Theories in Business and Information Systems Engineering

Even though the idea of science enjoys an impressive reputation, there seems to be no precise conception of science. On the one hand, there is no unified definition of the extension of activities subsumed under the notion of science. According to the narrow conception that is common in Anglo-Saxon countries, science is restricted to those disciplines that investigate nature and aim at explanation and prediction of natural phenomena. A wider conception that can be found in various European countries includes social sciences, the humanities and engineering. On the other hand and related to the first aspect, there is still no general consensus on the specific characteristics of scientific discoveries and scientific knowledge

The effects of stress and environment in bipolar disorder (mania), depression and schizophrenia

8 p.-- Papers presented at the International Workshop "The Conservation of Subterranean Cultural Heritage", held 25-27 March 2014, in Seville, Spain.Lascaux Cave in France contains one of the best-known example of rock art in the world made up of numerous Palaeolithic paintings and engravings. Except for a few previous studies, the majority of papers available on the microbiology of Lascaux Cave have been published since 2009 and cover a variety of topics such as the composition of the microbial communities (bacteria, fungi and amoebae) dwelling on different substrata, paying special attention to the black stains, the relationships between the microorganisms and study focused on the cultivable bacteria and fungi of Lascaux Cave was also carried out in 2010. These data offered a representative inventory of airborne microorganisms isolated from diverse halls in two different seasons. In order to evaluate new aerobiological methods, the aim of the present study was to characterize the airborne bacterial and fungal communities from the Passageway, a key area connecting the main axes of Lascaux Cave, using culture-independent methods such as the construction of clone libraries based on ribosomal genes. The results were compared with those previously achieved by culturing in the same area, and discussed according to the knowledge acquired in recent years on the microbial ecology of the cave. Based on these data, we can conclude that culture-independent methods provided valuable information indentifying the microorganisms more precisely and rapidly, avoiding the limitation imposed by culturing. In addition, these molecular techniques showed a significantly higher sensitivity. Therefore, such methods should be included in future aerobiological studies in caves or any other environment to complement the traditional culture methods.Financiado con el Proyecto (HAR-2010-11432-E) Red de Ciencia y Tecnología para la Conservación del Patrimonio CulturalPeer reviewe

Etude de matériaux multicouches par réflectivité X en incidence rasante. Méthode par dispersion d'énergie. Comparaison théorie-expérience

L'étude de la structure des multicouches par réflectivité X en incidence rasante est abordée en utilisant la méthode de dispersion d'énergie. On illustre l'intérêt d'associer le caicui et la mesure de la répartition spectrale réfléchie, lorsqu'une couche est éclairée par un rayonnement X polychromatique à un angle d'incidence choisi, en étudiant in situ la réflectivité d'un dépôt Mo/Si en cours d'élaboration. Après avoir vérifié la validité des calculs effectués en utilisant les tables d'indice déduits des valeurs de Berger et Hubbell, on montre comment la connaissance simultanée des résultats calculés et mesurés permet de contrôler la qualité d'un dépôt. La méthode qui utilise une bande d'énergie comprise entre 4 et 40 keV est comparée à celle de Spiller dont le contrôle du dépôt est réalisé B l'aide de rayons X mous.The grazing incidence angle mdtilayer reflectivity using the Energy Dispersive Method is presented. Reflectivity calculations and measurments are used for multilayers exposed to polychromatic X-rays with a selected incidence angle; this is done for studying, in sia. reflectivity of a Mo/Si deposit during its growth thus permitting a quality control. The method using the 4-40 keV energy range is compareci to Spiller's for which the deposit is controled by soft X-ray

Estimation of epikarst air P CO 2 using measurements of water δ 13 C TDIC, cave air P CO 2 and δ 13 C CO 2

International audienceWhen present, an epikarst represents the starting point (the first karst compartment) of water flow through a karst system. The air characteristics in a karst, and especially in an epikarst, determine the initial water characteristics, e.g., water aggressiveness, which depends on the partial pressure of CO 2 ( P CO 2 ) in equilibrium with water. This paper proposes a method to estimate P CO 2 in epikarst air using spring water measures as HCO 3 - , temperature, pH and δ 13 C of Total Dissolved Inorganic Carbon (TDIC) and cave air measures as P CO 2 and δ 13 C of CO 2 . This method accounts for the TDIC variations of δ 13 C that are caused by CO 2 degassing and calcite precipitation from water. The calculations are based on the influence of pH variations and carbon loss on δ 13 C of TDIC. Measurements are taken at two sites: Lascaux cave and the Cussac cave sites located in Perigord, southwest of France. Four water springs are presented in this case study: two springs from an epikarst compartment, one spring from an unsaturated zone and one spring from a saturated zone. The P CO 2 in epikarst air is estimated to be from 4.4% (44,000 ppm) in winter to 10% in summer. These values are higher than the values of air P CO 2 measured in the soil (0.27–1.60%) or in the caves (0.30–3.1%, up to 7.50% in some parts of Lascaux). We show that in epikarst air, P CO 2 and δ 13 C CO 2 are not constant values but vary annually with high P CO 2 and depleted values (−22.31‰ VPDB) in the winter and higher P CO 2 and more depleted values in the summer (−24.20‰ VPDB)

Interpreting CO2-SIc relationship to estimate CO2 baseline in limestone aquifers

International audienceSaturation index with respect to calcite (SIc) and equilibrium CO2 partial pressure are important parameters to study groundwater in limestone aquifers. Aside from their use in time series, CO2 and SIc are used to estimate the baseline of CO2 in the vadose zone. The objective of this paper is to present conceptual examples on the use of the CO2-SIc relationship to have new information from usual parameters. Case study was considered as an example of use from Cussac site, a limestone aquifer in southwest of France. The result showed that CO2 baseline in unsaturated zone is found close to 25,000 ± 1,000 ppm

Assessing cave internal aerology in understanding carbon dioxide (CO2) dynamics: implications on calcite mass variation on the wall of Lascaux Cave (France)

Carbon dioxide gas is a key component in dissolution and precipitation of carbonates in karst and cave systems. Therefore, characterizing the internal aerology of a cave is essential to obtain the spatiotemporal distribution of temperature and CO2 level. In this research, Lascaux Cave (France), an important adorned cavity, was studied. First, the spatiotemporal distribution of CO2 and temperatures were examined using continuous monitoring at a per minute basis. High-resolution spatial measurements (14 PCO2 locations and 27 locations for temperature) were carried out for a year in the epikarst and the cave (February 2015 to February 2016). The spatiotemporal analysis presents that air and rock temperatures vary for less than a degree Celsius (12.4–12.9 °C). These are controlled by the conduction of the external thermal waves through the overlying calcarenite massif. As a consequence, two seasonal internal aerologic regimes were identified: stratification and convection. These regimes govern the spatiotemporal distribution of the CO2 levels (1.1–3.7%), showing that this parameter is a good natural marker of the internal air movements. Second, a method was proposed to estimate the calcite mass potentially affected by condensation water (dissolution process) and exfiltration water (precipitation process). This method, based on numerical simulations, relies on CO2 and air and rock temperature spatiotemporal distributions in the cave. Third, the method was applied using the case of the left wall of the Hall of the Bulls (one of the most adorned part of the cave). Results showed that the calcite mass, possibly dissolved, varies from 0.0002 to 0.006 g when the mass potentially precipitated is higher (from 0.013 to 0.067 g) depending on the aerologic conditions. This method allows determining which alteration process (e.g., precipitation or dissolution) could eventually lead to the largest variation of calcite on the wall. The results can serve as useful data to the cave experts of the French Ministry of Culture and Communication in terms of Lascaux Cave management policies

Variability and sampling strategy of cave wall concretion: Case study of the moonmilk found in Leye Cave (Dordogne)

Cave Art is a fragile testimony of past humans societies and the development of modern behaviours. In limestone caves, moonmilk commonly endanger the artworks. It is a calcite-deposit known to present a large variability of chemical composition and morphological structures, hosting numerous microbial communities. The possibility to characterize this deposit on the field would help to get a better understanding of the cave behaviour and set up proper conservation measures. The present study analyses the variability of a moonmilk strip of metric size in the Leye Cave. This cave located in the Vézère valley (Dordogne, France) is not ornate, and has been selected to become a laboratory cave in which in-situ observations and micro-sampling can be carried out, before performing them into cavities hosting parietal artworks. SEM observations of twenty-four samples allowed investigating, for the first time, the variability of the moonmilk deposit over a same wall of few meters dimension. Our observations highlight low variability of moonmilk at the microscopic scale regarding the chemical composition and the morphological structures despite significant macroscopic diversity, thus providing insights to optimize the sampling strategy of moonmilk in ornate caves

Development of differently determined and differently targeted Cave Environment Protection Perimeters using hydrogeological basis

International audienceConserving a cave with important historical and archeological artifacts needs protection measures. Cave Environment Protection Perimeters (CEPP) operational framework is proposed as a conservation measure tool for the cave and its environment. In this study, Cussac Cave was examined. Water infiltration is the main identified threat as it can bring pollutants into the cave. Three nested CEPP zones were then identified covering three important resource safeguarding intentions. First is on determining the possible water path infiltration through fractures from surface to cave (CEPP 1). Second is on delineating watershed of water that can infiltrate above the cave after run-off (CEPP 2). And third is on determining the limits that can constrain groundwater circulation (CEPP 3). According to the objective, the CEPP were obtained using a combination of classical tools such as geomorphology, topography, hydrological parameters (water flow and chemistry), and artificial tracing. The immediate CEPP 1 is close and is small in size (0.5 km2) which can be prone to both chronic and acute pollution through direct infiltration above the cave. The hydrologic CEPP 2 is medium size (1.1 km2) which can entail risks concerning chronic and acute pollution that can be brought by surface run-off before infiltration. The hydrogeologic CEPP 3 is the largest of the three (3.9 km2). Recommendations in each zone on how to manage the cave environment are presented