Optimization of Real‐Time Control With Green and Gray Infrastructure Design for a Cost‐Effective Mitigation of Combined Sewer Overflows.

An innovative optimization-simulation framework is applied to a case study of the Province of Quebec, Canada, to optimize the spatial distribution of green infrastructure (GI), the capacity and location of gray infrastructure, and the parameters specific to real-time control (RTC) operating rules of a sewer system for reducing combined sewer overflows (CSOs) frequency and volume. GI, gray infrastructure, and RTC are applied either individually or in integration through eight optimization scenarios which are simulated over a nine-year period of historical rainfall data. Among all scenarios, spatial optimization of GI with RTC leads to maximal CSO volume reduction (98%) and is the most cost-effective option analyzed (70$/m³ of seasonal average CSO reduction compared to 140$/m³ for the scenario involving gray infrastructure alone). However, it requires a high GI implementation level and the CSO frequency under this scenario is sensitive to varying GI design parameters. The findings suggest that the best alternative for CSO control is the integration of the optimization of green and gray infrastructures with RTC as it still provides high CSO volume reduction (95%) and remains a cost-effective solution (90$/m³ of CSO reduction), while providing robustness under cost and design uncertainties

Real-time model predictive and rule-based control with green infrastructures to reduce combined sewer overflows.

The impact of integrating large-scale distribution of green infrastructures (GIs) with different real-time control strategies on combined sewer overflows (CSOs) is assessed for the southern area of the City of Montreal's combined sewer system (Canada). An iterative process involving a synthetic design rainfall event and model predictive control (MPC) of the sewer system is developed to distribute GIs according to cost-efficiency and spatial analysis criteria. The distributed GIs are alternatively integrated with static, rule-based control (RBC) and MPC, for which model simulations are performed for a two-month period. The performance of the three strategies is compared in terms of CSO volume and frequency reductions, fulfillment of the outfall environmental priorities and transfer of runoff capture to CSO volume reduction. A gradual increase in GI implementation levels and an alternative scenario of GIs distribution are also considered to assess the performance of the two real-time control (RTC) strategies. By comparing the scenarios where GIs are uniformly distributed with those where no GIs are implemented and omitting the most extreme rainfall event, average CSO volume reduction is about 65%, 82% and 92%, respectively, for static control, RBC and MPC. Moreover, the scenario integrating GIs with MPC is the only one permitting to avoid almost all CSO events and the fulfilment of the outfall environmental priorities. GIs efficiency performance (the transferability between global runoff capture and CSO volume reduction) is also the highest under MPC, even when considering varying GI implementation levels and spatial distribution schemes

Links Between Metabolic and Structural Changes in the Brain of Cognitively Normal Older Adults: A 4-Year Longitudinal Follow-Up

We aimed to longitudinally assess the relationship between changing brain energy metabolism (glucose and acetoacetate) and cognition during healthy aging. Participants aged 71 ± 5 year underwent cognitive evaluation and quantitative positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans at baseline (N = 25) and two (N = 25) and four (N = 16) years later. During the follow-up, the rate constant for brain extraction of glucose (Kglc) declined by 6%–12% mainly in the temporo-parietal lobes and cingulate gyri (p ≤ 0.05), whereas brain acetoacetate extraction (Kacac) and utilization remained unchanged in all brain regions (p ≥ 0.06). Over the 4 years, cognitive results remained within the normal age range but an age-related decline was observed in processing speed. Kglc in the caudate was directly related to performance on several cognitive tests (r = +0.41 to +0.43, allp ≤ 0.04). Peripheral insulin resistance assessed by the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was significantly inversely related to Kglc in the thalamus (r = −0.44, p = 0.04) and in the caudate (r = −0.43, p = 0.05), and also inversely related to executive function, attention and processing speed (r = −0.45 to −0.53, all p ≤ 0.03). We confirm in a longitudinal setting that the age-related decline in Kglc is directly associated with declining performance on some tests of cognition but does not significantly affect Kacac

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Summary Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

Associations, politiques et démocratie : les effets de l’engagement associatif sur le rapport au politique

National audienc

The aporias of databanking: a note on the reuse of qualitative surveys

L'archivage et la mise à disposition des données produites par les enquêtes qualitatives-le plus souvent basées sur des entretiens et des observations-font aujourd'hui l'objet d'incitations fortes, sinon d'injonction, de la part des responsables de la recherche, européenne notamment. Les candidat.es à un financement H2020 doivent désormais s'efforcer de rendre les données qu'ils/elles ont l'intention de produire « FAIR », acronyme de « findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable ». Autrement dit, ils/elles doivent envisager en amont de la demande de financement la façon de mettre ces futures données à disposition 1. Ces nouvelles règles se diffusent rapidement dans les agences de financement nationales 2. Au nombre des procédures à prévoir dans le DMP (Data management plan, plan de gestion des données) désormais requis par la plupart de ces agences, il faut désigner l'infrastructure à laquelle les données seront confiées

Associations, politique et démocratie : les effets de l’engagement associatif sur le rapport au politique

Pourquoi et comment s’interroger sur le rapport au politique de ceux qu’il est convenu d’appeler des militants associatifs ? Pourquoi se poser la question de savoir si le fait de s’engager dans une association développe chez les individus une vision du monde plus civique, voire un intérêt pour les affaires politiques, quand on sait que les associations poursuivent les buts les plus divers et que les associations sportives ou de loisirs constituent aujourd’hui l’essentiel des effectifs ? La qu..

Les impasses de l’archivage des enquêtes qualitatives en sciences sociales

La mise à disposition et l’archivage des données qualitatives font aujourd’hui l’objet d’incitations fortes, quand elles ne sont pas rendues obligatoires par les agences de financement et les éditeurs de revues scientifiques. Mais les conditions de cette mise à disposition exercent une influence importante sur la possibilité de réutiliser ces enquêtes. La mise en banque des données dans des archives centralisées, avec tout ce que cela suppose comme normalisation des matériaux, les dénature et rend impossible l’engagement profond avec le travail de production original de l’enquête qui fait tout l’intérêt de la réanalyse. Il faut réfléchir collectivement à d’autres formes d’archivage, plus respectueuses du travail de recherche.Funding agencies and journal editors strongly incite researchers to share and archive their data, when they don’t compel them to do so. However, the ways we archive data have a strong influence on their potential for reuse. The activity of banking data in centralised archives, with all the normalisation processes it involves, spoils them and renders impossible the profound engagement with the original research required by a fruitful reanalysis. We need to think collectively and design other archiving structures, more respectful of the research process