A study of radiometric surface temperatures: Their fluctuations, distribution and meaning

A consecutive night and day flight and measurements on the ground, were made in the region of Voves, south of Chartres. The statistical analysis of the thermal scanner data permitted the establishment of criteria for the homogeneity of surfaces. These criteria were used in defining the surface temperature values which are most representative for use in an energy balance approach to evapotranspiration (day) and heat balance (night). For a number of maize fields that airborne thermal scanner data permitted a detailed energy analysis of different fields of a same crop to be carried out. Such a detailed analysis was not necessary for a calculation of crop evapotranspiration which could be evaluated from the mean temperature of the crop surface. A differential analysis day night is of interest for enhancing the contrast between types of surfaces, as well as for a better definition of the daily energy balance. It should be stressed that, for a homogeneous region, a study such as the present one, could be carried out on a relatively small part of the total surface, as the results for a surface of 2.5 x 2 sq km were not significantly different from those obtained from a surface three times larger

Synthesis and properties of macroporous SiC ceramics synthesized by 3D printing and chemical vapor infiltration/deposition

Open porosity cellular SiC-based ceramics have a great potential for energy conversion, e.g. as solar receivers. In spite of their tolerance to damage, structural applications at high temperature remain limited due to high production costs or inappropriate properties. The objective of this work was to investigate an original route for the manufacturing of porous SiC ceramics based on 3D printing and chemical vapor infiltration/deposition (CVI/CVD). After binder jetting 3D-printing, the green α-SiC porous structures were reinforced by CVI/CVD of SiC using CH3SiCl3/H2. The multiscale structure of the SiC porous specimens was carefully examined as well as the elemental and phase content at the microscale. The oxidation and thermal shock resistance of the porous SiC structures and model specimens were also studied, as well as the thermal and mechanical properties. The pure and dense CVI/CVD-SiC coating considerably improves the mechanical strength, oxidation resistance and thermal diffusivity of the material

A mitogenomic timetree for Darwin’s enigmatic South American mammal Macrauchenia patachonica

The unusual mix of morphological traits displayed by extinct South American native ungulates (SANUs) confounded both Charles Darwin, who first discovered them, and Richard Owen, who tried to resolve their relationships. Here we report an almost complete mitochondrial genome for the litoptern Macrauchenia. Our dated phylogenetic tree places Macrauchenia as sister to Perissodactyla, but close to the radiation of major lineages within Laurasiatheria. This position is consistent with a divergence estimate of B66 Ma (95% credibility interval, 56.64–77.83 Ma) obtained for the split between Macrauchenia and other Panperissodactyla. Combined with their morphological distinctiveness, this evidence supports the positioning of Litopterna (possibly in company with other SANU groups) as a separate order within Laurasiatheria. We also show that, when using strict criteria, extinct taxa marked by deep divergence times and a lack of close living relatives may still be amenable to palaeogenomic analysis through iterative mapping against more distant relatives

Implications for the reconstruction of the diet of extinct taxa.

International audienc

Evolution of the Global Internal Dynamics of a Living Cell Nucleus during Interphase

Progress in cellular biology based on fluorescent microscopy techniques, shows that the spatial organization of the nucleus is dynamic. This dynamic is very complex and involves a multitude of phenomena that occur on very different time and size scales. Using an original light scattering experimental device, we investigated the global internal dynamics of the nucleus of a living cell according to the phases of the cell cycle. This dynamic presents two different and independent kinds of relaxation that are well separated in time and specific to the phase of the cell cycle

Internal dynamics of a living cell nucleus investigated by dynamic light scattering

Recent progresses in cellular biology have shown that the nucleus of a living cell is a structured integration of many functional domains with a complex spatial organization. This organization, as well as molecular and biochemical processes, is time regulated. In the past years many investigations have been performed using fluorescent microscopy techniques to study the internal dynamics of the nucleus of a living cell. These investigations, however, have never focussed on the global internal dynamics of the nucleus, which is still unknown. In this article we present an original light scattering experimental device that we built to investigate this dynamics during biological processes. By means of this experimental set-up, we investigated the global dynamics of the nucleus of a living cell treated with a DNA replication inhibitor. This dynamics presents different and independent kinds of relaxation well separated in time that vary as a function of the cell cycle phases