Genetic and environmental effects on semen traits in Lacaune and Manech tête rousse AI rams (Open Access publication)

Data from 51 107 and 11 839 ejaculates collected on rams of the "Lacaune" and "Manech tête rousse" breeds, respectively, were analysed to determine environmental and genetic factors affecting semen production traits (ejaculate volume, semen concentration, number of spermatozoa and motility) in young (≤1 year) and adult (≥2 years) rams. Fixed effects and variance components were estimated using multiple trait animal models within each breed. For all traits, the main environmental effects identified were year, season, number of ejaculations, daily variation, interval from previous to current collection and age. Heritability estimates were moderate for volume, concentration and number of spermatozoa (0.12 to 0.33) and lower for motility (0.02 to 0.14). Genetic correlations between ages differed from 1 for all traits (0.14 to 0.90), indicating that semen characteristics corresponded to different traits in young and adult rams. Genetic and phenotypic correlations among traits within age category were globally similar for the different breeds and categories of animals

Rock glaciers throughout the French Alps accelerated and destabilised since 1990 as air temperatures increased

Rock glaciers—ice-rich creeping landforms typical of permafrost mountain ranges—can develop an anomalous landslide-like behaviour called destabilisation. This behaviour is characterised by failure mechanisms (including cracks and crevasses) and increases in displacement rates by one to two orders of magnitude. Existing studies of this phenomenon have been limited to a small number of landforms and short time spans. Here, we systematically investigate the evolution of rock glacier kinematics over the past seven decades for the entire French Alps by combining observations of landform features indicative of the onset of destabilisation with data on displacements rates using aerial orthoimagery. We show that rock glacier velocities have significantly increased since the 1990s, concurrent with the development of destabilisation in 18 landforms that represent 5% of the 337 active rock glaciers. This pattern of activity correlates with rising air temperatures in the region, which suggests that a warming climate may play a role in this process

Syndrome du canal carpien : impact de la co-exposition à des agents neurotoxiques et à des contraintes biomécaniques

Le syndrome du canal carpien est l’une des principales causes de maladie professionnelle. Dans un grand nombre de situations de travail, les travailleurs sont confrontés à des expositions multiples, mais peu de données sont disponibles sur les co-expositions des travailleurs à des agents chimiques neurotoxiques et à des contraintes biomécaniques

Verification of high-level transformations with inductive refinement types

International audienceHigh-level transformation languages like Rascal include expressive features for manipulating large abstract syntax trees: first-class traversals, expressive pattern matching, backtrack-ing and generalized iterators. We present the design and implementation of an abstract interpretation tool, Rabit, for verifying inductive type and shape properties for transformations written in such languages. We describe how to perform abstract interpretation based on operational semantics, specifically focusing on the challenges arising when analyzing the expressive traversals and pattern matching. Finally, we evaluate Rabit on a series of transformations (normaliza-tion, desugaring, refactoring, code generators, type inference, etc.) showing that we can effectively verify stated properties. CCS Concepts • Software and its engineering → General programming languages; • Social and professional topics → History of programming languages

Discutindo a educação ambiental no cotidiano escolar: desenvolvimento de projetos na escola formação inicial e continuada de professores

A presente pesquisa buscou discutir como a Educação Ambiental (EA) vem sendo trabalhada, no Ensino Fundamental e como os docentes desta escola compreendem e vem inserindo a EA no cotidiano escolar., em uma escola estadual do município de Tangará da Serra/MT, Brasil. Para tanto, realizou-se entrevistas com os professores que fazem parte de um projeto interdisciplinar de EA na escola pesquisada. Verificou-se que o projeto da escola não vem conseguindo alcançar os objetivos propostos por: desconhecimento do mesmo, pelos professores; formação deficiente dos professores, não entendimento da EA como processo de ensino-aprendizagem, falta de recursos didáticos, planejamento inadequado das atividades. A partir dessa constatação, procurou-se debater a impossibilidade de tratar do tema fora do trabalho interdisciplinar, bem como, e principalmente, a importância de um estudo mais aprofundado de EA, vinculando teoria e prática, tanto na formação docente, como em projetos escolares, a fim de fugir do tradicional vínculo “EA e ecologia, lixo e horta”.Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educació

Géodynamique du pergélisol alpin : fonctionnement, distribution et évolution récente. L'exemple du massif du Combeynot (Hautes Alpes)

This study intends to understand the state and the functioning of the mountain permafrost in a crystalline and poorly glacierised massif (Combeynot Massif, Hautes Alpes, France) on one hand, and on the other hand to express its distribution and evolution at variable spatial and temporal scales. First, the monitoring devices, helped by three very different years in nivo-meteorological terms, have revealed some of the main features of the thermal processes at the Laurichard rockglacier surface. The spatialisation of the winter surface temperatures clearly shows the influence of the very warm 2003 summer followed by the snowy 2003-2004 winter, that both contributed to prevent the cooling of the ground. This relation with the seasonal snow history, especially in early winter, is also demonstrated by the analysis of the annual velocity of the rockglacier and of the climatic data during the last two decades. At the scale of the whole massif, the relation climate/permafrost has been modelled by a statistico-empirical relationship which reproduces the influence of the topoclimatic conditions on the permafrost. Four case studies have nevertheless revealed that the geodynamical context and its evolution during the Quaternary are essential in understanding the state and the distribution of the permafrost at slope and watershed scales. Finally, the recent climate warming seems to have induced a temporary speed-up of the creeping velocity of the permafrost, which subsequently arises the question of the stability of degrading slopes.La présente étude vise d'une part à comprendre l'état et le fonctionnement du pergélisol de montagne dans le contexte d'un massif cristallin très peu englacé (massif du Combeynot, Hautes Alpes), et d'autre part à en restituer la répartition et l'évolution à des échelles de temps et d'espace variables. Tout d'abord, les dispositifs de suivi du pergélisol, aidés par la succession de trois années contrastées en termes nivo-météorologiques, ont révélé les particularités du fonctionnement thermique de la surface du glacier rocheux de Laurichard. La spatialisation des températures de surface en hiver montre ainsi clairement l'effet de la canicule de l'été 2003 et de l'hiver 2003-2004, fortement et précocement enneigé, ce qui a nettement limité le refroidissement hivernal du sol. Cette relation avec l'enneigement, particulièrement en début d'hiver, ressort également de l'analyse comparée des vitesses d'écoulement du glacier rocheux et des données climatiques au cours des 20 dernières années. A l'échelle de l'ensemble du massif, la relation climat/pergélisol a été abordée par un modèle statistico-empirique rendant compte de l'influence des conditions topoclimatiques sur le pergélisol. Des études de cas menées sur quatre vallons du massif ont toutefois révélé que le contexte géodynamique local et son évolution au cours du Quaternaire sont, à l'échelle du versant et du bassin-versant, primordiales dans la répartition et l'état du pergélisol. Enfin, le réchauffement climatique récent semble avoir eu pour effet une accélération des vitesses de fluage du pergélisol, qui pose la question de la stabilité des versants gelés en cours de dégradation

De la glace sous les cailloux : 30 ans de mesures scientifiques dans la combe de Laurichard

Soirée scientifique publique, Parc national des Ecrins/Zone Atelier Alpe