Les Écrins, un territoire d’altitude dans le contexte des Alpes occidentales de la Préhistoire récente à l’âge du Bronze (Hautes-Alpes, France)

Les premiers témoignages d’une présence humaine en altitude reconnus dans les Alpes méridionales françaises, dès la Préhistoire, s’inscrivent au sein de travaux pluridisciplinaires et diachroniques menés, depuis 1998, sur le peuplement et les activités humaines en moyenne et haute montagne. Développés plus particulièrement sur les hauts massifs de l’Argentiérois/Vallouise et du Champsaur dans le Parc National des Écrins (Hautes-Alpes), ces programmes corrèlent sur le terrain données archéologiques et paléoécologiques d’altitude. Dès la seconde moitié du iiie millénaire et au cours du iie millénaire BC (fin du Néolithique-âge du Bronze), se distinguent des structures bâties à vocation pastorale, entre 2 067 et 2 360 m d’altitude, en relation avec l’essor démographique observé dans les zones basses. L’occupation de la haute montagne durant cette période paraît continue et le milieu, exploité de manière durable.The earliest evidence for a prehistoric human presence identified in the Southern French Alps has been revealed by a multidisciplinary, diachronic research project that started in 1998. This research assesses the natural and social dynamics of occupation in the sub-alpine and alpine zones. This work is focussed on the high mountains of the Argentiérois/Vallouise and Champsaur areas in the Parc National des Écrins (Hautes-Alpes), and combines archaeological and palaeoenvironmental evidence. The second half of the IIIrd millennium BC and during the IInd millennium BC (the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age) is marked by the appearance of the built pastoral structures between 2067 and 2360m, related to the development and increase in populations at lower altitudes. This high altitude activity appears to be continuous and sustainable throughout these periods

Étude technologique et conservation d’un masque en cartonnage doré d'époque ptolémaïque

Talon Céline. Étude technologique et conservation d’un masque en cartonnage doré d'époque ptolémaïque. In: Les cahiers de Mariemont, volume 36, 2008. Mélanges. pp. 19-28

Une polychromie égyptisante du XIXe siècle sur des cercueils égyptiens antiques : étude de cas et problématiques de restauration

During the recent conservation & restoration of the coffins and cartonnages held in the Curtius Museum, the complex and fascinating history of these objects was re-examined. The 19th century overpaints are so widespread on the whole surface that many questions about the conservation possibilities aroused. Should we remove these pictorial and structural additions ? Completely ? Partially ? What historical value may have such objects 

Épidémiologie des infections à Pseudomonas aeruginosa

International audienceBackground Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has spread throughout the world and has become highly endemic worldwide. The need for implementing MRSA control strategies is no longer a matter of debate. Aim To determine the temporal association between various infection control practices, the use of antibiotics and the incidence of MRSA in a 1200-bed French university hospital. Methods A multi-variate time-series analysis, based on monthly data from a nine-year period (January 2000-December 2008), was performed in a 1200-bed French university hospital to determine the temporal association between different variables and the incidence of MRSA. MRSA colonization pressure, infection control practices and use of antibiotics were considered in the analysis. Findings Time-series analysis showed a positive significant relationship between the incidence of hospital-acquired MRSA (HA-MRSA) and MRSA colonization pressure, the use of antibiotics (fluoroquinolones, macrolides and aminoglycosides) and the use of gloves. Conversely, a global negative correlation was observed between the incidence of HA-MRSA and the use of alcohol-based hand rub. Overall, the model explained 40.5% of the variance in the monthly incidence of MRSA. Conclusion This study showed that admission of patients with MRSA, the use of antibiotics and infection control practices contributed to the incidence of HA-MRSA. This suggests that efforts should be focused on high compliance with hand disinfection. These results also raise concerns about the use of gloves when caring for patients with MRSA

Synthesis of poly(butylene succinate) through oligomerization–cyclization–ROP route

The preparation of cyclic butylene succinate lactone via catalytic depolymerization of poly(butylene succinate) oligomers (OPBS) and conversion to high-molecular weight poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) via ring-opening polymerization (ROP) is described. OPBS was first synthesized by two-stage melt polycondensation, purified and characterized by size exclusion chromatography (SEC). Then, it was depolymerized under reduced pressure in a glass oven and the volatile fraction (VF) was collected and characterized. The butylene succinate lactones obtained by intramolecular transesterification were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) and mass spectrometry (MS). Their further successful ROP polymerization within 24 hours afforded the desired PBS with Mw of 65 000 g/mol and Đ of 2.

Identifying Patients Harboring Extended-Spectrum-β-Lactamase-Producing Enterobacteriaceae on Hospital Admission Is Not That Simple.

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Cross-species amplification tests and diversity analysis using 56 PCR markers in Dactylis glomerata and Lolium perenne

International audienceWe report results of cross-species amplification in Dactylis glomerata and Lolium perenne of 12 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) isolated from Lolium multiflorum×Festuca glaucescens, 42 SSRs from Festuca arundinacea and two sequence tagged sites from Oryza sativa. We compared the transferability and diversity between D. glomerata and L. perenne, which are important forage crops. While Nei's gene diversity values were equivalent in both species (from 0.14 to 0.92), the mean number of allele per locus was more important in D. glomerata than in L. perenne (5.45 vs. 4.50). These markers will be used for analysing population structure in grassland populations under agronomic practices

Tracking down antibiotic-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates in a wastewater network.

International audienceThe Pseudomonas aeruginosa-containing wastewater released by hospitals is treated by wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), generating sludge, which is used as a fertilizer, and effluent, which is discharged into rivers. We evaluated the risk of dissemination of antibiotic-resistant P. aeruginosa (AR-PA) from the hospital to the environment via the wastewater network. Over a 10-week period, we sampled weekly 11 points (hospital and urban wastewater, untreated and treated water, sludge) of the wastewater network and the river upstream and downstream of the WWTP of a city in eastern France. We quantified the P. aeruginosa load by colony counting. We determined the susceptibility to 16 antibiotics of 225 isolates, which we sorted into three categories (wild-type, antibiotic-resistant and multidrug-resistant). Extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) and metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) were identified by gene sequencing. All non-wild-type isolates (n = 56) and a similar number of wild-type isolates (n = 54) were genotyped by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and multilocus sequence typing. Almost all the samples (105/110, 95.5%) contained P. aeruginosa, with high loads in hospital wastewater and sludge (≥3×10(6) CFU/l or/kg). Most of the multidrug-resistant isolates belonged to ST235, CC111 and ST395. They were found in hospital wastewater and some produced ESBLs such as PER-1 and MBLs such as IMP-29. The WWTP greatly reduced P. aeruginosa counts in effluent, but the P. aeruginosa load in the river was nonetheless higher downstream than upstream from the WWTP. We conclude that the antibiotic-resistant P. aeruginosa released by hospitals is found in the water downstream from the WWTP and in sludge, constituting a potential risk of environmental contamination