Subcutaneous Aspergillus nodule with cutaneous Enterococcus infection

ABSTRACT An 87-year-old woman presented with a subcutaneous nodule with overlying black and yellow scales on the surface located on the left forearm. Enterococcus faecalis grew up in bacterial culture using specimen from skin surface scale. And Aspergillus fumigatus was detected in the subcutaneous tissue culture. When suspecting a deep infection, not only the surface part but also the deeper part must be cultured, because we may mislead about the identity of the infectious organism only bacterial culture form skin surface.

Numerical tools to model seismic waves in unconsolidated and partially saturated granular media

<div><span>In order to accurately study the properties of partially saturated unconsolidated media at the near surface scale, or be able to image deeper structures through them, accurate 2D and 3D wave propagation numerical modelling tools are required. The rheology/mechanical properties of such media are frequently extremely complex (nonlinear, anisotropic, ... ), even when considered at dry state and of homogeneous mixture. Experimental observations (both at the laboratory and field scales) show that the seismic wave-field in unconsolidated granular materials remains difficult to interpret within standard methodological frameworks. We present here a numerical study aiming at exploring possible alternative forward modelling approaches to better extract information from recorded signals. <br></span></div><div><span> </span></div><div><span>We first present a finite volume method (Asfour et al. 2021) in which exact Riemann solvers are introduced. Solutions are compared to high-order finite-differences (Seismic_CPML code) and spectral finite element (SPECFEM code) solutions. A first series of synthetic cases is shown to benchmark the code at the hundred meters scale with a 100-300Hz wavelet source content. Another synthetic and more reallistic case is then presented with a medium affected by a steep nonlinear velocity gradient in depth, typical of an unconsolidated granular medium (as previously considered  at laboratory scale). For this model, a 1500Hz dominant frequency point source wavelet is considered and fluid saturation is also tested by applying a fluid-solid coupling. First arrival times and PSV-wave dispersion obtained from the different codes are compared. <br></span></div><div><span> </span></div><div><span>In a second step, and considering the real data recorded at the laboratory, we apply a more realistic source wavelet (obtained through signal spectrum ratio) and we perform parallelized high-order finite difference simulations (UNISOLVER code) to compare 2D and 3D elastic as well as poroelastic solutions on finely discretized meshes. Computed and observed data are compared. The poroelastic rheology provides better amplitudes in the seismograms and better exhibits some PSV modes in the phase velocity dispersion observations. Sensitivity kernels are also shown for the different rheologies. The different results obtained are now paving the way to seismic inversion at the near surface scale and to image shallow fluid/water saturated layers.</span></div>

Measurements of surface scale changes in different denture base materials by stereophotogrammetric technique

Background. This study aimed to evaluate the surface scale changes in the denture base material using different polymerization techniques, such as heat-cure/pressure polymerization system and injection molding technique with the stereophotogrammetric technique. The function of a complete denture is related to the adaptation of its base to the supporting areas. Proper adaptation of the base depends on the stability and retention of dentures. The surface scale changes of dentures during processing and in service are of great importance since they affect the denture base material’s fit. Methods. This study focused on the use of a computer-assisted stereophotogrammetric method for measuring changes in the volume of three different denture base resins of an edentulous maxillary ridge. A stone master model simulating the shape of an edentulous maxillary arch was used to prepare three groups of denture base resins. The stereophotographs were evaluated to determine the surface scale differences of maxillary jaws. Results. The results showed no significant differences between the denture borders for three denture base materials (P > 0.05). Conclusion. In the evaluation made using this technique, no significant difference was found in the different polymerization techniques in terms of surface scale changes for three denture base materials. Stereophotogrammetry, especially the digital stereophotogrammetric technique, has several useful research applications in prosthodontics.

On the Construction of Raindrop Erosion Maps for Steel

Raindrop erosion is a significant materials limiting issue. It can affect materials for transportation and renewable energy converters such as wind turbines as well as all external structures used in the construction industries. In such cases, the raindrop effects can occur over a wide range of impact velocities and particles sizes. In understanding tribological variable effects, it is useful to study using reference materials. This is because the reference material is well characterized, from previous knowledge of the tribological and corrosion patterns. Further, the well established chemical composition and stochiometry of the corrosion products provide some background understanding of how effectively, during tribological action, the surface scale adheres to the substrate. In this study, a carbon steel was used as a reference to study the effects of velocity and drop diameter in a whirling arm erosion test rig. The results were used to establish the conditions where corrosion was accelerated and the environments where aerodynamic effects may have resulted in droplets being deflected the surfaces. Erosion maps were generated to illustrate such mechanisms based on the results.

On the Construction of Raindrop Erosion Maps for Steel

Raindrop erosion is a significant materials limiting issue. It can affect materials for transportation and renewable energy converters such as wind turbines as well as all external structures used in the construction industries. In such cases, the raindrop effects can occur over a wide range of impact velocities and particles sizes. In understanding tribological variable effects, it is useful to study using reference materials. This is because the reference material is well characterized, from previous knowledge of the tribological and corrosion patterns. Further, the well established chemical composition and stochiometry of the corrosion products provide some background understanding of how effectively, during tribological action, the surface scale adheres to the substrate. In this study, a carbon steel was used as a reference to study the effects of velocity and drop diameter in a whirling arm erosion test rig. The results were used to establish the conditions where corrosion was accelerated and the environments where aerodynamic effects may have resulted in droplets being deflected the surfaces. Erosion maps were generated to illustrate such mechanisms based on the results.

Predicting Event-Based Sediment and Heavy Metal Loads in Untreated Urban Runoff from Impermeable Surfaces

Understanding the amount of pollutants contributed by impermeable urban surfaces during rain events is necessary for developing effective stormwater management. A process-based pollutant load model, named Modelled Estimates of Discharges for Urban Stormwater Assessments (MEDUSA), was further developed (MEDUSA2.0; Christchurch, New Zealand) to include simulations of dissolved metal loadings and improve total suspended solids (TSS) loading estimations. The model uses antecedent dry days, rainfall pH, average event intensity and duration to predict sediment and heavy metal loads generated by individual surfaces. The MEDUSA2.0 improvements provided a moderate to strong degree of fit to observed sediment, copper, and zinc loads for each modelled road and roof surface type. The individual surface-scale modelling performed by MEDUSA2.0 allows for identification of specific source areas of high pollution for targeted surface management within urban catchments.