Influence of fine process particles enriched with metals and metalloids on Lactuca sativa L. leaf fatty acid composition following air and/or soil-plant field exposure

We investigate the effect of both foliar and root uptake of a mixture of metal(loid)s on the fatty acid composition of plant leaves. Our objectives are to determine whether both contamination pathways have a similar effect and whether they interact. Lactuca sativa L. were exposed to fine process particles enriched with metal(loid)s in an industrial area. Data from a first experiment were used to conduct an exploratory statistical analysis which findings were successfully cross-validated by using the data from a second one. Both foliar and root pathways impact plant leaf fatty acid composition and do not interact. Z index (dimensionless quantity), weighted product of fatty acid concentration ratios was built up from the statistical analyses. It provides new insights on the mechanisms involved in metal uptake and phytotoxicity. Plant leaf fatty acid composition is a robust and fruitful approach to detect and understand the effects of metal(loid) contamination on plants

On the design of timber bolted connections subjected to fire

Paper 121Current research at the University of Canterbury is investigating the application of Johansen’s yield equations to the prediction of the failure strength of bolted connections in fire conditions. A series of single bolted connections using steel side plates have been heated at constant temperature for several hours, then loaded to failure. The failure loads have been used to determine the embedment strength of the joints at various temperatures over a range of temperatures from ambient to 300°C. These temperature-dependent embedment strengths have also been used in the Johansen’s equations for wood-steel-wood and wood-wood-wood connections and compared with the results for single bolted connections tested over a range of constant temperatures. Comparisons have also been made with the results of several similar connections tested in fire conditions and show considerable promise for predicting failure of such joints

Green manure plants for remediation of soils polluted by metals and metalloids: Ecotoxicity and human bioavailability assessment

Borage, white mustard and phacelia, green manure plants currently used in agriculture to improve soil properties were cultivated for 10 wk on various polluted soils with metal(loid) concentrations representative of urban brownfields or polluted kitchen gardens. Metal(loid) bioavailability and ecotoxicity were measured in relation to soil characteristics before and after treatment. All the plants efficiently grow on the various polluted soils. But borage and mustard only are able to modify the soil characteristics and metal(loid) impact: soil respiration increased while ecotoxicity, bioaccessible lead and total metal(loid) quantities in soils can be decreased respectively by phytostabilization and phytoextraction mechanisms. These two plants could therefore be used for urban polluted soil refunctionalization. However, plant efficiency to improve soil quality strongly depends on soil characteristics

Study of Production of Rubber-Bitumen Compounds

In this article were investigated ways of production of Rubber-Bitumen Compounds (RBC). The physico-mechanical characteristics of paving bitumen BND 60/90 modified with rubber crumb from spent tire and spent engine oil. The structure of rubber crumb was characterized by optical microscopy and physico-mechanical characteristics of rubber-bitumen compounds are determined by standard methods. It established that the quantity of entered rubber-oil depending (ratio 3:2) on physical and chemical conditions. 15-25 wt.% rubber-oil modified bitumens were according to variety standard of RBC

Ecological changes in historically polluted soils: Metal(loid) bioaccumulation in microarthropods and their impact on community structure

International audienceSoil pollution by persistent metal(loid)s present environmental and sanitary risks. While the effects of metal(loid)s on vegetation and macrofauna have been widely studied, their impact on microarthropods (millimetre scale) and their bioaccumulation capacity have been less investigated. However, microarthropods provide important ecosystem services, contributing in particular to soil organic matter dynamics. This study focussed on the impact of metal(loid) pollution on the structure and distribution of microarthropod communities and their potential to bioaccumulate lead (Pb). Soil samples were collected from a contaminated historical site with a strong horizontal and vertical gradient of Pb concentrations. Microarthropods were extracted using the Berlese method. The field experiments showed that microarthropods were present even in extremely polluted soils (30,000 mg Pb kg− 1). However, while microarthropod abundance increased with increasing soil C/N content (R2 = 0.79), richness decreased with increasing pollution. A shift in the community structure from an oribatid-to a springtail-dominated community was observed in less polluted soils (R2 = 0.68). In addition, Pb bioamplification occurred in microarthropods, with higher Pb concentrations in predators than in detritivorous microarthropods. Finally, the importance of feeding and reproductive ecological traits as potentially relevant descriptors of springtail community structures was highlighted. This study demonstrates the interest of microarthropod communities with different trophic levels and ecological features for evaluating the global environmental impact of metal(loid) pollution on soil biological quality

DPEP1 Inhibits Tumor Cell Invasiveness, Enhances Chemosensitivity and Predicts Clinical Outcome in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal cancers worldwide. To identify biologically relevant genes with prognostic and therapeutic significance in PDAC, we first performed the microarray gene-expression profiling in 45 matching pairs of tumor and adjacent non-tumor tissues from resected PDAC cases. We identified 36 genes that were associated with patient outcome and also differentially expressed in tumors as compared with adjacent non-tumor tissues in microarray analysis. Further evaluation in an independent validation cohort (N = 27) confirmed that DPEP1 (dipeptidase 1) expression was decreased (T: N ratio ∼0.1, P<0.01) in tumors as compared with non-tumor tissues. DPEP1 gene expression was negatively correlated with histological grade (Spearman correlation coefficient = −0.35, P = 0.004). Lower expression of DPEP1 in tumors was associated with poor survival (Kaplan Meier log rank) in both test cohort (P = 0.035) and validation cohort (P = 0.016). DPEP1 expression was independently associated with cancer-specific mortality when adjusted for tumor stage and resection margin status in both univariate (hazard ratio = 0.43, 95%CI = 0.24–0.76, P = 0.004) and multivariate analyses (hazard ratio = 0.51, 95%CI = 0.27–0.94, P = 0.032). We further demonstrated that overexpression of DPEP1 suppressed tumor cells invasiveness and increased sensitivity to chemotherapeutic agent Gemcitabine. Our data also showed that growth factor EGF treatment decreased DPEP1 expression and MEK1/2 inhibitor AZD6244 increased DPEP1 expression in vitro, indicating a potential mechanism for DPEP1 gene regulation. Therefore, we provide evidence that DPEP1 plays a role in pancreatic cancer aggressiveness and predicts outcome in patients with resected PDAC. In view of these findings, we propose that DPEP1 may be a candidate target in PDAC for designing improved treatments

Bioaccessibility of selenium after human ingestion in relation to its chemical species and compartmentalization in maize

International audienceSelenium is a micronutrient needed by all living organisms including humans, but often present in low concentration in food with possible deficiency. From another side, at higher concentrations in soils as observed in seleniferous regions of the world, and in function of its chemical species, Se can also induce (eco)toxicity. Root Se uptake was therefore studied in function of its initial form for maize (Zea mays L.), a plant widely cultivated for human and animal food over the world. Se phytotoxicity and compartmentalization were studied in different aerial plant tissues. For the first time, Se oral human bioaccessibility after ingestion was assessed for the main Se species (SeIV and SeVI) with the BARGE ex vivo test in maize seeds (consumed by humans), and in stems and leaves consumed by animals. Corn seedlings were cultivated in hydroponic conditions supplemented with 1 mg L−1 of selenium (SeIV, SeVI, Control) for 4 months. Biomass, Se concentration, and bioaccessibility were measured on harvested plants. A reduction in plant biomass was observed under Se treatments compared to control, suggesting its phytotoxicity. This plant biomass reduction was higher for selenite species than selenate, and seed was the main affected compartment compared to control. Selenium compartmentalization study showed that for selenate species, a preferential accumulation was observed in leaves, whereas selenite translocation was very limited toward maize aerial parts, except in the seeds where selenite concentrations are generally high. Selenium oral bioaccessibility after ingestion fluctuated from 49 to 89 % according to the considered plant tissue and Se species. Whatever the tissue, selenate appeared as the most human bioaccessible form. A potential Se toxicity was highlighted for people living in seleniferous regions, this risk being enhanced by the high Se bioaccessibility

Physiological and biochemical aspects of tolerance to arsenic in higher plants in a context of phytostabilization of industrial wasteland

Ce travail a pour objectif la mise en place d'un procédé de phytostabilisation sur un ancien site industriel, la Vieille Usine d'Auzon (43, France). La caractérisation pédochimique du site atelier a révélé une pollution polymétallique par l'As, Pb, Sb, Cd et Cu. L'As, de par sa concentration totale et sa biodisponibilité dans le sol, est considéré comme le polluant le plus présent et le plus toxique. L'étude floristique réalisée sur le site a relevé une flore métallicole dominée par des pseudométallophytes électives telles que Agrostis capillaris, Equisetum arvense, ou les Euphorbiacées. De manière générale, la majorité des espèces présentes sur la friche industrielle a accumulé de très faibles quantités de polluants (As, Pb) dans ces parties aériennes. Dans un deuxième temps, les travaux ont porté sur les effets induits par les ETM au niveau physiologique et biochimique chez des modèles végétaux, Agrostis capillaris, Solanum nigrum, Vicia faba et Cannabis sativa. Ces données ont mis en évidence la sensibilité de V. faba et la tolérance de S. nigrum à la pollution aux ETM, un maintien de l'activité physiologique mais un ralentissement de la croissance de C. sativa sur sol pollué et une tolérance adaptative d'A. capillaris à la pollution du sol. Par ailleurs, une culture en hydroponie de S. nigrum et V. faba en présence d'As inorganique, arsénite et arséniate, à différentes concentrations a permis de mettre en évidence deux effets de l'As. Celui-ci a provoqué une altération de la structure et du fonctionnement des PSII, plus sensibles à l'As(III), et, une inhibition de l'activité oxygénase et carboxylase de la Rubisco, cible privilégiée de l'As(V). Enfin, ces résultats ont été utilisés dans le cadre de l'expérimentation in situ pour la validation d'un procédé de phytostabilisation sur la friche industrielle d'Auzon. Les effets de la combinaison d'une association d'espèces prairiales et d'un amendement de grenaille de fer zérovalent ou/et de compost ont pu être caractérisés. L'ajout de grenaille de fer au sol complété par un apport de compost a accentué la réduction de la disponibilité de l'As et dans une moindre mesure de Sb. De plus, il a permis d'enrichir le sol en élément minéraux et organiques et a ainsi facilité l'implantation d'un couvert végétal constitué d'espèces végétales à phénotype d'exclusion. Cette expérience in-situ a donc permis de mettre en avant la faisabilité d'un procédé de phytostabilisation dans la dépollution et la revalorisation de sites industriels.This work aims to the establishment of a phytostabilization process on an old industrial site, "La Vieille Usine" in Auzon (43, France). The pedochemical characterization revealed a polymetallic pollution by As, Pb, Sb, Cd, Cu. The As, by its total content and its bioavailability, is considered as the most concentrated and toxic. A floristic study noted a metallicolous flora dominated by elective pseudometallophyte species such as Agrostis capillaris, the dominant specie, Equisetum arvense, or Euphorbiaceae. Broadly speaking, the majority of species on the industrial site has accumulated very low amounts of pollutants (As, Pb) in these shoots. To better understand the trace element effects on different plants, Agrostis capillaris, Solanum nigrum, Cannabis sativa and Vicia faba were grown on the Auzon’s soil under controlled conditions. These data highlighted (i) the sensitivity of V. faba and the tolerance of S. nigrum to trace element pollution; (ii) for C. sativa, the maintenance of its physiological activity but a slowdown of its growth; (iii) the adaptative tolerance of A. capillaris to soil pollution. In addition, a hydroponics culture of S. nigrum and V. faba in the presence of different concentrations and different oxidation degrees (arsenite and arsenate) of inorganic As allowed to identify two main effects of As at physiological and biochemical level. First, it alters the structure and function of PSII, which seems more sensitive to As(III), and, secondly, it inhibits the carboxylase and oxygenase activities of Rubisco, the main target of As(V). These data were then used to conduct an in-situ experiment based on a phytostabilization process on the industrial wasteland of Auzon. The effects of the combination of an grassland species association with a zerovalent iron shot and/or compost amendment were characterized. The addition of iron shot on the soil completed with compost decreased the available fraction of As and to a lesser extent Sb. Moreover, the amendments allowed to enrich the soil with mineral and organic elements and to facilitate the establishment of vegetal cover composed by tolerant plants with an exclusion phenotype. This in-situ experience enabled to highlight the feasibility of a phytostabilization method in the depollution of industrial sites as in their enhancement

Le temps, la durée face à l'historien. Braudel's conceptions on duration and time.

Christophe Austruy, « Faits, idées et concepts : les passages et passagers de l’historien" CRH-EHESS 12 Janvier 2018 Première journée des doctorants du CRH Centre de Recherches Historiques École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales « Pourquoi faire une thèse d’histoire aujourd’hui ? » Paris, EHESS, 12 janvier 2018 Comité d'Organisation: Aliénor Cadiot, Sarah Claire, Gabriela Goldin Marcovich et Romain Trichereau Doctorants du CRH http://crh.ehess.fr/index.php?585