L’hygroma du genou chez les salariés des Pays de la Loire en 2002-2004

International audienc

A web based integrated solution for groundwater management: applicfation of the datacrossing DSS to coastal aquifer management

Environmental sciences are evolving from a simple, local-scale approach toward complex multilayered, spatially explicit regional endeavours. Advances in computer simulation and high performance computing in recent years greatly extends the possibilities in this field, and changes the ways in which land management systems operate. The Datacrossing DSS is a decision support system that relies on a basin-scale groundwater model and a geographically distributed GIS to support decision makers, through a userfriendly web interface, in the field of sustainable water resources management. The portal, for the general user, exposes hydrological applications based on geochemical field data, geophysical surveys, and results of the finite element hydrological CODESA 3-D model quantifying the impact of point/nonpoint pollution. Within an experimental collaborative environment, modules have been developed to run real-time applications based on numerical solvers, run pre-and post-processing codes, and query and map results through the web browser. Our aim is to build a collaborative platform that, by introducing the computational and data-sharing advantages of a GRID infrastructure, promotes joint initiatives and encourages cooperation among interdisciplinary teams operating in the environmental sciences. To illustrate the potential of our decision support system, we present its application to a complex industrial area in Sardinia, Italy (the Portoscuso site) and a less-impacted aquifer in Morocco, province of Tetuan (the Oued aquifer). Copyright © 2008 IAHS Press

Greek plant extracts exhibit Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator (SERM)-like properties

To prevent bone loss that occurs with increasing age, nutritional and pharmacological factors are needed. Traditional therapeutic agents (selective estrogen receptor modulators or SERMs, biphosphonates, calcitonin) may have serious side effects or contraindications. In an attempt to find food components potentially acting as SERMs, we submitted four plant aqueous extracts derived from Greek flora (Sideritis euboea, Sideritis clandestina, Marticaria chamomilla, and Pimpinella anisum) in a series of in vitro biological assays reflective of SERM profile. We examined their ability (a) to stimulate the differentiation and mineralization of osteoblastic cell culture by histochemical staining for alkaline phosphatase and Alizarin Red-S staining, (b) to induce, like antiestrogens, the insulin growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP3) in MCF-7 breast cancer cells, and (c) to proliferate cervical adenocarcinoma (HeLa) cells by use of MTT assay. Our data reveal that all the plant extracts studied at a concentration range 10-100 μg/mL stimulate osteoblastic cell differentiation and exhibit antiestrogenic effect on breast cancer cells without proliferative effects on cervical adenocarcinoma cells. The presence of estradiol inhibited the antiestrogenic effect induced by the extracts on MCF-7 cells, suggesting an estrogen receptor-related mechanism. In conclusion, the aqueous extracts derived from Sideritis euboea, Sideritis clandestina, Marticaria chamomilla, and Pimpinella anisum may form the basis to design "functional foods" for the prevention of osteoporosis

A web based integrated solution for groundwater management: application of the Datacrossing DSS to coastal aquifer management

Environmental sciences are evolving from a simple, local-scale approach toward complex multilayered, spatially explicit regional endeavours. Advances in computer simulation and high performance computing in recent years greatly extends the possibilities in this field, and changes the ways in which land management systems operate. The Datacrossing DSS is decision support system that relies on a basin-scale groundwater model and a geographically distributed GIS to support decision makers, through a user-friendly Web interface, in the field of sustainable water resources management. The portal, for the general user, exposes hydrological applications based on geochemical field data, geophysical surveys, and results of the finite element hydrological CODESA 3D model to quantify the impact of point/non-point pollution. Within an experimental collaborative environment, modules have been developed to run real-time applications based on numerical solvers, run pre- and post-processing codes, query and map results through the web browser. Our aim is to build a collaborative platform that, by introducing the computational and data-sharing advantages of a GRID infrastructure, promotes joint initiatives and encourages cooperation among interdisciplinary teams operating in the environmental sciences. To illustrate the potentiality of our decision support system, we present its application to a complex industrial area in Sardinia, Italy (the Portoscuso site) and a less impacted aquifer in Morocco, province of Tétuan (the Oued aquifer)

Comparative cartography of the Ghis-Nekor coastal aquifer vulnerability (Morocco)

The coastal plain of Ghis-Nekor, located in the North of Morocco, contains an alluvial Plio-Quaternary aquifer formed by sandy gravel crossed by many discontinuous argillaceous levels. The application of the DRASTIC and AVI methods for the assessment of the groundwater vulnerability show comparable results especially on the coastal area. The differences revealed otherwise maybe done to the diversity of the parameters considered by DRASTIC and/or to the distinct classifications of the two method