Evidence of Springwater Acidification in the Vosges Mountains (North-East of France): Influence of Bedrock Buffering Capacity

Investigations on springwater acidity were carried out in the Vosges mountains (north-eastern France). Acid or poorly buffered spring and streamwaters were detected in the same area. The proportion of acid springwaters (pH < 5.6) is about 20% among 220 springs. The springwater pH on granite are equally spread between 5.0 and 6.8 whereas on sandstone a majority of springs is in the range 5.6 to 6.2. As a whole, but mainly on sandstone, from the 1960's to 1990's, the shape of the pH distributions shifts toward greater acidity. In the sandstone area, trends in pH, alkalinity, total hardness (corresponding to divalent cations), sulfate and nitrate were considered over the 30 yr period (1963-1996) in relation to the bedrock chemical composition. Kendall seasonal tau coefficients indicate that decreasing trends were significant for the first three parameters. Linear regression on the smoothed mean value revealed 18 and 90% decrease for pH and alkalinity respectively, for springwaters draining poor-base cation sandstone whereas only 8 and 30% decrease respectively, was observed on clay-enriched sandstone. On silica-enriched sandstone, alkalinity began to decrease in the early 70's as well as pH. Loss of alkalinity only occurred in the early 80's for springs draining clay enriched sandstone. This can be interpreted as a titration process by acid atmospheric inputs of the buffering capacity of weathering and exchange processes in the soils and the catchment bedrock. The nitrate presents an increasing step in the early seventies but possibly as a result of change in analytical technics and/or increase in atmospheric inputs mainly resulting from increase in fertiliser inputs in agricultural areas or in car traffic. Surprisingly no change in sulfate was noticed in any groups of springs probably as a result of the adsorption/mobilisation in the soils. These long-term trends in spring waters (1963-1996) confirmed the soil and streamwater acidification trends already mentioned in this region, in relation to acid atmospheric inputs since no climate nor forestry practice changes have been detected over the period. Moreover, in spite of acid atmospheric input reductions, no recovery can presently be detected

Design and verification of the Far Ultraviolet Spectrographic Imager (FUV-SI) for the IMAGE mission

peer reviewedThe IMAGE FUV-SI is simultaneously imaging auroras at 121.8 nm and 135.8 nm. The spectrograph design challenge is the efficient rejection of the intense Lyman-alpha emission at 121.6 nm while passing its Doppler-shifted component at 121.8 nm. The FUV-SI opto-mechanical design, analysis integration, and verification of performances against environment are discussed in this paper. In absence of STM environmental constraints at subsystem levels are derived analytically from F.E.M. and used for pre-qualifying optical subsystems

A spatial study of the relationships between streamwater acidity and geology, soils and relief (Vosges, northeastern France)

We have used a geographic information system (GIS) to study the relationships between streamwater pH and alkalinity at base flow with geology, soils and relief in 100 forested catchments located in the sandstone portion of the Vosges mountains. where atmospheric deposition and forest cover can be considered homogeneous. At base flow, streamwater acidity depends primarily on bedrock and soil content of weatherable minerals whose dissolution neutralizes acidity. Catchments are developed on three main stratigraphic levels, consisting of two sandstone layers rich in weatherable minerals, called "rich", at the upper and lower extremity of the stratigraphic sequence, and a quartzitic sandstone, called "poor", in between. Catchments were classified into three major groups in relation to the stratigraphic sequence: (1) only "poor" bedrock, (2) "rich" upstream and "poor" downstream, (3) "poor" upstream and "rich" downstream. Results showed that streamwater pH differed depending on the group. Within each group, the pH was related to bedrock, soil and relief characteristics of the catchments. The relative surface covered by the bedrock located in the lower part of the catchment explained more than 50% of the variability of pH. More than 20% of variability could be explained by soil types in catchments composed of poor' bedrock only. Soil type apparently did not influence streamwater pH in the other groups. The catchment area, probably related to the increase of soil volume and water residence time, explained up to 20% of pH variability, depending on the catchment type

Reduced Self-Perception of Fatigue after Intake of Panax ginseng Root Extract (G115®) Formulated with Vitamins and Minerals An Open-Label Study

Background: Unexplained fatigue is a common complaint. When underlying disease causes have been eliminated, lifestyle measures and supplementation can be indicated. Elaborating on clinical findings that G115®, a dry extract from the root of Panax ginseng, combined with vitamins and minerals could alleviate fatigue, this open label study aimed at assessing its effect on perceived fatigue and energy. Methods: Healthy adults self-reporting fatigue (n = 103) completed the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory questionnaire. They rated their perceptions of mental and physical fatigue, energy, performance, and stress at baseline and 15, 30, 60 and 90 days after a daily intake of 40 mg G115® formulated with vitamins and minerals. Results: Compared with baseline values, mean self-perception of general fatigue was reduced by −7.55 units [95% CI: −8.44; −6.66] (−41.8%, p < 0.0001) at 90 days. All assessed perception ratings (mental and physical fatigue, reduced activity and motivation, performance, and stress) were significantly and steadily improved from two weeks after supplementation up to study's end. Overall satisfaction with the ability of the product to reduce fatigue reached 85% at Day 90. Conclusion: Daily intake with G115® extract formulated with vitamins and minerals suggests an improvement of self-perception of fatigue and energy in a fatigued adult population

Mutant <i>CTNNB1</i> and histological heterogeneity define metabolic subtypes of hepatoblastoma.

Hepatoblastoma is the most common malignant pediatric liver cancer. Histological evaluation of tumor biopsies is used to distinguish among the different subtypes of hepatoblastoma, with fetal and embryonal representing the two main epithelial components. With frequent &lt;i&gt;CTNNB1&lt;/i&gt; mutations, hepatoblastoma is a Wnt/β-catenin-driven malignancy. Considering that Wnt activation has been associated with tumor metabolic reprogramming, we characterized the metabolic profile of cells from hepatoblastoma and compared it to cells from hepatocellular carcinoma. First, we demonstrated that glucose transporter &lt;i&gt;GLUT3&lt;/i&gt; is a direct TCF4/β-catenin target gene. RNA sequencing enabled to identify molecular and metabolic features specific to hepatoblastoma and revealed that several glycolytic enzymes are overexpressed in embryonal-like compared to fetal-like tumor cells. This led us to implement successfully three biomarkers to distinguish embryonal from fetal components by immunohistochemistry from a large panel of human hepatoblastoma samples. Functional analyses demonstrated that embryonal-like hepatoblastoma cells are highly glycolytic and sensitive to hexokinase-1 silencing. Altogether, our findings reveal a new, metabolic classification of human hepatoblastoma, with potential future implications for patients' diagnosis and treatment

A recruitment maneuver increases oxygenation after intubation of hypoxemic intensive care unit patients: a randomized controlled study

International audienc

MESures et SImulation pour une GEstion Optimisée des systèmes de transports

The stakes that were targeted by this collaboration are linked to the rarefaction of resources used to build new transportation infrastructures and to the higher attention paid to the environmental impacts of mobilities. Indeed, transportation network managers have a real need for tools and methods to master the increase of movement demand while reducing the impacts of these moves. On these topics, the research done in the Ifsttar allied to the expertise of the Cerema gave birth to a form of integrative research that contributed to broaden the horizons of both partners. The main results of this collaboration are presented in this final report. They comprise: •Better understanding of flows propagation inside the transportation system;•Quantification tools for assessing the impacts of this flow in terms of travel time and accessibility as well as pollutants levels;•Offer of new simulation and modelling tools, that can be used in more situations; (because their calculation time is smaller and they include the effects of regulations);•Strengthening of the methodologies to assess the regulation of suburban motorways. In addition to the presentation of those results, the report includes a list of the productions of the collaboration, the most significant productions, the presentations made during the final seminar and directions for future research.Les enjeux que cette collaboration a permis de traiter sont liés à la raréfaction des ressources permettant de construire des nouvelles infrastructures de transports et à la montée de la prise en compte des impacts environnementaux des mobilités. Ceci génère un réel besoin, de la part des gestionnaires de réseaux de transports, d’outils et de méthodes leur permettant de maîtriser la croissance de la demande de déplacements tout en diminuant les impacts de ces déplacements. Sur ces sujets, l’articulation des recherches conduites à l’IFSTTAR et de l’expertise que possède le CEREMA a donné lieu à une recherche intégrative qui a contribué à élargir les horizons de chacun des deux partenaires. Les principaux résultats de Messigéo, présentés dans ce rapport final, concernent : •Amélioration de la compréhension de la propagation des flux dans le système de transport ;•Quantification des impacts du fonctionnement du système de transports en termes de temps de parcours et d’accessibilité, tout comme sur les niveaux de polluants ;•Proposition de nouveaux outils de modélisation et de simulation, utilisables dans plus de cas (car ils sont de temps de calcul faible et qu’ils intègrent les effets des régulations) ;•Consolidation des méthodologies d’évaluation des régulations des autoroutes périurbaines.Outre une synthèse de ces résultats, ce rapport contient également la liste des publications, les productions les plus significatives, les présentations faites au cours du séminaire de restitution, et des pistes de recherche future

Impacts of added oenological tannins on red wine quality to counteract Botrytis infection in Merlot grapes

The contamination of grape berries by Botrytis cinerea can drastically damage wine quality, in particular causing colour degradation. In musts obtained from botrytised grapes, SO2 addition is the main means of avoiding oxidation damage due to laccases excreted by the pathogen. However, consumers are becoming increasingly reluctant to accept SO2 addition to wine. Oenological tannins are used for fining wines because of their colloidal properties, and for wine colour stabilisation due to their ability to condense with anthocyanins. They are also known for their antioxidant and antioxidasic properties. They were thus investigated in the present study for their potential as an alternative to SO2 against laccase oxidation. The impact of various types of oenological tannins on musts and wines was studied once added to musts obtained from the Merlot cultivar, comprising 20 % and 50 % botrytised grapes. Laccase activity, antioxidant capacity, composition of phenolic compounds, spectrophotometric and CIELAB colour parameters were assessed in the musts and wines. Sensory analyses were also performed on 3-month-old wines to evaluate the visual, olfactory and gustative consequences of tannin addition. At a 50 % botrytisation rate, the addition of any type of oenological tannins (at a concentration of 100 g/hL) had no effect on laccase activity and did not protect phenolic compounds. However, at the same concentration and at a 20 % botrytisation rate, proanthocyanidin tannins from grape skin were found to be the most promising tannins with simultaneous protective effects, such as an inhibitory effect on laccase enzymes, protection of colour from complete degradation and preservation of some procyanidin compounds. Oenological tannins are promising candidates for protecting wines from Botrytis damage and they induce a differential effect according to their origin and structure. They could be used to reduce the amount of SO2 that is added during vatting. More research is needed to confirm and better understand the mode of action of various tannins at levels lower than the 20 % botrytised rate tested in the present study

Metabarcoding: A Powerful Yet Still Underestimated Approach for the Comprehensive Study of Vector-Borne Pathogen Transmission Cycles and Their Dynamics

The implementation of sustainable control strategies aimed at disrupting the transmission of vector-borne pathogens requires a comprehensive knowledge of the vector ecology in the different eco-epidemiological contexts, as well as the local pathogen transmission cycles and their dynamics. However, even when focusing only on one specific vector-borne disease, achieving this knowledge is highly challenging, as the pathogen may exhibit a high genetic diversity and multiple vector species or subspecies and host species may be involved. In addition, the development of the pathogen and the vectorial capacity of the vectors may be affected by their midgut and/or salivary gland microbiome. The recent advent of Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies has brought powerful tools that can allow for the simultaneous identification of all these essential components, although their potential is only just starting to be realized. We present a metabarcoding approach that can facilitate the description of comprehensive host-pathogen networks, integrate important microbiome and coinfection data, identify at-risk situations, and disentangle the transmission cycles of vector-borne pathogens. This powerful approach should be generalized to unravel the transmission cycles of any pathogen and their dynamics, which in turn will help the design and implementation of sustainable, effective, and locally adapted control strategies