From the epidemiology of hepatitis E virus (HEV) within the swine reservoir to public health risk mitigation strategies: a comprehensive review

International audienceAbstractHepatitis E virus (HEV) is the causative agent of hepatitis E in humans, an emerging zoonosis mainly transmitted via food in developed countries and for which domestic pigs are recognised as the main reservoir. It therefore appears important to understand the features and drivers of HEV infection dynamics on pig farms in order to implement HEV surveillance programmes and to assess and manage public health risks. The authors have reviewed the international scientific literature on the epidemiological characteristics of HEV in swine populations. Although prevalence estimates differed greatly from one study to another, all consistently reported high variability between farms, suggesting the existence of multifactorial conditions related to infection and within-farm transmission of the virus. Longitudinal studies and experimental trials have provided estimates of epidemiological parameters governing the transmission process (e.g. age at infection, transmission parameters, shedding period duration or lag time before the onset of an immune response). Farming practices, passive immunity and co-infection with immunosuppressive agents were identified as the main factors influencing HEV infection dynamics, but further investigations are needed to clarify the different HEV infection patterns observed in pig herds as well as HEV transmission between farms. Relevant surveillance programmes and control measures from farm to fork also have to be fostered to reduce the prevalence of contaminated pork products entering the food chain

Characterization of argon dielectric barrier discharges applied to ethyl lactate plasma polymerization

The influence of the input voltage frequency (35 and 150 kHz), interelectrode gap (1 and 2mm) and precursor concentration (250, 350, and 450 ppm) on the electron temperature (Te), number density of metastable Ar atoms (n(Arm)), and discharge current density (proportional to the electron density ne) is studied in an argon-ethyl lactate dielectric barrier discharge (DBD). An argon-ammonia Penning mixture is also considered as reference. These results are correlated to the chemistry (XPS, IR) and topography (AFM) of the ethyl-lactate-based plasma polymer coatings. Low Te values from 0.3 to 0.5 eV were obtained for all discharges. This observation, in addition to resemblances with the Ar–NH3 mixture, suggested that the ionization kinetics of ethyl lactate-based discharges is driven by Penning reactions. Among the investigated parameters, the dissipated power obtained through changes of the excitation frequency had the largest impact on both the coatings properties and the discharge behavior

Cancer du sein et occupations spirituelles : une étude de la portée qualitative

Introduction. L’apparition d’une maladie comme le cancer du sein bouleverse les activités des personnes affectées. Elle modifie en particulier la place accordée aux occupations spirituelles. Toutefois, ces dernières restent encore peu étudiées et peu explorées, malgré leur importance dans le quotidien des personnes concernées. But de l’étude. Analyser les écrits scientifiques qualitatifs en vue d’explorer la dimension spirituelle de l’expérience occupationnelle vécue par les femmes confrontées à un cancer du sein. Méthode. Une étude de la portée (scoping review) a été réalisée, en interrogeant les bases de données PubMed et CINAHL, à la recherche d’études qualitatives sur ce sujet. Une exploration manuelle des articles sélectionnés a également été réalisée. Vingt articles ont été retenus. Une analyse qualitative thématique a été réalisée. Résultats. Les occupations spirituelles, individuelles et collectives peuvent être de nature religieuse, théiste, sacrée, séculière ou laïque. Huit thèmes ont été identifiés : 1) la divinité comme explication ; 2) la divinité comme ressource ; 3) agir par la prière ; 4) la foi comme énergie ; 5) le renouvellement du regard sur le monde ; 6) vers une vie profonde ; 7) la métaphorisation du monde et 8) la spiritualité comme partage. Ces formes de spiritualité constituent des ressources pour les femmes qui ont ou ont eu le cancer du sein. Conclusion. Une meilleure connaissance de la manière dont la spiritualité constitue une ressource pour le public cible choisi est fondamentale. Cette étude indique que la spiritualité est mobilisée de manière intense lorsqu’une maladie menaçant la vie apparaît. Des études qualitatives empiriques diversifiées et ciblées sur les occupations manquent toutefois. Mots-clés. Cancer du sein, spiritualité, occupations humaines, femmes __________________________________________________   Breast cancer and spiritual occupations : A qualitative scoping review Abstract Introduction. The onset of an illness such as breast cancer disrupts the activities of those affected. The place of spiritual occupations in their lives is particularly altered. These occupations are not well known and still understudied, despite their importance in the everyday life of the affected people. Aim of the study. Analysing the scientific qualitative literature to explore the spiritual dimension of occupational experience of women with breast cancer. Methods. A scoping review was conducted by searching PubMed and CINAHL databases for qualitative studies on the subject. A manual search of additional references was done with the selected articles. Twenty articles were retained. A thematic analysis was carried out. Results. Spiritual occupations, whether individual or within a community, may be secular, sacred, religious or theistic in nature. Eight themes were identified: 1) divinity as an explanation; 2) divinity as a resource; 3) doing through prayers; 4) faith as energy/strength; 5) a renewed vision of the world; 6) toward living a deep life; 7) metaphorizing the world; 8) spirituality as sharing. These forms of spirituality are resources for women affected by a breast cancer. Conclusion. Increasing knowledge about spirituality as a resource for this population is essential. This study indicates that spirituality is a resource widely used when a life-threatening illness rears its head. However, more diverse empirical qualitative studies focused on occupations are lacking. Keywords. Breast cancer, spirituality, human occupations, wome

A review of potential impacts of submarine power cables on the marine environment:Knowledge gaps, recommendations and future directions

Submarine power cables (SPC) have been in use since the mid-19th century, but environmental concerns about them are much more recent. With the development of marine renewable energy technologies, it is vital to understand their potential impacts. The commissioning of SPC may temporarily or permanently impact the marine environment through habitat damage or loss, noise, chemical pollution, heat and electromagnetic field emissions, risk of entanglement, introduction of artificial substrates, and the creation of reserve effects. While growing numbers of scientific publications focus on impacts of the marine energy harnessing devices, data on impacts of associated power connections such as SPC are scarce and knowledge gaps persist. The present study (1) examines the different categories of potential ecological effects of SPC during installation, operation and decommissioning phases and hierarchizes these types of interactions according to their ecological relevance and existing scientific knowledge, (2) identifies the main knowledge gaps and needs for research, and (3) sets recommendations for better monitoring and mitigation of the most significant impacts. Overall, ecological impacts associated with SPC can be considered weak or moderate, although many uncertainties remain, particularly concerning electromagnetic effects

A Unitary Association-based conodont biozonation of the Smithian–Spathian boundary (Early Triassic) and associated biotic crisis from South China

The Smithian–Spathian boundary (SSB) crisis played a prominent role in resetting the evolution and diversity of the nekton (ammonoids and conodonts) during the Early Triassic recovery. The late Smithian nektonic crisis culminated at the SSB, ca. 2.7 Myr after the Permian–Triassic boundary mass extinction. An accurate and high-resolution biochronological frame is needed for establishing patterns of extinction and re-diversification of this crisis. Here, we propose a new biochronological frame for conodonts that is based on the Unitary Associations Method (UAM). In this new time frame, the SSB can thus be placed between the climax of the extinction and the onset of the re-diversification. Based on the study of new and rich conodont collections obtained from five sections (of which four are newly described here) in the Nanpanjiang Basin, South China, we have performed a thorough taxonomical revision and described one new genus and 21 new species. Additionally, we have critically reassessed the published conodont data from 16 other sections from South China, and we have used this new, standardized dataset to construct the most accurate, highly resolved, and laterally reproducible biozonation of the Smithian to early Spathian interval for South China. The resulting 11 Unitary Association Zones (UAZ) are intercalibrated with lithological and chemostratigraphical (δ$^{13}$C$_{carb}$) markers, as well as with ammonoid zones, thus providing a firm basis for an evolutionary meaningful and laterally consistent definition of the SSB. Our UAZ$_{8,}$ which is characterized by the occurrence of Icriospathodus ex gr. crassatus, Triassospathodus symmetricus and Novispathodus brevissimus, is marked by a new evolutionary radiation of both conodonts and ammonoids and is within a positive peak in the carbon isotope record. Consequently, we propose to place the SSB within the separation interval intercalated between UAZ$_{7}$ and UAZ$_{8}$ thus leaving some flexibility for future refinement and updating

Aerodynamic simulation strategies assessment for a Fenestron® in hover flight

The Fenestron® has a crucial anti-torque function and its sizing is a key point of the Helicopter design, especially regarding thrust and power predictions. This paper reports the investigations done on a full scale Dauphin Fenestron®. The objectives are first to evaluate the influence of some numerical parameters on the performance of the Fenestron®. Then the flow is analyzed for a high incidence pitche, for which the rotor blade can experience massive boundary layer separations. Simulations are carried out on a single blade passage model. Several parameters are benched, such as grid quality, numerical schemes and turbulence modeling. A comparison with test bench measurements is carried out to evaluate the capability of the numerical simulations to predict both global performance (thrust and power) and local flows (static pressure at the shroud and radial profiles inside the vein). The analysis demonstrates the capability of numerical simulations to accurately estimate the global performance of the Fenestron®, including at high pitch angles. However, some discrepancies remain on the local flow, especially in the vicinity of the rotor shroud. A more detailed analysis of the local flow is performed at a blade pitch angle of 35°, with a particular interest for the blade tip region

High-resolution distributed vertical strain and velocity from repeat borehole logging by optical televiewer:Derwael Ice Rise, Antarctica

Abstract Direct measurements of spatially distributed vertical strain within ice masses are scientifically valuable but challenging to acquire. We use manual marker tracking and automatic cross correlation between two repeat optical televiewer (OPTV) images of an ~100 m-long borehole at Derwael Ice Rise (DIR), Antarctica, to reconstruct discretised, vertical strain rate and velocity at millimetre resolution. The resulting profiles decay with depth, from −0.07 a −1 at the surface to ~−0.002 a −1 towards the base in strain and from −1.3 m a −1 at the surface to ~−0.5 m a −1 towards the base in velocity. Both profiles also show substantial local variability. Three coffee-can markers installed at different depths into adjacent boreholes record consistent strain rates and velocities, although averaged over longer depth ranges and subject to greater uncertainty. Measured strain-rate profiles generally compare closely with output from a 2-D ice-flow model, while the former additionally reveal substantial high-resolution variability. We conclude that repeat OPTV borehole logging represents an effective means of measuring distributed vertical strain at millimetre scale, revealing high-resolution variability along the uppermost ~100 m of DIR, Antarctica.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Performance de la modélisation hybride sur un processus de défaillance dans les systèmes industriels

Une approche hybride est proposée pour établir le diagnostic d'un moteur électrique. L'approche se caractérise par un assemblage entre la modélisation physique du système réel et la mise en place d'un algorithme d'apprentissage automatique, en vue d'améliorer les performances de diagnostic. Mots-clefs-Modèle hybride, apprentissage automatique, modèle basé sur la connaissance, processus de défaillance, calcul haute performanc

Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus have Evolved Different Adaptive Mechanisms to Cope with Light and UV Stress.

International audienceProchlorococcus and Synechococcus, which numerically dominate vast oceanic areas, are the two most abundant oxygenic phototrophs on Earth. Although they require solar energy for photosynthesis, excess light and associated high UV radiations can induce high levels of oxidative stress that may have deleterious effects on their growth and productivity. Here, we compared the photophysiologies of the model strains Prochlorococcus marinus PCC 9511 and Synechococcus sp. WH7803 grown under a bell-shaped light/dark cycle of high visible light supplemented or not with UV. Prochlorococcus exhibited a higher sensitivity to photoinactivation than Synechococcus under both conditions, as shown by a larger drop of photosystem II (PSII) quantum yield at noon and different diel patterns of the D1 protein pool. In the presence of UV, the PSII repair rate was significantly depressed at noon in Prochlorococcus compared to Synechococcus. Additionally, Prochlorococcus was more sensitive than Synechococcus to oxidative stress, as shown by the different degrees of PSII photoinactivation after addition of hydrogen peroxide. A transcriptional analysis also revealed dramatic discrepancies between the two organisms in the diel expression patterns of several genes involved notably in the biosynthesis and/or repair of photosystems, light-harvesting complexes, CO(2) fixation as well as protection mechanisms against light, UV, and oxidative stress, which likely translate profound differences in their light-controlled regulation. Altogether our results suggest that while Synechococcus has developed efficient ways to cope with light and UV stress, Prochlorococcus cells seemingly survive stressful hours of the day by launching a minimal set of protection mechanisms and by temporarily bringing down several key metabolic processes. This study provides unprecedented insights into understanding the distinct depth distributions and dynamics of these two picocyanobacteria in the field