Bioévaluation de la pollution des sédiments de la Seine (région parisienne) par l'emploi d'un bioessai basé sur la croissance à court terme de la micro-algue Selenastrum capricornutum Printz

La bioévaluation de l'état de santé des fonds meubles dépend des conditions expérimentales du traitement des échantillons de sédiment conduisant à l'obtention de la phase aqueuse sur laquelle sont effectuées les analyses chimiques et toxicologiques.Au cours de cette étude préliminaire nous avons considéré l'action de ces principales conditions ; nous constatons que l'effet inhibiteur d'un sédiment vis-à-vis de la croissance à court terme de la micro-algue Selenastrum capricornutum Printz n'est pas aisément levé, que ce soit par lessivages successifs du sédiment, par filtration plus fine de l'eau extraite à partir de ce dernier ou par autoclavage préalable de ce même sédiment, il peut l'être par contre après biodégradation.Cette étude expérimentale a permis de comparer entre eux les pouvoirs inhibiteurs des fonds meubles de la Seine (région parisienne).On note qu'il n'y a pas de corrélation entre les teneurs en métaux lourds souvent importantes des eaux issues des sédiments (Pb 70, Cu 100, Cr 150, Cd 9, Ni 280, Zn 400 µg.L-1) et le développement des algues : les polluants métalliques sont masqués par le pouvoir chélateur de ces biotopes riches en substances organiques.Une conclusion à cette étude préliminaire est que l'analyse chimique des sédiments, utilisée seule, n'a qu'un intérêt limité : les données les plus fiables correspondent à celles fournies par les bioessais.A bioevaluation of the state of health of soft bottoms depends on the experimental conditions in which samples of sediment are treated to obtain the water phase to be subjected to chemical and toxicological analyses.In the course of this preliminary study we have considered the action of these principal conditions. We have noted that the inhibiting effect of a sediment on the short-term growth of a microalga Selenastrum capricornutum is not easy to eliminate, whether by a series of washes of the sediment, by a finer filtration of the water extracted from this sediment or by e previous autoclavage of this sediment.This study quickly revealed which sediments in the River Seine (Paris area) inhibited most the test micro-alga Selenastrum capricornutum (Chlorophyceae); the cause of these inhibitions was then sought.There is no correlation between the often high content of heavy metals in the sediment water (Pb 70, Cu 100, Cr 150, Cd 9, Ni 280, Zn 400 µg.L-1) and the development of the algae; the metal pollutants are probably masked by the chelating capacity of these biotopes rich in organic substances. The experimental conditions under which the sediment samples are treated to obtain the water phase used for the chemical and toxicological analyses are also important.One conclusion drawn is that a chemical analysis alone of the sediments is of limited interest. The most reliable data from the ecological point of view are those provided by the bio-assays

Convergence towards an asymptotic shape in first-passage percolation on cone-like subgraphs of the integer lattice

In first-passage percolation on the integer lattice, the Shape Theorem provides precise conditions for convergence of the set of sites reachable within a given time from the origin, once rescaled, to a compact and convex limiting shape. Here, we address convergence towards an asymptotic shape for cone-like subgraphs of the $\Z^d$ lattice, where $d\ge2$. In particular, we identify the asymptotic shapes associated to these graphs as restrictions of the asymptotic shape of the lattice. Apart from providing necessary and sufficient conditions for $L^p$- and almost sure convergence towards this shape, we investigate also stronger notions such as complete convergence and stability with respect to a dynamically evolving environment.Comment: 23 pages. Together with arXiv:1305.6260, this version replaces the old. The main results have been strengthened and an earlier error in the statement corrected. To appear in J. Theoret. Proba

MESURE DES GRADIENTS DE DENSITÉ DANS L'INTERACTION LASER-PLASMA

Nous étudions la densité électronique et son gradient dans l'interaction d'un laser à CO2 avec une cible plane de polyéthylène, pour un flux laser de 1012 W/cm2. L'étude par interférométrie Jamin des profils de densité et la mesure strioscopique de son gradient, couplées à l'étude de l'image en rayons X du plasma conduisent à une valeur de 220 ± 80 µm de la longueur du gradient de densité. Ceci est confirmé par des mesures indirectes obtenues à partir du bilan optique de l'interaction et du seuil de génération de l'harmonique 3/2 ω0 du laser à CO2. Les conséquences de ces résultats sur les conditions de l'interaction sont discutées

The near-critical planar FK-Ising model

We study the near-critical FK-Ising model. First, a determination of the correlation length defined via crossing probabilities is provided. Second, a phenomenon about the near-critical behavior of FK-Ising is highlighted, which is completely missing from the case of standard percolation: in any monotone coupling of FK configurations $\omega_p$ (e.g., in the one introduced in [Gri95]), as one raises $p$ near $p_c$, the new edges arrive in a self-organized way, so that the correlation length is not governed anymore by the number of pivotal edges at criticality.Comment: 34 pages, 8 figures. This is a streamlined version; the previous one contains more explanations and additional material on exceptional times in FK models with general $q$. Furthermore, the statement and proof of Theorem 1.2 have slightly change

Explicit formulae in probability and in statistical physics

We consider two aspects of Marc Yor's work that have had an impact in statistical physics: firstly, his results on the windings of planar Brownian motion and their implications for the study of polymers; secondly, his theory of exponential functionals of Levy processes and its connections with disordered systems. Particular emphasis is placed on techniques leading to explicit calculations.Comment: 14 pages, 2 figures. To appear in Seminaire de Probabilites, Special Issue Marc Yo

Noise Sensitivity in Continuum Percolation

We prove that the Poisson Boolean model, also known as the Gilbert disc model, is noise sensitive at criticality. This is the first such result for a Continuum Percolation model, and the first for which the critical probability p_c \ne 1/2. Our proof uses a version of the Benjamini-Kalai-Schramm Theorem for biased product measures. A quantitative version of this result was recently proved by Keller and Kindler. We give a simple deduction of the non-quantitative result from the unbiased version. We also develop a quite general method of approximating Continuum Percolation models by discrete models with p_c bounded away from zero; this method is based on an extremal result on non-uniform hypergraphs.Comment: 42 page

Functionals of the Brownian motion, localization and metric graphs

We review several results related to the problem of a quantum particle in a random environment. In an introductory part, we recall how several functionals of the Brownian motion arise in the study of electronic transport in weakly disordered metals (weak localization). Two aspects of the physics of the one-dimensional strong localization are reviewed : some properties of the scattering by a random potential (time delay distribution) and a study of the spectrum of a random potential on a bounded domain (the extreme value statistics of the eigenvalues). Then we mention several results concerning the diffusion on graphs, and more generally the spectral properties of the Schr\"odinger operator on graphs. The interest of spectral determinants as generating functions characterizing the diffusion on graphs is illustrated. Finally, we consider a two-dimensional model of a charged particle coupled to the random magnetic field due to magnetic vortices. We recall the connection between spectral properties of this model and winding functionals of the planar Brownian motion.Comment: Review article. 50 pages, 21 eps figures. Version 2: section 5.5 and conclusion added. Several references adde

Comparison of the Hemostatic Efficacy of Pathogen-Reduced Platelets vs Untreated Platelets in Patients With Thrombocytopenia and Malignant Hematologic Diseases: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance: Pathogen reduction of platelet concentrates may reduce transfusion-transmitted infections but is associated with qualitative impairment, which could have clinical significance with regard to platelet hemostatic capacity. Objective: To compare the effectiveness of platelets in additive solution treated with amotosalen-UV-A vs untreated platelets in plasma or in additive solution in patients with thrombocytopenia and hematologic malignancies. Design, Setting, and Participants: The Evaluation of the Efficacy of Platelets Treated With Pathogen Reduction Process (EFFIPAP) study was a randomized, noninferiority, 3-arm clinical trial performed from May 16, 2013, through January 21, 2016, at 13 French tertiary university hospitals. Clinical signs of bleeding were assessed daily until the end of aplasia, transfer to another department, need for a specific platelet product, or 30 days after enrollment. Consecutive adult patients with bone marrow aplasia, expected hospital stay of more than 10 days, and expected need of platelet transfusions were included. Interventions: At least 1 transfusion of platelets in additive solution with amotosalen-UV-A treatment, in plasma, or in additive solution. Main Outcomes and Measures: The proportion of patients with grade 2 or higher bleeding as defined by World Health Organization criteria. Results: Among 790 evaluable patients (mean [SD] age, 55 [13.4] years; 458 men [58.0%]), the primary end point was observed in 126 receiving pathogen-reduced platelets in additive solution (47.9%; 95% CI, 41.9%-54.0%), 114 receiving platelets in plasma (43.5%; 95% CI, 37.5%-49.5%), and 120 receiving platelets in additive solution (45.3%; 95% CI, 39.3%-51.3%). With a per-protocol population with a prespecified margin of 12.5%, noninferiority was not achieved when pathogen-reduced platelets in additive solution were compared with platelets in plasma (4.4%; 95% CI, -4.1% to 12.9%) but was achieved when the pathogen-reduced platelets were compared with platelets in additive solution (2.6%; 95% CI, -5.9% to 11.1%). The proportion of patients with grade 3 or 4 bleeding was not different among treatment arms. Conclusions and Relevance: Although the hemostatic efficacy of pathogen-reduced platelets in thrombopenic patients with hematologic malignancies was noninferior to platelets in additive solution, such noninferiority was not achieved when comparing pathogen-reduced platelets with platelets in plasma. Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01789762