Etude des propriétés d’adsorption et de désorption du Plomb (Pb) et du Cadmium (Cd) par les sédiments d’une lagune tropicale en présence d’Allylthiourée

Les métaux plomb (Pb) et cadmium (Cd) s’accumulent dans les réseaux trophiques aquatiques et peuvent présenter une menace pour la santé humaine et la faune. Une littérature relativement abondante existe sur la concentration totale de ces métaux dans les lagunes ivoiriennes. Cependant, aucune information n’est  disponible pour prédire leur toxicité potentielle. Cette étude avait pour objectif de déterminer l’influence de la matière organique sur l’adsorption du plomb et du cadmium par les sédiments de la baie de Cocody. Les résultats ont montré que les grandes quantités d’allylthiourée (de matière organique) empêchent le cadmium de s’adsorber sur les sédiments aux concentrations de cadmium supérieures à 1 mg/L, augmentant sa concentration dans la colonne d’eau. Aucune  conclusion claire n’a été tirée pour le plomb. Les résultats ont aussi montré que les sédiments de la baie de Cocody sont très contaminés en cadmium et en plomb, mais que les fractions solubles à l’eau sont très faibles. Des études complémentaires d’adsorption-désorption prenant en compte des études cinétiques sur beaucoup plus d’échantillons de sédiments permettront de mieux comprendre le comportement et la toxicité des métaux dans la lagune Ebrié.Mots clés : Métaux traces, matière organique, adsorption, désorption, Estuaire

Group Formation Using Shortest Path Approach

Group work is becoming more important in education. Working in groups give students the ability to share ideas, to enhance problem solving skills and to improve communication skills. Thus, group formation becomes a crucial issue in order to increase group capability. However in UUM, several colleges are located remotely and majority of the students do not own personal transport. These create constraints for group meetings and it will effect the group performance. Therefore, this paper proposes method for identifying groups using shortest path approach and we hope this approach is useful for lecturers who have a large class. We also believe that the approach can be integrated with other existing methods in group formation

Enhancing data security in cloud using random pattern fragmentation and a distributed nosql database

© 2019 IEEE. The cloud computing model has become very popular among users, as it has proven to be a cost-effective solution to store and process data, thanks to recent advancements in virtualization and distributed computing. Nevertheless, in the cloud environment, the user entrusts the safekeeping of its data entirely to the provider, which introduces the problem of how secure such data is and whether its integrity has been maintained. This paper proposes an approach to the data security in cloud by utilizing a random pattern fragmentation algorithm and combining it with a distributed NoSQL database. This not only increases the security of the data by storing it in different nodes and scramble all the bytes, but also allows the user to implement an alternative method of securing data. The performance of the approach is compared to other approaches, along with AES 256 encryption. Results indicate a significant performance improvement over encryption, highlighting the capabilities of this method for cloud stored data, as it creates a layer of protection without additional overhead

Évaluation du niveau de pollution par les métaux lourds des lacs Bini et Dang, Région de l’Adamaoua, Cameroun

La présente étude a pour objectif principal d’évaluer le niveau de pollution métallique des lacs Bini et Dang (Ngaoundéré, Cameroun) à travers l’analyse des eaux et des sédiments de surface. La concentration des métaux lourds (Ni, Cr, Fe, Pb, Cd, Zn) a été mesurée par spectrophotométrie d’absorption atomique. Des résultats obtenus, il ressort que les éléments Ni, Fe, Cr, Pb et Cd ont des teneurs élevées dans les eaux des deux lacs comparés aux normes OMS sur les eaux de boisson et aux normes canadiennes sur la protection de la vie aquatique. Afin d’évaluer le niveau de contamination des sédiments des deux lacs, le facteur d’enrichissement (FE) et l’indice de géoaccumulation (I-géo) ont été calculés.Ainsi, le cadmium présente des FE forts à très forts alors que le plomb affiche des FE modérés à forts. L’Igéo varie d’une forte contamination à une contamination extrême pour le cadmium. Cet index est modéré à fort pour le plomb et modéré pour le fer. Les sédiments du lac de Dang sont dans l’ensemble les plus contaminés en métaux lourds par rapport à ceux du lac Bini. Les activités agricoles, les rejets des eaux usées domestiques et les décharges incontrôlées sont considérés comme principales sources de pollution des deux lacs.Mots-clés : bini, dang, métaux lourds, lac, sédiment

Genetic and Environmental Contributions to Body Mass Index: Comparative Analysis of Monozygotic Twins, Dizygotic Twins and Same-Age Unrelated Siblings

Background—Earlier studies have established that a substantial percentage of variance in obesity-related phenotypes is explained by genetic components. However, only one study has used both virtual twins (VTs) and biological twins and was able to simultaneously estimate additive genetic, non-additive genetic, shared environmental and unshared environmental components in body mass index (BMI). Our current goal was to re-estimate four components of variance in BMI, applying a more rigorous model to biological and virtual multiples with additional data. Virtual multiples share the same family environment, offering unique opportunities to estimate common environmental influence on phenotypes that cannot be separated from the non-additive genetic component using only biological multiples. Methods—Data included 929 individuals from 164 monozygotic twin pairs, 156 dizygotic twin pairs, five triplet sets, one quadruplet set, 128 VT pairs, two virtual triplet sets and two virtual quadruplet sets. Virtual multiples consist of one biological child (or twins or triplets) plus one same-aged adoptee who are all raised together since infancy. We estimated the additive genetic, non-additive genetic, shared environmental and unshared random components in BMI using a linear mixed model. The analysis was adjusted for age, age2, age3, height, height2, height3, gender and race. Results—Both non-additive genetic and common environmental contributions were significant in our model (P-values \u3c 0.0001). No significant additive genetic contribution was found. In all, 63.6% (95% confidence interval (CI) 51.8–75.3%) of the total variance of BMI was explained by a non-additive genetic component, 25.7% (95% CI 13.8–37.5%) by a common environmental component and the remaining 10.7% by an unshared component. Conclusion—Our results suggest that genetic components play an essential role in BMI and that common environmental factors such as diet or exercise also affect BMI. This conclusion is consistent with our earlier study using a smaller sample and shows the utility of virtual multiples for separating non-additive genetic variance from common environmental variance

Imaging microscopic distribution of antifungal agents in dandruff treatments with stimulated Raman scattering microscopy

This is the final version of the article. Available from SPIE via the DOI in this record.Treatment of dandruff condition usually involves use of antidandruff shampoos containing antifungal agents. Different antifungal agents show variable clinical efficacy based on their cutaneous distribution and bioavailability. Using stimulated Raman scattering (SRS), we mapped the distribution of unlabeled low-molecular weight antifungal compounds zinc pyrithione (ZnPT) and climbazole (CBZ) on the surface of intact porcine skin with cellular precision. SRS has sufficient chemical selectivity and sensitivity to detect the agents on the skin surface based on their unique chemical motifs that do not occur naturally in biological tissues. Moreover, SRS is able to correlate the distribution of the agents with the morphological features of the skin using the CH2CH2 stretch mode, which is abundant in skin lipids. This is a significant strength of the technique since it allows the microscopic accumulation of the agents to be correlated with physiological features and their chemical environment without the use of counter stains. Our findings show that due to its lower solubility, ZnPT coats the surface of the skin with a sparse layer of crystals in the size range of 1 to 4  μm4  μm. This is consistent with the current understanding of the mode of action of ZnPT. In contrast, CBZ being more soluble and hydrophobic resulted in diffuse homogeneous distribution. It predominantly resided in microscopic lipid-rich crevasses and penetrated up to 60  μm60  μm into the infundibular spaces surrounding the hair shaft. The ability of the SRS to selectively map the distribution of agents on the skin’s surface has the potential to provide insight into the mechanisms underpinning the topical application of antifungal or skin-active agents that could lead to the rational engineering of enhanced formulations.The authors would like to acknowledge financial support from Unilever to undertake all research reported in this manuscript

Lake sediment toxicity in the UK: the role of trace metals and persistent organic pollutants

The aim of this project was to determine sediment toxicities to the sediment-dwelling chironomid Chironomus riparius and the free-swimming cladoceran Daphnia magna using empirical measurements from ten lakes distributed both geographically across the UK and across a predicted toxicity quotient gradient

Toxic metal enrichment and boating intensity: sediment records of antifoulant copper in shallow lakes of eastern England

Tributyltin (TBT), an aqueous biocide derived from antifouling paint pollution, is known to have impacted coastal marine ecosystems, and has been reported in the sediment of the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads, a network of rivers and shallow lakes in eastern England. In the marine environment, the 1987 TBT ban has resulted in expanded use of alternative biocides, raising the question of whether these products too have impacted the Broads ecosystem and freshwaters in general. Here we examine the lake sediment record in the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads for contamination by copper (Cu) (as an active biocide agent) and zinc (Zn) (as a component of booster biocides), to assess their occurrence and potential for causing environmental harm in freshwater ecosystems. We find that, after the introduction of leisure boating, there is a statistically significant difference in Cu enrichment between heavily and lightly boated sites, while no such difference exists prior to this time. At the heavily boated sites the onset of Cu enrichment coincides with a period of rapid increase in leisure boating. Such enrichment is maintained to the present day, with some evidence of continued increase. We conclude that Cu-based antifouling has measurably contaminated lakes exposed to boating, at concentrations high enough to cause ecological harm. Similar findings can be expected at other boated freshwater ecosystems elsewhere in the world

Quality control in public participation assessments of water quality: the OPAL Water Survey

BACKGROUND: Public participation in scientific data collection is a rapidly expanding field. In water quality surveys, the involvement of the public, usually as trained volunteers, generally includes the identification of aquatic invertebrates to a broad taxonomic level. However, quality assurance is often not addressed and remains a key concern for the acceptance of publicly-generated water quality data. The Open Air Laboratories (OPAL) Water Survey, launched in May 2010, aimed to encourage interest and participation in water science by developing a 'low-barrier-to-entry' water quality survey. During 2010, over 3000 participant-selected lakes and ponds were surveyed making this the largest public participation lake and pond survey undertaken to date in the UK. But the OPAL approach of using untrained volunteers and largely anonymous data submission exacerbates quality control concerns. A number of approaches were used in order to address data quality issues including: sensitivity analysis to determine differences due to operator, sampling effort and duration; direct comparisons of identification between participants and experienced scientists; the use of a self-assessment identification quiz; the use of multiple participant surveys to assess data variability at single sites over short periods of time; comparison of survey techniques with other measurement variables and with other metrics generally considered more accurate. These quality control approaches were then used to screen the OPAL Water Survey data to generate a more robust dataset. RESULTS: The OPAL Water Survey results provide a regional and national assessment of water quality as well as a first national picture of water clarity (as suspended solids concentrations). Less than 10 % of lakes and ponds surveyed were ‘poor’ quality while 26.8 % were in the highest water quality band. CONCLUSIONS: It is likely that there will always be a question mark over untrained volunteer generated data simply because quality assurance is uncertain, regardless of any post hoc data analyses. Quality control at all stages, from survey design, identification tests, data submission and interpretation can all increase confidence such that useful data can be generated by public participants