Environmental Impacts of Solar Thermal Systems with Life Cycle Assessment

Available on: http://www.ep.liu.se/ecp/057/vol14/002/ecp57vol14_002.pdfInternational audienceSolar thermal systems are an ecological way of providing domestic hot water. They are experiencing a rapid growth since the beginning of the last decade. This study characterizes the environmental performances of such installations with a life-cycle approach. The methodology is based on the application of the international standards of Life Cycle Assessment. Two types of systems are presented. Firstly a temperate-climate system, with solar thermal collectors and a backup energy as heat sources. Secondly, a tropical system, with thermosiphonic solar thermal system and no backup energy. For temperate-climate systems, two alternatives are presented: the first one with gas backup energy, and the second one with electric backup energy. These two scenarios are compared to two conventional scenarios providing the same service, but without solar thermal systems. Life cycle inventories are based on manufacturer data combined with additional calculations and assumptions. The fabrication of the components for temperate-climate systems has a minor influence on overall impacts. The environmental impacts are mostly explained by the additional energy consumed and therefore depend on the type of energy backup that is used. The study shows that the energy pay-back time of solar systems is lower than 2 years considering gas or electric energy when compared to 100% gas or electric systems

Etude d'un parasite (Leishmania aethiopica)

Leishmania aethiopica est l'agent responsable en Afrique de l'Est d'une leishmaniose cutanée locale pouvant évoluer vers une forme diffuse. Chez l'homme et certains vertébrés (hôtes intermédiaires), la forme amastigote est responsable des lésions, et chez l'hôte vecteur (insecte du genre Phlebotomus) c'est la forme promastigote. Le diagnostic de cette parasitose fait appel à un examen microscopique après raclage de la lésion. La thérapeutique est mise en œuvre lorsque le parasite envahit le système lymphatique ou sanguin. La prophylaxie s'attache notamment à lutter contre les vecteurs.TOULOUSE3-BU Santé-Centrale (315552105) / SudocSudocFranceF

Variation in wood volatile compounds in a mixed oak stand: strong species and spatial differentiation in whisky-lactone content

Variation des composés volatils du bois dans un peuplement mixte de chênes : forte différenciation interspécifique et forte structuration spatiale de la quantité de whisky-lactone. Les effets de l’espèce de chêne et des conditions écologiques locales sur les teneurs en composés volatils ont été étudiés dans un peuplement équienne (100 ans) situé dans l’ouest de la France. L’échantillon total inclut 286 arbres (118 chênes sessiles, 158 chênes pédonculés et 10 chênes intermédiaires) répartis en mélange dans trois zones écologiques du peuplement (plateau, pente et fond de vallon). Le facteur principal qui influence la teneur en extractible du bois de chêne est l’espèce botanique. L’effet environnement apparaît négligeable et il n’existe aucune relation entre la largeur de cerne et les substances volatiles. Le bois de chêne sessile (Q. petraea) possède des teneurs plus élevées que le chêne pédonculé (Q. robur) en eugénol et en whisky-lactone (10,8 μg/g contre 0,6 μg/g). Cependant, les chênes sessiles se divisent en deux groupes, l’un pauvre en whisky-lactone et l’autre riche en ce composé. Parmi ce dernier groupe, on observe que l’une des deux formes stéréoisomères (cis ou trans) prédomine, suggérant que leur biosynthèse n’est pas indépendante. On constate enfin une forte structuration spatiale pour les whisky-lactones pour les deux espèces combinées mais également chez Q. petraea seul pour l’isomère cisThe effect of species and ecological conditions on oak volatile extractive content was investigated in an evenaged (100 years) stand located in western France. The sample included a total of 286 trees (118 sessile, 158 pedunculate and 10 oaks with an intermediate morphology) growing in contrasted environments (plateau, intermediate slope, small valley). The main factor influencing oak extractives level is species. The effect of the local environment appears negligible. No correlation between ring width and volatile extractive content was found. Q. petraea is significantly richer than Q. robur in eugenol and whisky-lactone (10.8 vs. 0.6 mu g/g). However, two groups of sessile oaks could be identified, one poor and one rich in whisky-lactone. Among the latter, either the cis or the trans stereoisomer was predominant, suggesting that their production is not independent. A strong spatial structure was detected for whisky-lactone (cis-, trans- and total whisky-lactone, for the two species combined but also for Q. petraea alone in the case of the cis isomer

Short review on biology, structure, and migration of thunnus alalunga in the indian ocean

The most comprehensive contribution to our understanding of albacore tuna, Thunnus alalunga, comes from studies in the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean. In the Indian Ocean, there is little information about this species in the literature. In the present paper, we propose a short review on albacore in the Indian Ocean with a particular attention on the biology, the structure, and the migration. We focused on these fields because they are key components of stock assessment undertaken by the Regional Fishery Management Organization. This work is part of an ongoing work on a global review of albacore tuna in the world

Effect of species and ecological conditions on ellagitannin content in oak wood from an even-aged and mixed stand of Quercus robur L. and Quercus petraea Liebl.

Les effets de l’espèce et des conditions écologiques sur le contenu du duramen externe de dix ellagitanins (vescaline, castaline, roburines A à E, grandinine, vescalagine, castalagine) et de l’acide ellagique ont été étudiés dans un peuplement équien (100 ans) de chêne d’une surface de 5 ha située dans l’ouest de la France (forêt domaniale de La Petite Charnie, Sarthe). L’échantillon total se composait de 286 arbres (118 chênes sessiles, 158 chênes pédonculés et 10 chênes intermédiaires) répartis en mélange dans trois zones écologiques du peuplement (plateau, pente et fond de vallon). Le facteur principal qui influence la teneur en ellagitanin est l’espèce botanique, alors que le facteur « zone » est négligeable dans les conditions expérimentales considérées. Le bois de chêne pédonculé est plus riche en ellagitanins que celui du chêne sessile (48,4 mg/g pour le chêne pédonculé ; 34,4 mg/g pour le chêne sessile), mais une distinction claire entre les deux espèces ne peut être établie. Une corrélation entre la teneur en ellagitanin et la largeur de cerne est observée pour le chêne pédonculé à la différence du cas du chêne sessile. Le rapport vescalagine/castalagine est plus élevé pour le chêne pédonculé que pour le chêne sessile (0,69 et 0,53). La structuration spatiale est faibleSpecies effects and ecological conditions on ten heartwood ellagitannins (vescalin, castalin, roburins A-E, grandinin, vescalagin and castalagin)and ellagic acid were investigated in a 100 years old stand of 5 ha located in western France (La Petite Charnie State Forest, Sarthe). The sample included a total of 286 trees (118 sessile oaks, 158 pedunculate oaks and 10 individuals with an intermediate morphology) located in three ecological zones (plateau, slope, small valley). The main factor influencing oak extractives level was botanical species. The ecological zone effect appears negligible. Pedunculate oak is generally richer in ellagitannins (48.4 mg/g against 34.4 for sessile oak), although a clear boundary between the two species cannot be established. Ellagitannin content was found to be correlated with ring width for pedunculate oak and not for sessile oak. The vescalagin/castalagin ratios differed between the two species (0.69 for Quercus robur against 0.53 for Quercus petraea). The distribution of ellagitannin contents is not strongly structured spatiall

Effect of species and ecological conditions on ellagitannin content in oak wood from an even-aged and mixed stand of Quercus robur L. and Quercus petraea Liebl.

Les effets de l’espèce et des conditions écologiques sur le contenu du duramen externe de dix ellagitanins (vescaline, castaline, roburines A à E, grandinine, vescalagine, castalagine) et de l’acide ellagique ont été étudiés dans un peuplement équien (100 ans) de chêne d’une surface de 5 ha située dans l’ouest de la France (forêt domaniale de La Petite Charnie, Sarthe). L’échantillon total se composait de 286 arbres (118 chênes sessiles, 158 chênes pédonculés et 10 chênes intermédiaires) répartis en mélange dans trois zones écologiques du peuplement (plateau, pente et fond de vallon). Le facteur principal qui influence la teneur en ellagitanin est l’espèce botanique, alors que le facteur « zone » est négligeable dans les conditions expérimentales considérées. Le bois de chêne pédonculé est plus riche en ellagitanins que celui du chêne sessile (48,4 mg/g pour le chêne pédonculé ; 34,4 mg/g pour le chêne sessile), mais une distinction claire entre les deux espèces ne peut être établie. Une corrélation entre la teneur en ellagitanin et la largeur de cerne est observée pour le chêne pédonculé à la différence du cas du chêne sessile. Le rapport vescalagine/castalagine est plus élevé pour le chêne pédonculé que pour le chêne sessile (0,69 et 0,53). La structuration spatiale est faibleSpecies effects and ecological conditions on ten heartwood ellagitannins (vescalin, castalin, roburins A-E, grandinin, vescalagin and castalagin)and ellagic acid were investigated in a 100 years old stand of 5 ha located in western France (La Petite Charnie State Forest, Sarthe). The sample included a total of 286 trees (118 sessile oaks, 158 pedunculate oaks and 10 individuals with an intermediate morphology) located in three ecological zones (plateau, slope, small valley). The main factor influencing oak extractives level was botanical species. The ecological zone effect appears negligible. Pedunculate oak is generally richer in ellagitannins (48.4 mg/g against 34.4 for sessile oak), although a clear boundary between the two species cannot be established. Ellagitannin content was found to be correlated with ring width for pedunculate oak and not for sessile oak. The vescalagin/castalagin ratios differed between the two species (0.69 for Quercus robur against 0.53 for Quercus petraea). The distribution of ellagitannin contents is not strongly structured spatiall

Discovery of Genome-Wide Microsatellite Markers in Scombridae: A Pilot Study on Albacore Tuna

Recent developments in sequencing technologies and bioinformatics analysis provide a greater amount of DNA sequencing reads at a low cost. Microsatellites are the markers of choice for a variety of population genetic studies, and high quality markers can be discovered in non-model organisms, such as tuna, with these recent developments. Here, we use a high-throughput method to isolate microsatellite markers in albacore tuna, Thunnus alalunga, based on coupling multiplex enrichment and next-generation sequencing on 454 GS-FLX Titanium pyrosequencing. The crucial minimum number of polymorphic markers to infer evolutionary and ecological processes for this species has been described for the first time. We provide 1670 microsatellite design primer pairs, and technical and molecular genetics selection resulting in 43 polymorphic microsatellite markers. On this panel, we characterized 34 random and selectively neutral markers («neutral») and 9 «non-neutral» markers. The variability of «neutral» markers was screened with 136 individuals of albacore tuna from southwest Indian Ocean (42), northwest Indian Ocean (31), South Africa (31), and southeast Atlantic Ocean (32). Power analysis demonstrated that the panel of genetic markers can be applied in diversity and population genetics studies. Global genetic diversity for albacore was high with a mean number of alleles at 16.94; observed heterozygosity 66% and expected heterozygosity 77%. The number of individuals was insufficient to provide accurate results on differentiation. Of the 9 «non-neutral» markers, 3 were linked to a sequence of known function. The one is located to a sequence having an immunity function (ThuAla-Tcell-01) and the other to a sequence having energy allocation function (ThuAla-Hki-01). These two markers were genotyped on the 136 individuals and presented different diversity levels. ThuAla-Tcell-01 has a high number of alleles (20), heterozygosity (87–90%), and assignment index. ThuAla-Hki-01 has a lower number of alleles (9), low heterozygosity (24–27%), low assignment index and significant inbreeding. Finally, the 34 «neutral» and 3 «non-neutral» microsatellites markers were tested on four economically important Scombridae species—Thunnus albacares, Thunnus thynnus, Thunnus obesus, and Acanthocybium solandri

Heritabilities out of the beaten test site : looking at the perspectives of in situ inferences for forest tree species with a preliminary study in Quercus species

With non domesticated species, like most forest trees, the assessment of heritability for traits of adaptive relevance represents one of the first steps granting future conservation and breeding programs. This essential step, however, is lengthy to conduct on long-lived species, implying mostly ex situ experiments and little environmental resemblance to the original populations. A major obstacle for in situ genetic studies has been the difficulty in grasping the extent of family interrelations in natural populations. Recent developments in molecular biology, however, are making genetic markers readily available and more efficient for measurement of relatedness. Theoretical improvements have also been proposed to infer the heritability and the evolution of genetic variance from the joint analysis of natural relatedness and the in situ quantitative trait variation. Here we propose one of the first evaluations with forest tree species of this in situ approach. The studied population comprised 280 trees of Iwo interbreeding species: Quercus petraea and Quercus robur. This study considered as many as 60 different traits: foliar morphology, growth, phenology, wood properties, wood defects and wood biochemical compounds, some of which with no published records of heritability estimations. A total of 17 highly polymorphic microsatellite markers were studied in the sam pie. The genetic markers revealed low levers of relatedness and variance of relatedness, which are in principle unfavourable conditions for the detection of heritability. We proceeded by ranking the estimates among traits, and carried out randomization test to setup confidence intervals. We found that those traits known to be highly heritable in the species or at least in related taxons (i.e. phenology, wood physical and biochemical properties) appeared at the top of the trait ranking for the two species, with highly significant associations between the genetic distance revealed by the genetic markers and the phenotypic resemblance. On the opposite, other traits known to have moderate heritabilities, like growth, showed positive but no significant associations. Moreover, the Iwo species exhibited different heritability patterns for leaf morphology traits, known to discriminate Quercus species. Although this in situ methodology cannot substitute its more precise ex situ counterpart, it could become an excellent exploratory tool of the natural occurring variation, and the detection of valuable populations for conservation purposes. We discuss the role of some useful add-ons that might further improve this in situ approach, like spatial statistics and simulation studies

In situ genetic variability estimation of wood, phenology and morphological traits in a natural stand of Quercus

With non domesticated species, like most forest trees, the assessment of heritability for traits of adaptive relevance represents one of the first steps granting future conservation and breeding programs. This essential step, however, is lengthy to conduct on long-lived species, implying mostly ex situ experiments and little environmental resemblance to the original populations. A major obstacle for in situ genetic studies has been the difficulty in grasping the extent of family interrelations in natural populations. Recent developments in molecular biology, however, are making genetic markers readily available and more efficient for measurement of relatedness. Theoretical improvements have also been proposed to infer the heritability and the evolution of genetic variance from the joint analysis of natural relatedness and the in situ quantitative trait variation. Here we propose one of the first evaluations with forest tree species of this in situ approach. The studied population comprised 280 trees of two interbreeding species: Quercus petraea and Quercus robur. This study considered as many as 60 different traits: foliar morphology, growth, phenology, wood properties, wood defects and wood biochemical compounds, some of which with no published records of heritability estimations. A total of 17 highly polymorphic microsatellite markers were studied in the sample. The genetic markers revealed low levels of relatedness and variance of relatedness, which are in principle unfavourable conditions for the detection of heritability. We proceeded by ranking the estimates among traits, and carried out randomization test to setup confidence intervals. We found that those traits known to be highly heritable in the species or at least in related taxons (i.e. phenology, wood physical and biochemical properties) appeared at the top of the trait ranking for the two species, with highly significant associations between the genetic distance revealed by the genetic markers and the phenotypic resemblance. On the opposite, other traits known to have mode rate heritabilities, like growth, showed positive but no significant associations. Moreover, the two species exhibited different heritability patterns for leaf morphology traits, known to discriminate Quercus species. Although this in situ methodology cannot substitute its more precise ex situ counterpart, it could become an excellent exploratory tool of the natural occurring variation, and the detection of valuable populations for conservation purposes. We discuss the role of some useful add-ons that might further improve this in situ approach, like spatial statistics and simulation studies

Heritabilities out of the beaten test site : looking at the perspectives of in situ inferences for forest tree species with a preliminary study in Quercus species

With non domesticated species, like most forest trees, the assessment of heritability for traits of adaptive relevance represents one of the first steps granting future conservation and breeding programs. This essential step, however, is lengthy to conduct on long-lived species, implying mostly ex situ experiments and little environmental resemblance to the original populations. A major obstacle for in situ genetic studies has been the difficulty in grasping the extent of family interrelations in natural populations. Recent developments in molecular biology, however, are making genetic markers readily available and more efficient for measurement of relatedness. Theoretical improvements have also been proposed to infer the heritability and the evolution of genetic variance from the joint analysis of natural relatedness and the in situ quantitative trait variation. Here we propose one of the first evaluations with forest tree species of this in situ approach. The studied population comprised 280 trees of Iwo interbreeding species: Quercus petraea and Quercus robur. This study considered as many as 60 different traits: foliar morphology, growth, phenology, wood properties, wood defects and wood biochemical compounds, some of which with no published records of heritability estimations. A total of 17 highly polymorphic microsatellite markers were studied in the sam pie. The genetic markers revealed low levers of relatedness and variance of relatedness, which are in principle unfavourable conditions for the detection of heritability. We proceeded by ranking the estimates among traits, and carried out randomization test to setup confidence intervals. We found that those traits known to be highly heritable in the species or at least in related taxons (i.e. phenology, wood physical and biochemical properties) appeared at the top of the trait ranking for the two species, with highly significant associations between the genetic distance revealed by the genetic markers and the phenotypic resemblance. On the opposite, other traits known to have moderate heritabilities, like growth, showed positive but no significant associations. Moreover, the Iwo species exhibited different heritability patterns for leaf morphology traits, known to discriminate Quercus species. Although this in situ methodology cannot substitute its more precise ex situ counterpart, it could become an excellent exploratory tool of the natural occurring variation, and the detection of valuable populations for conservation purposes. We discuss the role of some useful add-ons that might further improve this in situ approach, like spatial statistics and simulation studies