations in the transitional region in the presence of a serrated trailing edge which directly weakens the pressure scattering at the trailing edge. The second tonal noise reduction mechanism is presumably the early breakdown of the span wise coherence in the acoustic source pressure which is likely to create destructive interferences in the acoustic feedback process. Regarding the broadband trailing-edge noise, the dominant noise reduction mechanism is inferred to be the wall source distribution along the edge and particularly the decreased surface pressure fluctuations at the tip of the serration. Besides, Amiet’s trailing-edge noise radiation model is found to accurately capture the far-field sound from straight and serrated trailing edges in every direction via the addition of a directivity correction factor as long as a representative wall pressure source is used. This work reports that some optimised locations exist for the extraction of wall pressure fluctuations in the vicinity of the trailing edge used as the representative source in Amiet’s trailing-edge noise model. Finally, ideas towards a new wall pressure fluctuations model for serrated trailing edges are proposed. Its combination with Amiet’s theory provides a suitable and complete noise prediction method for straight and sawtooth-serrated trailing edges as far as the investigated cases are concerned.

Traumatic injuries to the short external rotator muscles of the hip are rare. They occur mainly in young athletes and are often difficult to diagnose clinically. Moreover, the mechanisms at their origin are quite nonspecific. MRI, however, is very useful for exploring and assessing these and related injuries. This examination is essential to assessment of the injury because several different muscles of the pelvic girdle may be damaged. Short external rotator injuries are generally specific to their distal tendon. They are essentially partial tears that can extend to the insertion of the fleshy muscle into the bone. The prognosis for this injury is good with rapid pain relief within several days and a return to sports in nearly all cases.

In this chapter we describe the anatomy of the posterior compartment muscle groups in the calf, including the gastrocnemius, soleus, plantaris, popliteus and others. The anatomy, pathophysiology, clinical signs, and imaging findings of each muscle are explained. Posterior calf pain is a frequently encountered clinical symptom in practice. Owing to its accessibility and relative low cost, ultrasound is the first step for imaging evaluation. For professional athletes, however, MRI remains the “gold standard” for imaging of muscle injuries.