Ten Years of Valuation of the Local Impact of Atmospheric Pollution: from Scientific Assessments to Political Decisions

This paper focuses on the economic valuation of the impact of local air pollution. Two main issues are considered: 1. The scientific issue: what is estimated, how and why? The main studies from the nineties are presented here. Two strong issues are stressed, with the diversity of valuation methods, on the one hand, and the debates on how to take the long term into account and the discount technique, on the other. 2. The political issue: how the results from the economic field are analysed and used to establish official values for public policies? The methods used in the transport sector in three different European countries (France, Sweden and Switzerland) are studied here.To conclude, we highlight the discrepancy between these two processes and, wherever possible, offer solutions to reach better synergy.Local air pollution ; External costs ; Economic valuation ; Official values ; Public decision ; International comparison

Recent progress in EMC and reliability for automotive applications

International audienceCable diagnosis is a crucial research topic for the reliability of embedded systems in automotive applications. This paper presents a methodology dedicated to the reflectometry analysis of branched networks in order to localize and characterize the faults which may affect it. The direct model (propagation along the cables) is modelled by a RLCG circuit model and the Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) method. This model provides a simple and accurate method to simulate Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) response. Genetic algorithms are combined with this wire propagation model to solve the inverse problem and to deduce physical information's about defects from the reflectometry response

Multifocal electroretinographical changes in monkeys with experimental ocular hypertension: a longitudinal study

Purpose To study the time course of changes in the multifocal electroretinograms (mfERG) in monkeys with experimental ocular hypertension (OHT). Methods The mfERGs were recorded in 12 eyes out of 6 monkeys. Two baseline measurements were used to quantify the reproducibility, the inter-ocular and the inter-individual variability of the ERG signals. Thereafter, the trabeculum of one eye of each animal was laser-coagulated in one to three sessions to induce OHT. ERG measurements were repeated regularly in a period of 18months and the changes in ERG waveforms were quantified. Results All animals displayed OHT (between 20 and 50mmHg) in the laser-coagulated eyes. An ERG change was defined as the sum of differences during the first 90ms between the laser-coagulated eye and the same eye before laser coagulation and between the laser-coagulated eye and the non-treated fellow eye. Three animals displayed significant changes for nearly all retinal areas and all stimulus conditions. The three remaining animals displayed significant changes only in one comparison, indicating very mild changes. The data indicate that a high stimulus contrast is more sensitive to detect changes, probably because of a better signal-to-noise ratio. Moreover, the comparisons with the fellow eye are more sensitive to detect changes than comparisons with the measurements before laser-coagulation. Conclusions OHT does not always lead to ERG changes. Comparisons with fellow eyes using high contrast stimuli are more sensitive to detect changes related to OH

Codage Source-Canal conjoint : Etude qualitative du codage BCH sur R

Cet article a pour objectif de montrer l'intérêt d'un codage Source-Canal conjoint utilisant un codage BCH sur les réels face à des codages Source-Canal séparés classiques. Des résultats qualitatifs obtenus par simulation de plusieurs chaînes de transmission d'images satellitales sont présentés. Nous détaillons également dans cet article la constitution de chacune des chaînes utilisées. Les conditions de simulation sont choisies afin de fournir des éléments comparables d'un point de vue puissance de transmission

Climate change affects rainfall patterns in crop-producing regions: Findings from the study “Emergence of robust precipitation changes across crop production areas in the 21st century"

Rain-fed agriculture currently constitutes 60–95% of farmed land across the developing world. Changing rainfall patterns could have a large impact on agriculture in developing countries. Using over 20 different climate models, researchers have projected how precipitation could be affected by climate change. Key takeaways include: 1) unless emissions are curbed soon, by 2040, the rainfall patterns in many major wheat, soybean, rice and maize regions will have changed outside their natural boundaries; 2) emissions reductions in accordance with the Paris Agreement would result in far less crop-producing areas experiencing novel rainfall patterns; and 3) targeting adaptation efforts remains a major challenge, but region specific results can now enable investment and action

Decrease in serum procalcitonin levels over time during treatment of acute bacterial meningitis

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to describe the change in serum procalcitonin levels during treatment for community-acquired acute bacterial meningitis. METHODS: Out of 50 consecutive patients presenting with bacterial meningitis and infection at no other site, and who had received no prior antibiotic treatment, 48 had a serum procalcitonin level above 0.5 ng/ml on admission and were enrolled in the study. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 55 years, and mean Glasgow Coma Scale score on admission was 13. The time from symptom onset to admission was less than 24 hours in 40% of the patients, 24–48 hours in 20%, and more than 48 hours in 40%. The median (interquartile) interval between admission and initial antibiotic treatment was 160 min (60–280 min). Bacterial infection was documented in 45 patients. Causative agents included Streptococcus pneumoniae (n = 21), Neisseria meningitidis (n = 9), Listeria monocytogenes (n = 6), other streptococci (n = 5), Haemophilus influenzae (n = 2) and other bacteria (n = 2). The initial antibiotic treatment was effective in all patients. A lumbar puncture performed 48–72 hours after admission in 34 patients showed sterilization of cerebrospinal fluid. Median (interquartile) serum procalcitonin levels on admission and at day 2 were 4.5 (2.8–10.8) mg/ml and 2 (0.9–5.0) mg/ml, respectively (P < 0.0001). The corresponding values for C-reactive protein were 120 (21–241) mg/ml and 156 (121–240) mg/ml, respectively. Five patients (10%) died from noninfectious causes during their hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: Serum procalcitonin levels decrease rapidly with appropriate antibiotic treatment, diminishing the value of lumbar puncture performed 48–72 hours after admission to assess treatment efficacy

Dix ans de monétarisation des effets locaux de la pollution atmosphérique : des évaluations scientifiques aux décisions politiques

Cette communication s'intéresse à la valorisation monétaire des impacts environnementaux de la pollution atmosphérique locale. Comment, d'un côté, ces chiffres sont-ils construits par les économistes, et comment, de l'autre, sont-ils repris et utilisés pour établir des valeurs officielles dans le cadre des politiques publiques ? Nous mettons en lumière les écarts existant entre les deux et proposons des solutions pour les réduire.Pollution locale ; effets ; monétarisation ; actualisation ; valeurs tutélaires ; décision publique ; comparaison internationale

Fungicide Tolerance and Effect of Environmental Conditions on Growth of Trichoderma spp. with Antagonistic Activity Against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum Causing White Mold of Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris)

The present study was conducted to evaluate in vitro compatibility of commonly used agrochemicals as well as the effect of temperature, pH and salt on the growth of six Trichoderma spp. with antagonistic activity against S. sclerotiorum responsible for white mold of common bean. The results revealed that in dual culture, the mycelial growth inhibition of S. sclerotiorum ranged from 83.4 to 87.4 %25. The highest inhibition (87.4 %25) was obtained with isolate T. erinaceum It-58, while the lowest inhibition (83.4 %25) was caused by T. koningiopsis It-21. Except T. asperellum It-13, antagonistic fungi were able to fully colonized pathogen in five days reaching class I antagonism according to Bell scale. The maximum inhibition percentage of volatile (54.07 %25) and non-volatile compounds (68.89 %25) on pathogen was respectively caused by T. asperellum It-13 and T. harzianum P-11. Fungicides affect the growth of Trichoderma differently. No growth was observed while testing compatibility of T. asperellum It-13 and T. erinaceum It-58 with Mancozeb as well as T. asperellum It-13 and T. afroharzianum P-8 with Methyl thiophanate illustrating the absence of compatibility. The excellent growth rate of Trichoderma was found at temperature range of 25ndash%253B30˚C and pH range 4.5-5.5. Apart from T. asperellum It-13, all the isolates were able to grow at NaCl concentrations up to 1000 micro%253BM and were identified as superior salt-tolerant isolates

Multi-domain industrial benchmarks for eddy-current modelling: the COFREND working group

9 pagesInternational audienceDescription of the COFREND working group dedicated to the multi-domain industrial benchmarks for eddy-current modelling and some of their configurations