Desorption experiments and modeling of micropollutants on activated carbon in water phase: application to transient concentrations mitigation

Experimental studies and numerical modeling were conducted to assess the feasibility of a granular activated carbon column to buffer load variations of contaminants before wastewater treatment devices. Studies of cycles of adsorption, and more especially desorption, of methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) and 2,4-dimethylphenol (2,4-DMP) have been carried out on granular activated carbon (GAC). Dynamic variations of contaminants concentrations were run at several conditions of duration (peaks). GAC fixed-bed exhibited a stable adsorption/desorption capacity after undergoing two conditioning cycles. The study of pollution peaks revealed that attenuation is largely dependent on the targeted pollutant: 2.4 ± 0.5 % attenuation/cm of bed for MDEA and 6.0 ± 1.2 % attenuation/cm of bed for 2,4-DMP. Mass balances calculated from both injected and recovered pollutant during peaks were respected. Finally, a coupling of the linear driving force model and isotherms models was used to fit experimental data for both adsorption breakthrough curves and desorption curves. The model was used to predict adsorption and desorption behaviors of following cycles. Good agreement with experimental values was obtained

STEEX: Steering Counterfactual Explanations with Semantics

As deep learning models are increasingly used in safety-critical applications, explainability and trustworthiness become major concerns. For simple images, such as low-resolution face portraits, synthesizing visual counterfactual explanations has recently been proposed as a way to uncover the decision mechanisms of a trained classification model. In this work, we address the problem of producing counterfactual explanations for high-quality images and complex scenes. Leveraging recent semantic-to-image models, we propose a new generative counterfactual explanation framework that produces plausible and sparse modifications which preserve the overall scene structure. Furthermore, we introduce the concept of "region-targeted counterfactual explanations", and a corresponding framework, where users can guide the generation of counterfactuals by specifying a set of semantic regions of the query image the explanation must be about. Extensive experiments are conducted on challenging datasets including high-quality portraits (CelebAMask-HQ) and driving scenes (BDD100k). Code is available at https://github.com/valeoai/STEEXComment: ECCV 2022 --- 14 pages + supplementar

Réutilisation des eaux usées épurées par association de procédés biologiques et membranaires

Les procédés de réutilisation des eaux usées doivent être robustes, fiables et rentables pour que leur utilisation se démocratise et devienne complémentaire des traitements des eaux de surface. Le couplage d un procédé biologique et de procédés membranaires représente une solution prometteuse pour répondre à ces challenges. Cette étude se focalise sur l impact des conditions de fonctionnement du procédé secondaire (en particulier par bioréacteur à membrane BAM) sur le colmatage du procédé tertiaire de nanofiltration (NF) ou d osmose inverse (OI) ainsi que sur le devenir des micropolluants et microorganismes tout au long de la chaine de traitement. Dans un premier temps, des expériences à court terme de filtration avec différentes membrane NF et d OI ont été réalisées afin de caractériser les interactions entre effluents secondaires et membranes. Il a ainsi été observé de très fortes rétentions de tous les micropolluants ciblés par la Directive Cadre Européenne. En termes de colmatage, la chute de flux de l OI, essentiellement liée pour ces essais de courte durée à une augmentation de pression osmotique puis à un dépôt de cristaux minéraux, peut être maîtrisée en contrôlant le pH et la concentration en carbonate et phosphate de l effluent secondaire. Par ailleurs, des chutes de flux plus importantes sont observées lors des filtrations réalisées avec les membranes de NF qui sont plus sensibles au colmatage irréversible. Dans un second temps, l optimisation de la filière de traitement des eaux usées urbaines couplant un bioréacteur à membranes à un procédé d OI a été réalisée à partir d une unité pilote fonctionnant en continu. La sélection de conditions opératoires adéquates a permis de faire fonctionner le procédé d OI pendant plus de quatre mois sans qu aucune maintenance ne soit réalisée. Une faible chute de flux de l OI, linéaire sur toute la période de filtration, essentiellement dû à l adsorption de molécules organiques à la surface de la membrane, a été observée. Sur l ensemble de la période d essais, la filière BAM/OI permet d obtenir un abattement optimal en micropolluants présents. Lorsque des micropolluants sont injectés à des concentrations plus élevées (simulation d une brusque dégradation de la qualité des eaux en entrée de filière) dans le bioréacteur, une chute de l activité de la biomasse couplée à un relargage de produits microbiens solubles peut être observée. Néanmoins, ces pics de pollution n ont eu aucun impact sur le colmatage de la membrane du BAM ni sur celle de l OI. La filière BAM-OI permet donc de garantir un taux de rejet élevé et une productivité d environ 15 L.h-1.m2 quelles que soient les fluctuations de la composition de l eau usée urbaine à traiter.In order to be competitive compare to surface water treatments, wastewater reuse needs robust, reliable and profitable combination of technologies. The combination of bioreactors and membrane processes seems to be a promising solution to these challenges. This study focus on the impact of the operating conditions of the secondary treatment (particularly the membrane bioreactor (MBR)) on the nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) tertiary treatments as well as the fate of micropollutants and microorganisms along the treatment line. Firstly, short term filtration experiments with various NF and RO membranes were performed in order to characterize the interactions between secondary treatment effluents (STE) and membranes. High retentions of micropollutants listed by the European water framework directive were observed. During these short term experiments, RO flux decline is mainly due to an increase of osmotic pressure and then a precipitation of salts that can be solved by controlling the pH and thus the carbonate and phosphate concentration of the STE. In addition, higher flux declines are observed with NF because of a higher irreversible fouling behavior. Secondly, continuous long term tests were performed on a pilot unit combining a MBR and a RO processes. The appropriate selection of operating conditions allowed treating wastewater during more than four months without any maintenance. A linear low flux decline, mainly due to adsorption of organic molecules at the membrane surface was observed. During this filtration period, the MBR/RO process presented very high micropollutant retentions. When micropollutants are injected at higher concentration (simulation of sudden fluctuation of feed composition) into the MBR, a drop of biomass activity combined with soluble microbial products release can be observed. Nevertheless, these peaks of pollution did not cause any additional fouling of MBR as well as RO membranes. MBR/RO process is then a reliable technology that can guaranty high retention and productivity (around 15 L.h-1.m-2) whatever the fluctuations of the feed composition.TOULOUSE-INSA-Bib. electronique (315559905) / SudocSudocFranceF

Cine and tagged cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging in normal rat at 1.5 T: a rest and stress study

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to measure regional contractile function in the normal rat using cardiac cine and tagged cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) during incremental low doses of dobutamine and at rest. METHODS: Five rats were investigated for invasive left ventricle pressure measurements and five additional rats were imaged on a clinical 1.5 T MR system using a cine sequence (11-20 phases per cycle, 0.28/0.28/2 mm) and a C-SPAMM tag sequence (18-25 phases per cycle, 0.63/1.79/3 mm, tag spacing 1.25 mm). For each slice, wall thickening (WT) and circumferential strains (CS) were calculated at rest and at stress (2.5, 5 and 10 microg/min/kg of dobutamine). RESULTS: Good cine and tagged images were obtained in all the rats even at higher heart rate (300-440 bpm). Ejection fraction and left ventricular (LV) end-systolic volume showed significant changes after each dobutamine perfusion dose (p < 0.001). Tagged CMR had the capacity to resolve the CS transmural gradient and showed a significant increase of both WT and CS at stress compared to rest. Intra and interobserver study showed less variability for the tagged technique. In rats in which a LV catheter was placed, dobutamine produced a significant increase of heart rate, LV dP/dtmax and LV pressure significantly already at the lowest infusion dose. CONCLUSION: Robust cardiac cine and tagging CMR measurements can be obtained in the rat under incremental dobutamine stress using a clinical 1.5 T MR scanner

Morphology, processes and geohazards of giant landslides in and around Agadir Canyon, northwest Africa - Cruise MSM32 - September 25 - October 30, 2013 - Bremen (Germany) - Cádiz (Spain)

Agadir Canyon is one of the largest submarine canyons in the World, supplying giant submarine sediment gravity flows to the Agadir Basin and the wider Moroccan Turbidite System. While the Moroccan Turbidite System is extremely well investigated, almost no data from the source region, i.e. the Agadir Canyon, are available. Understanding why some submarine landslides remain as coherent blocks of sediment throughout their passage downslope, while others mix and disintegrate almost immediately after initial failure, is a major scientific challenge, which was addressed in the Agadir Canyon source region during Cruise MSM32. We collected ~ 1500 km of seismic 2D-lines in combination with a dense net of hydroacoustic data. About 1000 km2 of sea floor were imaged during three deployments of TOBI (deep-towed sidescan sonar operated by the National Oceanography Centre Southampton). A total of 186 m of gravity cores and several giant box cores were recovered at more than 50 stations. CTD casts were collected at nine stations including one 13 hour Yo-yo CTD. The new data show that Agadir canyon is the source area of the world's largest submarine sediment flow, which occurred about 60,000 years ago. Up to 160 km3 of sediment was transported to the deep ocean in a single catastrophic event. For the first time, sediment flows of this scale have been tracked along their entire flow pathway. A major landslide area was identified south of Agadir Canyon. Landslide material enters Agadir canyon in about 2500 m water depth; the material is transported as debrite for at least another 200 km down the canyon. Initial data suggest that the last major slide from this source entered Agadir canyon at least 130,000 years ago. Living deep-water corals were recovered from a large mound field north of Agadir canyon. To our knowledge, these are the first living cold water corals recovered off the coast of Morocco (except for the Gulf of Cadiz). They represent an important link between the known cold-water coral provinces off Mauritania and in the Gulf of Cádiz

High Precision Abundances of the Old Solar Twin HIP 102152: Insights on Li Depletion from the Oldest Sun

We present the first detailed chemical abundance analysis of the old 8.2 Gyr solar twin, HIP 102152. We derive differential abundances of 21 elements relative to the Sun with precisions as high as 0.004 dex ($\lesssim$1%), using ultra high-resolution (R = 110,000), high S/N UVES spectra obtained on the 8.2-m Very Large Telescope. Our determined metallicity of HIP 102152 is [Fe/H] = -0.013 $\pm$ 0.004. The atmospheric parameters of the star were determined to be 54 K cooler than the Sun, 0.09 dex lower in surface gravity, and a microturbulence identical to our derived solar value. Elemental abundance ratios examined vs. dust condensation temperature reveal a solar abundance pattern for this star, in contrast to most solar twins. The abundance pattern of HIP 02152 appears to be the most similar to solar of any known solar twin. Abundances of the younger, 2.9 Gyr solar twin, 18 Sco, were also determined from UVES spectra to serve as a comparison for HIP 102152. The solar chemical pattern of HIP 102152 makes it a potential candidate to host terrestrial planets, which is reinforced by the lack of giant planets in its terrestrial planet region. The following non-local thermodynamic equilibrium Li abundances were obtained for HIP 102152, 18 Sco, and the Sun: log $\epsilon$ (Li) = 0.48 $\pm$ 0.07, 1.62 $\pm$ 0.02, and 1.07 $\pm$ 0.02, respectively. The Li abundance of HIP 102152 is the lowest reported to date for a solar twin, and allows us to consider an emerging, tightly constrained Li-age trend for solar twin stars.Comment: Published in ApJL. 22 pages, 4 figures, and 1 tabl

High precision abundances of the old solar twin HIP 102152: Insights on Li depletion from the oldest sun

We present the first detailed chemical abundance analysis of the old 8.2 Gyr solar twin, HIP 102152. We derive differential abundances of 21 elements relative to the Sun with precisions as high as 0.004 dex (≲1%), using ultra high-resolution (R = 110,0

Early detection and prediction of cardiotoxicity after radiation therapy for breast cancer: the BACCARAT prospective cohort study

International audienceBackground Radiotherapy (RT) for breast cancer presents a benefit in terms of reducing local recurrence and deaths resulting from breast cancer but it can lead to secondary effects due to the presence of neighboring cardiac normal tissues within the irradiation field. Breast RT has been shown to be associated with long-term increased risk of heart failure, coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction and finally cardiovascular death more than 10 years after RT. However, there is still a lack of knowledge for early cardiotoxicity induced by breast RT that can appear long before the onset of clinically significant cardiac events. Based on a 2-year follow-up prospective cohort of patients treated with breast RT, the BACCARAT (BreAst Cancer and CArdiotoxicity Induced by RAdioTherapy) study aims to enhance knowledge on detection and prediction of early subclinical cardiac dysfunction and lesions induced by breast RT and on biological mechanisms potentially involved, based on functional and anatomical cardiac imaging combined with simultaneous assessment of multiple circulating biomarkers and accurate heart dosimetry. Methods/Design BACCARAT study consists in a monocentric prospective cohort study that will finally include 120 women treated with adjuvant 3D CRT for breast cancer, and followed for 2 years after RT. Women aged 50 to 70 years, treated for breast cancer and for whom adjuvant 3D CRT is indicated, without chemotherapy are eligible for the study. Baseline (before RT) and follow-up data include measurements of functional myocardial dysfunction including strain and strain rate based on 2D-speckle tracking echocardiography, anatomical coronary lesions including description of plaques in segments of coronary arteries based on Coronary computed tomography angiography, and a wide panel of circulating biomarkers. The absorbed dose is evaluated for the whole heart and its substructures, in particular the coronary arteries. Analysis on occurrence and evolution of subclinical cardiac lesions and biomarkers will be performed and completed with dose-response relationship. Multivariate model of normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) will also be proposed. Discussion Tools and results developed in the BACCARAT study should allow improving prediction and prevention of potential lesions to cardiac normal tissues surrounding tumors and ultimately enhance patients' care and quality of life. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02605512. © 2016 Jacob et al