Résumé : After a period of rapid development of the sites (an increase in both reared surface area and production), tropical shrimp aquaculture is currently being faced with critical problems due to economical and ecological constraints. In many countries with favourable conditions for shrimp aquaculture such as indonesia or Vietnam, sites are often badly selected and/or over-exploited. This conducts to sorne extent to decreases or collapses in the production due to the difficulty in predicting the maximum production capacity of the sites. Furthermore, it appears that production sustainability depends on many factors among which socio-economy and ecolo gy are of prime importance. The STD3 project titled « Assessment of tropical shrimp aquaculture impact on the environment in tropical countries using hydrobiology, ecology and remote sensing as helping tools for diagnosis )) was initiated in 1994, with the aim to study the sustainability of marine shrimp aquaculture in tropical areas, main! y Indonesia and Vietnam, through the following tasks: (i) improve site selection and study the impact of aquaculture on marine environments presenting a variable sensitivity to organic sewage, (ii) analyse the socio-economical aspects and profitability of the aquaculture industry and of common resources (iii) use remote sensing and geographical data bases for diagnosis and monitoring of site degradation (iv) reinforce the capacity of Asian scientists through training. Severa! aquaculture sites have been investigated in the Lampung region (South Sumatra, Indonesia), the Mekong delta (Vietnam) and on the West coast of New-Caledonia, providing a large range of typical ecosystems encountered in Asia and in the Pacifie, from coralline sites to coastal plains with mangrove and deltaic areas. The study concerned the spatial structure and seasonal influence of these ecosystems, the temporal variation during the course of the project (3 years) and the relation between the ecological structure and farm productions. Remote sensing provides a synoptic vision over large land expanses. Severa! scenes were processed for landuse mapping using conventional classification techniques. Concerning water quality assessment, a general relation for the Java sea was found between image and field data in terms of total suspended matter. Applying this relation to a new site in Sumatra has provided an initial approach to water type and, together with land use mapping, a preliminary assessment of the suitability of the area to shrimp aquaculture development. Socio-economic research has been focused on the identification ofneeds for collective action, including public policy, in the perspective of shrimp farming sustainability. The main concern is in the regulation of shrimp farming intensification and extensification at the scale of coastal ecosystemic entities in a common property resource management perspective. The common considered here is coastal water quality. Comparing the local development profiles and the institutional grounds for the design and implementation of collective management rules shows that variables such as land tenure system, farm owner socio-economic profile, social homogeneity or heterogeneity of the farmers are key factors to analyse the potential for sustainability. The defmition of water quality and the possible means to ensure its collective management are discussed. The main conclusion is that the economie incentives to farming development are strong but there is no significant difference among traditional, semi-intensive and intensive systems in terms of economie efficiency or wealth distribution. The description of the functioning of the different kinds of ecosystems make it possible to give an advice concerning the positioning of the activity inside the ecosystem, and furthermore to have a reference state in order to determine the impact of the activity on the coastal environnement. This impact can be summarized as an increase in the concentration of total suspended matt€?r, of particulate organic matter and of sulfate reducing bacterias. This organic ma~.er is either issued from rearing activities or from telluric origine, due to mangrove eradication when building the ponds. An evaluation of the relationship existing between productivity and characteristics of each ecosystem bas been conducted by correlating ecological indicators data (concentration of total suspended matter, particulate organic matter, chlorophyll, percentage of pheopigments in total pigments and cyanobacteria and sulfatereducing bacteria in water and sediments) with the average production of the farms. This comparison lead to the compilation of a scale of observed production integrating the range of these environmental parameters with shrimp production levels, bound to facilitate the positioning of shrimp farming in relation with the confmement leve! of each ecosystem. Lastly, ali geographie data originated from the various compartments of the study have been geo-referenced and loaded into a geographical information system. This allows to display any query made on spatial variables and their related statistical data, including the ir variations over the last few years and to reveal patterns and phenomena otherwise not obvious.
Le programme mis en oeuvre par la DRV (Paris, CREMA-L'Houmeau, DELIAO Brest, COP Tahiti, GIE/RA Nouvelle Calédonie), dans le cadre d'un projet européen STD3 «(Sciences et Technique au Service du Développement», en collaboration avec l'Université de Montpellier II, l'Ecole Nationale d'Agronomie de Rennes, l'ITC (Hollande), l'Institut Océanographique de Nha Trang (Vietnam), le BADC de Jepara et le BPPT de Jakarta (Indonésie), avait pour but la mise au point de méthodes permettant d'améliorer la sélection des sites ainsi que le suivi du développement et de l'impact de l'aquaculture des crevettes Péneides en milieu tropical pour éviter la surexploitation. Quatre axes de recherche ont été défmis : a) identifier la nature et quantifier les rejets de déchets issus de ce type d'aquaculture, b) définir les caractéristiques écologiques des écosystèmes susceptibles d'accueillir l'activité aquacole et suivre leur évolution sous l'influence des rejets, c) déterminer l'influence de la gestion des fermes et des ressources (aspects économiques) sur les performances de productivité, d) déterminer la capacité de la télédétection comme outil de diagnostic d'impact à l'échelle de la région, e) mener un programme de formation d'étudiants et jeunes chercheurs Vietnamiens et Indonésiens.

Droits : 1998 Ifremer
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00132/24357/22357.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00132/24357/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
This special issue in honour of the late Olivier Jaoul brings together contributions from experimental and theoretical mineralogy, the area of most of Olivier's own work, focused for the most part on the Earth's mantle. The volume is divided into three sections; diffusion, deformation and seismic properties. New technological developments have often had a strong impact on research in this area, as again shown by Olivier's constant search to improve the resolution of the short diffusion profiles typical of major cations in mantle silicates. In the section on diffusion the impact of improved computer performance for modelling diffusion and point defect configurations on one hand, and high pressure experimental techniques on the other hand, highlight the continued development in this area. The section on deformation deals with wide range of subjects, including the deformation of olivine and quartz and the relation between deformation and diffusion, both subjects close to Olivier's personal interests. This illustrates the new possibilities to undertake deformation experiments at mantle pressures and temperatures, as well as improvement in high-fidelity viscoelastic measurements at high temperature. In the last section on seismic properties we discover theoretical developments on predicting properties near the Earth's surface and a new experimental application, which allows the determination of sound velocity at very high pressures with implications for the Earth's inner core.
ISSN: 0031-9201

hal-00475657
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00475657
DOI : 10.1016/j.pepi.2008.09.009

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD IEEE
Résumé : International audience
The main challenge in prostate cancer radiotherapy is to deliver the prescribed dose to the clinical target while minimizing the dose to the neighboring organs at risk and thus avoiding subsequent toxicity-related events. With the aim of improving toxicity prediction following prostate cancer radiotherapy, the goal of our work is to propose a new predictive variable computed with independent component analysis to predict late rectal toxicity, and to compare its performance to other models (logistic regression, normal tissue complication probability model and recent principal component analysis approach). Clinical data and dose-volume histograms were collected from 216 patients having received 3D conformal radiation for prostate cancer with at least two years of follow-up. Independent component analysis was trained to predict the risk of 3-year rectal bleeding Grade extgreater= 2. The performance of all the models was assessed by computing the area under the receiving operating characteristic curve. Clinical parameters combined with the new variable were found to be predictors of rectal bleeding. The mean area under the receiving operating curve for our proposed approach was 0:75. The AUC values for the logistic regression, the Lyman-Kutcher-Burman model and the recent principal component analysis approach were 0:62, 0:53 and 0:62, respectively. Our proposed new variable may be an useful new tool in predicting late rectal toxicity. It appears as a strong predictive variable to improve classical models
2015 37th annual international conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society
Milan, Italy

hal-01304750
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01304750

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP)
Résumé : International audience
OBJECTIVES: To better select for patients who most likely will benefit from cardiac surgery among those with infective endocarditis (IE), we aimed to identify preoperative markers associated with poor outcome after cardiac surgery for IE, and to evaluate the accuracy of European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE) II to predict mortality. METHODS: We enrolled all adult patients who underwent cardiac surgery during the acute phase of definite IE (Duke Criteria) in two referral centres for cardiac surgery. Patients were identified through intensive care unit (ICU) electronic databases, and data were collected from medical charts on standardized questionnaire. RESULTS: Between 2002 and 2013, 149 patients (117 males), with a median age of 64 years [interquartile range 52-73], fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Main complications before surgery were left ventricular dysfunction (23%), central nervous system symptomatic events (34%) and septic shock (24%). Most patients (95%) presented with valve regurgitation, and 49% had perivalvular abscess. Surgery was performed with a median delay of 12 days [5-24] after IE diagnosis, and mean EuroSCORE II was 15.8 (13.4-18.1). In-hospital mortality was 21%. Preoperative variables associated with mortality in multivariate analysis were obesity [odds ratio (OR) 3.67 [1.10-12.19], P = 0.03], vegetation extgreater15 mm (OR 6.72 [1.46-30.98], P = 0.01), septic shock (OR 4.87 [1.67-14.28], P = 0.004) and mechanical prosthetic valve IE (OR 4.99 [1.72-28.57], P = 0.007). EuroSCORE II underestimated mortality in patients with predicted mortality over 10%. CONCLUSION: Factors independently predictive of mortality after cardiac surgery for IE are obesity, septic shock, large vegetation and a mechanical prosthetic valve IE. EuroSCORE II underestimates post-cardiac surgery mortality in patients with IE
ISSN: 1010-7940

hal-01169802
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01169802
DOI : 10.1093/ejcts/ezv223
PUBMED : 26116921

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD MDPI
Résumé : International audience
The decline in children's Blood Lead Levels (BLL) raises questions about the ability of current lead poisoning screening criteria to identify those children most exposed. The objectives of the study were to evaluate the performance of current screening criteria in identifying children with blood lead levels higher than 50 µg/L in France, and to propose new criteria. Data from a national French survey, conducted among 3831 children aged 6 months to 6 years in 2008-2009 were used. The sensitivity and specificity of the current criteria in predicting blood lead levels higher than or equal to 50 µg/L were evaluated. Two predictive models of BLL above 44 µg/L (for lack of sufficient sample size at 50 µg/L) were built: the first using current criteria, and the second using newly identified risk factors. For each model, performance was studied by calculating the area under the ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic) curve. The sensitivity of current criteria for detecting BLL higher than or equal to 50 µg/L was 0.51 (0.26; 0.75) and specificity was 0.66 (0.62; 0.70). The new model included the following criteria: foreign child newly arrived in France, mother born abroad, consumption of tap water in the presence of lead pipes, pre-1949 housing, period of construction of housing unknown, presence of peeling paint, parental smoking at home, occupancy rates for housing and child's address in a cadastral municipality or census block comprising more than 6% of housing that is potentially unfit and built pre-1949. The area under the ROC curve was 0.86 for the new model, versus 0.76 for the current one. The lead poisoning screening criteria should be updated. The risk of industrial, occupational and hobby-related exposure could not be assessed in this study, but should be kept as screening criteria
ISSN: 1660-4601

hal-01239804
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01239804
DOI : 10.3390/ijerph121214989
PUBMED : 26633457

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to examine the mediational role of self-confidence and anxiety in the relationship between self-esteem and claimed self-handicapping in an achievement context. Design: To test this mediational role, the three-step procedure advocated by Baron and Kenny (1986) was used. Method: After hearing and reading about specific conditions of performing that were intended to favor invoking excuses for future poor performance, 68 competitive basketball players completed measures of self-esteem, anxiety (cognitive and somatic), self-confidence, and claimed self-handicapping. Then, they warmed-up and carried out a basketball task. Results: Self-esteem negatively predicted cognitive anxiety and positively predicted self-confidence. In turn, self-confidence negatively predicted claimed self-handicapping and mediated the relationship between self-esteem and claimed self-handicapping. Cognitive and somatic anxieties did not mediate the relationship between self-esteem and claimed self-handicapping. Together, these results suggest that individuals with low self-esteem use more claimed self-handicaps because they have lower self-confidence. Conclusion: These findings shed light on the psychological processes that lead people with low self-esteem to use strategies of claimed self-handicaps.
ISSN: 1469-0292

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess
hal-01343259
https://hal.univ-antilles.fr/hal-01343259
https://hal.univ-antilles.fr/hal-01343259/document
https://hal.univ-antilles.fr/hal-01343259/file/PSE%20Manuscript%2014.03.2011-HAL.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/j.psychsport.2011.05.008

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : We report new measurements of the surface ionization Phi(0) for Ge K alpha and L alpha X-rays on an Fe substrate, Ga K alpha and L alpha X-rays on an Ni substrate, and Au M alpha X-rays on Si, W and Ta substrates. The measurements were performed using the tracer technique for electron incident energies ranging from the ionization threshold up to about 40 keV. Improvements in sample preparation and in the X-ray measurement technique enabled surface ionization values to be obtained with uncertainties less than 2%. Simulations of Phi(0) for the studied cases were performed using the general-purpose Monte Carlo (MC) code PENELOPE. Experimental measurements are compared with simulation results and with the results of several predictive formulae widely used in electron probe microanalysis and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). The accuracy of the reported measurements makes it possible to assess the reliability of the different calculations for incident electron energies below 10 keV.
ISSN: 0049-8246

hal-00617775
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00617775
DOI : 10.1002/xrs.1294

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD MDPI
Résumé : International audience
Satellite precipitation products are a means of estimating rainfall, particularly in areas that are sparsely equipped with rain gauges. The Guiana Shield is a region vulnerable to high water episodes. Flood risk is enhanced by the concentration of population living along the main rivers. A good understanding of the regional hydro-climatic regime, as well as an accurate estimation of precipitation is therefore of great importance. Unfortunately, there are very few rain gauges available in the region. The objective of the study is then to compare satellite rainfall estimation products in order to complement the information available in situ and to perform a regional analysis of four operational precipitation estimates, by partitioning the whole area under study into a homogeneous hydro-climatic region. In this study, four satellite products have been tested, TRMM TMPA (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Multisatellite Precipitation Analysis) V7 (Version 7) and RT (real time), CMORPH (Climate Prediction Center (CPC) MORPHing technique) and PERSIANN (Precipitation Estimation from Remotely-Sensed Information using Artificial Neural Network), for daily rain gauge data. Product performance is evaluated at daily and monthly scales based on various intensities and hydro-climatic regimes from 1 January 2001 to 30 December 2012 and using quantitative statistical criteria (coefficient correlation, bias, relative bias and root mean square error) and quantitative error metrics (probability of detection for rainy days and for no-rain days and the false alarm ratio). Over the entire study period, all products underestimate precipitation. The results obtained in terms of the hydro-climate show that for areas with intense convective precipitation, TMPA V7 shows a better performance than other products, especially in the estimation of extreme precipitation events. In regions along the Amazon, the use of PERSIANN is better. Finally, in the driest areas, TMPA V7 and PERSIANN show the same performance.
ISSN: 2072-4292

Droits : http://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/licences/copyright/
hal-01257912
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01257912
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01257912/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01257912/file/remotesensing-07-15831.pdf
DOI : 10.3390/rs71215831

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP)
Résumé : International audience
Background: The objective of the study was to determine the incidence of transaminase elevation during dengue, and its predictive factors. Methods: In 2013, a longitudinal study was performed using data from all cases of dengue seen in Cayenne Hospital. Cox proportional modeling was used. Signs of major transaminase elevation were defined as an increase in aspartate amino transferase (AST) or alanine amino transferase (ALT) concentration over 10 times the normal value (10N). Results: There were 1574 patients and 13 249 person-days of follow-up. The incidence rate for signs of trans-aminase elevation (10N) was 0.55 per 100 person-days. Six patients had major transaminase elevation with AST.1000 units (0.43 per 1000 patient-days), and 73 patients (4.6%) developed transaminase elevation with AST .10N. The variables independently associated with major transaminase elevation were hyponatremia, low platelets, dehydration, hematocrit increase, food intolerance, positive nonstructural protein 1 (NS1), age over 15 years and the notion of paracetamol intake. Conclusions: Although very frequent, the incidence of major transaminase elevation was lower than reported elsewhere perhaps because of good access to care, or of the particular serotype causing this epidemic. The patients with transaminase elevation tended to be older, more severe and taking paracetamol.
ISSN: 0035-9203

inserm-01475594
http://www.hal.inserm.fr/inserm-01475594
http://www.hal.inserm.fr/inserm-01475594/document
http://www.hal.inserm.fr/inserm-01475594/file/2016%2C%20Djossou%20-%20Incidence%20and%20predictive%20factors%20of%20transaminase.pdf
DOI : 10.1093/trstmh/trv117

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Forecasting of sea-state characteristics, with warning time of a few hours, appears a necessity in Operational Oceanography. linking sophisticated marine monitoring systems with forecasting modeling tools. In this paper, instead of using conventional numerical models, a Takagi-Sugeno-rule-based Fuzzy Inference System (FIS) was developed aiming at forecasting wave parameters based on the wind speed and direction, and the lagged-wave characteristics. Initial and final antecedent fuzzy membership functions were identified using the subtractive clustering method. The model was applied on the wind and wave dataset recorded in years 2000-2006 by an oceanographic buoy deployed in the Aegean Sea. The model showed perfect fit for the training period (2000-2005; 12,274 data points), and expanded its hindcasting ability during 2006 (1044 data points), as the verification part of the series. Model results, for a lead time of 3 h, showed good agreement between the predicted and the observed significant wave height (RMSE=0.216) and zero-up-crossing period (RMSE=0.315). According to other model performance criteria, the fuzzy model slightly underpredicted both wave characteristics (the linear regression slope was 0.911 for wave height and 0.788 for wave period), and reduced its forecasting ability at higher prediction intervals (+6 to + 12 h). Overall, model results illustrated that the developed FIS could serve as a valuable tool for the operational prediction of wave characteristics in Northern Aegean Sea, through the utilization of the POSEIDON network.
ISSN: 0029-8018

hal-00456020
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00456020
DOI : 10.1016/j.oceaneng.2009.08.016

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins
Résumé : International audience
BACKGROUND:Fever in infants younger than 3 months is generally a cause for concern because of the risk for a serious bacterial infection. The aim of this study was to describe clinical and biological features of Chikungunya infection in infants < 3 months of age hospitalized in Cayenne Hospital during the 2014-2015 outbreak.METHODS:We performed a preliminary retrospective study followed by a prospective study from March 2014 to February 2015. All infants younger than 3 months presenting with fever and hospitalized in Cayenne Hospital were included. The main diagnostic criteria were fever and positive Chikungunya PCR.RESULTS:One hundred and twenty infants were hospitalized with fever. The mean age was 46 days (SD± 22 days). The mean hospitalization duration was 7.4 days (SD± 6.1 days). Chikungunya infection was diagnosed in 26 children. The most important clinical findings were high (80.8% [77.5-84]) and prolonged fever (76.9%, [73.4-80.4]), irritability (96.2% [94.5-97.7]) and skin rash. (69.2%, [65.4-73]). Half of the infants presented edema of the extremities (hands and feet principally). However, in 15 %, Chikungunya infection was associated with a serious bacterial infection. Infants who presented with irritability, high fever and elevated PCT were at high risk for Chikungunya: OR 39, [9.2-243] (p < 0.001), with a specificity of 96.7 % and a negative predictive value of 89.4%. The area of the ROC curve was 0.96 CONCLUSIONS:: Our results confirm that Chikunguyna infection is a cause of high fever in infants younger than 3 months. Our data should be confirmed by larger studies.
ISSN: 0891-3668

inserm-01476019
http://www.hal.inserm.fr/inserm-01476019
http://www.hal.inserm.fr/inserm-01476019/document
http://www.hal.inserm.fr/inserm-01476019/file/2017%2C%20Elenga%20-%20Chikungunya%20Infection%20in%20hospitalized%20febrile%20infants.pdf
DOI : 10.1097/INF.0000000000001541

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
Among infertile couples, approximately half have to face with male infertility. In men with non-obstructive azoospermia, surgical retrieval testicular sperm extraction (TESE) of spermatozoa can be attempted, but with low success rates. A specific biomarker that could predict residual spermatogenesis would obviously be of interest before performing TESE. Thus, our aim was to identify biomarkers of residual spermatogenesis in seminal plasma of patients with non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) using an isotope-coded protein label (ICPL)-based proteomic strategy coupled with conventional protein assay. This retrospective study was conducted in 40 men with NOA at the University Hospital of Nantes and Proteomics Core facility Biogenouest - Inserm U1085 - IRSET, Rennes, France. Comparative ICPL proteomic screening of frozen seminal plasma and correlation with TESE outcome allowed the identification of some differentially expressed proteins. Among them, lectin galactoside-binding, soluble 3 binding protein (LGALS3BP) expression was further confirmed using conventional protein assay, and its interest as a predictor of TESE outcome was then evaluated and compared with conventional clinical and hormonal markers of residual spermatogenesis. Among the 12 differentially expressed proteins identified with comparative ICPL proteomic strategy, seminal LGALS3BP expression was found to be significantly higher in men with successful TESE. Finally, comparative ICPL proteomic screening of seminal plasma appears to be a promising approach for the identification of biomarkers of residual spermatogenesis. LGALS3BP, associated with clinical and hormonal markers, could potentially be used as a predictive marker of successful TESE outcome in patients with NOA.
Andrology

inserm-00818514
http://www.hal.inserm.fr/inserm-00818514
DOI : 10.1111/j.2047-2927.2012.00059.x
PUBMED : 23427166

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer Verlag
Résumé : International audience
Ants figure prominently among the worst invasive species because of their enormous ecological and economic impacts. However, it remains to be investigated which species would be behaviourally dominant when confronted with another invasive ant species, should two species be introduced in the same area. In the future, many regions might have suitable environmental conditions for several invasive ant species, as predicted under climate change scenarios. Here, we explored interactions among several highly invasive ant species, which have been shown to have overlapping suitable areas. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance in interference competition of seven of the world's worst invasive ant species (Anoplolepis gracilipes, Paratrechina longicornis, Myrmica rubra, Linepithema humile, Lasius neglectus, Wasmannia auropunctata and Pheidole megacephala). We conducted pairwise confrontations, testing the behaviour of each species against each of the six other species (in total 21 dyadic confrontations). We used single worker confrontations and group interactions of 10 versus 10 individuals to establish a dominance hierarchy among these invasive ant species. We discovered two different behavioural strategies among these invasive ants: three species displayed evasive or indifferent behaviour when individuals or groups were confronted (A. gracilipes, Pa. longicornis, M. rubra), while the four remaining species were highly aggressive during encounters and formed a linear dominance hierarchy. These findings contrast with the widespread view that invasive ants form a homogeneous group of species displaying the `invasive syndrome', which includes generally aggressive behaviour. The dominance hierarchy among the four aggressive species may be used to predict the outcome of future competitive interactions under some circumstances. Yet, the existence of several behavioural strategies renders such a prediction less straightforward.
ISSN: 1387-3547

hal-01444816
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01444816
DOI : 10.1007/s10530-015-0892-5

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Rh (Rhesus) is a major blood group system in man, which is clinically significant in transfusion medicine. Rh antigens are carried by an oligomer of two major erythroid specific polypeptides, the Rh (D and CcEe) proteins and the RhAG glycoprotein, that shared a common predicted structure with 12 transmembrane a-helices (M0 to M11). Non erythroid homologues of these proteins have been identified (RhBG and RhCG), notably in diverse organs specialized in ammonia production and excretion, such as kidney, liver and intestine. Phylogenetic studies and experimental evidence have shown that these proteins belong to the Amt/Mep/Rh protein superfamily of ammonium/methylammonium permease, but another view suggests that Rh proteins might function as CO2 gas channels. Until recently no information on the structure of these proteins were available. However, in the last two years, new insight has been gained into the structural features of Rh proteins (through the determination of the crystal structures of bacterial AmtB and archeaebacterial Amt-1. Here, models of the subunit and oligomeric architecture of human Rh proteins are proposed, based on a refined alignment with and crystal structure of the bacterial ammonia transporter AmtB, a member of the Amt/Mep/Rh superfamily. This alignment was performed considering invariant structural features, which were revealed through Hydrophobic Cluster Analysis, and led to propose alternative predictions for the less conserved regions, particularly in the N-terminal sequences. The Rh models, on which an additional Rh-specific, N-terminal helix M0 was tentatively positioned, were further assessed through the consideration of biochemical and immunochemical data, as well as of stereochemical and topological constraints. These models highlighted some Rh specific features that have not yet been reported. Among these, are the prediction of some critical residues, which may play a role in the channel function, but also in the stability of the subunit structure and oligomeric assembly. These results provide a basis to further understand the structure/function relationships of Rh proteins, and the alterations occurring in variant phenotypes.
ISSN: 1246-7820

hal-00112914
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00112914
DOI : 10.1016/j.tracli.2006.02.001

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Melt generation in the continental crust is thought to significantly influence seismic bulk velocities and anisotropy, although existing laboratory data provide limited constraints on such seismic attributes. In this study we measured ultrasonic compressional wave speeds (Vp) and anisotropy during sample compaction, mica-breakdown and melt-generation in synthetic, foliated quartz–muscovite aggregates. Measurements were performed at peak conditions of 300 MPa hydrostatic confining pressure and 750 °C, over a six hour time period, for three separate samples where wave propagation directions were aligned at 0°, 45° and 90° with respect to the foliation plane. The experiments are initially marked by sample compaction and rapid reduction in porosity (from 25% to <2 vol%), with a corresponding increase in Vp. During initial stages of the experiment Vp ranges from 4.65 to 5.45 km/s, depending on the direction of the P wave propagation, resulting in up to ∼16% anisotropy, which originates mainly from the preferred orientation of muscovite and possible incipient melt lenses oriented parallel to foliation. As the experiment progresses the bulk Vp decreases gradually and Vp anisotropy drops from ∼16% to ∼2% after five hours into the experiment. The drop in anisotropy is caused by muscovite-breakdown and increasing amount of partial melting of the aggregate. The bulk velocities are considerably lower than predicted for a mixture of muscovite and β-quartz (stable at 300 MPa and 750 °C). Thermodynamic modeling indicates that mica breakdown and production of melt with ∼2 wt% dissolved water in the aggregate can explain the low Vp, even though β-quartz is stable; the modeled Vp is ∼4.75 km/s at 300 MPa and 750 °C. These ultrasonic attributes signify movement of the melt to fill vacant pores and coating grain boundaries, effectively connecting melt films and reducing seismic anisotropy. The results may apply to regions where crustal melting is on-going, in particular regions of elevated temperature that are only weakly deforming, with coupled anomalously low bulk velocities and seismic anisotropy.
ISSN: 0012-821X

hal-01243569
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01243569
DOI : 10.1016/j.epsl.2015.05.039

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Lavoisier
Résumé : International audience
In this paper, we present an heuristic based approach for feature selection in the context of flood prediction. Features are complex variables that represent aggregate values. We apply a preprocessing method on data in order to elicit relevant information that could not be easily accessible initially because it is split through several lines of a dataset. A genetic algorithm is used in order to search for the features that may prove the best performances for flood prediction.
ISSN: 1633-1311

hal-00840738
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00840738
DOI : 10.3166/isi.16.3.113-139

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé :  
Microbial-based indicators, such as C and N contents or microbial functions involved in C and N cycles, are currently used to describe the status of soils in disturbed areas. Microbial functions are more accurate indicators but their measurement for studies at the ecosystem level remains problematical because of the huge spatial variability of these processes and, consequently, of the large number of soil samples which must be analyzed. Our goal was to test the capacity of near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) to predict respiration and denitrification but also carbon and nitrogen contents of soils submitted to various procedures of restoration. To achieve this objective, we took advantage of an experiment conducted on a reforestation system established after open-cast gold mining in French Guiana. In this experimental station, plantations of various ages and various soil textures were at our disposal. Our results showed that both plantations and soil texture had a strong impact on the recovery of soil functioning: carbon and nitrogen contents, respiration and denitrification increased with age of plantation and clay content. Calibrations were performed between spectral data and microbial-based indicators using partial least squares regression (PLS). The results showed that C and N contents were accurately predicted. Microbial functions were less precisely predicted with results more accurate on clayey soils than on sandy soils. In clayey soils, perturbed or restored soils and the year of plantation were discriminated very efficiently through principal component analyses of spectral signatures (over 80% of variance explained on the first two axes). Near-infrared spectroscopy may thus be extended to the prediction of functional soil parameters, but the capacity of this method must be strengthened by expending the databases with other soils in other contexts. The possibility of using NIRS provides many opportunities for understanding both the temporal dynamics and the spatial variability of the recovery of key microbial functions during soil restoration.
ISSN: 0929-1393

hal-01032188
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032188
DOI : 10.1016/j.apsoil.2007.07.001

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Geophysical Union
Résumé : International audience
Rheological properties of mantle minerals and rocks at temperatures (T) appropriate to much of Earth's lithosphere have remained poorly constrained, even though past experimental studies on olivine single crystals and polycrystalline aggregates have quantified the high-temperature creep mechanisms (T > 1200 degrees C). Consequently, we have performed deformation experiments on crystals of San Carlos olivine at lower temperatures, from 900 degrees to 1200 degrees C, in triaxial compression along the [101](c) direction. The experiments were carried out at a confining pressure of 300 MPa in a high-resolution gas-medium mechanical testing apparatus at differential stresses of 100 to 500 MPa. Several samples were deformed at constant displacement rate and others at constant load, in order to provide insight into possible effects of work-hardening. Under the deformation conditions investigated, little evidence of work-hardening was observed. The data follow a power-law dependence on stress, as in previous high-temperature deformation studies. The samples were, however, considerably weaker than predicted by the experimentally determined high-temperature constitutive equation for olivine crystals of this orientation from the study of Bai et al. (1991). The mechanical behavior correlates instead with the weaker of the two mechanisms (flow laws) that contribute to the high-temperature constitutive equation. Thus, our experiments demonstrate that published high-temperature constitutive equations overestimate the strength of lithospheric mantle and that the transition to low-temperature creep occurs at lower temperatures than previously inferred. Citation: Demouchy, S., S. E. Schneider, S. J. Mackwell, M. E. Zimmerman, and D. L. Kohlstedt (2009), Experimental deformation of olivine single crystals at lithospheric temperatures, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L04304, doi: 10.1029/2008GL036611.
ISSN: 0094-8276

hal-00420070
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00420070
DOI : 10.1029/2008GL036611

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley-Blackwell
Résumé : International audience
Absolute Mα x-ray production cross sections have been measured and calculated for heavy elements Au, Pb, Bi, and U for electron incident energies from the ionization threshold up to 38 keV. The experimental cross sections were deduced from M x-ray intensities emitted from ultrathin samples of the elements of interest deposited onto self-supporting C films. The measurements were performed using two electron microprobes and several wavelength-dispersive spectrometers. X-ray intensities were converted into x-ray production cross sections by using estimated values of the number of incident electrons, target thickness, and spectrometer efficiency. Experimental results are compared with calculated cross sections using different predictive formulae. Good agreement is found between the measured cross sections and the predictions from the distorted-wave Born approximation, which indicates that this approximation is suited for the calculation of M-shell ionization cross sections of heavy elements.
ISSN: 0142-2421

hal-01122839
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01122839
DOI : 10.1002/sia.5561

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : Tropical forests are predicted to harbor most of the insect diversity on earth, but few studies have been conducted to characterize insect communities in tropical forests. One major limitation is the lack of consensus on methods for insect collection. Deciding which insect trap to use is an important consideration for ecologists and entomologists, yet to date few study has presented a quantitative comparison of the results generated by standardized methods in tropical insect communities. Here, we investigate the relative performance of two flight interception traps, the windowpane trap, and the more widely used malaise trap, across a broad gradient of lowland forest types in French Guiana. The windowpane trap consistently collected significantly more Coleoptera and Blattaria than the malaise trap, which proved most effective for Diptera, Hymenoptera, and Hemiptera. Orthoptera and Lepidoptera were not well represented using either trap, suggesting the need for additional methods such as bait traps and light traps. Our results of contrasting trap performance among insect orders underscore the need for complementary trapping strategies using multiple methods for community surveys in tropical forests.
Zookeys

hal-01032428
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032428
DOI : 10.3897/zookeys.216.3332