The New Version of the Model MZE, Macroeconometric Model for the Eurozone

This paper presents the main improvements carried out to the macroeconometric model MZE since its creation in 2003. We have back-calculated the series over the period 1980-1995, in order to make the model more stable. To our knowledge, this paper is the first application of Kllians (1998) method to estimate coefficients and centered confidence intervals for an operational macroeconometric model. The new coefficients enable to get less inflationary responses to macroeconomic shocks than the previous version of MZE. The study is more nuanced and rigorous thanks to the confidence intervals around the main scenarios. It is thus possible to check the significance of the results at any horizon. At last, the new version of MZE enables to find conventional responses to international shocks, like the inflationary effect of a rise in oil prices or the delayed impact of a depreciation of the euro on the improvement of the trade balance.Macroeconometric modelling, Forecasting, Confidence interval, Bootstrap

Cement degradation in CO2 storage sites: a review on potential applications of nanomaterials

© 2018 The Author(s) Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) has been employed to reduce global warming, which is one of the critical environmental issues gained the attention of scientific and industrial communities worldwide. Once implemented successfully, CCS can store at least 5 billion tons of CO2per year as an effective and technologically safe method. However, there have been a few issues raised in recent years, indicating the potential leakages paths created during and after injection. One of the major issues might be the chemical interaction of supercritical CO2with the cement, which may lead to the partial or total loss of the cement sheath. There have been many approaches presented to improve the physical and mechanical properties of the cement against CO2attack such as changing the water-to-cement ratio, employing pozzolanic materials, and considering non-Portland cements. However, a limited success has been reported to the application of these approaches once implemented in a real-field condition. To date, only a few studies reported the application of nanoparticles as sophisticated additives which can reinforce oil well cements. This paper provides a review on the possible application of nanomaterials in the cement industry where physical and mechanical characteristics of the cement can be modified to have a better resistance against corrosive environments such as CO2storage sites. The results obtained indicated that adding 0.5 wt% of Carbon NanoTubes (CNTs) and NanoGlass Flakes (NGFs) can reinforce the thermal stability and coating characteristics of the cement which are required to increase the chance of survival in a CO2sequestrated site. Nanosilica can also be a good choice and added to the cement by as much as 3.0 wt% to improve pozzolanic reactivity and thermal stability as per the reports of recent studies

A revised method for estimating hepatitis B virus transfusion residual risk based on antibody to hepatitis B core antigen incident cases

BACKGROUND: To take into account the transient nature of hepatitis B virus (HBV) antigenemia, the calculation of HBV residual risk (RR), based on the incidence/window period model, is adjusted by a correction factor that adds uncertainty to the RR estimates. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: This new method to estimate the RR for HBV is a weighted sum of the RR derived from hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) incident cases and the one derived from antibody hepatitis B core antigen (HBc) incident cases. An anti-HBc incident case was defined as a donation from a blood donor who had made at least one anti-HBc–negative donation followed by a donation that was found positive with two different assays within a 3-year period and positive for at least one of the following markers: 1) antibody to hepatitis B e antigen or hepatitis B e antigen, 2) anti-HBc immunoglobulin M, 3) HBV DNA, 4) hepatitis B surface antibody without HBV vaccination history, or 5) HBV DNA retrospectively found in the previous donation. Five overlapping 3-year study periods between 2000 and 2006 were analyzed. RESULTS: The HBV RR estimated with the classical method ranged from 1.51 (2000-2002) to 0.69 per million donations in 2004 through 2006 with a decrease in 2002 through 2004 due to only two HBsAg incident cases reported in this period. By applying the revised model, the HBV RR ranged from 1.06 (2000-2002) to 0.49 per million donations (2004-2006), with a regular decrease. CONCLUSION: The new presented model provides HBV RR estimates that do not statistically differ from those obtained with the classical model; however, it provides more accurate data, especially in low endemic areas where the HBsAg incidence is low

Molecular developmental evidence for a subcoxal origin of pleurites in insects and identity of the subcoxa in the gnathal appendages

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ The attached file is the published version of the article

Over-expression of adenosine deaminase in mouse podocytes does not reverse puromycin aminonucleoside resistance

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Edema in nephrotic syndrome results from renal retention of sodium and alteration of the permeability properties of capillaries. Nephrotic syndrome induced by puromycin aminonucleoside (PAN) in rats reproduces the biological and clinical signs of the human disease, and has been widely used to identify the cellular mechanisms of sodium retention. Unfortunately, mice do not develop nephrotic syndrome in response to PAN, and we still lack a good mouse model of the disease in which the genetic tools necessary for further characterizing the pathophysiological pathway could be used. Mouse resistance to PAN has been attributed to a defect in glomerular adenosine deaminase (ADA), which metabolizes PAN. We therefore attempted to develop a mouse line sensitive to PAN through induction of normal adenosine metabolism in their podocytes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A mouse line expressing functional ADA under the control of the podocyte-specific podocin promoter was generated by transgenesis. The effect of PAN on urinary excretion of sodium and proteins was compared in rats and in mice over-expressing ADA and in littermates.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We confirmed that expression of ADA mRNAs was much lower in wild type mouse than in rat glomerulus. Transgenic mice expressed ADA specifically in the glomerulus, and their ADA activity was of the same order of magnitude as in rats. Nonetheless, ADA transgenic mice remained insensitive to PAN treatment in terms of both proteinuria and sodium retention.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Along with previous results, this study shows that adenosine deaminase is necessary but not sufficient to confer PAN sensitivity to podocytes. ADA transgenic mice could be used as a background strain for further transgenesis.</p

Transcriptional Responses of Arabidopsis thaliana during Wilt Disease Caused by the Soil-Borne Phytopathogenic Bacterium, Ralstonia solanacearum

Bacterial wilt is a common disease that causes severe yield and quality losses in many plants. In the present study, we used the model Ralstonia solanacearum-Arabidopsis thaliana pathosystem to study transcriptional changes associated with wilt disease development. Susceptible Col-5 plants and RRS1-R-containing resistant Nd-1 plants were root-inoculated with R. solanacearum strains harbouring or lacking the matching PopP2 avirulence gene. Gene expression was marginally affected in leaves during the early stages of infection. Major changes in transcript levels took place between 4 and 5 days after pathogen inoculation, at the onset of appearance of wilt symptoms. Up-regulated genes in diseased plants included ABA-, senescence- and basal resistance-associated genes. The influence of the plant genetic background on disease-associated gene expression is weak although some genes appeared to be specifically up-regulated in Nd-1 plants. Inactivation of some disease-associated genes led to alterations in the plant responses to a virulent strain of the pathogen. In contrast to other pathosystems, very little overlap in gene expression was detected between the early phases of the resistance response and the late stages of disease development. This observation may be explained by the fact that above-ground tissues were sampled for profiling whereas the bacteria were applied to root tissues

Physiologie de l'absorption intestinale du phosphore chez l'animal

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Evolution of the Petrophysical and Mineralogical Properties of Two Reservoir Rocks Under Thermodynamic Conditions Relevant for CO2 Geological Storage at 3 km Depth Évolution des propriétés physiques et minéralogiques de deux roches réservoirs dans des conditions thermodynamiques correspondant à un stockage géologique de CO2 à 3 km de profondeur

Injection of carbon dioxide (CO2) underground, for long-term geological storage purposes, is considered as an economically viable option to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. The chemical interactions between supercritical CO2 and the potential reservoir rock need to be thoroughly investigated under thermodynamic conditions relevant for geological storage. In the present study, 40 samples of Lavoux limestone and Adamswiller sandstone, both collected from reservoir rocks in the Paris basin, were experimentally exposed to CO2 in laboratory autoclaves specially built to simulate CO2-storage-reservoir conditions. The two types of rock were exposed to wet supercritical CO2 and CO2-saturated water for one month, at 28 MPa and 90°C, corresponding to conditions for a burial depth approximating 3 km. The changes in mineralogy and microtexture of the samples were measured using X-ray diffraction analyses, Raman spectroscopy, scanning-electron microscopy, and energy-dispersionspectroscopy microanalysis. The petrophysical properties were monitored by measuring the weight, density, mechanical properties, permeability, global porosity, and local porosity gradients through the samples. Both rocks maintained their mechanical and mineralogical properties after CO2 exposure despite an increase of porosity and permeability. Microscopic zones of calcite dissolution observed in the limestone are more likely to be responsible for such increase. In the sandstone, an alteration of the petrofabric is assumed to have occurred due to clay minerals reacting with CO2. All samples of Lavoux limestone and Adamswiller sandstone showed a measurable alteration when immersed either in wet supercritical CO2 or in CO2-saturated water. These batch experiments were performed using distilled water and thus simulate more severe conditions than using formation water (brine). <br> L’injection de dioxyde de carbone (CO2) en sous-sol pour un stockage géologique à long terme est considérée comme une solution pour contribuer à la réduction des émissions de gaz à effet de serre dans l’atmosphère. Les interactions entre le CO2 supercritique et la roche-réservoir potentielle doivent être étudiées en détail en conditions de stockage géologique. Quarante échantillons de calcaire de Lavoux et de grès d’Adamswiller, provenant de roches réservoirs du bassin parisien, ont été expérimentalement exposés au CO2 dans un autoclave spécialement construit pour reproduire les conditions thermodynamiques d’un réservoir de stockage de CO2. Les deux types de roches ont été exposés pendant un mois à du CO2 supercritique humide et à de l’eau saturée en CO2, à 28 MPa et 90 °C, ce qui correspond à des conditions d’enfouissement de 3 km de profondeur. L’évolution de leurs propriétés minéralogiques a été suivie par des analyses par diffraction des rayons X, par spectroscopie Raman et par microscopie électronique couplée à un système de microanalyses X. Leurs propriétés physiques et microtexturales ont été estimées en mesurant, avant et après les expériences, le poids, la densité, les propriétés mécaniques, la perméabilité, la porosité globale et la présence d’éventuels gradients de porosité de chaque échantillon. Les résultats montrent que les deux roches ont préservé leurs propriétés mécaniques et minéralogiques, malgré une augmentation de la porosité et de la perméabilité. Des zones microscopiques de dissolution de la calcite observées dans le calcaire sont vraisemblablement responsables de cette augmentation de la perméabilité et de la porosité. Dans le grès, une altération de la pétro-fabrique est supposée se produire due à la réaction des minéraux argileux avec le CO2. Tous les échantillons du calcaire de Lavoux et du grès d’Adamswiller ont montré une altération mesurable dans le CO2 humide et dans l’eau chargée en CO2. Ces expériences en autoclave sont effectuées en utilisant de l’eau distillée et donc simulent des conditions plus sévères que si elles étaient effectuées avec de l’eau de formation (saumure)

Modèles animaux d'ostéoporose post-ménopausique

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Preserved bone mass in ovariectomized rats treated with parathyroid-hormone-related peptide (1-34) and (107-111) fragments

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