Portail des publications scientifiques IMT Mines Alès
Not a member yet
5198 research outputs found
Sort by
Next-generation thermal superinsulation with pectin composite aerogels
No full textInternational audienceThe design of advanced materials for future technologies should be coupled with environmental sustainability, and the development of high-performing bio-based materials is essential for a greener and efficient approach. The potential of bio-aerogels as insulation materials was revealed in the last decade, as several polysaccharide aerogels have lower thermal conductivity than that of air, similar to silica aerogels. For example, pectin aerogels are perfect candidates for thermal insulation applications since they exhibit very low thermal conductivity in room conditions (0.015-0.020 W m -1 K -1 ).[1] As a drawback, pectin aerogels are highly hygroscopic, leading to adsorption and condensation of water vapours, collapse of the porous network, and loss of thermal insulating properties.In this work, "composite" approach was applied to prevent material aging without altering insulation properties. Hydrophobization of pectin aerogels was achieved via deposition of polyurea on pectin fibrils. The influence of synthesis parameters on the material properties was investigated. Polyurea homogeneously coated the skeletal network of pectin aerogel, resulting in materials with high water contact angles and very low thermal conductivity (down to 0.015 W m -1 K -1 ), which was stable during more than 10 months at 25°C and 80% relative humidity. Other properties related to construction materials were studied (e.g. mechanical properties, acoustic properties, fire retardancy) and revealed the potential of these materials as a new generation of high-performing insulation materials.</div
REUTE water optimization in Occitanie : biofilm control in the chain of constructed wetlands and drip-irrigation devices
No full textInternational audienceBioROC is an interdisciplinary project funded by the regional challenge Water Occitany. It aims to improve knowledge on the biofilm control in the REUTE chain based on Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) and intended for irrigation. The research in this project focus on the efficiency assessment of innovative practices based on the Living Labs of Toulouse Métropole and Montpellier Métropole Méditerranée. The goal is to test a panel of NBS (+/- microbiodiversity enhanced by invertebrates) to identify the most suitable constructed wetlands (CWs) for reuse methods by drip-irrigation system. The challenges to be addressed are CWs’ clogging and fouling of fertigation systems by microbial biofilm. Indeed, biofilm quality is acting as a facilitator for the wastewater treatment but also as a limiting factor to the whole chain of process in water reuse by drip-irrigation. The heterotrophic biofilm that lives in the substrate media of CWs is the biological compartment that manages the biodegradation of pollutants from sewage water (Gérino et al., 2022). But it is a major constraint to water infiltration when it develops in excess with clogging effects in the filters and drip-irrigation system. The BioROc’s results will help to identify levers for action to control biofilm dynamics in drip-irrigation systems
Améliorer la recyclabilité des polymères et des composites : synthèse du projet des centres de recherche du Carnot M.I.N.E.S
No full textInternational audienceFace à l’urgence environnementale, comment repenser nos modèles industriels pour construire une économie véritablement circulaire ?À l’heure où l’exploitation intensive des ressources naturelles et l’accumulation des déchets atteignent des niveaux critiques, les cadres réglementaires européens et français fixent des objectifs ambitieux : recycler 55 % des emballages plastiques, incorporer 30 % de plastique recyclé dans les bouteilles d’ici 2030, ou encore interdire la destruction des invendus non-alimentaires. Autant de défis technologiques et organisationnels que les industriels doivent aujourd’hui relever.C’est dans ce contexte exigeant que les laboratoires du Carnot M.I.N.E.S ont conduit un programme de recherche structurant sur trois ans, mobilisant un large collectif scientifique. L’objectif était de développer des solutions concrètes pour améliorer la recyclabilité des polymères dans trois secteurs clés : bouteilles, textiles et composites. Au-delà de ce projet central, l’ouvrage présente également d’autres initiatives portées par le Carnot M.I.N.E.S, témoignant de son engagement constant pour des filières plus durables, plus responsables et plus innovantes.Destiné aux industriels, chercheurs, ingénieurs et décideurs, ce livre s’adresse également à toute personne curieuse de comprendre les enjeux techniques, environnementaux et sociétaux de la transition vers une économie circulaire. Il offre une synthèse rigoureuse et accessible des avancées scientifiques et technologiques au service du recyclage de demain : tri optimisé, intégration de matières recyclées, conception d’éco-matériaux et développement de composites recyclables. Un livre essentiel pour penser l’industrie de demain et accompagner les mutations vers un avenir plus soutenable
Explainable Evidential Clustering Generating decision-maker–aligned explanations : Presenting the Iterative Evidential Mistakeness Minimization algorithm
No full textInternational audienc
Le projet PELVITRACK : caractérisation mécanique multi-échelle des tissus mous, résultats et perspectives
No full textInternational audienceLes déchirures périnéales surviennent dans 90 % des accouchements par voie basse en Europe. Elles peuvent s'étendre de la muqueuse vaginale à la muqueuse anale, en passant par les sphincters anaux et la peau. Selon les tissus touchés, la déchirure peut entraîner des troubles à long terme tels que l'incontinence ou des douleurs chroniques. L'objectif du projet PELVITRACK (EIC Pathfinder, 2025-2029) est d'identifier des moyens techniques permettant de prédire ces déchirures lors des accouchements par voie basse à l'aide d'indicateurs de risque quantitatifs, afin de pouvoir prévenir ces blessures. Cela sera rendu possible grâce à une approche multidisciplinaire basée sur la compréhension du comportement mécanique des tissus concernés (muqueuses, muscles, peau et tissus conjonctifs). De plus, leur nature anisotrope nécessite l'étude de leur microstructure afin de représenter leur comportement avec précision. Les résultats actuels du projet PELVITRACK seront présentés, ainsi que les perspectives pour les 3,5 années restantes du projet
Functional connectivity is dominated by aperiodic, rather than oscillatory, coupling
No full textInternational audienceFunctional connectivity has attracted significant interest in the identification of specific circuits underlying brain (dys-)function. Classical analyses to estimate functional connectivity (i.e., filtering electrophysiological signals in canonical frequency bands and using connectivity metrics) assume that these reflect oscillatory networks. However, this approach conflates non-oscillatory, aperiodic neural activity with oscillations; raising the possibility that these functional networks may reflect aperiodic rather than oscillatory activity. Here, we provide the first study quantifying, in two different human electroencephalography (EEG) databases, the contribution of aperiodic activity on reconstructed oscillatory functional networks in resting state. We found that more than 99% of delta, theta, and gamma functional networks, more than 90% of beta functional networks and between 23 and 55% of alpha functional networks were actually driven by aperiodic activity. While there is no universal consensus on how to identify and quantify neural oscillations, our results demonstrate that oscillatory functional networks are drastically sparser than commonly assumed. These findings suggest that most functional connectivity studies focusing on resting state actually reflect aperiodic networks instead of oscillations-based networks. We highly recommend that oscillatory network analyses first check the presence of aperiodicity-unbiased neural oscillations before estimating their statistical coupling to strengthen the robustness, interpretability, and reproducibility of functional connectivity studies
Bioaugmentation of constructed wetlands: exploring the potential of Trichoderma for the removal of emerging organic pollutants and the reuse in agriculture
No full textInternational audienceConstructed Wetlands (CWs) are nature-based solutions that can effectively provide treated wastewater for irrigation with variable nutrient contents to meet the specific needs of different crops, thus promoting sustainable agricultural practices. However, emerging organic pollutants are often not eliminated completely. The intensification of wastewater treatment plants through continuous or intermittent active aeration has been successfully implemented, but at the cost of higher investment and operating costs. In this context, bioaugmentation of CWs appears to be a promising strategy for improving treatment efficiency by taking advantage of the interactions between plants and microorganisms, and the central role of the latter in contaminant degradation processes and their transfer in agroecosystems. Here, we present the results of our studies using commercially available products containing spores of symbiotic fungi Trichoderma asperellum for enhancing the biodegradation of micropollutants in a pilot-scale partially saturated vertical flow constructed wetland
A Review on Advances in the Use of Raw and Modified Agricultural Lignocellulosic Residues in Mono- and Multicomponent Continuous Adsorption of Inorganic Pollutants for Upscaling Technologies
No full textInternational audienceUsing raw and modified lignocellulosic residues as bioadsorbents in continuous adsorption is challenging but it marks significant progress in water treatment and the transition to a bio-based circular economy. This study reviews the application of bioadsorbents in fixed-bed columns for treating water contaminated with inorganic species, offering guidance for future research. It evaluates chemical modifications to enhance adsorptive properties, explores adsorption mechanisms, and analyzes bioadsorbent performance under competitive adsorption conditions. Analysis of adsorption data included evaluation of adsorption capacity in mono- and multicomponent solutions, regeneration, reuse, bed efficiency, and disposal of spent bioadsorbents. This enabled assessing their scalability to sufficiently high levels of maturity for commercialization. In multicomponent solutions, selectivity was influenced by the characteristics of the bioadsorbents and by competitive adsorption among inorganic species. This affected adsorption performance, increasing the complexity of breakthrough curve modeling and controlling the biomaterial selectivity. Models for mono- and multicomponent systems are presented, including mass transfer equations and alternatives including “bell-type” equations for overshooting phenomena and innovative approaches using artificial neural networks and machine learning. The criteria discussed will assist in improving studies conducted from cradle (synthesis of new biomaterials) to grave (end use or disposal), contributing to accurate decision making for transferring the developed technology to an industrial scale and evaluating the technical and economic feasibility of bioadsorbents
Stress softening and hyper-viscoelastic modeling of soft materials: insights into parameter identification
No full textInternational audienc
Enculturation's Rhythmic Imprint: Cross-Cultural Variations in Sensorimotor Synchronization
No full textInternational audienceGroup dynamics are more than a mere aggregation of individual behaviors; they emerge from the complex interplay interactions, which are deeply context dependent. Notably, a growing body of literature shows that enculturation introduces variations, as the rhythmic exposure since childhood shapes how individual synchronize their actions. Thereby, cultural environment molds group dynamics by influencing the most basic element of interpersonal interactions: individual perception-action dynamics. To examine this influence, we conducted two experiments to identify cross-cultural variations between French and Indian participants engaging in classical synchronization tasks. The results were analyzed through the lens of the dynamical system approach using forced oscillator models. In the first study, we documented the synchronization dynamics of both groups. The results revealed that while French participants exhibited negative mean asynchrony, Indian participants had a positive mean asynchrony. We proposed that this difference was partly due to a bigger over-estimation of the frequency of the rhythm for French participants than for Indian participants. In the second study, we explored the frequency adaptation mechanism supposed to be the cause of the observed over-estimation. Overall, our findings suggests that enculturation imprints down our most elementary temporal neural functions, thereby modifying our rhythmic behaviors and altering group dynamics