Hydrodynamic modelling and the dispersion of water fecal contaminants in current and future climates

10 p.International audienceDuring precipitation events in regions with combined sewers, overflows can occur upstream of drinking water treatment plants. The purpose of the research was to model the transport and propagation of pathogens and pharmaceuticals in the Rivière Des Prairies during flood and low flow events. The water quality is quantified in terms of the behaviour of the river, the interactions of contaminants with the environment and the impacts of climate change. Hydrosim was used for hydrodynamic modeling; Dispersim was used to model the dispersion of contaminants. The impact of climate change was represented by the change of flow in the river. To do so, simulations were performed using Hydrotel, a hydrologic model applied to the Ottawa River. Thus, the impact of dispersion and diffusion of contaminants on the water quality were analyzed to determine the potential impact on raw water quality. Water quality will be affected by lower flows and heavy rains, which will change the frequency distributions of fecal contaminants upon which microbial risk models are based

After the harvest: investigating the role of food processing in past human societies

Plant processing provides an essential framework for archaeobotanical interpretation since practices of processing lie between the ancient acquisition of plants and the preserved remains of archaeology. Crop-processing stages have received much attention as they contribute towards the interpretation of plants recovered from archaeological sites, linking them to routine human activities that generated these plant remains. Yet, there are many other important aspects of the human past that can be explored through food processing studies that are much less often investigated, e.g. how culinary practices may have influenced resource selection, plant domestication and human diet, health, evolution and cultural identity. Therefore, this special issue of AAS on “Food Processing Studies in Archaeobotany and Ethnobotany” brings together recent pioneering methodological and interpretive archaeobotanical approaches to the study of ancient food processing. This new research, which involves archaeobotany, ethnoarchaeology, ethnobotany and experimental methods, encompasses investigations into dietary choice, cultural traditions and cultural change as well as studies of the functional properties (i.e. performance characteristics) of edible plants, and the visibility as well as dietary benefits and consequences of different food processing methods.Fil: Capparelli, Aylen. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Arqueología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Valamoti, Soultana Maria. Aristotle University of Thessaloniki; GreciaFil: Wollstonecroft, Michèle M.. No especifíca

Recherche de grandes déformations nucléaires dans des noyaux exotiques en spin et en isospin à l'aide des multidétecteurs g EUROBALL IV et EXOGAM

Ce travail de thèse est dédié à l'étude des noyaux lourds soumis à des conditions extrêmes de spin et d'isospin. Les expériences présentées ont été menées à l'IReS de Strasbourg et au GANIL de Caen avec les multidétecteurs g EUROBALL IV et EXOGAM auprès, respectivement, des accélérateurs VIVITRON et SPIRAL. Les noyaux étudiés ont été peuplés via des réactions de fusion-évaporation. Pour exploiter pleinement les dónnées, nous avons développé de nouvelles méthodes d'analyse reposant sur la logique floue. Deux expériences ont été réalisées auprés d'EUROBALL IV et portaient sur les noyaux superdéformés de masse A~190-200 à savoir les isotopes superdéformés de plomb 197,198 Pb et l'isotope de bismuth 196Bi. Dans le premier cas, nous avons découvert six nouvelles bandes superdéformées ce qui nous a permis de mettre en évidence un couplage entre vibrations octupolaires et excitations intrinsèques. Dans le second cas, nous avons observé la transition superdéformée g de plus basse énergie si on exclut les isomères de fission. Ces résultats ont été interprétés à partir de calculs théoriques microscopiques auto-cohérents statiques et dynamiques effectués en collaboration avec des physiciens de groupe de Physique Théorique de l'IPN Lyon et du SPTh/Sacllay. La dernière partie de ce travail a concerné la recherche de grandes déformations dans des noyaux de terres-rares de la zone de masse A~120-130 très déficients en neutrons situés près de la ligne d'émission spontanée de proton. Cette étude a été mise en oeuvre avec le mutlidétecteur g EXOGAM en couplage avec le détecteur de particules chargées légères DIAMANT et le faisceau radioactif de 76Kr délivré par SPIRAL.LYON1-BU.Sciences (692662101) / SudocSTRASBOURG-Bib.Central Recherche (674822133) / SudocSudocFranceF

Fecal contamination of storm sewers: Evaluating wastewater micropollutants, human-specific Bacteroides 16S rRNA, and mitochondrial DNA genetic markers as alternative indicators of sewer cross connections

International audienceA set of fecal indicator bacteria and alternative markers were tested for their use to identify priority sectors of two urban watersheds in the Greater Montreal region with unintended household sewage connections to storm drainage systems. Analyses were performed for thermotolerant (fecal) coliforms (FC), Escherichia coli, human-specific Bacteroidales (HF183) and mitochondrial DNA (Hmt) markers, carbamazepine (CBZ), caffeine (CAF), theophylline (THEO) and acetaminophen (ACE). A high incidence of human fecal contamination was observed, illustrating the need for a method to appropriately prioritize sectors for the rehabilitation of sewer cross-connections. Concentrations of alternative markers were not significantly different between the residential and industrial/commercial/institutional (ICI) sectors. However, median E. coli concentrations were higher in the residential as compared to ICI sectors (p  0.61, p  0.59, p < 0.05), possibly as a result of higher E. coli inputs from other sources such as domestic animals or fauna in the residential sector. Thresholds were determined to relate alternative markers to E. coli for use in an index for prioritizing sectors with sewer cross-connections. HF183, Hmt, CAF, THEO, and ACE were identified as suitable markers for identifying sewer cross-connections and are more reliable than E. coli alone, most importantly in residential sectors

Estimating the risk of cyanobacterial occurrence using an index integrating meteorological factors: Application to drinking water production

International audienceThe sudden appearance of toxic cyanobacteria (CB) blooms is still largely unpredictable in waters worldwide. Many post-hoc explanations for CB bloom occurrence relating to physical and biochemical conditions in lakes have been developed. As potentially toxic CB can accumulate in drinking water treatment plants and disrupt water treatment, there is a need for water treatment operators to determine whether conditions are favourable for the proliferation and accumulation of CB in source waters in order to adjust drinking water treatment accordingly. Thus, a newmethodology with locally adaptable variables is proposed in order to have a single index, f(p), related to various environmental factors such as temperature, wind speed and direction. The index is used in conjunction with real time monitoring data to determine the probability ofCBoccurrence inrelationtometeorological factors, andwas tested at a drinkingwater intake inMissisquoi Bay, a shallowtransboundary bay in Lake Champlain, Que'bec, Canada. These environmental factors alone were able to explain a maximum probability of 68% that a CB bloom would occur at the drinking water treatment plant. Nutrient limitation also influences CB blooms and intense blooms only occurred when the dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) to total phosphorus (TP) mass ratio was below 3. Additional monitoring of DIN and TP could be considered for these source waters prone to cyanobacterial blooms to determine periods of favourable growth. Real time monitoring and the use of the index could permit an adequate and timely response to CB blooms in drinking water sources