Architecture, Territoire, Environnement

CONTEXT: Results of comparative genomic hybridization studies have suggested that rare copy number variations (CNVs) at numerous loci are involved in the cause of mental retardation, autism spectrum disorders, and schizophrenia. OBJECTIVES: To provide an estimate of the collective frequency of a set of recurrent or overlapping CNVs in 3 different groups of cases compared with healthy control subjects and to assess whether each CNV is present in more than 1 clinical category. DESIGN: Case-control study. SETTING: Academic research. PARTICIPANTS: We investigated 28 candidate loci previously identified by comparative genomic hybridization studies for gene dosage alteration in 247 cases with mental retardation, in 260 cases with autism spectrum disorders, in 236 cases with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, and in 236 controls. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Collective and individual frequencies of the analyzed CNVs in cases compared with controls. RESULTS: Recurrent or overlapping CNVs were found in cases at 39.3% of the selected loci. The collective frequency of CNVs at these loci is significantly increased in cases with autism, in cases with schizophrenia, and in cases with mental retardation compared with controls (P < .001, P = .01, and P = .001, respectively, Fisher exact test). Individual significance (P = .02 without correction for multiple testing) was reached for the association between autism and a 350-kilobase deletion located at 22q11 and spanning the PRODH and DGCR6 genes. CONCLUSIONS: Weakly to moderately recurrent CNVs (transmitted or occurring de novo) seem to be causative or contributory factors for these diseases. Most of these CNVs (which contain genes involved in neurotransmission or in synapse formation and maintenance) are present in the 3 pathologic conditions (schizophrenia, autism, and mental retardation), supporting the existence of shared biologic pathways in these neurodevelopmental disorders.

Abstract Monsoon rainfall is central to the climate of West Africa, and understanding its variability is a challenge for which satellite rainfall products could be well suited to contribute to. Their quality in this region has received less attention than elsewhere. The focus is set on the scales associated with atmospheric variability, and a meteorological benchmark is set up with ground-based observations from the African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis (AMMA) program. The investigation is performed at various scales of accumulation using four gauge networks. The seasonal cycle is analyzed using 10-day-averaged products, the synoptic-scale variability is analyzed using daily means, and the diurnal cycle of rainfall is analyzed at the seasonal scale using a composite and at the diurnal scale using 3-hourly accumulations. A novel methodology is introduced that accounts for the errors associated with the areal–time rainfall averages. The errors from both satellite and ground rainfall data are computed using dedicated techniques that come down to an estimation of the sampling errors associated to these measurements. The results show that the new generation of combined infrared–microwave (IR–MW) satellite products is describing the rain variability similarly to ground measurements. At the 10-day scale, all products reveal high regional and seasonal skills. The day-to-day comparison indicates that some products perform better than others, whereas all of them exhibit high skills when the spectral band of African easterly waves is considered. The seasonal variability of the diurnal scale as well as its relative daily importance is only captured by some products. Plans for future extensive intercomparison exercises are briefly discussed.

Many recent studies on network technologies and cities share an alarmist view of the impact of technological or regulatory change in utility sectors on the social and spatial fabric of cities, pointing to growing discrimination and inequalities, alienation, enhanced social exclusion and urban “splintering” on a universal scale. A science and technology study (STS) perspective on these matters is helpful in moving beyond this “universal alarmism” by emphasizing the ambivalence inherent to all technologies, the significant potential of contestation of, and resistance, to technology-supported forms of discrimination, and the deeply contingent nature of the process of appropriation of new technologies and, as a consequence, of the social “effects” of technologies. Adopting this perspective would mean actively searching for and exploring these context-dependent and often conflictive appropriation processes. For it is in these spaces that we might begin to identify urban technological politics that break free from an intellectually and politically disabling technological pessimism.

The global paleointensity database is restricted by the high failure rate of paleointensity analyses. Excluding thermal alteration, failure is usually caused by the presence of multidomain grains and interactions among grains, two properties that can be identified using first‐order reversal curve (FORC) diagrams. We measured FORC diagrams on sister samples of about 200 samples that had been used for Thellier paleointensity determinations and determined criteria to discriminate samples that gave acceptable paleointensity results from those that did not. The three most discriminating criteria are the vertical spread of the FORC distribution (indicative of interactions), expressed as the full width at half maximum (FWHM), the spread of the FORC distribution along the H c = 0 axis (width), and the bulk coercivity H c (both indicative of domain state). Setting thresholds at 132 mT for the width of the distribution and 29 mT for the FWHM maximizes the number of unsuccessful rejected samples. Using an additional threshold of H c = 5.4 mT results in rejection of 32% of unsuccessful samples. Seven samples that barely satisfy the paleointensity selection criteria would also be rejected using these selection criteria. Most of the samples that fail the paleointensity experiment without being detected by our selection criteria have ideal noninteracting single‐domain magnetic properties but fail because of the thermal alteration that results from repeated heating. Being able to eliminate at least one third of unsuccessful samples using our FORC diagram‐based prescreening procedure should provide a significant improvement in efficiency of paleointensity measurements.

A joint programme, involving research laboratories from CNRS (Centre National de le Recherche Scientifique) and ONERA (Office National de Recherches Aérospatiales), was developed in France in connection with the French Space Agency (CNES) and industry (SNECMA) for the understanding of Hall-effect plasma thrusters. Different activities are pursued in parallel: an experimental test of different laboratories' thrusters; the development of diagnostic techniques to characterize the plasma inside and outside the thrusters; and the development of simulation and modelling able to describe characteristics and evaluate the thrusters' performances.

This paper presents some aspects of the research developed in the frame of a coordinated program launched in France in 1996 and devoted to plasma thrusters for space technologies. Relevant results of physical studies have been selected from the literature with the addition of recent original results. The thrusters within the scope of this research are diagnostic equipped versions of industrial realizations, in a thrust level range of 0.1 N and electrical power 1.5 kW. The optical and electrical diagnostics concern studies of the thruster plasma and of the thruster plume. Transient phenomena in these two regions, related to discharge current fluctuations or oscillations on a typical time scale of 40 µs, have been space-time characterized. This has been achieved by developing a large panel of diagnostics including RFEA, Langmuir probes, OES, fast camera imaging and electron drift Hall current probe. They lead to a coherent representation of these phenomena , in rather good qualitative agreement with 1D modelling. But they emphasize also the importance of 2D effects. Insights obtained through combined LIF (on Xe+ ions) and OES diagnostics are also presented. They concern the ionization-acceleration region in the thruster plasma, where intrusive diagnostics are disturbing in nature, and open a new step for a significant improvement of the detailed understanding of these thrusters. Such improvements are required when looking at the final goal of a predicable modelling simulation able to help the design of optimized structures at various thrust levels, in spite of the important work devoted to these devices in the former USSR and by Russian teams in Moscow at the MIREA, MAI-RIAME and KOURCHATOV Institutes.

A method based on two phase shift measurements at two different modulation frequencies is proposed to determine simultaneously the actual bulk lifetime τb and the surface recombination velocity S in silicon wafers. Such a determination works, irrespectively, of the physical state of the surface or the passivation level, and is based on a microwave contactless technique, which allows mapping of τb and S with a spatial resolution of 50 μm.

OBJECTIVES: Although nursing homes are thought to be significant reservoirs of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, very few large population-based studies comparing antibiotic resistance prevalence in nursing homes and in the community have adjusted for patient characteristics. Our objective was to compare the prevalence of antibiotic resistance of Enterobacteriaceae cultured from urine samples of nursing home residents with that of community-dwelling adults, all aged 65 years or older. METHODS: This study analysed around 20 000 positive urine samples sent to a large laboratory in north-eastern France from 2014 to 2017, collected from individuals aged 65 years or older. A multivariable logistic regression model adjusted for patient characteristics (gender, age, year of sampling, presence of urinary catheter and number of urine samples/year) compared the resistance of Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis and Klebsiella pneumoniae to amoxicillin/clavulanate, nitrofurantoin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, nalidixic acid, ofloxacin, ciprofloxacin and ceftriaxone, as well as their possible EBSL production, in nursing home residents and community-dwellers. RESULTS: Nursing home residents had a higher adjusted OR (aOR) of Enterobacteriaceae (E. coli, P. mirabilis or K. pneumoniae) resistant to amoxicillin/clavulanate (aOR 1.38, 95% CI 1.27-1.50), ciprofloxacin (aOR 1.33, 95% CI 1.20-1.49) and ceftriaxone (aOR 1.37, 95% CI 1.15-1.63) or producing an ESBL (aOR 1.43, 95% CI 1.18-1.72), but did not differ in resistance to nitrofurantoin or trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. CONCLUSIONS: Elderly people in nursing homes had a risk around 40% higher than their community-dwelling peers of having antibiotic-resistant Enterobacteriaceae cultured from their urine samples. Antibiotic stewardship and infection prevention and control programmes should be implemented in nursing homes.

Introduction Selective reporting of antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) results is a potentially interesting tool for antibiotic stewardship. It consists of performing AST according to usual practices, but the results are reported to the prescriber only for a few antibiotics (i.e. first-line agents) or not reported at all when colonization is likely.Areas covered We retrieved 20 studies exploring the impact of selective reporting. Overall, selective reporting is able to influence antibiotic use, both discouraging prescription in case of colonization, and promoting the selection of narrow-spectrum agents. Most studies concerned urine samples. Evidence on the impact on antibiotic resistance is insufficient. Unintended consequences were not observed, but evidence on this topic is scarce. Selective reporting is well implemented in a few countries, and a huge heterogeneity of practices exists.Expert opinion Evidence shows that selective reporting can help reducing inappropriate and unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions. Uncomplicated urinary tract infections are probably the best initial target, both in hospital and community settings, but other non-severe infections can be a suitable option. The implementation of selective reporting should be promoted by the scientific community, with detailed practical guidelines, and its impact should be further assessed in large interventional studies.

A temporary network of 10 broad-band seismic stations has been installed in French Polynesia for the Polynesian Lithosphere and Upper Mantle Experiment (PLUME). All the seismic stations were installed either on volcanic islands or on atolls of the various archipelagos of French Polynesia in a manner which complements the geographic coverage provided by the regional permanent stations. The primary aim of PLUME is to image the upper mantle structures related to plate motion and hotspot activity. However, because of its proximity to all sites, the ocean is responsible for a high level of noise in the seismic data and we show that these data can also be used to analyse ocean wave activity. The power spectral density (PSD) analyses of the seismic data recorded in French Polynesia show clear peaks in the 0.05–0.10 Hz band (periods between 10 and 20 s), which corresponds to swell frequencies. Clear peaks in this frequency band are also observed in infrasonic data recorded on Tahiti. Ground motion analysis shows that the swell-related seismic noise (SRSN) is linearly polarized in the horizontal plane and its amplitude decreases rapidly with the distance from the shore. The microseismic and the infrasonic ‘noise’ amplitudes show very similar variations from station to station and both are strongly correlated with the swell amplitudes predicted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), wind-forced, ‘WaveWatch’ models. The swell direction can be estimated from SRSN polarization analysis but this has to be done with care since, for some cases, the ground motions are strongly controlled by the islands' anisometric shapes and by swell refraction processes. We find cases, however, such as Tahiti or roughly circular Tuamotu atolls, where the azimuth of the swell is in good agreement with the seismic estimates. We, therefore, demonstrate that the SRSN and the infrasonic signal observed in French Polynesia can be used in such cases as a proxy for swell amplitude and azimuth. From the continuous analysis of the data recorded in 2003 at the permanent seismic station PPTL in Tahiti, transfer functions have been obtained. This could provide a way to quantify the swell activity during the last two decades and, therefore, assist in the investigation of climate changes.

We have investigated the influence of the poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-blend-poly(styrene-sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) layer on the short-circuit current density (J(sc)) of single planar heterojunction organic solar cells based on a copper phthalocyanine (CuPc)-buckminsterfullerene (C(60)) active layer. Complete optical and electrical modeling of the cell has been performed taking into account optical interferences and exciton diffusion. Comparison of experimental and simulated external quantum efficiency has allowed us to estimate the exciton diffusion length to be 37 nm for the CuPc and 19 nm for the C(60). The dependence of short-circuit current densities versus the thickness of the PEDOT:PSS layer is analyzed and compared with experimental data. It is found that the variation in short-circuit current densities could be explained by optical interferences.

Abstract. The Asian monsoon anticyclone (AMA) represents one of the wettest regions in the lower stratosphere (LS) and is a key contributor to the global annual maximum in LS water vapour. While the AMA wet pool is linked with persistent convection in the region and horizontal confinement of the anticyclone, there remain ambiguities regarding the role of tropopause-overshooting convection in maintaining the regional LS water vapour maximum. This study tackles this issue using a unique set of observations from aboard the high-altitude M55-Geophysica aircraft deployed in Nepal in summer 2017 within the EU StratoClim project. We use a combination of airborne measurements (water vapour, ice water, water isotopes, cloud backscatter) together with ensemble trajectory modelling coupled with satellite observations to characterize the processes controlling water vapour and clouds in the confined lower stratosphere (CLS) of the AMA. Our analysis puts in evidence the dual role of overshooting convection, which may lead to hydration or dehydration depending on the synoptic-scale tropopause temperatures in the AMA. We show that all of the observed CLS water vapour enhancements are traceable to convective events within the AMA and furthermore bear an isotopic signature of the overshooting process. A surprising result is that the plumes of moist air with mixing ratios nearly twice the background level can persist for weeks whilst recirculating within the anticyclone, without being subject to irreversible dehydration through ice settling. Our findings highlight the importance of convection and recirculation within the AMA for the transport of water into the stratosphere.

Abstract The atmospheric composition of West Africa reflects the interaction of various dynamical and chemical systems (i.e. biogenic, urban, convective and long‐range transport) with signatures from local to continental scales. Recent measurements performed during the African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses (AMMA) observational periods in 2005 and 2006 provide new data which has allowed new insight into the processes within these systems that control the distribution of ozone and its precursors. Using these new data and recently published results, we provide an overview of these systems with a particular emphasis on ozone distributions over West Africa during the wet season. Copyright © 2010 Royal Meteorological Society

Abstract It is shown that after plastic deformation in clean conditions the most efficient recombination defects in Si are dislocation trails. The DLTS spectrum associated with the defects in the dislocation trails in p‐Si are revealed. The thermal annealing effect on the electrical properties of these extended defects has been studied. A complex annealing kinetics of defects in the dislocation trails is revealed by the EBIC and DLTS. It is shown that annealing at 800 °C essentially decreases the EBIC contrast of dislocation trails. The DLTS spectrum associated with dislocation trails is also found to disappear after such annealing. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &amp; Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

http://www.emse.fr/~picard/publications/gillani13endm.pdf

Abstract. For the first time, climatology of the middle atmosphere thermal structure is presented, based on 14 years of LIDAR and satellite (HALOE, SABER, CHAMP and COSMIC) temperature measurements. The data is collected over a southern sub-tropical site, Reunion Island (20.8° S; 55.5° E), for the height range between 30 and 60 km. The overall monthly mean temperature shows a maximum of 265–270 K at the stratopause height region from ~44–52 km and peaks during the months of March and November. Furthermore, the temperature profiles are compared with different satellite datasets (HALOE, CHAMP, COSMIC and SABER) and the results are found to be in reasonable agreement with each other, although a relative difference in temperature of ± 5 to 6 K is noticed. In comparison, LIDAR shows higher/lower temperatures for the lower mesosphere/upper stratosphere height region. The differences in temperature measured by the LIDAR and satellite measurements are analogous with previous results available elsewhere. Long-term temperature measurements are used to further study seasonal oscillations, especially annual, semi-annual and quasi-biennial oscillations. In comparison with SAO, the measured spectral amplitudes of AO shows dominant amplitudes in both the upper stratosphere and lower mesosphere height regions. Using LIDAR and the other satellite measurements, the quasi-biennial oscillation was found to be approximately 26 months. The spectral amplitudes are comparable to the results reported earlier by other researchers.

The goal of this article is to provide results on aerosol particles emissions of a laser Nd:YAG cutting technique used for the decommissioning of nuclear facilities. In particular, the study aims at characterizing the aerosol emitted during the cutting of steel specimens of different thicknesses and to study particulate emissions for cuts in air and under water. To do so, we calculate the emitted aerosol mass per unit area of cut. Overall, it was found that the mass of aerosol per unit area of cut by laser cutting decreases when the laser power and cutting speed increase. We also examine the performance of the height of the water column above the cut on the particle collection efficiency. We found that the driving phenomenon for particle collection is the scrubbing of particles by bubbles present in the water column. When cuts are realized under water, the production of aerosol particles mass per unit area of cut is reduced by a factor of 10 and limited below 70 g m–2.

Ultramafic (mg#>88) xenoliths from the Tertiary Veneto Volcanic Province (SE Alps, Italy) are characterized by variable depletion due to removal of a basaltic component and show significant trace element and isotopic (87Sr/86Sr: 0.703031-0.704356; 143Nd/144Nd: 0.512817-0.513085; 206Pb/204Pb: 18.539-19.694; 207Pb/204Pb: 15.608-15.658; 208Pb/204Pb: 38.412-39.660; δ18O: 6.6-11.2‰) heterogeneity. Variable large-ion lithophile and light rare earth/high field strength element ratios and isotopic compositions occur in samples showing comparable mineralogy and major element content. Petrologic and geochemical characteristics of whole rocks and minerals may be explained by metasomatism of the local mantle lithosphere induced by both alkaline magmas upwelling to the surface (OIB-like mantle diapirism) and interaction with slab-derived material. In comparison with the geochemistry of xenoliths carried by alkaline magmas in typical within-plate tectonic environments, the Veneto xenoliths record a major heterogeneity of the local lithosphere. This appears to be related to a geodynamic scenario that was previously dominated by active continental collision, in which plume-like magmatism subsequently manifested itself.

International audience

Abstract. European Space Agency’s (ESA) Aeolus satellite mission is the first Doppler wind lidar in space, operating in orbit for more than three years since August 2018 and providing global wind profiling throughout the entire troposphere and the lower stratosphere. The Observatoire de Haute Provence (OHP) in southern France and the Observatoire de Physique de l’Atmosphère à La Réunion (OPAR) are equipped with ground-based Doppler Rayleigh-Mie lidars, which operate on similar principles to the Aeolus lidar, and are among essential instruments within ESA Aeolus Cal/Val program. This study presents the validation results of the L2B Rayleigh-clear HLOS winds from September 2018 to January 2022. The point-by-point validation exercise relies on a series of validation campaigns at both observatories: AboVE (Aeolus Validation Experiment) that were held in September 2019 and June 2021 at OPAR, and in January 2019 and December 2021 at OHP. The campaigns involved time-coordinated lidar acquisitions and radiosonde ascents collocated with the nearest Aeolus overpasses. During AboVE-2, Aeolus was operated in a campaign mode with an extended range bin setting allowing inter-comparisons up to 28.7 km. We show that this setting suffers from larger random error in the uppermost bins, exceeding the estimated error, due to lack of backscatter at high altitudes. To evaluate the long-term evolution in Aeolus wind product quality, twice-daily routine Météo-France radiosondes and regular lidar observations were used at both sites. This study evaluates the long-term evolution of the satellite performance along with punctual collocation analyses. On average, we find a systematic error (bias) of −0.92 ms-1 and −0.79 ms-1 and a random error (scaled MAD) of 6.49 ms-1 and 5.37 ms-1 for lidar and radiosondes, respectively.