Fixation du CO2 dans les blocs de béton à base de granulats recyclés

A l’heure où l’industrie cimentière est majoritairement responsable de la production de CO2 dans le secteur de la construction, il s’avère utile de compenser cette production par un phénomène inverse: la captation du CO2. Ce processus d’absorption de CO2, appelé carbonatation, améliore certaines propriétés du béton lors de la conversion du dioxyde de carbone CO2 en carbonate de calcium CaCO3. Les préoccupations environnementales actuelles motivent l’étude de la carbonatation dans le but de maximiser l'absorption du dioxyde de carbone. Les granulats recyclés, produits à base de déchets de béton concassés mécaniquement, peuvent prendre place dans de nouvelles applications en béton. Ils peuvent remplacer les granulats naturels en tout ou en partie, épargnant ainsi l’extraction des matières premières naturelles. La combinaison des deux approches vise à élaborer un produit dont l’impact environnemental est réduit au minimum

Linear lexicographic optimization and preferential bidding system

Some airlines use the preferential bidding system to construct the schedules of their pilots. In this system, the pilots bid on the different activities and the schedules that lexicographically maximize the scores of the pilots according to their seniority are selected. A sequential approach to solve this maximization problem is natural: the problem is first solved with the bids of the most senior pilot; then it is solved with those of the second most senior without decreasing the score of the most senior, and so on. The literature admits that the structure of the problem somehow imposes such an approach. The problem can be modeled as an integer linear lexicographic program. We propose a new exact method, which relies on column generation for solving its continuous relaxation. To design this column generation, we prove that bounded linear lexicographic programs admit "primal-dual" feasible bases and we show how to compute such bases efficiently. Another contribution on which our exact method relies consists in the extension of standard tools for resource-constrained longest path problems to their lexicographic versions. This is useful in our context since the generation of new columns is modeled as a lexicographic resource-constrained longest path problem. Numerical experiments show that this new method is already able to solve industrial instances provided by Air France, with up to 150 pilots. By adding a last ingredient in the resolution of the longest path problems, which exploits the specificity of the preferential bidding system, the method achieves for these instances computational times that are compatible with operational constraints

Sound production by dusky grouper Epinephelus marginatus at spawning aggregation sites

peer reviewe

Noise in urban areas: How does the definition of "neighborhood" impact exposure assessment?

International audienceEnvironmental epidemiological studies commonly quantify subjects' noise exposure level in their neighborhood. How this neighborhood is defined can vary across studies, leading to different approaches whose impacts on exposure levels remain unclear. This article examines the impact of the neighborhood's definition on environmental noise exposure estimates. L Aeq,24h exposures in the vicinity of 10,825 residential buildings were estimated using a high-definition noise map, built on a middle-sized French city. Various definitions of neighborhood (address point, façade, buffers, and official zoning) were used to produce different exposure estimates. Influence of urban environmental factors was analyzed using multilevel modeling. The results showed a significant increase of the exposure estimates (+3.9 dB) and a significant decrease of the variability, when the sample size of the considered neighborhood increased (P<0.01). The difference between the estimates from the 50-m-radius buffers and the 400-m-radius buffers ranged across buildings between –9.4 and +22.3 dB. This variation was influenced by urban environmental characteristics (P<0.01). Furthermore, the same approach was conducted individually considering assessments of exposure to road traffic noise railway noise and two atmospheric pollutants (NO2 and PM 10). The results highlight the need in further exposure and/or epidemiological studies to carefully consider neighborhood definition and environmental composition

Ciclo diurno de dos sonidos recurrentes de peces en arrecifes de coral mesofóticos

Mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) are the deepest part of tropical coral reefs, ranging from depths of 30 to over 170 m. Despite their significance, MCEs remain largely unexplored due to the challenges associated with accessing these depths. However, the application of passive acoustic monitoring methods (PAM) is a suitable approach for studying fish communities within these unique habitats. In French Polynesia, recent PAM studies have unveiled a higher occurrence of frequency-modulated fish sounds in MCEs than in shallower reef environments. This study aims to further enhance our understanding of fish sounds in MCEs by examining their diel patterns, focusing specifically on the two most abundant frequency-modulated fish sounds that were recorded at depths of 60 and 120 m at six Polynesian islands. Both sound types occurred predominantly during the beginning and the end of nocturnal periods. The presence and abundance of these sounds exhibited variation between the islands, highlighting potential regional disparities in vocal activity or the bathymetric distribution of the sound-producing species. By characterizing the diel cycles and bathymetric differences in relation to their geographical distribution, this study offers preliminary insights into identifying the potential sound-producing species.Los Ecosistemas de Coral Mesofótico (MCEs, por sus siglas en inglés) representan la parte más profunda de los arrecifes de coral tropicales, con profundidades que van desde los 30 metros hasta más de 170 metros. A pesar de su importancia, los MCEs siguen siendo en gran parte inexplorados debido a los desafíos asociados con el acceso a estas profundidades. Sin embargo, la aplicación de métodos de Monitoreo Acústico Pasivo (PAM, por sus siglas en inglés) presenta un enfoque adecuado para estudiar las comunidades de peces dentro de estos hábitats únicos. En la Polinesia francesa, estudios recientes de PAM han revelado una mayor ocurrencia de sonidos de peces de modulación de frecuencia en los MCEs en comparación con los ambientes de arrecifes menos profundos. Este estudio tiene como objetivo mejorar aún más nuestra comprensión de los sonidos de los peces en los MCEs mediante el examen de sus patrones diurnos, centrándose específicamente en los dos sonidos de peces de modulación de frecuencia más abundantes que fueron registrados a profundidades de 60 metros y 120 metros en seis islas distintas de la Polinesia. Ambos tipos de sonidos ocurrieron predominantemente al comienzo y al final de los períodos nocturnos. La presencia y abundancia de estos sonidos mostraron variaciones entre las diferentes islas, resaltando posibles disparidades regionales en la actividad vocal o en la distribución batimétrica de las especies que producen los sonidos. Al caracterizar los ciclos diurnos y las diferencias batimétricas en relación con su distribución geográfica, esta investigación ofrece conocimientos preliminares para identificar las posibles especies que producen estos sonidos

Electrode Selection for Noninvasive Fetal Electrocardiogram Extraction using Mutual Information Criteria

International audienceBlind source separation (BSS) techniques have revealed to be promising approaches for the noninvasive extraction of fetal cardiac signals from maternal abdominal recordings. From previous studies, it is now believed that a carefully selected array of electrodes well-placed over the abdomen of a pregnant woman contains the required 'information' for BSS, to extract the complete fetal components. Based on this idea, previous works have involved array recording systems and sensor selection strategies based on the Mutual Information (MI) criterion. In this paper the previous works have been extended, by considering the 3-dimensional aspects of the cardiac electrical activity. The proposed method has been tested on simulated and real maternal abdominal recordings. The results show that the new sensor selection strategy together with the MI criterion, can be effectively used to select the channels containing the most 'information' concerning the fetal ECG components from an array of 72 recordings. The method is hence believed to be useful for the selection of the most informative channels in online applications, considering the different fetal positions and movements

Feeding Cyprinus carpio with infectious materials mediates cyprinid herpesvirus 3 entry through infection of pharyngeal periodontal mucosa

Cyprinid herpesvirus 3 (CyHV-3), also known as Koi herpesvirus, is the etiological agent of a mortal disease in common and koi carp. Recently, we investigated the entry of CyHV-3 in carp using bioluminescence imaging and a CyHV-3 recombinant strain expressing luciferase (LUC). We demonstrated that the skin is the major portal of entry after inoculation of carp by immersion in water containing CyHV-3. While this model of infection mimics some natural conditions in which infection takes place, other epidemiological conditions could favour entry of virus through the digestive tract. Here, we investigated whether ingestion of infectious materials mediates CyHV-3 entry through the digestive tract. Carp were fed with materials contaminated with the CyHV-3 LUC recombinant (oral contamination) or immersed in water containing the virus (contamination by immersion). Bioluminescence imaging analyses performed at different times post-infection led to the following observations: (i) the pharyngeal periodontal mucosa is the major portal of entry after oral contamination, while the skin is the major portal of entry after contamination by immersion. (ii) Both modes of inoculation led to the spreading of the infection to the various organs tested. However, the timing and the sequence in which some of the organs turned positive were different between the two modes of inoculation. Finally, we compared the disease induced by the two inoculation modes. They led to comparable clinical signs and mortality rate. The results of the present study suggest that, based on epidemiological conditions, CyHV-3 can enter carp either by skin or periodontal pharyngeal mucosal infection

Large-scale functional RNAi screen in C. elegans identifies genes that regulate the dysfunction of mutant polyglutamine neurons

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A central goal in Huntington's disease (HD) research is to identify and prioritize candidate targets for neuroprotective intervention, which requires genome-scale information on the modifiers of early-stage neuron injury in HD.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here, we performed a large-scale RNA interference screen in <it>C. elegans </it>strains that express N-terminal huntingtin (htt) in touch receptor neurons. These neurons control the response to light touch. Their function is strongly impaired by expanded polyglutamines (128Q) as shown by the nearly complete loss of touch response in adult animals, providing an <it>in vivo </it>model in which to manipulate the early phases of expanded-polyQ neurotoxicity. In total, 6034 genes were examined, revealing 662 gene inactivations that either reduce or aggravate defective touch response in 128Q animals. Several genes were previously implicated in HD or neurodegenerative disease, suggesting that this screen has effectively identified candidate targets for HD. Network-based analysis emphasized a subset of high-confidence modifier genes in pathways of interest in HD including metabolic, neurodevelopmental and pro-survival pathways. Finally, 49 modifiers of 128Q-neuron dysfunction that are dysregulated in the striatum of either R/2 or CHL2 HD mice, or both, were identified.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Collectively, these results highlight the relevance to HD pathogenesis, providing novel information on the potential therapeutic targets for neuroprotection in HD.</p

Characteristics of sound production and associated pharyngeal jaws in the tomtate grunt Haemulon aurolineatum (Cuvier, 1830) in Caribbean reefs

International audienceThe ability to produce sounds for acoustic communication is well known in different grunt species (Haemulidae). However, most of the sounds have not been described and the sound-producing mechanism of very few grunt species has been deeply studied. Additional data is needed to search for synapomorphy in the sonic mechanism. This study describes acoustic features and branchial anatomy in Haemulon aurolineatum. Correlations were found between some acoustic features and standard length, showing the largest specimens produced shorter, lower-pitched grunts of higher intensity. Examinations of acoustic features and branchial anatomy show that H. aurolineatum uses the same stridulatory mechanism described previously in H. flavolineatum. The unusual feature of Haemulon species concerns the fourth ceratobranchials. These appear to be part of the lower pharyngeal jaws since they possess firmly attached teeth that face the upper pharyngeal jaws. The stridulation results from the rubbing of both pharyngeal and fourth ceratobranchial teeth. This mechanism is probably common to the 23 Haemulon species, but additional information is needed regarding the mechanism of other Haemulinae species to produce stridulatory sounds. Fourth ceratobranchials could constitute a key element of Haemulinae ability to produce sounds providing an eventual synapomorphic aspect of the mechanism in the family