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Summary Genetic testing has increased the number of variants identified in disease genes, but the diagnostic utility is limited by lack of understanding variant function. CARD11 encodes an adaptor protein that expresses dominant-negative and gain-of-function variants associated with distinct immunodeficiencies. Here, we used a “cloning-free” saturation genome editing approach in a diploid cell line to simultaneously score 2,542 variants for decreased or increased function in the region of CARD11 associated with immunodeficiency. We also described an exon-skipping mechanism for CARD11 dominant-negative activity. The classification of reported clinical variants was sensitive (94.6%) and specific (88.9%), which rendered the data immediately useful for interpretation of seven coding and splicing variants implicated in immunodeficiency found in our clinic. This approach is generalizable for variant interpretation in many other clinically actionable genes, in any relevant cell type.

Resume But de l’etude La chirurgie expose a des complications parfois graves ; celles-ci peuvent exposer a des reclamations. Le but de ce travail est d’analyser les demarches medicales conduites dans ces situations afin d’en degager des enseignements pour ameliorer la prise en charge des patients et prevoir le cas echeant a la fois les complications et les reclamations. Patients et Methodes Deux cent trente et un dossiers independants ont ete analyses par deux chirurgiens visceraux. Les caracteristiques des patients, de l’information, de l’intervention, de l’evenement source de la reclamation, les reinterventions, transferts, deces et leurs causes ont ete recensees. Toute faute qu’elle ait ete consideree par l’expert ou par l’instance et inversement a ete retenue, y compris tout accord amiable proposee par l’assurance, meme si dans certains cas, aucune veritable faute n’a ete mise en evidence. Resultats L’âge moyen des patients etait de 62 ans. Les pathologies concernees se repartissaient en 3 tiers : cancer, sigmoidite et autres pathologies. L’evenement est survenu dans 69,2 % des cas pendant l’hospitalisation. Les evenements les plus frequents etaient la fistule (34,1 %), les plaies des organes de voisinage (16,4 %). Parmi les patients, 36,7 % ont ete transferes, 31,1 % sont decedes. Au moins une faute a ete retenue dans 46,8 % des dossiers. La fistule a toujours ete consideree comme un alea. Le principal reproche allegue est le retard present dans pres de 2 dossiers sur 3 : retard de communication, d’examens, de traitements medicaux, de reintervention, de transfert. Conclusion Une information specifique et une check list efficace permettent de prevenir les complications. En postoperatoire, une demarche active, mise en route sans delai, de l’ensemble de l’equipe devant tout evenement inattendu favorise une recuperation rapide et pourrait eviter les reclamations ; les examens, parfois mis en defaut, restent complementaires comme leur nom l’indique.

International audience; Annual phytoplankton succession is a key ecological phenomenon that drives marine species' life cycles and energy flows within marine ecosystems. Identifying processes that control annual succession is critical to anticipate climate-induced environmental perturbations of this phenomenon and the consequences upon ecosystem functioning. Here, we demonstrate that diatoms in the North Sea undergo strong morphological changes throughout the year and that species with similar phenology possess comparable morphological traits (e.g. cell elongation) and ecological niches. The spring and autumn periods appear to be dominated by oblates (flattened cells) whereas the summer period is dominated by prolates (elongated cells). Elongation of the cell shape enhances buoyancy and confers a selective advantage in stratified low-nutrient waters typical of summer without changing a diatom's surface area/volume ratio or its ability to absorb nutrients. Diatom shape thus appears to have evolved as a key adaptation to a specific environment and confers upon a species its specific niche and phenology, and therefore its place in the sequence of annual succession. As a result, shape influences temporal changes in the abundance of diatoms and their putative response to environmental forcing. We suggest that biogeochemical and earth-system models should include diatom cell shape as a parameter in order to improve model predictions and help our understanding of the consequences of climate change on marine ecosystems.

International audience; The time scales of a catchment hydrologic response in a human impacted intra-Apennine basin, was assessed by a power spectral analysis. Turbidity and streamflow data, at high resolution (10 min) have been considered during four years. The turbidity and streamflow have heavy tails that follow approximately Pareto distributions. Both also display scaling Fourier power spectra of the form f-b, over different scaling ranges: from 10 min to one day for the turbidity and from 1 h to 20 days for the streamflow data. For both locations the slope for the streamflow is close to b = 1.7, whereas for turbidity the values b = 1.68 and 2.25 are found for the upstream and downstream locations, respectively. The turbidity dataset at the downstream station has a steeper slope than the upstream station, implying a higher persistence of the turbidity fluctuations: this change of slope shows that the effect of the river channel and catchment is similar to a fractional integration from the upstream to the downstream data. Furthermore, the delay times of the turbidity dataset, and hence of suspended sediment, were calculated using a co-spectrum between the series and indicating characteristic transit times of 25 days and 145 days.

We consider here the works of French, British, and German researchers in fluid mechanics from 1870 to the beginning of the twentieth century. Our aim is to understand how the term “turbulence” introduced by William Thomson in 1887, which was not used by the main researchers of the time, including Joseph Boussinesq, Osborne Reynolds, Lord Rayleigh, Horace Lamb in the first editions of his book, became classical in the 1920s. We trace the first introductions of the terms “turbulence”, “turbulent flow” in the works of relatively unknown researchers between 1889 and 1903, until it reaches the vocabulary of mainstream researchers in fluid mechanics and physics. Our result is that the shift was in 1906–1908, when the term was used in the 1906 edition of the book of Horace Lamb, and in Lanchester's book, followed by a series of papers of German researchers before the First World War. The use of the word “turbulence”, a word used for a long time for crowds or for children, in a scientific context, corresponds to the introduction of a new concept, a new understanding of a scientific phenomenon clearly identified as being different from laminar motion. The study of the use of this term is also the study of the diffusion of a new concept among researchers of the time.

Supply chains often experience significant economic losses from disruptions such as facility breakdowns, transportation mishaps, natural calamities, and intentional attacks. To help respond and recover from a disruption, we investigate adjustments in order activity across four echelons including assembly. Simulation experiments reveal that the impact of a disruption depends on its location, with costlier and longer lasting impacts occurring from disruptions at echelons close to ultimate consumption. Cost functions based on system inventory and service can be quite ill-behaved in these complex problem settings. Expediting, an adaptive ordering approach often used to mitigate disruptions, can trigger unintended bullwhip effects, and hurt rather than help overall performance. As an alternative to expediting interventions, dynamic order-up-to policies show promise as an adaptive mitigation tool. We also find benefits in the dynamic policies from incorporating a metaheuristic parameter search over multiple echelons, yielding significantly better solution quality than embedded unimodal search.

Introduction Postoperative ileus(POI) and anastomotic leakage(AL) are highly associated but the direction of this link is unknown. Indeed, it has traditionally been stated that AL leads to POI(secondary POI). The objective was to statistically determine the best model of link between POI and AL by comparing different Structural Equation Models(SEM). Methods This is a retrospective analysis of a prospective multicentric database from the Francophone Group for Enhanced Recovery after surgery(GRACE) including patients undergoing colorectal resection or Hartmann reversal between 2014 and 2017. The main outcome measure was the occurrence of postoperative ileus defined by the absence of Gastrointestinal (GI)-3 recovery in or after postoperative day 4 and the occurrence of AL. Results Among the 2227 patients included, 223 patients experienced POI (10 %) and 72 patients experienced anastomotic leakage (3.2 %). In all the models, POI was significantly increased in case of male gender, older age, opioids consumption, right colectomy, chronic obstructive bronchopneumopathy disease and performance of a stoma, and reduced by Enhanced Recovery Programs (ERP) compliance ≥ 70 % and intake of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs. Open surgery was not significantly associated with POI in all the models. In contrast, the male gender was the only factor increasing AL in the model drawn with ERP risk factors for AL. In all the models, POI was highly associated with AL and statistical analyses advocate for POI leading to AL. Conclusion The findings of the present large study suggest that the more statistically probable model is the one in which POI come first before AL.

In future, an additional potential of control reserve as well as storage capacities will be necessary to compensate fluctuating energy generators such as wind and solar power plants. The core objective of the joint research project “arrivee” is the integration of widely available wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) with anaerobic sludge digestion into an optimized control reserve and storage concept. Therefore the excellent technical conditions of those plants such as combined heat and power (CHP) units as well as gas storage units will be used. By means of analyzing energy consumption and production processes of existing WWTPs the potential to provide ancillary services for energy grids is investigated. Using a mathematical model of an existing WWTPs the effects of external interventions for the supply of ancillary services under different conditions are tested. Therefore, different processes will be analyzed in detail. The integration of WWTPs into a virtual power plant (VPP) is mandatory because a single plant can’t provide enough capacity to participate on energy markets. The initial results present a theoretical potential of control reserve of WWTPs in Germany focusing on a CHP/gas unit of a magnitude of 300 MW el . This results show a substantial potential of WWTPs to provide ancillary services, by reshaping the existing infrastructure in a sustainable, ecological and economic way. This may contribute significantly to a stable operation of energy grids and to further integration of renewable energy sources in the frame of energy system transition.

The purpose of this study is to develop a decision support system (DSS) for the technical sustainability assessment of water distribution systems (WDSs). The technical sustainability is assessed based on the sustainability index methodology using reliability, resiliency, and vulnerability as performance criteria. These performance criteria are visualized by the DSS combining several visualization techniques to improve the raw data readability and the effectiveness of the decision-making process. The technical sustainability of the existing WDS is assessed using the sustainability index methodology and two alternative scenarios are proposed to improve the sustainability. The “new pump” scenario is based on adding network components. The second scenario is based on using reclaimed water for non-potable water demand and fire flow. The results show that the DSS is effective to illustrate time-dependent variables in the WDS and that the sustainability index methodology is a credible approach to compare scenarios and to identify problematic locations.

Ice cloud bulk scattering models are derived for 445 discrete wavelengths between 0.2 µm and 100 µm. The methodology for deriving these optical models is based on microphysical data from 11 field campaigns using a variety of in situ probes, and incorporates a correction to mitigate the impact of ice particles that shatter at the probe inlets. The models are also based on a new library of ice habit single scattering properties developed for plates, droxtals, hollow and solid columns, hollow and solid bullet rosettes, an aggregate of solid columns, and a small/large aggregate of plates. Three sets of models are developed that assume the use of solid columns only, the aggregate of solid columns only, and a general habit mixture that incorporates all the habits. The consistency of the resulting models is explored. While the general habit mixture provides consistency with in situ microphysical measurements and the closest agreement with polarized reflectivities observed by the POLDER instrument on the PARASOL satellite, the aggregate of severely roughened solid columns provides the closest agreement between solar and infrared optical thicknesses. Finally, spectral results are presented for the shortwave and longwave models.

In the marine environment, many fields have fluctuations over a large range of different spatial and temporal scales. These quantities can be nonlinear \red{and} non-stationary, and often interact with each other. A good method to study the multiple scale dynamics of such time series, and their correlations, is needed. In this paper an application of an empirical mode decomposition based time dependent intrinsic correlation, \red{of} two coastal oceanic time series, temperature and dissolved oxygen (saturation percentage) is presented. The two time series are recorded every 20 minutes \red{for} 7 years, from 2004 to 2011. The application of the Empirical Mode Decomposition on such time series is illustrated, and the power spectra of the time series are estimated using the Hilbert transform (Hilbert spectral analysis). Power-law regimes are found with slopes of 1.33 for dissolved oxygen and 1.68 for temperature at high frequencies (between 1.2 and 12 hours) \red{with} both close to 1.9 for lower frequencies (time scales from 2 to 100 days). Moreover, the time evolution and scale dependence of cross correlations between both series are considered. The trends are perfectly anti-correlated. The modes of mean year 3 and 1 year have also negative correlation, whereas higher frequency modes have a much smaller correlation. The estimation of time-dependent intrinsic correlations helps to show patterns of correlations at different scales, for different modes., 35 pages with 22 figures

International audience; A good knowledge of the intermittency of global solar radiation is crucial for selecting the location of a solar power plant and predicting the generation of electricity. This paper presents a multifractal analysis study of 367 daily global solar radiation sequences measured with a sampling rate of 1 Hz over one year at Guadeloupean Archipelago (French West Indies) located at 16 150N latitude and 60 300W longitude. The mean power spectrum computed follows a power law behavior close to the Kolmogorov spectrum. The intermittent and multifractal properties of global solar radiation data are investigated using several methods. Under this basis, a characterization for each day using three multifractal parameters is proposed.

Photosynthetic parameters, phytoplankton assemblages and physicochemical parameters were analysed in the Strait of Dover along an inshore–offshore transect between September 2008 and December 2009. The samples were collected weekly at 9 stations only at the surface or at both surface and depth. The photosynthetic activity was obtained by measuring Rapid Light Curves (RLC) using Pulse Amplitude Modulated (PAM) fluorometry. Temporal variability of the maximal light utilization efficiency ( α ), maximum electron transport rate (ETR m ) and light saturation coefficient ( E k ) were greater than spatial variability (in horizontal and vertical dimensions) whereas temporal variability of the maximum quantum yield ( F v / F m ) was of the same order of magnitude as its spatial variability within the water column (in the vertical dimension). ETR m and α were positively correlated and the slope of the relation varied significantly between the different depths and seasons. The highest values of ETR m and α were obtained in summer (June) and late autumn – early winter (September–October & December) and the lowest in spring (March–April). The spatial variability of these parameters was greater vertically than horizontally. Differences between depths were particularly pronounced at the station nearest to the coast where photosynthetic response seems to be controlled by the light history of the cells. Seasonal variability in photosynthetic activity was mostly related to phytoplankton assemblages, light and temperature whereas the light history of the cells within the water column could be the most important factor in depth variability.

At the Auca Mahuevo locality in the Upper Cretaceous Anacleto Formation in Patagonia, Argentina pedogenic processes associated with Vertisol development affected changes in both individual titanosaur egg morphology and three-dimensional egg distribution. These changes resulted primarily from vertical and lateral movement within fluvial overbank sediments due to clay mineral expansion and contraction in alternating wet and dry seasonal conditions. At the scale of individual sauropod eggs, pedogenic sediment movement produced egg shearing, eggshell fracture and displacement, mechanical abrasion of egg ornamentation, and alteration of egg size and shape. Movement of either individual eggs or subsets of eggs along slickensided surfaces (1) modified the number and relative position of eggs within individual clutches, (2) combined eggs of one of more clutches produced by different females, and (3) combined eggs from one or more nesting horizons, producing a time-averaged fossil assemblage. These mechanisms of egg rearrangement suggest that accurate interpretation of dinosaur reproductive behavior using fossil egg assemblages preserved in fine-grained fluvial overbank deposits require careful assessment of pedogenic processes.

International audience; Tidal current structure and turbulent quantities within a tidal bottom boundary layer (BBL) have been examined using an upward-looking acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP). The instrument was deployed on the seafloor, off the north-eastern French coast in the eastern English Channel over 12 tidal cycles and covered the period of the transition from mean spring to neap tide. Forcing regimes varied from calm to moderate storm conditions during the deployment. For the study of turbulent quantities in the BBL, we have chosen a calm period, when an effect of surface waves on the velocity structure was negligible. Stresses were found to vary regularly with the predominantly semidiurnal tidal flow, with the along-shore stress being generally greater during the flood flow (∼3.0 Pa) than during the ebb flow (∼−1.5 Pa). The turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) production rate, P, TKE density, Q, and its dissipation rate, ε, followed a nearly regular cycle with close to quarter-diurnal period. Near the seabed, peak values of P, Q and ε were found to be 0.5 W m−3, 0.5 m2 s−2 and, 0.04 W m−3, respectively, during the flood while, during the ebb, these quantities reached lesser values: 0.1 W m−3, 0.1 m2 s−2 and 0.03 W m−3, respectively. Near the bottom, eddy viscosity, Az, peak ranged from about 0.1 m2 s−1 during the flood to 0.03 m2 s−1 during the ebb flow. Away from the bottom, Az increased to reach a maximum near the mid-depth. Time-depth variation of the P/ε ratio indicated that the turbulence in the BBL, most of the time, was at a non-equilibrium state (P/ε≠1). The largest deviation from the equilibrium occurred during the flood, when P/ε exceeded about one decade near the bottom. During the ebb, P/ε was close to the equilibrium state, slightly decreasing with height above the bottom. Results are found to be in a good agreement with those of the other researches working on direct measurements of turbulence in tidal flows.

International audience; Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells operating in alkaline media present various advantages. As an alternative to fossil origin polymer electrolytes, the synthesis of crosslinked anion exchange membranes based on cellulose is described in this paper. Using cellulose p-toluenesulfonate derivatives, a carbohydrate polymer bearing quaternary ammonium moieties is synthesized by a reaction with 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane. Membranes are then obtained by crosslinking this cationic polymer with diiodobutane. IR and NMR spectroscopy together with elemental analysis confirmed structures of the different intermediates. In order to complete this study, Ionic Exchange Capacity, Water Uptake and conductimetry data are also provided.

SummaryAlthough both natural and induced regulatory T (nTreg and iTreg) cells can enforce tolerance, the mechanisms underlying their synergistic actions have not been established. We examined the functions of nTreg and iTreg cells by adoptive transfer immunotherapy of newborn Foxp3-deficient mice. As monotherapy, only nTreg cells prevented disease lethality, but did not suppress chronic inflammation and autoimmunity. Provision of Foxp3-sufficient conventional T cells with nTreg cells reconstituted the iTreg pool and established tolerance. In turn, acute depletion of iTreg cells in rescued mice resulted in weight loss and inflammation. Whereas the transcriptional signatures of nTreg and in vivo-derived iTreg cells were closely matched, there was minimal overlap in their T cell receptor (TCR) repertoires. Thus, iTreg cells are an essential nonredundant regulatory subset that supplements nTreg cells, in part by expanding TCR diversity within regulatory responses.

Environmental conditions such as illumination, hydrodynamics, and densities of organisms affect behavior of both, fish fry and their prey with impacts on trophic interactions in ecosystems and aquaculture management alike. The present study demonstrated that the copepod Pseudodiaptomus annandalei perceived juvenile fry of the grouper Epinephelus coioides as predators and exhibited escape reactions mediated mainly by physical and/or chemical signals. Under illumination, prey capture rates were significantly greater ( p U test) at moderate turbulence (747 ± 104 individuals/h, n = 3) than in calm water (597 ± 76 individuals/h, n = 3). The maximum darting speed of copepods in response to sensing fish fry in calm water was significantly greater (one-way ANOVA, p

The local wall shear stress (WSS) mapping in the rotating cage (RC) has been obtained from measuring the diffusion current due to the electrochemical reduction of methyl viologen used as tracer system for both Newtonian and non-Newtonian solutions. The latter were achieved with oleyltrimethyl ammonium, a cationic surfactant, and sodium salicylate as counter-ion, forming thread-like micelles which induce drag reduction conditions. The maximum WSS values were detected in the middle of the coupon in agreement with observation of corroded coupons in erosion–corrosion tests. Maximum values of 65% for drag reduction were measured at the same locations.

International audience; We consider here behavioural activity of copepods as a succession of symbols associated with swimming states: slow swimming, fast swimming, break and grooming. We characterise these symbolic sequences using tools from symbolic dynamics: probability density function of the residence times in each state; transition probability at each time step; Shannon entropy and dynamic entropy. This approach is applied to the swimming behaviour of Centropages hamatus which we have analyzed as an example of application, in order to stress the differences associated with turbulent and non-turbulent conditions. We characterise in this theoretical framework the behavioural changes exhibited by the copepod under turbulent conditions

International audience; Limited empirical studies have elucidated the daily egg production and associated reproductive processes of egg bearing copepod. Herein, we present an individual-based model which constitutes a realistic representation of the reproduction in egg bearing copepods. The model has been parameterized using an extensive set of experimental data obtained from the literature and from the laboratory and field experiments on the estuarine copepod Eurytemora affinis. The proposed model takes into account the adult female longevity, the clutch size and interclutch duration, which is a function of egg maturation time and latency time required by the female after egg hatching to produce a new clutch. The embryonic development time and hatching success are also taken into account. The effect of temperature on the means and variances of above-mentioned reproductive parameters has been also incorporated. A multi agent system based generic platform "Mobidyc" has been used to generate and calibrate the model. The model demonstrates the reproductive parameters of females of E. affinis which is validated through individual based experiments. Temperature specific simulations provide a dynamical explanation of temperature effect on the cumulative egg production. The daily survival principally affects the number of clutches produced per female during its life span. The results obtained in the present study by combining temperature and survival effects reveal the relatively greater importance of the first factor on the daily egg production of egg-carrying copepods. The present model is generic and hence easily applicable to other animals with comparable reproductive strategy.

We consider here, the fluctuations of turbidity, oxygen and pH time series recorded from the MAREL system (Ifremer, France), which is based on the deployment of data buoys equipped with water analysis capabilities in an automated mode. We perform a spectral analysis (from 10 min to years) of these time series, and we estimate their probability density functions. Oxygen, turbidity and pH are important quantities for ecosystem studies and physics–biology couplings, and their fluctuations reveal the possible influence of environmental factors such as tides and turbulence. Turbidity variability is highly complex and does not appear to be directly coupled to turbulence, since no clear range is visible. On the other hand, oxygen percentage of saturation and pH data show remarkably nice scaling ranges, indicating an important coupling with turbulence, but also biological or chemical activity, since the statistics differ markedly from passive scalars. Several possible sources of this variability are discussed.

Article-at-a-Glance Background A study was conducted to test whether patient reports of medical errors via surveys could produce sufficiently accurate information to be used as a measure of patient safety. Methods A survey mailed regularly by a large multispecialty medical group to recent patients to assess their satisfaction and error experiences was expanded to collect more details about the patient-perceived errors. Following an initial mailing to 3,109 patients and parents of child patients soon after they had office visits in June 2005, usable mailed or phone follow-up responses were obtained from 1,998 respondents (65.1% adjusted). Responses were reviewed through a two-stage process that included chart audits and implicit physician reviewer judgments. The analysis categorized the review results and compared patient-reported errors with satisfaction. Results Of the 1,998 respondents, 219 (11.0%) reported 247 separate incidents, for a rate of 12.4 errors per 100 patients. After complete review, only 5 (2.0%) of these incidents were judged to be real clinician errors. Most appeared to represent misunderstandings or behavior/communication problems, but 15.4% lacked sufficient information to categorize. Women, Hispanics, and those aged 41–60 years were most likely to report errors. Those respondents making error reports were much more likely to report visit dissatisfaction than those not reporting them (odds ratio [OR] = 13.8, p Discussion Although patient reports of perceived errors might be useful to improve the patient experience of care, they cannot be used to measure technical medical errors and patient safety reliably without added evaluation. This study's findings need to be replicated elsewhere before generalizing from one metropolitan region and a patient population that is about two-thirds members of one health plan.

In fossil vertebrate eggs, the most commonly reported abnormality consists of an unusually thick shell with one or more superimposed eggshell layers. Although rare, taxonomically referable abnormal specimens provide a more reliable basis for inferences regarding reproductive biology of extinct taxa. Eggshell abnormalities recognized in a Cretaceous turtle and three dinosaurs (hadrosaur, sauropod, theropod) are assigned to these taxa base on: 1) normal eggs containing embryos within the same clutch, 2) identical eggshell microstructure as eggs containing embryonic remains from the same stratum; and 3) inclusion of normal eggs of the same oospecies in a cladistic analysis of egg characters. Distinguishing multiple eggshell layers of biological origin from those produced by taphonomic processes is a critical component in the study of fossil specimens. Features useful for distinguishing a pathological condition in fossil eggs include: 1) multiple eggshell layers separated by permineralized membrane, 2) close conformation of the base of the outer eggshell to the unweathered surface of the underlying egg, and 3) structural relationships of eggshell features (e.g. pore truncation, intercalated membrane and shell fragments, optical continuity of superimposed fragments). Documentation of microstructural features of abnormal eggshell provides important information on the timing and magnitude of stress and facilitates recognition of phylogenetically significant patterns of egg abnormality in the fossil record.

In fully developed turbulence, intermittency is classically characterized by ζ E ( q ) , the Eulerian scaling exponent of structure functions. The same approach can be used in a Lagrangian framework, using ζ L ( q ) to characterize the temporal intermittency of the velocity of a particle advected by a turbulent intermittent field. An interesting question is then to know how to relate the scaling functions and explore the links between ζ L ( q ) and ζ E ( q ) . We first provide different transformations between these functions, associated to different transformations linking space and time scales. We test these relations using experimental estimates for the two functions. For small and medium order of moments they are both close to data. For larger moments, experimental estimates have still too much scatter to conclude. The present paper underlines the need of more precise estimates and provides a methodology for future comparisons of Eulerian and Lagrangian scaling exponents.

We consider symbolic sequences of copepod behavior, classified as “break” and “slow swimming” states. Successive residence times for each state have been recorded for 327 symbolic times series obtained from 52 different trajectories. We performed a symbolic dynamics analysis of the succession of states and showed that the probability densities of the duration of each state obey power-laws for large times. We analyzed the transition between states and showed as expected, the non-Markovian properties of this dynamics. We further simulate a copepod trajectory using an alternate renewal process for the generation of the sequence time series, and using a Brownian motion for the copepod motion during swimming periods.

In this paper a new simulation platform, “Mobidyc”, dedicated to non-computer expert end-users, is used to illustrate the advantages of such platforms for simulating population dynamics in space and time. Using dedicated and open-source platforms probably represents a necessary step to guarantee the readability and comparison between models and/or scenarios. The “Mobidyc” platform is specifically dedicated to population dynamics with 2D-discrete spatial representation. We show first how to build easily stage-structured population dynamics models, on the basis of an experimental parameterization of the population dynamic of the copepod Eurytemora affinis, the most dominant species in estuaries of the Northern hemisphere. We subsequently focus on the role of spatial representation and the possible sources of heterogeneities in copepod populations. The sources generating patterns in our examples are strictly endogenous to the population and individual characteristics. They are generated by the random walk of individual at local scale and the demographic processes (birth, metamorphosis and mortality) at the population scale in the absence of any externally imposed pattern. The large spatio-temporal data sets of abundances of total population are analysed statistically. Spatial and temporal patterns are investigated using models and data analysis techniques initially developed in the fields of turbulence and nonlinear physics (e.g. scaling and multi-scaling approaches for data analysis and stochastic simulation). Finally, the role of simulation tools for theoretical studies is discussed in this paper.

Intermittency, a fundamental property of high Reynolds number turbulence, has seldom been described in ocean sciences. As a consequence, and despite several recent studies describing the intermittent distributions of temperature, salinity, nutrient concentrations, phytoplankton biomass and zooplankton abundance, the implications of intermittency on (i) the distribution of purely passive and biologically active scalars (e.g., phytoplankton cells) and (ii) biophysical couplings in the ocean are still poorly understood. We thus present both terminological and phenomenological clarification of the intermittency concept in turbulence studies. Next, univariate multifractal procedures investigating the properties of intermittent stochastic processes are presented. They characterize the statistics of intermittent variables using a set of three basic parameters in the multifractal framework, whatever the scales and the intensity. The multifractal formalism is then extended to more than one variable to investigate the degree of dependence among random fields by investigating the nature of their joint distribution. The main advantages of these unusual formalisms are that they make no assumptions about the spectrum or the distribution of data sets, fully take into account the intrinsic multiscaling properties of the data, and more generally explore qualitatively and quantitatively the correlations of large and small fluctuations of processes.

Real-time spectroscopic ellipsometry was used to monitor the nucleation behavior of Ge grown on H-terminated Si(100) at 500 °C and H-terminated Si(111) with

Low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) of germanium crystallites on silicon surfaces from a digermane precursor has been studied in situ and in real time by spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) in the range 1.2–4.7 eV and ex situ by scanning force microscopy (SFM). As substrates, hydrogen-terminated silicon surfaces were employed. A two-layer model consisting of a pure germanium layer and a layer of germanium islands, was used to simulate the ellipsometric data. To treat the wetting and island layer a Bruggemann effective medium approximation (EMA) of germanium and voids was used. The time evolution of the wetting layer and the island layer, could be described independently by the model, resulting in separate growth rates for each layer. The onset and end of nucleation could be determined with high-time resolution. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the evaluation of real-time ellipsometric data to model Stranski–Krastanow (SK) growth of germanium on a silicon surface. Measurements of the topography by SFM showed a smooth surface between germanium islands at the end of the deposition process. The amount of Ge contained in the islands is in good agreement with a theoretical growth model.

In order to determine the driving force of coherent island nucleation and growth, the formation of Ge islands on H-terminated Si(100) surfaces has been investigated by spectroscopic ellipsometry in real time. The process of island nucleation is found to be accompanied by a strong reduction of the wetting layer thickness. The results indicate that, in this case, islands are nucleated mainly due to the relaxation of the stress energy in the wetting layer. Thermodynamic and kinetic models have been developed for this process. It is shown that the free energy of stress-driven formation of islands contains a saddle point. The value of free energy at this point determines the nucleation process. The time evolution of the thickness of the wetting layer is described and the time dependencies of the nucleation rate and surface density of islands are calculated. Good agreement between this theory and real-time ellipsometric analysis of the growth process is found.

A 3D copepod trajectory is recorded in the laboratory, using 2 digital cameras. The copepod undergoes a very structured type of trajectory, with successive moves displaying intermittent amplitudes. We perform a statistical analysis of this 3D trajectory using statistical tools developed in the field of turbulence and anomalous diffusion. We show that the walk belongs to "multifractal random walks", characterized by a nonlinear moment scaling function for the distance versus time. To our knowledge, this is the first experimental study of multifractal anomalous diffusion. We then propose a new type of stochastic process reproducing these multifractal scaling properties. This can be directly used for stochastic numerical simulations, and is thus of important potential applications in the field of animal movement study, and more generally of anomalous diffusion studies., Comment: 40 pp., including 11 Figs. In press in Physica A

A new treatment predicting the extinction and absorption properties of ice particles is evaluated in this study using laboratory measurements of the extinction efficiency, Q ext . In this treatment, the degree of ‘photon tunneling’ for ice crystals is unspecified, and laboratory measurements of Q ext were used in conjunction with this scheme to quantify the significance of this process by determining a tunneling factor, denoted t f . The term tunneling here refers to the interaction of a particle with radiation outside its area cross-section. A t f of 1.0 corresponds to tunneling exhibited by ice spheres as predicted by Mie theory, while a t f of 0 indicates no tunneling. The laboratory work entailed Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) for optical depth measurements in an ice cloud grown in a chamber, over a wavelength range of 2– 18 μm . From these measurements, the extinction efficiency Q ext as a function of wavelength was determined. Ice particle size spectra were measured in the cloud chamber, and were used to predict Q ext using the radiation scheme noted above and also using a new implementation of T-matrix, which is based on the exact geometry of a ‘pristine’ hexagonal ice crystal, without approximating the crystal as a spheroid. Results show that t f values determined from the laboratory measurements and the new radiation scheme are qualitatively in agreement with t f values based on fundamental theory. Mean Q ext errors (relative to measured Q ext ) over all wavelengths sampled were ⩽3.0% when using a constant optimized t f in the radiation scheme, and ⩽2.3% when using a t f scheme based on complex angular momentum theory. Moreover, Q ext as predicted from T-matrix over the wavelength interval 8– 12 μm is also in excellent agreement with the measured Q ext . A single wavelength calculation at 14 μm was performed using the finite difference time domain (FDTD) and T-matrix methods, both of which agreed precisely with the measured Q ext value. This validates the integrity of T-matrix, FDTD, the new radiation scheme, and the laboratory measurements for the corresponding range of wavelengths and size parameters. Collectively, these results indicate the tunneling contributions predicted for solid hexagonal columns are realistic.

We measured the concentrations of Cl^−, NO_3^−, and SO_4^(2−) in atmospheric cloudwater collected with a passive collector from a remote marine site and the concentrations of Cl^−, NO_3^−, SO_4^(2−), Na^+ and NH_4^+ in cloudwater from a continental site. At the continental site, an active rotating arm collector was employed for cloudwater collection. At both locations, we observed an inverse relationship between the measured ion concentrations and the liquid water content of the clouds. The product of the observed concentrations and the liquid water content, the cloudwater loading, was found to be nearly constant. A study of published cloudwater data showed that at the majority of the examined locations this product varied little at any given site, whereas large differences exist between sites. The finding of the small variation in cloudwater loadings could be explained by the hypothesis that nucleation scavenging is the dominant process in the acquisition of solutes into hydro-meteors during fog and cloud formation.

Evidence is growing that incorrect field-shaping is a major cause of treatment failure in whole-brain irradiation (WBI). To evaluate the potential benefits of CT simulation in WBI we compared field-shaping based on 3D CT simulation to conventional 2D simulation.CT head scans were obtained from 20 patients. Conventional 2D planning was imitated by drawing the block contours on digitally reconstructed radiographs (DRR) by four radiotherapists. Critical parts of the target and the eye lenses were subsequently marked and planning was repeated using 3D information ("3D planning"). The results of both methods were compared by evaluation of the minimal distance from the field edge according to each site.In conventional planning using DRR, major geographic mismatches (-3 mm) occurred in the subfrontal region and both eye lenses with 1% each location. Minor mismatches (-3 to 0 mm) predominantly occurred in the contralateral lens (21%), ipsilateral lens (10%), and subfrontal region (9%). Close margins (0-5 mm) were most frequently noted at the contralateral lens (49%), ipsilateral lens (35 %), and the subfrontal region (28%). When 3D planning was used, mismatches were not found. However, close margins were inevitable at the ipsilateral lens (5%), subfrontal region (30%), and contralateral lens (70%).CT simulation in WBI is significantly superior to conventional simulation with respect to complete coverage of the target volume and protection of the eye lenses. The narrow passage between the ocular lenses and lamina cribrosa represents a serious limitation. These patients are safely identified with CT simulation and can be referred for modified irradiation techniques.

In order to improve the engine output and the efficiency of gas turbines, optimized thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) are required to protect the metallic components at high temperatures. In common TBC-systems, consisting of a Ni-base alloy substrate/MCrAlY-bond coat/ZrO 2 7 wt.% Y 2 O 3 top coat, an oxide layer grows at the interface bond coat/ceramic under high temperature service, which limits the life of these coatings. In this paper the oxidation resistance of a new triplex TBC-system, consisting of a CoNiCrAlY-bond coat/Pt-modified aluminide coating/ZrO 2 7 wt.% Y 2 O 3 top coat is compared with that of a common TBC-system. The as-coated Pt-aluminide coating consists of an outer region of PtAl 2 +(CoNiPt)Al followed by a single phase layer of (CoNiPt)Al. The results of the oxidation tests at 1000, 1050 and 1100°C in air show excellent oxidation resistance of the triplex TBC-system with the thickest investigated Pt-aluminide coating. In particular, a 28 μm thick Pt-aluminide coating allows the thickness of the oxide layers to be reduced up to 70% compared to the common TBC after 500 h at all examined temperatures. After heat treatment the coating systems were investigated by SEM, EDX and X-ray analysis. Annealing tests with Al 2 O 3 powder indicate which mechanism is probably responsible for the improved oxidation resistance of platinum additions. Platinum is evidently capable of decomposing aluminum oxide at temperatures above 900°C.

The spectral infrared emission (500–2000 cm −1 ) of laboratory ice clouds has been measured with a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. A cloudscope (a novel microscope equipped with a video camera) captured cloud ice crystals for microphysical characterization of the cloud. Theoretical emission calculations based on modified Mie theory, observed crystal size distributions, and an approximation for IR radiative transfer agree reasonably well with measurements. Model sensitivity to anomalous diffraction theory, size distribution, and particle shape are explored. Atmospheric applications are that the single-scattering approximation is dubious; that the zero-scattering approximation is accurate to with 20% in the atmospheric window region; and that recent observations of strong spectral variations in the upwelling IR emission from some cirrus is largely due to contributions by small ice crystals. The ratio of visible optical depth to IR optical depth at 10.85 μm (the “LIRAD” ratio) was 2.4, and is at the lower end of reported values from tropical cirrus despite the relatively small laboratory crystal sizes observed.

A rapid and sensitive determination procedure using liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC–ESI-MS) has been developed for the determination of ethyl glucuronide (EtG) in human serum. Samples were precipitated with methanol, centrifuged and the supernatant was evaporated to dryness followed by reconstitution with distilled water. As mobile phase 30 m M ammonium acetate–acetonitrile (30:70, v/v) was utilized. The base peak observed at m/z 221 was the [M−H] − ion of EtG, which was detectable in satisfactory sense. The detection limit was 0.03 μg/ml in the selected ion monitoring mode. A calibration graph constructed for EtG in serum gave good linearity over the range from 0.1 to 25 μg/ml. This paper also presents the application of this LC–ESI-MS procedure to the analysis of authentic serum samples.

Carbon-fibre-reinforced cylindrical rods with a biocompatible epoxy matrix subjected to torsion load were investigated. Three kinds of manufacturing processes were used for these rods: hot-pressing as well as winding for unidirectional rods and a combination of winding and braiding. The properties of two kinds of composite rods were determined: one with braided-fabric and another without braided-fabric. Shear fracture tests were conducted with a specially-developed torsion loading facility. The corresponding fractography and deformation behaviour were analysed. The effect of loading rate on shear performance of the rod was also studied. The experimental results led to the conclusion, that owing to the three-dimensional reinforcement effect of braided-fabric, the overall performance of polymer composite rods with braided-fabric is much better than those without braided-fabric.

The mechanical properties, microstructure morphology and failure behavior of hybrid fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites containing defects were studied for a coupled thermal and mechanical loading. The system investigated was a hybrid short-fiber composite of poly (aryl ether ketone) reinforced with 30wt% of aluminum fibers and 10wt% of carbon fibers. Fracture tests of specimens with different artificial defects, including notches and crack-like slots, subjected to thermal and mechanical loading, were carried out by using three-point short-beam bending tests. The effects of changing temperature on the mechanical strength of the composite are then discussed in detail, and the failure modes and corresponding morphology of broken samples are systematically characterized by SEM. Finally, the macroscopic and microscopic failure behavior and corresponding morphology of the composite under coupled thermal and applied loads were characterised on the basis of the experimental data. Results show that the effect of changing temperature greatly affects the macroscopic fracture mode, microscopic failure behavior, and rupture morphology of the composite along with its mechanical properties.