Paul Sabatier University

About: Paul Sabatier University is a education organization based out in Toulouse, France. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Adipose tissue. The organization has 15431 authors who have published 23386 publications receiving 858364 citations.

Polymeric HVDC Cable Design and Space Charge Accumulation. Part 1: Insulation/Semicon Interface

Abstract: From theory and experiments, it can be deduced that materials for DC applications should not accumulate a large amount of space charge if accelerated degradation of the insulation system is to be avoided. Therefore, the characterization of DC insulation must take into account the evaluation of space charge accumulation. This cannot be done exhaustively without taking a system approach considering both the semiconductive material and the insulation, in particular, the properties of the semicon/insulation interface. The latter interface, in fact, plays a major role in space charge injection/accumulation in the insulation bulk. Having analyzed different semiconductive and insulating materials candidate for HVDC cable applications, the best solution to be exploited for HVDC cable design would be the combination showing a high threshold for space charge accumulation, a small rate of charge accumulation as a function of electric field and a small activation energy, i.e., a space charge amount less dependent on temperature. Therefore, space charge measurements will provide important information to cable material manufacturers with the aim of tailoring insulation and semicon specifically for HVDC application and, thus, improving the reliability of polymeric cables.

Concentration and purification by magnetic separation of the erythrocytic stages of all human Plasmodium species

Abstract: Parasite concentration methods facilitate molecular, biochemical and immunological research on the erythrocytic stages of Plasmodium. In this paper, an adaptation of magnetic MACS® columns for the purification of human Plasmodium species is presented. This method was useful for the concentration/purification of either schizonts or gametocytes. The magnetic removal of non-parasitized red blood cells (in vivo and in vitro) using magnetic columns (MACS) was evaluated. This easy-to-use technique enriched schizonts and gametocytes from Plasmodium falciparum in vitro cultures with a very high degree of purity. In addition, all haemozoin-containing stages (schizonts and/or gametocytes) from the peripheral blood of infected patients could be concentrated using this method. This method is particularly useful for the concentration of non-falciparum species, which do not grow in culture and are otherwise difficult to obtain in large amounts.

Ancient genomes show social and reproductive behavior of early Upper Paleolithic foragers

Abstract: Present-day hunter-gatherers (HGs) live in multilevel social groups essential to sustain a population structure characterized by limited levels of within-band relatedness and inbreeding. When these wider social networks evolved among HGs is unknown. To investigate whether the contemporary HG strategy was already present in the Upper Paleolithic, we used complete genome sequences from Sunghir, a site dated to ~34,000 years before the present, containing multiple anatomically modern human individuals. We show that individuals at Sunghir derive from a population of small effective size, with limited kinship and levels of inbreeding similar to HG populations. Our findings suggest that Upper Paleolithic social organization was similar to that of living HGs, with limited relatedness within residential groups embedded in a larger mating network.

Monitoring Continental Surface Waters by Satellite Altimetry

Abstract: The monitoring of continental water stages is a requirement for meeting human needs and assessing ongoing climatic changes. However, regular gauging networks fail to provide the information needed for spatial coverage and timely delivery. Although the space missions discussed here were not primarily dedicated to hydrology, 18 years of satellite altimetry have furnished complementary data that can be used to create hydrological products, such as time series of stages, estimated discharges of rivers or volume change of lakes, river altitude profiles or leveling of in situ stations. Raw data still suffer uncertainties of one to several decimeters. These require specific reprocessing such as waveform retracking or geophysical correction editing; much work still remains to be done. Besides, measuring the flow velocity appears feasible owing to SAR interferometer techniques. Inundated surfaces, and the time variations of their extent, are currently almost routinely computed using satellite imagery. Thus, the compilation of the continuous efforts of the scientific community in these various investigative directions, such as recording from space the discharges of rivers or the change in water volume stored in lakes, can be foreseen in the near future.