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Infill Masonry Walls (IMWs) are used in the perimeter of a building to separate the inner and outer space. IMWs may affect the lateral behavior of buildings, while they are different from those partition walls that separate two inner spaces. This study focused on the seismic vulnerability assessment of Steel Moment-Resisting Frames (SMRFs) assuming different placement of IMWs incorporating nonlinear Soil-Structure Interaction (SSI). The aim is to explore the damage states of IMWs and use their ability for improving the vulnerability of SMRFs. For this purpose, the three, five, seven, and nine story levels (3-Story, 5-Story, 7-Story, and 9-Story) SMRFs were modeled considering four soil types. Incremental Dynamic Analyses (IDAs) were performed to determine the seismic performance limit-state capacities of SMRFs considering the Far-Fault (FF) record subset suggested by FEMA P695. To accurately model the influence of IMWs on the seismic response of SMRFs, a Tcl programming algorithm was developed to intelligently monitor the damage states of IMWs in each floor level. Results of the analysis show that assuming different placement of IMWs can significantly increase the seismic limit-state capacities of SMRFs with and without considering SSI effects. In addition, IMWs can play a crucial role to improve the seismic performances as well as the seismic collapse probability, which may be suggested for retrofitting purposes.

The study objective was to assess the functional, endoscopic and tomodensitometric semiology of a cohort of patients with chronic respiratory rhinitis (CRR). The concept of CRR is based on the anatomical, pathophysiological and semiological individualization of the respiratory nose within the sinonasal organ, in which three noses are distinguished by the parallel study of evolution and development in the "evo-devo" theory of the origins of the nose, anterior base of the skull and middle third of the face.A single-center retrospective study included a cohort of 28 patients (16 men and 12 women, aged 19 to 69years) with CRR. The main objective was to describe symptoms clinically, endoscopically and on CT. The secondary objective was to compare clinical symptomatology and CT data between CRR and a control group of 31 patients with nasal polyposis (NP). The endoscopic semiology of CRR was analyzed consensually on video recordings using a pre-established grid. The DyNaChron self-administered questionnaire was used to compare symptom intensity and deterioration in quality of life. Olfaction was compared using the Sniffin' Sticks test. CT opacities were compared between CRR and NP on Lund-Mackay sinus score and a specific ethmoid opacities score.In CRR, endoscopy found a constant association of inflammatory or edematous signs in the inferior or middle turbinates with signs of hypersecretion. Ethmoid opacities in CRR were discrete and significantly smaller than in NP (P0.0001), and were mainly located in the medial compartment in contact with the olfactory cleft (P0.0001). Allergological assessment was positive in 17 of the 28 cases of CRR. Chronic nasal dysfunction was similar in CRR and NP, but olfactory impairment was significantly lower in CRR (P0.0001).The CRR entity clinically resembles atopic central compartment disease. In both entities, endoscopy reveals inflammatory lesions restricted to the nasal cavities without significant ethmoid opacity on CT, an observation which seems to contradict the pathophysiological united airway concept.

Although phytolith research has come of age in archaeology and palaeoecology internationally, it has remained relatively marginalised from mainstream practice in Australasia. The region’s initial isolation from international scientific communities and uniqueness of its vegetation communities, has led to an exclusive set of challenges and interruptions in phytolith research. Examining a history of Australasian phytolith research presents the opportunity to recognise developments that have made phytoliths a powerful tool in reconstructing past environments and human uses of plants. Phytolith research arrived early in Australia (1903), after a convoluted journey from Germany (1835–1895) and Europe (1895–1943), but phytoliths were initially misidentified as sponge spicules (1931–1959). Formal understanding of phytoliths and their applications began in Australasia during the late 1950s, continuing throughout the 1960s and 1970s (1959–1980). After a brief hiatus, the modern period of phytolith analyses in Australasian archaeological and palaeoenvironmental research began in the 1980s (1984–1992), focusing on investigating the deep past. Advancements continued into the 1990s and early 2000s. Wallis and Hart declared in 2003 that Australian phytolith research had finally come of age, but more a fitting description would be that it had peaked. Since then phytolith research in Australasia slowed down considerably (2005-present). Local phytolith reference collections for Australasian flora, critical for identifying ancient phytoliths, are essentially no longer produced.

Complexity and unpredictability nature of earthquakes makes them unique external loads that there is no unique formula used for the prediction of seismic responses. Hence, this research aims to implement the most well-known Machine Learning (ML) methods in Python software to propose a prediction model for seismic response and performance assessment of Reinforced Concrete Moment-Resisting Frames (RC MRFs). To prepare 92,400 data points of training dataset for developing data-driven techniques, Incremental Dynamic Analyses (IDAs) were performed considering 165 RC MRFs with two-, to twelve-Story elevations having the bay lengths of 5.0 m, 6.1 m, and 7.6 m assuming near-fault seismic excitations. Then, important structural features were considered in datasets to train and test the ML-based prediction models, which were improved with innovative techniques. The results show that improved algorithms have higher R2 values for estimating the Maximum Interstory Drift Ratio (IDRmax), and two improved algorithms of artificial neural networks and extreme gradient boosting can estimate the Median of IDA curves (M-IDAs) of RC MRFs, which can be used to estimate the seismic limit-state capacity and performance assessment of existing or newly constructed RC buildings. To validate the generality and accuracy of the proposed ML-based prediction model, a five-Story RC building with different input features was used, and the results are promising. Therefore, graphical user interface is introduced as user-friendly tool to help researchers in estimating the seismic limit-state capacity of RC buildings, while reducing the computational cost and analytical efforts.

Tissues derive ATP from two pathways-glycolysis and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle coupled to the electrontransport chain. Most energy in mammals is produced via TCA metabolism1. In tumours, however, the absolute rates of these pathways remain unclear. Here we optimize tracer infusion approaches to measure the rates of glycolysis and the TCA cycle in healthy mouse tissues, Kras-mutant solid tumours, metastases and leukaemia. Then,given the rates of these two pathways, we calculate total ATP synthesis rates. We find that TCA cycle flux is suppressed in all five primary solid tumour models examined and is increased in lung metastases of breast cancer relative to primary orthotopic tumours. As expected, glycolysis flux is increased in tumours compared with healthy tissues (the Warburg effect2,3), but this increase is insufficient to compensate for low TCA flux in terms of ATP production. Thus, instead of being hypermetabolic, as commonly assumed, solid tumours generally produce ATP at a slower than normal rate. In mouse pancreatic cancer, this is accommodated by the downregulation of protein synthesis, one of this tissue's major energy costs. We propose that, as solid tumours develop, cancer cells shed energetically expensive tissue-specific functions, enabling uncontrolled growth despite a limited ability to produce ATP.

Resume Partie prenante de la methodologie scientifique « moderne «, la statistique, science dont l’objet est de recueillir, traiter et analyser des donnees issues de l’observation de phenomenes aleatoires, c’est-a-dire dans lesquels le hasard intervient, est indissociable d’un processus qui integre la formulation d’une hypothese de recherche, le choix de variables et d’une methode de recherche, l’analyse des resultats et l’elaboration de conclusions. Dans cette note technique, les auteurs abordent les principales notions a maitriser pour utiliser au mieux les statistiques descriptives lors de ce processus et faciliter la publication des travaux soumis aux « European Annals of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Diseases ».

Nowadays, retrofitting-damaged buildings is an important challenge for engineers. Finding the optimal placement of Viscous Dampers (VDs) between adjacent structures prone to earthquake-induced pounding can help designers to implement VDs with optimizing the cost of construction and achieving higher performance levels for both structures. In this research, the optimal placement of linear and nonlinear VDs between the 3-story, 5-story, and 9-story Steel and RC Moment-Resisting Frames (SMRFs and RC MRFs) is investigated. It is shown that the pounding phenomenon can significantly affect the seismic performance capacities of buildings during earthquakes, and using VDs can improve the seismic limit-state capacities of buildings for retrofitting purposes. For this goal, the seismic limit-state capacities of both colliding structures were assessed using Incremental Dynamic Analysis (IDA) assuming Near-fault Pulse-Like, Near-fault No-Pulse, and Far-Fault seismic records suggested by FEMA-P695. To perform IDAs, structures were modeled according to the seismic codes using a developed algorithm in Matlab and OpenSees software with the ability to remove a collapsed structure during the analysis. The results present an optimal placement for using VDs between structures and also compare the possible conditions to implement VDs. Using these results, engineers can approximately predict the seismic performance levels of both structures prone to earthquake-induced pounding and their final performance after retrofitting. Finally, retrofitting modification factors were proposed to help designers to predict the limit-state performance levels of retrofitted colliding structures without involving complicated and time-consuming analyses.

Resume L’anatomie compliquee de l’organe naso-sinusien parait resulter d’une mise en place au cours de l’evolution, dont quelques etapes semblent rappelees par le developpement embryonnaire humain. Les crâniates (premiers vertebres) rassemblent pres de la vesicule encephalique autour d’une bouche sans mâchoire les placodes sensorielles olfactives, visuelles et cochleo-vestibulaire. Dans un registre fossile incomplet, l’organe olfactif borgne de la lamproie, dernier representant vivant des poissons agnathes, fait le lien entre placode olfactive des crâniates et canal olfactif des poissons dipneustes ouvert dans la bouche par des narines internes. Le nez olfactif participe a la respiration aerienne des amphibiens et ouvre la voie a la formation du nez respiratoire chez les premiers reptiles terrestres. L’histoire fossile des crocodiliens montre un deplacement fonctionnel progressif des narines internes qui parallelement a leur ouverture definitive au-dessus de la glotte s’accompagne d’une reorganisation des os du palais secondaire (vomers, palatins, pterygoides, ectopterygoides) qui deviennent les parois des conduits respiratoires sous les chambres olfactives. Au cours de l’embryogenese humaine, les placodes olfactives s’invaginent en puits vers le telencephale dont elles restent separees par une capsule cartilagineuse qui deviendra l’os ethmoide. La margelle des puits olfactifs, ouverts en bouche, se scinde en processus medians et lateraux donnant naissance aux cartilages septolateraux et alaires du nez fibro-cartilagineux. Cartilage septal et lame perpendiculaire de l’ethmoide s’articulent en cloison du nez olfactif sous lequel les os du palais secondaire forment les parois du nez respiratoire ouvert au-dessus de la glotte. Les sinus paranasaux se forment apres la naissance, independamment des deux nez.

Resume Le traitement chirurgical des fuites spontanees de liquide cerebro-rachidien releve de nos jours d’une prise en charge otorhinolaryngologique car la reparation par voie endoscopique endonasale, moins invasive, est preferee a la craniotomie. Cependant, la fuite spontanee du liquide cerebro-rachidien est souvent le symptome d’une pathologie sous-jacente : l’hypertension intracrânienne idiopathique, qui depasse le champ d’expertise traditionnel de l’otorhinolaryngologiste. La chirurgie est une etape necessaire mais ne doit pas occulter la charge de l’hypertension intracrânienne sous-jacente. Celle-ci reste complexe et necessite une collaboration multidisciplinaire : otorhinolaryngologiste, ophtalmologiste, neurologue, neurochirurgien, radiologue, nutritionniste, endocrinologue et psychotherapeute. Cette mise au point vise a detailler la prise en charge multidisciplinaire a laquelle tout otorhinolaryngologiste doit etre attentif avant et apres reparation des fuites spontanees de liquide cerebro-rachidien.

Resume Objectif Evaluer les statistiques des articles scientifiques publies dans les European Annals of Otorhinolaryngology Head & Neck Diseases. Materiel et methodes Etude retrospective de 76 articles scientifiques publies en 2018 et 2019. Objectif principal Definir le pourcentage d’articles publies qui utilisaient des statistiques et rechercher une eventuelle association avec leurs principales caracteristiques. Objectifs secondaires En cas d’utilisation de tests statistiques, preciser le type de test utilise, la verification de la loi normale en cas d’utilisation de tests parametriques sur des analyses de moyennes, le seuil de significativite de la valeur de p retenu, la presence d’intervalles de confiance et de calcul de la puissance statistique. Resultats Les articles scientifiques utilisaient des tests statistiques dans 73,7 % des cas. Aucune association n’etait notee entre les caracteristiques des articles et l’utilisation ou non de tests statistiques. Au sein du groupe utilisant des statistiques, les tests utilises etaient parametriques, non parametriques et non precises, respectivement dans 75 %, 50 % et 1,8 % des cas avec, en cas de tests parametriques, une verification de la loi normale dans 14,2 % des cas. Le seuil de significativite de la valeur de p etait etabli a 0,05, 0,01, 0,005 et non precise, respectivement dans 60,7 %, 1,8 %, 1,8 % et 35,7 % des cas, tandis que les intervalles de confiance et l’impact de la taille de l’echantillon etaient precises, respectivement dans 10,7 % et 5,3 % des cas. Conclusion Cette etude souligne la necessaire amelioration de la qualite des statistiques utilisees dans les European Annals of Otorhinolaryngology Head & Neck Diseases afin d’ameliorer la qualite scientifique de l’organe d’expression ecrite des societes francaises et internationale francophone d’otorhinolaryngologie dans le cadre du mouvement vers une meilleure science.

International audience; Objective :To evaluate reviewing and editorial decision for articles submitted to the European Annals of Otorhinolaryngology Head & Neck Diseases.Materials and methods :A retrospective analysis was made of reviewers’ comments on 1,133 scientific articles (700 original articles, 96 literature reviews, and 337 case reports), originating from 69 countries, consecutively submitted on-line between January 1st, 2020 and December 31st, 2021. The main objective was to document the acceptance rate and decision time. Accessory objectives were to synthesize the main comments and to screen for correlations between acceptance and the main characteristics of first authors, articles and reviewers’ comments.Results :In total, 4.1% of submitted articles were accepted. Median decision time differed significantly (P < 0.0001), at 1 month in case of refusal and 4 months in case of acceptance. Reviewers mentioned failure to adhere to the journal's authors’ guide, to use the appropriate EQUATOR guidelines and to adopt the recommended P < 0.005 significance threshold in 94.8%, 54.2%, and 39.9% of cases, respectively. On multivariate analysis, 3 variables significantly impacted acceptance, which increased from 1.3% to 44.6% (P < 0.0001) when an appropriate EQUATOR guideline was used and from 0.3% to 57.4% (P < 0.0001) when the significance threshold was set at P < 0.005, and decreased from 10.5% to 1.1% (P = 0.0001) when the article did not originate from a French-speaking country (member of the Francophonie organization).Conclusion :Adhesion to modern scientific medical writing rules increased acceptance rates for articles in the European Annals of Otorhinolaryngology Head & Neck Diseases. Teaching modern scientific medical writing needs to be enhanced in otorhinolaryngology.

Resume Objectifs Evaluer l’utilisation de la valeur de p et des termes « significatif », « non significatif » et « suggestif » dans le resume des articles scientifiques des Annales Europeennes d’Otorhinolaryngologie et de Pathologie Cervico-faciale. Materiel et methodes Revue systematique des articles scientifiques, consecutivement soumis et acceptes au decours de la periode janvier 2016 - fevier 2019. Objectif principal Description de l’utilisation de la valeur de p et des termes « significatif », « non significatif » et « suggestif » dans le resume. Objectifs secondaires Etude analytique recherchant : (i) un lien statistique entre la mention d’une valeur de p dans le resume et les caracteristiques des auteurs et des sujets traites, (ii) une utilisation inadaptee des termes « significatif », « non significatif » et « suggestif » (compte-tenu des valeurs de p mentionnees) et un lien statistique avec les caracteristiques des auteurs et des sujets traites. Resultats Au total, 91 articles etaient inclus. La valeur de p et les termes « significatif », « non significatif », « suggestif » etaient mentionnes, respectivement, dans 35,1 %, 41,7 %, 10,9 % et 0 % des resumes. La mention d’une valeur de p n’etait pas statistiquement liee aux caracteristiques des auteurs et des sujets traites. Une utilisation inadaptee, detaillee dans le corps de l’article, des termes « significatif », « non significatif » et « suggestif » etait notee dans 57,1, % des resumes avec 30,7 % de sur evaluation et 25,2 % de sous evaluation des resultats, sans lien statistique avec les caracteristiques des auteurs et des sujets traites. Conclusion Auteurs, redacteurs et relecteurs doivent preter plus d’attention au « spin » qui correspond a l’utilisation inappropriee des termes « significatif », « non significatif », « suggestif » dans le resume des articles soumis aux Annales Europeennes d’Otorhinolaryngologie et de Pathologie Cervico-faciale, afin d’ameliorer la rigueur, la qualite et la valeur de l’information scientifique fournie aux lecteurs.

International audience; Background: To describe the characteristics of the largest European study of MEC of salivary glands and to determine the prognostic factors for overall and disease free survival.Patients and methods: Patients with MEC were prospectively included in the Réseau d'Expertise Français sur les Cancers ORL Rares (REFCOR, French Network of Rare Head and Neck Tumors) database between 2009 and 2015.Results: A total of 292 patients were included. Tumors were classified as low grade in 175 cases (60%), intermediate in 39 (13%) and high grade in 78 (27%). Median follow-up was 26 months. The 5-year OS and DFS rates were respectively 83% and 69%. In multivariate analysis, age (p = 0.004), diabetes (p = 0.02) and advanced stage (p = 0.03) were found to have a significant negative impact on OS. Diabetes (p = 0.001), alcohol consumption (p = 0.003) and advanced stage (p = 0.001) were found to have a significant negative impact on DFS. Compare to low grade, high grade tended to have a negative impact on OS (p = 0.05) and had a significant effect on DFS (0.002) while intermediate grade had no significant influence on survival. The surgical treatment had a positive impact on both OS (p = 0.00005) and DFS (p = 0.0005). Postoperative radiotherapy had no impact in multivariate analysis.Conclusion: Advanced clinical stage, high grade tumor, high age, the impossibility of carrying out a complete surgical resection, and diabetes are the main prognostic factors in this prospective series of patients with MEC. Such findings open new research perspectives on the influence of these components on initial patient care.

Background High‐resistance inspiratory muscle strength training (IMST) is a novel, time‐efficient physical training modality. Methods and Results We performed a double‐blind, randomized, sham‐controlled trial to investigate whether 6 weeks of IMST (30 breaths/day, 6 days/week) improves blood pressure, endothelial function, and arterial stiffness in midlife/older adults (aged 50–79 years) with systolic blood pressure ≥120 mm Hg, while also investigating potential mechanisms and long‐lasting effects. Thirty‐six participants completed high‐resistance IMST (75% maximal inspiratory pressure, n=18) or low‐resistance sham training (15% maximal inspiratory pressure, n=18). IMST was safe, well tolerated, and had excellent adherence (≈95% of training sessions completed). Casual systolic blood pressure decreased from 135±2 mm Hg to 126±3 mm Hg ( P P P =0.03); blood pressure was unaffected by sham training (all P >0.05). Twenty‐four hour systolic blood pressure was lower after IMST versus sham training ( P =0.01). Brachial artery flow‐mediated dilation improved ≈45% with IMST ( P P =0.73). Human umbilical vein endothelial cells cultured with subject serum sampled after versus before IMST exhibited increased NO bioavailability, greater endothelial NO synthase activation, and lower reactive oxygen species bioactivity ( P P =0.05) and altered select circulating metabolites (targeted plasma metabolomics) associated with cardiovascular function. Neither IMST nor sham training influenced arterial stiffness ( P >0.05). Conclusions High‐resistance IMST is a safe, highly adherable lifestyle intervention for improving blood pressure and endothelial function in midlife/older adults with above‐normal initial systolic blood pressure. Registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifier: NCT03266510.

The environmental extremes of the Last Glacial Maximum and the subsequent warming and sea-level rise into the Holocene had profound implications for human behavior across much of the world. In nort...

Abandoned shorelines are an important archive used to constrain past fluctuations in the hydrological balance of lakes around the globe. Within Australia, the shorelines preserved at Lake George, NSW, form one of the few shoreline archives in the south-east of the continent that record palaeoenvironmental conditions throughout the late Quaternary. Here, we examined and tested the lake-level record for Lake George constructed in the 1970s by dating a well-preserved shoreline sequence at Luckdale, on the lake's eastern shore, using single-grain optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating. Ten stratigraphic units were identified, and these suggest a late Quaternary highstand for Lake George in MIS 3, with fluctuations superimposed upon an overall drying trend throughout MIS 2 and into the present. At Luckdale, the highest four shoreline-associated units were deposited ~13 to 19 m above lake base and date to between 39 ± 2 and 29 ± 1 ka ago. Our study pushes back the timing of maximum lake depth at Lake George to at least MIS 3, rather than MIS 2. The overall drying trend is supported by similar reductions in both Riverine Plain fluvial activity and other associated lake-level records from within the Murray basin.

As a key player in modern scientific methodology, statistics, the science of collecting, processing and analyzing data from observation of random phenomena (i.e., in which chance is a factor), is an essential part of the process of formulating a research hypothesis, choosing the study variables and research method, analyzing the results and drawing conclusions. In this technical note, the authors touch on the main notions to be mastered for optimal use of descriptive statistics in this process, facilitating publication of articles submitted to the European Annals of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Diseases.

Surgical treatment of spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak is now performed by ENT surgeons, endonasal endoscopy being preferred to craniotomy as less invasive. However, it is often the symptom of underlying idiopathic intracranial hypertension, which lies outside the traditional sphere of ENT competence. Surgery is a necessary step, but should not obscure the need to treat the underlying pathology. This treatment is complex, and requires multidisciplinary team-work between otorhinolaryngologist, ophthalmologist, neurologist, neurosurgeon, radiologist, dietician, endocrinologist and psychotherapist. The present update details this multidisciplinary management to which the ENT surgeons must be attentive before and after spontaneous CSF leak repair.