Définition et etude des Bilangages réguliers

enThe paper presents a definition of “arborescent structures” (or ramifications) enabling to process them algebraically. “Languages” formed with ramifications are defined and we call them “bilanguages.” The notion of regular language is then generalized into the notion of regular bilanguage. These regular bilanguages are compared to those generated by context-free grammars. Their properties are demonstrated; especially, a theorem analogous to Kleene's theorem on regular languages is stated

Global Carbon Budget: Ocean carbon sink.

CO2 emissions from human activities, the main contributor to global climate change, are set to rise again in 2014 reaching 40 billion tonnes CO2 The natural carbon ‘sinks’ on land and in the ocean absorb on average 55% of the total CO2 emissions, thus slowing the rate of global climate change Increasing CO2 in the oceans is causing ocean acidificatio

Communication with patients using negative wound pressure therapy and their adherence to treatment

Objective: Wound healing is a normal physiological process which is moderated by biological and social factors. However, delayed healing is common amongst older people and in those with long term conditions. The purpose of this study was to explore the challenges of communication between patients and professionals and adherence to treatment for chronic wounds when using negative wound pressure therapy (NPWT). Methods: Twenty-four participants, took part in face to face semi-structured interviews. Specific features of the NPWT device were the priority for discussion although we also explored other factors central to communication and adherence. Results: Data saturation was achieved during the analysis. We found that patients require on-going support to understand complex and often protracted treatment and this is particularly important when specialist technology is used. A distinction was highlighted between those who decided not to adhere with therapy and those who did so unintentionally. Participants faced difficulties in their communications with professionals and in ensuring their needs were listened to and addressed. Conclusions: Further research is needed to achieve a better understanding of this distinction and to evaluate interventions which can sustain adherence behaviours. Further exploration of how to establish concordant patient / professional communications is warranted

The ocean carbon sink – impacts, vulnerabilities and challenges

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is, next to water vapour, considered to be the most important natural greenhouse gas on Earth. Rapidly rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations caused by human actions such as fossil fuel burning, land-use change or cement production over the past 250 years have given cause for concern that changes in Earth’s climate system may progress at a much faster pace and larger extent than during the past 20 000 years. Investigating global carbon cycle pathways and finding suitable adaptation and mitigation strategies has, therefore, become of major concern in many research fields. The oceans have a key role in regulating atmospheric CO2 concentrations and currently take up about 25% of annual anthropogenic carbon emissions to the atmosphere. Questions that yet need to be answered are what the carbon uptake kinetics of the oceans will be in the future and how the increase in oceanic carbon inventory will affect its ecosystems and their services. This requires comprehensive investigations, including high-quality ocean carbon measurements on different spatial and temporal scales, the management of data in sophisticated databases, the application of Earth system models to provide future projections for given emission scenarios as well as a global synthesis and outreach to policy makers. In this paper, the current understanding of the ocean as an important carbon sink is reviewed with respect to these topics. Emphasis is placed on the complex interplay of different physical, chemical and biological processes that yield both positive and negative air–sea flux values for natural and anthropogenic CO2 as well as on increased CO2 (uptake) as the regulating force of the radiative warming of the atmosphere and the gradual acidification of the oceans. Major future ocean carbon challenges in the fields of ocean observations, modelling and process research as well as the relevance of other biogeochemical cycles and greenhouse gases are discussed

A sharp incisor tool for predator house mice back to the wild

The house mouse (Mus musculus domesticus), as a successful invasive species worldwide, has to forage a variety of resources. Subantarctic mice display among the most notable diet shift from the usual omnivorous–granivorous diet, relying on a larger proportion of terrestrial animal prey. In agreement, a recent study of their mandible morphology evidenced an evolution of their mandible shape to optimize incisor biting and hence seize preys. Here, the incisors themselves are the focus of a morphometric analysis combined with a 3D study of their internal structure, aiming at a comparison between subantarctic populations (Guillou island, Kerguelen archipelago) with a range of western European continental, commensal mice. The predatory foraging behavior of Guillou mice was indeed associated with a sharper bevel of the lower incisor, which appears as an efficient morphology for piercing prey. The incisor of these mice also displays a reduced pulp cavity, suggesting slower eruption counterbalancing a reduced abrasion on such soft food material. The dynamics of the ever‐growing incisor may thus allow adaptive incisor sculpting and participate to the success of mice in foraging diverse resources

The concept of chronic edema - a neglected public health issue and an international response – the LIMPRINT study

Lymphedema has always been a neglected global health care problem. A central requirement for the development of any chronic disease is the clear use of public health definitions that can be used internationally to define populations. The term “lymphedema” has historically been defined as either primary, resulting from failure of lymphatic development, or secondary, following damage to the lymphatics (e.g., cancer treatment, injury, or filariasis). Attempts to integrate causes of edema arising from damage to the venous system or the effects of gravity, immobility, and systemic disease have rarely been integrated. More recently, the prominent role of the lymphatics in tissue fluid homeostasis in all forms of chronic edema has been recognized. These advances led to the development of the term: “Chronic edema: a broad term used to describe edema, which has been present for more than three months.” It can be considered an umbrella term that includes not only conventional “lymphedema” but also chronic swelling, which may have a more complex cause. This definition has been adapted in the international epidemiology study (LIMPRINT) that identified people throughout the health and social care systems in participating countries. Clearer definitions will allow for examination of this important public health problem that is likely to escalate given the projections of an aging population with multiple comorbidities. It will be possible to define both the hidden mortality and morbidity associated with complications, such as cellulitis and the impact on health-related quality of life. This evidence is urgently required to lobby for increased resource and effective health care in an increasingly competitive health care arena in which more established conditions have greater priority and funding

Divergent evolutionary processes associated with colonization of offshore islands

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

LIMPRINT - health-related quality of life in adult patients with chronic edema

Background: Chronic edema is a condition posing a high burden on patients. The primary aim of the study was to assess the health-related quality of life (QoL) of adult patients living with chronic edema. Methods and Results: As part of an international, multicenter, prospective study, we prospectively assessed the health-related QoL of adult patients living with a chronic edema using a disease-specific tool and a generic one. In total, 1094 patients were included, aged 57 years on average. The average EQ-5D and LYMQOL visual analogue scale (VAS) scores were equal to 63.6 (SD = 20.2) and 6.3 (SD = 2.0), respectively. After adjustment, the EQ-5D VAS was explained by LYMQOL VAS (β = 7.85; p < 0.001), age (β = −0.08; p = 0.02), obesity (β = −1.89; p = 0.001), and male gender (β = 3.32; p = 0.002). As for the LYMQOL VAS, it was independently associated with EQ-5D VAS (β = 0.07; p < 0.001), LYMQOL function (β = −0.21; p < 0.001), and LYMQOL mood (β = −0.49; p < 0.001). Conclusion: This study confirms that patients living with a chronic edema experience a poor disease-specific and generic health-related QoL

The development and validation of the LIMPRINT methodology

The acronym Limprint stands for Lymphoedema IMpact and Prevalence-INTernational and was run under the auspices of the International Lymphoedema Framework (ILF) a charity dedicated to improving provision of care globally. The primary aim was to identify the number of people with chronic oedema (chronic oedema present for > 3months and due to a range of underlying aetiologies and associated risk factors) within diverse health services in 9 participating countries and to determine its impact using validated methods. An international protocol and sampling framework, online data capture system and standard operating procedures were adopted. An international consensus was used to create a core data tool that covered 13 domains. Specialist data on demographics and disability, details of swelling, wounds, cancer and health related quality of life were also available for sites. The study protocol was designed to allow flexibility in the types of studies undertaken within complex health care systems. All cases were confirmed using the modified pitting test. Sensitivity and specificity for this method were determined in Japanese and European populations. Following confirmation of a chronic oedema case Lymphologists defined whether it was a primary of secondary form. The study was designed to provide robust evidence that chronic oedema is an important and unrecognised public health problem in health services with significant morbidity. Without evidence of the size and complexity it will remain considered a rare phenomenon and people affected will be denied access to appropriate treatment that would allow them to have fulfilled and productive lives

Extensive dissolution of live pteropods in the Southern Ocean

The carbonate chemistry of the surface ocean is rapidly changing with ocean acidification, a result of human activities. In the upper layers of the Southern Ocean, aragonite—a metastable form of calcium carbonate with rapid dissolution kinetics—may become undersaturated by 2050 (ref. 2). Aragonite undersaturation is likely to affect aragonite-shelled organisms, which can dominate surface water communities in polar regions. Here we present analyses of specimens of the pteropod Limacina helicina antarctica that were extracted live from the Southern Ocean early in 2008. We sampled from the top 200m of the water column, where aragonite saturation levels were around 1, as upwelled deep water is mixed with surface water containing anthropogenic CO2. Comparing the shell structure with samples from aragonite-supersaturated regions elsewhere under a scanning electron microscope, we found severe levels of shell dissolution in the undersaturated region alone. According to laboratory incubations of intact samples with a range of aragonite saturation levels, eight days of incubation in aragonite saturation levels of 0.94– 1.12 produces equivalent levels of dissolution. As deep-water upwelling and CO2 absorption by surface waters is likely to increase as a result of human activities2,4, we conclude that upper ocean regions where aragonite-shelled organisms are affected by dissolution are likely to expand