Optimal policy of water extraction of coastal lagoon under state constraints

International audienceIn many natural environments, water resources are not directly usable because their quality does not fulfill the drinking water norms, and therefore treatment or control needs to be applied. It could also happen that the quality of these resource is temporarily acceptable but impacted by its extraction. This is typically the case of coastal lagoons that communicate with the sea. Depending on the level of water in the lagoon, the communication with the sea increases its salt concentration and then one may want to maximize the water pumping within giving bound on the salt concentration, and preserving water volume in the lagoon for its sustainability. In this work, we model the problem as a non-autonomous optimal control problem under state constraints, distinguising two seasons (dry and humid) in the year. The state of the system describes the salt and volume concentration of a coastal lagoon connected to the sea, and the constraints represent bounds on the salt concentration and water volume of the lagoon. The control variable is the output flow rate from the lagoon and the objective the maximization of the total water extracted during one year. Instead of deriving necessary conditions of optimal control under state constraints (i.e. Maximum Principle under state constraints), we first characterize the viability kernel over the year period, that is the set of initial conditions for which there exists a (time-varying) control such that the corresponding trajectory satisfies the constraints over one year. Then, we study the optimal control within this set, expliciting for any initial condition an optimal control policy, as a state feedback, maximizing the pumped water over one year. This problem has been motivated by the case study of the Tunquen lagoon in Chile, but the modelling approach and the methodolgy could be extended to similar situations

Vulnerability of optical detection systems to megajoule class laser radiative environment

The Laser MegaJoule (LMJ) facility will host inertial confinement fusion experiments in order to achieve ignition by imploding a Deuterium-Tritium filled microballoon [1]. In this context an X-ray imaging system is necessary to diagnose the core size and the shape of the target in the 10-100 keV band. Such a diagnostic will be composed of two parts: an X-ray optical system and a detection assembly. The survivability of each element of this diagnostic has to be ensured within the mixed pulse consisting of X-rays, gamma rays and 14 MeV neutrons created by fusion reactions. The design of this diagnostic will take into account optics and detectors vulnerability to neutron yield of at least 1016. In this work, we will present the main results of our vulnerability studies and of our hardening-by-system and hardening-by-design studies

Functionally distinct resident macrophage subsets differentially shape responses to infection in the bladder

International audienceResident macrophages are abundant in the bladder, playing key roles in immunity to uropathogens. Yet, whether they are heterogeneous, where they come from, and how they respond to infection remain largely unknown. We identified two macrophage subsets in mouse bladders, MacM in muscle and MacL in the lamina propria, each with distinct protein expression and transcriptomes. Using a urinary tract infection model, we validated our transcriptomic analyses, finding that MacM macrophages phagocytosed more bacteria and polarized to an anti-inflammatory profile, whereas MacL macrophages died rapidly during infection. During resolution, monocyte-derived cells contributed to tissue-resident macrophage pools and both subsets acquired transcriptional profiles distinct from naïve macrophages. Macrophage depletion resulted in the induction of a type 1-biased immune response to a second urinary tract infection, improving bacterial clearance. Our study uncovers the biology of resident macrophages and their responses to an exceedingly common infection in a largely overlooked organ, the bladder

Guide de Ressources - Organismes offrant des activités sportives aux enfants handicapés dans la grande région de Montréal

Personne contact : Matthieu Rousseau ([email protected])Partenaire principal : Organisme Enfants en Tête (https://www.reginaassumpta.com/accueil/enfants_en_tete.php)Utilisation du matériel : Distribution par divers organismes qui promeuvent l'activité physique chez les jeunes handicapés physiques et par plusieurs CLSC de la région de Montréal et de LavalTravail réalisé dans le cadre du cours PHA2415Le but de notre projet consiste à diminuer la sédentarité chez les jeunes de 5 à 17 ans ayant un handicap physique dans la région de Montréal. Nos objectifs reposent sur la mise au point d’interventions visant à informer ces jeunes et leurs parents de l’existence de ressources tout en favorisant leur accessibilité. Pour parvenir à nos objectifs, nous avons organisé une séance d’activités sportives destinée à ces jeunes. Nous avons également travaillé à la conception d’un guide de ressources regroupant les organismes offrant des activités sportives aux enfants handicapés dans la région de Montréal. Nous voulons informer les parents de ces jeunes sur les ressources disponibles en matière sportive en distribuant ce guide à divers organismes et associations de parents. Finalement, par le biais d’un article de journal, nous avons fait connaître l’existence de ce guide à la population du quartier Ahunstic tout en les sensibilisant à la cause

Detection and Quantification of Microparticles from Different Cellular Lineages Using Flow Cytometry. Evaluation of the Impact of Secreted Phospholipase A2 on Microparticle Assessment

Microparticles, also called microvesicles, are submicron extracellular vesicles produced by plasma membrane budding and shedding recognized as key actors in numerous physio(patho)logical processes. Since they can be released by virtually any cell lineages and are retrieved in biological fluids, microparticles appear as potent biomarkers. However, the small dimensions of microparticles and soluble factors present in body fluids can considerably impede their quantification. Here, flow cytometry with improved methodology for microparticle resolution was used to detect microparticles of human and mouse species generated from platelets, red blood cells, endothelial cells, apoptotic thymocytes and cells from the male reproductive tract. A family of soluble proteins, the secreted phospholipases A2 (sPLA2), comprises enzymes concomitantly expressed with microparticles in biological fluids and that catalyze the hydrolysis of membrane phospholipids. As sPLA2 can hydrolyze phosphatidylserine, a phospholipid frequently used to assess microparticles, and might even clear microparticles, we further considered the impact of relevant sPLA2 enzymes, sPLA2 group IIA, V and X, on microparticle quantification. We observed that if enriched in fluids, certain sPLA2 enzymes impair the quantification of microparticles depending on the species studied, the source of microparticles and the means of detection employed (surface phosphatidylserine or protein antigen detection). This study provides analytical considerations for appropriate interpretation of microparticle cytofluorometric measurements in biological samples containing sPLA2 enzymes

Variable glutamine-rich repeats modulate transcription factor activity

Excessive expansions of glutamine (Q)-rich repeats in various human proteins are known to result in severe neurodegenerative disorders such as Huntington's disease and several ataxias. However, the physiological role of these repeats and the consequences of more moderate repeat variation remain unknown. Here, we demonstrate that Q-rich domains are highly enriched in eukaryotic transcription factors where they act as functional modulators. Incremental changes in the number of repeats in the yeast transcriptional regulator Ssn6 (Cyc8) result in systematic, repeat-length-dependent variation in expression of target genes that result in direct phenotypic changes. The function of Ssn6 increases with its repeat number until a certain threshold where further expansion leads to aggregation. Quantitative proteomic analysis reveals that the Ssn6 repeats affect its solubility and interactions with Tup1 and other regulators. Thus, Q-rich repeats are dynamic functional domains that modulate a regulator's innate function, with the inherent risk of pathogenic repeat expansions

Toulouse Saint-Roch : village d’artisans et d’échanges. Premiers résultats de la fouille 2009-2011 sur la ZAC Niel (Haute-Garonne)

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Occupational exposure to pesticides and central nervous system tumors: results from the CERENAT case-control study

BACKGROUND: The etiology of the central nervous system (CNS) tumors remains largely unknown. The role of pesticide exposure has been suggested by several epidemiological studies, but with no definitive conclusion. OBJECTIVE: To analyze associations between occupational pesticide exposure and primary CNS tumors in adults in the CERENAT study. METHODS: CERENAT is a multicenter case-control study conducted in France in 2004-2006. Data about occupational pesticide uses-in and outside agriculture-were collected during detailed face-to-face interviews and reviewed by experts for consistency and exposure assignment. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated with conditional logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 596 cases (273 gliomas, 218 meningiomas, 105 others) and 1 192 age- and sex-matched controls selected in the general population were analyzed. Direct and indirect exposures to pesticides in agriculture were respectively assigned to 125 (7.0%) and 629 (35.2%) individuals and exposure outside agriculture to 146 (8.2%) individuals. For overall agricultural exposure, we observed no increase in risk for all brain tumors (OR 1.04, 0.69-1.57) and a slight increase for gliomas (OR 1.37, 0.79-2.39). Risks for gliomas were higher when considering agricultural exposure for more than 10 years (OR 2.22, 0.94-5.24) and significantly trebled in open field agriculture (OR 3.58, 1.20-10.70). Increases in risk were also observed in non-agricultural exposures, especially in green space workers who were directly exposed (OR 1.89, 0.82-4.39), and these were statistically significant for those exposed for over 10 years (OR 2.84, 1.15-6.99). DISCUSSION: These data support some previous findings regarding the potential role of occupational exposures to pesticides in CNS tumors, both inside and outside agriculture

The 20S proteasome core, active within apoptotic exosome-like vesicles, induces autoantibody production and accelerates rejection

Autoantibodies to components of apoptotic cells, such as anti-perlecan antibodies, contribute to rejection in organ transplant recipients. However, mechanisms of immunization to apoptotic components remain largely uncharacterized. We used large-scale proteomics, with validation by electron microscopy and biochemical methods, to compare the protein profiles of apoptotic bodies and apoptotic exosome-like vesicles, smaller extracellular vesicles released by endothelial cells downstream of caspase-3 activation. We identified apoptotic exosome-like vesicles as a central trigger for production of anti-perlecan antibodies and acceleration of rejection. Unlike apoptotic bodies, apoptotic exosome-like vesicles triggered the production of anti-perlecan antibodies in naïve mice and enhanced anti-perlecan antibody production and allograft inflammation in mice transplanted with an MHC (major histocompatibility complex)–incompatible aortic graft. The 20S proteasome core was active within apoptotic exosome-like vesicles and controlled their immunogenic activity. Finally, we showed that proteasome activity in circulating exosome-like vesicles increased after vascular injury in mice. These findings open new avenues for predicting and controlling maladaptive humoral responses to apoptotic cell components that enhance the risk of rejection after transplantation

Blended learning of radiology improves medical students’ performance, satisfaction, and engagement

Purpose To evaluate the impact of blended learning using a combination of educational resources (flipped classroom and short videos) on medical students’ (MSs) for radiology learning. Material and methods A cohort of 353 MSs from 2015 to 2018 was prospectively evaluated. MSs were assigned to four groups (high, high-intermediate, low-intermediate, and low achievers) based on their results to a 20-MCQs performance evaluation referred to as the pretest. MSs had then free access to a self-paced course totalizing 61 videos based on abdominal imaging over a period of 3 months. Performance was evaluated using the change between posttest (the same 20 MCQs as pretest) and pretest results. Satisfaction was measured using a satisfaction survey with directed and spontaneous feedbacks. Engagement was graded according to audience retention and attendance on a web content management system. Results Performance change between pre and posttest was significantly different between the four categories (ANOVA, P = 10−9): low pretest achievers demonstrated the highest improvement (mean ± SD, + 11.3 ± 22.8 points) while high pretest achievers showed a decrease in their posttest score (mean ± SD, − 3.6 ± 19 points). Directed feedback collected from 73.3% of participants showed a 99% of overall satisfaction. Spontaneous feedback showed that the concept of “pleasure in learning” was the most cited advantage, followed by “flexibility.” Engagement increased over years and the number of views increased of 2.47-fold in 2 years. Conclusion Learning formats including new pedagogical concepts as blended learning, and current technologies allow improvement in medical student’s performance, satisfaction, and engagement