Promotion of oxygen reduction by a bio-inspired tethered iron phthalocyanine carbon nanotube-based catalyst

Electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction are a critical component that may dramatically enhance the performance of fuel cells and metal-air batteries, which may provide the power for future electric vehicles. Here we report a novel bio-inspired composite electrocatalyst, iron phthalocyanine with an axial ligand anchored on single-walled carbon nanotubes, demonstrating higher electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction than the state-of-the-art Pt/C catalyst as well as exceptional durability during cycling in alkaline media. Theoretical calculations suggest that the rehybridization of Fe 3d orbitals with the ligand orbitals coordinated from the axial direction results in a significant change in electronic and geometric structure, which greatly increases the rate of oxygen reduction reaction. Our results demonstrate a new strategy to rationally design inexpensive and durable electrochemical oxygen reduction catalysts for metal-air batteries and fuel cells.close34

Course and prognosis of recovery for chronic non-specific low back pain: design, therapy program and baseline data of a prospective cohort study

Background: There has been increasing focus on factors predicting the development of chronic musculoskeletal disorders. For patients already experiencing chronic non-specific low back pain it is also relevant to investigate which prognostic factors predict recovery. We present the design of a cohort study that aims to determine the course and prognostic factors for recovery in patients with chronic non-specific low back pain. Methods/Design. All participating patients were recruited (Jan 2003-Dec 2008) from the same rehabilitation centre and were evaluated by means of (postal) questionnaires and physical examinations at baseline, during the 2-month therapy program, and at 5 and 12 months after start of therapy. The therapy protocol at the rehabilitation centre used a bio-psychosocial approach to stimulate patients to adopt adequate (movement) behaviour aimed at physical and functional recovery. The program is part of regular care and consists of 16 sessions of 3 hours each, over an 8-week period (in total 48 hours), followed by a 3-month self-management program. The primary outcomes are low back pain intensity, disability, quality of life, patient's global perceived effect of recovery, and participation in work. Baseline characteristics include information on socio-demographics, low back pain, employment status, and additional clinical items status such as fatigue, duration of activities, and fear of kinesiophobia. Prognostic variables are determined for recovery at short-term (5 months) and long-term (12 months) follow-up after start of therapy. Discussion. In a routine clinical setting it is important to provide patients suffering from chronic non-specific low back pain with adequate information about the prognosis of their complaint

Spatio-temporal distribution of benthic foraminifera in relation to estuarine dynamics (Vie estuary, Vendee, W France)

International audienc

Three Engineering Paradigms in the Historical Development of Water Services: More, Better and Cheaper Water to European Cities

International audienceThe size and complexity of large cities creates the ‘urban water’ sustainability issue: where water transport and treatment technologies, public water services, including public water supply, sewage collection and treatment, and storm water control, had become the object of specific policies, separate from water resource allocation. Today, large metropolitan areas cannot take natural abundance for granted any more, and they need to protect and to manage water resources, if only to reduce the long term cost of transporting and treating water. In this chapter, we describe the historical development of water services in European metropolitan areas, placing the technological developments in their geographic, socio-economic, and political contexts. Our framework follows the successive contributions of three paradigms: civil engineering, sanitary engineering, and environmental engineering. Civil engineering has to do with the ‘quantity of water’, and it allows water to be moved in and out of cities, up hills, and under floors. Sanitary engineering has to do with ‘water quality’, and water treatment has given cities more freedom to take water from nearby rivers and to reduce impacts of sewer discharge. Lastly, environmental engineering has the potential to overcome supply-side shortcomings: it can use demand-side management, water conservation, water allocation flexibility; it can also provide an integrated approach to water services, water resources management, and land use policies

France

International audienceThe development of irrigation in France is several centuries old. During the twentieth century the state constructed most of the irrigation networks. Individual irrigation development dates back to the 1960s and is characterized by an easier uptake of technological innovations. Today, the total equipped area is leveling off, and trends include a development of drip irrigation and the near disappearance of gravity irrigation. Public policies with a direct or indirect impact on irrigation have also changed significantly in recent decades. Agricultural policies, once very favorable to the development of irrigation, have moved to policies that are increasingly oriented toward the protection of water resources. In some basins, farmers face severe administrative reduction of their pumping authorization. Water resources management at the watershed or territory levels also changed significantly. In basins facing large quantitative deficits, special institutions are created to manage the volume of water available for agriculture. However, concerns remain regarding the effectiveness of such institutions and more generally the future of irrigation in a context of global change