A Miscellaneous Measurement of Stick Insects

We present here miscellaneous measurements of some stick insects: Eurycantha calcarata, Haaniella echinata, Medauroidea extradentata, Peruphasma schultei and Sungaya inexpectata

Inventory of ant species in the Marseilles suburbs

International audienceMarseilles is a big city with several ecological areas, like pure urban, suburban, rural areas (mainly Garigue which is a type of low, deciduous Mediterranean forests). The knowledge on ant distribution in this particular region is limited (1;2). Moreover one of the so far known lists, only deals with ant communities of some islands near Marseille. To increase the knowledge on ant distribution, several sites in east Marseille were selected and different habitats, mainly suburban and Garigue were sampled for ants. Two methods to collect ants were used: hand sampling (HS) and pitfall trapping (PF) (without and with attractive i.e. sweet white wine).Here the first results of this study and the species found are presented. Aphaenogaster splendida and Messor capitatus were observed for the first time in Marseilles and populations of these two species will be monitored during the next years.1AntArea Etude, identification, répartition, localisation des fourmis françaises métropolitaines. 2019 (http://antarea.fr/; Accessed 5th november 2019).2Berville, L.; Renucci, M.; Vidal, P.; Provost, E. Peuplement myrmécologique et évaluation de l'invasion de Linepithema humile sur les îles de Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône, France). Revue d’Ecologie (Terre et Vie) 2016, 71, 278-287

Gabriel package: software for education and research

De nos jours, les ordinateurs personnels font partie de notre vie, à la maison, au travail ou bien à l'école. Même si la puissance des ordinateurs augmente, les logiciels sont de plus en plus compliqués, demandant de plus en plus de temps d'apprentissage ou bien pour obtenir un résultat. Il est devenu important d'avoir dans les laboratoires ou à l'école de petits logiciels rapides utilisant des équations empiriques. Nous rapportons ici l'utilisation mais surtout les algorithmes et les équations ainsi que les jeux de paramètres de trois logiciels appartenant à la suite logicielle Gabriel. Le premier, Gabriel Nathalie II, est un calculateur qui a de nombreuses fonctionnalités. Il est possible de calculer tant un pKa que de simuler le déplacement chimique en 31 P RMN de molécules du type amino-phosphonate. Par ailleurs, il est également capable de déterminer des valeurs thermodynamiques de fixation de bisphosphonates sur les os humains. Le deuxième, Gabriel Calculatrice Savon, est utilisé pour calculer la quantité d'alcali nécessaire pour faire du savon en fonction de la quantité et de la nature de la matière grasse. Il peut aussi calculer la viscosité de quelques huiles à une température données. Enfin, Gabriel Data Analysis est un logiciel dédié à l'analyse de données. Aujourd'hui, un logiciel pour la recherche peut être utilisé à l'école et un logicie

Evaluation of bio-based products in architectural paints

International audienceThis study considers the incorporation of bio-based products in the formulations of architectural paints. The first part focuses on the use of alkyl-polyglucosides and of alkyl-polypentosides as dispersing agents. Compared to conventional petrochemical components these sugar-based additives present several advantages such as being non-toxic, biodegradable, odorless and non-irritating. In this paper their influence on the properties of coatings is evaluated and their performances are compared with those of reference petrochemical additives. The second part is dedicated to the use of gluten as co-binder or as additive in architectural paints. Gluten represents approximately 80% of the proteins contained in cereal and is widely available

Assessing levels and trends of adult mortality in Sub Saharan Africa using INDEPTH health and demographic surveillance systems

International audienceThere is still a considerable dearth of knowledge regarding adult mortality and premature deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Attempts to measure adult mortality using censuses and cross-sectional surveys rely mainly on indirect techniques that are affected by common biases. The growing number of Health and Demographic Surveillance Systems (HDSSs) offer a mediumterm solution to the dearth of knowledge regarding adult mortality and the main causes in Africa. This paper compares adult mortality estimates from 16 HDSSs in nine countries in SSA based on publicly available data on INDEPTHStats. We use Life Table techniques to examine differences in adult mortality trends and to identify mortality clusters and sex differentials. Results reveal distinctive mortality trends for the three regions of Africa with the Southern and Eastern African regions having relatively higher mortality than the West African region