Mise au point d'un milieu de culture pour l'étude de l'altération de silicates en présence de Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The influence of microorganisms on mineral alteration is not easy to determine in environmental conditions, because of the difficulty to raise for comparison purposes an identical but abiotic system. Another problem in this context is the choice of reliable tracers to evaluate the alteration rate of materials during in vitro experiments. To face such difficulties, we elaborated a defined medium allowing both the growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and a precise measurement of the elements solubilized from the minerals. Thanks to this medium, we were able to quantitatively determine the amounts of major elements solubilized from the materials in the presence of bacterial growth, compared to a sterile system. Moreover, the analysis by ICP-MS of trace elements was possible after a chromatographic treatment, which selectively eliminated 99% of the sodium content of the medium. To cite this article: G. Aouad et al., C. R. Geoscience 337 (2005).     

R-mode factor analysis on enstatite chondrite analyses

R-mode factor analysis on 11 specimens of 9 enstatite chondrites, analysed for Ga, Se, Te, Zn, Cd, Bi, Tl, In, Sb, As, Co, showed three factors (rotated) to account for 92 per cent of the elemental variations (variance).Factor 1 dominates the first 8 elements listed, all volatile and mostly chalcophile: factors 2 and 3 express Sb and As variations, respectively, probably dependent on siderophile and less volatile behaviour; factors 1 and 2 contribute to Co.Factor-scores for individual meteorites indicate compositional differences (for these elements) between the E4 as against E5 and E6 stones (which are indistinguishable).Factor analysis of a second suite of 10 specimens analysed for Zn, Cd, Bi, Tl, In, Ag, Rb, Cs showed one factor to account for 93 per cent of the elemental variance. This expresses the association of Ag, Rb, Cs with the volatile-chalcophile factor.     

Predicting seiche hazard for coastal harbours along the northern and western coasts of France

Natural Hazards - Long-period waves propagating inside harbours can lead to the generation of seiche that can affect and significantly disrupt port operations. This study is based on the analysis...     

A recent history of science cases for optical interferometry

Optical long-baseline interferometry is a unique and powerful technique for astronomical research. Since the 1980’s (with I2T, GI2T, Mark I to III, SUSI, ...), optical interferometers have produced an increasing number of scientific papers covering various fields of astrophysics. As current interferometric facilities are reaching their maturity, we take the opportunity in this paper to summarize the conclusions of a few key meetings, workshops, and conferences dedicated to interferometry. We present the most persistent recommendations related to science cases and discuss some key technological developments required to address them. In the era of extremely large telescopes, optical long-baseline interferometers will remain crucial to probe the smallest spatial scales and make breakthrough discoveries.     

Estimating masses of selected stars in the Pulkovo program by means of astrometry methods

Stars in the Pulkovo Observatory program are observed with a 65-cm refractor during many years to study their positions and movements. We present examples of two visual binary stars, for which orbits and masses of components were determined, and two astrometric stars, for which masses of their unseen companions were estimated. The first two stars are ADS 14636(61 Cygni) and ADS 7251,and the others are Gliese 623 and ADS 8035(Alpha UMa). Direct astrometric methods are used for estimation of mass-ratio and masses.     

The Ereendavaa Range (north-eastern Mongolia): an additional argument for Mesozoic extension throughout eastern Asia

Mesozoic rift basins locally bounding metamorphic core complexes have been recognized in Transbaikalia and northern China. Numerous basement outcrops located between these two regions, in eastern Mongolia, are considered as pre-Palaeozoic in age. One of these, the Ereendavaa Range, appears as a gneissic core marked by amphibolite-facies metamorphic conditions. The range is overlain to the NW by the unmetamorphosed Mesozoic Onon Basin. Below the basin, the upper part of the range consists of a gently NW-dipping shear zone associated with top-to-the-NW motion. The structural pattern is consistent with syn-extensional exhumation of the range. Preliminary geochronological data indicate that the shear zone is late Jurassic to early Cretaceous in age, coeval with the Onon Basin. These new data from eastern Mongolia constitute a link between Transbaikalia and northern China, indicating that NW–SE extensional Mesozoic tectonics occurred throughout the entire region.     

Spatial variability in growth and reproduction of the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas (Thunberg, 1793) along the west European coast

The Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas was introduced in Europe for commercial purposes in the mid 1960s. It was initially thought that low winter temperatures would restrain this species' reproduction and settlement; however, its present distribution in areas where no introduction has taken place suggests that natural invasion and expansion has occurred. Along the European coast, wild populations of Pacific oysters are already found from northern Germany to southern Portugal. Whether C. gigas will continue to further expand through northern waters will depend on its physiological performance. In this study, the performance of wild oyster populations has been studied in terms of growth and reproduction at three stations: La Rochelle (France; 46°N), Yerseke (Oosterschelde estuary, The Netherlands, 51°N), and Texel (Wadden Sea estuary, The Netherlands, 53°N). The French population had the lowest somatic-shell mass ratio and an increase in maximum shell length, somatic and gonadal mass was observed from France to the Netherlands. In addition, mean oocyte diameter decreased significantly from south to north. The combination of increasing gonadal mass and decreasing oocyte volume suggests an increasing reproductive output in terms of egg numbers from France to The Netherlands. Differences in temperature between locations will at least be partly responsible for the observed patterns; however, other environmental factors (such as food availability, predation pressure, sediment type and/or seston concentration) cannot be excluded. Since smaller eggs (oocytes) are thought to have a longer development time, the environmental conditions along the Dutch coast may result in increased larval dispersal and possibly in further population expansion.