End stage renal disease in French Guiana (data from R.E.I.N registry): South American or French?

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Rochemont, Dévi Rita; Meddeb, Mohamed; Roura, Raoul; Couchoud, Cécile; Nacher, Mathieu; Basurko, Célia

2017-06-30

End-Stage renal disease (ESRD) causes considerable morbidity and mortality, and significantly alters patients' quality of life. There are very few published data on this problem in the French Overseas territories. The development of a registry on end stage renal disease in French Guiana in 2011 allowed to describe the magnitude of this problem in the region for the first time. Using data from the French Renal Epidemiology and Information Network registry (R.E.I.N). Descriptive statistics on quantitative and qualitative variables in the registry were performed on prevalent cases and incident cases in 2011, 2012 and 2013. French Guiana has one of the highest ESRD prevalence and incidence in France. The two main causes of ESRD were hypertensive and diabetic nephropathies. The French Guianese population had a different demographic profile (younger, more women, more migrants) than in mainland France. Most patients had at least one comorbidity, predominantly (95.3%) hypertension. In French Guiana dialysis was initiated in emergency for 71.3% of patients versus 33% in France (p < 0.001). These first results give important public health information: i) End stage renal disease has a very high prevalence relative to mainland France ii) Patients have a different demographic profile and enter care late in the course of their renal disease. These data are closer to what is observed in the Caribbean or in Latin America than in Mainland France.

EVALUATION OF CIRCUMSPOROZOITE PROTEIN OF Plasmodium vivax TO ESTIMATE ITS PREVALENCE IN OIAPOQUE , AMAPÁ STATE, BRAZIL, BORDERING FRENCH GUIANA

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Margarete do Socorro Mendonça GOMES

Full Text Available SUMMARY Malaria is a major health problem for people who live on the border between Brazil and French Guiana. Here we discuss Plasmodium vivax distribution pattern in the town of Oiapoque, Amapá State using the circumsporozoite (CS gene as a marker. Ninety-one peripheral blood samples from P. vivax patients have been studied. Of these, 64 individuals were from the municipality of Oiapoque (Amapá State, Brazil and 27 patients from French Guiana (August to December 2011. DNA extraction was performed, and a fragment of the P. vivax CS gene was subsequently analyzed using PCR/RFLP. The VK210 genotype was the most common in both countries (48.36% in Brazil and 14.28% in French Guiana, followed by the P. vivax-like (1.10% in both Brazil and French Guiana and VK247 (1.10% only in Brazil in single infections. We were able to detect all three CS genotypes simultaneously in mixed infections. There were no statistically significant differences either regarding infection site or parasitaemia among individuals with different genotypes. These results suggest that the same genotypes circulating in French Guiana are found in the municipality of Oiapoque in Brazil. These findings suggest that there may be a dispersion of parasitic populations occurring between the two countries. Most likely, this distribution is associated with prolonged and/or more complex transmission patterns of these genotypes in Brazil, bordering French Guiana.

Risk factors for premature birth in French Guiana: the importance of reducing health inequalities.

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Leneuve-Dorilas, Malika; Favre, Anne; Carles, Gabriel; Louis, Alphonse; Nacher, Mathieu

2017-11-27

French Guiana has the highest birth rate in South America. This French territory also has the highest premature birth rate and perinatal mortality rate of all French territories. The objective was to determine the premature birth rate and to identify the prevalence of risk factors of premature birth in French Guiana. A retrospective study of all births in French Guiana was conducted between January 2013 and December 2014 using the computerized registry compiling all live births over 22 weeks of gestation on the territory. During this period 12 983 live births were reported on the territory. 13.5% of newborns were born before 37 (1755/12 983). The study of the registry revealed that common sociodemographic risk factors of prematurity were present. In addition, past obstetrical history was also important: a scarred uterus increased the risk of prematurity adjusted odds ratio =1.4, 95%CI (1.2-1.6). Similarly, obstetrical surveillance, the absence of preparation for birth or of prenatal interview increased the risk of prematurity by 2.4 and 2.3, the excess fraction in the population was 69% and 72.2%, respectively. Known classical risk factors are important. In the present study excess fractions were calculated in order to prioritize interventions to reduce the prematurity rate.

A New Infrared Desert Dust Index over French Guyana Rain forest: First results

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Molinie, J.; Barnacin, E.; Henry, J. L.; Gobinddass, M. L.; Panechou-Pulcherie, K.; Feuillard, T.; Nagau, J.

2017-12-01

Recently a NASA researcher showed the role of desert dust contribution for the Amazonian rain forest. In another hand, desert dust impact population health when PM 10 level reached values around and upper the PM 10 threshold of the 50 µg m-3, established by the World Health Organization (WHO). Infrared Desert Dust Index (IDDI) developed by Legrand with Meteosat infrared images, allow the following of desert dust plumes over semi-arid land. In French Guiana the WHO threshold is currently overpass in measurements done by ORA air quality network, in the two main towns located close to the coast. For inland population, it is very difficult to have continuous dust measures due to the low infrastructure supplies. We need to develop a tools in order to follow the crossing of desert dust over the French Guyana rain forest, from the coast to inland villages. Following the IDDI concept and comparing with VIIRS AOT EDR result over the same area, a modified IDDI for Amazonian region (IDDI_A) has been proposed to identify the dusty pixels over the forest. Despite of high cloud presence, a good correlation between AOT EDR and IDDI_A was obtained. The IDDI_A calculation has been applied over French Guiana area for different PM 10 level at Cayenne, a town along the coast.

Acute toxoplasmoses in immunocompetent patients hospitalized in an intensive care unit in French Guiana.

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Demar, M; Hommel, D; Djossou, F; Peneau, C; Boukhari, R; Louvel, D; Bourbigot, A-M; Nasser, V; Ajzenberg, D; Darde, M-L; Carme, B

2012-07-01

Atypical Toxoplasma gondii strains, unrelated to archetypal clonal lineages (I, II, III), have been reported more frequently over the last decade in areas other than Europe and North America. A newly described form of toxoplasmosis, 'Amazonian toxoplasmosis' (AT), has been reported since 2002 in French Guiana. It is characterized by severe cases and atypical strains linked to a neotropical forest-based cycle. We report on the cases of AT that required intensive care management. We performed a prospective observational study on hospitalized adults in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) from 2002 to 2008. Clinical and laboratory data, microbiological findings and outcomes were recorded. Data, including the ICU simplified acute physiology score and the pneumonia severity index, were calculated. Epidemiological risk factors for AT were assessed through questionnaires. Eleven non-immunodeficient patients were admitted to the ICU in Cayenne for life-threatening pneumonia associated with disseminated toxoplasmosis. Mechanical ventilation was necessary in seven patients, four of whom required immediate orotracheal intubation. Cardiac and ophthalmological abnormalities were found in five and four patients, respectively. One patient died from multiple organ failure. The genetic characterization of Toxoplasma DNA using six microsatellite markers revealed unique and atypical genotypes in eight patients. All patients presented epidemiological risk factors for AT. In French Guiana, significant T. gondii-related infectious syndrome associated with the lungs, a high level of LDH activity and the reported risk factors for AT was strongly suggestive of disseminated toxoplasmosis with a possible trend toward life-threatening pneumonia. © 2011 The Authors. Clinical Microbiology and Infection © 2011 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.

Epidemiological and entomological studies of a malaria outbreak among French armed forces deployed at illegal gold mining sites reveal new aspects of the disease's transmission in French Guiana.

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Pommier de Santi, Vincent; Girod, Romain; Mura, Marie; Dia, Aissata; Briolant, Sébastien; Djossou, Félix; Dusfour, Isabelle; Mendibil, Alexandre; Simon, Fabrice; Deparis, Xavier; Pagès, Frédéric

2016-01-22

In December 2010, a Plasmodium vivax malaria outbreak occurred among French forces involved in a mission to control illegal gold mining in French Guiana. The findings of epidemiological and entomological investigations conducted after this outbreak are presented here. Data related to malaria cases reported to the French armed forces epidemiological surveillance system were collected during the epidemic period from December 2010 to April 2011. A retrospective cohort study was conducted to identify presumed contamination sites. Anopheles mosquitoes were sampled at the identified sites using Mosquito Magnet and CDC light traps. Specimens were identified morphologically and confirmed using molecular methods (sequencing of ITS2 gene and/or barcoding). Anopheles infections with Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax were tested by both enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and real-time PCR. Seventy-two P. vivax malaria cases were reported (three were mixed P. falciparum/P. vivax infections), leading to a global attack rate of 26.5% (72/272). Lack of compliance with vector control measures and doxycycline chemoprophylaxis was reported by patients. Two illegal gold mining sites located in remote areas in the primary forest were identified as places of contamination. In all, 595 Anopheles females were caught and 528 specimens were formally identified: 305 Anopheles darlingi, 145 Anopheles nuneztovari s.l., 63 Anopheles marajoara and 15 Anopheles triannulatus s.l. Three An. darlingi were infected by P. falciparum (infection rate: 1.1%) and four An. marajoara by P. vivax (infection rate: 6.4%). The main drivers of the outbreak were the lack of adherence by military personnel to malaria prevention measures and the high level of malaria transmission at illegal gold mining sites. Anopheles marajoara was clearly implicated in malaria transmission for the first time in French Guiana. The high infection rates observed confirm that illegal gold mining sites must be considered as high level

Human T-cell Lymphotropic Virus types I and II (HTLV-I/II in French Guiana: clinical and molecular epidemiology

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Kazanji Mirdad

2003-01-01

Full Text Available We review here the epidemiological studies performed by our group on human retrovirus HTLV-I and HTLV-II infections and the associated diseases in French Guiana since 1984. French Guiana is an overseas French administrative district located between Brazil and Surinam. Its population is characterized by a large variety of ethnic groups, including several populations of African origin and various populations of Amerindian origin. Several epidemiological studies of large samples of pregnant women and in remote villages showed that HTLV-I is highly endemic in this area but is restricted to groups of African origin, especially the Noir-Marrons. In this endemic population, the results of segregation analysis in a genetic epidemiological study were consistent with the presence of a dominant major gene predisposing to HTLV-I infection, especially in children. In contrast, HTLV-II infection appears to be rare in French Guiana, having been found in only a few individuals of Brazilian origin. From a molecular point of view, the HTLV-I strains present in the Noir-Marrons, Creoles and Amerindians appear to originate from Africa, as they belong to the large cosmopolitan molecular subtype A.

The moth Hylesia metabus and French Guiana lepidopterism: centenary of a public health concern

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Jourdain F.

2012-05-01

Full Text Available The females of the moths Hylesia metabus have their abdomens covered by urticating hairs looking like micro-arrows and causing a puriginous dermatitis to humans known as “papillonite” in French Guiana and also called yellowtail moth dermatitis or Caripito itch. The densities of the moths show great seasonal and annual variations depending on mechanisms mostly unknown. When H. metabus infestations occur, numerous cases of dermatologic manifestations are reported from people living near the mangrove swamps where the moths are developing. One hundred years after the first “papillonite” epidemic reported from French Guiana in 1912, the data presented herein summarize the actual state of knowledge on H. metabus biology and ecology and on the lepidopterism. Some recommendations are proposed for the surveillance and warning systems of H. metabus infestations and to avoid contact with the moths. Research priorities are suggested to improve the control against this problem emerging between nuisance and public health.

Surface air concentration and deposition of lead-210 in French Guiana: two years of continuous monitoring

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Melieres, Marie-Antoinette; Pourchet, Michel; Richard, Sandrine

2003-01-01

To make up for the lack of data on 210 Pb aerosol deposition in tropical regions and to use this radionuclide as an aerosol tracer,a monitoring station was run for two years at Petit-Saut, French Guiana. Lead-210 concentration in air at ground level was monitored continuously together with atmospheric total deposition. The air concentration has a mean value of 0.23±0.02 mBq m -3 during both wet and dry seasons, and it is only weakly affected by the precipitation mechanism. This result was unexpected in a wet tropical region, with a high precipitation rate. In contrast, deposition clearly correlates with precipitation for low/moderate rainfall ( -2 y -1 . This provides a procedure fo estimating this mean flux at other sites in French Guiana

Climate and Leishmaniasis in French Guiana

Science.gov (United States)

Roger, Amaury; Nacher, Mathieu; Hanf, Matthieu; Drogoul, Anne Sophie; Adenis, Antoine; Basurko, Celia; Dufour, Julie; Sainte Marie, Dominique; Blanchet, Denis; Simon, Stephane; Carme, Bernard; Couppié, Pierre

2013-01-01

To study the link between climatic variables and the incidence of leishmaniasis a study was conducted in Cayenne, French Guiana. Patients infected between January 1994 and December 2010. Meteorological data were studied in relation to the incidence of leishmaniasis using an ARIMA model. In the final model, the infections were negatively correlated with rainfall (with a 2-month lag) and with the number of days with rainfall > 50 mm (lags of 4 and 7 months). The variables that were positively correlated were temperature and the Multivariate El Niño Southern Oscillation Index with lags of 8 and 4 months, respectively. Significantly greater correlations were observed in March for rainfall and in November for the Multivariate El Niño/Southern Oscillation Index. Climate thus seems to be a non-negligible explanatory variable for the fluctuations of leishmaniasis. A decrease in rainfall is linked to increased cases 2 months later. This easily perceptible point could lead to an interesting prevention message. PMID:23939706

GuiaTreeKey, a multi-access electronic key to identify tree genera in French Guiana.

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Engel, Julien; Brousseau, Louise; Baraloto, Christopher

2016-01-01

The tropical rainforest of Amazonia is one of the most species-rich ecosystems on earth, with an estimated 16000 tree species. Due to this high diversity, botanical identification of trees in the Amazon is difficult, even to genus, often requiring the assistance of parataxonomists or taxonomic specialists. Advances in informatics tools offer a promising opportunity to develop user-friendly electronic keys to improve Amazonian tree identification. Here, we introduce an original multi-access electronic key for the identification of 389 tree genera occurring in French Guiana terra-firme forests, based on a set of 79 morphological characters related to vegetative, floral and fruit characters. Its purpose is to help Amazonian tree identification and to support the dissemination of botanical knowledge to non-specialists, including forest workers, students and researchers from other scientific disciplines. The electronic key is accessible with the free access software Xper ², and the database is publicly available on figshare: https://figshare.com/s/75d890b7d707e0ffc9bf (doi: 10.6084/m9.figshare.2682550).

First human rabies case in French Guiana, 2008: epidemiological investigation and control.

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Jean-Baptiste Meynard

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Until 2008, human rabies had never been reported in French Guiana. On 28 May 2008, the French National Reference Center for Rabies (Institut Pasteur, Paris confirmed the rabies diagnosis, based on hemi-nested polymerase chain reaction on skin biopsy and saliva specimens from a Guianan, who had never travelled overseas and died in Cayenne after presenting clinically typical meningoencephalitis. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Molecular typing of the virus identified a Lyssavirus (Rabies virus species, closely related to those circulating in hematophagous bats (mainly Desmodus rotundus in Latin America. A multidisciplinary Crisis Unit was activated. Its objectives were to implement an epidemiological investigation and a veterinary survey, to provide control measures and establish a communications program. The origin of the contamination was not formally established, but was probably linked to a bat bite based on the virus type isolated. After confirming exposure of 90 persons, they were vaccinated against rabies: 42 from the case's entourage and 48 healthcare workers. To handle that emergence and the local population's increased demand to be vaccinated, a specific communications program was established using several media: television, newspaper, radio. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: This episode, occurring in the context of a Department far from continental France, strongly affected the local population, healthcare workers and authorities, and the management team faced intense pressure. This observation confirms that the risk of contracting rabies in French Guiana is real, with consequences for population educational program, control measures, medical diagnosis and post-exposure prophylaxis.

An annotated checklist of the lizards of French Guiana, mainly based on two recent collections

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoogmoed, M.S.; Lescure, J.

1975-01-01

At the moment 36 species of lizards (6 Gekkonidae, 12 Iguanidae, 1 Scincidae and 17 Teiidae) are known for certain to occur in French Guiana. Of these 36 species, four are reported from that country for the first time (Anolis marmoratus speciosus Garman, Cercosaura o. ocellata Wagler, Prionodactylus

Predictive factors of unprotected sex for female sex workers: first study in French Guiana, the French territory with the highest HIV prevalence.

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Parriault, Marie-Claire; Basurko, Célia; Melle, Astrid Van; Gaubert-Maréchal, Emilie; Rogier, Stéphanie; Couppié, Pierre; Nacher, Mathieu

2015-07-01

French Guiana is the French territory that is most affected by HIV. AIDS incidence is much higher than in mainland France and sex work seems to be an important driver of the epidemic. The objective of this study was to describe consistent condom use among female sex workers with their clients and their intimate partners and to identify determinants of non-use of condoms. An HIV/AIDS Knowledge, Attitudes, Behaviours and Practices survey was conducted in 2009-2010 among sex workers in French Guiana. A total of 477 sex workers were interviewed. Female sex workers were more likely to use condoms with their clients (97%) than with their intimate partners (45%). The factors associated with non-consistent condom use with the intimate partner were having had an abortion, feeling at risk for HIV, not evaluating one's own risk for HIV, living as a couple, being Dominican, and not feeling comfortable asking intimate partners to use condoms. Although a high proportion of female sex workers declared using condoms with commercial partners, there is still room for improvement in the prevention of transmission with both commercial and intimate partners. © The Author(s) 2014.

Prevalence and Distribution of Leishmania RNA Virus 1 in Leishmania Parasites from French Guiana.

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Ginouvès, Marine; Simon, Stéphane; Bourreau, Eliane; Lacoste, Vincent; Ronet, Catherine; Couppié, Pierre; Nacher, Mathieu; Demar, Magalie; Prévot, Ghislaine

2016-01-01

In South America, the presence of the Leishmania RNA virus type 1 (LRV1) was described in Leishmania guyanensis and Leishmania braziliensis strains. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence distribution of LRV1 in Leishmania isolates in French Guiana given that, in this French overseas department, most Leishmania infections are due to these parasite species. The presence of the virus was observed in 74% of Leishmania spp. isolates, with a highest presence in the internal areas of the country. © The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

Surface air concentration and deposition of lead-210 in French Guiana: two years of continuous monitoring

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Melieres, Marie-Antoinette E-mail: melieres@glaciog.ujf-grenoble.fr; Pourchet, Michel; Richard, Sandrine

2003-07-01

To make up for the lack of data on {sup 210}Pb aerosol deposition in tropical regions and to use this radionuclide as an aerosol tracer,a monitoring station was run for two years at Petit-Saut, French Guiana. Lead-210 concentration in air at ground level was monitored continuously together with atmospheric total deposition. The air concentration has a mean value of 0.23{+-}0.02 mBq m{sup -3} during both wet and dry seasons, and it is only weakly affected by the precipitation mechanism. This result was unexpected in a wet tropical region, with a high precipitation rate. In contrast, deposition clearly correlates with precipitation for low/moderate rainfall (<15 cm per 15-day), while this correlation is masked by strong fluctuations at high rainfall. The estimated mean annual deposition over the last ten years is 163{+-}75 Bq m{sup -2} y{sup -1}. This provides a procedure fo estimating this mean flux at other sites in French Guiana.

The rare rhinoceros beetle, Ceratophileurus lemoulti Ohaus, 1911, in French Guiana and Suriname (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Dynastinae, Phileurini

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Conrad Gillett

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The rare dynastine, Ceratophileurus lemoulti Ohaus, 1911, previously known only from French Guiana, is here reported for the first time from Suriname. All biological, distributional and temporal data available for the species in both territories are presented and discussed.

The environmental impact of the Petit Saut reservoir in French Guiana

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gregoire, A.; Sissakian, C.

1993-01-01

The construction of the Petit Saut reservoir in French Guiana is aimed not only at generating power, but also at maintaining the human and economic environment, as well as the natural heritage. These environmental factors are especially important in view of the fact that many aspects of the Amazonian rainforest remain unknown. Analysis of the ecosystem at the site, under the aegis of the dam's Scientific Committee, which has brought together experts from the leading French research agencies, has been going on for some ten years. It has revealed the foreseeable problems and has served as a basis for conservation measures to reduce their consequences. Predictions of the impacts result from experience with other reservoirs in intertropical regions, and from a water quality model developed for the Petit Saut reservoir by the R and D Division of Electricite de France. (author)

Monitoring strategy for eight amphibian species in French Guiana, South America.

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Elodie A Courtois

Full Text Available Although dramatic amphibian declines have been documented worldwide, only few of such events have been quantitatively documented for the tropical forests of South America. This is due partly to the fact that tropical amphibians are patchily distributed and difficult to detect. We tested three methods often used to monitor population trends in amphibian species in a remote lowland tropical forest of French Guiana. These methods are capture-mark-recapture (CMR, estimation of the number of calling males with repeated counts data and distance sampling, and rates of occupancy inferred by presence/absence data. We monitored eight diurnal, terrestrial amphibian species including five Dendrobatidae and three Bufonidae. We found that CMR, the most precise way of estimating population size, can be used only with two species in high density patches where the recapture rate is high enough. Only for one of the species (Dendrobates tinctorius, a low coefficient of variation (CV = 0.19 can be achieved with 15 to 20 capture events. For dendrobatid species with day-calling males, audio surveys yield a better probability of detection with only 8 audio surveys needed; quantitative estimates can be achieved by computing the number of calling males inferred from audio counts or distance sampling analysis. We therefore suggest that an efficient monitoring protocol for Neotropical amphibian species should include a combination of sighting and audio techniques, and we discuss the need of implementing a large-scale monitoring in order to provide a baseline for comparison with future changes.

Clinical features and prognosis of paraquat poisoning in French Guiana

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Elenga, Narcisse; Merlin, Caroline; Le Guern, Rémi; Kom-Tchameni, Rémi; Ducrot, Yves-Marie; Pradier, Maxime; Ntab, Balthazar; Dinh-Van, Kim-Anh; Sobesky, Milko; Mathieu, Daniel; Dueymes, Jean-Marc; Egmann, Gérald; Kallel, Hatem; Mathieu-Nolf, Monique

2018-01-01

Abstract Paraquat is a nonselective contact herbicide of great toxicological importance, being associated with high mortality rates. Because of its high toxicity, the European Union withdrew it from its market in 2007. The aim of this study is to analyze all cases of paraquat poisoning hospitalized in French Guiana in order to assess their incidence and main characteristics. Medical records of all paraquat intoxicated patients hospitalized from 2008 until 2015 were reviewed in this retrospective study. Demographics, clinical presentation, and laboratory data were evaluated. A total of 62 cases were reviewed. The incidence of paraquat poisoning was 3.8/100,000 inhabitants/year. There were 44 adults and 18 children younger than 16 years of age. The median ages were 31 years [18.08–75.25] in adults and 13.4 years [0.75–15.08] in children, respectively. The median duration of hospitalization was longer in children [15.5 days (1–24)] than in adults [2 days (1–30)], P < .01. The majority of cases was due to self-poisoning (84%). Children had ingested a lower quantity of paraquat [48.8 mg/kg (10–571.1)] than adults [595.8 mg/kg (6–3636.4), P = .03]. There were more deaths among adults (65%) than in children (22%), P = .004. The severity and outcome was determined primarily by the amount of paraquat ingested. In conclusion, French Guiana has the largest cohort of paraquat poisonings in the European Union. The major factor affecting the prognosis of patients was the ingested amount of paraquat. The administration of activated charcoal or Pemba, in situ, within the first hour after ingestion of paraquat is essential. PMID:29642226

Suspended matter and bottom deposits in the Mahury estuarine system (French Guiana): Environmental consequences

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Jouanneau, J. M.; Pujos, M.

As part of a study carried out on the major rivers in French Guiana to identify and estimate the respective share of local rivers in the sedimentation of estuaries and the inshore continental shelf, results are reported on the Mahury after 2 periods of fieldwork carried out during one dry and one rainy season. The specific characteristics of the whole Mahury fluvio-estuarine system can be summed up as follows: the sands have invariable annual characteristics; they show evidence of a long history, first marine, then continental and finally fluviatile. They play little part in sedimentation on the continental shelf, and what part they do play is limited to the beaches. The fine sediments too have invariable annual characteristics. They fall, if we consider their mineralogical and elemental composition, on either side of a limit separating the fluviatile and estuarine zones. Here, the sediment stocks are respectively authigenic and allothogenic, while the clay association and elemental composition in the latter zone are evidence of an Amazonian origin. The contribution of the Mahury (Comté-Orapu) to fine estuarine sedimentation thus appears at present to be a very limited one, the Amazon being predominant over vast coastal areas, including the French Guiana estuaries.

Transactional sex among men who have sex with men in the French Antilles and French Guiana: frequency and associated factors.

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Klingelschmidt, Justine; Parriault, Marie-Claire; Van Melle, Astrid; Basurko, Célia; Gontier, Barbara; Cabié, André; Hoen, Bruno; Sow, Marie-Thérèse; Nacher, Mathieu

2017-06-01

The French Antilles (Martinique, Saint Martin and Guadeloupe) and French Guiana are the French territories most affected by the HIV epidemic. Some population groups such as men who have sex with men (MSM), especially those involved in transactional sex, are thought to be particularly vulnerable to HIV but few data exist to help characterize their health-related needs and thus implement relevant prevention interventions. To fill this knowledge gap, we used data collected from an HIV/AIDS Knowledge, Attitudes, Behaviours and Practices survey conducted in 2012 among MSM living in the French Antilles and French Guiana and recruited through snowball sampling. Our objectives were to compare social and demographic characteristics and sexual behaviours between MSM engaging in transactional sex and MSM not engaging in transactional sex and to identify factors associated with transactional sex involvement using a logistic regression model. A total of 733 MSM were interviewed, 21% of whom reported to undergo transactional sex. Their behaviour and social and demographic characteristics were different from other MSMs' and they were more exposed to factors that are recognized to potentiate HIV vulnerability, at the individual, community, network and structural levels. The variables positively associated with sex trade involvement were having ever consumed drug (OR = 2.84 [1.23-6.52]; p = .002), having a greater number of sex partners than the median (OR = 8.31 [4.84-14.30]; p < .001), having experienced intimate partner violence (OR = 1.72 [0.99-3.00]; p = .053) and having undergone physical aggression because of sexual orientation (OR = 2.84 [1.23-6.52]; p = .014). Variables negatively associated with sex trade involvement were being older (OR = 0.93 [0.90-0.97] per year; p = .001), having a stable administrative situation (OR = 0.10 [0.06-0.19]; p < .001), having a stable housing (OR = 0.29 [0.15-0.55]; p < .001) and

Malakit: an innovative pilot project to self-diagnose and self-treat malaria among illegal gold miners in the Guiana Shield.

Science.gov (United States)

Douine, Maylis; Sanna, Alice; Galindo, Muriel; Musset, Lise; Pommier de Santi, Vincent; Marchesini, Paola; Magalhaes, Edgard Dias; Suarez-Mutis, Martha; Hiwat, Helene; Nacher, Mathieu; Vreden, Stephen; Garancher, Laure

2018-04-10

Illegal gold miners in French Guiana, a French overseas territory ('département') located in Amazonia, often carry malaria parasites (up to 46.8%). While the Guiana Shield Region aims at malaria elimination, the high prevalence of Plasmodium in this hard-to-reach population in conjunction with frequent incorrect use of artemisinin-based anti-malarials could favour the emergence of resistant parasites. Due to geographical and regulatory issues in French Guiana, usual malaria control strategies cannot be implemented in this particular context. Therefore, new strategies targeting this specific population in the forest are required. Numerous discussions among health institutions and scientific partners from French Guiana, Brazil and Suriname have led to an innovative project based on the distribution of kits for self-diagnosis and self-treatment of Plasmodium infections. The kit-distribution will be implemented at "resting sites", which are areas across the border of French Guiana regularly frequented by gold miners. The main objective is to increase the appropriate use and complete malaria treatment after a positive malaria diagnosis with a rapid test, which will be evaluated with before-and-after cross-sectional studies. Monitoring indicators will be collected from health mediators at the time of kit distribution and during subsequent visits, and from illegal gold miners themselves, through a smartphone application. The project funding is multisource, including Ministries of Health of the three countries, WHO/PAHO, and the European Union. This project will start in April 2018 as a 18 month pilot study led by the Clinical Investigation Centre of Cayenne. Results should be available at the end of 2019. This innovative approach may have several limitations which should be taken into account, as potential side effects, kit misuse or resale, declarative main criteria, or no Plasmodium vivax curative treatment. Close monitoring is thus needed. This project may be the

Phenotypic plasticity in fish life-history traits in two neotropical reservoirs : Petit-Saut Reservoir in French Guiana and Brokopondo Reservoir in Suriname

OpenAIRE

Merona de, Bernard; Mol, J.; Vigouroux, R.; Chaves, P. D.

2009-01-01

Fish species are known for their large phenotypic plasticity in life-history traits in relation to environmental characteristics. Plasticity allows species to increase their fitness in a given environment. Here we examined the life-history response of fish species after an abrupt change in their environment caused by the damming of rivers. Two reservoirs of different age, both situated on the Guiana Shield, were investigated: the young Petit-Saut Reservoir in French Guiana (14 years) and the ...

HIV-testing among female sex workers on the border between Brazil and French Guiana: the need for targeted interventions.

Science.gov (United States)

Parriault, Marie-Claire; van Melle, Astrid; Basurko, Célia; Gaubert-Marechal, Emilie; Macena, Raimunda Hermelinda Maia; Rogier, Stéphanie; Kerr, Ligia Regina Franco Sansigolo; Nacher, Mathieu

2015-08-01

The border between Brazil and French Guiana is a place of economic, cultural, social and sexual exchange. Female sex workers represent a high risk population for HIV in this area where sexual tourism is particularly developed. HIV testing seems to be an important element in the fight against the epidemic. Indeed, early HIV testing gives access to treatments and prevention. An HIV/AIDS knowledge, attitudes, behaviors and practices survey was conducted in 2011 among sex workers along the border between Brazil and French Guiana. A total of 213 female sex workers were interviewed. One third (31.5%) of the interviewed had never tested for HIV. Factors associated with non HIV-testing were the lack of knowledge of places where to do an HIV test, to be 30 or older, feeling at risk of HIV, not evaluating one's own risk towards HIV, and living in Oiapoque. These results clearly suggest that targeted interventions are needed to encourage and assist female sex workers to get tested regularly.

Geophysical images of basement rocks. Geophysical images in the Guianese basement. Airborne geophysical campaign in French Guiana - 1996

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delor, C.; Perrin, J.; Truffert, C.; Asfirane, F.; Rossi, Ph.; Bonjoly, D.; Dubreuihl, J.; Chardon, D.

1998-01-01

The French Office for Geological and Mining Research (BRGM) has carried out a high sensitivity airborne geophysical survey of northern French Guiana during the second half of 1996. The aim was to realize a high resolution magnetic and gamma spectrometric mapping for future prospecting, land use and environment management. This paper describes in details the geophysical campaign, the material used, the navigation techniques, the processing of magnetic data, the gamma radiation sources used, the spectrometric calibrations and the geologic interpretation of the results. (J.S.)

Uniparental (mtDNA, Y-chromosome) polymorphisms in French Guiana and two related populations--implications for the region's colonization.

Science.gov (United States)

Mazières, S; Guitard, E; Crubézy, E; Dugoujon, J-M; Bortolini, M C; Bonatto, S L; Hutz, M H; Bois, E; Tiouka, F; Larrouy, G; Salzano, F M

2008-01-01

Blood samples collected in four Amerindian French Guiana populations (Palikur, Emerillon, Wayampi and Kali'na) in the early 1980s were screened for selected mtDNA and Y-chromosome length polymorphisms, and sequenced for the mtDNA hypervariable segment I (HVS-I). In addition, two other Amerindian populations (Apalaí and Matsiguenga) were examined for the same markers to establish the genetic relationships in the area. Strong dissimilarities were observed in the distribution of the founding Amerindian haplogroups, and significant p-values were obtained from F(ST) genetic distances. Interpopulation similarities occurred mainly due to geography. The Palikur did not show obvious genetic similarity to the Matsiguenga, who speak the same language and live in a region from where they could have migrated to French Guiana. The African-origin admixture observed in the Kali'na probably derives from historical contacts they had with the Bushinengue (Noir Marron), a group of escaped slaves who now lead independent lives in a nearby region. This analysis has identified significant clues about the Amerindian peopling of the North-East Amazonian region.

Poneromorph Ants Associated with Parasitoid Wasps of the Genus Kapala Cameron (Hymenoptera: Eucharitidae in French Guiana

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Jean-Paul Lachaud

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Eucharitid wasps are specific, specialized parasitoids of ants. The genus Kapala Cameron is the most common in the Neotropics but few species are described, and information dealing with their biology, behavior and host associations is scarce. Numerous poneromorph ant colonies were inspected over 4 collection surveys in French Guiana. A diverse fauna of parasites and parasitoids was found, including mermithid nematodes, flies, eucharitids, and another gregarious endoparasitoid wasp. Five new host associations for Kapala are reported, all of them involving medium- to large-size poneromorph ant species from 4 genera: Ectatomma brunneum Fr. Smith, Gnamptogenys tortuolosa (Fr. Smith, Odontomachus haematodus (L., O. mayi Mann, and Pachycondyla verenae (Forel. Three other associations involving O. hastatus (Fabr., P. apicalis (Latreille, and P. stigma (Fabr., already reported for other countries but new for French Guiana, are confirmed. The data extend the number of hosts for Kapala to 24 ant species from 7 genera. The high diversity of the ant host genera associated with Kapala, combined with the fact that these ant genera are the most widely distributed among Neotropical poneromorph ants, could account for the dominant status of the genus Kapala among the eucharitine wasps of Central and South America.

Curimata punctata, a new uniquely pigmented species of curimatid from the Marowijne river basin of Surinam and French Guiana (Pisces, Characiformes)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vari, Richard P.; Nijssen, Han

1986-01-01

A new species of curimatid characiform, Curimata punctata, from the Marowijne River basin of Surinam and French Guiana is described and illustrated. The distinctive pattern of three to six dark midlateral spots on the body distinguishes the species from all other members of the family.

Notes on Guiana Euphorbiaceae

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lanjouw, J.

1934-01-01

This paper deals with some specimens of Euphorbiaceae from various collectors. The plants have been collected in French and British Guiana. The specimens were sent to me for determination by the Kew Herbarium and the Herbarium of the New York Botanical Garden. Some of these specimens had to be

GOLD predictivity mapping in French Guiana using an expert-guided data-driven approach based on a regional-scale GIS

Science.gov (United States)

Cassard, Daniel; Billa, Mario; Lambert, Alain; Picot, Jean-Claude; Husson, Yves

2008-05-01

The realistic estimation of gold mining in French Guiana requires including the numerous illegal gold washing activities in predictivity mapping. The combination of a classical approach, based on the algebraic method of Knox-Robinson and Groves, with innovative processing grid-type geochemical and radiometric data, as well as cluster analysis technique provides a better understanding of the structure of studied mineralized areas.

New Rickettsia species in soft ticks Ornithodoros hasei collected from bats in French Guiana.

Science.gov (United States)

Tahir, Djamel; Socolovschi, Cristina; Marié, Jean-Lou; Ganay, Gautier; Berenger, Jean-Michel; Bompar, Jean-Michel; Blanchet, Denis; Cheuret, Marie; Mediannikov, Oleg; Raoult, Didier; Davoust, Bernard; Parola, Philippe

2016-10-01

In French Guiana, located on the northeastern coast of South America, bats of different species are very numerous. The infection of bats and their ticks with zoonotic bacteria, especially Rickettsia species, is so far unknown. In order to improve knowledge of these zoonotic pathogens in this French overseas department, the presence and diversity of tick-borne bacteria was investigated with molecular tools in bat ticks. In the beginning of 2013, 32 bats were caught in Saint-Jean-du-Maroni, an area close to the coast of French Guiana, and the ticks of these animals were collected. A total of 354 larvae of Argasidae soft ticks (Ornithodoros hasei) from 12 bats (Noctilio albiventris) were collected and 107 of them were analysed. DNA was extracted from the samples and quantitative real-time PCR was carried out to detect Rickettsia spp., Bartonella spp., Borrelia spp. and Coxiella burnetii. All tested samples were negative for Bartonella spp., Borrelia spp. and Coxiella burnetii. Rickettsia DNA was detected in 31 (28.9%) ticks. An almost entire (1118 base pairs long) sequence of the gltA gene was obtained after the amplification of some positive samples on conventional PCR and sequencing. A Bayesian tree was constructed using concatenated rrs, gltA, ompA, ompB, and gene D sequences. The study of characteristic sequences shows that this Rickettsia species is very close (98.3-99.8%) genetically to R. peacockii. Nevertheless, the comparative analysis of sequences obtained from gltA, ompA, ompB, rrs and gene D fragments demonstrated that this Rickettsia is different from the other members of the spotted fever group. The sequences of this new species were deposited in GenBank as Candidatus Rickettsia wissemanii. This is the first report showing the presence of nucleic acid of Rickettsia in Ornithodoros hasei ticks from South American bats. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Investigation of a Sudden Malaria Outbreak in the Isolated Amazonian Village of Saül, French Guiana, January–April 2009

Science.gov (United States)

Berger, Franck; Flamand, Claude; Musset, Lise; Djossou, Félix; Rosine, Jacques; Sanquer, Marie-Anne; Dusfour, Isabelle; Legrand, Eric; Ardillon, Vanessa; Rabarison, Patrick; Grenier, Claire; Girod, Romain

2012-01-01

Malaria is endemic in French Guiana. Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax are the predominant species responsible and Anopheles darlingi is described as the major vector. In mid-August 2008, an increase in malaria incidence was observed in Saül. A retrospective cohort survey was performed. In vitro susceptibility profiles to antimalarials were determined on P. falciparum isolates. Collections of mosquitoes were organized. The malaria attack rate reached 70.6/100. The risk of malaria increased for people between 40 and 49 years of age, living in a house not subjected to a recent indoor residual insecticide spraying or staying overnight in the surrounding forest. All isolates were susceptible. Anopheles darlingi females and larvae were collected in the village suggesting a local transmission. Our results strongly support a role of illegal mining activities in the emergence of new foci of malaria. Therefore, public health authorities should define policies to fight malaria at a transborder level. PMID:22492141

Population estimates of Dendrobates tinctorius (Anura: Dendrobatidae at three sites in French Guiana and first record of chytrid infection

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Elodie A. Courtois

2012-06-01

Full Text Available The Neotropics shelter the highest number of frog species on Earth and is also one of the regions where anurans are most threatened. Nonetheless, few data are available to assess the population status of Neotropical anurans. We studied three populations (Tresor, Favard, and Nouragues of the poison frog, Dendrobates tinctorius, in French Guiana and used Capture-Mark-Recapture (CMR to make robust estimations of the species’ density at these three sites. In addition, we assessed the prevalence of the pathogen fungal Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd in two populations (Favard and Nouragues. Based on the CMR protocol, the densities of frogs was 8.43 individuals/100 m² at Favard, 4.28 individuals/100 m² at Nouragues and from 2.30 to 4.67 individuals/100 m² at Tresor (depending on the CMR model used; these data provide a baseline for population densities of D. tinctorius in French Guiana, against which future population estimates can be compared. We found that 25 encounter events may be sufficient for stable population estimates, if the captures are concentrated in time. Bd was detected at both sites (Favard 7/152; Nouragues 3/18.

Virome analysis of two sympatric bat species (Desmodus rotundus and Molossus molossus in French Guiana.

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Arielle Salmier

Full Text Available Environmental disturbances in the Neotropics (e.g., deforestation, agriculture intensification, urbanization contribute to an increasing risk of cross-species transmission of microorganisms and to disease outbreaks due to changing ecosystems of reservoir hosts. Although Amazonia encompasses the greatest diversity of reservoir species, the outsized viral population diversity (virome has yet to be investigated. Here, through a metagenomic approach, we identified 10,991 viral sequences in the saliva and feces of two bat species, Desmodus rotundus (hematophagous, trapped in two different caves surrounded by primary lowland forest, and Molossus molossus (insectivorous, trapped in forest and urban habitats. These sequences are related to 51 viral families known to infect a wide range of hosts (i.e., bacteria, plants, insects and vertebrates. Most viruses detected reflected the diet of bat species, with a high proportion of plant and insect-related viral families for M. molossus and a high proportion of vertebrate-related viral families for D. rotundus, highlighting its influence in shaping the viral diversity of bats. Lastly, we reconstructed the phylogenetic relationships for five vertebrate-related viral families (Nairoviridae, Circoviridae, Retroviridae, Herpesviridae, Papillomaviridae. The results showed highly supported clustering with other viral sequences of the same viral family hosted by other bat species, highlighting the potential association of viral diversity with the host's diet. These findings provide significant insight into viral bat diversity in French Guiana belonging to the Amazonian biome and emphasize that habitats and the host's dietary ecology may drive the viral diversity in the bat communities investigated.

Virome analysis of two sympatric bat species (Desmodus rotundus and Molossus molossus) in French Guiana.

Science.gov (United States)

Salmier, Arielle; Tirera, Sourakhata; de Thoisy, Benoit; Franc, Alain; Darcissac, Edith; Donato, Damien; Bouchier, Christiane; Lacoste, Vincent; Lavergne, Anne

2017-01-01

Environmental disturbances in the Neotropics (e.g., deforestation, agriculture intensification, urbanization) contribute to an increasing risk of cross-species transmission of microorganisms and to disease outbreaks due to changing ecosystems of reservoir hosts. Although Amazonia encompasses the greatest diversity of reservoir species, the outsized viral population diversity (virome) has yet to be investigated. Here, through a metagenomic approach, we identified 10,991 viral sequences in the saliva and feces of two bat species, Desmodus rotundus (hematophagous), trapped in two different caves surrounded by primary lowland forest, and Molossus molossus (insectivorous), trapped in forest and urban habitats. These sequences are related to 51 viral families known to infect a wide range of hosts (i.e., bacteria, plants, insects and vertebrates). Most viruses detected reflected the diet of bat species, with a high proportion of plant and insect-related viral families for M. molossus and a high proportion of vertebrate-related viral families for D. rotundus, highlighting its influence in shaping the viral diversity of bats. Lastly, we reconstructed the phylogenetic relationships for five vertebrate-related viral families (Nairoviridae, Circoviridae, Retroviridae, Herpesviridae, Papillomaviridae). The results showed highly supported clustering with other viral sequences of the same viral family hosted by other bat species, highlighting the potential association of viral diversity with the host's diet. These findings provide significant insight into viral bat diversity in French Guiana belonging to the Amazonian biome and emphasize that habitats and the host's dietary ecology may drive the viral diversity in the bat communities investigated.

Satellite assessment of the coupling between in water suspended particulate matter and mud banks dynamics over the French Guiana coastal domain

Science.gov (United States)

Vantrepotte, V.; Gensac, E.; Loisel, H.; Gardel, A.; Dessailly, D.; Mériaux, X.

2013-07-01

Particulate suspended matter concentration (SPM) were estimated over a 8 year time period (2002-2010) in the coastal waters of French Guiana from a regional algorithm applied to the MODIS monthly reflectance measurements. Comparison between SPOT images and MODIS-SPM maps revealed the strong spatio-temporal coupling between in water SPM and the dynamics of local (i.e. Kourou and Cayenne) mud banks. Highest MODIS SPM values (>13 g m-3 approximately) can be significantly associated with the subtidal part of the banks as well as to the related turbid plume. The migration of these mud banks induces strong interannual changes in SPM reaching up to 6% year-1 within increasing and decreasing patchy areas distributed alternatively along the coastline of French Guiana. Mud banks migration rates derived from MODIS SPM data reach in average about 2 km year-1 in agreement with previous studies. The MODIS time series have allowed for a detailed description of the seasonality and interannual variations in the in-water SPM loads. Seasonal changes in SPM are related to the onset of the trade wind season. Marked non-linear patterns including a sharp evolution in the SPM values around 2005 as well as additional high frequency modulations have been emphasized within the upward and downward SPM trend regions. Concurrent temporal variations in the frequency of northward swells (favoring mud banks migration and reworking) as well as interannual changes in the amount of sediment delivered by the Amazon River have been shown to play a major role in the SPM temporal patterns observed in the French Guiana coastal waters. Our results clearly demonstrate the advantage for ocean color data to describe mud banks dynamics through the assessment of in water SPM temporal variability.

Clinical epidemiology and resistance mechanisms of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, French Guiana, 2008-2014.

Science.gov (United States)

Mahamat, Aba; Bertrand, Xavier; Moreau, Brigitte; Hommel, Didier; Couppie, Pierre; Simonnet, Christine; Kallel, Hatem; Demar, Magalie; Djossou, Felix; Nacher, Mathieu

2016-07-01

This study investigated the clinical epidemiology and resistance mechanisms of Acinetobacter baumannii and characterised the clonal diversity of carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii (CRAB) during an ICU-associated outbreak at Cayenne Hospital, French Guiana. All non-duplicate A. baumannii isolates from 2008 to 2014 were tested for antibiotic susceptibility by disk diffusion. Multilocus sequence typing, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and characterisation of carbapenemase-encoding genes were performed on CRAB. Of the 441 A. baumannii isolates, most were from males (54.0%) and were detected mainly from the ICU (30.8%) and medicine wards (21.8%). In the ICU, strains were mainly isolated from the respiratory tract (44.1%) and bloodstream (14.0%), whereas in medicine wards they mainly were from wound/drainage (36.5%) and bloodstream (25.0%). A. baumannii showed the greatest susceptibility to piperacillin/tazobactam (92.7%), imipenem (92.5%), colistin (95.6%) and amikacin (97.2%), being lower in the ICU and medicine wards compared with other wards. An outbreak of OXA-23-producing CRAB occurred in the 13-bed ICU in 2010. CRAB strains were more co-resistant to other antimicrobials compared with non-CRAB. Molecular genetics analysis revealed five sequence types [ST78, ST107 and ST642 and two new STs (ST830 and ST831)]. Analysis of PFGE profiles indicated cross-transmissions of CRAB within the ICU, between the ICU and one medicine ward during transfer of patients, and within that medicine ward. This study provides the first clinical and molecular data of A. baumannii from French Guiana and the Amazon basin. The ICU was the highest risk unit of this nosocomial outbreak of OXA-23-producing CRAB, which could subsequently disseminate within the hospital. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. and International Society of Chemotherapy. All rights reserved.

Clinical features and prognosis of paraquat poisoning in French Guiana: A review of 62 cases.

Science.gov (United States)

Elenga, Narcisse; Merlin, Caroline; Le Guern, Rémi; Kom-Tchameni, Rémi; Ducrot, Yves-Marie; Pradier, Maxime; Ntab, Balthazar; Dinh-Van, Kim-Anh; Sobesky, Milko; Mathieu, Daniel; Dueymes, Jean-Marc; Egmann, Gérald; Kallel, Hatem; Mathieu-Nolf, Monique

2018-04-01

Paraquat is a nonselective contact herbicide of great toxicological importance, being associated with high mortality rates. Because of its high toxicity, the European Union withdrew it from its market in 2007. The aim of this study is to analyze all cases of paraquat poisoning hospitalized in French Guiana in order to assess their incidence and main characteristics.Medical records of all paraquat intoxicated patients hospitalized from 2008 until 2015 were reviewed in this retrospective study.Demographics, clinical presentation, and laboratory data were evaluated.A total of 62 cases were reviewed. The incidence of paraquat poisoning was 3.8/100,000 inhabitants/year. There were 44 adults and 18 children younger than 16 years of age. The median ages were 31 years [18.08-75.25] in adults and 13.4 years [0.75-15.08] in children, respectively. The median duration of hospitalization was longer in children [15.5 days (1-24)] than in adults [2 days (1-30)], P < .01. The majority of cases was due to self-poisoning (84%).Children had ingested a lower quantity of paraquat [48.8 mg/kg (10-571.1)] than adults [595.8 mg/kg (6-3636.4), P = .03]. There were more deaths among adults (65%) than in children (22%), P = .004. The severity and outcome was determined primarily by the amount of paraquat ingested.In conclusion, French Guiana has the largest cohort of paraquat poisonings in the European Union. The major factor affecting the prognosis of patients was the ingested amount of paraquat. The administration of activated charcoal or Pemba, in situ, within the first hour after ingestion of paraquat is essential.

Knowledge of free voluntary HIV testing centres and willingness to do a test among migrants in Cayenne, French Guiana

OpenAIRE

2011-01-01

Abstract In Cayenne, French Guiana, 80% of HIV+ patients followed at the hospital are migrants. Behavioral information is crucial for optimizing HIV testing for this vulnerable group. Predictors of ignorance of the existence of free VCT centre and willingness to get tested were investigated in 2006 among 398 migrants from Haiti, Guyana, Suriname, and Brazil using a structured questionnaire. Only 27 % of migrants knew simultaneously about the existence of free VCT, its localisation ...

Soil biogeochemical and fungal patterns across a precipitation gradient in the lowland tropical rainforests of French Guiana

Science.gov (United States)

Soong, J.; Verbruggen, E.; Janssens, I.

2016-12-01

The Guyafor network contains over 12 pristine tropical rainforest long-term research sites throughout French Guiana, with a focus on vegetation and environmental monitoring at regular intervals. However, biogeochemical and belowground insights are needed to complete the picture of ecosystem functioning in these lowland tropical rainforests, which are critical to Earth's water and energy balance. Improving our biogeochemical understanding of these ecosystems is needed to improve Earth System Models, which poorly represent tropical systems. In July 2015 we sampled soils and litter from 12 of the Guyafor permanent plots in French Guiana spanning a mean annual precipitation gradient of over 2000 mm per year. We measured soil texture, pH, C, N and available P stocks in the top 30 cm, and fungal biodiversity using ITS DNA sequencing and characterized soil organic matter (SOM) C, N and P distribution among physically defined SOM fractions. We also measured litter layer standing stocks and CNP stoichiometry. We found significant stocks of SOM in the top 30 cm of the soil varying by a factor of 4 in the top 30 cm of soil with a negative correlation of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and soil C and N with available P. Available P was also a strong predictor of fungal community composition. Furthermore there is evidence for precipitation and mineralogical influences on leaf litter and SOM dynamics highlighting the importance of heterogeneity in tropical soil substrates and sub-climates in better understanding the biogeochemistry of tropical ecosystems.

A questão da diversidade na experiência escolar de jovens na Guiana Francesa The issue of diversity in the school experience of youngsters in the French Guiana

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Izabel Galvão

2007-04-01

Full Text Available O artigo apresenta uma pesquisa realizada em dois colégios (5ª à 8ª séries do Ensino Fundamental da cidade de Caiena, na Guiana Francesa, e analisa práticas discursivas produzidas por alunos, visando compreender como se manifesta a questão da diversidade e como ela participa da construção da experiência escolar. O dispositivo empírico consistiu em entrevistas coletivas e individuais e se apoiou numa perspectiva compreensiva das práticas sociais, que valoriza a capacidade de ação e reflexão dos atores. Examina-se o modo como esses alunos constroem sua experiência escolar numa sociedade dependente e marcada pela diversidade cultural e lingüística, numa escola que combina a retórica da igualdade de oportunidades e um clima fortemente competitivo. A sociabilidade entre pares se destaca como importante dimensão da experiência escolar e os jovens relatam como ela é balizada pelas imagens de si e do outro, construídas a partir de elementos próprios ao mundo escolar, ao universo das culturas juvenis, ao contexto sociocultural da Guiana. Os alunos fazem eco às diferentes visões sobre a escola na Guiana e, situando-se entre a crítica e a adesão ao modelo e às práticas da escola francesa, expressam suas expectativas, formulam suas perspectivas. Por trás das críticas que tecem, os adolescentes formulam a demanda de serem reconhecidos como pessoa singular, questão que se situa no cerne dos processos de sua construção subjetiva.The article presents a study conducted with two schools (5th to 8th year of fundamental school in the city of Cayenne, French Guiana. It analyzes discursive practices produced by pupils with the purpose of understanding how the issue of diversity is manifested, and how it takes part in the construction of the experience of schooling. The empirical device consisted of collective and individual interviews, and was supported by a perspective sensitive to the social practices, recognizing the value of the

Human T-cell Lymphotropic Virus types I and II (HTLV-I/II in French Guiana: clinical and molecular epidemiology Os Vírus T-Linfotrópicos Humanos tipo I (HTLV-I e tipo II (HTLV-II na Guiana Francesa: epidemiologia clínica e molecular

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Mirdad Kazanji

2003-10-01

Full Text Available We review here the epidemiological studies performed by our group on human retrovirus HTLV-I and HTLV-II infections and the associated diseases in French Guiana since 1984. French Guiana is an overseas French administrative district located between Brazil and Surinam. Its population is characterized by a large variety of ethnic groups, including several populations of African origin and various populations of Amerindian origin. Several epidemiological studies of large samples of pregnant women and in remote villages showed that HTLV-I is highly endemic in this area but is restricted to groups of African origin, especially the Noir-Marrons. In this endemic population, the results of segregation analysis in a genetic epidemiological study were consistent with the presence of a dominant major gene predisposing to HTLV-I infection, especially in children. In contrast, HTLV-II infection appears to be rare in French Guiana, having been found in only a few individuals of Brazilian origin. From a molecular point of view, the HTLV-I strains present in the Noir-Marrons, Creoles and Amerindians appear to originate from Africa, as they belong to the large cosmopolitan molecular subtype A.Os autores apresentam uma revisão dos estudos epidemiológicos realizados pelo seu grupo de pesquisa sobre a infecção pelos vírus T-linfotrópicos humanos tipo I (HTLV-I e tipo II (HTLV-II e doenças associadas na Guiana Francesa, desde 1984. A Guiana Francesa é um Departamento de Ultramar da França, situado entre o Brasil e o Suriname. A população é caracterizada por uma grande variedade de grupos étnicos, incluindo diversas comunidades de origem africana e outras de origem indígena. Diversos inquéritos epidemiológicos sobre gestantes e em aldeias remotas mostraram que o HTLV-I é altamente endêmico nessas áreas, mas que o vírus é restrito a grupos de origem africana, particularmente os Noir-Marrons. Nessa população endêmica, os resultados de uma an

Child development in post-colonial contexts: educational change and ethnic transfiguration in a French Guiana Wayana-Apalaï indigenous community

OpenAIRE

Alì, Maurizio; Ailincai, Rodica

2015-01-01

International audience; This paper presents a first attempt to describe an emergent dynamic: the transformation of family educational practices between Wayana-Apalaï indigenous people of French Guiana. Ethnographic data collected between 2010 and 2013 show a large set of variations concerning care-giving time, housekeeping charges or the frequency of traditional activities. Taking into account the role of schooling and based on a critical analysis of the socioeconomic and historical context, ...

Dengue epidemics and adverse obstetrical outcomes in French Guiana: a semi-ecological study

Science.gov (United States)

Hanf, Matthieu; Friedman, Eleanor; Basurko, Celia; Roger, Amaury; Bruncher, Pascal; Dussart, Philippe; Flamand, Claude; Carles, Gabriel; Buekens, Pierre; Breart, Gerard; Carme, Bernard; Nacher, Mathieu

2014-01-01

There are few studies on the obstetrical consequences of dengue fever during pregnancy. To determine whether dengue epidemics were associated with an increase in adverse obstetrical outcomes, a semi-ecological study combining individual data on obstetrical events from the perinatal registry and aggregated exposure data from the epidemiologic surveillance of dengue was conducted in Cayenne French Guiana between 2004 and 2007. After adjustment for individual risk factors, this semi-ecological analysis showed that an epidemic level of dengue transmission during the first trimester was associated with an increased risk of postpartum hemorrhage and preterm birth. The associated risks seemed to depend on the epidemic level. Despite its limitations, the present study suggests that dengue in the first trimester may be related to preterm birth and to postpartum bleeding, thus leading to specific hypotheses that should be tested in prospective studies. PMID:24341915

Neotropical echinococcosis caused by Echinococcus vogeli in a 6-year-old child: the second case report in humans in French Guiana.

Science.gov (United States)

Debourgogne, Anne; Blanchet, Denis; Fior, Angela; Umhang, Gérald; Simon, Stéphane; Aznar, Christine

2017-02-01

Human polycystic echinococcosis is a parasitic infection caused by the larval stage of Echinococcus vogeli which occurs in rural areas of Central and South America. Abdominal echinococcosis caused by E. vogeli is reported for the first time in a child, a 6-year-old boy in French Guiana. The diagnosis was made by histological and molecular techniques. In tropical regions, this neglected disease must be considered even in children.

Food habitats of the Antillean manatees (Trichechus manatus manatus) in the Coswine Swamps (French Guiana, South America)

OpenAIRE

Spiegelberger, Thomas; Ganslosser, Udo

2005-01-01

A study was conducted to analyse the habitat of the Antillean manatee (Trichechus manatus manatus L. 1758) in the Coswine Swamps of northwest French Guiana, South America. Water parameters were similar to those described in other studies: water depth varied from 2.5 m to more than 20 m; water temperature was between 24.5 °C and 30.3 °C and pH varied between 5.5 and 6.9. Salinity was low (0.0‰ to 1.3‰) with 86.9% of all samples taken in fresh water. No submerged aquatic vegetation was found in...

Palikur traditional roundwood construction in eastern French Guiana: ethnobotanical and cultural perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Ogeron, Clémence; Odonne, Guillaume; Cristinoi, Antonia; Engel, Julien; Grenand, Pierre; Beauchêne, Jacques; Clair, Bruno; Davy, Damien

2018-04-24

Palikur Amerindians live in the eastern part of French Guiana which is undergoing deep-seated changes due to the geographical and economic opening of the region. So far, Palikur's traditional ecological knowledge is poorly documented, apart from medicinal plants. The aim of this study was to document ethnobotanical practices related to traditional construction in the region. A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods was used. Thirty-nine Palikur men were interviewed in three localities (Saint-Georges de l'Oyapock, Regina and Trois-Palétuviers) between December 2013 and July 2014. Twenty-four inventories of wood species used in traditional buildings were conducted in the villages, as well as ethnobotanical walks in the neighboring forests, to complete data about usable species and to determine Linnaean names. After an ethnographic description of roundwood Palikur habitat, the in situ wood selection process of Palikur is precisely described. A total of 960 roundwood pieces were inventoried in situ according to Palikur taxonomy, of which 860 were beams and rafters, and 100 posts in 20 permanent and 4 temporary buildings. Twenty-seven folk species were identified. Sixty-three folk species used in construction were recorded during ethnobotanical walks. They correspond to 263 botanical species belonging to 25 families. Posts in permanent buildings were made of yawu (Minquartia guianensis) (51%) and wakap (Vouacapoua americana) (14%). Beams and rafters were made of wood from Annonaceae (79%) and Lecythidaceae (13%) families. The most frequently used species were kuukumwi priye (Oxandra asbeckii), kuukumwi seyne (Pseudoxandra cuspidata), and pukuu (Xylopia nitida and X. cayennensis). Although the Palikur's relationship with their habitat is undergoing significant changes, knowledge about construction wood is still very much alive in the Oyapock basin. Many people continue to construct traditional buildings alongside modern houses, using a wide array of species

Amazonian former gold mined soils as a source of methylmercury: Evidence from a small scale watershed in French Guiana

OpenAIRE

Guedron, Stephane; Grimaldi, Michel; Grimaldi, Catherine; Cossa, Daniel; Tisserand, Delphine; Charlet, Laurent

2011-01-01

Total mercury (HgT) and monomethylmercury (MMHg) were investigated in a tropical head watershed (1 km(2)) of French Guiana. The watershed includes a pristine area on the hill slopes and a former gold mined flat in the bottomland. Concentrations of dissolved and particulate HgT and MMHg were measured in rain, throughfall, soil water and at three points along the stream. Samples were taken in-between and during 14 storm events at the beginning and middle of the 2005 and 2006 rainy seasons. Diss...

Module responses in a tropical forest tree analyzed with a matrix model

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sterck, F.J.; Bongers, F.J.J.M.; During, H.J.; Martinez-Ramos, M.; Kroon, de H.

2003-01-01

Module dynamics were studied for the shade-tolerant canopy tree species Vouacapoua americana in a French Guiana rain forest. A module life cycle graph was constructed, including all the possible transitions between four module states: apically growing (G), apically dormant (D), apically arrested

Natural hybridization between a clonally propagated crop, cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) and a wild relative in French Guiana.

Science.gov (United States)

Duputié, Anne; David, Patrice; Debain, Chantal; McKey, Doyle

2007-07-01

Because domestication rarely leads to speciation, domesticated populations often hybridize with wild relatives when they occur in close proximity. Little work has focused on this question in clonally propagated crops. If selection on the capacity for sexual reproduction has been relaxed, these crops would not be expected to hybridize with their wild relatives as frequently as seed-propagated crops. Cassava is one of the most important clonally propagated plants in tropical agriculture. Gene flow between cassava and wild relatives has often been postulated, but never demonstrated in nature. We studied a population of a wild Manihot sp. in French Guiana, which was recently in contact with domesticated cassava, and characterized phenotypes (10 morphological traits) and genotypes (six microsatellite loci) of individuals in a transect parallel to the direction of hypothesized gene flow. Wild and domesticated populations were strongly differentiated at microsatellite loci. We identified many hybrids forming a continuum between these two populations, and phenotypic variation was strongly correlated with the degree of hybridization as determined by molecular markers. Analysis of linkage disequilibrium and of the diversity of hybrid pedigrees showed that hybridization has gone on for at least three generations and that no strong barrier prevents admixture of the populations. Hybrids were more heterozygous than either wild or domesticated individuals, and phenotypic comparisons suggested heterosis in vegetative traits. Our results also suggest that this situation is not uncommon, at least in French Guiana, and demonstrate the need for integrated management of wild and domesticated populations even in clonally propagated crops.

Rapid shoreline erosion induced by human impacts in a tropical muddy coast context, an example from western French Guiana.

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Brunier, Guillaume; Anthony, Edward; Gardel, Antoine

2015-04-01

The Guyanas coast (French Guiana, Surinam and Guiana) is the longest muddy coast in the world (1500 km). It is under the influence of mud banks in transit from the Amazon delta in Brazil to the Orinoco delta in Venezuela. This westward mud bank migration induces a strong geomorphic control on the shoreline which can be summarized in terms of "bank" (shoreline advance and wave energy dissipation) and "inter-bank" phases (erosion of shoreline by waves). Our study site, rice polders close to Mana city (western French Guiana), is a fine example of the exacerbation, by human activities, of the erosional dynamics on this muddy coast during an "inter-bank" phase. The polders cover 50,000 ha, in 200 x 600 m compartments flanked by earth dikes and canals. They were built in the muddy Holocene coastal plain in the 1980s and are rapidly eroding. Waves (mean significant height = 1.5 m height) comprise Atlantic swell and local trade wind-waves, and the tidal context is semi-diurnal and meso-tidal. We determined historical shoreline evolution from satellite (Landsat & SPOT) and orthophotography images, and conducted four field campaigns between October 2013 and October 2014, comprising topographic (RTK-DGPS) and hydrodynamic (pressure sensors) measurements. The results show intense erosion of 150 m/year affecting the polders since 2001, and lesser retreat (30 to 100 m/year) of the adjacent sectors colonized by mangrove forests. The erosive shoreface shows the same structure in each polder compartment: a chenier beach which freely retreats backwards under the influence of wave overwash. The chenier retreat rate is 100 m/year and it appears to be more intense (net retreat of 45 m) during the high wave-energy season (December to March), which generates more overwashing. In front of the chenier, we observed a large (50 m) inter-tidal mud bed showing different levels of induration and bioturbation by mangrove roots. The mud shorefaces exhibit an erosion rate of 100 m/year on average

Environmental Studies at the Guiana Space Centre

Science.gov (United States)

Richard, Sandrine

2013-09-01

The Environmental Commitment of the French Space Agency at the Guiana Space Centre (CNES / CSG) specifies that the environmental protection is a major stake. Consequently, CNES participates in numerous space programs that contribute significantly to a better knowledge, management and protection of our environment at a global scale.The studies and researches that are done at CNES / CSG meet several objectives:* Assessment of safety and environmental effects and risk related to the effects overflowing due to a pollution caused by ground and flight activities* Improvement of the studies related to the knowledge of the environment (flora and fauna monitoring).* Risk assessment and management which may affect the safety of people , property, and protection of public health and environment * Verification of the compliance of the results of impact studies of launch vehicle in flight phase provided by the launch operator (Technical Regulation) with the French Safety Operational Acts.In this note, study and research programs are presented. They allow a better knowledge of the surrounding environment and of impacts caused by the industrial activities done in Guiana Space Center.

Multi-annual energy plan 2016-2018 and 2019-2023 of French Guiana

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2016-01-01

The multi-annual energy plan aims at completing the transition towards an energy system which is more efficient, less wasteful, more diverse and therefore more resilient. It reaffirms France's commitment to reducing energy consumption, particularly energy from fossil fuels. The future of France's energy sector lies in striking a harmonious balance between different energy sources. These strategic decisions will help to meet France's objectives to keep greenhouse gas emissions to a minimum in line with its commitments to the EU and to the Paris Climate Agreement, to protect human health and the environment and to ensure access to energy at a reasonable cost whilst stimulating economic activity and employment. This document is the multi-annual energy plan for French Guiana overseas region. It establishes the priority actions for all energy sources with respect to supply control, supply diversification, supply security, development of storage facilities and networks. It covers a first 3-years period (2016-2018) followed by a second 5-years period (2019-2023)

Functional patterns of microbial communities of rhizospheric soils across the development stages of a young mangrove in French Guiana.

Science.gov (United States)

Luglia, Mathieu; Criquet, Stéven; Sarrazin, Max; Ziarelli, Fabio; Guiral, Daniel

2014-02-01

The functional patterns of microbial communities (microbial respiration, enzyme activities, functional diversity) and the relevant physico-chemical characteristics of rhizospheric soils were studied during the process of mudflat colonization by mangrove. The study site is a fringe mangrove stand located in Montabo Bay at Cayenne (French Guiana). It is characterized by different vegetation development stages dominated by an assemblage of Avicennia germinans and Laguncularia racemosa. Rhizospheric and surface soils were collected from three stations based on successional stages of mangrove colonization: pioneer (P), coppice (C), and young forest (F). The microbial functional patterns showed significant progressive shifts along the mangrove vegetation profile. The P stages, those most influenced by tide currents, were macroscopically characterized by hydro-sedimentary instability and micro-phytobenthic colonization of mudflat. This stage, characterized by low total organic carbon (TOC) content and quality, showed the lowest extracellular enzymatic activities and the highest functional metabolic diversities. TOC quality analyses by (13)C CPMAS NMR provided evidence of progressive TOC enrichment and an increasing imprint of aboveground vegetation on C quality as succession occurs. These differences in the origin, amount, and quality of soil organic matter (SOM) of older stages exerted both a quantitative and qualitative control over microbial functional responses. This indicated the enhancement of aboveground-belowground functional linkages, leading to the expression of high decomposition activities and a functional loss and specialization of rhizospheric microbial communities.

Tracking a genetic signal of extinction-recolonization events in a neotropical tree species: Vouacapoua americana Aublet in French Guiana.

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Dutech, Cyril; Maggia, Laurent; Tardy, Christophe; Joly, Hélène I; Jarne, Philippe

2003-12-01

Drier periods from the late Pleistocene and early Holocene have been hypothesized to have caused the disappearance of various rainforest species over large geographical areas in South America and restricted the extant populations to mesic sites. Subsequent improvement in climatic conditions has been associated with recolonization. Changes in population size associated with these extinction-recolonization events should have affected genetic diversity within species. However, these historical hypotheses and their genetic consequences have rarely been tested in South America. Here, we examine the diversity of the chloroplast and nuclear genomes in a Neotropical rainforest tree species, Vouacapoua americana (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae) in French Guiana. The chloroplast diversity was analyzed using a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method (six pairs of primers) in 29 populations distributed over most of French Guiana, and a subset of 17 populations was also analyzed at nine polymorphic microsatellite loci. To determine whether this species has experienced extinction-recolonization, we sampled populations in areas supposedly not or only slightly affected by climatic changes, where the populations would not have experienced frequent extinction, and in areas that appear to have been recently recolonized. In the putatively recolonized areas, we found patches of several thousands of hectares homogeneous for chloroplast variation that can be interpreted as the effect of recolonization processes from several geographical origins. In addition, we observed that, for both chloroplast and nuclear genomes, the populations in newly recolonized areas exhibited a significantly smaller allelic richness than others. Controlling for geographic distance, we also detected a significant correlation between chloroplast and nuclear population differentiation. This result indicates a cytonuclear disequilibrium that can be interpreted as a historical signal

Control of "blue carbon" storage by mangrove ageing: Evidence from a 66-year chronosequence in French Guiana.

Science.gov (United States)

Walcker, Romain; Gandois, Laure; Proisy, Christophe; Corenblit, Dov; Mougin, Éric; Laplanche, Christophe; Ray, Raghab; Fromard, François

2018-06-01

The role of mangroves in the blue carbon stock is critical and requires special focus. Mangroves are carbon-rich forests that are not in steady-state equilibrium at the decadal time scale. Over the last decades, the structure and zonation of mangroves have been largely disturbed by coastal changes and land use conversions. The amount of time since the last disturbance is a key parameter determining forest structure, but it has so far been overlooked in mangrove carbon stock projections. In particular, the carbon sequestration rates among mangrove successional ages after (re)establishment are poorly quantified and not used in large-scale estimations of the blue carbon stock. Here, it is hypothesized that ecosystem age structure significantly modulates mangrove carbon stocks. We analysed a 66-year chronosequence of the aboveground and belowground biomass and soil carbon stock of mangroves in French Guiana, and we found that in the year after forest establishment on newly formed mud banks, the aboveground, belowground and soil carbon stocks averaged 23.56 ± 7.71, 13.04 ± 3.37 and 84.26 ± 64.14 (to a depth of 1 m) Mg C/ha, respectively. The mean annual increment (MAI) in the aboveground and belowground reservoirs was 23.56 × Age -0.52 and 13.20 × Age -0.64  Mg C ha -1  year -1 , respectively, and the MAI in the soil carbon reservoir was 3.00 ± 1.80 Mg C ha -1  year -1 . Our results show that the plant carbon sink capacity declines with ecosystem age, while the soil carbon sequestration rate remains constant over many years. We suggest that global projections of the above- and belowground reservoirs of the carbon stock need to account for mangrove age structures, which result from historical changes in coastal morphology. Our work anticipates joint international efforts to globally quantify the multidecadal mangrove carbon balance based on the combined use of age-based parametric equations and time series of mangrove age maps at regional scales

A new species of Colostethus (Anura, Dendrobatidae from French Guiana with a redescription of Colostethus beebei (Noble, 1923 from its type locality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Philippe J. R. Kok

2006-09-01

Full Text Available A new species of Colostethus, long mistaken for Colostethus beebei, is described from French Guiana. The new species can be distinguished from congeners by absence of median lingual process, first finger longer than second, third finger not distinctly swollen in males, differences in tadpole morphology, coloration and pattern (e.g. absence of dorsolateral stripe, bioacoustics, and reproductive behavior. A complete redescription of Colostethus beebei plus description of its tadpole and call is provided on the basis of recently collected topotypic specimens. The range of C. beebei is restricted to the Kaieteur plateau, Pakaraima Mountains, Guyana.

Population genetics of Manihot esculenta ssp. flabellifolia gives insight into past distribution of xeric vegetation in a postulated forest refugium area in northern Amazonia.

Science.gov (United States)

Duputié, Anne; Delêtre, Marc; De Granville, Jean-Jacques; McKey, Doyle

2009-07-01

The Guianas have often been proposed as a forest refugium; however, this view has received little testing. Studies of population genetics of forest taxa suggest that the central part of French Guiana remained forested, while the southern part (currently forested) may have harboured more open vegetation. Insights into the population structure of species restricted to non-forested habitats can help test this hypothesis. Using six microsatellite loci, we investigated the population genetics of French Guianan accessions of Manihot esculenta ssp. flabellifolia, a taxon restricted to coastal savannas and to rocky outcrops in the densely forested inland. Coastal populations were highly differentiated from one another, and our data suggest a recent colonization of these savannas by M. esculenta ssp. flabellifolia in a west-to-east process. Coastal populations were strongly differentiated from inselberg populations, consistent with an ancient separation of these two groups, with no or low subsequent gene flow. This supports the hypothesis that the central part of the region may have remained forested since the Last Glacial Maximum, impeding the establishment of Manihot. Contrary to coastal populations, inselberg Manihot populations were strikingly homogeneous at a broad spatial scale. This suggests they were connected until recently, either by a large continuous savanna area or by smaller, temporary disturbed areas shifting in space.

Two new combinations in Euploca Nutt. (Heliotropiaceae, Boraginales) and a conspectus of the species of the Guiana Shield area

Science.gov (United States)

Feuillet, Christian

2016-01-01

Abstract Heliotropium foliatum and Tournefortia humilis are transferred to Euploca Nutt. respectively as Euploca foliata comb. n. and Euploca humilis comb. n. A collection from Guyana has been recently identified as Euploca humistrata, a species previously considered a Brazilian endemic. A collection from French Guiana documents for the first time the species in that country. A key to the species of the Guiana Shield area is given. The species of Euploca from the Guiana Shield are listed with synonymy and a brief description: Euploca filiformis, Euploca humilis, Euploca humistrata, Euploca lagoensis, Euploca polyphylla, Euploca procumbens. PMID:27081354

Review of mammalogical research in the Guianas of northern South America.

Science.gov (United States)

Lim, Burton K

2016-03-01

Research on mammals in the Guianas of northern South America has had a checkered history. In this review, I summarize the notable contributions to mammalogical study in Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. These studies began in the mid-18th century with the binomial nomenclature system of scientific classification created by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus, who described 23 species new to science based on holotype specimens from the Guianas. Notwithstanding popular accounts by amateur naturalists visiting this region, over the next 7 decades there was only sporadic taxonomic work done on Guianan mammals primarily by researchers at European museums. The first comprehensive biological exploration took place in the 1840s during a geographic survey of the boundaries of British Guiana. However, it was not until almost half a century later that scientific publications began to regularly document the increasing species diversity in the region, including the prodigious work of Oldfield Thomas at the British Museum of Natural History in London. Another lull in the study of mammals occurred in the mid-1910s to the early 1960s after which foreign researchers began to rediscover the Guianas and their pristine habitats. This biological renaissance is still ongoing and I give a prospectus on the direction of future research in one of the last frontiers of tropical rainforest. An initiative that would be greatly beneficial is the establishment of a university network in the Guianas with graduate-based research to develop a cadre of professional experts on biodiversity and evolution as seen in other countries of South America. © 2016 International Society of Zoological Sciences, Institute of Zoology/Chinese Academy of Sciences and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Sources and fate of organic (DOC, POC, CDOM) and inorganic (DIC) carbon in a mangrove dominated estuary (French Guiana)

Science.gov (United States)

Ray, R.; Michaud, E.; Vantrepotte, V.; Aller, R. C.; Morvan, S.; Thouzeau, G.

2016-12-01

We studied the mangrove dominated Sinnamary estuarine system in French Guiana during the dry and wet seasons in 2015 to examine the sources, transport and fate of surface water DOC, POC and DIC along the salinity gradient and the effect of tidal fluctuations on carbon dynamics. Elemental ratios, stable isotopes and optical properties (absorption) were applied as proxies to delineate the sources and molecular structure of the organic carbon. Results showed that during the wet season there were significant net inputs of POC and DOC along the salinity gradient from mangroves and enhanced surface runoff. Time series performed during the dry season at a station in channel water adjacent to mangroves revealed mangrove-derived export and exchanges of DOC and POC during the ebb and marine algae import during the flood. DOC was the dominant form of carbon in both seasons with DOC:POC ratios typically between 13 and 40. Both δ13DOC and CDOM descriptors (e.g., S275-295 and a*412) confirmed mangrove litter leaching to be the primary contributor of high molecular weight dissolved organic matter in the wet season which was replaced by marine phytoplanktonic OC during transport offshore in the dry season. CDOM aromaticity is lower in the dry season as mangrove inputs decrease. POC showed similar trends as DOC, with maximum contributions of terrestrial litter in the river and mixing zone, and in situ production dominant in the marine zone. The entire estuary is heterotrophic, exhibiting high pCO2 (837-5575µatm) and oxygen undersaturation (59-86%) in both seasons, and substantial CO2 emission fluxes (278-3671mmol m-2 d-1). Intense local remineralization and laterally transported CO2 originating from mangrove benthic respiration could account for the water column pCO2 enrichment during low tide and night time. Keywords: Organic carbon, stable isotopes, CDOM, pCO2, mangrove, French Guiana

Dynamic of Mud Banks In French Guiana : An Experimental Investigation of Sediment Settling Processes

Science.gov (United States)

Gratiot, N.; Lefebvre, J. P.

The coast of French Guiana is characterized by the periodic northwestward migration of mud banks originated from the Amazone mouth. From previous studies, the char- acteristical size of banks has been estimated by remote sensing processing as well as their mean rate of alongshore transport. However, the physical mecanisms leading to their displacements are not yet fully quantified. The present work aimed at investigating different processes known to be involved in coastal and estuarine dynamics and expected to occur during the migration of mud banks. The relative magnitudes of flocculation, hindered settling and consolidation have been determined. The material tested has been sampled during a field survey of the french National Pro- gram of Coastal Environment (PNEC-Chantier Guyane). Settling column experiments have been performed under quiescent condition for various mean sediment concen- trations in the range of 2-110g/l. The time dependent vertical profiles of suspended sediment concentration were monitored by mean of a 32 pre-calibrated optical sen- sors device. The corresponding settling velocity was deduced from the conservation of mass equation. This study yields usefull information for a better understanding of settling processes related to the fluid mud layer observed on the forepart of the bank. Time scales of hindering and consolidation processes are larger than these of mixing mecanisms such as tides or propagating waves. Therefore, it prevents any consolidation to occur. At the opposite, the individual floc settling velocity is too small to counterbalance the turbulent mixing induced by breaking waves. The experiments also pointed out that additional flocculation by differential settling should enhance sedimentation during slack water conditions.

Carbon stocks and flux in French forests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dupouey, Jean-Luc; Pignard, Gerome; Badeau, Vincent; Thimonier, A.; Dhote, Jean-Francois; Nepveu, G.; Berges, L.; Augusto, L.; Belkacem, S.; Nys, C.

2000-01-01

Forests contain most of the carbon stored in the earth's biomass (81 %) and could play a role in CO 2 mitigation to a certain extent. We estimate French forest carbon stocks in biomass to be 860 MtC on 14.5 million hectares of forests, and 1,140 MtC in forest soils. Total carbon in the 14.5 million hectares of French forests is estimated at 2,000 MtC. Average annual flux for the 1979/91 period is 10.5 MtC/y, i.e. 10 % of national fossil fuel emissions. The main causes of this net carbon uptake are the rapid increase of forest area, increasing productivity due to environmental changes, ageing or, in some localized areas, more intensive silviculture practices. These carbon sinks are not offset by the harvesting level which remains low on average (61 % of the annual volume growth). Forestry carbon mitigation options applicable in France are discussed. The need for global economic and ecological budgets (including carbon stocks, soil fertility and biodiversity) of the possible alternatives is stressed. (authors)

Dynamical Mapping of Anopheles darlingi Densities in a Residual Malaria Transmission Area of French Guiana by Using Remote Sensing and Meteorological Data.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antoine Adde

Full Text Available Local variation in the density of Anopheles mosquitoes and the risk of exposure to bites are essential to explain the spatial and temporal heterogeneities in the transmission of malaria. Vector distribution is driven by environmental factors. Based on variables derived from satellite imagery and meteorological observations, this study aimed to dynamically model and map the densities of Anopheles darlingi in the municipality of Saint-Georges de l'Oyapock (French Guiana. Longitudinal sampling sessions of An. darlingi densities were conducted between September 2012 and October 2014. Landscape and meteorological data were collected and processed to extract a panel of variables that were potentially related to An. darlingi ecology. Based on these data, a robust methodology was formed to estimate a statistical predictive model of the spatial-temporal variations in the densities of An. darlingi in Saint-Georges de l'Oyapock. The final cross-validated model integrated two landscape variables-dense forest surface and built surface-together with four meteorological variables related to rainfall, evapotranspiration, and the minimal and maximal temperatures. Extrapolation of the model allowed the generation of predictive weekly maps of An. darlingi densities at a resolution of 10-m. Our results supported the use of satellite imagery and meteorological data to predict malaria vector densities. Such fine-scale modeling approach might be a useful tool for health authorities to plan control strategies and social communication in a cost-effective, targeted, and timely manner.

Dynamical Mapping of Anopheles darlingi Densities in a Residual Malaria Transmission Area of French Guiana by Using Remote Sensing and Meteorological Data.

Science.gov (United States)

Adde, Antoine; Roux, Emmanuel; Mangeas, Morgan; Dessay, Nadine; Nacher, Mathieu; Dusfour, Isabelle; Girod, Romain; Briolant, Sébastien

2016-01-01

Local variation in the density of Anopheles mosquitoes and the risk of exposure to bites are essential to explain the spatial and temporal heterogeneities in the transmission of malaria. Vector distribution is driven by environmental factors. Based on variables derived from satellite imagery and meteorological observations, this study aimed to dynamically model and map the densities of Anopheles darlingi in the municipality of Saint-Georges de l'Oyapock (French Guiana). Longitudinal sampling sessions of An. darlingi densities were conducted between September 2012 and October 2014. Landscape and meteorological data were collected and processed to extract a panel of variables that were potentially related to An. darlingi ecology. Based on these data, a robust methodology was formed to estimate a statistical predictive model of the spatial-temporal variations in the densities of An. darlingi in Saint-Georges de l'Oyapock. The final cross-validated model integrated two landscape variables-dense forest surface and built surface-together with four meteorological variables related to rainfall, evapotranspiration, and the minimal and maximal temperatures. Extrapolation of the model allowed the generation of predictive weekly maps of An. darlingi densities at a resolution of 10-m. Our results supported the use of satellite imagery and meteorological data to predict malaria vector densities. Such fine-scale modeling approach might be a useful tool for health authorities to plan control strategies and social communication in a cost-effective, targeted, and timely manner.

Scaling leaf respiration with nitrogen and phosphorus in tropical forests across two continents.

Science.gov (United States)

Rowland, Lucy; Zaragoza-Castells, Joana; Bloomfield, Keith J; Turnbull, Matthew H; Bonal, Damien; Burban, Benoit; Salinas, Norma; Cosio, Eric; Metcalfe, Daniel J; Ford, Andrew; Phillips, Oliver L; Atkin, Owen K; Meir, Patrick

2017-05-01

Leaf dark respiration (R dark ) represents an important component controlling the carbon balance in tropical forests. Here, we test how nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) affect R dark and its relationship with photosynthesis using three widely separated tropical forests which differ in soil fertility. R dark was measured on 431 rainforest canopy trees, from 182 species, in French Guiana, Peru and Australia. The variation in R dark was examined in relation to leaf N and P content, leaf structure and maximum photosynthetic rates at ambient and saturating atmospheric CO 2 concentration. We found that the site with the lowest fertility (French Guiana) exhibited greater rates of R dark per unit leaf N, P and photosynthesis. The data from Australia, for which there were no phylogenetic overlaps with the samples from the South American sites, yielded the most distinct relationships of R dark with the measured leaf traits. Our data indicate that no single universal scaling relationship accounts for variation in R dark across this large biogeographical space. Variability between sites in the absolute rates of R dark and the R dark  : photosynthesis ratio were driven by variations in N- and P-use efficiency, which were related to both taxonomic and environmental variability. © 2016 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2016 New Phytologist Trust.

Amazonian former gold mined soils as a source of methylmercury: evidence from a small scale watershed in French Guiana.

Science.gov (United States)

Guedron, Stephane; Grimaldi, Michel; Grimaldi, Catherine; Cossa, Daniel; Tisserand, Delphine; Charlet, Laurent

2011-04-01

Total mercury (HgT) and monomethylmercury (MMHg) were investigated in a tropical head watershed (1 km(2)) of French Guiana. The watershed includes a pristine area on the hill slopes and a former gold mined flat in the bottomland. Concentrations of dissolved and particulate HgT and MMHg were measured in rain, throughfall, soil water and at three points along the stream. Samples were taken in-between and during 14 storm events at the beginning and middle of the 2005 and 2006 rainy seasons. Dissolved and particulate HgT concentrations in the stream slightly increased downstream, while dissolved and particulate MMHg concentrations were low at the pristine sub-watershed outlet (median = 0.006 ng L(-1) and 1.84 ng g(-1), respectively) and sharply increased at the gold mined flat outlet (median = 0.056 ng L(-1) and 6.80 ng g(-1), respectively). Oxisols, which are dominant in the pristine area act as a sink of HgT and MMHg from rain and throughfall inputs. Hydromorphic soils in the flat are strongly contaminated with Hg (including Hg(0) droplets) and their structure has been disturbed by former gold-mining processes, leading to multiple stagnant water areas where biogeochemical conditions are favorable for methylation. In the former gold mined flat high dissolved MMHg concentrations (up to 0.8 ng L(-1)) were measured in puddles or suboxic soil pore waters, whereas high dissolved HgT concentrations were found in lower Eh conditions. Iron-reducing bacteria were suggested as the main methylators since highest concentrations for dissolved MMHg were associated with high dissolved ferrous iron concentrations. The connection between saturated areas and stagnant waters with the hydrographic network during rain events leads to the export of dissolved MMHg and HgT in stream waters, especially at the beginning of the rainy season. As both legal and illegal gold-mining continues to expand in French Guiana, an increase in dissolved and particulate MMHg emissions in the hydrographic

Developmental plasticity and biomechanics of treelets and lianas in Manihot aff. quinquepartita (Euphorbiaceae): a branch-angle climber of French Guiana.

Science.gov (United States)

Ménard, Léa; McKey, Doyle; Rowe, Nick

2009-06-01

Most tropical lianas have specialized organs of attachment such as twining stems, hooks or tendrils but some do not. Many climbers also have an early self-supporting phase of growth and in some species this can produce treelet-sized individuals. This study focuses on how a liana can climb without specialized attachment organs and how biomechanical properties of the stem are modulated between self-supporting treelets and canopy-climbing lianas. Biomechanics and stem development were investigated in self-supporting to climbing individuals of Manihot aff. quinquepartita (Euphorbiaceae) from tropical rain forest at Saül, central French Guiana. Bending tests were carried out close to the site of growth. Mechanical properties, including Young's elastic modulus, were observed with reference to habit type and changes in stem anatomy during development. This liana species can show a remarkably long phase of self-supporting growth as treelets with stiff, juvenile wood characterizing the branches and main stem. During the early phase of climbing, stiff but unstable stem segments are loosely held in a vertical position to host plants via petiole bases. The stiffest stems--those having the highest values of Young's modulus measured in bending--belonged to young, leaning and climbing stems. Only when climbing stems are securely anchored into the surrounding vegetation by a system of wide-angled branches, does the plant develop highly flexible stem properties. As in many specialized lianas, the change in stiffness is linked to the development of wood with numerous large vessels and thin-walled fibres. Some angiosperms can develop highly effective climbing behaviour and specialized flexible stems without highly specialized organs of attachment. This is linked to a high degree of developmental plasticity in early stages of growth. Young individuals in either open or closed marginal forest conditions can grow as substantial treelets or as leaning/climbing plants, depending on the

Phenotypic plasticity in fish life-history traits in two neotropical reservoirs: Petit-Saut Reservoir in French Guiana and Brokopondo Reservoir in Suriname

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Bernard de Mérona

Full Text Available Fish species are known for their large phenotypic plasticity in life-history traits in relation to environmental characteristics. Plasticity allows species to increase their fitness in a given environment. Here we examined the life-history response of fish species after an abrupt change in their environment caused by the damming of rivers. Two reservoirs of different age, both situated on the Guiana Shield, were investigated: the young Petit-Saut Reservoir in French Guiana (14 years and the much older Brokopondo Reservoir in Suriname (44 years. Six life-history traits in 14 fish species were studied and compared to their value in the Sinnamary River prior to the completion of Petit-Saut Reservoir. The traits analyzed were maximum length, absolute and relative length at first maturation, proportion of mature oocytes in ripe gonad, batch fecundity and mean size of mature oocytes. The results revealed a general increase of reproductive effort. All species showed a decrease in maximum length. Compared to the values observed before the dam constructions, eight species had larger oocytes and three species showed an increased batch fecundity. These observed changes suggest a trend towards a pioneer strategy. The changes observed in Petit-Saut Reservoir also seemed to apply to the 30 years older Brokopondo Reservoir suggesting that these reservoirs remain in a state of immaturity for a long time.

Flow seasonality and fish assemblage in a tropical river, French Guiana, South America

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Francisco Leonardo Tejerina-Garro

Full Text Available The objective of this study is to verify the existence of a seasonal pattern of variation in the fish assemblages of a tropical river using taxonomic and functional descriptors. Fish were sampled using gillnets at two sites on the Comté River, a large-sized river 254.8 km long, flowing entirely through rainforest areas of French Guiana. Samplings were conducted every other month from August 1998 to July 2000. Four types of fish assemblage descriptors were used: the species descriptor (number of individual fish of each species in the sample; the family descriptor (number of individual fish of each family in the sample; the trophic descriptor (distribution of the fish biomass in each feeding guild and the specific maximum observed size - MOS (number of individual fish in each of four classes of MOS: 300 mm. Results point out that changes in the fish assemblage are related to water level oscillations. The role of migration seems to be weak and is limited to trophic displacements characteristic of few species. In the low-water season, characterized by weak water level oscillation, fish species and families belonging to piscivorous or aquatic invertivorous guilds were predominant, whereas in the high-water season the environment is submitted to strong variations caused by fast and large water level oscillations, and the fish assemblage was characterized by species or families with an opportunistic omnivorous diet.

Prevalence and risk factors of early onset of sexual intercourse in a random sample of a multiethnic adolescent population in French Guiana.

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Ayhan, Gülen; Martin, Loic; Levy-Loeb, Mathieu; Thomas, Stéphanie; Euzet, Géneviève; Van Melle, Astrid; Parriault, Marie-Claire; Basurko, Célia; Nacher, Mathieu

2015-01-01

French Guiana, a French overseas department in South America, has been classified epidemic for HIV. This territory is consisting of a very young population with almost 45% of them being younger than 20 years of age. Delaying the onset of first sexual intercourse (SI) is one of the major objectives to fight HIV infection in adolescents. The objective of this study is to identify the age of first SI and the risk factors of early onset. A behavioural surveillance survey among students living on the coastline and alongside the Maroni River was conducted in 2011/2012. A total of 1603 students filled out the survey. While 60% had already SI, the mean age of first intercourse was 12.1 years for boys and 13.9 years for girls. Accordingly, over 90% had a premature onset of SI. Risk factors are age, male gender, living alongside the Maroni River, another language than the French being mother tongue, not being religious, alcohol and cannabis consumption and a bad attitude towards condom use. Risk factors for girls are an older first sexual partner, having more than three lifetime sexual partners and condom rupture. Evidence-based implementation with respect of local and socio-demographic aspects is necessary to improve youths' appreciation of SI and related risk of sexual transmitted diseases.

Feeding mice with diets containing mercury-contaminated fish flesh from French Guiana: a model for the mercurial intoxication of the Wayana Amerindians

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Rossignol Rodrigue

2008-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In 2005, 84% of Wayana Amerindians living in the upper marshes of the Maroni River in French Guiana presented a hair mercury concentration exceeding the limit set up by the World Health Organization (10 μg/g. To determine whether this mercurial contamination was harmful, mice have been fed diets prepared by incorporation of mercury-polluted fish from French Guiana. Methods Four diets containing 0, 0.1, 1, and 7.5% fish flesh, representing 0, 5, 62, and 520 ng methylmercury per g, respectively, were given to four groups of mice for a month. The lowest fish regimen led to a mercurial contamination pressure of 1 ng mercury per day per g of body weight, which is precisely that affecting the Wayana Amerindians. Results The expression of several genes was modified with mercury intoxication in liver, kidneys, and hippocampus, even at the lowest tested fish regimen. A net genetic response could be observed for mercury concentrations accumulated within tissues as weak as 0.15 ppm in the liver, 1.4 ppm in the kidneys, and 0.4 ppm in the hippocampus. This last value is in the range of the mercury concentrations found in the brains of chronically exposed patients in the Minamata region or in brains from heavy fish consumers. Mitochondrial respiratory rates showed a 35–40% decrease in respiration for the three contaminated mice groups. In the muscles of mice fed the lightest fish-containing diet, cytochrome c oxidase activity was decreased to 45% of that of the control muscles. When mice behavior was assessed in a cross maze, those fed the lowest and mid-level fish-containing diets developed higher anxiety state behaviors compared to mice fed with control diet. Conclusion We conclude that a vegetarian diet containing as little as 0.1% of mercury-contaminated fish is able to trigger in mice, after only one month of exposure, disorders presenting all the hallmarks of mercurial contamination.

Spatial variability of greenhouse gases emissions (CO2, CH4, N2O) in a tropical hydroelectric reservoir flooding primary forest (Petit Saut Reservoir, French Guiana)

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Cailleaud, Emilie; Guérin, Frédéric; Bouillon, Steven; Sarrazin, Max; Serça, Dominique

2014-05-01

At the Petit Saut Reservoir (PSR, French Guiana, South America), vertical profiles were performed at 5 stations in the open waters (OW) and 6 stations in two shallow flooded forest (FF) areas between April 2012 and September 2013. Measurements included physico-chemical parameters, ammonium, nitrate and dissolved greenhouse gas (CO2, CH4, N2O) concentrations, dissolved and particulate organic carbon (DOC, POC) and nitrogen (PN), δ13C-POC and δ15N-PN . The diffusive fluxes were calculated from surface concentrations. The aim of this study was to estimate the spatial variations of greenhouse gas emissions at a dentrical hydroelectric reservoir located in the tropics and flooding primary forest. Twenty years after impoundment, the water column of the PSR is permanently and tightly stratified thermally in the FF whereas in the OW, the thermal gradients are not as stable. The different hydrodynamical behaviours between the two different zones have significant consequences on the biogeochemistry: oxygen barely diffuses down to the hypolimnion in the FF whereas destratification occurs sporadically during the rainy season in the OW. Although we found the same range of POC in the FF and the OW (2.5-29 μmol L-1) and 20% more DOC at the bottom of OW than in the FF (229-878 μmol L-1), CO2 and CH4 concentrations were always significantly higher in the FF (CO2: 11-1412 μmol L-1, CH4: 0.001-1015 μmol L-1) than in the OW. On average, the CO2 concentrations were 30-40% higher in the FF than in the OW and the CH4 concentrations were three times higher in the FF than in the OW. The δ13C-POC and C:N values did not suggest substantial differences in the sources of OM between the FF and OW. At all stations, POC at the bottom has an isotopic signature slightly lighter than the terrestrial OM in the surrounding forest whereas the isotopic signature of surface POM would result from phytoplankton and methanotrophs. The vertical profiles of nitrogen compounds reveal that the main

Challenges with minimising mercury pollution in the small-scale gold mining sector: experiences from the Guianas.

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Hilson, Gavin; Vieira, Rickford

2007-12-01

This paper examines the barriers to mitigating mercury pollution at small-scale gold mines in the Guianas (Guyana, French Guiana and Suriname), and prescribes recommendations for overcoming these obstacles. Whilst considerable attention has been paid to analysing the environmental impacts of operations in the region, minimal research has been undertaken to identify appropriate policy and educational initiatives for addressing the mounting mercury problem. Findings from recent fieldwork and selected interviews with operators from Guyanese and Surinamese gold mining regions reveal that legislative incapacity, the region's varied industry policy stances, various technological problems, and low environmental awareness on the part of communities are impeding efforts to facilitate improved mercury management at small-scale gold mines in the Guianas. Marked improvements can be achieved, however, if legislation, particularly that pertaining to mercury, is harmonised in the region; educational seminars continue to be held in important mining districts; and additional outlets for disseminating environmental equipment and mercury-free technologies are provided.

Antiplasmodial and anti-inflammatory effects of an antimalarial remedy from the Wayana Amerindians, French Guiana: takamalaimë (Psidium acutangulum Mart. ex DC., Myrtaceae).

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Houël, Emeline; Fleury, Marie; Odonne, Guillaume; Nardella, Flore; Bourdy, Geneviève; Vonthron-Sénécheau, Catherine; Villa, Pascal; Obrecht, Adeline; Eparvier, Véronique; Deharo, Eric; Stien, Didier

2015-05-26

Field investigations highlighted the use of Psidium acutangulum Mart. ex DC (syn. P. persoonii McVaugh), a small tree used by the Wayana Amerindians in Twenke-Taluhwen and Antecume-Pata, French Guiana, for the treatment of malaria, and administered either orally in the form of a decoction or applied externally over the whole body. This use appears limited to the Wayana cultural group in French Guiana and has never been reported anywhere else. Our goal was to evaluate the antimalarial and anti-inflammatory activities of a P. acutangulum decoction to explain the good reputation of this remedy. Interviews with the Wayana inhabitants of Twenke-Taluhwen and Antecume-Pata were conducted within the TRAMAZ project according to the TRAMIL methodology, which is based on a quantitative and qualitative analysis of medicinal plant uses. A decoction of dried aerial parts of P. acutangulum was prepared in consistency with the Wayana recipe. In vitro antiplasmodial assays were performed on chloroquine-resistant FcB1 ([(3)H]-hypoxanthine bioassay) and 7G8 (pLDH bioassay) P. falciparum strains and on chloroquine sensitive NF54 ([(3)H]-hypoxanthine bioassay) P. falciparum strain. In vitro anti-inflammatory activity (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, TNFα) was evaluated on LPS-stimulated human PBMC and NO secretion inhibition was measured on LPS stimulated RAW murine macrophages. Cytotoxicity of the decoction was measured on L6 mammalian cells, PBMCs, and RAW cells. A preliminary evaluation of the in vivo antimalarial activity of the decoction, administered orally twice daily, was assessed by the classical four-day suppressive test against P. berghei NK65 in mice. The decoction displayed a good antiplasmodial activity in vitro against the three tested strains, regardless to the bioassay used, with IC50 values of 3.3µg/mL and 10.3µg/mL against P. falciparum FcB1 and NF54, respectively and 19.0µg/mL against P. falciparum 7G8. It also exhibited significant anti-inflammatory activity in vitro in a

Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Vector-Borne Disease Prevention during the Emergence of a New Arbovirus: Implications for the Control of Chikungunya Virus in French Guiana.

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Camille Fritzell

2016-11-01

Full Text Available During the last decade, French Guiana has been affected by major dengue fever outbreaks. Although this arbovirus has been a focus of many awareness campaigns, very little information is available about beliefs, attitudes and behaviors regarding vector-borne diseases among the population of French Guiana. During the first outbreak of the chikungunya virus, a quantitative survey was conducted among high school students to study experiences, practices and perceptions related to mosquito-borne diseases and to identify socio-demographic, cognitive and environmental factors that could be associated with the engagement in protective behaviors.A cross-sectional survey was administered in May 2014, with a total of 1462 students interviewed. Classrooms were randomly selected using a two-stage selection procedure with cluster samples. A multiple correspondence analysis (MCA associated with a hierarchical cluster analysis and with an ordinal logistic regression was performed. Chikungunya was less understood and perceived as a more dreadful disease than dengue fever. The analysis identified three groups of individual protection levels against mosquito-borne diseases: "low" (30%, "moderate" (42% and "high" (28%". Protective health behaviors were found to be performed more frequently among students who were female, had a parent with a higher educational status, lived in an individual house, and had a better understanding of the disease.This study allowed us to estimate the level of protective practices against vector-borne diseases among students after the emergence of a new arbovirus. These results revealed that the adoption of protective behaviors is a multi-factorial process that depends on both sociocultural and cognitive factors. These findings may help public health authorities to strengthen communication and outreach strategies, thereby increasing the adoption of protective health behaviors, particularly in high-risk populations.

Monitoring forest areas from continental to territorial levels using a sample of medium spatial resolution satellite imagery

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Eva, Hugh; Carboni, Silvia; Achard, Frédéric; Stach, Nicolas; Durieux, Laurent; Faure, Jean-François; Mollicone, Danilo

A global systematic sampling scheme has been developed by the UN FAO and the EC TREES project to estimate rates of deforestation at global or continental levels at intervals of 5 to 10 years. This global scheme can be intensified to produce results at the national level. In this paper, using surrogate observations, we compare the deforestation estimates derived from these two levels of sampling intensities (one, the global, for the Brazilian Amazon the other, national, for French Guiana) to estimates derived from the official inventories. We also report the precisions that are achieved due to sampling errors and, in the case of French Guiana, compare such precision with the official inventory precision. We extract nine sample data sets from the official wall-to-wall deforestation map derived from satellite interpretations produced for the Brazilian Amazon for the year 2002 to 2003. This global sampling scheme estimate gives 2.81 million ha of deforestation (mean from nine simulated replicates) with a standard error of 0.10 million ha. This compares with the full population estimate from the wall-to-wall interpretations of 2.73 million ha deforested, which is within one standard error of our sampling test estimate. The relative difference between the mean estimate from sampling approach and the full population estimate is 3.1%, and the standard error represents 4.0% of the full population estimate. This global sampling is then intensified to a territorial level with a case study over French Guiana to estimate deforestation between the years 1990 and 2006. For the historical reference period, 1990, Landsat-5 Thematic Mapper data were used. A coverage of SPOT-HRV imagery at 20 m × 20 m resolution acquired at the Cayenne receiving station in French Guiana was used for year 2006. Our estimates from the intensified global sampling scheme over French Guiana are compared with those produced by the national authority to report on deforestation rates under the Kyoto

The Kyoto protocol becomes effective - implications for french forests

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Chaudron, Alain; Morel, Michel-Paul; Merckx, Valerie; Gaborit, Guillaume

2005-01-01

The Kyoto Protocol came into force on February 16, 2005. The article takes stock of ongoing processes and their consequences for French forests. It first describes the Kyoto Protocol and the framework agreement on climate change from which it is derived, then the particular implementing regulations for forestry stakeholders and the detailed rules for applying it to French forests, and specifically the complex accounting rules that arose from negotiations, and finally the future outlook of these processes that have been regularly revised at annual meetings and will continue to be developed. Indeed, the international dialogue concerning the post-2012 era has already begun. (authors)

Poverty and Arbovirus Outbreaks: When Chikungunya Virus Hits More Precarious Populations Than Dengue Virus in French Guiana.

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Bonifay, Timothée; Douine, Maylis; Bonnefoy, Clémence; Hurpeau, Benoit; Nacher, Mathieu; Djossou, Félix; Epelboin, Loïc

2017-01-01

Since 2013, 3 successive arbovirus outbreaks, dengue (DENV), chikungunya (CHIKV), and Zika virus, have occurred in French Guiana (FG). The primary objective of this study was to describe the socioeconomic indicators of the first patients infected with CHIKV during the outbreak of 2014. The secondary objective was to compare those patients with patient infected by DENV and with the local population. A monocentric, retrospective, case-control study was conducted in Cayenne hospital in FG comparing a group of patients infected with CHIKV in 2014 with a group infected with DENV in 2013. Children aged less than 15 years and pregnant women were excluded. A total of 168 CHIKV patients were compared with 168 DENV patients. Factors associated with CHIKV were living in poor neighborhoods (82% vs 44%; odds ratio [OR], 5.81; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.35-10.2), having a precarious status (54% vs 33%; OR, 2.37; 95% CI, 1.49-3.78), and being born abroad (70% vs 35%; OR, 4.35; 95% CI, 2.69-7.06). The present results suggest that early in the epidemic, the populations most at risk for CHIKV infection were the most socially vulnerable populations in the poorest neighborhoods, whereas DENV appeared to have affected a richer population and richer areas.

Guerrerostrongylus marginalis n. sp. (Trichostrongyloidea: Heligmonellidae from the Guianan arboreal mouse (Oecomys auyantepui from French Guiana

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Weirich Jessica M.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Based on the number and arrangement of cuticular ridges and configuration of the dorsal ray, nematode specimens collected from the small intestine of eight Guianan arboreal mice, Oecomys auyantepui (Rodentia: Sigmodontinae, in French Guiana are herein described and characterized. Guerrerostrongylus marginalis n. sp. (Heligmosomoidea: Heligmonellidae shows a synlophe consisting of more than 40 ridges and a unique bursal arrangement with ray 8 (externo-dorsal extending to the edge of the bursal margin, and appearing more prominent than the dorsal ray. This bursal arrangement is common in members of Hassalstrongylus Durette-Desset, 1971, but uncommon in the other four species in Guerrerostrongylus Sutton & Durette-Desset, 1991. The placement of the new species in Guerrerostrongylus is based on the number and nature of cuticular ridges and the ray arrangement and symmetry of the caudal bursa. Diagnostic characteristics of Guerrerostrongylus marginalis n. sp. include the length of ray 8 relative to bursal margin, the relative size of the spicules and vestibule, and the number of eggs in the uterus. We propose an amendment to the generic diagnosis of Guerrerostrongylus to modify the characters of the long rays 6 (postero-lateral, rays 8 (externo-dorsal, and dorsal ray as diagnostic, since at least ray 6 appears to be short in two different species in the genus, namely G. ulysi Digiani, Notarnicola & Navone, 2012 and G. marginalis n. sp.

Maternal transfer of trace elements in leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) of French Guiana

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Guirlet, Elodie; Das, Krishna; Girondot, Marc

2008-01-01

In sea turtles, parental investment is limited to the nutrients and energy invested in eggs that will support embryonic development. Leatherback females have the largest clutches with the biggest eggs of the sea turtles and the highest reproductive output in reptiles. The migration between foraging sites and nesting beaches also represents high energy expenditure. The toxicokinetic of pollutants in the tissues is thus expected to vary during those periods but there is a lack of information in reptiles. Concentrations of essential (Copper, Zinc, Selenium) and non-essentials elements (Cadmium, Lead, Mercury) were determined in blood (n = 78) and eggs (n = 76) of 46 free-ranging leatherback females collected in French Guiana. Maternal transfer to eggs and relationships between blood and eggs concentrations during the nesting season were investigated. All trace elements were detectable in both tissues. Levels of toxic metals were lower than essential elements likely due to the high pelagic nature of leatherbacks that seems to limit exposure to toxic elements. Significant relationships between blood and egg concentrations were observed for Se and Cd. Se could have an important role in embryonic development of leatherback turtles and Cd transfer could be linked to similar carrier proteins as Se. Finally, as multiple clutches were sampled from each female, trends in trace elements were investigated along the nesting season. No change was observed in eggs but changes were recorded in blood concentrations of Cu. Cu level decreased while blood Pb levels increased through the nesting season. The high demand on the body during the breeding season seems to affect blood Cu concentrations. Calcium requirement for egg production with concomitant Pb mobilization could explain the increase in blood Pb concentrations along the nesting season

Maternal transfer of trace elements in leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) of French Guiana

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Guirlet, Elodie [Laboratoire d' Ecologie, Systematique et Evolution, Batiment 362, Universite Paris Sud, 91405 Orsay Cedex (France)], E-mail: elodie.guirlet@u-psud.fr; Das, Krishna [Centre de recherche MARE, Laboratoire d' Oceanologie, Universite de Liege, B6, B-4000 Liege (Belgium)], E-mail: krishna.das@ulg.ac.be; Girondot, Marc [Laboratoire d' Ecologie, Systematique et Evolution, Batiment 362, Universite Paris Sud, 91405 Orsay Cedex (France); Departement Evolution et Systematique, Museum National d' Histoire Naturelle de Paris, 25 rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris (France)], E-mail: marc.girondot@u-psud.fr

2008-07-30

In sea turtles, parental investment is limited to the nutrients and energy invested in eggs that will support embryonic development. Leatherback females have the largest clutches with the biggest eggs of the sea turtles and the highest reproductive output in reptiles. The migration between foraging sites and nesting beaches also represents high energy expenditure. The toxicokinetic of pollutants in the tissues is thus expected to vary during those periods but there is a lack of information in reptiles. Concentrations of essential (Copper, Zinc, Selenium) and non-essentials elements (Cadmium, Lead, Mercury) were determined in blood (n = 78) and eggs (n = 76) of 46 free-ranging leatherback females collected in French Guiana. Maternal transfer to eggs and relationships between blood and eggs concentrations during the nesting season were investigated. All trace elements were detectable in both tissues. Levels of toxic metals were lower than essential elements likely due to the high pelagic nature of leatherbacks that seems to limit exposure to toxic elements. Significant relationships between blood and egg concentrations were observed for Se and Cd. Se could have an important role in embryonic development of leatherback turtles and Cd transfer could be linked to similar carrier proteins as Se. Finally, as multiple clutches were sampled from each female, trends in trace elements were investigated along the nesting season. No change was observed in eggs but changes were recorded in blood concentrations of Cu. Cu level decreased while blood Pb levels increased through the nesting season. The high demand on the body during the breeding season seems to affect blood Cu concentrations. Calcium requirement for egg production with concomitant Pb mobilization could explain the increase in blood Pb concentrations along the nesting season.

The Hmong Diaspora: preserved South-East Asian genetic ancestry in French Guianese Asians.

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Brucato, Nicolas; Mazières, Stéphane; Guitard, Evelyne; Giscard, Pierre-Henri; Bois, Etienne; Larrouy, Georges; Dugoujon, Jean-Michel

2012-01-01

The Hmong Diaspora is one of the widest modern human migrations. Mainly localised in South-East Asia, the United States of America, and metropolitan France, a small community has also settled the Amazonian forest of French Guiana. We have biologically analysed 62 individuals of this unique Guianese population through three complementary genetic markers: mitochondrial DNA (HVS-I/II and coding region SNPs), Y-chromosome (SNPs and STRs), and the Gm allotypic system. All genetic systems showed a high conservation of the Asian gene pool (Asian ancestry: mtDNA=100.0%; NRY=99.1%; Gm=96.6%), without a trace of founder effect. When compared across various Asian populations, the highest correlations were observed with Hmong-Mien groups still living in South-East Asia (Fst<0.05; P-value<0.05). Despite a long history punctuated by exodus, the French Guianese Hmong have maintained their original genetic diversity. Copyright © 2012 Académie des sciences. Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

High performance of histidine-rich protein 2 based rapid diagnostic tests in French Guiana are explained by the absence of pfhrp2 gene deletion in P. falciparum.

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Mélanie Trouvay

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Care for malaria patients in endemic areas has been improved through the increasing use of Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDTs. Most RDTs target the histidine-rich protein-2 antigen (PfHRP2 to detect P. falciparum, as it is abundant and shows great heat stability. However, their use in South America has been widely questioned following a recent publication that pinpoints the high prevalence of Peruvian field isolates lacking the gene encoding this protein. In the remote rural health centers of French Guiana, RDTs are the main diagnosis tools. Therefore, a study of PfHRP2 RDT performances and pfhrp2 genotyping was conducted to determine whether a replacement of the current pLDH-based kit could be considered. METHODS: The performance study compared the SD Malaria Ag test P.f/Pan® kit with the current gold standard diagnosis by microscopy. The prevalence of pfhrp2 and pfhrp3 deletions were evaluated from 221 P. falciparum isolates collected between 2009 and 2011 in French Guiana. RESULTS: Between January 2010 and August 2011, 960 suspected cases of malaria were analyzed using microscopy and RDTs. The sensitivity of the SD Malaria Ag test P.f/Pan® for detection of P. falciparum was 96.8% (95% CI: 90.9-99.3, and 86.0% (95% CI: 78.9-91.5 for the detection of P. vivax. No isolates (95% CI: 0-4.5 lacking either exon of the pfhrp2 gene were identified among the 221 P. falciparum isolates analyzed, but 7.4% (95% CI: 2.8-15.4 lacked the exon 2 part of the pfhrp3 gene. CONCLUSIONS: Field isolates lacking either exon of the pfhrp2 gene are absent in this western part of South America. Despite its sensibility to detect P. vivax, the SD Malaria Ag test P.f/Pan® kit is a satisfying alternative to microscopy in remote health centers, where it is difficult to provide highly skilled microscopists and to maintain the necessary equipment.

[Malaria in Guiana. II. The characteristics of different foci and antimalarial control].

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Mouchet, J; Nadire-Galliot, M; Gay, F; Poman, J P; Lepelletier, L; Claustre, J; Bellony, S

1989-01-01

In French Guiana, the distribution of malaria in foci inhabited by quite different ethnic groups calls for specific studies. Along the Oyapock on the Brasilian border and along the Litani on the Surinam border, incidence among American Indians and Creoles ranges from 300 and 900 per thousand; Plasmodium falciparum accounts for 65% and P. vivax for 35%. Along the middle and lower Maroni on the Surinam border, the Boni and Ndjukas Negroes move freely through the frontier and since the civil strife Surinamese used to attend health centres of Guiana. Therefore it is difficult to find the sources of contamination and the incidence among French citizens; P. falciparum is the only parasite recorded in this focus. In 1987 a small outbreak mainly due to P. vivax, occurred in a Lao refugees village in the hinterland. The coastal foci harbour large communities of Haitian and Brazilian migrants. The vector is Anopheles darlingi and up to now there is no evidence that other species could be involved. The rise of malaria despite of control measures involves several factors: the house spraying is no more accepted by a large percentage of house holders and the alternative larviciding has only a limited efficacy; the houses of American Indians have no walls to be sprayed; there is a continuous introduction of parasites by migrants. It has been said that vectors have change their behaviour toward exophily but such a statement has not yet been supported by evidence. All these factors should be taken in account to improve malaria control.

Identification of 5-hydroxy-tryptamine (bufotenine) in takini (Brosimumacutifolium Huber subsp. acutifolium C.C. Berg, Moraceae), a shamanic potion used in the Guiana Plateau.

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Moretti, Christian; Gaillard, Yvan; Grenand, Pierre; Bévalot, Fabien; Prévosto, Jean-Michel

2006-06-30

This paper is the first thorough analysis of takini, a hallucinogen used by the shamans of several peoples in Suriname, French Guiana, and the region east of the Para in Brazil. The drug is contained in the latex of the Brosimum acutifolium tree, and until now, its psychotropic properties appeared inconsistent with the more general medicinal uses of the tree in the surrounding region. Our chemical and botanical studies reveal that the active ingredient of takini is bufotenine; and that this compound is only contained in the subspecies Brosimum acutifolium Huber subsp. acutifolium C.C. Berg that is found in the same area of the eastern Guianas.

HIV/AIDS epidemic in French Guiana: 1979-1997. Groupe d'Etude Clinique de l'Infection VIH en Guyane Française.

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Sobesky, M; Dabis, F; Le Beux, P

2000-06-01

The incidence of AIDS in French Guiana remains one of the highest in Latin America and the Caribbean. The annual AIDS incidence rate increased continually from the start of the epidemic until 1995, when it reached 59.3/100,000 population declining thereafter to 26.6 in 1997. The prevalence of HIV in pregnant women was 0.9% in 1993, increasing to 1.3% in 1995, and that in individuals attending sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics was 2.1% in 1996. We included 224 patients in a study of survival after AIDS diagnosis. The principal AIDS-defining diagnosis was tuberculosis in 20.5% of reported cases. The median duration of survival was 10.2 months. Multivariate analysis showed that, patients > or = 45 years at entry progressed more rapidly to AIDS than younger patients. HIV prevention and access to health care should be developed in the various ethnic communities and adapted to cultural status. The progressive implementation of multiple antiretroviral therapies since 1996 may further reduce progression of the disease but early HIV diagnosis is required to improve the overall prognosis of HIV-infected patients.

Tropical rainforests that persisted: inferences from the Quaternary demographic history of eight tree species in the Guiana shield.

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Barthe, Stéphanie; Binelli, Giorgio; Hérault, Bruno; Scotti-Saintagne, Caroline; Sabatier, Daniel; Scotti, Ivan

2017-02-01

How Quaternary climatic and geological disturbances influenced the composition of Neotropical forests is hotly debated. Rainfall and temperature changes during and/or immediately after the last glacial maximum (LGM) are thought to have strongly affected the geographical distribution and local abundance of tree species. The paucity of the fossil records in Neotropical forests prevents a direct reconstruction of such processes. To describe community-level historical trends in forest composition, we turned therefore to inferential methods based on the reconstruction of past demographic changes. In particular, we modelled the history of rainforests in the eastern Guiana Shield over a timescale of several thousand generations, through the application of approximate Bayesian computation and maximum-likelihood methods to diversity data at nuclear and chloroplast loci in eight species or subspecies of rainforest trees. Depending on the species and on the method applied, we detected population contraction, expansion or stability, with a general trend in favour of stability or expansion, with changes presumably having occurred during or after the LGM. These findings suggest that Guiana Shield rainforests have globally persisted, while expanding, through the Quaternary, but that different species have experienced different demographic events, with a trend towards the increase in frequency of light-demanding, disturbance-associated species. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Value of syndromic surveillance within the Armed Forces for early warning during a dengue fever outbreak in French Guiana in 2006

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jefferson Henry

2008-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background A dengue fever outbreak occured in French Guiana in 2006. The objectives were to study the value of a syndromic surveillance system set up within the armed forces, compared to the traditional clinical surveillance system during this outbreak, to highlight issues involved in comparing military and civilian surveillance systems and to discuss the interest of syndromic surveillance for public health response. Methods Military syndromic surveillance allows the surveillance of suspected dengue fever cases among the 3,000 armed forces personnel. Within the same population, clinical surveillance uses several definition criteria for dengue fever cases, depending on the epidemiological situation. Civilian laboratory surveillance allows the surveillance of biologically confirmed cases, within the 200,000 inhabitants. Results It was shown that syndromic surveillance detected the dengue fever outbreak several weeks before clinical surveillance, allowing quick and effective enhancement of vector control within the armed forces. Syndromic surveillance was also found to have detected the outbreak before civilian laboratory surveillance. Conclusion Military syndromic surveillance allowed an early warning for this outbreak to be issued, enabling a quicker public health response by the armed forces. Civilian surveillance system has since introduced syndromic surveillance as part of its surveillance strategy. This should enable quicker public health responses in the future.

Causes and consequences of a tropical forest gold rush in the Guiana Shield, South America.

Science.gov (United States)

Hammond, David S; Gond, Valéry; de Thoisy, Benoit; Forget, Pierre-Michel; DeDijn, Bart P E

2007-12-01

Statistical and spatial analyses of both historical time series and remotely sensed data show a link between the spatial distribution and growth of gold production across the Guiana Shield in northeast Amazonia. Results indicate that an exponential rise in production across an expanding area is primarily a delayed response to the 1971-1978 market flotation of international gold prices. The subsequent 10-fold (2-fold) average nominal (real) price increase has provided a compelling economic incentive to mass exploitation of lower-grade gold deposits. The ground-based and remotely sensed distributions of mining activity are strongly attached to these deposits that dominate the region's gold geology. The presence of these gold-bearing formations in conservation and sustainable timber zones has sparked social conflict and environmental degradation across the region. Left unmanaged, more than a quarter-million square-kilometer area of tropical forest zoned for protection and sustainable management could ultimately be compromised by the price-driven boom in gold mining through poorly integrated resource use planning, lack of reclamation effort, and control of illegal operations. Serious public health issues propagated through the unregulated mining environment further erode the financial benefits achieved through gold extraction. This study demonstrates in part how international economic policies successfully stabilizing more conspicuous centers of the global economy can have unintended but profound environmental and social impacts on remote commodity frontiers.

Variations in dung beetles assemblages (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae within two rain forest habitats in French Guiana Variaciones de las agregaciones de escarabajos coprófagos (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae en dos hábitats del bosque tropical en la Guayana Francesa

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François Feer

2013-06-01

Full Text Available The structure of dung beetle communities inhabiting tropical forests are known to be sensitive to many kinds of environmental changes such as microclimate related to vegetation structure. I examined Scarabaeinae assemblages in two sites of undisturbed high forest and two sites of low forest forming a transitional zone with the open habitat of an inselberg in French Guiana. Sampling was made with pitfall and flight interception traps during 2003 and 2004. The driest and warmest conditions characterized the low forest sites. Across two years we obtained 2 927 individuals from 61 species with pitfall traps and 1 431 individuals from 85 species with flight interception traps. Greater species richness and abundance characterized all sites sampled with pitfall traps during 2003 more than 2004. In 2003 no differences were detected among sites by rarefaction analyses. In 2004 the species richest high forest site was significantly different from one of the low forest sites. For both years Clench model asymptotes for species richness were greater in high forest than in low forest sites. For both years, mean per-trap species richness, abundance and biomass among high forest sites were similar and higher than in low forest sites, especially where the lowest humidity and the highest temperature were recorded. Within the two low forest sites, species richness and abundance recorded during the second year, decreased with distance to edge. Different dominant roller species characterized the pitfall samples in one site of low forest and in other sites. Small variations in microclimatic conditions correlated to canopy height and openness likely affected dung beetle assemblages but soil depth and the presence of large mammals providing dung resource may also play a significant role.Es conocido que la estructura de las comunidades de escarabajos coprófagos que habitan los bosques tropicales es sensible a diferentes tipos de cambios ambientales tales como el

Potential of forest management to reduce French carbon emissions - regional modelling of the French forest carbon balance from the forest to the wood.

Science.gov (United States)

Valade, A.; Luyssaert, S.; Bellassen, V.; Vallet, P.

2015-12-01

. We examine the effects of a mobilization of this resource versus an intensification of the current harvest on the age structure, the productivity and the stocking volume of the French forest and derive the related impacts on C emissions and C-related services provided by forests.

Structural knowledge learning from maps for supervised land cover/use classification: Application to the monitoring of land cover/use maps in French Guiana

Science.gov (United States)

Bayoudh, Meriam; Roux, Emmanuel; Richard, Gilles; Nock, Richard

2015-03-01

The number of satellites and sensors devoted to Earth observation has become increasingly elevated, delivering extensive data, especially images. At the same time, the access to such data and the tools needed to process them has considerably improved. In the presence of such data flow, we need automatic image interpretation methods, especially when it comes to the monitoring and prediction of environmental and societal changes in highly dynamic socio-environmental contexts. This could be accomplished via artificial intelligence. The concept described here relies on the induction of classification rules that explicitly take into account structural knowledge, using Aleph, an Inductive Logic Programming (ILP) system, combined with a multi-class classification procedure. This methodology was used to monitor changes in land cover/use of the French Guiana coastline. One hundred and fifty-eight classification rules were induced from 3 diachronic land cover/use maps including 38 classes. These rules were expressed in first order logic language, which makes them easily understandable by non-experts. A 10-fold cross-validation gave significant average values of 84.62%, 99.57% and 77.22% for classification accuracy, specificity and sensitivity, respectively. Our methodology could be beneficial to automatically classify new objects and to facilitate object-based classification procedures.

Mercury speciation and exchanges at the air-water interface of a tropical artificial reservoir, French Guiana.

Science.gov (United States)

Muresan, B; Cossa, D; Richard, S; Burban, B

2007-10-15

The distribution and speciation of mercury (Hg) in air, rain, and surface waters from the artificial tropical lake of Petit-Saut in French Guiana were investigated during the 2003/04 period. In the air, total gaseous mercury (TGM) at the dam station averaged 12+/-2 pmol m(-3) of which >98% was gaseous elemental mercury (GEM). GEM distribution depicted a day-night cycling with high concentrations (up to 15 pmol m(-3)) at dawn and low concentrations (down to 5 pmol m(-3)) at nightfall. Reactive gaseous mercury (RGM) represented RGM variations were negatively related to GEM. In the rain, the sum of all Hg species in the unfiltered (HgT(UNF)) averaged 16+/-12 pmol L(-1). Temporal distribution of HgT(UNF) exhibited a pattern of high concentrations during the late dry seasons (up to 57.5 pmol L(-1)) and low concentrations (down to 2.7 pmol L(-1)) in the course of the wet seasons. Unfiltered reactive (HgR(UNF)), dissolved gaseous (DGM) and monomethyl (MMHg(UNF)) Hg constituted 20, 5 and 5% of HgT(UNF), respectively. All measured Hg species were positively related and displayed negative relationships with the pH of the rain. In the reservoir surface waters, dissolved total mercury (HgT(D)) averaged 3.4+/-1.2 pmol L(-1) of which 10% consisted of DGM. DGM showed a trend of high concentrations during the dry seasons (480+/-270 fmol L(-1)) and lower (230+/-130 fmol L(-1)) in the course of the wet seasons. Diel variations included diurnal photo-induced DGM production (of about 60 fmol L(-1) h(-1)) coupled to minute to hour oxidation/reduction cycles (of >100 fmol L(-1) amplitude). Finally, calculated atmospheric Hg inputs to the Petit-Saut reservoir represented 14 mol yr(-1) whereas DGM evasion reached 23 mol yr(-1). Apportionment among forms of Hg deposition indicated that up to 75% of the total Hg invasive flux follows the rainfall pathway.

The Phanuromyia galeata species group (Hymenoptera, Platygastridae, Telenominae: shining a lantern into an unexplored corner of Neotropical diversity

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Katherine C. Nesheim

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The Phanuromyia galeata species group is delineated and its species richness explored for the first time (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae, Telenominae. Fifteen species are described, all of which are new: Phanuromyia comata Nesheim & Masner, sp. n. (Brazil, P. constellata Nesheim, sp. n. (Paraguay, P. corys Nesheim & Masner, sp. n. (Brazil, P. cranos Nesheim & Masner, sp. n. (Bolivia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, P. cudo Nesheim & Masner, sp. n. (Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Panama, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, P. dissidens Nesheim & Masner, sp. n. (Bolivia, Brazil, French Guiana, P. galeata Nesheim & Masner, sp. n. (Belize, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Mexico, Peru, P. galerita Nesheim & Masner, sp. n. (Brazil, Ecuador, French Guiana, P. hjalmr Nesheim, sp. n. (Bolivia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Paraguay, Venezuela, P. krossotos Nesheim, sp. n. (Ecuador, P. odo Nesheim, sp. n. (Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, P. pauper Nesheim, sp. n. (Ecuador, Peru, P. princeps Nesheim, sp. n. (Brazil, Ecuador, French Guiana, P. tonsura Nesheim, sp. n. (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, P. tubulifer Nesheim & Masner, sp. n. (Brazil, Guyana.

Forest management strategies for reducing carbon emissions, the French case

Science.gov (United States)

Valade, Aude; Luyssaert, Sebastiaan; Bellassen, Valentin; Vallet, Patrick; Martin, Manuel

2015-04-01

International agreements now recognize the role of forest in the mitigation of climate change through the levers of in-situ sequestration, storage in products and energy and product substitution. These three strategies of carbon management are often antagonistic and it is still not clear which strategy would have the most significant impact on atmospheric carbon concentrations. With a focus on France, this study compares several scenarios of forest management in terms of their effect on the overall carbon budget from trees to wood-products. We elaborated four scenarios of forest management that target different wood production objectives. One scenario is 'Business as usual' and reproduces the current forest management and wood production levels. Two scenarios target an increase in bioenergy wood production, with either long-term or short-term goals. One scenario aims at increasing the production of timber for construction. For this, an empirical regression model was developed building on the rich French inventory database. The model can project the current forest resource at a time horizon of 20 years for characteristic variables diameter, standing volume, above-ground biomass, stand age. A simplified life-cycle analysis provides a full carbon budget for each scenario from forest management to wood use and allows the identification of the scenario that most reduces carbon emissions.

Objective sampling design in a highly heterogeneous landscape - characterizing environmental determinants of malaria vector distribution in French Guiana, in the Amazonian region.

Science.gov (United States)

Roux, Emmanuel; Gaborit, Pascal; Romaña, Christine A; Girod, Romain; Dessay, Nadine; Dusfour, Isabelle

2013-12-01

Sampling design is a key issue when establishing species inventories and characterizing habitats within highly heterogeneous landscapes. Sampling efforts in such environments may be constrained and many field studies only rely on subjective and/or qualitative approaches to design collection strategy. The region of Cacao, in French Guiana, provides an excellent study site to understand the presence and abundance of Anopheles mosquitoes, their species dynamics and the transmission risk of malaria across various environments. We propose an objective methodology to define a stratified sampling design. Following thorough environmental characterization, a factorial analysis of mixed groups allows the data to be reduced and non-collinear principal components to be identified while balancing the influences of the different environmental factors. Such components defined new variables which could then be used in a robust k-means clustering procedure. Then, we identified five clusters that corresponded to our sampling strata and selected sampling sites in each stratum. We validated our method by comparing the species overlap of entomological collections from selected sites and the environmental similarities of the same sites. The Morisita index was significantly correlated (Pearson linear correlation) with environmental similarity based on i) the balanced environmental variable groups considered jointly (p = 0.001) and ii) land cover/use (p-value sampling approach. Land cover/use maps (based on high spatial resolution satellite images) were shown to be particularly useful when studying the presence, density and diversity of Anopheles mosquitoes at local scales and in very heterogeneous landscapes.

Clusia blattophila sp. nov. (Clusiaceae) from an inselberg in French Guiana

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Vlasáková, Blanka; Gustafsson, M. H. G.

2011-01-01

Roč. 29, č. 2 (2011), s. 178-181 ISSN 0107-055X Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60050516 Keywords : Clusia * inselberg * French Guayana Subject RIV: EF - Botanics Impact factor: 0.551, year: 2011

ALOS PALSAR Applications in the Tropics and Subtropics: Characterisation, Mapping and Detecting Change in Forests and Coastal Wetlands

Science.gov (United States)

Lucas, Richard; Carreiras, Joao; Proisy, Christophe; Buniting, Peter

2008-11-01

Research undertaken as part of the Japanese Space Exploration Agency (JAXA) Principal Investigator (PI) and Kyoto and Carbon (K&C) programs has focused on the regional characterization (growth stage as a function of biomass and structure) and mapping of forests across northern Australia and mangroves (including wetlands) in selected tropical regions (northern Australia, Belize, French Guiana and Brazil) using Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) Phased Array L-band SAR (PALSAR) data, either singularly or in conjunction with other remote sensing (e.g., optical) data. Comparison against existing baseline datasets has allowed these data to be used for detecting change in these tropical and subtropical regions. Regional products (e.g., forest growth stage, mangrove/wetland extent and change) generated from the K&C dual polarimetric strip data are anticipated to benefit conservation of these ecosystems and allow better assessments of carbon stocks and changes in these as a function of natural and anthropogenic drivers, thereby supporting key international conventions.

Identification of 5-hydroxy-tryptamine (bufotenine) in takini (Brosimum acutifolium Huber subsp acutifolium CC Berg, Moraceae), a shamanic potion used in the Guiana Plateau

OpenAIRE

Moretti, Christian; Gaillard, Y.; Grenand, Pierre; Bevalot, F.; Prevosto, J.M.

2006-01-01

This paper is the first thorough analysis of takini, a hallucinogen used by the shamans of several peoples in Suriname, French Guiana, and the region east of the Para in Brazil. The drug is contained in the latex of the Brosimum acutifolium tree, and until now, its psychotropic properties appeared inconsistent with the more general medicinal uses of the tree in the surrounding region. Our chemical and botanical studies reveal that the active ingredient of takini is bufotenine; and that this c...

Soil mineralogy and microbes determine forest life history strategy and carbon cycling in humid tropical forests

Science.gov (United States)

Soong, J.; Verbruggen, E.; Peñuelas, J.; Janssens, I. A.; Grau, O.

2017-12-01

Tropical forests account for over one third of global terrestrial gross primary productivity and cycle more C than any other ecosystem on Earth. However, we still lack a mechanistic understanding of how such high productivity is maintained on the old, highly weathered and phosphorus depleted soils in the tropics. We hypothesized that heterogeneity in soil texture, mineralogy and microbial community composition may be the major drivers of differences in soil C storage and P limitation across tropical forests. We sampled 12 forest sites across a 200 km transect in the humid neo-tropics of French Guiana that varied in soil texture, precipitation and mineralogy. We found that soil texture was a major driver of soil carbon stocks and forest life history strategy, where sandy forests have lower soil C stocks, slower turnover and decomposition and a more closed nutrient cycle while clayey forests have higher soil C stocks, faster turnover and a more leaky nutrient cycle (using natural abundance stable isotope evidence). We found that although the presence of Al and Fe oxides in the clayey soils occludes soil organic matter and P, a greater abundance of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi help forests to access occluded P in clayey soils fueling higher turnover and faster decomposition rates. Evidence from a laboratory incubation of tropical soils with nutrient additions further demonstrates the de-coupling of microbial P demands from C:N limitations providing further evidence for the need to examine microbial stoichiometry to explain C cycling in the P-limited tropics. We argue that microbial community composition and physiological demands, constrained within the limitations of soil mineralogical reactivity, largely controls nutrient and C cycling in tropical forest soils. Together our observational field study and laboratory incubation provide a unique dataset to shed light on the mineralogical and microbial controls on C and nutrient cycling in tropical soils. By integrating

Unraveling the genetic diversity and phylogeny of Leishmania RNA virus 1 strains of infected Leishmania isolates circulating in French Guiana.

Science.gov (United States)

Tirera, Sourakhata; Ginouves, Marine; Donato, Damien; Caballero, Ignacio S; Bouchier, Christiane; Lavergne, Anne; Bourreau, Eliane; Mosnier, Emilie; Vantilcke, Vincent; Couppié, Pierre; Prevot, Ghislaine; Lacoste, Vincent

2017-07-01

Leishmania RNA virus type 1 (LRV1) is an endosymbiont of some Leishmania (Vianna) species in South America. Presence of LRV1 in parasites exacerbates disease severity in animal models and humans, related to a disproportioned innate immune response, and is correlated with drug treatment failures in humans. Although the virus was identified decades ago, its genomic diversity has been overlooked until now. We subjected LRV1 strains from 19 L. (V.) guyanensis and one L. (V.) braziliensis isolates obtained from cutaneous leishmaniasis samples identified throughout French Guiana with next-generation sequencing and de novo sequence assembly. We generated and analyzed 24 unique LRV1 sequences over their full-length coding regions. Multiple alignment of these new sequences revealed variability (0.5%-23.5%) across the entire sequence except for highly conserved motifs within the 5' untranslated region. Phylogenetic analyses showed that viral genomes of L. (V.) guyanensis grouped into five distinct clusters. They further showed a species-dependent clustering between viral genomes of L. (V.) guyanensis and L. (V.) braziliensis, confirming a long-term co-evolutionary history. Noteworthy, we identified cases of multiple LRV1 infections in three of the 20 Leishmania isolates. Here, we present the first-ever estimate of LRV1 genomic diversity that exists in Leishmania (V.) guyanensis parasites. Genetic characterization and phylogenetic analyses of these viruses has shed light on their evolutionary relationships. To our knowledge, this study is also the first to report cases of multiple LRV1 infections in some parasites. Finally, this work has made it possible to develop molecular tools for adequate identification and genotyping of LRV1 strains for diagnostic purposes. Given the suspected worsening role of LRV1 infection in the pathogenesis of human leishmaniasis, these data have a major impact from a clinical viewpoint and for the management of Leishmania-infected patients.

Enteroparasite and vivax malaria co-infection on the Brazil-French Guiana border: Epidemiological, haematological and immunological aspects.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rubens Alex de Oliveira Menezes

Full Text Available Malaria-enteroparasitic co-infections are known for their endemicity. Although they are prevalent, little is known about their epidemiology and effect on the immune response. This study evaluated the effect of enteroparasite co-infections with malaria caused by Plasmodium vivax in a border area between Brazil and French Guiana. The cross sectional study took place in Oiapoque, a municipality of Amapá, on the Amazon border. Malaria was diagnosed using thick blood smears, haemoglobin dosage by an automated method and coproparasitology by the Hoffman and Faust methods. The anti-PvMSP-119 IgG antibodies in the plasma were evaluated using ELISA and Th1 (IFN-γ, TNF-α and IL-2, and Th2 (IL-4, IL-5 and IL-10 cytokine counts were performed by flow cytometry. The participants were grouped into those that were monoinfected with vivax malaria (M, vivax malaria-enteroparasite co-infected (CI, monoinfected with enteroparasite (E and endemic controls (EC, who were negative for both diseases. 441 individuals were included and grouped according to their infection status: [M 6.9% (30/441], [Cl 26.5% (117/441], [E 32.4% (143/441] and [EC 34.2% (151/441]. Males prevailed among the (M 77% (23/30 and (CI 60% (70/117 groups. There was a difference in haemoglobin levels among the different groups under study for [EC-E], [EC-Cl], [E-M] and [Cl-M], with (p < 0.01. Anaemia was expressed as a percentage between individuals [CI-EC (p < 0.05]. In terms of parasitaemia, there were differences for the groups [CI-M (p < 0.05]. Anti-PvMSP-119 antibodies were detected in 51.2% (226/441 of the population. The level of cytokines evaluation revealed a large variation in TNF-α and IL-10 concentrations in the co-infected group. In this study we did not observe any influence of coinfection on the acquisition of IgG antibodies against PvMSP119, as well as on the profile of the cytokines that characterize the Th1 and Th2 patterns. However, co-infection increased TNF-α and IL-10

Taxonomic and functional composition of arthropod assemblages across contrasting Amazonian forests.

Science.gov (United States)

Lamarre, Greg P A; Hérault, Bruno; Fine, Paul V A; Vedel, Vincent; Lupoli, Roland; Mesones, Italo; Baraloto, Christopher

2016-01-01

Arthropods represent most of global biodiversity, with the highest diversity found in tropical rain forests. Nevertheless, we have a very incomplete understanding of how tropical arthropod communities are assembled. We conducted a comprehensive mass sampling of arthropod communities within three major habitat types of lowland Amazonian rain forest, including terra firme clay, white-sand and seasonally flooded forests in Peru and French Guiana. We examined how taxonomic and functional composition (at the family level) differed across these habitat types in the two regions. The overall arthropod community composition exhibited strong turnover among habitats and between regions. In particular, seasonally flooded forest habitats of both regions comprised unique assemblages. Overall, 17·7% (26 of 147) of arthropod families showed significant preferences for a particular habitat type. We present a first reproducible arthropod functional classification among the 147 taxa based on similarity among 21 functional traits describing feeding source, major mouthparts and microhabitats inhabited by each taxon. We identified seven distinct functional groups whose relative abundance contrasted strongly across the three habitats, with sap and leaf feeders showing higher abundances in terra firme clay forest. Our novel arthropod functional classification provides an important complement to link these contrasting patterns of composition to differences in forest functioning across geographical and environmental gradients. This study underlines that both environment and biogeographical processes are responsible for driving arthropod taxonomic composition while environmental filtering is the main driver of the variance in functional composition. © 2015 The Authors. Journal of Animal Ecology © 2015 British Ecological Society.

[Resistance to first-line drugs and major genotypic lineages of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the 3 French Department of the Americas: Profiles, evolution, and trends (1995-2011)].

Science.gov (United States)

Millet, J; Berchel, M; Prudenté, F; Streit, E; Bomer, A-G; Schuster, F; Vanhomwegen, J; Paasch, D; Galbert, I; Valery, E; Aga, R; Rastogi, N

2014-05-01

This is the first overview on resistant and multidrug resistant isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis circulating in the French Department of the Americas (Guadeloupe, Martinique, and French Guiana) over 17 years (January 1995-December 2011). A total of 1,239 cases were studied: 1,199 new cases (primary and multidrug resistance of 11.8 and 1.6% respectively), and 40 persistent (defined as cases with a previous history of positive culture over 6 months interval and whose spoligotypes remain unchanged), in which significantly higher proportions of resistance to at least isoniazid (22.5%, P = 0.002), rifampicin (20.0%, P < 0.001), and multidrug resistance (17.5%, P < 0.001) were observed as compared to new cases. The 281 spoligotypes obtained showed the presence of five major lineages, T (29.9%), LAM (23.9%), Haarlem (22.1%), EAI (7.1%), and X (6.7%). Two of these lineages, X and LAM, predominate among resistant and multidrug resistant isolates respectively (X: 10.5% of resistant isolates, P = 0.04; LAM: 42.3% of multidrug resistant isolates, P = 0.02). Four of the 19 major spoligo-profiles, corresponding to SIT 20, 64, 45, and 46, were significantly associated with drug resistance. Among them, genotype SIT 20, associated with monoresistance to isoniazid and multidrug resistance, would be actively and persistently in circulation, since 1999, in French Guiana, department in which one may also observe the presence of strains of M. tuberculosis phylogeographically associated to Guiana and Suriname (SIT 131 and SIT 1340).

The genus Rosalba Thomson, 1864 (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lamiinae, Apomecynini).

Science.gov (United States)

Santos-Silva, Antonio; Galileo, Maria Helena M; Joly, Luis J; Tavakilian, GÉrard L

2018-02-26

Nineteen new species are described: Rosalba wappesi, from Bolivia; R. giesberti, from Bolivia; R. skillmani, from Bolivia; R. lingafelteri, from Bolivia; R. senecauxi, from French Guiana; R. dalensi, from French Guiana; R. giuglarisi, from French Guiana; R. nearnsi, from French Guiana; R. cerdai, from French Guiana; R. gaianii, from Venezuela; R. pittieri, from Venezuela; R. clinei, from Bolivia and Brazil; R. morrisi, from Costa Rica and Panama; R. schneppi, from Panama; R. birai, from Colombia; R. stenodesma, from Venezuela and French Guiana; R. similis, from Peru and Ecuador; R. bezarki, from Ecuador; and R.seraisorum, from Ecuador and Brazil (Amazonas). The following new synonymies are established: Aletretia dissimilis Belon, 1903 = A. fimbriata Belon, 1903; Aletretia consobrina Melzer, 1934, Rosalba gounellei Galileo Martins, 2013 and Rosalba vanini Galileo Martins, 2013 = Aletretia inscripta Bates, 1866; Aletretia mediofasciata Breuning, 1943 = Aletretia bucki Melzer, 1934; Aletretia peraffinis Breuning, 1940 = Aletretia approximata Melzer, 1934. The following species are redescribed: Rosalba strandiella (Breuning, 1940); and Rosalba rufescens (Breuning, 1940). The following new records are reported: Rosalba strandiella for Bolivia; R. strandi (Breuning, 1943) from the Brazilian states of São Paulo, Paraná and Santa Catarina; R. inscripta from Peru and the Brazilian state of Acre; R. smaragdina (Breuning, 1940) from the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais; R. obliqua (Thomson, 1868) from Brazil; and Rosalba fimbriata (Belon, 1903) from Ecuador.

What drives the interannual variations in carbon fluxes and balance in a tropical rainforest of French Guiana?

Science.gov (United States)

Aguilos, M. M.; Burban, B.; Wagner, F. H.; Hérault, B.; Bonal, D.

2016-12-01

Amazon rainforest - a major contributor to the global carbon sink, is not on steady state and this affects terrestrial carbon pools. Yet, information on the effect of climatic extremes to long-term carbon fluxes is lacking. Thus, using an 11-year eddy covariance data, we examined the carbon fluxes and net carbon uptake in French Guiana's tropical rainforest to determine the interannual and seasonal variations in gross primary production (GPP), ecosystem respiration (RE) and net ecosystem exchange (NEE), so with climatic drivers influencing such changes from 2004 - 2014. GPP varies from 3394.9 g C m‒2 yr‒1 to 4054.5 g C m‒2 yr‒1. RE is more varied than GPP (3057.4 g C m‒2 yr‒1 - 3425.9 g C m‒2 yr‒1. NEE has large interannual variability from ‒68.2 g C m‒2 yr‒1 to ‒596.2 g C m‒2 yr‒1. NEE during wet seasons had higher sink strength than in dry periods. The sudden drop of RE during wet period in 2007 - 2009 may help explain this as it almost doubled the net uptake while GPP had slighter declines. The pattern of NEE appears to be driven by higher rate of increase in RE during dry season with less comparable rise in GPP. This suggests that over 11 years, the ecosystem did not suffer any extreme dry condition strong enough to induce severe decrease in RE. Annually, global radiation (Rg) explains 49% (P<0.0001) for GPP, 42% (P<0.0001) for RE, and 21% (P<0.0001) for NEE. During the wet season, Rg still controls GPP (r2 = 0.45; P <0.0001), RE (r2 = 0.30; P<0.0001;) and NEE (r2 = 0.31; P<0.0001). However, relative extractable water (REW) manifested more strongly during the dry period explaining mainly the variations of GPP (r2 = 0.20; P < 0.0001), RE (r2 = 0.33; P < 0.0001) and NEE (r2 = 0.25; P < 0.0001). Deep rooting system of trees may have caused GPP unsuppressed despite low soil moisture. Therefore, modeling studies must consider incorporating soil water measurements in deeper soils as most tropical trees are dependent on deep soil moisture

Trees and light : tree development and morphology in relation to light availability in a tropical rain forest in French Guiana

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sterck, F.J.

1997-01-01

Tropical rain forest trees spend their life in a heterogeneous light environment. During their life history, they may change their growth in relation to different levels of light availability. Some of their physiological processes (e.g. photosynthesis, carbon allocation, and meristern

The french forest and the increasing greenhouse effect

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bossy, Anne; Bouhot, Laurence; Barthod, Ch.; Delduc, P.; Pelissie, D.

1994-01-01

As a follow up to the Global Convention on Climatic Change, submitted for signature to the Heads of State and Government during the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in dune 1992, the French Government, on March 24, 1993, adopted the first parts of a national plan to control the greenhouse effect, which gave considerable emphasis to forests and timber. The proposals that were adopted seek to increase attention to the adaptation of species in forest research stations, increase work on afforestation of agricultural lands and increase the use of timber as a source of energy and construction. These proposals recognised that an investment of 500 francs sufficed to avoid the emission of, or to store, a ton of carbon. This is the threshold adopted by the Commission of European Communities in its study on the possible levy of an 'eco-tax'. Further, when devising strategies on controlling the greenhouse effect, it may be possible to adopt the Anglo-saxon concept set out in the 'no regrets policy'. Thus despite the uncertainties concerning the consequences of increasing the level of gases with a greenhouse effect, in the atmosphere, uncertainties that could change the scientific vantage point, the justification for the measures being advocated should not be challenged. (authors)

Exploring the natural fungal biodiversity of tropical and temperate forests toward improvement of biomass conversion.

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Berrin, Jean-Guy; Navarro, David; Couturier, Marie; Olivé, Caroline; Grisel, Sacha; Haon, Mireille; Taussac, Sabine; Lechat, Christian; Courtecuisse, Régis; Favel, Anne; Coutinho, Pedro M; Lesage-Meessen, Laurence

2012-09-01

In this study, natural fungal diversity in wood-decaying species was explored for biomass deconstruction. In 2007 and 2008, fungal isolates were collected in temperate forests mainly from metropolitan France and in tropical forests mainly from French Guiana. We recovered and identified 74 monomorph cultures using morphological and molecular identification tools. Following production of fungal secretomes under inductive conditions, we evaluated the capacity of these fungal strains to potentiate a commercial Trichoderma reesei cellulase cocktail for the release of soluble sugars from biomass. The secretome of 19 isolates led to an improvement in biomass conversion of at least 23%. Of the isolates, the Trametes gibbosa BRFM 952 (Banque de Ressources Fongiques de Marseille) secretome performed best, with 60% improved conversion, a feature that was not universal to the Trametes and related genera. Enzymatic characterization of the T. gibbosa BRFM 952 secretome revealed an unexpected high activity on crystalline cellulose, higher than that of the T. reesei cellulase cocktail. This report highlights the interest in a systematic high-throughput assessment of collected fungal biodiversity to improve the enzymatic conversion of lignocellulosic biomass. It enabled the unbiased identification of new fungal strains issued from biodiversity with high biotechnological potential.

Reconnaissance geologic mapping of a portion of the rain‐forest‐covered Guiana Shield, Northwestern Brazil, using SIR-B and digital aeromagnetic data

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Pellon de Miranda, Fernando; McCafferty, Anne E.; Taranik, James V.

1994-01-01

This paper documents the result of an integrated analysis of spaceborne radar (SIR-B) and digital aeromagnetic data carried out in the heavily forested Guiana Shield. The objective of the research is to interpret the geophysical data base to its limit to produce a reconnaissance geologic map as an aid to ground work planning in a worst‐case setting. Linear geomorphic features were identified based on the interpretation of the SIR-B image. Digital manipulation of aeromagnetic data allowed the development of a color‐shaded relief map of reduced‐to‐pole magnetic anomalies, a terrace‐magnetization map, and a map showing the location of maximum values of the horizontal component of the pseudogravity gradient (magnetization boundary lines). The resultant end product was a reconnaissance geologic map where broad terrane categories were delineated and geologic faults with both topographic and magnetic expression were defined. The availability of global spaceborne radar coverage in the 1990s and the large number of existing digital aeromagnetic surveys in northwestern Brazil indicate that this approach can be potentially useful for reconnaissance geologic mapping elsewhere in the Guiana Shield.

Do French beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L. grown in proximity to Mt Kenya forest- Kenya- experience pollination deficit?

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Rose Masiga

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Yields of commercially important crops in Kenya are often far below their potential. Amongst the possible reasons for such low yields may be the ecosystem degradation that can be expected to have negative impacts on pollinator presence in cropland, and the consequent food security issue for smallholder farmers who depend on these crops for their livelihood. Our study was carried out to assess the potential pollination deficit of French beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L., a major export vegetable crop in Kenya grown by small-scale farmers. Sufficient pollination of French beans likely results in high seed set and uniform heavier green pods. Such pods get the highest grade while malformed pods are unmarketable, reducing family income. We hypothesized that pollination success was linked to the abundance and diversity of large pollinators, itself associated with the proximity to natural habitats. Flower visitors to French beans were sampled in 2011 and 2012 in ten farmer-managed plots, five within 200 m from the edge of Mt. Kenya forest and five farther away, more than 1000 m. Each plot measured 760 m2 and was planted at the same time, with the “Julia” variety. Flowers were observed for 2 h in each plot once weekly for three weeks at peak flowering from 0900-1100 h in the morning and 1200 – 1400 h in the afternoon on alternate days. Honey bees (Apis mellifera were the most abundant visitors of French bean flowers followed by carpenter bees (Xylocopa spp. and leafcutter bees (Megachile spp.. Significantly higher numbers of leafcutter bees were recorded on farms far to the forest. There was no significant difference in honey bee abundance among the study sites, probably because apiaries and wild colonies are located across the landscape. French bean yield was significantly correlated with the mean abundance of carpenter bees in 2011. This suggests the possible occurrence of pollination deficit in French beans where the density of carpenter bees is

Recent epidemiological trends of dengue in the French territories of the Americas (2000-2012: a systematic literature review.

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Maïna L'Azou

Full Text Available Dengue is a public health concern across the globe, and an escalating problem in the Americas. As part of a wider programme (covering Latin America and South East Asia to characterize the epidemiology of dengue in dengue endemic areas, we undertook a systematic literature review to assess epidemiological trends (incidence, timing and duration of outbreaks/epidemics, age and sex distribution, serotype distribution, seroprevalence and disease severity for dengue across the French Territories of the Americas (FTA, in French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy between 2000 and 2012 (CRD42012002341: http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.asp?ID=CRD42012002341. Of 413 relevant data sources identified, 45 were eligible for inclusion. A large proportion of the available data were from national surveillance reports, and 12 publications were from peer-reviewed journals. During the review period, 3-5 epidemics were identified in each of the island territories and French Guiana, and epidemics were often associated with a shift in the predominant circulating dengue virus serotype. Substantial gaps in epidemiological knowledge were identified. In particular, information regarding dengue virus genotype distribution, seroprevalence and age distribution of dengue were lacking. Additionally, much of the available data were from epidemic years; data from inter-epidemic periods were sparse. Nevertheless, the available epidemiological data showed that dengue is endemic across the FTA and suggest an evolution towards hyperendemicity, highlighting the need to continue the efforts with the existing surveillance programmes to assist in planning an effective vaccination programme once a dengue vaccine is deployed.PROSPERO CRD42012002341.

Absence of vaccinia virus detection in a remote region of the Northern Amazon forests, 2005-2015.

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Costa, Galileu Barbosa; Lavergne, Anne; Darcissac, Edith; Lacoste, Vincent; Drumond, Betânia Paiva; Abrahão, Jônatas Santos; Kroon, Erna Geessien; de Thoisy, Benoît; de Souza Trindade, Giliane

2017-08-01

Vaccinia virus (VACV) circulates in Brazil and other South America countries and is responsible for a zoonotic disease that usually affects dairy cattle and humans, causing economic losses and impacting animal and human health. Furthermore, it has been detected in wild areas in the Brazilian Amazon. To better understand the natural history of VACV, we investigated its circulation in wildlife from French Guiana, a remote region in the Northern Amazon forest. ELISA and plaque reduction neutralization tests were performed to detect anti-orthopoxvirus antibodies. Real-time and standard PCR targeting C11R, A56R and A26L were applied to detect VACV DNA in serum, saliva and tissue samples. No evidence of VACV infection was found in any of the samples tested. These findings provide additional information on the VACV epidemiological puzzle. The virus could nevertheless be circulating at low levels that were not detected in areas where no humans or cattle are present.

Guiana dolphins (Sotalia guianensis) as marine ecosystem sentinels: ecotoxicology and emerging diseases.

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de Moura, Jailson Fulgencio; Hauser-Davis, Rachel Ann; Lemos, Leila; Emin-Lima, Renata; Siciliano, Salvatore

2014-01-01

Guiana dolphins (Sotalia guianensis) are small cetaceans that inhabit coastal regions down to a 50 m depth. As a coastally distributed species, they are exposed to a variety of human-induced risks that include passive fishing nets, persistent environmental pollution, and emerging diseases. As a top predatorS. guianensis occupies an important ecological niche in marine ecosystems. However, this niche also exposes this dolphin to extensive biomagnification of marine contaminants that may accumulate and be stored throughout their life of about 30 years.In this paper, we have compiled available data on the Guiana dolphin as regards its exposure to chemical pollutants, pathogenic microbes, infectious diseases, and injuries caused by interactions with passive fishing gears. Our analysis of the data shows that Guiana dolphins are particularly sensitive to environmental changes.Although the major mortal threat to dolphins results from contact with fishing other human-related activities in coastal zones also pose risks and need more attention.Such human-related risks include the presence of persistent toxicants in the marine environment, such as PCBs and PBDEs. Residues of these chemicals have been detected in Guiana dolphin's tissues at similar or higher levels that exist in cetaceans from other known polluted areas. Another risk encountered by this species is the non lethal injuries caused by fishing gear. Several incidents of this sort have occurred along the Brazilian coast with this species. When injuries are produced by interaction with fishing gear, the dorsal fin is the part of the dolphin anatomy that is more affected, commonly causing severe laceration or even total loss.The Guiana dolphins also face risks from infectious diseases. The major ones thus far identified include giardiasis, lobomycosis, toxoplasmosis, skin and skeletal lesions. Many bacterial pathogens from the family Aeromonadaceae and Vibrionaceae have been isolated from Guiana dolphins. Several

Three new species of Piper (Piperaceae) from the Guianas

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Görts-van Rijn, A.R.A.; Callejas Posada, R.

2005-01-01

Three new species of Piper from the Guianas and adjacent areas are described: Piper aulacospermum Callejas, P. ciliomarginatum Görts & Christenh. and P. remotinervium Görts. The differences between P. aulacospermum and P. bartlingianum (Miq.) C.DC., both belonging to subg. Ottonia, are given as well

A joint individual-based model coupling growth and mortality reveals that tree vigor is a key component of tropical forest dynamics.

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Aubry-Kientz, Mélaine; Rossi, Vivien; Boreux, Jean-Jacques; Hérault, Bruno

2015-06-01

Tree vigor is often used as a covariate when tree mortality is predicted from tree growth in tropical forest dynamic models, but it is rarely explicitly accounted for in a coherent modeling framework. We quantify tree vigor at the individual tree level, based on the difference between expected and observed growth. The available methods to join nonlinear tree growth and mortality processes are not commonly used by forest ecologists so that we develop an inference methodology based on an MCMC approach, allowing us to sample the parameters of the growth and mortality model according to their posterior distribution using the joint model likelihood. We apply our framework to a set of data on the 20-year dynamics of a forest in Paracou, French Guiana, taking advantage of functional trait-based growth and mortality models already developed independently. Our results showed that growth and mortality are intimately linked and that the vigor estimator is an essential predictor of mortality, highlighting that trees growing more than expected have a far lower probability of dying. Our joint model methodology is sufficiently generic to be used to join two longitudinal and punctual linked processes and thus may be applied to a wide range of growth and mortality models. In the context of global changes, such joint models are urgently needed in tropical forests to analyze, and then predict, the effects of the ongoing changes on the tree dynamics in hyperdiverse tropical forests.

Carbon uptake by mature Amazon forests has mitigated Amazon nations' carbon emissions.

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Phillips, Oliver L; Brienen, Roel J W

2017-12-01

Several independent lines of evidence suggest that Amazon forests have provided a significant carbon sink service, and also that the Amazon carbon sink in intact, mature forests may now be threatened as a result of different processes. There has however been no work done to quantify non-land-use-change forest carbon fluxes on a national basis within Amazonia, or to place these national fluxes and their possible changes in the context of the major anthropogenic carbon fluxes in the region. Here we present a first attempt to interpret results from ground-based monitoring of mature forest carbon fluxes in a biogeographically, politically, and temporally differentiated way. Specifically, using results from a large long-term network of forest plots, we estimate the Amazon biomass carbon balance over the last three decades for the different regions and nine nations of Amazonia, and evaluate the magnitude and trajectory of these differentiated balances in relation to major national anthropogenic carbon emissions. The sink of carbon into mature forests has been remarkably geographically ubiquitous across Amazonia, being substantial and persistent in each of the five biogeographic regions within Amazonia. Between 1980 and 2010, it has more than mitigated the fossil fuel emissions of every single national economy, except that of Venezuela. For most nations (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname) the sink has probably additionally mitigated all anthropogenic carbon emissions due to Amazon deforestation and other land use change. While the sink has weakened in some regions since 2000, our analysis suggests that Amazon nations which are able to conserve large areas of natural and semi-natural landscape still contribute globally-significant carbon sequestration. Mature forests across all of Amazonia have contributed significantly to mitigating climate change for decades. Yet Amazon nations have not directly benefited from providing this global scale

Chronology and pedogenic effects of mid- to late-Holocene conversion of forests to pastures in the French western Pyrenees

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David S. Leigh; Theodore L. Gragson; Michael R. Coughlan

2015-01-01

This paper presents a place-based examination of the timing and long-term pedogenic effects of human-induced forest to pasture conversion in the French western Pyrenees Mountains, Basque commune of Larrau. We analyzed colluvial stratigraphic sections to derive the chronology of landscape change using radiocarbon dating, charcoal concentrations, magnetic...

The French Space Operation Act: Technical Regulations

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Trinchero, J. P.; Lazare, B.

2010-09-01

The French Space Operation Act(FSOA) stipulates that a prime objective of the National technical regulations is to protect people, property, public health and the environment. Compliance with these technical regulations is mandatory as of 10 December 2010 for space operations by French space operators and for space operations from French territory. The space safety requirements and regulations governing procedures are based on national and international best practices and experience. A critical design review of the space system and procedures shall be carried out by the applicant, in order to verify compliance with the Technical Regulations. An independent technical assessment of the operation is delegated to CNES. The principles applied when drafting technical regulations are as follows: requirements must as far as possible establish the rules according to the objective to be obtained, rather than how it is to be achieved; requirements must give preference to international standards recognised as being the state of the art; requirements must take previous experience into account. Technical regulations are divided into three sections covering common requirements for the launch, control and return of a space object. A dedicated section will cover specific rules to be applied at the Guiana Space Centre. The main topics addressed by the technical regulations are: operator safety management system; study of risks to people, property, public health and the Earth’s environment; impact study on the outer space environment: space debris generated by the operation; planetary protection.

Forest and climate change

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2009-01-01

After having recalled the challenges the French forest has to face, and a brief overview of the status of forests in the world, this report proposes an overview of actions which are implemented to strengthen the carbon sequestration role of forests, at the international level and in France. It discusses the distribution of carbon, the forest carbon stocks (in the world, Europe and France), the actions against climate change, the costs and financing of the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the forest sector. It comments the status of international negotiations and how forests are taken into account. It presents the French forest and wood sector (characteristics of the forest in metropolitan France and overseas, wood as material and as energy). It recalls the commitment of the Grenelle de l'Environnement, and indicates the current forest studies

State of the art on forest and shallow landslide interactions illustrated by two studies in the French Alps

Science.gov (United States)

Berger, F.; Dorren, L.; Lopez, J.; Allegra, C.

2009-04-01

landslide prevention and mitigation and due to the lack of scientific knowledge on the interaction between forest stands and landslide activities, there is a real need of research axis specifically devoted to the tree main effects cited before. The main objective of these thematically research axis should be an efficient integration of the effect of the forest vegetation in the modelling of shallow landslide dynamic. This presentation deals with the state of the art on forest and landslide interaction illustrated by two studies conducted in the French Alps. The first one attempts to reduce a gap in the scientific knowledge by quantifying the hazard of landslide occurrence considering vegetation effects, in the Combeloup forest on the French Alps, using a physically based spatial modelling approach. The second one present the added value of dendrogeomorphological analyse to evaluate the past activities of landslide terrain in relationship with the evolution of the forest cover.

State-of-the-Art in the Development of the Lokono Language

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Rybka, Konrad

2015-01-01

Lokono is a critically endangered Northern Arawakan language spoken in the pericoastal areas of the Guianas (Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana). Today, in every Lokono village there remains only a small number of elderly native speakers. However, in spite of the ongoing language loss, across the three Guianas as well as in the Netherlands, where a…

The impact of lianas on the carbon cycle of tropical forests: a modeling study using the Ecosystem Demography model

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di Porcia e Brugnera, M.; Longo, M.; Verbeek, H.

2017-12-01

Lianas are an important component of tropical forests, constituting up to 40% of the woody stems and about 35% of the woody species. Tropical forests have been experiencing large-scale structural changes, including an increase in liana abundance and biomass. This may eventually reduce the projected carbon sink of tropical forests. Despite their crucial role no single terrestrial ecosystem model has included lianas so far. Here, we present the very first implementation of lianas in the Ecosystem Demography model (ED2). ED2 is able to represent the competition for water and light between different vegetation types at the regional level. Our new implementation of ED2 is hence suitable to address important questions such as the impact of lianas on the tropical forest carbon balance. We validated the model against forest inventory and eddy covariance flux data at a dry seasonal site (Barro Colorado Island, Panama), and at a wet rainforest site (Paracou, French Guiana). The model was able to represent size structure and carbon accumulation rates. We also evaluated the impact of the unique allocation strategy of lianas on their competitive ability. Lianas invest only a small fraction of their carbon for structural tissues when compared to trees. As a result, lianas benefit from an extra amount of available carbon, however the trade-offs of low allocation on structural tissues are not yet well understood. We are currently investigating a number of hypotheses, including the possibility for lianas to have high turnover rates for leaves and fine roots, or to have high mortality rates due to the loss of structural support when trees die. As such our model allows us to get a better understanding of the role of lianas in the tropical forest carbon cycle.

FOLIAR ANATOMY OF ENDEMICS SPECIES OF Cattleya (ORCHIDACEAE ENDEMIC FROM GUIANA SHIELD

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Graciene Tomaz Carneiro

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The main goal of this study was characterize the leaf's anatomical aspects of Cattleya jenmanii Rolfe and e C. lawrenceana Rchb. f., describing its anatomical structures in order to increase the knowledge of this endemic species from the region of the Guiana Shield. Besides, it also intended to identify foliar characters to assist in the anatomical comparison of these species. For anatomical study, the material was fixed in FAA and to make the slides we used the usual cut freehand technique and stained with double staining from Safranin with Blue Astra (Safrablau. C. jenmanii and C. lawrenceana has fleshy leaves covered with a thick cuticle. The mesophyll presented dorsiventral with collateral vascular bundles. A large number of bundles of smaller caliber fibers are distributed in the mesophyll poles. Only the presence of a subepidermal layer of fibers differed C. lawrenceana from C. jenmanii. Keyword: Roraima; Guiana Shield; Cattleya; Amazon Basin.

Les petits exploitants agricoles et l’État brésilien sur la frontière avec la Guyane française Pequenos agricultores brasileiros na fronteira com a Guiana Francesa Smallholders and the Brazilian State on the border with French Guiana

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Martins-Faure Laurença

2012-11-01

construção social é o ponto que estrutura as trocas entre os atores. A visibilidade dessas trocas permitem de situar concretamente as medidas em acompanhamento e apoio das atividades produtivas agrícolas na zona de fronteira internacional.Agents of transformation of the territory, both the State and smallholders, compete for recognition of their actions in the border area between Brazil and French Guiana. By the creation and implementation of strategies of appropriation of the border area, each player becomes an agent of transformation of the territory. The Brazilian government is the main actor of this transformation, either by the imposition of rules to protect the border, through the dissemination of economic development programs and, more recently, sustainable development. Smallholders, often migrants from other parts of Brazil, part of the official policy, respecting the rules imposed by questioning their viability, or integrating these policies in their strategies of economic agents. This social construction is the node structure exchanges between actors. Highlighting these exchanges can target more specifically the measures in support of productive activities agricultural area international border.

African Journals Online: Suriname

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El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Faeroe Islands, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), Fiji, Finland, France, France, MEtropolitan, French Guiana, French Polynesia, French Southern Territories, Gabon, Gambia, The, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guam, Guatemala ...

African Journals Online: Argentina

African Journals Online (AJOL)

El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Faeroe Islands, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), Fiji, Finland, France, France, MEtropolitan, French Guiana, French Polynesia, French Southern Territories, Gabon, Gambia, The, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guam, Guatemala ...

African Journals Online: Angola

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El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Faeroe Islands, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), Fiji, Finland, France, France, MEtropolitan, French Guiana, French Polynesia, French Southern Territories, Gabon, Gambia, The, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guam, Guatemala ...

African Journals Online: Netherlands

African Journals Online (AJOL)

El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Faeroe Islands, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), Fiji, Finland, France, France, MEtropolitan, French Guiana, French Polynesia, French Southern Territories, Gabon, Gambia, The, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guam, Guatemala ...

African Journals Online: Mongolia

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... Faeroe Islands, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), Fiji, Finland, France, France, MEtropolitan, French Guiana, French Polynesia, French Southern Territories, Gabon, Gambia, The, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guam, Guatemala, Guernsey, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras ...

Discriminating malaria from dengue fever in endemic areas: clinical and biological criteria, prognostic score and utility of the C-reactive protein: a retrospective matched-pair study in French Guiana.

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Loïc Epelboin

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Dengue and malaria are two major public health concerns in tropical settings. Although the pathogeneses of these two arthropod-borne diseases differ, their clinical and biological presentations are unspecific. During dengue epidemics, several hundred patients with fever and diffuse pain are weekly admitted at the emergency room. It is difficult to discriminate them from patients presenting malaria attacks. Furthermore, it may be impossible to provide a parasitological microscopic examination for all patients. This study aimed to establish a diagnostic algorithm for communities where dengue fever and malaria occur at some frequency in adults. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A sub-study using the control groups of a case-control study in French Guiana--originally designed to compare dengue and malaria co-infected cases to single infected cases--was performed between 2004 and 2010. In brief, 208 patients with malaria matched to 208 patients with dengue fever were compared in the present study. A predictive score of malaria versus dengue was established using .632 bootstrap procedures. Multivariate analysis showed that male gender, age, tachycardia, anemia, thrombocytopenia, and CRP>5 mg/l were independently associated with malaria. The predictive score using those variables had an AUC of 0.86 (95%CI: 0.82-0.89, and the CRP was the preponderant predictive factor. The sensitivity and specificity of CRP>5 mg/L to discriminate malaria from dengue were of 0.995 (95%CI: 0.991-1 and 0.35 (95%CI 0.32-0.39, respectively. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The clinical and biological score performed relatively well for discriminating cases of dengue versus malaria. Moreover, using only the CRP level turned to be a useful biomarker to discriminate feverish patients at low risk of malaria in an area where both infections exist. It would avoid more than 33% of unnecessary parasitological examinations with a very low risk of missing a malaria attack.

Prey consumed by Guiana dolphin Sotalia guianensis (Cetacea, Delphinidae and franciscana dolphin Pontoporia blainvillei (Cetacea, Pontoporiidae in an estuarine environment in southern Brazil

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Marta J. Cremer

2012-06-01

Full Text Available The present study provides information about the diet of sympatric populations of small cetaceans in the Babitonga Bay estuary. This is the first study on the diet of these species in direct sympatry. The stomach contents of seven Guiana dolphins Sotalia guianensis and eight franciscanas Pontoporia blainvillei were analyzed. The prey of both cetaceans was mostly teleost fishes, followed by cephalopods. We identified 13 teleost fishes as part of the diet of the franciscanas, and 20 as part of the diet of Guiana dolphins. Lolliguncula brevis was the only cephalopod recorded, and was the most important prey for both cetaceans. Stellifer rastrifer and Gobionellus oceanicus were also important for franciscana, so as Mugil curema and Micropogonias furnieri were important for Guiana dolphins. Stellifer rastrifer and Cetengraulis edentulus were the fishes with the highest frequency of occurrence for franciscana (50%, while Achirus lineatus, C. edentulus, S. brasiliensis, Cynoscion leiarchus, M. furnieri, M. curema, Diapterus rhombeus, Eugerres brasilianus and G. oceanicus showed 28.6% of frequency of occurrence for Guiana dolphins. Franciscanas captured greater cephalopods than the Guiana dolphins in both total length (z= -3.38; n= 40; p< 0.05 and biomass (z = -2.46; n = 40; p<0.05. All of the prey species identified occur inside the estuary, which represents a safe habitat against predators and food availability, reinforcing the importance of the Babitonga Bay for these cetacean populations.

State-of-the-art in the development of the Lokono language

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rybka, K.

2015-01-01

Lokono is a critically endangered Northern Arawakan language spoken in the peri- coastal areas of the Guianas (Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana). Today, in every Lokono village there remains only a small number of elderly native speakers. However, in spite of the ongoing language loss, across the

Unraveling climatic changes from intraprofile variation in oxygen and hydrogen isotopic composition of goethite and kaolinite in laterites: An integrated study from Yaou, French Guiana

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Girard, J.P.; Freyssinet, P.; Chazot, G.

2000-02-01

An integrated study of O and H isotopes in the latertic profile of Yaou, French Guiana, was undertaken to investigate the usefulness of stable isotopes as tracers of climatic changes in continental environments. The studied profile is composed of a 27 m thick saprolite, mostly developed in the past under wet-and-dry tropical climate in association with a duricrust, overlain by a 3 m thick yellow latosol formed more recently under present equatorial hot and humid climate. {delta}{sup 18}O-{delta}D values determined for weathering goethite (pseudomorphs after pyrite) and kaolinite (microcrystalline clay groundmass) throughout the 30 m deep profile reflect formation temperatures consistent with present (25 C) and realistic past climatic temperatures (20 C--30 C), indicating that weathering minerals formed in isotopic equilibrium with their genetic environment and were not subjected to significant isotope exchange after formation. A distinct shift downward from low to high {delta}{sup 18}O-{delta}D values occurs around 20 m depth in the saprolite. It is interpreted as recording the change from the past tropical to the present equatorial climate. Goethite and kaolinite in the 5--10 m thick saprolite interval immediately above the active basement weathering front are in isotopic equilibrium with modern water and must have formed under present equatorial-humid conditions. In contrast, goethite and kaolinite found higher up on the saprolite and in the duricrust formed in the past under tropical wet and dry climate from waters distinctly depleted in {sup 18}O and D relative to modern water. The marked depletion of paleo-meteoric water at Yaou most likely reflects a more contrasted or monsoonal character of the ancient tropical climate. The present study shows that ancient weathering minerals in lateritic profiles preserve their {delta}{sup 18}O-{delta}D values and carry a time signal. The time signal is best expressed in minerals formed rapidly at the weathering front and

Glimpses of British Guiana at the Colonial and Indian Exhibition, 1886

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Albuquerque, Sara

2016-06-01

Full Text Available This paper uses the example of the British Guiana Court at the Colonial and Indian Exhibition of 1886 as a case study to demonstrate how British Guiana (now Guyana was represented in Britain at the time, by crossreferencing different materials (e.g. objects, correspondence, reports, and newspapers from that period. This exhibition also shows which raw materials from the British Guiana were of interest to Britain and the involvement of Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in this matter. Nevertheless, the exhibition not only displayed objects and commodities, such as the case of sugar, but also displayed people. Here, particular attention is paid to the Amerindians who were portrayed as living ethnological exhibits at the exhibition. This paper aims to understand how British Guiana was seen and administered by its mother country and also how Everard im Thurn (1852-1932, the explorer, sought to manoeuvre that representation, as well as his relation with RBG, Kew. Taking into consideration that this colony was a neglected area of the British Empire, even in im Thurn’s time, this exhibition was an opportunity not only to display the empire but also for advertising the potential of the neglected colony and to ensure that it would not be forgotten.Este análisis se centra en la Exposición Colonial de 1886; a través del estudio de caso del Pabellón de la Guayana Británica (hoy Guyana, demuestra cómo ésta estaba representada en Gran Bretaña. Para mostrar sus contenidos cruza diferentes fuentes de la época: objetos, correspondencia, informes y periódicos. La exposición en aquel pabellón refleja que las materias primas de la Guayana Británica eran de interés para Gran Bretaña y la implicación en esta materia de los Jardines Reales Botánicos, llamados Kew. La exposición no sólo mostró los objetos y las materias primas, como el caso del azúcar, sino que también llevó habitantes de la Guayana. Aquí se presta especial atención a los amerindios

Carbon recovery dynamics following disturbance by selective logging in Amazonian forests

Science.gov (United States)

Piponiot, Camille; Sist, Plinio; Mazzei, Lucas; Peña-Claros, Marielos; Putz, Francis E; Rutishauser, Ervan; Shenkin, Alexander; Ascarrunz, Nataly; de Azevedo, Celso P; Baraloto, Christopher; França, Mabiane; Guedes, Marcelino; Honorio Coronado, Eurídice N; d'Oliveira, Marcus VN; Ruschel, Ademir R; da Silva, Kátia E; Doff Sotta, Eleneide; de Souza, Cintia R; Vidal, Edson; West, Thales AP; Hérault, Bruno

2016-01-01

When 2 Mha of Amazonian forests are disturbed by selective logging each year, more than 90 Tg of carbon (C) is emitted to the atmosphere. Emissions are then counterbalanced by forest regrowth. With an original modelling approach, calibrated on a network of 133 permanent forest plots (175 ha total) across Amazonia, we link regional differences in climate, soil and initial biomass with survivors’ and recruits’ C fluxes to provide Amazon-wide predictions of post-logging C recovery. We show that net aboveground C recovery over 10 years is higher in the Guiana Shield and in the west (21 ±3 Mg C ha-1) than in the south (12 ±3 Mg C ha-1) where environmental stress is high (low rainfall, high seasonality). We highlight the key role of survivors in the forest regrowth and elaborate a comprehensive map of post-disturbance C recovery potential in Amazonia. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.21394.001 PMID:27993185

The Trichoptera of Surinam

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Flint, Oliver S.

1974-01-01

Surinam (or Dutch Guiana) lies on the northeastern coast of South America between French Guiana on the east, Guyana on the west, and Brazil on the south. It is roughly rectangular in shape, about 350 kilometers (210 miles) wide by under 400 kilometers (240 miles) from north to south. Most of the

Geochronology of the basement rocks, Amazonas Territory, Venezuela and the tectonic evolution of the western Guiana Shield

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gaudette, H E; Olszewski, Jr, W J

1985-01-01

The Amazonas Territory of Venezuela is a large area of Precambrian basement rocks overlain in some locales by the supracrustal sedimentary and volcanic rocks of the Roraima Formation. The basement rocks are medium to high grade gneisses with both igneous and sedimentary protoliths, plutonic rocks ranging in composition from granite to tonalite, and meta-volcanic rocks. Rb-Sr whole rock, and U-Pb isotopic analyses of zircons indicate a period of medium to high grade metamorphism and intrusion from 1860 to 1760 Ma. Post-tectonic plutonic activity continued to 1550 Ma. The volcanic rocks of the Roraima Formation in Venezuela give an age of 1746 Ma comparable to volcanic rocks of the Roraima Formation in other parts of the Guiana Shield. The ages and distribution of the basement rocks suggest the presence of a tectonic zone, approximately coincident with the Venezuelan-Colombian border, representing an active orogenic boundary between distinct tectonic provinces. The rocks to the northeast of this zone are part of the Trans-Amazonian of the Guiana Shield, while to the southwest and in adjacent Brazil and Colombia, new younger continental crust has been developed and cratonized. We suggest a model of collision and subduction followed by a chan0140n tectonic style to extensional-vertical to produce the basement rocks of the western Guiana Shield in the Amazonas Territory. (Auth.). 20 refs.; 13 figs.; 2 tabs.

Stimulating fuelwood consumption through public policies: An assessment of economic and resource impacts based on the French Forest Sector Model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caurla, Sylvain; Delacote, Philippe; Lecocq, Franck; Barkaoui, Ahmed

2013-01-01

Stimulating renewable energy is a crucial objective in view of tackling climate change and coping with future fossil fuel scarcity. In France, fuelwood appears to be an important source for the renewable energy mix. Using the French Forest Sector Model, our paper aims to assess the impacts of three policy options to stimulate fuelwood consumption: a consumer subsidy, a producer subsidy and a fixed-demand contract policy. We explored their impacts in terms of five groups of criteria: (1) forest resource dynamics; (2) variations in wood products prices and quantities consumed and produced; (3) trade balance; (4) budgetary costs; and (5) variations in agent surpluses. We show that no policy option is more desirable than another on the basis of all of these criteria and that trade-offs will determine which is the best policy option to be implemented. - Highlights: • We compare the bio-economic impacts of policies to boost fuelwood consumption in France. • We simulate a producer subsidy, a consumer subsidy and fixed public demand contracts. • We explore their impacts until 2020 with a dynamic model of the forest sector. • Producer subsidy reduces the trade balance deficit and decreases forest stock. • Consumer subsidy increases consumer welfare and public contracts reduce budgetary costs

Polymorphism versus species richness - systematics of large Dendrobates from the eastern Guiana Shield (Amphibia: Dendrobatidae)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wollenberg, K.; Veith, M.K.H.; Noonan, B.P.; Lötters, S.

2006-01-01

Abstract A molecular phylogeny based on a fragment of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene and morphological comparisons suggest that only one polymorphic species of large Dendrobates, commonly assigned to D. tinctorius, occurs on the eastern Guiana Shield and its vicinities. The oldest available name

Simulating phenological shifts in French temperate forests under two climatic change scenarios and four driving global circulation models

Science.gov (United States)

Lebourgeois, François; Pierrat, Jean-Claude; Perez, Vincent; Piedallu, Christian; Cecchini, Sébastien; Ulrich, Erwin

2010-09-01

After modeling the large-scale climate response patterns of leaf unfolding, leaf coloring and growing season length of evergreen and deciduous French temperate trees, we predicted the effects of eight future climate scenarios on phenological events. We used the ground observations from 103 temperate forests (10 species and 3,708 trees) from the French Renecofor Network and for the period 1997-2006. We applied RandomForest algorithms to predict phenological events from climatic and ecological variables. With the resulting models, we drew maps of phenological events throughout France under present climate and under two climatic change scenarios (A2, B2) and four global circulation models (HadCM3, CGCM2, CSIRO2 and PCM). We compared current observations and predicted values for the periods 2041-2070 and 2071-2100. On average, spring development of oaks precedes that of beech, which precedes that of conifers. Annual cycles in budburst and leaf coloring are highly correlated with January, March-April and October-November weather conditions through temperature, global solar radiation or potential evapotranspiration depending on species. At the end of the twenty-first century, each model predicts earlier budburst (mean: 7 days) and later leaf coloring (mean: 13 days) leading to an average increase in the growing season of about 20 days (for oaks and beech stands). The A2-HadCM3 hypothesis leads to an increase of up to 30 days in many areas. As a consequence of higher predicted warming during autumn than during winter or spring, shifts in leaf coloring dates appear greater than trends in leaf unfolding. At a regional scale, highly differing climatic response patterns were observed.

Long-term modeling of the forest-grassland ecotone in the French Alps: implications for land management and conservation.

Science.gov (United States)

Carlson, Bradley Z; Renaud, Julien; Biron, Pierre Eymard; Choler, Philippe

2014-07-01

Understanding decadal-scale land-cover changes has the potential to inform current conservation policies. European mountain landscapes that include numerous protected areas provide a unique opportunity to weigh the long-term influences of land-use practices and climate on forest-grassland ecotone dynamics. Aerial photographs from four dates (1948, 1978, 1993, and 2009) were used to quantify the extent of forest and grassland cover at 5-m resolution across a 150-km2 area in a protected area of the southwestern French Alps. The study area included a grazed zone and a nongrazed zone that was abandoned during the 1970s. We estimated time series of a forestation index (FI) and analyzed the effects of elevation and grazing on FI using a hierarchical linear mixed effect model. Forest extent (composed primarily of mountain pine, Pinus uncinata) expanded from 50.6 km2 in 1948 to 85.5 km2 in 2009, i.e., a 23% increase in relative cover at the expense of grassland communities. Over the sixty-year period, the treeline rose by 118 m, from 1564 to 1682 m. Rapid forest expansion within the nongrazed zone followed the cessation of logging activities and was likely accelerated by climate warming during the 1980s. Within the grazed zone, the maintained presence of sheep did not fully counteract mountain pine expansion and led to highly contrasting rates of land-cover change based on the location of shepherds' cabins and water sources. Projections of FI for 2030 showed remnant patches of intensively used grasslands interspersed in a densely forested matrix. Our analysis of mountain land-cover dynamics provided strong evidence for forest encroachment into grassland habitat despite consistent grazing pressure. This pattern may be attributed to the disappearance of traditional land-use practices such as shrub burning and removal. Our findings prompt land managers to reconsider their initial conservation priority (i.e., the protection of a renowned mountain pine forest) and to implement

Rural Development in Venezuela and the Guianas: A Bibliography. Training and Methods Series Number 20.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Teresa, Comp.; And Others

The bibliography cites 930 materials dealing with Venezuela and the Guianas. Published between 1949 and 1972, the materials are found in the Land Tenure Center Library at the University of Wisconsin. Topics covered are: agriculture, agrarian reform, economic affairs, economic cooperation, human resources, American Indians, industry, law, money,…

International Uranium Resources Evaluation Project (IUREP) national favourability studies: Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1977-06-01

Brazil occupies an area of about 8.5 million square kilometers -- almost half of the South American continent. The dominant geographic feature is the Amazon basin. The Amazon River and its more than 200 tributaries drain about 60 percent of the country. The basin is a vast tropical rain forest, whereas the remainder of Brazil is made up predominantly of highlands. The Central Highlands, which extends into the Amazon basin, occupies nearly all of southern Brazil and includes major mountain chains such as the Serra do Mar, Serra da Mantiqueira, and Serra do Espinhago. The Guiana Highlands fringe the northern Amazon basin and extend into Venezuela, Guyana, Surinam, and French Guiana. Lowland areas other than the Amazon basin are found in western Mato Grosso, and along the Atlantic coast from French Guiana to Uruguay. The geology of Brazil is dominated structurally and areally by three major shields composed of crystalline rocks of Archean and Proterozoic age. Collectively they comprise the Brazilian complex which is probably the largest Precambrian outcrop in the world. The complex is made up of gneisses, granites, mica schists, quartzites, dolomites, skarns, diorites, itabirites and gabbros, many of which are deeply metamorphosed. Faults, quartz veins, and dikes are common. Recurrent granitization has occurred from the Precambrian to Late Tertiary. The area of Brazil is large and its geology is favorable, in places, for every known type of uranium deposit. This is not reflected in the amount of 'known' and 'inferred' reserves -- slightly more than 21,000 tons. Rather, it is an indication of the small amount of exploration done, taking into account the large area to be covered. The speculative potential can only be guessed. It is guessed to be 500,000 tons

Unraveling climatic changes from intra-profile variation in oxygen and hydrogen isotopic composition of goethite and kaolinite in laterites: An integrated study from Yaou, French Guiana

Science.gov (United States)

Girard, Jean-Pierre; Freyssinet, Philippe; Chazot, Gilles

2000-02-01

An integrated study of O and H isotopes in the lateritic profile of Yaou, French Guiana, was undertaken to investigate the usefulness of stable isotopes as tracers of climatic changes in continental environments. The studied profile is composed of a 27 m thick saprolite, mostly developed in the past under wet-and-dry tropical climate in association with a duricrust, overlain by a 3 m thick yellow latosol formed more recently under present equatorial hot and humid climate. δ 18O-δD values determined for weathering goethite (pseudomorphs after pyrite) and kaolinite (microcrystalline clay groundmass) throughout the 30 m deep profile reflect formation temperatures consistent with present (25°C) and realistic past climatic temperatures (20°C-30°C), indicating that weathering minerals formed in isotopic equilibrium with their genetic environment and were not subjected to significant isotope exchange after formation. A distinct shift downward (2‰ for δ 18O, 15‰ for δD) from low to high δ 18O-δD values occurs around 20 m depth in the saprolite. It is interpreted as recording the change from the past tropical to the present equatorial climate. Goethite and kaolinite in the 5-10 m thick saprolite interval immediately above the active basement weathering front are in isotopic equilibrium with modern water and must have formed under present equatorial-humid conditions. In contrast, goethite and kaolinite found higher up in the saprolite and in the duricrust formed in the past under tropical wet and dry climate from waters distinctly depleted in 18O and D relative to modern water. The marked depletion of paleo-meteoric water at Yaou most likely reflects a more contrasted or "monsoonal" character of the ancient tropical climate. The present study shows that ancient weathering minerals in lateritic profiles preserve their δ 18O-δD values and carry a time signal. The time signal is best expressed in minerals formed rapidly at the weathering front and not subjected

Energy biomass and environment. The French programme

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1991-12-31

The main themes of the french program for energy from biomass are presented: agriculture and forest products (short rotation plantations, waste products, etc.), enhancement of the biomass production, mobilization of biomass resources, biomass processing technics (biofuels, combustion processes, biotechnologies); vulgarization for diffusion of technics from laboratories to industry or domestic sectors.

African Journals Online: Sudan

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Sudan JMS is a joint project of continuous medical education program at Faculty of ... or Arabic language dealing with aspects of medical sciences are welcomed. ... dermatologists with new approaches and better management of patients with ... Fiji, Finland, France, France, MEtropolitan, French Guiana, French Polynesia ...

Estimation of the Above Ground Biomass of Tropical Forests using Polarimetric and Tomographic SAR Data Acquired at P Band and 3-D Imaging Techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Ferro-Famil, L.; El Hajj Chehade, B.; Ho Tong Minh, D.; Tebaldini, S.; LE Toan, T.

2016-12-01

Developing and improving methods to monitor forest biomass in space and time is a timely challenge, especially for tropical forests, for which SAR imaging at larger wavelength presents an interesting potential. Nevertheless, directly estimating tropical forest biomass from classical 2-D SAR images may reveal a very complex and ill-conditioned problem, since a SAR echo is composed of numerous contributions, whose features and importance depend on many geophysical parameters, such has ground humidity, roughness, topography… that are not related to biomass. Recent studies showed that SAR modes of diversity, i.e. polarimetric intensity ratios or interferometric phase centers, do not fully resolve this under-determined problem, whereas Pol-InSAR tree height estimates may be related to biomass through allometric relationships, with, in general over tropical forests, significant levels of uncertainty and lack of robustness. In this context, 3-D imaging using SAR tomography represents an appealing solution at larger wavelengths, for which wave penetration properties ensures a high quality mapping of a tropical forest reflectivity in the vertical direction. This paper presents a series of studies led, in the frame of the preparation of the next ESA mission BIOMASS, on the estimation of biomass over a tropical forest in French Guiana, using Polarimetric SAR Tomographic (Pol-TomSAR) data acquired at P band by ONERA. It is then shown that Pol-TomoSAR significantly improves the retrieval of forest above ground biomass (AGB) in a high biomass forest (200 up to 500 t/ha), with an error of only 10% at 1.5-ha resolution using a reflectivity estimates sampled at a predetermined elevation. The robustness of this technique is tested by applying the same approach over another site, and results show a similar relationship between AGB and tomographic reflectivity over both sites. The excellent ability of Pol-TomSAR to retrieve both canopy top heights and ground topography with an error

African Journals Online: Uganda

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Items 1 - 12 of 12 ... The African Crop Science Journal, a quarterly publication, publishes original ... by the African Health Journals Partnership Project that is funded by the US .... the role, development, management and improvement of higher education from an ... France, France, MEtropolitan, French Guiana, French Polynesia ...

A comparison of two common flight interception traps to survey tropical arthropods

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Greg Lamarre

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Tropical forests are predicted to harbor most of the insect diversity on earth, but few studies have been conducted to characterize insect communities in tropical forests. One major limitation is the lack of consensus on methods for insect collection. Deciding which insect trap to use is an important consideration for ecologists and entomologists, yet to date few study has presented a quantitative comparison of the results generated by standardized methods in tropical insect communities. Here, we investigate the relative performance of two flight interception traps, the windowpane trap, and the more widely used malaise trap, across a broad gradient of lowland forest types in French Guiana. The windowpane trap consistently collected significantly more Coleoptera and Blattaria than the malaise trap, which proved most effective for Diptera, Hymenoptera, and Hemiptera. Orthoptera and Lepidoptera were not well represented using either trap, suggesting the need for additional methods such as bait traps and light traps. Our results of contrasting trap performance among insect orders underscore the need for complementary trapping strategies using multiple methods for community surveys in tropical forests.

Discovering the Realm of El Dorado: Ralegh and Schomburgk in the Guianas

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Neil L. Whitehead

2009-07-01

Full Text Available [First paragraph] Sir Walter Ralegh’s Discoverie of Guiana. Joyce Lorimer (ed.. London: Ashgate (published for the Hakluyt Society, 2006. xcvii + 360 pp. (Cloth £55.00 The Guiana Travels of Robert Schomburgk 1835-1844. Volume I: Explorations on Behalf of the Royal Geographical Society, 1835-1839. Volume II: The Boundary Survey 1840-1844. Peter Riviére (ed.. Aldershot, U.K.: Ashgate (published for the Hakluyt Society, 2006. xii + 266 pp. (Cloth US $99.95 The historiography and ethnology of northeastern South America has, with the publication of these two excellent volumes, been firmly and illuminatingly advanced. Firmly since the scholarly abilities of both editors in their preparation of the texts and key source materials make these works definitive. And illuminatingly because the primary documentary and published materials relating to both Walter Ralegh and Robert Schomburgk have, in different ways, been difficult to access. In the case of Ralegh (and here I am writing as the editor of a recent edition of his Discoverie the location of the original source manuscript for the 1596 edition was unknown and thought lost. In the case of Schomburgk the publication of his travel accounts in the form of short articles, mostly in the Royal Geographical Journal, often made it difficult to access or copy these accounts. The result was that our understanding of the full impact of his travels and the corpus of his published work was considerably lessened.

Vector soup: high-throughput identification of Neotropical phlebotomine sand flies using metabarcoding.

Science.gov (United States)

Kocher, Arthur; Gantier, Jean-Charles; Gaborit, Pascal; Zinger, Lucie; Holota, Helene; Valiere, Sophie; Dusfour, Isabelle; Girod, Romain; Bañuls, Anne-Laure; Murienne, Jerome

2017-03-01

Phlebotomine sand flies are haematophagous dipterans of primary medical importance. They represent the only proven vectors of leishmaniasis worldwide and are involved in the transmission of various other pathogens. Studying the ecology of sand flies is crucial to understand the epidemiology of leishmaniasis and further control this disease. A major limitation in this regard is that traditional morphological-based methods for sand fly species identifications are time-consuming and require taxonomic expertise. DNA metabarcoding holds great promise in overcoming this issue by allowing the identification of multiple species from a single bulk sample. Here, we assessed the reliability of a short insect metabarcode located in the mitochondrial 16S rRNA for the identification of Neotropical sand flies, and constructed a reference database for 40 species found in French Guiana. Then, we conducted a metabarcoding experiment on sand flies mixtures of known content and showed that the method allows an accurate identification of specimens in pools. Finally, we applied metabarcoding to field samples caught in a 1-ha forest plot in French Guiana. Besides providing reliable molecular data for species-level assignations of phlebotomine sand flies, our study proves the efficiency of metabarcoding based on the mitochondrial 16S rRNA for studying sand fly diversity from bulk samples. The application of this high-throughput identification procedure to field samples can provide great opportunities for vector monitoring and eco-epidemiological studies. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis in the French West Indies: Results of the EPPPRA study in Martinique.

Science.gov (United States)

Brunier, Lauren; Bleterry, Marie; Merle, Sylvie; Derancourt, Christian; Polomat, Katlyn; Dehlinger, Véronique; Deligny, Christophe; Jean-Baptiste, Georges; Arfi, Serge; Banydeen, Rishika; De Bandt, Michel

2017-07-01

Studies suggest that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is less frequent in African populations. However, no recent precise data exists for Afro-Caribbeans. The EPPPRA project is a prospective epidemiological survey to describe prevalence and clinical aspects of RA in the French West Indies (Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana). EPPPRA involved all rheumatologists from the French West Indies who included all patients with a known clinical diagnosis of RA, during a one-year period. We outline here results for Martinique. EPPPRA estimated an overall world age-standardized prevalence of RA at 0.10% [95% CI 0.09% to 0.11%] in Martinique, with a high female predominance (88.1%) and 93.1% of self-reported Afro-Caribbeans. Mean age at diagnosis was 49.6±16.0 years. A majority of subjects presented at least 4 criteria points from the 1987 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) classification (94.4%) and at least 6 points (78.2%) from the 2010 ACR/European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) classification. A high immune seropositivity rate was highlighted (84.2%). Despite functional impact observed in 40.5% of patients, 71.4% presented a low disease activity level. Methotrexate was the most common ongoing treatment (73%), followed by biotherapies (24.4%). Numerous patients (68.6%) received a steroid regimen. Cardiovascular risk factors were very frequent, contrasting with a very low tobacco use (8.7%), CONCLUSION: This work outlines low standardized prevalence of RA in a French Afro-Caribbean population with specific characteristics (high female predominance, high immune seropositivity, low tobacco use). Despite easy access to care and biotherapies, approximately half of RA patients still present destructive disease with functional impact. Copyright © 2016 Société française de rhumatologie. Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

Climate change, allergy and asthma, and the role of tropical forests.

Science.gov (United States)

D'Amato, Gennaro; Vitale, Carolina; Rosario, Nelson; Neto, Herberto Josè Chong; Chong-Silva, Deborah Carla; Mendonça, Francisco; Perini, Josè; Landgraf, Loraine; Solé, Dirceu; Sánchez-Borges, Mario; Ansotegui, Ignacio; D'Amato, Maria

2017-01-01

Tropical forests cover less than 10 per cent of all land area (1.8 × 107 km 2 ) and over half of the tropical-forest area (1.1 × 107 Km 2 ) is represented by humid tropical forests (also called tropical rainforests). The Amazon basin contains the largest rainforest on Earth, almost 5.8 million km 2 , and occupies about 40% of South America; more than 60% of the basin is located in Brazil and the rest in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela. Over the past decade the positive role of tropical rainforests in capturing large amounts of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) has been demonstrated. In response to the increase in atmospheric CO 2 concentration, tropical forests act as a global carbon sink. Accumulation of carbon in the tropical terrestrial biosphere strongly contributes to slowing the rate of increase of CO 2 into the atmosphere, thus resulting in the reduction of greenhouse gas effect. Tropical rainforests have been estimated to account for 32-36% of terrestrial Net Primary Productivity (NPP) that is the difference between total forest photosynthesis and plant respiration. Tropical rainforests have been acting as a strong carbon sink in this way for decades. However, over the past years, increased concentrations of greenhouse gases, and especially CO 2 , in the atmosphere have significantly affected the net carbon balance of tropical rainforests, and have warmed the planet substantially driving climate changes through more severe and prolonged heat waves, variability in temperature, increased air pollution, forest fires, droughts, and floods. The role of tropical forests in mitigating climate change is therefore critical. Over the past 30 years almost 600,000 km 2 have been deforested in Brazil alone due to the rapid development of Amazonia, this is the reason why currently the region is one of the 'hotspots' of global environmental change on the planet. Deforestation represents the second largest

Phanerozoic burial, uplift and denudation of the Equatorial Atlantic margin of South America

Science.gov (United States)

Japsen, Peter; Bonow, Johan M.; Green, Paul F.; dall'Asta, Massimo; Roig, Jean-Yves; Theveniaut, Hervé

2017-04-01

We have initiated a study aimed at understanding the history of burial, uplift and denudation of the South American Equatorial Atlantic Margin (SAEAM Uplift) including the Guiana Shield to provide a framework for investigating the hydrocarbon prospectivity of the offshore region. We report first results including observations from fieldwork at the northern and southern flank of the Guiana Shield. The study combines apatite fission-track analysis (AFTA) and vitrinite reflectance data from samples of outcrops and drillcores, sonic velocity data from drill holes and stratigraphic landscape analysis (mapping of peneplains) - all constrained by geological evidence, following the methods of Green et al. (2013). The study will thus combine the thermal history from AFTA data with the denudation history from stratigraphic landscape analysis to provide magnitudes and timing of vertical movements (Japsen et al. 2012, 2016). Along the Atlantic margin of Suriname and French Guiana, tilted and truncated Lower Cretaceous strata rest on Precambrian basement (Sapin et al. 2016). Our AFTA data show that the basement underwent Mesozoic exhumation prior to deposition of the Lower Cretaceous cover. Sub-horizontal peneplains define the landscape of the Guiana Shield at elevations up to 500 m a.s.l. As these sub-horizontal peneplains truncate the tilted, sub-Cretaceous surface along the Atlantic margin, these peneplains were therefore formed and uplifted in post-Cretaceous time. This interpretation is in good agreement with our AFTA data that define Paleogene exhumation along the margin and with the results of Theveniaut and Freyssinet (2002) who used palaeomagnetic data to conclude that bauxitic surfaces across basement at up to 400 m a.s.l. on the Guiana Shield formed during the Palaeogene. Integration of the results from AFTA with stratigraphic landscape analysis (currently in progress) and geological evidence will provide a robust reconstruction of the tectonic development of the

Automatic crown cover mapping to improve forest inventory

Science.gov (United States)

Claude Vidal; Jean-Guy Boureau; Nicolas Robert; Nicolas Py; Josiane Zerubia; Xavier Descombes; Guillaume Perrin

2009-01-01

To automatically analyze near infrared aerial photographs, the French National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Control developed together with the French National Forest Inventory (NFI) a method for automatic crown cover mapping. This method uses a Reverse Jump Monte Carlo Markov Chain algorithm to locate the crowns and describe those using ellipses or...

THE MYRMICINE ANT GENUS ALLOMERUS MAYR (HYMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE

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FERNÁNDEZ FERNANDO

2007-06-01

Full Text Available The Neotropical myrmicine ant genus Allomerus Mayr is revised. The genus isapparently monophyletic based on the antennal club confi guration. I recognize 8 species(4 described as new: Allomerus brevipilosus n. sp. (Brazil, A. decemarticulatusMayr (Brazil, French Guiana, A. dentatus n. sp. (Venezuela, A. maietae n. sp.(Brazil, A. octoarticulatus Mayr (=A. tuberculatus Forel n. syn. = A. octoarticulatusvar. demerarae W. M. Wheeler n. syn. = A. novemarticulatus Wheeler & Mann n.syn. [Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, French Guiana, Peru], A. septemarticulatus Mayrstatus rev. (Brazil, A. undecemarticulatus n. sp. (Venezuela and A. vogeli Kempf(Venezuela, Brazil. Better knowledge of the taxonomy of Allomerus is needed tounderstand the apparently sporadic differences in antennal fl agellomere number andspeciation processes that are probably linked to plant cavity colonization.

9 CFR 93.505 - Certificate for swine.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... certificate shall show that the entire region of origin is free of classical swine fever. (b) Swine from..., Equatorial Guinea, French Guiana, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, India...

Chagas Disease

Science.gov (United States)

... countries such as: Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay or Venezuela ■ Have seen the bug, ...

Forest Patch Size, Land Use, and Mesic Forest Herbs in the French Broad River Basin, North Carolina

Science.gov (United States)

Scott M. Pearson; Alan B. Smith; Monica G. Turner

1998-01-01

The effect of forest fragmentation on cove-forest herbs was studied in the Southern Blue Ridge Province. Patches of mesic forests were sampled with 4 ha study plots. The coverage and density of herb species were greater in large patches (>200 ha) than in small patches (

Zika Travel Information

Science.gov (United States)

... Colombia , Ecuador , French Guiana , Guyana , Paraguay , Peru , Suriname , Venezuela Areas with Interrupted Transmission Zika was previously found ... Vision Using this Site Legal Link to Us Policies FOIA Accessibility Privacy No FEAR Act Inspector General ...

A new species of skin-feeding caecilian and the first report of reproductive mode in Microcaecilia (amphibia: Gymnophiona: Siphonopidae.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mark Wilkinson

Full Text Available A new species of siphonopid caecilian, Microcaecilia dermatophagasp. nov., is described based on nine specimens from French Guiana. The new species is the first new caecilian to be described from French Guiana for more than 150 years. It differs from all other Microcaecilia in having fewer secondary annular grooves and/or in lacking a transverse groove on the dorsum of the first collar. Observations of oviparity and of extended parental care in M. dermatophaga are the first reproductive mode data for any species of the genus. Microcaecilia dermatophaga is the third species, and represents the third genus, for which there has been direct observation of young animals feeding on the skin of their attending mother. The species is named for this maternal dermatophagy, which is hypothesised to be characteristic of the Siphonopidae.

Illustrated key for identification of the species included in the genus Leptoglossus (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Coreidae: Coreinae: Anisoscelini), and descriptions of five new species and new synonyms.

Science.gov (United States)

Brailovsky, Harry

2014-05-05

Five new species of Leptoglossus are described: L.caicosensis from Turks and Caicos Island, L. egeri and L. impensus from Bolivia, L. franckei from Costa Rica, and L. polychromus from Ecuador, Cooperative Republic of Guiana (British Guiana), and French Guiana. Leptoglossus argentinus Bergroth is synonymized under L. chilensis chilensis (Spinola) and Narnia anaticula Brailovsky & Barrera under Leptoglossus occidentalis Heidemann. Dorsal view drawings and key to the 61 known species and 1 subspecies are included; a complete checklist, and the position of each species within the species-group defined herein, are given except for two species L. macrophylus Stål and L. polychromus sp.nov., that are insertae-sedis. The pronotal disk, hind legs, and male genital capsule of the new species here described are illustrated.

Prevalence of Stx-producing Shigella species isolated from French Travelers Returning from the Caribbean: An Emerging Pathogen with International Implications

Science.gov (United States)

Gray, Miranda D.; Lacher, David W.; Leonard, Susan R.; Abbott, Jason; Zhao, Shaohua; Lampel, Keith A.; Prothery, Estelle; Gouali, Malika; Weill, François-Xavier; Maurelli, Anthony T.

2015-01-01

Shiga toxins are potent cytotoxins that inhibit host cell protein synthesis, leading to cell death. Classically, these toxins are associated with intestinal infections due to Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli or Shigella dysenteriae serotype 1 and infections with these strains can lead to hemolytic uremic syndrome. Over the past decade there is increasing recognition that Shiga toxin is produced by additional Shigella species. We recently reported the presence and expression of stx genes in Shigella flexneri 2a clinical isolates. The toxin genes were carried by a new stx-encoding bacteriophage and infection with these strains correlated with recent travel to Haiti or the Dominican Republic. In this study we further explored the epidemiological link to this region by utilizing the French National Reference Center for Escherichia coli, Shigella and Salmonella collection to survey the frequency of Stx-producing Shigella species isolated from French travelers returning from the Caribbean. About 21% of the isolates tested were found to encode and produce Stx. These isolates included strains of S. flexneri 2a, S. flexneri Y, and S. dysenteriae 4. All of the travelers whom were infected with Stx-producing Shigella had recently traveled to Haiti, the Dominican Republic, or French Guiana. Furthermore, whole genome sequencing found that the toxin genes were encoded by a prophage that was highly identical to the phage we identified in our previous study. These findings demonstrate that this new stx-encoding prophage is circulating within that geographical area, has spread to other continents, and is capable of spreading to multiple Shigella serogroups. PMID:25980352

Anus Mundi or Tout-monde? French Guiana

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wink, Georg

2014-01-01

Caribbean literature are not fully sufficient to describe the highly dynamic migration space in close neighbourhood to economic giant Brazil, whose continentality results in fundamental differences from the islands. With the appropriation of orality and the inclusion of the history of migrants, present...

APW path traced for the Guiana Shield (2070-1960 Ma) and Paleogeographic Implications: Paleomagnetic data from the 1.98-1.96 Ga Surumu Group (Northern Amazonian Craton)

Science.gov (United States)

Bispo-Santos, F.; Dagrella Filho, M. S.; Reis, N. J.; Trindade, R. I.

2013-05-01

Definition of continental paleogeography for times prior to formation of Columbia Supercontinent (1900-1850 Ma) is very complex, since amalgamation of some continental blocks of Earth was still in progress, as in the case of Laurentia, Baltica and Amazonian Craton. So, paleogeographic models proposed for this time are still very speculative and/or subjective. The use of the paleomagnetic technique tracing apparent polar wander (APW) paths for the various cratonic blocks can contribute to understand the continental amalgamation and breakup, especially for times where all created oceanic lithosphere was fully consumed. In this study, we present the paleomagnetic data obtained for samples collected from 39 sites from the well-dated 1980-1960 Ma (U-Pb) volcanic rocks belonging to the Surumu Group, cropping out in the northern Roraima State (Guiana Shield, Amazonian Craton). AF and thermal treatment revealed northwestern directions with moderate downward inclinations on samples from 20 out of the 39 analyzed sites. Site mean directions cluster around the mean, Dm = 298.6°; Im = 39.4° (N = 20; α95 = 10.1°), which yielded a key paleomagnetic pole (SG) for the Guiana Shield, located at 234.8°E, 27.4°N (A95 = 9.8°). Magnetic mineralogy experiments show that the magnetization of these rocks, probably of primary origin, is carried by magnetite and/or hematite. The SG pole contributes to a better fit of the APW path traced for Guiana Shield during the Paleoproterozoic (2070-1960 Ma). Comparison with the APW path traced for the West-Africa Craton for the same time interval suggests that these cratonic blocks were linked at 2000-1960 Ma ago, forming a paleogeography in which the Guri (Guiana Shield) and Sassandra (West-Africa Craton) shear zones were aligned as suggested in previous geologic models. KEYWORDS: Paleoproterozoic, Paleomagnetism, APWP, Amazonian Craton, Surumu Group.

Biomass availability in forests, poplar plantations and hedges for various timber uses. National assessment based on the national forest inventory data and wood consumption statistics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ginisty, Christian; Vallet, Patrick; Chevalier, Helene; COLIN, Antoine

2011-01-01

This article provides an assessment of the quantities of potentially exploitable timber in French forests, poplar plantations and hedges for the period 2007 to 2020. The first step consisted in computing the gross available quantities of timber, prior to deduction of the various current consumptions. This was done applying the reference silvicultural scenarios to all the plots in the French national forest inventory, on the basis of their features (species, structure, fertility, age, observed per hectare volume). Current consumption was then subtracted from these quantities. It was estimated using the annual sectoral 'forest exploitation' survey in industry and an estimation of fuelwood consumption by households. The outcome is an excess availability of more than 28 million cubic metres of timber per year for bio-energy or pulp uses, and nearly 15 million cubic metres of workable timber, essentially hardwoods. (authors)

Sector-based political analysis of energy transition: Green shift in the forest policy regime in France

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sergent, Arnaud

2014-01-01

This article examines energy transition political process from a sector-based approach, through the analysis of recent shift in the French forest policy regime. We demonstrate that, since 2007, energy transition policies have led to a harvesting turn within the French forest policy framework, meaning that priority is given to wood mobilisation, mainly for biomass uses. In addition, our findings suggest that the political authority wielded by the state over forest policy has shifted from forest administrative services to energy agencies and local authorities. Finally, we show that, although implementation of the harvesting turn is a cause of sectoral and inter-sectoral tensions, energy transition challenge also contributes to a process of (re)institutionalisation of mediation relationships among forestry stakeholders and wood-based industries representatives. The article concludes by arguing that sectors should retain relevant institutional frameworks for actors when choosing political arrangements required for implementing energy transition policy. - Highlights: • Implementing energy transition policy potentially challenges sector-based politics. • We propose a policy regime framework and socio-political investigations. • We analyse the political impact of energy transition policy on French forest sector. • Shifts occur in sectoral policy framework, authority, and mediation relationships

The greenhouse effect evaluation for the french people; Les representations de l'effet de serre dans la population francaise

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2003-07-01

For the third consecutive years, the ADEME realized an inquiry towards a representative sample of the french people in order to evaluate the social perception of the greenhouse effect, in july 2002. French attitudes and opinions show a bad information on the greenhouse effect increase. The French present as the greenhouse effect causes the industrial activities, the transports and the forests destruction and precise the consequences. Propositions of attitudes and their efficiency are also provided. (A.L.B.)

High organochlorine accumulation in blubber of Guiana dolphin, Sotalia guianensis, from Brazilian coast and its use to establish geographical differences among populations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lailson-Brito, J.; Dorneles, P.R.; Azevedo-Silva, C.E.; Azevedo, A.F.; Vidal, L.G.; Zanelatto, R.C.; Lozinski, C.P.C.; Azeredo, A.; Fragoso, A.B.L.

2010-01-01

Blubber samples from 33 Guiana dolphins (Sotalia guianensis) from three estuaries (Guanabara, Sepetiba/Ilha Grande and Paranagua Bays) of Southern and Southeastern Brazil were analyzed for organochlorine compounds (DDTs, PCBs and HCB). The sampled individuals were incidentally captured in gillnet fishery between 1995 and 2005. The concentrations (in ng/g lipids) varied from 652 to 23 555 for ΣDDT; from 765 to 99 175 for ΣPCB; and from <4.4 to 156 for HCB. The results have shown that cetaceans from Brazil present organochlorine concentrations that are comparable to those reported for highly industrialized regions of Northern Hemisphere. Using discriminant analysis it was possible to verify that the dolphin populations from the three bays present different organochlorine accumulation patterns. This feature allows the use of this set of pollutants as an auxiliary tool for identification of different populations of the species off Brazilian Coast. - The site fidelity of Guiana dolphins inhabiting polluted environments allows population differentiation through discriminant analysis using organochlorine profiles.

High organochlorine accumulation in blubber of Guiana dolphin, Sotalia guianensis, from Brazilian coast and its use to establish geographical differences among populations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lailson-Brito, J., E-mail: lailson@biof.ufrj.b [Laboratorio de Mamiferos Aquaticos e Bioindicadores ' Prof. Izabel Gurgel' (MAQUA), Faculdade de Oceanografia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ) (Brazil); Instituto de Biofisica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) (Brazil); Dorneles, P.R., E-mail: dorneles.paulo@uerj.b [Laboratorio de Mamiferos Aquaticos e Bioindicadores ' Prof. Izabel Gurgel' (MAQUA), Faculdade de Oceanografia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ) (Brazil); Instituto de Biofisica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) (Brazil); Azevedo-Silva, C.E., E-mail: ceass@biof.ufrj.b [Instituto de Biofisica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) (Brazil); Azevedo, A.F., E-mail: azevedo.alex@uerj.b [Laboratorio de Mamiferos Aquaticos e Bioindicadores ' Prof. Izabel Gurgel' (MAQUA), Faculdade de Oceanografia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ) (Brazil); Vidal, L.G. [Laboratorio de Mamiferos Aquaticos e Bioindicadores ' Prof. Izabel Gurgel' (MAQUA), Faculdade de Oceanografia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ) (Brazil); Zanelatto, R.C. [Pro- Reitoria de Administracao, Universidade Federal do Parana, Curitiba (Brazil); Lozinski, C.P.C. [Laboratorio de Mamiferos Aquaticos e Bioindicadores ' Prof. Izabel Gurgel' (MAQUA), Faculdade de Oceanografia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ) (Brazil); Azeredo, A., E-mail: aazeredo@uefs.b [Instituto de Biofisica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) (Brazil); Colegiado de Ciencias Farmaceuticas, Departamento de Saude, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana (UEFS) (Brazil); Fragoso, A.B.L. [Laboratorio de Mamiferos Aquaticos e Bioindicadores ' Prof. Izabel Gurgel' (MAQUA), Faculdade de Oceanografia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ) (Brazil)

2010-05-15

Blubber samples from 33 Guiana dolphins (Sotalia guianensis) from three estuaries (Guanabara, Sepetiba/Ilha Grande and Paranagua Bays) of Southern and Southeastern Brazil were analyzed for organochlorine compounds (DDTs, PCBs and HCB). The sampled individuals were incidentally captured in gillnet fishery between 1995 and 2005. The concentrations (in ng/g lipids) varied from 652 to 23 555 for SIGMADDT; from 765 to 99 175 for SIGMAPCB; and from <4.4 to 156 for HCB. The results have shown that cetaceans from Brazil present organochlorine concentrations that are comparable to those reported for highly industrialized regions of Northern Hemisphere. Using discriminant analysis it was possible to verify that the dolphin populations from the three bays present different organochlorine accumulation patterns. This feature allows the use of this set of pollutants as an auxiliary tool for identification of different populations of the species off Brazilian Coast. - The site fidelity of Guiana dolphins inhabiting polluted environments allows population differentiation through discriminant analysis using organochlorine profiles.

Notes on the genus Navicordulia Machado & Costa, 1995 (Odonata: Anisoptera: Corduliidae s. str.): description of a new species, phylogenetic affinities and aspects of biogeography.

Science.gov (United States)

Fleck, Günther

2017-05-29

Based on a single male specimen, a remarkable new species of the genus Navicordulia is described from the Massif du Mitaraka in French Guiana (Tumuc-Humac Mountains). Another new species of this genus is also reported from the same locality but is not described. This is the first record of the genus from French Guiana, hitherto being unknown within a radius of more than 1000 km. Apparent rarity or absence of records is probably due to its secretive habits. Navicordulia tumucurakensis sp. nov. presents unique characters not present in other species of the genus including: almost no excavation of the anal angle, proximal sternal pilose ridge of abdominal segment 7 transformed into two large lateral oreillets disconnected from the median carina, additional distal sternal pilose ridge transformed into a medial knob, epiproct not extending beyond the distal half of the cerci, very long cerci surpassing those of described species, cerci lacking ventro-medial carina and tubercle and exhibiting a distal ventral brush of hair-like setae. It is a forest species inhabiting hilly landscapes at low altitude, unlike other closely related intertropical species which are encountered in more elevated areas above 850 m. It is most closely related to N. longistyla, a typical cerrado species from the central Brazilian plateau or possibly to N. nitens from the central south Venezuelan Guaiquinima Tepui. Based on unique derived male abdominal structures and also on the female ovipositor and related structures, the South American genus Navicordulia and the Southeast Asian/Melanesian genus Metaphya are considered current adelphotaxa. This disrupted geographic distribution could be explained by a common ancestor having had a Gondwanian dispersal until the Late Cretaceous or Paleocene.

The new French Development aid towards French-speaking Africa

OpenAIRE

Konate, Sindou Michel

2013-01-01

This project is focused on French president François Hollande new policy initiation around French Development assistance issue, particularly to French speakingAfrica South of the Sahara. President Hollande wishes to distance himself from the practices of his predecessors on French Public Development Assistance toward its former African colonies This project is focused on French president François Hollande new policy initiation around French Development assistance issue, particularly to Fre...

Spatial and Temporal Variabilities of Solar and Longwave Radiation Fluxes below a Coniferous Forest in the French Alps

Science.gov (United States)

Sicart, J. E.; Ramseyer, V.; Lejeune, Y.; Essery, R.; Webster, C.; Rutter, N.

2017-12-01

At high altitudes and latitudes, snow has a large influence on hydrological processes. Large fractions of these regions are covered by forests, which have a strong influence on snow accumulation and melting processes. Trees absorb a large part of the incoming shortwave radiation and this heat load is mostly dissipated as longwave radiation. Trees shelter the snow surface from wind, so sub-canopy snowmelt depends mainly on the radiative fluxes: vegetation attenuates the transmission of shortwave radiation but enhances longwave irradiance to the surface. An array of 13 pyranometers and 11 pyrgeometers was deployed on the snow surface below a coniferous forest at the CEN-MeteoFrance Col de Porte station in the French Alps (1325 m asl) during the 2017 winter in order to investigate spatial and temporal variabilities of solar and infrared irradiances in different meteorological conditions. Sky view factors measured with hemispherical photographs at each radiometer location were in a narrow range from 0.2 to 0.3. The temperature of the vegetation was measured with IR thermocouples and an IR camera. In clear sky conditions, the attenuation of solar radiation by the canopy reached 96% and its spatial variability exceeded 100 W m-2. Longwave irradiance varied by 30 W m-2 from dense canopy to gap areas. In overcast conditions, the spatial variabilities of solar and infrared irradiances were reduced and remained closely related to the sky view factor. A simple radiative model taking into account the penetration through the canopy of the direct and diffuse solar radiation, and isotropic infrared emission of the vegetation as a blackbody emitter, accurately reproduced the dynamics of the radiation fluxes at the snow surface. Model results show that solar transmissivity of the canopy in overcast conditions is an excellent proxy of the sky view factor and the emitting temperature of the vegetation remained close to the air temperature in this typically dense Alpine forest.

Política externa do vizinho distante : estudo de caso da República Cooperativa da Guiana

OpenAIRE

Lima, Erick Cavalcanti Linhares

2012-01-01

Esta tese trata das relações externas da República Cooperativa da Guiana, num recorte temporal de quarenta e quatro anos, que vão desde a independência, em 1966 até 2010, período no qual se desenvolveram importantes transformações mundiais, bem como no relacionamento político-diplomático. Remontam a essa época, a formação do marco institucional de representação dos interesses sociais e produtivos, tanto na economia guianense, quanto no âmbito internacional. O objetivo foi traç...

What French for Gabonese French lexicography? | Assam | Lexikos

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This paper is a response to Mavoungou (2013a) who has pleaded for the production of a dictionary of Gabonese French as variant B of the French language. The paper intends to com-prehend the concept of "Gabonese French". It gives an outline of the situation of French within the language diversity of Gabon as a ...

Net Heterotrophy in the Amazon Continental Shelf Changes Rapidly to a Sink of CO2 in the Outer Amazon Plume

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nathalie Lefèvre

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The Amazon continental shelf and adjacent oceanic area were sampled for inorganic and organic carbon parameters in order to improve data coverage and understanding of carbon cycling dynamics within this important region. Seasonal coverage of the Amazon plume on the French Guiana continental shelf further north, was provided by CO2 monitoring using a merchant ship sailing from France to French Guiana (2006–2016. Salinity ranged from 1 to 36 (transects in April 2013, and May 2014. At salinity below 10, strong outgassing was observed with fugacity of CO2 (fCO2 over 2,000 μatm. This region displayed net heterotrophy, fueled by organic matter with terrestrial origin, as shown by δ13C and δ15N values of suspended particles. A δ13C cross shelf average of −31% was measured during May 2014, contrasting with oceanic values in excess of −20%. The reactivity of this terrestrial material resulted in the local production of dissolved inorganic and organic carbon as well as fluorescent humic compounds. Further offshore, the dilution of freshwater by ocean waters created a sink for CO2, enhanced by biological activity. The strongest CO2 drawdowns, associated with high chlorophyll a concentrations, were observed on the French Guiana continental shelf in the outer Amazon plume, with fCO2 values below 150 μatm. Here, a CO2 sink was present almost throughout the year, with a seasonal maximum of −9.2 mmol CO2 m−2d−1 observed in June 2015. However, both the CO2 and salinity distributions could vary significantly within a few days, confirming the presence of many eddies in this region. The Amazon continental shelf hence behaved as a transition zone between an inshore source of CO2 to the atmosphere and an offshore sink. Some marine phytoplankton production was detected but occurred mainly close to the French Guiana shelf. A mean net CO2 outgassing of 44 ± 43.6 mmol m−2d−1 was estimated for the area. Quantifying the CO2 flux for the entire Amazon

Feeding associations between Guiana dolphins, Sotalia guianensis (Van Bénèden, 1864) and seabirds in the Lagamar estuary, Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Santos, M C O; Oshima, J E F; Pacífico, E S; Silva, E

2010-02-01

The main objective of the present study was to describe the characteristics regarding interactions between Guiana dolphins, Sotalia guianensis and seabirds in feeding associations in two distinct areas of the Lagamar estuary, Brazil. Boat-based surveys directed towards photo-identification studies of S. guianensis were conducted in the Cananéia Estuary (CE) (25 degrees 01' S and 47 degrees 55' W) from July 2004 to March 2008, as well as in the Paranaguá Estuarine Complex (PEC) (25 degrees 24' S and 48 degrees 24' W) from April 2006 to February 2008. On all occasions when seabirds were observed engaging in multi-species feeding associations with S. guianensis, data on species involved and their numbers were gathered. From 435 observed groups of S. guianensis in the CE, 38 (8.7%) involved interactions with seabirds. In the PEC, from the 286 observed groups, 32 (11.2%) involved the mentioned interactions. The following seabirds were observed in feeding associations with S. guianensis: Fregata magnificens, Sula leucogaster, Phalacrocorax brasilianus, and Sterna sp. In the CE, S. leucogaster was more commonly observed in feeding associations with Guiana dolphins (chi2 = 22.84; d.f. = 3, p Lagamar estuary.

Zika emergence in the French Territories of America and description of first confirmed cases of Zika virus infection on Martinique, November 2015 to February 2016.

Science.gov (United States)

Daudens-Vaysse, Elise; Ledrans, Martine; Gay, Noellie; Ardillon, Vanessa; Cassadou, Sylvie; Najioullah, Fatiha; Leparc-Goffart, Isabelle; Rousset, Dominique; Herrmann, Cécile; Cesaire, Raymond; Maquart, Marianne; Flusin, Olivier; Matheus, Séverine; Huc-Anaïs, Patricia; Jaubert, Josiane; Criquet-Hayot, Anne; Hoen, Bruno; Djossou, Felix; Locatelli-Jouans, Corinne; Blateau, Alain; McKenzie, Anne-Marie; Melin, Mathilde; Saint-Martin, Patrick; Dorléans, Frédérique; Suivant, Claudine; Carvalho, Luisiane; Petit-Sinturel, Marion; Andrieu, Audrey; Noël, Harold; Septfons, Alexandra; Gallay, Anne; Paty, Marie-Claire; Filleul, Laurent; Cabié, André

2016-07-14

Following of the emergence of Zika virus in Brazil in 2015, an epidemiological surveillance system was quickly implemented in the French overseas Territories of America (FTA) according to previous experience with dengue and chikungunya and has detected first cases of Zika. General practitioners and medical microbiologists were invited to report all clinically suspected cases of Zika, laboratory investigations were systematically conducted (RT-PCR). On 18 December, the first autochthonous case of Zika virus infection was confirmed by RT-PCR on French Guiana and Martinique, indicating introduction of Zika virus in FTA. The viral circulation of Zika virus was then also confirmed on Guadeloupe and Saint-Martin. We report here early findings on 203 confirmed cases of Zika virus infection identified by RT-PCR or seroneutralisation on Martinique Island between 24 November 2015 and 20 January 2016. All cases were investigated. Common clinical signs were observed (maculopapular rash, arthralgia, fever, myalgia and conjunctival hyperaemia) among these patients, but the rash, the foundation of our case definition, may be absent in a significant proportion of patients (16%). These results are important for the implementation of a suspected case definition, the main tool for epidemiological surveillance, in territories that may be affected by ZIKV emergence, including Europe. This article is copyright of The Authors, 2016.

Forest and mitigation of climate change

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2015-06-01

The forest sector is to be developed within the frame of energy transition. This will result in an increase of timber extraction. In this context, this publication outlines the associated challenges, proposes an overview of the context (key data on the French wood sector, greenhouse assessment in terms of capture effect and substitution effect), discusses the consequences of an increase of timber extraction on forest greenhouse gas emissions, and identifies further studies to be performed for an increased use of biomass and an optimisation of wood use. Some recommendations are formulated to optimise the forest greenhouse effect assessment: search for new compromises, optimisation of wood use. The various actions undertaken by the ADEME are briefly presented

Latin America and the Caribbean: A Survey of Distance Education 1991. New Papers on Higher Education: Studies and Research 5.

Science.gov (United States)

Carty, Joan

Country profiles compiled through a survey of distance education in Latin America and the Caribbean form the contents of this document. Seventeen countries were surveyed in Latin America: Argentina; Bolivia; Brazil; Chile; Colombia; Costa Rica; Ecuador; French Guiana; Guatemala; Guyana; Honduras; Mexico; Nicaragua; Panama; Peru; Uruguay; and…

76 FR 47133 - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; 90-Day Finding and 12-Month Determination on a...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-04

..., and specific soil types. Our implementing regulations at 50 CFR 424.02 define ``special management...; Panam[aacute]; Colombia; Trinidad and Tobago; Guyana; Suriname; French Guiana; and southern Brazil (M... `reproduction [site]' which includes the sandy beaches and open access to the ocean that constitute the `soil...

Descriptions of seven new Acrogonia species from South America (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Cicadellinae: Proconiini).

Science.gov (United States)

Da Silva, Roberta Dos Santos; Cavichioli, Rodney R; Takiya, Daniela M; Mejdalani, Gabriel

2018-01-18

Seven new species of the economically important sharpshooter genus Acrogonia Stål are described and illustrated: A. falcata sp. nov. (French Guiana and state of Amazonas, Brazil), A. felixi sp. nov. (department of Loreto, Peru), A. quintasi sp. nov. (state of Pará, Brazil), A. distincta sp. nov. (state of Amazonas, Brazil), A. dentata sp. nov. (department of San Martin in Peru, French Guiana, and states of Amazonas, Mato Grosso, Pará, and Rondônia in Brazil), A. luizi sp. nov. (province of Pastaza in Ecuador and state of Amazonas in Brazil), and A. lobulata sp. nov. (province of Orellana, Ecuador). In addition to the external morphology, color pattern, and male genitalia, detailed descriptions and illustrations of the female genitalia are provided for three of the new species (A. dentata, A. luizi, and A. lobulata). Females of the other four new species are unknown. Acrogonia includes now 39 species, being among the most species-rich genera of the Proconiini.

French For Dummies

CERN Document Server

Erotopoulos; Williams, Michelle M; Wenzel, Dominique

2011-01-01

The fast, informal way to learn to speak French French is known as perhaps the most beautiful of all languages. Listen to someone speak French-sure, you don't have a clue what they're saying, but aren't you enraptured by the sound of it? French is a beautiful language but quite difficult to learn. Whether you need to learn the language for a French class, or you travel overseas for business or leisure, this revised edition of French for Dummies can help. Written in an easy-to-follow format, it gives you just what you need for basic communication in FrenchExpanded coverage of necessary grammar,

Mineral industry statistics 1975

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1978-01-01

Production, consumption and marketing statistics are given for solid fuels (coal, peat), liquid fuels and gases (oil, natural gas), iron ore, bauxite and other minerals quarried in France, in 1975. Also accident statistics are included. Production statistics are presented of the Overseas Departments and territories (French Guiana, New Caledonia, New Hebrides). An account of modifications in the mining field in 1975 is given. Concessions, exploitation permits, and permits solely for prospecting for mineral products are discussed. (In French)

Use of French, Attitudes and Motivations of French Immersion Students.

Science.gov (United States)

Van der Keilen, Marguerite

1995-01-01

Compares the degree to which pupils in the French immersion and regular English school programs speak French and initiate contact with French people. Attitudes and motivations were significantly more positive, and social tolerance and self-rated competency in French were much higher in the immersion than in English program subjects. (29…

Journal of Special Operations Medicine, Volume 4, Edition 2, Spring 2004

Science.gov (United States)

2004-01-01

in Trinidad, Suriname, Brazil, Bolivia, French Guiana, and Peru .4,6,7,9,10,11 The virus was first isolated in 1954, and the first epidemics described... anemia ), low white blood cell count, and low platelet count. Some patients develop post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis. Visceral leishmaniasis is

77 FR 40221 - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Listing the Scarlet Macaw

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-06

...: FWS-R9-ES-2012-0039; Division of Policy and Directives Management; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service..., habitat selection and trends, diet, and population abundance and trends (Venezuela, northwest Columbia and..., Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana, French Guiana, and Bolivia and Brazil as far south as Santa...

Land cover characterization and mapping of South America for the year 2010 using Landsat 30 m satellite data

Science.gov (United States)

Giri, Chandra; Long, Jordan

2014-01-01

Detailed and accurate land cover and land cover change information is needed for South America because the continent is in constant flux, experiencing some of the highest rates of land cover change and forest loss in the world. The land cover data available for the entire continent are too coarse (250 m to 1 km) for resource managers, government and non-government organizations, and Earth scientists to develop conservation strategies, formulate resource management options, and monitor land cover dynamics. We used Landsat 30 m satellite data of 2010 and prepared the land cover database of South America using state-of-the-science remote sensing techniques. We produced regionally consistent and locally relevant land cover information by processing a large volume of data covering the entire continent. Our analysis revealed that in 2010, 50% of South America was covered by forests, 2.5% was covered by water, and 0.02% was covered by snow and ice. The percent forest area of South America varies from 9.5% in Uruguay to 96.5% in French Guiana. We used very high resolution (change database of South America with additional land cover classes is needed. The results from this study are useful for developing resource management strategies, formulating biodiversity conservation strategies, and regular land cover monitoring and forecasting.

Dry-season retreat and dietary shift of the dart-poison frog Dendrobates tinctorius (Anura: Dendrobatidae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marga Born

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Seasonal rainfall affects tropical forest dynamics and behaviorof species that are part of these ecosystems. The positive correlation between amphibian activity patterns and rainfall has been demonstrated repeatedly. Members of Dendrobatidae, a clade of Neotropical dart-poison frogs, are well known for their habitat use and behavior during the rainy season, but their behavior during the dry season has received little attention. We studied habitat use and diet of the dendrobatid frog Dendrobates tinctorius in French Guiana during the rainy and dry seasons. Unlike many other dendrobatid frogs, D. tinctorius does not maintain territories for the entire rainy season. Both sexes colonize recently formed canopy-gaps and stay in these forest patches for only a few weeks. The frogs inthese patches consume a great diversity of prey, consisting of ants, beetles, wasps, insect larvae, and mites. During the dry season, frogs move to retreat sites in mature forest, such as palm bracts and tree holes. The frogs are less active and consume fewer prey items in the dry season, and they consume fewer wasps and insect larvae, but more termites. Ants are the most common prey items during both the wet and dry seasons. We discuss the effects of shifts in seasonal habitat use on the territorial behavior of dendrobatid frogs.

Wood specific gravity and anatomy of branches and roots in 113 Amazonian rainforest tree species across environmental gradients.

Science.gov (United States)

Fortunel, Claire; Ruelle, Julien; Beauchêne, Jacques; Fine, Paul V A; Baraloto, Christopher

2014-04-01

Wood specific gravity (WSG) is a strong predictor of tree performance across environmental gradients. Yet it remains unclear how anatomical elements linked to different wood functions contribute to variation in WSG in branches and roots across tropical forests. We examined WSG and wood anatomy in white sand, clay terra firme and seasonally flooded forests in French Guiana, spanning broad environmental gradients found throughout Amazonia. We measured 15 traits relating to branches and small woody roots in 113 species representing the 15 most abundant species in each habitat and representative species from seven monophyletic lineages occurring in all habitats. Fiber traits appear to be major determinants of WSG, independent of vessel traits, in branches and roots. Fiber traits and branch and root WSG increased from seasonally flooded species to clay terra firme species and lastly to white sand species. Branch and root wood traits were strongly phylogenetically constrained. Lineages differed in wood design, but exhibited similar variation in wood structure across habitats. We conclude that tropical trees can invest differently in support and transport to respond to environmental conditions. Wind disturbance and drought stress represent significant filters driving tree distribution of Amazonian forests; hence we suggest that biophysical explanations should receive more attention. © 2013 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2013 New Phytologist Trust.

French Teaching Aids.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, J. Dale

Supplementary teaching materials for French language programs are presented in this text. Primarily intended for secondary school students, the study contains seven units of material. They include: (1) French gestures, (2) teaching the interrogative pronouns, (3) French cuisine, (4) recreational learning games, (5) French-English cognates, (6)…

French Courses

CERN Multimedia

2012-01-01

General and Professional French Courses These courses are open to all persons working on the CERN site, and to their spouses. The next session will take place from 28 January to 5 April 2013. Oral Expression This course is aimed for students with a good knowledge of French who want to enhance their speaking skills. Speaking activities will include discussions, meeting simulations, role-plays etc. The next session will take place from 28 January to 5 April 2013. Writing professional documents in French These courses are designed for non-French speakers with a very good standard of spoken French. The next session will take place from 28 January to 5 April 2013. For registration and further information on the courses, please consult our Web pages or contact Kerstin Fuhrmeister.

21 CFR 1310.08 - Excluded transactions.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 9 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Excluded transactions. 1310.08 Section 1310.08 Food and Drugs DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE RECORDS AND REPORTS OF LISTED...) Colombia (6) Ecuador (7) French Guiana (8) Guyana (9) Panama (10) Paraguay (11) Peru (12) Suriname (13...

Mitochondrial and chemical profiles reveal a new genus and species of Neotropical termite with snapping soldiers, Palmitermes impostor (Termitidae : Termitinae)

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Hellemans, S.; Bourguignon, T.; Kyjaková, Pavlína; Hanus, Robert; Roisin, Y.

2017-01-01

Roč. 31, č. 4 (2017), s. 394-405 ISSN 1445-5226 R&D Projects: GA ČR GP13-25354P Institutional support: RVO:61388963 Keywords : cuticular hydrocarbons * French Guiana * Isoptera * mitochondrial genome * Palmitermes * Termitinae Subject RIV: EG - Zoology OBOR OECD: Biodiversity conservation Impact factor: 2.172, year: 2016

(948) Proposal to conserve 4662a Tontelea (Celastraceae) with a conserved type

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mennega, Alberta M.W.

1985-01-01

Aublet based Tontelea and its only named species, T. scandens, on material he collected in French Guiana, illustrated as pl. 10 in the original publication. Aublet’s specimens are incorporated in the herbarium of J. J. Rousseau (now located in the Paris Herbarium in herbier Denaiffe) and also in the

Temporal patterns and geographic heterogeneity of Zika virus (ZIKV outbreaks in French Polynesia and Central America

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ying-Hen Hsieh

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Background Zika virus (ZIKV transmission has been reported in 67 countries/territories in the Oceania region and the Americas since 2015, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO to declare ZIKV as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in February 2016, due to its strong association with medical complications such as microcephaly and Guillain–Barré Syndrome (GBS. However, a substantial gap in knowledge still exists regarding differing temporal pattern and potential of transmission of ZIKV in different regions of the world. Methods We use a phenomenological model to ascertain the temporal patterns and transmission potential of ZIKV in various countries/territories, by fitting the model to Zika case data from Yap Island and French Polynesia in the Oceania region and 11 countries/territories with confirmed case data, namely, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, Saint Martin, and Suriname, to pinpoint the waves of infections in each country/territory and to estimate the respective basic reproduction number R0. Results Six of these time series datasets resulted in statistically significant model fit of at least one wave of reported cases, namely that of French Polynesia, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Suriname and Saint Martin. However, only Colombia and Guatemala exhibited two waves of cases while the others had only one wave. Temporal patterns of the second wave in Colombia and the single wave in Suriname are very similar, with the respective turning points separated by merely a week. Moreover, the mean estimates of R0 for Colombia, Guatemala and Suriname, all land-based populations, range between 1.05 and 1.75, while the corresponding mean estimates for R0 of island populations in French Polynesia, Puerto Rico and Saint Martin are significantly lower with a range of 5.70–6.89. We also fit the Richards model to Zika case data from six main archipelagos in French

Dispensers, obeah and quackery: medical rivalries in post-slavery British Guiana.

Science.gov (United States)

De Barros, Juanita

2007-08-01

This paper examines the ambiguous place of medical assistants-dispensers-in a post-slavery British Caribbean colony, British Guiana, from the end of slavery in the 1830s to the early twentieth century. Although the latter were crucial to the functioning of the colonial medical system, local physicians resented them, complaining about the economic threat they posed and at times condemning them as quacks. These attacks were part of a wider discussion about the composition of the medical profession and the role of medical auxiliaries in colonial society, and to an extent, they echoed debates conducted in other jurisdictions in this period. But in the British Caribbean, this discussion was significantly different. There, long-standing views about obeah-an Afro-Creole medico-religious practice-as a particularly dangerous and uncivilised type of quackery was part of the discursive context. That those participating in this debate included African-descended physicians whose arrival in the medical profession was recent and contested demonstrates the vexed and complex nature of professionalisation in a post-slavery society.

Hylid frogs from Mount Ayanganna, Guyana: new species, redescriptions, and distributional records

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ross D. MacCulloch

2005-10-01

Full Text Available A new species of Osteocephalus, one species of Hyla, three species of Hypsiboas and one of Myersiohyla were collected on Mount Ayanganna, a sandstone Guiana Shield tepui. Hyla warreni, Hypsiboas roraima, H. sibleszi, Myersiohyla kanaima and the new Osteocephalus were collected in high-tepui forest at 1500 m elevation, while Hypsiboas lemai, H. roraima and M. kanaima were also collected in lower montane forest at 870 m. Supplementary descriptions of adults of all species of Hyla, Hypsiboas and Myersiohyla based on the newly collected specimens are provided. Tadpoles of M. kanaima are described. The specimens from Ayanganna represent significant distributional records for several species. This is the first record of Osteocephalus as a member of the Guiana Shield high-tepui herpetofauna.

Geochemical prospecting in Guiana

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coulomb, R.

1957-01-01

During the last few years geochemical prospecting techniques have become common usage in the field of mineral deposit prospecting. The real scope of these methods lies in their use in the prospecting of large areas. The most promising use of the geochemistry and hydro-geochemistry of uranium is in heavily forested tropical territories, with few outcrops, where radiometry is strongly handicapped. (author) [fr

75 FR 25174 - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Proposed Listing for the Largetooth Sawfish

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-07

...) Policy for Evaluating Conservation Efforts When Making Listing Decisions (PECE policy; 68 FR 15100; March... Costa Rica, 7 from Colombia, 6 from Venezuela, 1 from Guyana, 5 from Suriname, 1 from French Guiana, and... been abundant in some areas of Venezuela (Cervignon, 1966a; 1966b), the last of the four confirmed...

Escaping Devil's Island: Confronting Racism, Learning History

Science.gov (United States)

Grant, Carl A.

2011-01-01

This article argues that African Americans, especially males living in urban areas, are physically and mentally trapped on a Devil's Island. The penal colony on the coast of French Guiana is a metaphor for the boundaries and constraints that close off opportunities and constrain African American historical knowledge. The article argues that…

French Foodscapes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hedegaard, Liselotte

By exploring how local and regional products and uses of food interact with the changes in the French cuisine over time, this paper seeks to retrace the history of the French meal through meanings of place and time, terroir and savoir-faire. The study will be based on sources from early modern/modern history...... the destructuralisation of eating habits have been raised since the 1980s, but numerous studies emphasise that the traditional French meal is still playing an important role in everyday life in France. Despite regional variations, the general view of the structure of a traditional French meal as based on the succession...... of flavours and the accordance with wines is widespread. Such a comprehension means giving precedence to gastronomic reasons for determining the order of dishes. However, the French meal has not always been composed in the way it is today and the reasons for the composition have not always been gastronomic...

French courses

CERN Document Server

HR Department

2012-01-01

General and Professional French Courses The next session will take place from 2nd May to 6th July 2012. These courses are open to all persons working on the CERN site, and to their spouses. For registration and further information on the courses, please consult our Web pages or contact Kerstin Fuhrmeister.   Oral Expression This course is aimed for students with a good knowledge of French who want to enhance their speaking skills. Speaking activities will include discussions, meeting simulations, role-plays etc. Suitable candidates should contact Kerstin Fuhrmeister (70896) in order to arrange an appointment for a test. The next session will take place from 2nd May to 6th July 2012.   Writing professional documents in French These courses are designed for non-French speakers with a very good standard of spoken French. Suitable candidates should contact Kerstin Fuhrmeister (70896) in order to arrange an appointment for a test. The next session will take place from 2nd May to ...

French courses

CERN Document Server

2013-01-01

General and Professional French Courses The next session will take place from 29 April to 5 July 2013. These courses are open to all persons working on the CERN site, and to their spouses. For registration and further information on the courses, please consult our Web pages or contact Kerstin Fuhrmeister (kerstin.fuhrmeister@cern.ch). Oral Expression This course is aimed for students with a good knowledge of French who want to enhance their speaking skills. Speaking activities will include discussions, meeting simulations, role-plays etc. Suitable candidates should contact Kerstin Fuhrmeister (70896) in order to arrange an appointment for a test. The next session will take place from 29 April to 5 July 2013. Writing professional documents in French These courses are designed for non-French speakers with a very good standard of spoken French. Suitable candidates should contact Kerstin Fuhrmeister (70896) in order to arrange an appointment for a test. The next session will take place from 29 April to 5 July...

French Society Abroad: The Popularization of French Dance throughout Europe, 1600-1750

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adam Paul Rinehart

2017-09-01

Full Text Available This paper explores the dissemination of French dance, dance notation, and dance music throughout Europe, and it explains the reasons why French culture had such an influence on other European societies from 1600-1750. First, the paper seeks to prove that King Louis XIV played a significant role in the outpour of French dance and the arts. Next, the paper discusses prominent French writers of dance notation who influenced the spread of French dance literature and training throughout Europe. Finally, the paper delineates European composers and their involvement in the development and production of French dance music. Using academic, peer-reviewed journal articles, books, and other scholarly sources, this paper seeks to accurately present the information in an orderly fashion. The paper contains visual evidence of dance and music notation to assist the reader in understanding the subject matter. Additionally, theories of contemporary authors as well as authors from the time period are discussed to present concrete evidence. The two main types of dance discussed in the paper are ballroom and court dances, which were prominent within the French royal court. One major finding of the research is the fact that French court and ballroom dances were specifically designed to communicate the power and prestige of King Louis XIV; consequently, other European countries were influenced to strive for similar prestige. Another finding is that many forms of French dance notation were translated and published in other countries, which increased the use of French dance throughout Europe. Musically, European composers such as Handel and Mozart included elements of French dance music in their compositions, and thus played a significant role in prevalence of French dance music throughout Europe. Overall, this paper proves that French dance received wide recognition due to political influence, availability of dance notation, and the involvement of prominent composers.

Geographic Spread of Gnamptogenys triangularis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ectatomminae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joseph A. MacGown

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Gnamptogenys triangularis (Mayr, native to the forests of South and Central America, is a predatory ant that feeds on millipedes. In its native range, this species is known from Buenos Aires, Argentina (38.1°S in the south to Costa Rica (10.4°N in the north, with records from eight countries in South America (all except Chile, French Guiana, and Paraguay, and the two southernmost countries of Central America (Panama and Costa Rica. The first records of G. triangularis outside its native range came from Florida beginning in 1985 (six sites: 25.5°–30.4°N and Alabama in 1996 (one site: 30.4°N. Here we present the first records of G. triangularis from Mississippi, dating from 2002–2010 (five sites: 30.5°–31.2°N. Based on its South American range, it appears that G. triangularis has the potential to spread to forests throughout much of the southeastern USA. There are no documented impacts of G. triangularis, and it seems unlikely that this species will ever become a major pest.

French grammar for dummies

CERN Document Server

Mazet, Veronique

2013-01-01

The easy way to master French grammar French Grammar For Dummies is a logical extension and complement to the successful language learning book, French For Dummies. In plain English, it teaches you the grammatical rules of the French language, including parts of speech, sentence construction, pronouns, adjectives, punctuation, stress and verb tenses, and moods. Throughout the book, you get plenty of practice opportunities to help you on your goal of mastering basic French grammar and usage. Grasp the grammatical rules of French including parts of speech, sentenc

Guiana Highlands, Shaded Relief and Colored Height

Science.gov (United States)

2003-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] These two images show exactly the same area in South America, the Guiana Highlands straddling the borders of Venezuela, Guyana and Brazil. The image on the left was created using the best global topographic data set previously available, the U.S. Geological Survey's GTOPO30. In contrast, the image on the right was generated with a new data set recently released by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) called SRTM30, which represents a significant improvement in our knowledge of the topography of much of the world.GTOPO30, with a resolution of about 928 meters (1496 feet), was developed over a three-year period and published in 1996, and since then has been the primary source of digital elevation data for scientists and analysts involved in global studies. However, since it was compiled from a number of different map sources with varying attributes, the data for some parts of the globe were inconsistent or of low quality.The SRTM data, on the other hand, were collected within a ten-day period using the same instrument in a uniform fashion, and were processed into elevation data using consistent processing techniques. Thus SRTM30 provides a new resource of uniform quality for all parts of the Earth, and since the data, which have an intrinsic resolution of about 30 meters, were averaged and resampled to match the GTOPO30 sample spacing and format, and can be used by the same computer software without modification.The Guiana Highlands are part of the Guyana Shield, which lies in northeast South America and represent one of the oldest land surfaces in the world. Chemical weathering over many millions of years has created a landscape of flat-topped table mountains with dramatic, steep cliffs with a large number of spectacular waterfalls. For example Angel Falls, at 979 meters the highest waterfall in the world, plunges from Auyan Tebuy, part of a mesa of the type that may have been the inspiration for Arthur Conan

Biomedical research in france and brazil: an analysis of significant differences and ethical issues

OpenAIRE

Hervé Moizan

2016-01-01

At first sight, Brazil and France seem pretty distant from one another, but on the map, they are not separated by the Atlantic Ocean, but by the Oyapock River, located between the state of Amapa and French Guiana (French overseas department), creating a 730 km long international border. If the distance does exist, it is very different when we finely analyze some similarities in the field of biomedical research. France is the biggest country of Western Europe and covers 1/5 of the European ...

Vaccination against yellow fever in French Guiana: The impact of educational level, negative beliefs and attitude towards vaccination.

Science.gov (United States)

Koïvogui, Akoï; Carbunar, Aurel; Imounga, Laure-Manuella; Laruade, Christelle; Laube, Sylvaine

Analyze the impact of educational level, negative beliefs and negative attitudes on the yellow fever vaccination coverage (YFVC). This analytical study involved a sample of 2763 people from 866 households. Educational status was described in six levels: No level (Respondent had never attended school), level-1 (respondent left before intermediate school), level-2 (Respondent attended intermediate school), level-3 (respondent attended high school), level-4 (Respondent attended university), Other level (When the level could not be determined). The Attitude towards vaccination was described in terms of person's availability to recommend vaccination to third. The relationships were analyzed by multivariate mixed logistic regression. Among the 2763 peoples, 2039 (73.8%) were vaccinated against yellow fever. People who left high school with or without the French baccalaureate were more likely to be vaccinated against YF than people without any diploma (OR = 1.4; p < 0.05). The probability of being vaccinated among people with negative attitudes was reduced by 40% (OR = 0.6; p < 0.05). Low level of education, negative beliefs and negative attitudes have significant impacts on YFVC. Negatives beliefs and attitudes result often from a major lack of information about the benefits of vaccination. This deficit is exacerbated in persons with low educational level. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Trade-offs between carbon stocks and timber recovery in tropical forests are mediated by logging intensity.

Science.gov (United States)

Roopsind, Anand; Caughlin, T Trevor; van der Hout, Peter; Arets, Eric; Putz, Francis E

2018-03-30

Forest degradation accounts for ~ 70% of total carbon losses from tropical forests. Substantial emissions are from selective logging, a land-use activity that decreases forest carbon density. To maintain carbon values in selectively logged forests, climate change mitigation policies and government agencies promote the adoption of reduced-impact logging (RIL) practices. However, whether RIL will maintain both carbon and timber values in managed tropical forests over time remains uncertain. In this study, we quantify the recovery of timber stocks and aboveground carbon at an experimental site where forests were subjected to different intensities of RIL (4 trees ha -1 , 8 trees ha -1 , and 16 trees ha -1 ). Our census data spans 20 years post-logging and 17 years after the liberation of future crop trees from competition in a tropical forest on the Guiana Shield, a globally important forest carbon reservoir. We model recovery of timber and carbon with a breakpoint regression that allowed us to capture elevated tree mortality immediately after logging. Recovery rates of timber and carbon were governed by the presence of residual trees (i.e., trees that persisted through the first harvest). The liberation treatment stimulated faster recovery of timber albeit at a carbon cost. Model results suggest a threshold logging intensity beyond which forests managed for timber and carbon derive few benefits from RIL, with recruitment and residual growth not sufficient to offset losses. Inclusion of the breakpoint at which carbon and timber gains outpaced post-logging mortality led to high predictive accuracy, including out-of-sample R 2 values >90%, and enabled inference on demographic changes post-logging. Our modeling framework is broadly applicable to studies that aim to quantify impacts of logging on forest recovery. Overall, we demonstrate that initial mortality drives variation in recovery rates, that the second harvest depends on old growth wood, and that timber

Comparing Written Competency in Core French and French Immersion Graduates

Science.gov (United States)

Lappin-Fortin, Kerry

2014-01-01

Few studies have compared the written competency of French immersion students and their core French peers, and research on these learners at a postsecondary level is even scarcer. My corpus consists of writing samples from 255 students from both backgrounds beginning a university course in French language. The writing proficiency of core French…

The French experience

CERN Document Server

Bougard, Marie-Thérèse

2003-01-01

Developed for beginners, The French Experience 1 course book is designed to accompany the French Experience 1 CDs (9780563472582) but can also be used on its own to develop your reading and writing skills. You’ll gain valuable insights into French culture too.

Differential Susceptibilities of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus from the Americas to Zika Virus.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thais Chouin-Carneiro

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Since the major outbreak in 2007 in the Yap Island, Zika virus (ZIKV causing dengue-like syndromes has affected multiple islands of the South Pacific region. In May 2015, the virus was detected in Brazil and then spread through South and Central America. In December 2015, ZIKV was detected in French Guiana and Martinique. The aim of the study was to evaluate the vector competence of the mosquito spp. Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus from the Caribbean (Martinique, Guadeloupe, North America (southern United States, South America (Brazil, French Guiana for the currently circulating Asian genotype of ZIKV isolated from a patient in April 2014 in New Caledonia.Mosquitoes were orally exposed to an Asian genotype of ZIKV (NC-2014-5132. Upon exposure, engorged mosquitoes were maintained at 28° ± 1 °C, a 16h:8h light:dark cycle and 80% humidity. 25-30 mosquitoes were processed at 4, 7 and 14 days post-infection (dpi. Mosquito bodies (thorax and abdomen, heads and saliva were analyzed to measure infection, dissemination and transmission, respectively. High infection but lower disseminated infection and transmission rates were observed for both Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus. Ae. aegypti populations from Guadeloupe and French Guiana exhibited a higher dissemination of ZIKV than the other Ae. aegypti populations examined. Transmission of ZIKV was observed in both mosquito species at 14 dpi but at a low level.This study suggests that although susceptible to infection, Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus were unexpectedly low competent vectors for ZIKV. This may suggest that other factors such as the large naïve population for ZIKV and the high densities of human-biting mosquitoes contribute to the rapid spread of ZIKV during the current outbreak.

Qualitative assessment of visuospatial errors in mercury-exposed Amazonian children

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chevrier, Cécile; Sullivan, Kimberly; White, Roberta F.

2009-01-01

-12 years (from Brazil and French Guiana). These outcomes were related to hair-mercury concentration as the biomarker of MeHg exposure (range = 0.5-63.8 μg/g). The combined analysis of data from two separate countries had two major goals: (1) to gain clues concerning the underlying neuropathological...

Essential French grammar

CERN Document Server

Thacker, Mike

2014-01-01

Essential French Grammar is an innovative reference grammar and workbook for intermediate and advanced undergraduate students of French (CEFR levels B2 to C1). Its clear explanations of grammar are supported by contemporary examples and lively cartoon drawings.  Each chapter contains: * real-life language examples in French, with English translations * a 'key points' box and tables that summarise grammar concepts * a variety of exercises to reinforce learning * a contemporary primary source or literary extract to illustrate grammar in context. To aid your understanding, this book also contains a glossary of grammatical terms in French and English, useful verb tables and a key to the exercises. Together, these features all help you to grasp complex points of grammar and develop your French language skills.

Description of Hyphopichia buzzinii f.a., sp. nov. and Hyphopichia homilentoma comb. nov., the teleomorph of Candida homilentoma

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ribeiro, Lucas R.; Santos, Ana R. O.; Groenewald, Marizeth; Smith, Maudy Th. H.; Lara, Carla A.; Góes-Neto, Aristóteles; Jacques, Noémie; Grondin, Cécile; Casaregola, Serge; Lachance, Marc-André; Rosa, Carlos A

During studies of the yeast diversity associated with rotting wood in Brazil and fruits, plants and insects in French Guiana, three strains of a new species were isolated. Analysis of the sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS)-5.8S and D1/D2 domains of the large subunit of the rRNA gene

First identification of eggs of the Asian fish tapeworm Bothriocephalus acheilognathi (Cestoda: Bothriocephalidea) in human stool

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Yera, H.; Kuchta, Roman; Brabec, Jan; Peyron, F.; Dupouy-Camet, J.

2013-01-01

Roč. 62, č. 3 (2013), s. 268-271 ISSN 1383-5769 R&D Projects: GA ČR GBP505/12/G112; GA ČR GAP506/12/1632 Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : COI * Diphyllobothrium * French Guiana * Man * Molecular identification * rDNA Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 2.111, year: 2013

Modelling the impact of climate change and atmospheric N deposition on French forests biodiversity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rizzetto, Simon; Belyazid, Salim; Gégout, Jean-Claude; Nicolas, Manuel; Alard, Didier; Corcket, Emmanuel; Gaudio, Noémie; Sverdrup, Harald; Probst, Anne

2016-01-01

A dynamic coupled biogeochemical–ecological model was used to simulate the effects of nitrogen deposition and climate change on plant communities at three forest sites in France. The three sites had different forest covers (sessile oak, Norway spruce and silver fir), three nitrogen loads ranging from relatively low to high, different climatic regions and different soil types. Both the availability of vegetation time series and the environmental niches of the understory species allowed to evaluate the model for predicting the composition of the three plant communities. The calibration of the environmental niches was successful, with a model performance consistently reasonably high throughout the three sites. The model simulations of two climatic and two deposition scenarios showed that climate change may entirely compromise the eventual recovery from eutrophication of the simulated plant communities in response to the reductions in nitrogen deposition. The interplay between climate and deposition was strongly governed by site characteristics and histories in the long term, while forest management remained the main driver of change in the short term. - Highlights: • The effects of N atmospheric deposition and climate change on vegetation were simulated. • The model ForSAFE-Veg was calibrated and validated carefully for three forests in France. • Climate has a greater influence on vegetation than N deposition in conifer forests. • N-poor ecosystems are, however, more sensitive to N deposition than to climate change. - Compared to nitrogen atmospheric deposition, climate appears to be the main driver of change in forest plant biodiversity on a century scale, except in N-poor ecosystems.

500 French verbs for dummies

CERN Document Server

Erotopoulos

2013-01-01

Vexed by French verbs? Fear no more! In 500 French Verbs For Dummies, beginning French language learners can find a quick reference for verbs in the basic present tenses. More advanced French speakers can utilize this book to learn more complex verb tenses and conjugations as well as advanced verbs with irregular endings. One page for each of the 500 most commonly used verbs in the French language -alphabetically arranged and numbered for easy referenceSpecial designation of the 50 most essential French verbsA summary of basic French grammar that incl

French grammar and usage

CERN Document Server

Hawkins, Roger

2015-01-01

Long trusted as the most comprehensive, up-to-date and user-friendly grammar available, French Grammar and Usage is a complete guide to French as it is written and spoken today. It includes clear descriptions of all the main grammatical phenomena of French, and their use, illustrated by numerous examples taken from contemporary French, and distinguishes the most common forms of usage, both formal and informal.Key features include:Comprehensive content, covering all the major structures of contemporary French User-friendly organisation offering easy-to-find sections with cross-referencing and i

Mercury methylation rates of biofilm and plankton microorganisms from a hydroelectric reservoir in French Guiana.

Science.gov (United States)

Huguet, L; Castelle, S; Schäfer, J; Blanc, G; Maury-Brachet, R; Reynouard, C; Jorand, F

2010-02-15

The Petit-Saut ecosystem is a hydroelectric reservoir covering 365km(2) of flooded tropical forest. This reservoir and the Sinnamary Estuary downstream of the dam are subject to significant mercury methylation. The mercury methylation potential of plankton and biofilm microorganisms/components from different depths in the anoxic reservoir water column and from two different sites along the estuary was assessed. For this, reservoir water and samples of epiphytic biofilms from the trunk of a submerged tree in the anoxic water column and from submerged branches in the estuary were batch-incubated from 1h to 3 months with a nominal 1000ng/L spike of Hg(II) chloride enriched in (199)Hg. Methylation rates were determined for different reservoir and estuarine communities under natural nutrient (reservoir water, estuary freshwater) and artificial nutrient (culture medium) conditions. Methylation rates in reservoir water incubations were the highest with plankton microorganisms sampled at -9.5m depth (0.5%/d) without addition of biofilm components. Mercury methylation rates of incubated biofilm components were strongly enhanced by nutrient addition. The results suggested that plankton microorganisms strongly contribute to the total Hg methylation in the Petit-Saut reservoir and in the Sinnamary Estuary. Moreover, specific methylation efficiencies (%Me(199)Hg(net)/cell) suggested that plankton microorganisms could be more efficient methylating actors than biofilm consortia and that their methylation efficiency may be reduced in the presence of biofilm components. Extrapolation to the reservoir scale of the experimentally determined preliminary methylation efficiencies suggested that plankton microorganisms in the anoxic water column could produce up to 27mol MeHg/year. Taking into account that (i) demethylation probably occurs in the reservoir and (ii) that the presence of biofilm components may limit the methylation efficiency of plankton microorganisms, this result is

Once upon a time... Dead wood in french forests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bartoli, Michel; Geny, Bernard

2005-01-01

For many centuries in France, dead wood was an essential source of energy for households. Harvesting dead wood was both authorised - in particular, through allocation of rights of use - and highly regulated. Restrictions on its employment were established by texts ranging from the 1515 royal decree to an implementation decree of 1853 that is still applicable today - its owner must have formally released the wood. It must be dry and lying on the ground. It can be broken only by hand and no means other than human labour can be used to transport it. Furthermore, it cannot be the outcome of an act that caused a stem to dry while standing. In the 19. century, the huge number of trials, some of which went as far as the supreme court, shows just how important dead wood was socially, and much coveted by the paupers who were confronted with increasingly repressive forest police. These trials provide an excellent reflection of a society that harvested all the proceeds of felling. From the end of the 18. century to the middle of the 20., forestry treatises always dealt with removal of dead trees as a priority. Dead wood was for a long time and up to very recently abhorred but latterly has begun to be considered as an important compartment of biodiversity. History shows that it is no surprise that for the time being there is little of it to be found in our forests. (authors)

French Literature Abroad: Towards an Alternative History of French Literature

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simon Gaunt

2015-07-01

Full Text Available What would a history of medieval literature in French that is not focused on France and Paris look like? Taking as its starting point the key role played in the development of textual culture in French by geographical regions that are either at the periphery of French-speaking areas, or alternatively completely outside them, this article offers three case studies: first of a text composed in mid-twelfth century England; then of one from early thirteenth-century Flanders; and finally from late thirteenth-century Italy. What difference does it make if we do not read these texts, and the language in which they are written, in relation to French norms, but rather look at their cultural significance both at their point of production, and then in transmission? A picture emerges of a literary culture in French that is mobile and cosmopolitan, one that cannot be tied to the teleology of an emerging national identity, and one that is a bricolage of a range of influences that are moving towards France as well as being exported from it. French itself functions as a supralocal written language (even when it has specific local features and therefore may function more like Latin than a local vernacular.

Invitation Refusals in Cameroon French and Hexagonal French

Science.gov (United States)

Farenkia, Bernard Mulo

2015-01-01

Descriptions of regional pragmatic variation in French are lacking to date the focus has been on a limited range of speech acts, including apologies, requests, compliments and responses to compliments. The present paper, a systematic analysis of invitation refusals across regional varieties of French, is designed to add to the research on…

Horses help to maintain CERN's forests

CERN Multimedia

François Briard

2016-01-01

On the initiative of the Office National des Forêts, France’s forestry commission, horses are helping to remove trees cut down in CERN’s forests.   The CERN site covers 625 hectares, of which around 200 are fenced sites used for CERN’s research activities. The rest of the land consists of fields rented out to farmers and about 90 hectares of forests, mainly in France and managed by the French forestry commission, the Office National des Forêts (ONF), under an agreement with CERN signed in 2010. The upkeep of CERN’s forests requires regular maintenance work, which includes thinning out seedlings, selecting the strongest saplings and harvesting mature trees. This June, the ONF has decided to involve horses in the removal of felled trees from CERN’s woods in Prévessin.  As Florent Daloz, the logger entrusted with this activity by the ONF, explains, the use of horses to haul timber completely died out i...

Unforgettable French Memory Tricks to Help You Learn and Remember French Grammar

CERN Document Server

Rice-Jones, Maria

2010-01-01

Unforgettable French uses memory tricks to teach and reinforce major points of rench grammar from the basics up to high school level, to learners of all ages. It may be used: by anyone who wishes to gain confidence in speaking French, as a evision aid, to consolidate the learner's grasp of grammatical points, to complement whatever French scheme you are using, and by French teachers at all levels, from elementary school through to adult. These tried-and-tested memory tricks help to explain "tri

French Training

CERN Multimedia

Françoise Benz

2003-01-01

General and Professional French Courses The next session will take place: from 13 October to 19 December 2003. These courses are open to all persons working on the CERN site, and to their spouses. For registration and further information on the courses, please consult our Web pages or contact Mrs. Fontbonne: Tel. 72844. Writing Professional Documents in French This course is designed for people with a good level of spoken French. Duration: 30 hours Price: 660 CHF (for 8 students) For further information and registration, please consult our Web pages or contact Mrs. Fontbonne: Tel. 72844. Language Training Françoise Benz Tel.73127 language.training@cern.ch

Comet mission hopes to uncover Earth's origins

CERN Multimedia

Henderson, M

2004-01-01

"A European spacecraft that will hunt down a comet in search of clues to the origin of life on Earth will blast off tomorrow from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana. The Rosetta probe will take 12 years to catch up with Churyumov-Gerasimenko before becoming the first spacecraft to make a soft, controlled landing on a comet's nucleus" (1 page).

Two new Neonerita Hampson species with redescription of Neonerita dorsipuncta Hampson, 1901 (Lepidoptera: Erebiidae: Arctiinae: Phaegopterina

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michel Laguerre

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Two new species of the genus Neonerita are described from Guatemala and French Guiana: Neonerita bernardoespinozai sp. nov. and Neonerita martinezi sp. nov. Detailed species descriptions are based upon morphological and molecular characters as well as distribution data. These new taxa are discussed and compared to Neonerita dorsipuncta, species with which both new species were confused with up to now.

The Uncertain Role of Biogenic VOC for Boundary-Layer Ozone Concentration: Example Investigation of Emissions from Two Forest Types with a Box Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Boris Bonn

2017-10-01

Full Text Available High levels of air pollution including ground level ozone significantly reduce humans’ life expectancy and cause forest damage and decreased tree growth. The French Vosges and the German Black Forest are regions well-known for having the highest tropospheric ozone concentrations at remote forested sites in Central Europe. This box model study investigates the sensitivity of atmospheric chemistry calculations of derived ozone on differently resolved forest tree composition and volatile organic compound emissions. Representative conditions were chosen for the Upper Rhine area including the Alsatian Vosges/France and the Black Forest/Germany during summer. This study aims to answer the following question: What level of input detail for Alsace and Black Forest tree mixtures is required to accurately simulate ozone formation? While the French forest in Alsace—e.g., in the Vosges—emits isoprene to a substantially higher extent than the forest at the German site, total monoterpene emissions at the two sites are rather similar. However, the individual monoterpene structures, and therefore their reactivity, differs. This causes a higher ozone production rate for Vosges forest mixture conditions than for Black Forest tree mixtures at identical NOx levels, with the difference increasing with temperature. The difference in ozone formation is analyzed in detail and the short-comings of reduced descriptions are discussed. The outcome serves as a to-do-list to allow accurate future ozone predictions influenced by the climate adaptation of forests and the change in forest species composition.

The French market of biomass. An analysis of barriers and levers of development of the wood-energy sector, main biomass resource

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-06-01

This article presents the content of a market study which aimed at assessing the weight of wood-energy in the French energy mix when it represents 97 per cent of biomass consumed under the form of heat, at giving an overview of markets within which this energy is now valorised (housing heating, heat and cogeneration), at analysing the business model of biomass projects, at assessing mechanisms aimed at supporting this sector, and at assessing the potential of the French market as far as wood-energy is concerned. The report presents the operation principles and applications of biomass, analyses the share of wood-energy in the French energy mix and the objectives defined by the Grenelle de l'Environnement, presents the French forests as an abundant resource, comments wood-based heating of housing as an evolving market, presents and analyses the market of industrial and collective heat, and discusses the perspective of a multiplication by 4 by 2020 of cogeneration installed capacities

Continental-scale patterns of canopy tree composition and function across Amazonia

OpenAIRE

Ter Steege, H.; Pitman, N.C.A.; Phillips, O.L.; Chave, J.; Sabatier, Daniel; Duque, A.; Molino, Jean-François; Prévost, Marie-Françoise; Spichiger, R.; Castellanos, H.; Von Hildebrand, P.; Vasquez, R.

2006-01-01

The world's greatest terrestrial stores of biodiversity and carbon are found in the forests of northern South America, where large-scale biogeographic patterns and processes have recently begun to be described(1-4). Seven of the nine countries with territory in the Amazon basin and the Guiana shield have carried out large-scale forest inventories, but such massive data sets have been little exploited by tropical plant ecologists(5-8). Although forest inventories often lack the species-level i...

French PWR Safety Philosophy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Conte, M. M.

1986-01-01

The first 900 MWe units, built under the American Westinghouse licence and with reference to the U. S. regulation, were followed by 28 standardized units, C P1 and C P2 series. Increasing knowledge and lessons learned from starting and operating experience of French nuclear power plants, completed by the experience learned from the operation of foreign reactors, has contributed to the improvement of French PWR design and safety philosophy. As early as 1976, this experience was taken into account by French Safety organisms to discuss, with Electricite de France, the safety options for the planned 1300 MWe units, P4 and P4 series. In 1983, the new reactor scheduled, Ni4 series 1400 MWe, is a totally French design which satisfies the French regulations and other French standards and codes. Based on a deterministic approach, the French safety analysis was progressively completed by a probabilistic approach each of them having possibilities and limits. Increasing knowledge and lessons learned from operating experience have contributed to the French safety philosophy improvement. The methodology now applied to safety evaluation develops a new facet of the in depth defense concept by taking highly unlikely events into consideration, by developing the search of safety consistency of the design, and by completing the deterministic approach by the probabilistic one

Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) emissions from Abies alba in a French forest.

Science.gov (United States)

Moukhtar, S; Couret, C; Rouil, L; Simon, V

2006-02-01

Air quality studies need to be based on accurate and reliable data, particularly in the field of the emissions. Biogenic emissions from forests, crops, and grasslands are now considered as major compounds in photochemical processes. Unfortunately, depending on the type of vegetation, these emissions are not so often reliably defined. As an example, although the silver fir (Abies alba) is a very widespread conifer tree in the French and European areas, its standard emission rate is not available in the literature. This study investigates the isoprene and monoterpenes emission from A. alba in France measured during the fieldwork organised in the Fossé Rhénan, from May to June 2003. A dynamic cuvette method was used. Limonene was the predominant monoterpene emitted, followed by camphene, alpha-pinene and eucalyptol. No isoprene emission was detected. The four monoterpenes measured showed different behaviours according to micrometeorological conditions. In fact, emissions of limonene, alpha-pinene and camphene were temperature-dependant while eucalyptol emissions were temperature and light dependant. Biogenic volatile organic compounds emissions were modeled using information gathered during the field study. Emissions of the three monoterpenes previously quoted were achieved using the monoterpenes algorithm developed by Tingey et al. (1980) [Tingey D, Manning M, Grothaus L, Burns W. Influence of light and temperature on monoterpene emission rates from slash pine. Plant Physiol 1980;65: 797-801.] and the isoprene algorithm [Guenther, A., Monson, R., Fall, R., 1991. Isoprene and monoterpene emission rate variability: observations with eucalyptus and emission rate algorithm development. J Geophys Res 26A: 10799-10808.]; [Guenther, A., Zimmerman, P., Harley, P., Monson, R., Fall, R., 1993. Isoprene and monoterpene emission rate variability: model evaluation and sensitivity analysis. J Geophys Res 98D: 12609-12617.]) was used for the eucalyptol emission. With these

French Dictionaries. Series: Specialised Bibliographies.

Science.gov (United States)

Klaar, R. M.

This is a list of French monolingual, French-English and English-French dictionaries available in December 1975. Dictionaries of etymology, phonetics, place names, proper names, and slang are included, as well as dictionaries for children and dictionaries of Belgian, Canadian, and Swiss French. Most other specialized dictionaries, encyclopedias,…

A comprehensive French grammar

CERN Document Server

Price, Glanville

2013-01-01

Characterized by clear and accessible explanations, numerous examples and sample sentences, a new section on register and tone, and useful appendices covering topics including age and time, A Comprehensive French Grammar, Sixth Edition is an indispensable tool for advanced students of French language and literature.A revised edition of this established, bestselling French grammarIncludes a new section on register and medium and offers expanded treatment of French punctuationFeatures numerous examples and sample sentences, and useful appendices covering topics including age, time, and dimension

French essentials for dummies

CERN Document Server

Lawless, Laura K

2011-01-01

Just the core concepts you need to write and speak French correctly If you have some knowledge of French and want to polish your skills, French Essentials For Dummies focuses on just the core concepts you need to communicate effectively. From conjugating verbs to understanding tenses, this easy-to-follow guide lets you skip the suffering and score high at exam time. French 101 - get the lowdown on the basics, from expressing dates and times to identifying parts of speech Gender matters - see how a noun's gender determines the articles, adjectives, and pronouns y

French in Culinary World

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rila Hilma

2011-10-01

Full Text Available More than million foods have been made by people from all over the world in the latest years. People now try to create new cooks and make some creativity on it. Then, cooking which the field is culinary has become an art because it needs an artistic value to decorate the food, a good taste and proper technique in processing delicious food in order to make it a masterpiece. French culinary is as famous as the Eiffel tower in the heart of the country, Paris. Most of fine dining international restaurants apply the French menu and cooking. This article presents an overview about the French element in culinary world; starts from its history, kitchen organization, French menu spelling, and French cooking vocabulary. The discussion proceeds library research to compile the data. Later, the art of culinary is interesting to be learned because it contains the classical history of world civilization, in this case French civilization. The issue of cooking trend “nouvelle cuisine” was a masterpiece of one of the greatest chef in his time, Escoffier. French culinary is widely well-known in all over the world because of innovation, creativity, and proud. Those are spirits that we must learn.   

Observation of nighttime new particle formation over the French Landes forest.

Science.gov (United States)

Kammer, J; Perraudin, E; Flaud, P-M; Lamaud, E; Bonnefond, J M; Villenave, E

2018-04-15

Improving the understanding of processes related to atmospheric particle sources is essential to better assess future climate. Especially, how biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) are involved in new particle formation (NPF) is still unclear, highlighting the need for field studies in sites that have not yet been explored. Weakly anthropised, mostly composed of maritime pines (known as strong monoterpene emitters), vast and under the influence of sea spray inputs, the Landes forest (located in the southwestern part of France) is a suitable ecosystem to explore these questions. The aim of the present work was to investigate for the first time NPF in the Landes forest, and to identify the conditions for NPF. During a field campaign conducted in July 2015, clear NPF was observed during nighttime, at a high frequency rate (37.5%), whereas only two daytime episodes were observed. Growth rates during NPF events were in the range 9.0-15.7nmh -1 , and nucleation rates (J 10 ) in the range 0.8-8 particles cm 3 s -1 , typically in the range of reported values from rural sites. Nocturnal NPF started at sunset, lagging the reductions of temperature and ozone concentration as well as the increase of relative humidity, atmospheric stability and monoterpene concentration. We established that NPF occurred during more stratified atmosphere episodes, reflecting that NPF is more influenced by local processes at the Landes forest site (Bilos). Concentration of the sum of monoterpenes, here mainly α- and β-pinene, was observed to be maximal during NPF episodes. On the contrary, ozone concentration was lower, which may indicate a larger consumption during nights where NPF episodes occur. Results strongly suggest the contribution of BVOC oxidation to nocturnal NPF, in both nucleation and the growth stages. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dependence between Ventilation and Climate as recorded with Biomarkers over the last 420,000 years in the Guianas Region (North-western Amazon Basin)

Science.gov (United States)

Rama, O.; Lopez-Otalvaro, G.; Martrat, B.; Flores, J.; Sierro, F. J.; Grimalt, J. O.

2009-12-01

There is growing evidence that the majority of the Amazon rainforest survived the climatic threshold of the last ice age. This information is crucial given that this region could be currently near its critical resiliency tipping point; thus, minor climate warming, widespread reductions in precipitation and lengthening of the dry season may be sufficient to gradually contribute to the forest dieback and biodiversity loss [Cowling et al., 2004; Lenton et al., 2008; Maslin, 2004]. To contribute to this knowledge, palaeoclimatic oscillations have been identified in this study by using fossil organic compounds synthesized by marine and terrestrial flora and later accumulated on sediment strata (MD03-2616, 7N, 53W, -1233 meters below sea-level) from the Guianas region, closely linked to the Amazon Basin. Different indicators have been considered to continuously reconstruct the climate over the past 420,000 years at centennial scale: average annual sea surface temperatures (SST, Uk’37), productivity of the coccolithophora flora (alken-2-ones), continental vegetation variability (long chain n-alkanes) and changes in oxygenation of the deep-sea floor (ratio between n-alkan-1-ols and n-alkanes). At present, the Guianas region is largely influenced by migration of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), related temperature and wind patterns, together with changes in hydrological conditions, atmospheric and oceanic fronts. Annual SST is 27.7C; two rain seasons and two dry seasons occur. At the core location, surface waters present complex seasonal configuration, while oxygen-enriched and low-salinity Antarctic Intermediate waters (AAIW) flow northward from -700 to -1500 meters depth; the Upper North Atlantic Deep waters circulate southward at greater depths [World Meteo. Org.; Masson & Delecluse, 2001; Arz et al., 2001]. This study reveals that completely different hydrological conditions and much colder climate occurred in the past, e.g. a harsh drop in SST of up to 24C

The absent father of Sino-French cinema: Contemporary Taiwanese cinema and 1950s French auteurs

OpenAIRE

Bloom, ME

2014-01-01

© 2014 Taylor & Francis. In contemporary Sino-French cinema, father characters who are dead, long lost or geographically distant leave gaping holes in the lives of the offspring left behind. The absent fathers in Sino-French films by Taiwanese auteurs Cheng Yu-chieh, Hou Hsiao-hsien and Tsai Ming-liang serve as metaphors for French auteurs. French New Wave films constitute the majority of the intertexts; however, early 1950s French cinema and even late nineteenth-century painting reflect th...

Development of Gender Typicality and Felt Pressure in European French and North African French Adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoffman, Adam J; Dumas, Florence; Loose, Florence; Smeding, Annique; Kurtz-Costes, Beth; Régner, Isabelle

2017-11-14

Trajectories of gender identity were examined from Grade 6 (M age  = 11.9 years) to Grade 9 in European French (n = 570) and North African French (n = 534) adolescents, and gender and ethnic group differences were assessed in these trajectories. In Grade 6, boys of both ethnic groups reported higher levels of gender typicality and felt pressure for gender conformity than girls. European French girls and boys and North African French girls reported decreasing gender typicality from Grade 6 to Grade 9, whereas North African French boys did not change. Felt pressure decreased among girls, did not change in European French boys, and increased in North African French boys. Ethnic and gender differences in gender identity development are discussed. © 2017 The Authors. Child Development © 2017 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

Impact of PETIT-SAUT hydroelectric dam on aquatic life (French Guyana)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sissakian, C.

1992-01-01

The construction of the hydroelectric scheme of PETIT-SAUT in French Guyana creates a reservoir which covers 310 km 2 of tropical rain forest. This hydroelectric scheme has an influence on the various aspects of the environment. One of the most important aspects is the modification of the water quality and of the aquatic life due to the degradation of organic matter. Some studies of the biology of these area fishes are initiated. At the same time, Electricite de France studies some constructive arrangements and reservoir managements to assure, the most rapidly possible, a return to an aquatic normal life. 6 refs

English and French courses

CERN Multimedia

2014-01-01

If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to learn a language, there is no excuse anymore!   You can attend one of our English or French courses and you can practise the language with a tandem partner! General and Professional French Courses The next session will take place from 27 January to 4 April 2014. These courses are open to all persons working on the CERN site, and to their spouses. Oral Expression This course is aimed at students with a good knowledge of French who want to enhance their speaking skills. Speaking activities will include discussions, meeting simulations, role-plays etc. The next session will take place from 27 January to 4 April 2014. Writing professional documents in French These courses are designed for non-French speakers with a very good standard of spoken French. The next session will take place from 27 January to 4 April 2014. Cours d’anglais général et professionnel La prochaine session se déroulera du 3 mars a...

French public finances at risk?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Creel Jérôme

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Using descriptive evidence, this paper contributes to the debate on French public finances’ consolidation by examining the long-term sustainability of France’s fiscal position. We trace the historical trends of government’s tax receipts and expenditures. We illustrate that while the level of public expenditure in France is larger than in the Euro Area, its trend is comparable to its neighbours. French net debt is comparable to Eurozone’s while French net wealth remains positive. However, the French tax system is not progressive with only 6% of compulsory levies raised that way, and too complex. The paper then acknowledges the efficient debt management of French authorities. As a conclusion, we see no risk of future unsustainability linked to the nature or the level of current French public finances.

The French coal board and French society

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ladoucette, Ph. de

2004-01-01

On 19 April 1946 the French national assembly passed a law for nationalizing the mineral fuel industry by a vote of 516 against only 31. 'Charbonnages de France' (CDF), the French coal board, was created and prospects were promising. During the reconstruction period (1945 - 1960), coal industry was a pillar of the French economy, the production of coal had been steadily growing to reach its top in 1958 with 59 Mt. The sixties showed the beginning of the decline of coal to the benefit of oil, natural gas and later nuclear energy. As early as 1967 CDF had a policy of promoting new industries in regions of mines in order to break down the mono-industry scheme and to favor staff conversion massively. In 1947 the number of people on the payroll of CDF was 360.000, this number was decreasing steadily to reach 23.000 in 1990. In 2004 the last deep mine to work in France was closed down. This article tells the story of coal mining in France by describing its ups and downs and by assessing its social impact

French nuclear organization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naudet, G.

1993-01-01

The French nuclear organization is characterized by two main features: the small number of firms involved and the role of the Government. In this text we give the French organization for nuclear industry and the role of Government and public authorities. 7 figs

Directory of the French nuclear industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-10-01

This directory includes data sheets on the French companies operating in the nuclear industry. It begins with an introduction containing information on the French nuclear industry: 1 - nuclear power development in France (national energy plan, history, organization, economic advantages, reactors); 2 - French operator: Electricite de France (EdF); 3 - the industry (Areva, Cogema, mining activities, uranium chemistry and enrichment, processing, recycling, engineering, services, Framatome ANP); 4 - R and D and knowledge dissemination: French atomic energy commission (CEA); 5 - nuclear safety, security, control and regulation: nuclear safety authority (ASN), general direction of nuclear safety and radioprotection (DGSNR), institute of radioprotection and nuclear safety (IRSN), radioactive wastes, ANDRA's role; 6 - associations: French atomic forum (FAF), French nuclear industry trade association (GIIN), French nuclear energy society (SFEN), French radiation protection society (SFRP). Then, the data sheets of the directory follows. (J.S.)

No greens in the forest? Note on the limited consumption of greens in the Amazon

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Esther Katz

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The consumption of greens is reported as being very minor among Amazonian Indians. The authors of this article present a new review of this subject, based on fieldwork with Amerindians and other populations in different parts of the Brazilian Amazon and French Guiana. Written sources on Brazilian, Peruvian, Columbian and Venezuelan Amazon were also reviewed. The consumption of cultivated, semi-cultivated and wild species of greens was taken into account here, as the data specific to wild greens is very scarce. It is confirmed that greens are not commonly eaten among native Amazonians and that some ethnic groups do not consume them at all. The consumed species are usually young shoots of weeds or cassava leaves. Common in the Belém region are some specific aromatic plants, which have been diffused to other parts of the Amazon, together with introduced plants such as kale and coriander. Migrants from Northeastern Brazil settled in the Amazon consume some cultivated greens, especially aromatic plants. Maroons are the ones who use more greens in their diet. Native Amazonian people, who supplement agriculture with game and fish, follow a hunter-gatherer pattern, preferring wild fruit and tubers to greens.

Final report of the project CARBOFOR. Carbon sequestration in the big forest ecosystems in France. Quantification, spatialization, vulnerability and impacts of different climatic and forestry scenario

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loustau, D.

2004-06-01

The main outcomes of the project allowed to revise the carbon stock estimate of the national french forests, to clarify the interactions between climate and sylviculture according to the ecological profile of main species, to describe the changes in species area distribution for forest trees and pathogens. Different approaches for estimating the national carbon stock in forest biomass were investigated such as biomass equations and architectural models. Some conclusions in terms of adaptation scenario can be drawn. The global production potential of the french forest will be changed. This change is rapid and will occur a time interval shorter than average tree life duration. Species substitution and changing practices must be considered from now. The soil water holding capacity and the nutrient availability interact strongly with the climate effects and are therefore target factors for adapting forest stands to future changes. The dramatic change in the potential area distribution of most pathogens over France lead to recommend strong regulations for avoiding dissemination of fungal diseases and to anticipate the pathogen risks through species distribution. (A.L.B.)

Fire-free land use in pre-1492 Amazonian savannas.

Science.gov (United States)

Iriarte, José; Power, Mitchell J; Rostain, Stéphen; Mayle, Francis E; Jones, Huw; Watling, Jennifer; Whitney, Bronwen S; McKey, Doyle B

2012-04-24

The nature and scale of pre-Columbian land use and the consequences of the 1492 "Columbian Encounter" (CE) on Amazonia are among the more debated topics in New World archaeology and paleoecology. However, pre-Columbian human impact in Amazonian savannas remains poorly understood. Most paleoecological studies have been conducted in neotropical forest contexts. Of studies done in Amazonian savannas, none has the temporal resolution needed to detect changes induced by either climate or humans before and after A.D. 1492, and only a few closely integrate paleoecological and archaeological data. We report a high-resolution 2,150-y paleoecological record from a French Guianan coastal savanna that forces reconsideration of how pre-Columbian savanna peoples practiced raised-field agriculture and how the CE impacted these societies and environments. Our combined pollen, phytolith, and charcoal analyses reveal unexpectedly low levels of biomass burning associated with pre-A.D. 1492 savanna raised-field agriculture and a sharp increase in fires following the arrival of Europeans. We show that pre-Columbian raised-field farmers limited burning to improve agricultural production, contrasting with extensive use of fire in pre-Columbian tropical forest and Central American savanna environments, as well as in present-day savannas. The charcoal record indicates that extensive fires in the seasonally flooded savannas of French Guiana are a post-Columbian phenomenon, postdating the collapse of indigenous populations. The discovery that pre-Columbian farmers practiced fire-free savanna management calls into question the widely held assumption that pre-Columbian Amazonian farmers pervasively used fire to manage and alter ecosystems and offers fresh perspectives on an emerging alternative approach to savanna land use and conservation that can help reduce carbon emissions.

General and Professional French Courses

CERN Multimedia

HR Department

2010-01-01

The next session will take place from 11 October to 17 December 2010. These courses are open to all persons working on the CERN site, and to their spouses. For registration and further information on the courses, please consult our Web pages: http://cern.ch/Training or contact Mrs. Nathalie Dumeaux, tel. 78144. NEW COURSES Specific French courses -Exam preparation/ We are now offering specific courses in English and French leading to a recognised external examination (e.g. DELF 1 and 2). If you are interested in following one of these courses and have at least an intermediate level of French, please enrol through the following link: French courses or contact: Lucette Fournier, tel.  73483 (French courses).

CARRYING OF FRENCH VISAS FOR HOLDERS OF CATEGORY 'EF' FRENCH ATTESTATIONS DE FONCTIONS

CERN Multimedia

Service des Relations avec les Pays Hôtes

1999-01-01

The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs has informed the Organisation that members of the personnel resident in Switzerland and holding Category 'EF' French Attestations de functions are not obliged to be in possession of French visas. When temporarily travelling through France on OFFICIAL CERN BUSINESS, provided they are carrying the valid Attestation and a valid national passport with them.Relations with the Host States Servicehttp://www.cern.ch/relations/Tel. 72848

Flirting with French

CERN Document Server

Alexander, William

2015-01-01

William Alexander is not just a Francophile, he wants to be French. It's not enough to explore the country, to enjoy the food and revel in the ambience, he wants to feel French from the inside. Among the things that stand in his way is the fact that he can't actually speak the language. Setting out to conquer the language he loves (but which, amusingly, does not seem to love him back), Alexander devotes himself to learning French, going beyond grammar lessons and memory techniques to delve into the history of the language, the science of linguistics, and the art of translation. Along

Continental-scale patterns of canopy tree composition and function across Amazonia

Science.gov (United States)

Ter Steege, Hans; Pitman, Nigel C. A.; Phillips, Oliver L.; Chave, Jerome; Sabatier, Daniel; Duque, Alvaro; Molino, Jean-François; Prévost, Marie-Françoise; Spichiger, Rodolphe; Castellanos, Hernán; von Hildebrand, Patricio; Vásquez, Rodolfo

2006-09-01

The world's greatest terrestrial stores of biodiversity and carbon are found in the forests of northern South America, where large-scale biogeographic patterns and processes have recently begun to be described. Seven of the nine countries with territory in the Amazon basin and the Guiana shield have carried out large-scale forest inventories, but such massive data sets have been little exploited by tropical plant ecologists. Although forest inventories often lack the species-level identifications favoured by tropical plant ecologists, their consistency of measurement and vast spatial coverage make them ideally suited for numerical analyses at large scales, and a valuable resource to describe the still poorly understood spatial variation of biomass, diversity, community composition and forest functioning across the South American tropics. Here we show, by using the seven forest inventories complemented with trait and inventory data collected elsewhere, two dominant gradients in tree composition and function across the Amazon, one paralleling a major gradient in soil fertility and the other paralleling a gradient in dry season length. The data set also indicates that the dominance of Fabaceae in the Guiana shield is not necessarily the result of root adaptations to poor soils (nodulation or ectomycorrhizal associations) but perhaps also the result of their remarkably high seed mass there as a potential adaptation to low rates of disturbance.

French Wines on the Decline?:

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Steiner, Bodo

2004-01-01

French wines, differentiated by geographic origin, served for many decades as a basis for the French success in the British wine market. However in the early 1990s, market share began to decline. This article explores the values that market participants placed on labelling information on French...

7 CFR 993.7 - French prunes.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 8 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false French prunes. 993.7 Section 993.7 Agriculture... Order Regulating Handling Definitions § 993.7 French prunes. French prunes means: (a) Prunes produced from plums of the following varieties of plums: French (Prune d'Agen, Petite Prune d'Agen), Coates (Cox...

Modelling the impact of climate change and atmospheric N deposition on French forests biodiversity.

Science.gov (United States)

Rizzetto, Simon; Belyazid, Salim; Gégout, Jean-Claude; Nicolas, Manuel; Alard, Didier; Corcket, Emmanuel; Gaudio, Noémie; Sverdrup, Harald; Probst, Anne

2016-06-01

A dynamic coupled biogeochemical-ecological model was used to simulate the effects of nitrogen deposition and climate change on plant communities at three forest sites in France. The three sites had different forest covers (sessile oak, Norway spruce and silver fir), three nitrogen loads ranging from relatively low to high, different climatic regions and different soil types. Both the availability of vegetation time series and the environmental niches of the understory species allowed to evaluate the model for predicting the composition of the three plant communities. The calibration of the environmental niches was successful, with a model performance consistently reasonably high throughout the three sites. The model simulations of two climatic and two deposition scenarios showed that climate change may entirely compromise the eventual recovery from eutrophication of the simulated plant communities in response to the reductions in nitrogen deposition. The interplay between climate and deposition was strongly governed by site characteristics and histories in the long term, while forest management remained the main driver of change in the short term. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

21 CFR 169.115 - French dressing.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false French dressing. 169.115 Section 169.115 Food and... § 169.115 French dressing. (a) Description. French dressing is the separable liquid food or the..., lecithin, or polyglycerol esters of fatty acids. (d) Nomenclature. The name of the food is “French dressing...

Optimum use of CDOT French and Hamburg data (French and Hamburg tests).

Science.gov (United States)

2013-11-01

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has been collecting data from the Hamburg Rutter and the : French Rutter for over 20 years. No specifications have been written in that time for either the Hamburg Rutter : or the French Rutter. This r...

English Grammar for Students of French.

Science.gov (United States)

Morton, Jacqueline

This grammar is a self-study manual intended to aid native speakers of English who are beginning the study of French. It is designed to supplement the French textbook, not to replace it. The common grammatical terms that are necessary for learning to speak and write French are explained in English and illustrated by examples in both French and…

French visas

CERN Multimedia

2007-01-01

The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs (hereinafter "MAE") has informed CERN of the following new regulations governing the visas required when submitting requests for French legitimation documents (cf. in particular paragraph b) below concerning the facilities recently granted to certain categories of persons who are not nationals of Switzerland or of a member state of the European Economic Area). This notification replaces that which appeared in Bulletin No.19/2006 (ref. CERN/DSU-DO/RH/13173/Rev.). 1. Special residence permit ("Titre de séjour special") To qualify for a special residence permit from the MAE, persons who are not nationals of Switzerland or of a member state of the European Economic Area (hereinafter "EEA") must present the following upon arrival at CERN: a)\teither a “D”-type (long-stay) French visa marked “carte PROMAE à solliciter à l’arrivée”, even if they are not subject to the requirement to obtain an entrance and short-stay visa in France...

European-French Cross-Cultural Adaptation of the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire and Pretest in French-Speaking Switzerland.

Science.gov (United States)

Ray-Kaeser, Sylvie; Satink, Ton; Andresen, Mette; Martini, Rose; Thommen, Evelyne; Bertrand, Anne Martine

2015-05-01

The Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ'07) is a Canadian-English instrument recommended for screening children aged 5 to 15 years who are at risk for developmental coordination disorder. While a Canadian-French version of the DCDQ'07 presently exists, a European-French version does not. To produce a cross-cultural adaptation of the DCDQ'07 for use in areas of Europe where French is spoken and to test its cultural relevance in French-speaking Switzerland. Cross-cultural adaptation was done using established guidelines. Cultural relevance was analyzed with cognitive interviews of thirteen parents of children aged 5.0 to 14.6 years (mean age: 8.5 years, SD = 3.4), using think-aloud and probing techniques. Cultural and linguistic differences were noted between the European-French, the Canadian-French, and the original versions of the DCDQ'07. Despite correct translation and expert committee review, cognitive interviews revealed that certain items of the European-French version were unclear or misinterpreted and further modifications were needed. After rewording items as a result of the outcomes of the cognitive interview, the European-French version of the DCDQ'07 is culturally appropriate for use in French-speaking Switzerland. Further studies are necessary to determine its psychometric properties.

A Comparative Analysis of Two Failed Indenture Experiences in Post-emancipation Caribbean: British Guiana (1838-1843 and Danish St. Croix (1863–1868

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lomarsh Roopnarine

2013-02-01

Full Text Available El siguiente artículo analiza dos experimentos fallidos de introducir trabajadores contratados de la India en Guyana Británica (1838–1843 y St. Croix danesa (1863–1868. En ambas colonias caribeñas, los estancieros se apresuraron a substituir la pérdida de la mano de obra de esclavos africanos con unos cientos de trabajadores contratados de la India. La intención era de salvar la industria azucarera, sin embargo no se daban los mecanismos apropiados como para hacer funcionar propiamente el sistema de labor por contrato. Por ende, los trabajadores fueron maltratados en cada uno de las etapas de servidumbre por contrato. En concreto, los trabajadores de la India fueron maltratados durante la contratación, durante la travesía de la India al Caribe, y en las haciendas. Los estancieros intentaron, particularmente en Guyana Británica, de esconder el maltrato de los trabajadores. No obstante, inspecciones individuales e indagaciones por parte de grupos como Friends of India y the Anti-Slavery Society, además de relatos de los mismos trabajadores expusieron los males de labor por contrato en ambas colonias. Después de los primeros cinco años de trabajo por contrato, la corona británica y el gobierno colonial de la India detuvieron el transporte de trabajadores de la India a ambas colonias. En Guyana Británica, si no en St. Croix danesa, el sistema de labor por contrato fue restablecido en 1845. English: The following article analyzes two failed Indian indenture experiments in British Guiana (1838–1843 and Danish St. Croix (1863–1868. In both Caribbean colonies, the planters rushed to substitute the loss of indentured Indians. While the plan was to save the sugar industry from ruin, the right mechanisms were not in place for the proper functioning of the indentured labour system. Consequently, the labourers were mistreated at every stage of indentured servitude. Specifically, Indians were mistreated during recruitment, on the sea

Adiposity and height of adult Hmong refugees: relationship with war-related early malnutrition and later migration.

Science.gov (United States)

Clarkin, Patrick F

2008-01-01

This study investigated whether historical proxies for poor nutrition early in life were associated with differences in body composition and height among adult Hmong refugees. Life history and anthropometric data were collected from a sample of 279 Hmong aged 18-51 years who were born in Laos or Thailand and resettled in French Guiana or the United States following the Second Indochina War. Overall, 30.5% were born in a war zone in Laos, while 38.8% were displaced as infants; these individuals were presumed to have experienced malnutrition in the perinatal and infant periods, respectively. Resettlement in urban areas in the US was utilized as a proxy for greater exposure to excessive energy balance, compared with Hmong who resettled in rural areas in French Guiana. In multiple linear regression models, being displaced in infancy was negatively associated with height after controlling for confounders, while being born in a war zone was associated with higher adiposity and centralized body fat distribution. Resettlement in the US was associated with a higher centralization of subcutaneous fat, but not overall adiposity. These findings may be of interest to the study of the developmental origins of obesity, in a population that has undergone early malnutrition followed by migration and rapid nutritional transition.

Access French

CERN Document Server

Grosz, Bernard

2014-01-01

Access is the major new language series designed with the needs of today's generation of students firmly in mind. Whether learning for leisure or business purposes or working towards a curriculum qualification, Access French is specially designed for adults of all ages and gives students a thorough grounding in all the skills required to understand, speak, read and write contemporary French from scratch. The coursebook consists of 10 units covering different topic areas, each of which includes Language Focus panels explaining the structures covered and a comprehensive glossary. Learning tips

The relationship of French people with energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Levy, Jean-Daniel; Potereau, Julien; Gautier, Antoine

2017-12-01

This Power Point document presents graphs and tables containing results of a survey performed on the relationship French people have with energy. After a presentation of the survey methodology, it addresses how France commitment in the struggle against climate change is perceived (French people think that their country could do better), which perceptions French people have of stakes and of the French energy policy (the management of the energy issue is perceived as perfectible, and French people have a positive view on energy transition and on the development of renewable energies), and which investments French people stand for (French people are in favour of a more important role of Europe and of citizen cooperatives in the field of energy)

Development of the French Photovoltaic Program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brunet, M.

1980-07-01

The French photovoltaic research program is reviewed, listing companies involved. Projections of module and system costs are discussed. French industrial experience in photovoltaics is reviewed and several French systems operating in developing countries are mentioned. (MHR)

Latin America Report, No. 2755.

Science.gov (United States)

1983-10-21

value of the cruzeiro may rise relative to European and Japanese currencies, "thus reducing the competitiveness of our products in those markets." At...The Tourist Office estimates that 21,600 people visited French Guiana in 1982, compared to 20,000 in 1981.* Hotel capacity is concentrated in ...their policy in Central America that has been repre- sented by the existence of the Contadora Group and the Declaration of Cancun . But there is

Teaching for Content: Greek Mythology in French.

Science.gov (United States)

Giauque, Gerald S.

An intermediate-level university French course in Greek mythology was developed to (1) improve student skills in reading, writing, speaking, and comprehending French, (2) familiarize students with Greek mythology, and (3) prepare students to deal better with allusions to Greek mythology in French literature. The texts used are a French translation…

Mast fruiting is a frequent strategy in woody species of eastern South America.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natalia Norden

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: It is thought that mast seeding is a rare reproductive strategy in the tropics, since tropical climates are less variable, and fruit consumers tend to be more generalist in these regions. However, previous tests of this hypothesis were based on only few tropical datasets, and none from tropical South America. Moreover, reproductive strategies have been quantified based on the coefficient of variation of interannual seed production, an index that potentially confounds masting and high interannual variability in seed production. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We developed a new approach to model the monthly variability in seed production for 28 tree species, and 20 liana species monitored during 5 years in a tropical forest of Central French Guiana. We found that 23% of the species showed a masting pattern, 54% an annual fruiting pattern, and 23% an irregular fruiting pattern. The majority of masting species were trees (8 out of 11, most of them animal-dispersed. The classification into reproductive strategies based on the coefficient of variation was inconsistent with our results in nearly half of the cases. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our study is the first to clearly evidence the frequency of the masting strategy in a tropical forest community of Eastern South America. The commonness of the masting strategy in tropical plants may promote species coexistence through storage dynamics.

Anglicism in the French language

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Firoozeh Asghari

2014-09-01

Full Text Available There is no question nowadays as to the international and powerful status of English at a global scale and, consequently, as to its presence in non-English speaking countries at different levels.  It is the languages which have mostly influenced French after the Two World War. So that now Anglicism exists in all levels of French. In this paper, besides the phenomenon of Anglicism, we will mainly focus on the reasons of increasing French interest in using of this phenomenon and also on the reactions taken against it in France. The method used in this research is descriptive – analytical.   The Result of this study shows that there is no purely linguistic reason for “Anglicism” in a country like France. In fact this paper remarks that the strong impact of English on French rather than being influenced by linguistic reasons is influenced by the cultural & social reasons. Additionally, the finding shows that the French especially the youth like using English for several reasons which include “prestige”, “snobbery” and “superiority”. Amongst the mentioned reasons in this paper, what caused the French to worry about the spread of Anglicism is due to fear of the American cultural influence, what is changing in the American cultural hegemony.

French nuclear experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reynolds, M.; Barre, B.

1984-01-01

The French nuclear attache at the French Embassy in Washington discusses his country's energy program and his role at the embassy as a representative of the French nuclear industry. He reviews the nuclear program's growth since it began in 1945, and the impetus of the OPEC oil embargo to accelerate the program since 1973. The success of France's nuclear program is due to a convergence of reasons that include incentive, the existence of a single utility that could design and manage a project of this magnitude, and the decision to focus on the pressurized water reactor (PWR) built by a single supplier and offering the benefits of standardization. Controlling the fuel cycle is the basic philosophy of both the PWR and the breeder program. Barre recommends policies of pre-approved sites, standardization, and licensing reform for the US

Routledge French technical dictionary

CERN Document Server

1994-01-01

The French-English volume of this highly acclaimed set consists of some 100,000 keywords in both French and English, drawn from the whole range of modern applied science and technical terminology. Covers over 70 subject areas, from engineering and chemistry to packaging, transportation, data processing and much more.

Evaluation of a temporal fire risk index in Mediterranean forests from NOAA thermal IR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vidal, A.; Pinglo, F.; Durand, H.; Devaux-Ros, C.; Maillet, A.

1994-01-01

Mediterranean forests are regularly subjected to a large number of fires; 537,000 ha were burned during the severe European drought of 1990. The French Ministries of Environment, Interior, and Agriculture are trying to implement efficient methods to prevent forest fires and to reduce their incidence. Fire risk is composed of human, ecological, and climatic factors that are already accounted for in prevention methods. However, the importance of biophysical factors, especially the water status of forest trees, bushes, grasses, and litter should also be considered. In a first step, thermal infrared data from NOAA-AVHRR daily images covering an 18-month period were used to estimate temporal variations of forest evapotranspiration through an energy budget-based relationship. Results were related to statistics on fire starts, in order to derive a fire risk index that can be used for a real-time regional alarm. (author)

French PWR safety philosophy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Conte, M.

1986-05-01

Increasing knowledge and lessons learned from starting and operating experience of French nuclear power plants, completed by the experience learned from the operation of foreign reactors, has contributed to the improvement of French PWR design and safety philosophy. Based on a deterministic approach, the French safety analysis was progressively completed by a probabilistic approach, each of them having possibilities and limits. As a consequence of the global risk objective set in 1977 for nuclear reactors, safety analysis was extended to the evaluation of events more complex than the conventional ones, and later to the evaluation of the feasibility of the offsite emergency plans in case of severe accidents

The French and energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rouquette, Celine; Moreau, Sylvain; Bottin, Anne; Reperant, Patricia

2012-08-01

In 2012, as in 2011, the French are favourable to renewable energy. If they could, around 60% of them would opt for solar, fuelwood or heat pumps for heating. Wind power is also viewed favourably. Aware of environmental issues, the French are prepared to change their habits in the face of climate change, and two-thirds are even prepared to make sacrifices. One-third declares having already taken action or intending to do so to reduce their energy consumption. The cost of energy remains a central issue: faced with higher prices, half of French people would reduce their consumption. However, information on the subject of energy needs to be improved. (authors)

Health Information in French (français)

Science.gov (United States)

... Biopsy - français (French) Bilingual PDF Health Information Translations Breast Biopsy - français (French) Bilingual PDF Health Information Translations Colposcopy - français (French) Bilingual PDF ...

French lessons in nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Valenti, M.

1991-01-01

In stark contrast to the American atomic power experience is that of the French. Even the disaster at Chernobyl in 1986, which chilled nuclear programs throughout Western Europe, did not slow the pace of the nuclear program of the state-owned Electricite de France (EDF), based in Paris. Another five units are under construction and are scheduled to be connected to the French national power grid before the end of 1993. In 1989, the EDF's 58 nuclear reactors supplied 73 percent of French electrical needs, a higher percentage than any other country. In the United States, for example, only about 18 percent of electrical power is derived from the atom. Underpinning the success of nuclear energy in France is its use of standardized plant design and technology. This has been an imperative for the French nuclear power industry since 1974, when an intensive program of nuclear power plant construction began. It was then, in the aftermath of the first oil embargo, that the French government decided to reduce its dependence on imported oil by substituting atomic power sources for hydrocarbons. Other pillars supporting French nuclear success include retrofitting older plants with technological or design advances, intensive training of personnel, using robotic and computer aids to reduce downtime, controlling the entire nuclear fuel cycle, and maintaining a comprehensive public information effort about the nuclear program

[The medical French-speaking world].

Science.gov (United States)

Gouazé, André

2002-01-01

Medicine has always been and remains the most solid base of the French-speaking world which was born in Africa and Indochina with the admirable action of "colonial" military physicians, the implantation of the Pasteur Institutes and the emergence of resulting overseas medical schools. Obviously, we are referring to the French-speaking medical world. Since the first International Conference of the Deans of French-Speaking Medical Schools in Abidjan in 1981, today medical schools from 40 French-speaking countries participate. The conference undertakes co-operative medical school initiatives in a multi-lateral spirit, comprised by concrete, practical actions to assist universities in developing countries strive for excellence. These actions, which are conducted with the help of both institutional (AUF, MAE, WHO, UNESCO) and private partners mainly concentrate on promoting medical education of medicine, the evaluation of medical schools, the development of scientific and technical information and training teachers in the methodology of scientific clinical research and in public health. For the future, the Conference has three important objectives, to assist in training researchers and consequently in the development of research centres in emerging countries, to promote continuing medical education in rural areas far from medical schools by taking advantage of modern computer technology, and finally to open horizons toward other communities which speak other languages, and first of all, towards non French-speaking countries who live in a French-speaking environment.

What French for Gabonese French Lexicography

African Journals Online (AJOL)

user

administration, international relations, teaching, the media, trade, transport, tourism, .... The present study refutes such as reductive definition of what Gabonese .... language than French limits itself to public speeches and support to linguistics ...... sité Omar Bongo du Gabon: Série Lettres, Droit, Sciences et Médecine: 55-63.

General and professionnal French courses

CERN Document Server

2013-01-01

The next session will take place from 27 January to 4 April 2014. These courses are open to everyone working on the CERN site and to their spouses.   Oral Expression This course is aimed at students with a good knowledge of French who want to enhance their oral communication skills. Activities will include discussions, meeting simulations, role-plays, etc. The next session will take place from 27 January to 4 April 2014. Writing professional documents in French These courses are designed for non-French speakers with a very good standard of spoken French. The next session will take place from 27 January to 4 April 2014. For registration and further information on the courses, please consult our web site or contact Kerstin Fuhrmeister (70896 - language.training@cern.ch).

General and professionnal French courses

CERN Multimedia

2013-01-01

The next session will take place from 27 January to 4 April 2014. These courses are open to everyone working on the CERN site and to their spouses.   Oral Expression This course is aimed at students with a good knowledge of French who want to enhance their speaking skills. Speaking activities will include discussions, meeting simulations, role-plays etc. The next session will take place from 27 January to 4 April 2014. Writing professional documents in French These courses are designed for non-French speakers with a very good standard of spoken French. The next session will take place from 27 January to 4 April 2014. For registration and further information on the courses, please consult our web site or contact Kerstin Fuhrmeister (70896 - language.training@cern.ch).

Hierarchies of Authenticity in Study Abroad: French from Canada versus French from France?

Science.gov (United States)

Wernicke, Meike

2016-01-01

For many decades, Francophone regions in Canada have provided language study exchanges for French as a second language (FSL) learners within their own country. At the same time, FSL students and teachers in Canada continue to orient to a native speaker standard associated with European French. This Eurocentric orientation manifested itself in a…

The French energy programme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bohnen, U.

1980-01-01

The challenge of the oil crisis made French energy policy react chiefly by means of a programme for the rapid expansion of nuclear energy which has become unparalleled because of its systematic realization. The following article gives a survey of this programme and its political preconditions. The French energy programme deserves special attention as the utilization of nuclear energy in France including all related activities has reached a more advanced stage than in most other countries. The effects and requirements connected with such an extensive programme which can therefore be investigated with the help of the French example migth be of importance also for other countries in a similar way. (orig./UA) [de

The role of political affiliation in the beliefs and discourses legitimising corruption

OpenAIRE

Wilson López-López; Diana Roa; María Alejandra Roa; Andrea Correa-Chica; Claudia Pérez-Durán; Claudia Pineda-Marín

2016-01-01

Corruption is defined as the abuse of power in order to obtain personal benefit. Central and South America, with the exception of Chile, Uruguay and the French Guiana, show high rates of corruption. This study sought to find the meanings that ordinary people attach to corruption as well as the relationship between their narratives and sociodemographic characteristics, such as sex and educational level, and political standpoints, such as their political party affiliation. A total of 325 people...

Functional traits help predict post-disturbance demography of tropical trees.

Science.gov (United States)

Flores, Olivier; Hérault, Bruno; Delcamp, Matthieu; Garnier, Éric; Gourlet-Fleury, Sylvie

2014-01-01

How tropical tree species respond to disturbance is a central issue of forest ecology, conservation and resource management. We define a hierarchical model to investigate how functional traits measured in control plots relate to the population change rate and to demographic rates for recruitment and mortality after disturbance by logging operations. Population change and demographic rates were quantified on a 12-year period after disturbance and related to seven functional traits measured in control plots. The model was calibrated using a Bayesian Network approach on 53 species surveyed in permanent forest plots (37.5 ha) at Paracou in French Guiana. The network analysis allowed us to highlight both direct and indirect relationships among predictive variables. Overall, 89% of interspecific variability in the population change rate after disturbance were explained by the two demographic rates, the recruitment rate being the most explicative variable. Three direct drivers explained 45% of the variability in recruitment rates, including leaf phosphorus concentration, with a positive effect, and seed size and wood density with negative effects. Mortality rates were explained by interspecific variability in maximum diameter only (25%). Wood density, leaf nitrogen concentration, maximum diameter and seed size were not explained by variables in the analysis and thus appear as independent drivers of post-disturbance demography. Relationships between functional traits and demographic parameters were consistent with results found in undisturbed forests. Functional traits measured in control conditions can thus help predict the fate of tropical tree species after disturbance. Indirect relationships also suggest how different processes interact to mediate species demographic response.

The Hidden Lincoln in French Opinion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jacques Portes

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Abraham Lincoln has never served as a model for French politicians. He was indeed compared to Carnot, the organizer of the French Revolutionary wars. But when Clemenceau led France in WWI, when De Gaulle stood for France’s independence in WWII, nobody thought of comparing them to Lincoln. This essay analyzes French public opinion during the American Civil War with a focus on Lincoln, based on a study of the few French books published between 1860 and 1865 on the US, diaries, a sample of conservative and republican daily papers, weekly reviews and illustrated newspapers.

Crisis in the French nuclear industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nectoux, F.

1991-02-01

This report discusses the economics of the French nuclear power industry. It considers the dominant position of nuclear power in the French energy system, stresses the scale and causes of the current (1990) economic crisis and dispels the popular misconceptions on the cost efficiency of the French programme. The evidence is based on widely available French documents and articles. The report begins by looking at the background of nuclear power in France then discusses the problem of overcapacity, the technical problems and fall in load factors, generating costs and electricity prices and finally, strategic issues are considered. (UK)

The French energy policy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maillard, D.; Baulinet, Ch.; Lajoinie, A.

2001-01-01

France has to face strong energy challenges: a heavy energy bill, increasing supplies risk, no decreasing CO 2 emissions, deregulation of energy markets, nuclear controversy etc.. In consequence, the French government has defined a voluntaristic energy policy with a better balance between the development of renewable energies and the mastery of energy and without renouncing the advantages of nuclear energy. In parallel, the electric power and natural gas industries have to cope with the deregulation of energy markets and the resulting competition. This issue of 'Energies et Matieres Premieres' newsletter comprises 3 articles. The first one gives a general presentation of the French energy policy ('mobilizing our margins of manoeuvre without renouncing our stakes'): challenges of the energy policy (greenhouse effect, security of supplies, long-term worldwide energy context, European integration, nuclear contestation), stakes for France (evolution of production structure, advantages of the French energy status), renewable energies and energy saving, long-term view of the nuclear industry, managing together the dynamism of competition and the advantages of public utilities. The second article entitled 'energy for everybody: a challenge for the 21. century' is a reprint of the introduction of the information report registered on January 31, 2001 by the commission of production and exchanges of the French national assembly. The third article is a reprint of the summary of conclusions and recommendations of the IEA about the French energy policy. (J.S.)

A trans-Amazonian screening of mtDNA reveals deep intraspecific divergence in forest birds and suggests a vast underestimation of species diversity.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Borja Milá

Full Text Available The Amazonian avifauna remains severely understudied relative to that of the temperate zone, and its species richness is thought to be underestimated by current taxonomy. Recent molecular systematic studies using mtDNA sequence reveal that traditionally accepted species-level taxa often conceal genetically divergent subspecific lineages found to represent new species upon close taxonomic scrutiny, suggesting that intraspecific mtDNA variation could be useful in species discovery. Surveys of mtDNA variation in Holarctic species have revealed patterns of variation that are largely congruent with species boundaries. However, little information exists on intraspecific divergence in most Amazonian species. Here we screen intraspecific mtDNA genetic variation in 41 Amazonian forest understory species belonging to 36 genera and 17 families in 6 orders, using 758 individual samples from Ecuador and French Guiana. For 13 of these species, we also analyzed trans-Andean populations from the Ecuadorian Chocó. A consistent pattern of deep intraspecific divergence among trans-Amazonian haplogroups was found for 33 of the 41 taxa, and genetic differentiation and genetic diversity among them was highly variable, suggesting a complex range of evolutionary histories. Mean sequence divergence within families was the same as that found in North American birds (13%, yet mean intraspecific divergence in Neotropical species was an order of magnitude larger (2.13% vs. 0.23%, with mean distance between intraspecific lineages reaching 3.56%. We found no clear relationship between genetic distances and differentiation in plumage color. Our results identify numerous genetically and phenotypically divergent lineages which may result in new species-level designations upon closer taxonomic scrutiny and thorough sampling, although lineages in the tropical region could be older than those in the temperate zone without necessarily representing separate species. In

Societal risk as seen by the French public

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karpowicz-Lazreg, C.; Mullet, E.

1993-01-01

Mean risk magnitude judgments expressed by French students on 90 hazardous activities are reported and compared with findings on American, Hungarian, and Norwegian samples. In many respects, rating of perceived risk in the French sample is highly comparable to rating in American subjects. American and French people tend to share the same preoccupations to the same extent. The only major differences concern hallucinatory drugs and oral contraceptives. The Norwegians and French ratings differ much more. Norwegians and French people generally have the same preoccupations (which make Norwegian ratings the best predictor of French ratings) but not to the same extent. The French are much more concerned with a whole series of activities connected to violence, the implementation of high technology or agricultural technology. However, like the Norwegians, the French are extremely concerned about the spread of hallucinogenic drugs. The Hungarian and French ratings differ on practically all instances, except on basic activities or substances in all industrialized nations (caffeine, motorcycles, ...). Differences were observed within the French sample itself. Women more than men consider that home appliances in general and large-scale public transportation are potentially dangerous. Science students more than art students tend to fear a certain number of medical techniques and a certain number of toxic substances (e.g., smoking). 7 refs., 1 tab

Practising French grammar a workbook

CERN Document Server

Dr Roger Hawkins; Towell, Richard

2015-01-01

This new edition of Practising French Grammar offers a set of varied and accessible exercises for developing a practical awareness of French as it is spoken and written today. The lively examples and authentic texts and cartoons have been updated to reflect current usage. A new companion website provides a wealth of additional interactive exercises to help consolidate challenging grammar points. Practising French Grammar provides concise summaries of key grammatical points at the beginning of each exercise, as well as model answers to the exercises and translations of difficult words, making i

Language Training - French Training

CERN Multimedia

HR Department

2008-01-01

General and Professional French Courses The next session will take place from 26 January to 3rd April 2009. These courses are open to all persons working on the CERN site, and to their spouses. For registration and further information on the courses, please consult our Web pages: http://cern.ch/Training or contact Mrs. Nathalie Dumeaux : Tel. 78144. Writing Professional Documents in French The next session will take place from 26 January to 3rd April 2009. This course is designed for people with a good level of spoken French. Duration: 30 hours Price: 660 CHF For further information and registration, please consult our Web pages: http://cern.ch/Training or contact Mrs. Nathalie Dumeaux : Tel. 78144. Nathalie Dumeaux Tel. 78144 mailto:nathalie.dumeaux@cern.ch

Language Training - French Training

CERN Multimedia

HR Department

2009-01-01

General and Professional French Courses The next session will take place from 26 January to 3rd April 2009. These courses are open to all persons working on the CERN site, and to their spouses. For registration and further information on the courses, please consult our Web pages: http://cern.ch/Training or contact Mrs. Nathalie Dumeaux : Tel. 78144. Writing Professional Documents in French The next session will take place from 26 January to 3rd April 2009. This course is designed for people with a good level of spoken French. Duration: 30 hours Price: 660 CHF For further information and registration, please consult our Web pages: http://cern.ch/Training or contact Mrs. Nathalie Dumeaux : Tel. 78144. Nathalie Dumeaux Tel. 78144 mailto:nathalie.dumeaux@cern.ch

Presentation of the selected French libraries and the French library system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moja Kotar

2007-01-01

Full Text Available The Selected French libraries (Bibliotheque nationale de France, Bibliotheque publique d’information, multimedia library of the Cité des sciences et de l’industrie as well as Paris public libraries are presented in the article. France does not have a union catalogue at the national level, therefore libraries use different platforms for shared cataloguing and compile more union catalogues. According to their needs, French libraries join into consortia for the acquisition of electronic resources, which can be either geographically or thematically delimited or formed by the institutions of the same status. The author believes that the Slovenian library network works well considering much smaller budget for culture and higher education in comparison with France. To improve its performance, more funds would have to be allocated and higher reputation of the library profession achieved, comparable to the situation in France. Digitization of resources is the area where the Slovenian librarianship lags most behind the French one.

Switches to English during French Service Encounters: Relationships with L2 French Speakers' Willingness to Communicate and Motivation

Science.gov (United States)

McNaughton, Stephanie; McDonough, Kim

2015-01-01

This exploratory study investigated second language (L2) French speakers' service encounters in the multilingual setting of Montreal, specifically whether switches to English during French service encounters were related to L2 speakers' willingness to communicate or motivation. Over a two-week period, 17 French L2 speakers in Montreal submitted…

New inclinations of research, development and innovation for public forest in regard to bio-economy perspectives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deleuze, Christine; Richter, Claudine; Ulrich, Erwin; Musch, Brigitte; Descroix, Laurent; Pousse, Noemie; Legay, Myriam; Dreyfus, Philippe; Bock, Jerome; Riond, Catherine

2016-01-01

The area of French forest has grew by 60% in a century, and is at the fourth position on the European rank; Its harvesting was doubled at the same time; however the national trade-balance of the wood products sector is still in deficit. This forest is also facing important changes: climatic (composition and productivity of forest are affected, frequency and intensity of forest disturbances increase), societal (workers are fewer in the forest and we are more aware of benefits and services to society provided by forest) and bio-economic (fossil resources decrease and we need of renewable materials). Wood is a versatile material which is renewable and can be used from construction, furniture to pulp and composite material, with a final recycling in energy. This cascading use of wood products enables a low carbon production of materials and energy, particularly effective for new challenges in bio-economy. To address this joint challenge of stronger and differentiated demands on wood resource and threats and constraints on the forest, some innovations and research of the public forest service are presented in this paper. The diversity of solutions (in harvesting, silvicultural treatment, species, soil monitoring...) underlines the potential of innovations in forest management and the need to mix and transfer them. (authors)

Revis(iting French palatalization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Tifrit

2016-06-01

Full Text Available This paper explores the diachrony of French and reconsiders the classical analysis of French palatalizations. It is widely admitted that the transition from Latin dorsal stops to French palatal fricatives is triggered by an external palatalizing object which affects the constitution of the targeted consonant. While this analysis can satisfyingly explain the palatalization of dorsals before /i/, it makes the palatalization before /a/, which occurred a few centuries later, completely opaque. Revising the internal structure and the melody used to describe segments (Government Phonology 2.0 – Pöchtrager 2006 allows us to give a unified analysis of both palatalizations: whether /i/ or /a/, the vocalic environment is indeed the trigger, as it interferes with the structure of dorsals and lead to internal changes. However, while /i/ adds palatality to the consonant, /a/, by its lack of melody (Pöchtrager & Živanović 2010, leads to an internal reconfiguration of the dorsal, which already contains . In other words, we face two kinds of palatalization: an external one and an internal one. Furthermore, our analysis takes the intermediate stages from Latin dorsals to French palatals into consideration and attested dialectal variations observed in Northern France.