Evaluation des sources de polluants susceptibles d'impacter les ouvrages de gestion des eaux pluviales – Diagnostic exhaustif à l'échelle du territoire nantais

International audienceTo offset the effects of soil sealing and to deal with stormwater management issue s , cities have adopted BMPs (Best Management Practices) for twenty years . Many facilities exist on urban areas and h ave proved to be efficient on a hydrological point of view, but questions remain about pollutants. Under the Matriochkas project, w h ich focuses on performances of stormwater management facilities in terms of retention of pollutants, an inventory on retention and infiltration basins and swales is conducted throughout the Nantes metropole territory. An exhaustive diagnosis of sources of pollutants is carried out on the facilities identifi ed in this inventory, using a methodology based on spatial analysis of geographic data. More specifically, contributive area of facilities is identified by an automatic method based on drainage networks. The description of these contributive areas in terms of geographic data (land use, human activities such as road traffic , and practices ), and literature data on emissions of pollutants in urban areas, makes it possible to estimate potential pollutant loads which discharge into these facilities.Afin de compenser les effets de l'imperméabilisation des sols et pour répondre à la problématique de gestion des eaux pluviales, les collectivités se tournent depuis une vingtaine d'années vers les techniques alternatives. De nombreux ouvrages existent sur les territoires urbains, et si leurs performances hydrologiques sont connues, leur rôle vis-à-vis de la rétention des polluants l'est moins. Dans le cadre du projet Matriochkas, qui s'intéresse aux performances des ouvrages de gestion à la source vis-à-vis de la rétention des polluants, un recensement des bassins de rétention et d'infiltration ainsi que des noues est mené sur l'ensemble de l'agglomération nantaise. Un diagnostic exhaustif des sources de pollution est réalisé sur les ouvrages identifiés dans ce recensement, en utilisant une méthodologie basée sur l'exploitation de données géographiques. Cette méthodologie consiste à déterminer la zone contributive des ouvrages en développant une méthode automatique qui s'appuie sur les réseaux de drainage. La description de ces zones contributives à partir de données géographiques (occupation du sol, activités anthropiques dont le trafic routier, et usages) et de données de la littérature relatives aux émissions de polluants sur les surfaces urbaines, permet d'estimer a priori les flux de polluants déversés dans ces ouvrages

The potential of thermoelectric generator in parallel hybrid vehicle applications

This paper reports on an investigation into the potential for a thermoelectric generator (TEG) to improve the fuel economy of a mild hybrid vehicle. A simulation model of a parallel hybrid vehicle equipped with a TEG in the exhaust system is presented. This model is made up by three sub-models: a parallel hybrid vehicle model, an exhaust model and a TEG model. The model is based on a quasi-static approach, which runs a fast and simple estimation of the fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. The model is validated against both experimental and published data. Using this model, the annual fuel saving, CO2 reduction and net present value (NPV) of the TEG’s life time fuel saving are all investigated. The model is also used as a flexible tool for analysis of the sensitivity of vehicle fuel consumption to the TEG design parameters. The analysis results give an effective basis for optimization of the TEG design

Alzheimer's early detection in post-acute COVID-19 syndrome: a systematic review and expert consensus on preclinical assessments.

The risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) in older adults increasingly is being discussed in the literature on Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome (PACS). Remote digital Assessments for Preclinical AD (RAPAs) are becoming more important in screening for early AD, and should always be available for PACS patients, especially for patients at risk of AD. This systematic review examines the potential for using RAPA to identify impairments in PACS patients, scrutinizes the supporting evidence, and describes the recommendations of experts regarding their use. We conducted a thorough search using the PubMed and Embase databases. Systematic reviews (with or without meta-analysis), narrative reviews, and observational studies that assessed patients with PACS on specific RAPAs were included. The RAPAs that were identified looked for impairments in olfactory, eye-tracking, graphical, speech and language, central auditory, or spatial navigation abilities. The recommendations' final grades were determined by evaluating the strength of the evidence and by having a consensus discussion about the results of the Delphi rounds among an international Delphi consensus panel called IMPACT, sponsored by the French National Research Agency. The consensus panel included 11 international experts from France, Switzerland, and Canada. Based on the available evidence, olfaction is the most long-lasting impairment found in PACS patients. However, while olfaction is the most prevalent impairment, expert consensus statements recommend that AD olfactory screening should not be used on patients with a history of PACS at this point in time. Experts recommend that olfactory screenings can only be recommended once those under study have reported full recovery. This is particularly important for the deployment of the olfactory identification subdimension. The expert assessment that more long-term studies are needed after a period of full recovery, suggests that this consensus statement requires an update in a few years. Based on available evidence, olfaction could be long-lasting in PACS patients. However, according to expert consensus statements, AD olfactory screening is not recommended for patients with a history of PACS until complete recovery has been confirmed in the literature, particularly for the identification sub-dimension. This consensus statement may require an update in a few years

Contribution of the d-Serine-Dependent Pathway to the Cellular Mechanisms Underlying Cognitive Aging

An association between age-related memory impairments and changes in functional plasticity in the aging brain has been under intense study within the last decade. In this article, we show that an impaired activation of the strychnine-insensitive glycine site of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDA-R) by its agonist d-serine contributes to deficits of synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus of memory-impaired aged rats. Supplementation with exogenous d-serine prevents the age-related deficits of isolated NMDA-R-dependent synaptic potentials as well as those of theta-burst-induced long-term potentiation and synaptic depotentiation. Endogenous levels of d-serine are reduced in the hippocampus with aging, that correlates with a weaker expression of serine racemase synthesizing the amino acid. On the contrary, the affinity of d-serine binding to NMDA-R is not affected by aging. These results point to a critical role for the d-serine-dependent pathway in the functional alterations of the brain underlying memory impairment and provide key information in the search for new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of memory deficits in the elderly

Novel gene mutation in an atypical late-onset mitochondrial form of multifocal dystonia

Mitochondrial complex I, the largest component of the mitochondrial respiratory chain, comprises 44 subunits of which 7 are encoded by the mitochondrial genome and the remainder by the nuclear genome. Isolated complex I deficiencies represent a major contribution within the group of respiratory chain defects. We report an atypical case carrying a homozygous NDUFS4 missense mutation, with late-onset multifocal dystonia, in contrast to expected clinical phenotypes due to other NDUFS4 mutations, which have been constantly reported to be responsible for Leigh syndrome of early onset and death