Réforme des autorisations de prélèvement dans le bassin Adour-Garonne : impacts sur l'économie agricole

La réglementation française remet à plat les autorisations de prélèvements d'eau pour l'irrigation, dans un objectif de retour à l'équilibre ressources/besoins d'ici 2014 à 2021. Dans le sudouest, où une majorité du territoire est considérée comme déficitaire en eau mais où l'irrigation est très présente, cette réforme impliquera une baisse des volumes actuellement attribués. La présente étude a eu pour objectif d'évaluer l'impact de cette baisse sur l'économie agricole. Elle a été effectuée à l'échelle de six territoires en simulant les pertes en marge brute ou en excédent brut d'exploitation, avec ou sans mesures d'accompagnement. La combinaison de ces mesures permet, dans la majorité des cas, de réduire très significativement voire d'annuler ces pertes. Parmi ces mesures, les plus efficaces sont la création d'ouvrages de stockage et l'allocation prioritaire de quotas d'eau aux cultures à forte valeur ajoutée (arboriculture, maraichage, semences). / Water withdrawal policy for irrigation is reformed by the French legislation for a return to a balance between resources and needs in 2014 to 2021. Irrigation is largely developed in south-western France, where most of the territory faced structural water deficits. This policy change will decrease the available water for irrigation. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of this reform on the farming economy. It has been conducted on six watershed where economic losses have been simulated, using or not support measures. For most of cases, the combination of these measures lead to a significant decrease or a cancel of the losses. Among these measures, the most effective are the investment in water storage, and the prior water reallocation for high added value crops (tree crops, vegetable growing, seeds crops)

Restauration d’un bronze antique : un travail d’Hercule

Le texte résume les travaux de restauration d’une sculpture romaine en bronze représentant Hercule, effectués au Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Musées de France, ainsi que le travail d’étude mené en amont et en parallèle, tant sur le plan des examens que des analyses. Il s’attache particulièrement à présenter les acquis des différentes techniques utilisées et leur importance pour la détermination des choix de traitements à mettre en œuvre. En effet, cette œuvre récemment découverte n’avait fait l’objet d’aucune restauration. Il a donc été possible de mener une étude complète, et d’orienter les traitements en fonction des résultats.The article summarises the restoration operations conducted at the C2RMF on a Roman bronze sculpture of Hercules, and the different investigations conducted before and during the restoration work, including observations and analyses. It emphasizes in particular the achievements of the various investigative techniques and their importance for determining the choice of technique to employ. The sculpture was recently discovered and had never been submitted to any restoration. It has been thus possible to execute a complete study and to direct the treatments geared towards the results

Les occupations du Paléolithique moyen et supérieur d’Épouville (Pays de Caux) en contexte loessique

Le site archéologique d’Epouville (vallée de la Lézarde) se situe sur un grand glacis dominé par un versant en pente forte. La stratigraphie des loess weichseliens est pratiquement semblable à celle des plateaux avoisinants (Saint-Romain, Goderville) mais les processus périglaciaires de versant ont été ici plus nombreux et plus actifs. Les industries sont localisées dans le « limon grumeleux » placé juste au dessus du Sol de Mesnil-Esnard (gley sur la première partie du loess récent inférieur carbonaté). Cette lame boueuse a étalé l’industrie du Paléolithique moyen. Juste après sa mise en place, les Hommes du Paléolithique supérieur se sont installés. Puis, avant la poursuite de la sédimentation éolienne du loess récent inférieur, de petits lobes de solifluxion ont déplacé cette dernière industrie de façon très limitée. L’âge de l’industrie du Paléolithique moyen n’est pas défini précisément (du stade isotopique 6 au Weichselien ancien inclus), l’industrie du Paléolithique supérieur se place vers 26 ka. L’occupation du Paléolithique moyen (série grise) correspond à un site d’habitat où les Hommes ont taillé le silex afin d’obtenir, d’une part des éclats allongés, d’autre part des éclats plus larges. Le débitage Levallois est majoritaire, le débitage semi-tournant est représenté. L’outillage est composé d’éclats retouchés (grattoirs, racloirs) et de bifaces. L’interprétation culturelle de cette série est double : soit une industrie homogène du Moustérien de tradition acheuléenne de type B, soit le mélange d’un niveau moustérien avec un niveau micoquien. La série vert-marron du Paléolithique supérieur ancien semble quant à elle correspondre à un atelier de débitage. Les Hommes ont taillé de grandes lames élancées, unipolaires, à l’aide de percuteurs tendres. Lorsque les nucléus ne le permettaient plus, les tailleurs ont détaché opportunément des lames plus courtes, moins régulières, au percuteur dur. L’absence d’outils retouchés diagnostics rend l’interprétation culturelle malaisée même si plusieurs indices favoriseraient une attribution à l’Aurignacien. D’après le scénario géologique proposé et en reprenant la répartition spatiale des vestiges, il est possible de reconstituer la position initiale de chaque occupation : l’habitat des Hommes du Paléolithique moyen devait se trouver en position de knick-point entre le glacis et le versant à pente forte et a subi trois vagues de remaniements. L’atelier des Hommes du Paléolithique supérieur ancien se trouvait plus en aval sur le versant et n’a connu qu’un déplacement d’ampleur limitée.The loessic archaeological site of Epouville (Lezarde valley) is located on a great glacis at the base of a steep slope. The stratigraphy of the younger loess is identical to that of the surrounding plateaux (Saint-Romain, Goderville) but the slope periglacial processes have been more numerous and more active. The industries are located in the “limon grumeleux” (granular loam) which covers the Mesnil-Esnard soil (gleyification of the first part of the Lower Younger loess). This mud sheet reworked the Middle Palaeolithic industry. Soon after, Upper Palaeolithic Men settled here for a while. Artifacts were slightly disturbed by small gelifluxion lobes, before the loess sedimentation began again (Lower Younger loess, second part). The Middle Palaelothic industry cannot be dated with precision (between the end of the MIS 6 and the end of the Early Weichselian). The Upper Palaeolithic industry is situated around 26 Ky. The Middle Paleolithic occupation (grey series) corresponds to a habitat site where flint was knapped in order to obtain, on one hand, long flakes, and on the other hand, wider flakes. Levallois debitage dominates, semi-rotating debitage is represented. The tool assemblage is composed of retouched flakes (end and side scrapers) and bifaces. There is a dual cultural interpretation of this series: it is either a homogenous B type MTA industry, or it is a mixture of a Mousterian level with a Micoquian level. The green-chestnut Early Upper Palaeolithic series, however, seems to correspond to a debitage workshop. Large, long, unipolar blades were produced with soft hammer percussion. When the cores could no longer yield these, opportunistically shorter, less regular blades were detached, using hard hammer percussion. The absence of retouched diagnostic tools impedes cultural interpretation, even if several indicators point to an Aurignacian attribution. According to the geological scenario put forward, and considering the spatial distribution of the remains, we can reconstitute the initial position of each occupation: the habitat of Middle Palaeolithic man must have been in a knick-point position between the glacis and the steep slope, and experienced three phases of disturbance. The Upper Palaeolithic workshop was situated further down the slope and thus only experienced limited displacement

Evaluation of bio-materials’ rejuvenating effect on binders for high-reclaimed asphalt content mixtures

The interest in using bio-materials in pavement engineering has grown significantly over the last decades due to environmental concerns about the use of non-recoverable natural resources. In this paper, bio-materials are used together with Reclaimed Asphalt (RA) to restore some of the properties of the aged bitumen present in mixtures with high RA content. For this purpose, two bio-materials are studied and compared to conventional and polymer modified bitumens. Blends of these materials with RA bitumen were produced and studied to simulate a 50% RA mixture. The rejuvenating effect of the two bio-materials on RA has been assessed and compared with the effect of the conventional binders. Apparent Molecular Weight Distribution of the samples (obtained by the ?-method) and different rheological parameters were used for this purpose. Results revealed the power of bio-materials to rejuvenate RA bitumen, showing their capability to be used as fresh binders in high-RA content mixtures

Highly plastic genome of Microcystis aeruginosa PCC 7806, a ubiquitous toxic freshwater cyanobacterium

Background The colonial cyanobacterium Microcystis proliferates in a wide range of freshwater ecosystems and is exposed to changing environmental factors during its life cycle. Microcystis blooms are often toxic, potentially fatal to animals and humans, and may cause environmental problems. There has been little investigation of the genomics of these cyanobacteria. Results Deciphering the 5,172,804 bp sequence of Microcystis aeruginosa PCC 7806 has revealed the high plasticity of its genome: 11.7% DNA repeats containing more than 1,000 bases, 6.8% putative transposases and 21 putative restriction enzymes. Compared to the genomes of other cyanobacterial lineages, strain PCC 7806 contains a large number of atypical genes that may have been acquired by lateral transfers. Metabolic pathways, such as fermentation and a methionine salvage pathway, have been identified, Conclusion Microcystis aeruginosa PCC 7806 appears to have adopted an evolutionary strategy relying on unusual genome plasticity to adapt to eutrophic freshwater ecosystems, a property shared by another strain of M. aeruginosa (NIES-843). Comparisons of the genomes of PCC 7806 and other cyanobacterial strains indicate that a similar strategy may have also been used by the marine strain Crocosphaera watsonii WH8501 to adapt to other ecological niches, such as oligotrophic open oceans.

Three new PAX6 mutations including one causing an unusual ophthalmic phenotype associated with neurodevelopmental abnormalities

The PAX6 gene was first described as a candidate for human aniridia. However, PAX6 expression is not restricted to the eye and it appears to be crucial for brain development. We studied PAX6 mutations in a large spectrum of patients who presented with aniridia phenotypes, Peters' anomaly, and anterior segment malformations associated or not with neurological anomalies.Journal ArticleResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tSCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

A Day in the Life of Microcystis aeruginosa Strain PCC 7806 as Revealed by a Transcriptomic Analysis

The cyanobacterium, Microcystis aeruginosa, is able to proliferate in a wide range of freshwater ecosystems and to produce many secondary metabolites that are a threat to human and animal health. The dynamic of this production and more globally the metabolism of this species is still poorly known. A DNA microarray based on the genome of M. aeruginosa PCC 7806 was constructed and used to study the dynamics of gene expression in this cyanobacterium during the light/dark cycle, because light is a critical factor for this species, like for other photosynthetic microorganisms. This first application of transcriptomics to a Microcystis species has revealed that more than 25% of the genes displayed significant changes in their transcript abundance during the light/dark cycle and in particular during the dark/light transition. The metabolism of M. aeruginosa is compartmentalized between the light period, during which carbon uptake, photosynthesis and the reductive pentose phosphate pathway lead to the synthesis of glycogen, and the dark period, during which glycogen degradation, the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway, the TCA branched pathway and ammonium uptake promote amino acid biosynthesis. We also show that the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, such as microcystins, aeruginosin and cyanopeptolin, occur essentially during the light period, suggesting that these metabolites may interact with the diurnal part of the central metabolism

Bonifacio – Caserne Montlaur

Les fouilles de la Caserne Montlaur font suite à une prescription de diagnostic du Service régional de l’archéologie, en raison des travaux de rénovation importants prévus sur le site. Les résultats positifs de ce diagnostic, réalisé par P. Ferreira (Ferreira et al. 2014), ont permis de mettre au jour quelques inhumations datées du xviiie s., des tranchées de plantations non datées précisément mais attribuées aux périodes médiévales à postmédiévales, ainsi que des niveaux du Néolithique récen..

Regional-scale climate-variability synchrony of cholera epidemics in West Africa

BACKGROUND: The relationship between cholera and climate was explored in Africa, the continent with the most reported cases, by analyzing monthly 20-year cholera time series for five coastal adjoining West African countries: Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria. METHODS: We used wavelet analyses and derived methods because these are useful mathematical tools to provide information on the evolution of the periodic component over time and allow quantification of non-stationary associations between time series. RESULTS: The temporal variability of cholera incidence exhibits an interannual component, and a significant synchrony in cholera epidemics is highlighted at the end of the 1980's. This observed synchrony across countries, even if transient through time, is also coherent with both the local variability of rainfall and the global climate variability quantified by the Indian Oscillation Index. CONCLUSION: Results of this study suggest that large and regional scale climate variability influence both the temporal dynamics and the spatial synchrony of cholera epidemics in human populations in the Gulf of Guinea, as has been described for two other tropical regions of the world, western South America and Bangladesh

Eight previously unidentified mutations found in the OA1 ocular albinism gene

BACKGROUND: Ocular albinism type 1 (OA1) is an X-linked ocular disorder characterized by a severe reduction in visual acuity, nystagmus, hypopigmentation of the retinal pigmented epithelium, foveal hypoplasia, macromelanosomes in pigmented skin and eye cells, and misrouting of the optical tracts. This disease is primarily caused by mutations in the OA1 gene. METHODS: The ophthalmologic phenotype of the patients and their family members was characterized. We screened for mutations in the OA1 gene by direct sequencing of the nine PCR-amplified exons, and for genomic deletions by PCR-amplification of large DNA fragments. RESULTS: We sequenced the nine exons of the OA1 gene in 72 individuals and found ten different mutations in seven unrelated families and three sporadic cases. The ten mutations include an amino acid substitution and a premature stop codon previously reported by our team, and eight previously unidentified mutations: three amino acid substitutions, a duplication, a deletion, an insertion and two splice-site mutations. The use of a novel Taq polymerase enabled us to amplify large genomic fragments covering the OA1 gene. and to detect very likely six distinct large deletions. Furthermore, we were able to confirm that there was no deletion in twenty one patients where no mutation had been found. CONCLUSION: The identified mutations affect highly conserved amino acids, cause frameshifts or alternative splicing, thus affecting folding of the OA1 G protein coupled receptor, interactions of OA1 with its G protein and/or binding with its ligand