Dispersion mécanique de l'or dans les matériaux de surface : exemple du site aurifère de Piéla (Burkina-Faso)

A Piéla, l'or primaire est associé à des filons de quartz, dans une zone de cisaillement des formations volcano-sédimentaires birimiennes (Protérozoïque inférieur). La présence d'or a également été mise en évidence dans les matériaux superficiels latéritiques bien que les roches sous-jacentes et leurs altérites soient en général stériles. L'étude de la répartition de l'or sur les différentes surfaces aplanies montre que l'or est concentré par des transferts mécaniques dans les cailloutis et graviers de cuirasse ferrugineuse et de quartz de la plaine alluviale et dans des portions du moyen-glacis cuirassé assimilables à une ancienne terrasse. Ailleurs sur les surfaces cuirassées (haut-glacis, moyen-glacis), l'or est dispersé à faible teneur ou absent. Les caractères morphologiques et chimiques des particules d'or évoluent depuis la zone minéralisée jusqu'à la plaine alluviale distale ainsi que sur les glacis. Cette évolution se marque par une augmentation de l'émoussé, par des traits morphologiques spécifiques du transport mécanique (stries, bordures repliées, aplatissement) et par un lessivage de l'argent jusqu'au coeur des particules. Dans les matériaux superficiels du site de Piéla, les particules d'or présentent des degrés d'usure différents et ne montrent pas l'évolution progressive avec diminution de la taille des particules et lessivage de l'argent, souvent décrite de bas en haut des profils cuirassés sur roche mère minéralisée. (Résumé d'auteur

Spurious diffusion in particle simulations of the Kolmogorov flow

Particle simulations of the Kolmogorov flow are analyzed by the Landau-Lifshitz fluctuating hydrodynamics. It is shown that a spurious diffusion of the center of mass corrupts the statistical properties of the flow. The analytical expression for the corresponding diffusion coefficient is derived.Comment: 10 pages, no figure

Lifespan theorem for constrained surface diffusion flows

We consider closed immersed hypersurfaces in $\R^{3}$ and $\R^4$ evolving by a class of constrained surface diffusion flows. Our result, similar to earlier results for the Willmore flow, gives both a positive lower bound on the time for which a smooth solution exists, and a small upper bound on a power of the total curvature during this time. By phrasing the theorem in terms of the concentration of curvature in the initial surface, our result holds for very general initial data and has applications to further development in asymptotic analysis for these flows.Comment: 29 pages. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1201.657

Behaviour and passage of European silver eels (Anguilla anguilla) at a small hydropower plant during their downstream migration

Between 2004 and 2007, 116 downstream migrant silver eels (Anguilla anguilla) were monitored at a hydropower plant on the Gave de Pau river in South-West France using radio and PIT telemetry. The objectives of the study were: (i) to determine the environmental conditions when eels arrived and passed the facility; (ii) to determine the rate of eel escapement (passage other than via the turbines); (iii) to describe the behaviour of eels faced with the intake structure and the permeability of the intake trashracks for the different sizes of eel; and (iv) to determine whether surface bypasses originally designed for salmon could be effective for eels. Five types of behaviour of silver eels in the forebay and at the plant intakes were identified. The study showed the key factor influencing both eel behaviour and the route taken through the plant was variation in river discharge. Escapement rate was related to eel length and the spill flow to river flow ratio, which could be described by a logistic regression model. The surface bypasses originally designed for salmon were found to aid downstream eel migration significantly. At velocities < 0.40 m·s−1, no eels, even the largest, for which the racks are a physical barrier, were found impinged on the trashracks

Hydrodynamic fluctuations in the Kolmogorov flow: Linear regime

The Landau-Lifshitz fluctuating hydrodynamics is used to study the statistical properties of the linearized Kolmogorov flow. The relative simplicity of this flow allows a detailed analysis of the fluctuation spectrum from near equilibrium regime up to the vicinity of the first convective instability threshold. It is shown that in the long time limit the flow behaves as an incompressible fluid, regardless of the value of the Reynolds number. This is not the case for the short time behavior where the incompressibility assumption leads in general to a wrong form of the static correlation functions, except near the instability threshold. The theoretical predictions are confirmed by numerical simulations of the full nonlinear fluctuating hydrodynamic equations.Comment: 20 pages, 4 figure

Analysis of the Reaction Rate Coefficients for Slow Bimolecular Chemical Reactions

Simple bimolecular reactions $A_1+A_2\rightleftharpoons A_3+A_4$ are analyzed within the framework of the Boltzmann equation in the initial stage of a chemical reaction with the system far from chemical equilibrium. The Chapman-Enskog methodology is applied to determine the coefficients of the expansion of the distribution functions in terms of Sonine polynomials for peculiar molecular velocities. The results are applied to the reaction $H_2+Cl\rightleftharpoons HCl+H$, and the influence of the non-Maxwellian distribution and of the activation-energy dependent reactive cross sections upon the forward and reverse reaction rate coefficients are discussed.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, to appear in vol.42 of the Brazilian Journal of Physic

Détermination du début de la période thermosensible pour le déterminisme du sexe chez le tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.)

L’objectif de la présente étude a été de préciser davantage le “timing” de la période thermosensible ainsi que l’effet du moment d’application de la température de “masculinisation” sur la sex-ratio chez le tilapia du Nil Oreochromis niloticus. L’analyse des résultats a montré que la réduction de la période d’exposition aux hautes températures (21 au lieu de 28 jours) n’a pas d’effet négatif sur la sex-ratio. Dans tous les lots exposés à 37°C entre 0 et 11 jours post-résorption vitelline, les populations sont presque exclusivement monosexes mâles (&gt; 97%), alors que dans les lots qui ont été soumis le plus tard au traitement thermique, la proportion des mâles est plus faible (82%) et une forte proportion d’individus intersexués (18%) a été observée. Ainsi, la limite inférieure de thermosensibilité d’Oreochromis niloticus pourrait se situer entre le 11ème et le 14ème jour après la résorption de la vésicule vitelline

Behavioural syndrome in a solitary predator is independent of body size and growth rate.

Models explaining behavioural syndromes often focus on state-dependency, linking behavioural variation to individual differences in other phenotypic features. Empirical studies are, however, rare. Here, we tested for a size and growth-dependent stable behavioural syndrome in the juvenile-stages of a solitary apex predator (pike, Esox lucius), shown as repeatable foraging behaviour across risk. Pike swimming activity, latency to prey attack, number of successful and unsuccessful prey attacks was measured during the presence/absence of visual contact with a competitor or predator. Foraging behaviour across risks was considered an appropriate indicator of boldness in this solitary predator where a trade-off between foraging behaviour and threat avoidance has been reported. Support was found for a behavioural syndrome, where the rank order differences in the foraging behaviour between individuals were maintained across time and risk situation. However, individual behaviour was independent of body size and growth in conditions of high food availability, showing no evidence to support the state-dependent personality hypothesis. The importance of a combination of spatial and temporal environmental variation for generating growth differences is highlighted

Enhancement of immune response of HBsAg loaded poly(L-lactic acid) microspheres against Hepatitis B through incorporation of alum and chitosan

Purpose: Poly (L-lactic acid) (PLA) microparticles encapsulating Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) with alum and chitosan were investigated for their potential as a vaccine delivery system. Methods: The microparticles, prepared using a water-in-oil-in-water (w/o/w) double emulsion solvent evaporation method with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) or chitosan as the external phase stabilising agent showed a significant increase in the encapsulation efficiency of the antigen. Results: PLA-Alum and PLA-chitosan microparticles induced HBsAg serum specific IgG antibody responses significantly higher than PLA only microparticles and free antigen following subcutaneous administration. Chitosan not only imparted a positive charge to the surface of the microparticles but was also able to increase the serum specific IgG antibody responses significantly. Conclusions: The cytokine assays showed that the serum IgG antibody response induced is different according to the formulation, indicated by the differential levels of interleukin 4 (IL-4), interleukin 6 (IL-6) and interferon gamma (IFN-γ). The microparticles eliciting the highest IgG antibody response did not necessarily elicit the highest levels of the cytokines IL-4, IL-6 and IFN-γ