University of the Littoral Opal Coast

About: University of the Littoral Opal Coast is a education organization based out in Dunkirk, France. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Catalysis & Dielectric. The organization has 1242 authors who have published 2383 publications receiving 46230 citations. The organization is also known as: ULCO.

CdSe quantum dots in chiral smectic C matrix: experimental evidence of smectic layer distortion by small and wide angle X-ray scattering and subsequent effect on electro-optical parameters

Abstract: CdSe quantum dots (QDs) dispersed ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) has been subjected to small and wide-angle X-ray scattering and atomic force microscopy to understand the molecular organization...

Coastal dune evolution on a shoreline subject to strong human pressure: the Dunkirk area, northern France

Abstract: The extreme northern coast of France from Dunkirk to the Belgian border is bounded by coastal dunes that have been massively transformed by urban and port development. The only stretch of preserved dune barrier, less then 8km long, is located east of the port of Dunkirk. The foredune ridge was seriously damaged at the beginning of the 20 th century by urban development and almost completely destroyed during World War II. In the 1980s, the foredune, 10 to 20m high, was affected by breaches and blowouts, and by erosional scarps cut during storm events. The dunes are presently in a state of meso-scale (decadal) stability. This stability is attributed in part to human intervention. In the early 1990s, active restoration was carried out by the Departmental Authority of the North (Conseil General du Nord) in charge of the management of these coastal dunes. These measures have resulted in incipient foredune development along accreting sectors. Collaborative work involving beach and foredune surveys carried by the Coastal Geomorphology and Shoreline Management Unit of the Universite du Littoral Cote d’Opale and the Conseil General du Nord over the past years has enabled better insight into beach and foredune sediment dynamics. Aeolian sand transport measurements enable quantification of sand exchanges within the dune front. The influence of sand fences and brushwood barriers on incipient foredune growth is presently studied along an experimental sector. These surveys highlight the current stability of this coast. Much of the foredune foreslope is now stabilized by vegetation and only episodic dune scarping occurs during winter, with recovery in summer. There is, however, a need to address more precisely the exact role of human interventions in the present status of shoreline stability. The restoration practices mentioned above have significantly encouraged foredune stability and incipient foredune development. However, no major storms have occurred since 1990 and a context of net sediment supply from foreshore to dune has certainly been a factor in enhancing shoreline stability and dune development.

Hippocampal Deformations and Entorhinal Cortex Atrophy as an Anatomical Signature of Long-Term Cognitive Impairment: from the MCAO Rat Model to the Stroke Patient.

Abstract: Stroke patients have an elevated risk of developing long-term cognitive disorders or dementia. The latter is often associated with atrophy of the medial temporal lobe. However, it is not clear whether hippocampal and entorhinal cortex atrophy is the sole predictor of long-term post-stroke dementia. We hypothesized that hippocampal deformation (rather than atrophy) is a predictive marker of long-term post-stroke dementia on a rat model and tested this hypothesis in a prospective cohort of stroke patients.Male Wistar rats were subjected to transient middle cerebral artery occlusion and assessed 6 months later. Ninety initially dementia-free patients having suffered a first-ever ischemic stroke were prospectively included in a clinical study. In the rat model, significant impairments in hippocampus-dependent memories were observed. MRI studies did not reveal significant atrophy of the hippocampus volume, but significant deformations were indeed observed-particularly on the ipsilateral side. There, the neuronal surface area was significantly lower in ischemic rats and was associated with a lower tissue density and a markedly thinner entorhinal cortex. At 6 months post-stroke, 49 of the 90 patients displayed cognitive impairment (males 55.10%). Shape analysis revealed marked deformations of their left hippocampus, a significantly lower entorhinal cortex surface area, and a wider rhinal sulcus but no hippocampal atrophy. Hence, hippocampal deformations and entorhinal cortex atrophy were associated with long-term impaired cognitive abilities in a stroke rat model and in stroke patients. When combined with existing biomarkers, these markers might constitute sensitive new tools for the early prediction of post-stroke dementia.