Genome sequence of Xanthomonas fuscans subsp. fuscans strain 4834-R reveals that flagellar motility is not a general feature of xanthomonads

Abstract\ud \ud \ud \ud Background\ud Xanthomonads are plant-associated bacteria responsible for diseases on economically important crops. Xanthomonas fuscans subsp. fuscans (Xff) is one of the causal agents of common bacterial blight of bean. In this study, the complete genome sequence of strain Xff 4834-R was determined and compared to other Xanthomonas genome sequences.\ud \ud \ud \ud Results\ud Comparative genomics analyses revealed core characteristics shared between Xff 4834-R and other xanthomonads including chemotaxis elements, two-component systems, TonB-dependent transporters, secretion systems (from T1SS to T6SS) and multiple effectors. For instance a repertoire of 29 Type 3 Effectors (T3Es) with two Transcription Activator-Like Effectors was predicted. Mobile elements were associated with major modifications in the genome structure and gene content in comparison to other Xanthomonas genomes. Notably, a deletion of 33 kbp affects flagellum biosynthesis in Xff 4834-R. The presence of a complete flagellar cluster was assessed in a collection of more than 300 strains representing different species and pathovars of Xanthomonas. Five percent of the tested strains presented a deletion in the flagellar cluster and were non-motile. Moreover, half of the Xff strains isolated from the same epidemic than 4834-R was non-motile and this ratio was conserved in the strains colonizing the next bean seed generations.\ud \ud \ud \ud Conclusions\ud This work describes the first genome of a Xanthomonas strain pathogenic on bean and reports the existence of non-motile xanthomonads belonging to different species and pathovars. Isolation of such Xff variants from a natural epidemic may suggest that flagellar motility is not a key function for in planta fitness.AI is funded by a PhD grant from INRA-SPE and region Pays de la Loire, France. EG was funded by a PhD grant from the French Ministry of National Education and Research and French Guyana. SC, EG, MA, EL and LDN are funded by the LABEX TULIP (ANR-10-LABX-41), LSG is funded by ANR-2010-GENM-013 Xanthomix

25th International Conference on Computing in High Energy & Nuclear Physics

CORSIKA is a standard software for simulations of air showers induced by cosmic rays. It has been developed in Fortran 77 continuously over the last thirty years. So it becomes very difficult to add new physics features to CORSIKA 7. CORSIKA 8 aims to be the future of the CORSIKA project. It is a framework in C++17 which uses modern concepts in object oriented programming for an efficient modularity and flexibility. The CORSIKA 8 project aims to obtain high performance by exploiting techniques such as vectorization, gpu/cpu parallelization, extended use of static polymorphism and the most precise physical models available. In this paper we focus on the Cherenkov photon propagation module of CORSIKA, which is of particular interest for gamma-ray experiments, like the Cherenkov Telescope Array. First, we present the optimizations that we have applied to the Cherenkov module thanks to the results of detailed profiling using performance counters. Then, we report our preliminary work to develop the Cherenkov Module in the CORSIKA 8 framework. Finally, we will demonstrate the first performance comparison with the current CORSIKA software as well as the validation of physics results

A C++ Cherenkov photons simulation in CORSIKA 8

International audienceCORSIKA is a standard software for simulations of air showers induced by cosmic rays. It has been developed mainly in Fortran 77 continuously over the last thirty years. It has become very difficult to add new physics features to CORSIKA 7. CORSIKA 8 aims to be the future of the CORSIKA project. It is a framework in C++17 which uses modern concepts in object oriented programming for an efficient modularity and flexibility. The CORSIKA 8 project aims to attain high performance by exploiting techniques such as vectorization, gpu/cpu parallelization, extended use of static polymorphism and the most precise physical models available. In this paper, we focus on the Cherenkov photon propagation module of CORSIKA, which is of particular interest for gamma-ray experiments, like the Cherenkov Telescope Array. First, we present the optimizations that we have applied to the Cherenkov module thanks to the results of detailed profiling using performance counters. Then, we report our preliminary work to develop the Cherenkov Module in the CORSIKA 8 framework. Finally, we will demonstrate the first performance comparison with the current CORSIKA software as well as physics validation

A wheat grain quantitative evaluation of vitreousness by light transmission analysis

International audienceLight transmission through wheat (T. aestivum L.) grain longitudinal cross sections of different thickness was used to study the endosperm microstructure and was shown to strictly follow a Beer-Lambert law allowing a non ambiguous quantification of the endosperm vitreousness. Therefore similar samples obtained from near-isogenic lines differing by hardness and grown in two distinct environments affecting their vitreousness were analyzed and confirmed the relationship between light transmission and the endosperm microstructure. In each sample, moreover analysis of light transmission within the different grain parts highlighted the greater compactness of the central endosperm cheeks in comparison with the distal and the proximal regions. These results helps a better understanding of the endosperm microstructure

L’innovation technologique face au changement climatique : quelle est la position de la France ?

Technological Innovation and Climate Change : Where Does France Stand ? We analyse France’s position on global warming mitigation technology. The methodology draws on a database describing all patents filed between 1980 and 2008 in 17 climate-related technological classes. France is the fifth largest innovator in theworld, with 5.2% of patented inventions, including 20% from the public sector. More than half of French inventions are protected abroad, 1.5 times more than the global average. France’s position is relativelyweak in renewable energy, and strong in sectorsmarked by the presence of national industrial champions and public research organisations.Cet article propose une analyse du positionnement de la France en matière de technologies de lutte contre le réchauffement climatique. La méthodologie s’appuie sur une base de données décrivant l’ensemble des dépôts de brevets entre 1980 et 2008 dans 17 classes technologiques liées au climat. La France est au cinquième rang mondial, avec 5,2% des inventions brevetées dont 20 % proviennent du secteur public. Plus de la moitié des inventions françaises sont protégées à l’étranger, soit 1,5 fois plus que la moyenne mondiale. Le positionnement technologique de la France est faible dans les énergies renouvelables et fort dans des secteurs marqués par la présence de champions nationaux industriels et des organismes publics de recherche.Ménière Yann, Glachant Matthieu, Dechezleprêtre Antoine, Pot Cécile, Carrère Fabrice, Le Blanc Gilles. L’innovation technologique face au changement climatique : quelle est la position de la France ?. In: Économie & prévision, n°202-203, 2013. Economie du droit. pp. 53-80

Compressive fatigue of carbon fibers/epoxy laminate: an approach combining residual strength and self-heating

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Répartition de la vitrosité inter-grains et intra-grain au sein d’un lot de blé par une méthode originale utilisant la lumière transmise au travers d’une coupe de grain

International audienc

Optimizing Cherenkov photons generation and propagation in CORSIKA for CTA Monte-Carlo simulations

International audienceCORSIKA (COsmic Ray SImulations for KAscade) is a program for detailed simulation of extensive air showers initiated by high energy cosmic ray particles in the atmosphere, and is used today by almost all the major instruments that aim at measuring primary and secondary cosmic rays on the ground. The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), currently under construction , is the next-generation instrument in the field of very-high-energy gamma-ray astronomy. Detailed CORSIKA Monte Carlo simulations will be regularly performed in parallel to CTA operations to estimate the instrument response functions, necessary to extract the physical properties of the cosmic sources from the measurements during data analysis. The estimated CPU time associated with these simulations is very high, of the order of 200 million HS06 hours per year. Code optimization becomes a necessity towards fast productions and limited costs. We propose in this paper multiple code transformations that aim to facilitate automatic vectorization done by the compiler, ensuring minimal external libraries requirement and high hardware porta-bility

Sheep birth seasonality in past herds. The biological and cultural heritage from Neolithic Europe

International audienceDuring the course of the diffusion of Neolithic agropastoral societies across Europe, animal husbandry was adapted to local constraints and resources, involving changes in practices, as well as in animal physiology. As a result, the timing of animal breeding was impacted, with consequences on the organization of agro-pastoral tasks and the seasonal availability of animal productions. Past sheep birth seasonality can be investigated through the reconstruction of the seasonal cycle recorded in molars, based on the sequential analysis of stable oxygen isotope ratios (δ18O) in enamel. Modern sheep serve as comparative material to define the season of birth. First, this presentation will provide a synthesis of existing modern comparative material. Those include two new reference sets, on sheep from a Ouessant x Landes de Bretagne crossed breed raised at Kemenez (Finistère, France) and on Lacaune sheep raised in Causse du Larzac (southern France), providing new reference values for winter, spring and autumn births. Second, we will provide an overview of sheep births distribution (timing and spread of births) in European contexts dated to the 6th-3rd millennia cal BC, with a specific focus on Southern France. By contrast to late winter-spring lambing as the general rule in Europe, autumnal lambing is evidenced in Southern France as early as in the Neolithic. This character constitutes a strong identity of today’s farming practices in the northern margin of the western Mediterranean, where autumnal lambing coincides with maximal pasture availability and is prized for bringing benefits in terms of out-of-season availability of sheep products. Its occurrence in the Neolithic involved not only the physiological capacity of early sheep for enlarged breeding season, but also intentional management of females and males interactions by the herder, as well as adequate pasture resources to support lactation in the autumn. Conclusions are raised in terms of animal and vegetal resources managements and paleoclimatology