State and church in France: regulation and negotiation

In France the distinction between the secular and religious domains is the result of a slow evolutionary process of secularization over a period of two centuries. A key element was the law of separation between churches and State in 1905. Secularization also produced a pluralistic socio-cultural system, which permits an increase in religious supply, issued from outside or inside existent churches. The religious landscape became complex due to the growth of certain groups. Nowadays, efforts to regulate Muslim communities are leading towards a new tendency of state control of religious activities in two fields, namely places of worship and school activities. Religious plurality is recognized by the State in the name of the freedom of beliefs. Private organizations are used for the public practice of religion and easily obtain places of worship. However, this has necessitated a large number of regional or local arrangements. In the name of the freedom of thought, the school system of the Republic is ensured by public schools, or by Catholic or Jewish schools, subject to strict public control. In this matter, there is only minimal tolerance of other denominations.

Bias Correction for View-limited Lidar Scanning of Rock Outcrops for Structural Characterization

Lidar is a remote sensing technology that uses time-of-flight and line-of-sight to calculate the accurate locations of physical objects in a known space (the known space is in relation to the scanner). The resultant point-cloud data can be used to virtually identify and measure geomechanical data such as joint set orientations, spacing and roughness. The line-of-sight property of static Lidar scanners results in occluded (hidden) zones in the point-cloud and significant quantifiable bias when analyzing the data generated from a single scanning location. While the use of multiple scanning locations and orientations, with merging of aligned (registered) scans, is recommended, practical limitations often limit setup to a single location or a consistent orientation with respect to the slope and rock structure. Such setups require correction for measurement bias. Recent advancements in Lidar scanning and processing technology have facilitated the routine use of Lidar data for geotechnical investigation. Current developments in static scanning have lead to large datasets and generated the need for automated bias correction methods. In addition to the traditional bias correction due to outcrop or scanline orientation, this paper presents a methodology for correction of measurement bias due to the orientation of a discrete discontinuity surface with respect to the line-of-sight of the Lidar scanner and for occlusion. Bias can be mathematically minimized from the analyzed discontinuity orientation data.     

Arsenic-enriched aquifers: Occurrences and mobilization of arsenic in groundwater of Ganges Delta Plain, Barasat, West Bengal, India

Hydrogeochemical characteristics and elemental features of groundwater and core sediments have been studied to better understand the sources and mobilization process responsible for As-enrichment in part of the Gangetic plain (Barasat, West Bengal, India). Analysis of water samples from shallow tubewells (depth 24.3–48.5 m) and piezometer wells (depth 12.2–79.2 m) demonstrate that the groundwater is mostly the Ca-HCO₃ type and anoxic in nature (mean Eh_SHE = 34 mV). Arsenic concentrations ranged from <10–538 μg/L, with high concentrations only present in the shallow to medium depth (30–50 m) of the aquifer along with high Fe (0.07–9.8 mg/L) and relatively low Mn (0.15–3.38 mg/L) as also evidenced in core sediments. Most groundwater samples contained both As(III) and As(V) species in which the concentration of As(III) was generally higher than that of As(V), exhibiting the reducing condition. Results show lower concentrations of NO₃, SO₄ and NO₂ along with higher values of DOC and HCO₃, indicating the reducing nature of the aquifer with abundant organic matter that can promote the release of As from sediments into groundwater. Positive correlations of As with Fe and DOC were also observed. The presence of DOC may actively drive the redox processes. This study revealed that reduction processes of FeOOH was the dominant mechanism for the release of As into the groundwater in this part of the Ganges Delta plain.     

Reply to “Reply to comments on defining biominerals and organominerals: Direct and indirect indicators of life [Perry et al., Sedimentary Geology, 201, 157–179]” by R.S. Perry and M.A. Sephton: [Sedimentary Geology 213 (2009) 156]

This is a reply to R.S. Perry and M.A. Sephton's “Reply to comments on defining biominerals and organominerals: direct and indirect indicators of life [Perry et al., Sedimentary Geology, 201, 157–179]” [Sedimentary Geology 213 (2009) 156].     

The effect of global warming on mortality

There is a significant relationship between ambient temperature and mortality. In healthy individuals with no underlying co-morbid conditions, there is an efficient heat regulation system which enables the body to effectively handle thermal stress. However, in vulnerable groups, especially in elderly over the age of 65 years, infants and individuals with co-morbid cardiovascular and/or respiratory conditions, there is a deficiency in thermoregulation. When temperatures exceed a certain limit, being cold winter spells or heat waves, there is an increase in the number of deaths. In particular, it has been shown that at temperatures above 27 °C, the daily mortality rate increases more rapidly per degree rise compared to when it drops below 27 °C.This is especially of relevance with the current emergency of global warming. Besides the direct effect of temperature rises on human health, global warming will have a negative impact on primary producers and livestock, leading to malnutrition, which will in turn lead to a myriad of health related issues. This is further exacerbated by environmental pollution.Public health measures that countries should follow should include not only health-related information strategies aiming to reduce the exposure to heat for vulnerable individuals and the community, but improved urban planning and reduction in energy consumption, among many others. This will reduce the carbon footprint and help avert global warming, thus reducing mortality.     

Behavior of trace elements in relation to Lu–Hf and Sm–Nd geochronometers during metamorphic dehydration–hydration in the HP domain of Vårdalsneset, Western Gneiss Region, Norway

The geochemical and isotopic characterization of an eclogite and the associated retrogressive amphibolite at Vårdalsneset, WGR, Norwegian Caledonide was undertaken to investigate the mobility of REE and Hf and the behavior of Lu–Hf and Sm–Nd geochronometers during metamorphic dehydration/rehydration. Eclogitic garnets display a distinct core–rim chemical zoning. Thermodynamic modeling indicates that both cores (13–22 kbar, 500–580°C) and rims (>16 kbar, 610–660°C) crystallized under eclogite-facies conditions. The core–rim zoning corresponds to the dehydration of the system. This petrographic disequilibrium is associated with Lu–Hf and Sm–Nd disequilibrium, which prevents dating of the eclogitic stages. At the rock scale, the incoming fluid responsible for eclogite–amphibolite retrogression brought in Sm and Nd, leached Lu, and had no influence on Hf. At the grain scale, mass balance shows that Sm and Nd were stored in clinozoisite since the first eclogitic stage, whereas Lu and Hf, which were more thoroughly redistributed among minerals during retrogression, enable the dating of the amphibolitic facies at 378 ± 17 Ma.