Application de la méthode LSPIV pour la mesure de champs de vitesse et de débits de crue sur modèle réduit et en rivière

International audienceLSPIV technique enables the measurement of surface flow velocities using image sequence analysis. EDF and Irstea partnership made possible the development of Fudaa‑LSPIV freeware by DeltaCAD Company. Two software applications at flume and field scales are detailed: (i) bed shear stresses were calculated owing to LSPIV velocities, water depth and bathymetry for a physical model of the Old Rhine; (ii) the software was used to optimize the calculation parameters of LSPIV flood discharge measurement stations in Mediterranean rivers.La technique LSPIV (Large Scale Particle Image Velocimetry) permet de mesurer les vitesses de surface d'un écoulement par analyse de séquence d'images. Pour faciliter l'application opérationnelle de la méthode, un logiciel, Fudaa-LSPIV, a été développé par la société DeltaCAD dans le cadre d'une collaboration entre EDF et Irstea. Deux applications en laboratoire et en rivière sont présentées : (i) couplée avec des mesures de hauteur d'eau et de bathymétries, la LSPIV a permis d'estimer des paramètres de Shields sur le modèle physique à fond mobile du Vieux-Rhin ; (ii) le logiciel a été utilisé pour procéder à des analyses de sensibilité pour paramétrer ainsi au mieux les stations LSPIV de mesure de débit en crue de rivières cévenoles

Comparaison entre les modèles numériques mono-couche et à deux couches pour la simulation du transport sédimentaire induit par une rupture de barrage

International audienceIn this paper, we investigate the extent to which in numerical modelling of dam-break waves over movable beds. The models considered here are one-layer or two layers based on one-dimensional or two-dimensional depth-averaged shallow water equations. Three idealized laboratory cases on dam-break waves over sandy beds. Comparisons show that for each case better predictions are obtained using a particular formula, but overall, formulas proposed by Meyer-Peter and Müller (1948) (with the factor 8 being replaced by 12). Moreover, results show that in the cases where a bed step exists, implementing a mass failure mechanism in the numerical modelling plays an important role in reproducing the bed and water profiles.Nous examinons les modèles numériques utilisés pour la propagation des ondes de rupture de barrage entrainant des sédiments : modèles à une ou deux couches de sédiments en une ou deux dimensions. Trois expériences idéalisées sur fond sableux permettent une comparaison qui ne conduit pas à des préférences marquées mais l'utilisation de la formule de Meyer Peter and Muller avec un facteur 12 et l'utilisation d'un écroulement brutal dans le cas d'une marche initiale sont à retenir

Physical model experiments for sediment supply to the old Rhine through induced bank erosion

International audienceA mobile-bed, undistorted physical model (1: 40) has been used to investigate different sediment supply strategies to the Old Rhine through bank protection removal and modifications of groyne dimensions and configuration, which cause bank erosion. This trained channel was previously the main bed of the upper Rhine downstream of Basel (Switzerland), but it has an artificially low flow regime since the construction of the Grand Canal d'Alsace, a navigation canal, and a flow control dam at Kembs (France). Training works and subsequent channel incision have also greatly reduced sediment transport rates and created a heavily armoured bed. The modelled pilot site has a groyne field on the left bank. Results show that the currently existing groynes at the site are not effective in creating high bank-side velocities conducive to bank erosion, even for flow rates significantly higher than the mean annual flow rate. The river bank has also proved to be more resistant than previously thought, allowing long stretches of bank protection to be safely removed. The physical model testing process has produced a new configuration for the groyne field, where two higher, larger island groynes are placed further apart than the three existing attached groynes. This innovative approach has proved effective, causing bank erosion for flow rates below the mean annual flow rate, with consistent erosion being observed. It has also been found that such a configuration does not pose a hazard for the Grand Canal d'Alsace, which is situated next to the Old Rhine, through excessive bank erosion during high flow events

Asymptomatic bacteriuria Escherichia coli strain 83972 carries mutations in the foc locus and is unable to express F1C fimbriae

Escherichia coli is the most common organism associated with asymptomatic bacteriuria (ABU). In contrast to uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC), which causes symptomatic urinary tract infection (UTI), very little is known about the mechanisms by which these strains colonize the urinary tract. Bacterial adhesion conferred by specific surface-associated adhesins is normally considered as a prerequisite for colonization of the urinary tract. The prototype ABU E coli strain 83972 was originally isolated from a girl who had carried it asymptomatically for 3 years. This study characterized the molecular status of one of the primary adhesion factors known to be associated with UTI, namely F1C fimbriae, encoded by the foc gene cluster. F1C fimbriae recognize receptors present in the human kidney and bladder. Expression of the foc genes was found to be up-regulated in human urine. It was also shown that although strain 83972 contains a seemingly intact foc gene cluster, F1C fimbriae are not expressed. Sequencing and genetic complementation revealed that the focD gene, encoding a component of the F1C transport and assembly system, was non-functional, explaining the inability of strain 83972 to express this adhesin. The data imply that E. coli 83972 has lost its ability to express this important colonization factor as a result of host-driven evolution. The ancestor of the strain seems to have been a pyelonephritis strain of phylogenetic group B2. Strain 83972 therefore represents an example of bacterial adaptation from pathogenicity to commensalism through virulence factor loss