Search for Exotic Physics with the ANTARES Detector

Besides the detection of high energy neutrinos, the ANTARES telescope offers an opportunity to improve sensitivity to exotic cosmological relics. In this article we discuss the sensitivity of the ANTARES detector to elativistic monopoles and slow nuclearites. Dedicated trigger algorithms and search strategies are being developed to search or them. The data filtering, background rejection selection criteria are described, as well as the expected sensitivity of ANTARES to exotic physics.Comment: Proceedings of the 31st ICRC conference, Lodz 2009, 4 pages, 6 figure

Contribution, Social networking, and the Request for Adminship process in Wikipedia

International audienceIn epistemic communities, people are said to be selected on their contribution in knowledge to the project (articles, codes, etc.). However, the socialization process is an important factor for inclusion, sustainability as a contributor, and promotion. Finally, what matters for being promoted? Being a good contributor? Being a good animator? Knowing the boss? We explore this question by looking at the election process for administrators in the English Wikipedia. We used the candidates' revisions and/or social attributes to construct a predictive model of promotion success, based on the candidates' past behavior and a random forest algorithm. Our model explains 78% of the results, which is better than the former models. It also helps to refine the explanation of the election process

Advanced electrokinetic characterization of composite porous membranes

International audienceThe effect of the streaming current flowing through the porous structure of composite membranes during tangential electrokinetic measurements was investigated. It was shown that neglecting this additional path for streaming current may have dramatic implications in the interpretation of the experimental data and on the determination of the membrane zeta potential. Experimental measurements of both streaming current and electrical conductance were performed with two different composite polymer membranes. By following the procedure proposed by Yaroshchuk and Luxbacher, Langmuir 26 (2010) 10882-10889, in the present work it was possible to determine separately the zeta potential of the membrane surfaces and that of their underlying porous structures. This experimental procedure was shown to provide useful information on the functionalization of an ultrafiltration polyethersulfone membrane by positively charged 4-benzyltriphenylphosphonium groups. Notably we found that the chemical modification leads to a charge reversal (from negative to positive) of the porous substructure of the membrane while the overall charge of the external surface remains negative, although with diminished magnitude

Are protozoan metacaspases potential parasite killers?

Mechanisms concerning life or death decisions in protozoan parasites are still imperfectly understood. Comparison with higher eukaryotes has led to the hypothesis that caspase-like enzymes could be involved in death pathways. This hypothesis was reinforced by the description of caspase-related sequences in the genome of several parasites, including Plasmodium, Trypanosoma and Leishmania. Although several teams are working to decipher the exact role of metacaspases in protozoan parasites, partial, conflicting or negative results have been obtained with respect to the relationship between protozoan metacaspases and cell death. The aim of this paper is to review current knowledge of protozoan parasite metacaspases within a drug targeting perspective

A versatile route to modify polyethersulfone membranes by chemical reduction of aryldiazonium salts

International audienceUltrafiltration polyethersulfone membranes were modified covalently by chemical reduction of aryl diazonium salts. Functionalizations were performed with four aryl diazonium salts bearing different functional groups (4-benzyltriphenylphosphonium diazonium, 4-nitrophenyl diazonium, 4-benzonitrile diazonium and 4-phenylacetic acid diazonium) so as to demonstrate the versatility of the method. The efficiency of the different functionalizations was checked with various characterization techniques. Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transform Infra Red spectroscopy revealed the presence of 4-nitrophenyl, 4-benzonitrile and 4-phenylacetic acid groups at the surface of the different modified membranes but no characteristic vibration band was detected on the surface of the membrane modified with 4-benzyltriphenylphosphonium diazonium. The presence of 4-benzyltriphenylphosphonium, however, could be demonstrated by both Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (detection of the Kα ray of phosphorous at 2.015 keV) and streaming current measurements (shift of the membrane isoelectric point). Finally, dead-end filtration of an antibiotic (tylosin) was carried out with the unmodified membrane and the membrane modified by 4-benzyltriphenyl-phosphonium diazonium. Experiments revealed that the transport properties of the grafted membrane were significantly modified, with a significant increase in rejection mainly due to electrostatic repulsions between the surface of the modified membrane and tylosin

Implementation of agronomical and geochemical modules into a 3D groundwater code for assessing nitrate storage and transport through unconfined Chalk aquifer

International audienceChalk aquifer is the main water resource for domestic water supply in many parts in northern France. In same basin, groundwater is frequently affected by quality problems concerning nitrates. Often close to or above the drinking water standards, nitrate concentration in groundwater is mainly due to historical agriculture practices, combined with leakage and aquifer recharge through the vadose zone. The complexity of processes occurring into such an environment leads to take into account a lot of knowledge on agronomy, geochemistry and hydrogeology in order to understand, model and predict the spatiotemporal evolution of nitrate content and provide a decision support tool for the water producers and stakeholders. To succeed in this challenge, conceptual and numerical models representing accurately the Chalk aquifer specificity need to be developed. A multidisciplinary approach is developed to simulate storage and transport from the ground surface until groundwater. This involves a new agronomic module " NITRATE " (NItrogen TRansfer for Arable soil to groundwaTEr), a soil-crop model allowing to calculate nitrogen mass balance in arable soil, and the " PHREEQC " numerical code for geochemical calculations, both coupled with the 3D transient groundwater numerical code " MARTHE ". Otherwise, new development achieved on MARTHE code allows the use of dual porosity and permeability calculations needed in the fissured Chalk aquifer context. This method concerning the integration of existing multidisciplinary tools is a real challenge to reduce the number of parameters by selecting the relevant equations and simplifying the equations without altering the signal. The robustness and the validity of these numerical developments are tested step by step with several simulations constrained by climate forcing, land use and nitrogen inputs over several decades. In the first time, simulations are performed in a 1D vertical unsaturated soil column for representing experimental nitrates vertical soil profiles (0-30m depth experimental measurements in Somme region). In the second time, this approach is used to simulate with a 3D model a drinking water catchment area in order to compared nitrate contents time series calculated and measured in the domestic water pumping well since 1995 (field in northern France – Avre Basin region). This numerical tool will help the decision-making in all activities in relation with water uses

Multidisciplinary subsurface monitoring for a better understanding of Soil Aquifer Treatment capacity applied on coastal operational wastewater treatment plant (Agon-Coutainville, France)

International audienceUnconfined coastal aquifers are potentially subject to both saline intrusion near the seashore and over discharge of treated wastewater in the surficial environment during the tourist season. In Agon-Coutainville (Normandy, France), managed aquifer recharge (MAR) system, combined with Soil Aquifer Treatment (SAT), was integrated as part of the full-scale operational wastewater treatment plant. Such integrated natural/engineered water treatment system ensure the sustainability of the seaside activities (seafood production, beach) and locally supply freshwater for the irrigational needs of the golf course. Concerning the MAR system, the secondary treated wastewater is infiltrated alternatively into three natural reed bed areas before reaching the sand dune aquifer and thus to enhance the quantity of freshwater in the aquifer. Treated wastewater potentially contains various compounds (chemical, virus, pathogen) which can, however, affect the groundwater quality. Nevertheless, some of these compounds are partly removed, during the SAT. To assess performance and efficiency of the integrated system in the natural environment, we have designed and performed an innovating and multidisciplinary monitoring dedicated to 1) spatial evolution of the freshwater generating by the MAR system, 2) mean residence time of water during SAT and 3) potential reactivity occurring during SAT. Spatial field campaigns and tracer tests were conducted by associating classical and innovative approaches including physico-chemical measurements and quantitative analyses, non target analysis for screening organic compounds, ecotoxicological bioassays, online biomonitoring BACTcontrol® system to detect fecal contamination and online system monitoring device dedicated to saline intrusion. Results show that the MAR system provides a freshwater barrier in the aquifer which is seasonally affected by saline intrusion. A part of the aquifer is assessed for freshwater potential production regardless of the natural and anthropogenic recharge. SAT mean residence time is around two weeks that allows SAT reactivity and thus increases quality of the pumped groundwater. This novel subsurface monitoring provides a better understanding of the SAT capacity to enhance the quantity of freshwater and improve its quality

Accuracy Assessment of Global Internal-Tide Models Using Satellite Altimetry

Altimeter measurements are corrected for several geophysical parameters in order to access ocean signals of interest, like mesoscale or sub-mesoscale variability. The ocean tide is one of the most critical corrections due to the amplitude of the tidal elevations and to the aliasing phenomena of high-frequency signals into the lower-frequency band, but the internal-tide signatures at the ocean surface are not yet corrected globally. Internal tides can have a signature of several centimeters at the surface with wavelengths of about 50–250 km for the first mode and even smaller scales for higher-order modes. The goals of the upcoming Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission and other high-resolution ocean measurements make the correction of these small-scale signals a challenge, as the correction of all tidal variability becomes mandatory to access accurate measurements of other oceanic signals. In this context, several scientific teams are working on the development of new internal-tide models, taking advantage of the very long altimeter time series now available, which represent an unprecedented and valuable global ocean database. The internal-tide models presented here focus on the coherent internal-tide signal and they are of three types: empirical models based upon analysis of existing altimeter missions, an assimilative model and a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model. A detailed comparison and validation of these internal-tide models is proposed using existing satellite altimeter databases. The analysis focuses on the four main tidal constituents: M2, K1, O1 and S2. The validation process is based on a statistical analysis of multi-mission altimetry including Jason-2 and Cryosphere Satellite-2 data. The results show a significant altimeter variance reduction when using internal-tide corrections in all ocean regions where internal tides are generating or propagating. A complementary spectral analysis also gives some estimation of the performance of each model as a function of wavelength and some insight into the residual non-stationary part of internal tides in the different regions of interest. This work led to the implementation of a new internal-tide correction (ZARON\u27one) in the next geophysical data records version-F (GDR-F) standards

The neuropeptide 26RFa in the human gut and pancreas: potential involvement in glucose homeostasis

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