Contamination levels of human pharmaceutical compounds in French surface and drinking water.

International audienceThe occurrence of 20 human pharmaceutical compounds and metabolites from 10 representative therapeutic classes was analysed from resource and drinking water in two catchment basins located in north-west France. 98 samples were analysed from 63 stations (surface water and drinking water produced from surface water). Of the 20 human pharmaceutical compounds selected, 16 were quantified in both the surface water and drinking water, with 22% of the values above the limit of quantification for surface water and 14% for drinking water). Psychostimulants, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, iodinated contrast media and anxiolytic drugs were the main therapeutic classes of human pharmaceutical compounds detected in the surface water and drinking water. The results for surface water were close to results from previous studies in spite of differences in prescription rates of human pharmaceutical compounds in different countries. The removal rate of human pharmaceutical compounds at 11 water treatment units was also determined. Only caffeine proved to be resistant to drinking water treatment processes (with a minimum rate of 5%). Other human pharmaceutical compounds seemed to be removed more efficiently (average elimination rate of over 50%) by adsorption onto activated carbon and oxidation/disinfection with ozone or chlorine (not taking account of the disinfection by-products). These results add to the increasing evidence of the occurrence of human pharmaceutical compounds in drinking water that may represent a threat to human beings exposed to a cocktail of human pharmaceutical compounds and related metabolites and by-products in drinking water

Tertiary and quaternary geology of the Belgian Continental Shelf

A synthesis of the geology of the Belgian continental shelf is here presented. The main part of this document is dedicated to the review of the lithostratigraphy, geotechnical properties, geometry and distribution of the Tertiary and Quaternary deposits. The data compilation, review and assessment have been conducted from the numerous existing studies and large data sets, available offshore, but also onland when offshore data were scarce or lacking. Three main projects have enabled to collect the offshore data: (1) the project “Seismic stratigraphy, Southern Bight, North Sea” (RCMG, City of London Polytechnic/NERC, University of Caen/CNRS); (2) the project “Seismisch onderzoek op het Belgisch Continentaal Plat. Eerste faze. Ontginningszone 2” (MEZ/Administratie van het Mijnwezen, RCMG); (3) the project “Studie oppervlaktelaag van het Belgisch Continentaal Plat. Seismisch prospectie sector B” MEZ/Belgian Geological Survey-BGD, RCMG). Data consist mainly of seismic profiles (16,000 km), cores (79) and cone penetration tests (CPTs, 177). All the data have been digitised and integrated in appropriate georeferenced softwares. Synthetic integrated maps and tables have been produced, aimed to provide the end-users with clear and directly usable information.This synthesis has been conducted in the framework of the project “Optimal Offshore Wind Energy Developments in Belgium”, financed by the Belgian federal government (Federal Office for Scientific, Technical and Cultural Affairs). This project is in keeping with the part I project network “Production patterns and sustainable consumption” of the PADD II program. Objectives of this project consisted in providing recommendations for the selection of sites that are convenient with respect to the stability of offshore wind structures and the minimisation of geo-environmental impacts

Geo-environmental characterization of the Kwinte Bank

A detailed geomorphological and sedimentological study has been performed at a tidal sandbank, which has been dredged during 30 years. Localised intensive aggregate extraction created a depression in the central part of the sandbank, upon which the Government decided to close this section of the bank for further exploitation. Multibeam and side-scan sonar technology was used to survey the bank, in combination with extensive ground-truthing. Automated seabed classification was performed, but showed no direct correlation with the mean grain-size; the primary drivers influencing the classification being the sorting of the sediments, the presence of shells and of fine sediments. Very high resolution seismics revealed the internal architecture of the bank. In the central depression, the upper unit is locally severely dredged.The central depression is characterized by distinct morphosedimentary facies, compared to the western and eastern part of the bank and the Kwinte swale, adjacent of it. The difference between the western and the eastern part is essentially due to different tidal current characteristics, each having their particular sedimentation-erosion patterns. These processes seem to be rather stable, though the evolution of the sediments in the central depression shows similarities with the Kwinte swale sediment evolution.Since the depression is somewhat oblique to the normal crestline, it now forms an open transport pathway from the swale up to the crest of the sandbank. This led to a canalization of the flood current which is witnessed mostly by the northwards and faster progression of bedforms. Because of the difference in sediment characteristics between the dredged material and the present-day supply of sand, it is unlikely that natural processes will be able to counterbalance the severe dredging activities.Moreover, the presence of the central depression is located close to the kink of the sand bank, which is influenced by a high-energy hydrodynamic regime. Its presence could intensify the current action in this area and could enhance the evolution of the bank

Chemically engineered extracts of St John’s wort as sources of polyprenylated acylphloroglucinols to prevent endothelial dysfunction

International audienc

Dissipation of vibration in rough contact

The relationship which links the normal vibration occurring during the sliding of rough surfaces and the nominal contact area is investigated. Two regimes are found. In the first one, the vibrational level does not depend on the contact area, while in the second one, it is propor- tional to the contact area. A theoretical model is proposed. It is based on the assumption that the vibrational level results from a competition between two processes of vibration damping, the internal damping of the material and the contact damping occurring at the interface

The Spitzer Survey of the Small Magellanic Cloud: S3MC Imaging and Photometry in the Mid- and Far-Infrared Wavebands

We present the initial results from the Spitzer Survey of the Small Magellanic Cloud (S3MC), which imaged the star-forming body of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) in all seven MIPS and IRAC wavebands. We find that the F_8/F_24 ratio (an estimate of PAH abundance) has large spatial variations and takes a wide range of values that are unrelated to metallicity but anticorrelated with 24 um brightness and F_24/F_70 ratio. This suggests that photodestruction is primarily responsible for the low abundance of PAHs observed in star-forming low-metallicity galaxies. We use the S3MC images to compile a photometric catalog of ~400,000 mid- and far-infrared point sources in the SMC. The sources detected at the longest wavelengths fall into four main categories: 1) bright 5.8 um sources with very faint optical counterparts and very red mid-infrared colors ([5.8]-[8.0]>1.2), which we identify as YSOs. 2) Bright mid-infrared sources with mildly red colors (0.16<[5.8]-[8.0]<0.6), identified as carbon stars. 3) Bright mid-infrared sources with neutral colors and bright optical counterparts, corresponding to oxygen-rich evolved stars. And, 4) unreddened early B stars (B3 to O9) with a large 24 um excess. This excess is reminiscent of debris disks, and is detected in only a small fraction of these stars (<5%). The majority of the brightest infrared point sources in the SMC fall into groups one to three. We use this photometric information to produce a catalog of 282 bright YSOs in the SMC with a very low level of contamination (~7%).Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal. Given the draconian figure file-size limits implemented in astro-ph, readers are encouraged to download the manuscript with full quality images from http://celestial.berkeley.edu/spitzer/publications/s3mcsurvey.pd

Effects of nitrogen and potassium fertilization on the susceptibility of tomatoes to post-harvest proliferation of Salmonella enterica

Fresh fruits and vegetables are increasingly recognized as vehicles of salmonellosis. Pre- and post-harvest environmental conditions, and physiological, and genetic factors are thought to contribute to the ability of human pathogens to persist in the production environment, attach to, colonize and proliferate in and on raw produce. How field production conditions affect the post-harvest food safety outcomes is not entirely understood. This study tested how varying nitrogen and potassium fertilization levels affected the "susceptibility" of tomatoes to Salmonella infections following the harvest of fruits. Two tomato varieties grown over three seasons under high, medium, and low levels of nitrogen and potassium fertilization in two locations were inoculated with seven strains of Salmonella. Even though the main effects of nitrogen and potassium fertilization on the susceptibility of tomatoes to infections with Salmonella enterica were not statistically significant overall, differences in nitrogen concentrations in plant tissues correlated with the susceptibility of partially ripe tomatoes (cv. Solar Fire) to Salmonella. Tomato maturity and the season in which tomatoes were produced had the strongest effect on the ability of Salmonella to multiply in tomatoes. Tomato phenolics, accumulation of which is known to correlate with rates of the N fertilization, did not inhibit growth of Salmonella in vitro

Is the meiofauna a good indicator for climate change and anthropogenic impacts?

Our planet is changing, and one of the most pressing challenges facing the scientific community revolves around understanding how ecological communities respond to global changes. From coastal to deep-sea ecosystems, ecologists are exploring new areas of research to find model organisms that help predict the future of life on our planet. Among the different categories of organisms, meiofauna offer several advantages for the study of marine benthic ecosystems. This paper reviews the advances in the study of meiofauna with regard to climate change and anthropogenic impacts. Four taxonomic groups are valuable for predicting global changes: foraminifers (especially calcareous forms), nematodes, copepods and ostracods. Environmental variables are fundamental in the interpretation of meiofaunal patterns and multistressor experiments are more informative than single stressor ones, revealing complex ecological and biological interactions. Global change has a general negative effect on meiofauna, with important consequences on benthic food webs. However, some meiofaunal species can be favoured by the extreme conditions induced by global change, as they can exhibit remarkable physiological adaptations. This review highlights the need to incorporate studies on taxonomy, genetics and function of meiofaunal taxa into global change impact research