New data on Stigmella tormentillella, Herrich- Schaffer 1855, in France. ( Lep. Nepticulidae)

The author reports a new data on the little known species Stigmella tormentillella H. - S., 1855, in France . Some ecological informations are also given.L'auteur signale une nouvelle observation de Stigmella tormentillella H. - S., 1855, espèce peu connue de France. Il apporte également quelques informations concernant son écologie

Rapport intermédiaire

Les acteurs de la filière céréale wallonne sont actuellement confrontés à une série de modifications comprenant notamment : l’évolution de la législation, l’arrivée en fin de validité des permis d’environnement ou d’exploiter d’une série de sites de stockage, l’augmentation des volumes stockés au sein de ces sites, l’urbanisation à proximité de ceux-ci…. Ces éléments pourraient impliquer la fermeture de certains sites de stockage. Simultanément, la localisation de nouveaux sites de stockage est confrontée à des défis tels que la croissance du phénomène NIMBY, l’entrée en vigueur du Code de Développement Territorial (CoDT) et la protection du paysage. Pourtant, traditionnellement, la production céréalière occupe une place importante dans la production agricole belge. Cette filière s’est développée au cours du temps au point de faire de la Belgique un leader européen dans la production de céréales. Afin de concentrer une production initialement dispersée dans l’espace, des infrastructures de stockage sont nécessaires pour le développement de la filière. Ces espaces de stockage sont d’autant plus importants pour la filière que les demandes en céréales portent sur de grands volumes. Le calendrier agronomique et les conditions météorologiques impliquent une proximité entre les sites de collecte de céréales et les zones de production. Ce besoin de sites de stockage de proximité avec des volumes importants a entrainé la mutualisation de ressources entre agriculteurs et donné naissance aux coopératives agricoles spécialisées dans ce stockage. Ces organismes coexistent avec des négociants qui remplissent le même rôle. En s’adaptant au développement de la filière, ces entreprises se sont diversifiées et ont accru leurs capacités de stockage. Nombre d’entre elles fournissent maintenant des engrais ou des produits phytosanitaires, réalisent des activités de transforma-tion… Elles sont devenues des acteurs clés de la filière à l’interface entre les agriculteurs et le monde agro-industriel (localisés respectivement en amont et en aval de la production de céréales). Ces évolutions doivent être confrontées aux objectifs politiques décrits dans le Code Wallon de l’Agriculture (CWA) et du CoDT. Le CWA prévoit que les politiques agricoles wallonnes doivent « encourager et soutenir la structuration des agriculteurs afin de renforcer leur pouvoir de négociation au sein des filières et d'obtenir une meilleure appropriation par les agriculteurs de la valeur ajoutée aux produits agricoles » et « favoriser l'autonomie des agriculteurs et des exploitations agricoles, individuellement ou collectivement, en termes de production, de transformation et de commercialisation, en ce compris en favorisant le modèle coopératif ». En parallèle, le CoDT a pour objectif « d’assurer un développement durable et attractif du territoire ». Il décrit aussi les objectifs régionaux suivants : « la lutte contre l’étalement urbain et l’utilisation rationnelle des territoires et des ressources », « le développement socio-économique et de l’attractivité territoriale », « la gestion qualitative du cadre de vie » et « la maîtrise de la mobilité ». Dans ce contexte, et pour assurer l’atteinte des objectifs des deux codes précités, il est nécessaire d’: • objectiver les risques et les nuisances causés par l’activité de stockage de céréales ; • objectiver les besoins en sites de stockage ; • identifier des zones autorisant ce type d’activité à proximité des zones de production ; • identifier les critères de localisation optimale des sites de stockage de céréales. La recherche est donc composée de deux parties. La première partie, plus exploratoire, réalise un examen de la filière, ainsi que des conditions administratives et pratiques liées aux sites de stockage de céréales, afin de déboucher sur une liste de critères et types de localisation envisageables. La deuxième partie recensera les sites qui risquent de ne plus pouvoir être exploités, testera, dans ces zones, les critères et conditions mis en évidence dans la première partie et aboutira à une méthodologie applicable à toutes les zones. Ce rapport intermédiaire présente l’état d’avancement de la première partie, ainsi que les résultats préliminaires du workshop, qui réalise l’articulation entre les deux parties de la recherche. Le rapport est structuré en six chapitres. Les cinq premiers chapitres présentent les avancements réalisés dans les cinq phases de la première partie. Le premier chapitre décrit la structuration de la filière céréalière wallonne ainsi que les activités de stockage et leurs nuisances. Le deuxième chapitre éclaire la position des différents acteurs par rapport à la problématique étudiée. Le chapitre 3 décortique les conditions administratives influençant la localisation des sites de stockage de céréales. Le chapitre 4 décrit la localisation des cultures céréalières en Wallonie et, donc, le besoin en sites de stockage. Le chapitre 5 caractérise les sites de stockage de céréales présents dans les données en notre possession. Il décrit donc l’offre en stockage de céréales. Le sixième chapitre présente la manière dont a été réalisé le workshop et ses premiers résultats.Localisation des zones pouvant accueillir des activités agro-économiques de proximit

Overexpressed or intraperitoneally injected human transferrin prevents photoreceptor degeneration in rd10 mice

PURPOSE: Retinal degeneration has been associated with iron accumulation in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and in several rodent models that had one or several iron regulating protein impairments. We investigated the iron concentration and the protective role of human transferrin (hTf) in rd10 mice, a model of retinal degeneration. METHODS: The proton-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) method was used to quantify iron in rd10 mice 2, 3, and 4 weeks after birth. We generated mice with the β-phosphodiesterase mutation and hTf expression by crossbreeding rd10 mice with TghTf mice (rd10/hTf mice). The photoreceptor loss and apoptosis were evaluated by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling in 3-week-old rd10/hTf mice and compared with 3-week-old rd10 mice. The neuroprotective effect of hTf was analyzed in 5-day-old rd10 mice treated by intraperitoneal administration with hTf for up to 25 days. The retinal hTf concentrations and the thickness of the outer nuclear layer were quantified in all treated mice at 25 days postnatally. RESULTS: PIXE analysis demonstrated an age-dependent iron accumulation in the photoreceptors of rd10 mice. The rd10/hTf mice had the rd10 mutation, expressed high levels of hTf, and showed a significant decrease in photoreceptor death. In addition, rd10 mice intraperitoneally treated with hTf resulted in the retinal presence of hTf and a dose-dependent reduction in photoreceptor degeneration. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that iron accumulation in the retinas of rd10 mutant mice is associated with photoreceptor degeneration. For the first time, the enhanced survival of cones and rods in the retina of this model has been demonstrated through overexpression or systemic administration of hTf. This study highlights the therapeutic potential of Tf to inhibit iron-induced photoreceptor cell death observed in degenerative diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration

Potential for seasonal prediction of the Atlantic sea surface temperatures using the RAPID array at 26°N

The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) plays a critical role in the climate system and is responsible for much of the meridional heat transported by the ocean. In this paper, the potential of using AMOC observations from the 26 ∘ N RAPID array to predict North Atlantic sea surface temperatures is investigated for the first time. Using spatial correlations and a composite method, the AMOC anomaly is used as a precursor of North Atlantic sea-surface temperature anomalies (SSTAs). The results show that the AMOC leads a dipolar SSTA with maximum correlations between 2 and 5 months. The physical mechanism explaining the link between AMOC and SSTA is described as a seesaw mechanism where a strong AMOC anomaly increases the amount of heat advected north of 26 ∘ N as well as the SSTA, and decreases the heat content and the SSTA south of this section. In order to further understand the origins of this SSTA dipole, the respective contributions of the heat advected by the AMOC versus the Ekman transport and air–sea fluxes have been assessed. We found that at a 5-month lag, the Ekman component mainly contributes to the southern part of the dipole and cumulative air–sea fluxes only explain a small fraction of the SSTA variability. Given that the southern part of the SSTA dipole encompasses the main development region for Atlantic hurricanes, our results therefore suggest the potential for AMOC observations from 26 ∘ N to be used to complement existing seasonal hurricane forecasts in the Atlantic

Towards the understanding of the cocoa transcriptome: Production and analysis of an exhaustive dataset of ESTs of Theobroma cacao L. generated from various tissues and under various conditions

Theobroma cacao L., is a tree originated from the tropical rainforest of South America. It is one of the major cash crops for many tropical countries. T. cacao is mainly produced on smallholdings, providing resources for 14 million farmers. Disease resistance and T. cacao quality improvement are two important challenges for all actors of cocoa and chocolate production. T. cacao is seriously affected by pests and fungal diseases, responsible for more than 40% yield losses and quality improvement, nutritional and organoleptic, is also important for consumers. An international collaboration was formed to develop an EST genomic resource database for cacao. Fifty-six cDNA libraries were constructed from different organs, different genotypes and different environmental conditions. A total of 149,650 valid EST sequences were generated corresponding to 48,594 unigenes, 12,692 contigs and 35,902 singletons. A total of 29,849 unigenes shared significant homology with public sequences from other species. Gene Ontology (GO) annotation was applied to distribute the ESTs among the main GO categories. A specific information system (ESTtik) was constructed to process, store and manage this EST collection allowing the user to query a database. To check the representativeness of our EST collection, we looked for the genes known to be involved in two different metabolic pathways extensively studied in other plant species and important for T. cacao qualities: the flavonoid and the terpene pathways. Most of the enzymes described in other crops for these two metabolic pathways were found in our EST collection. A large collection of new genetic markers was provided by this ESTs collection. This EST collection displays a good representation of the T. cacao transcriptome, suitable for analysis of biochemical pathways based on oligonucleotide microarrays derived from these ESTs. It will provide numerous genetic markers that will allow the construction of a high density gene map of T. cacao. This EST collection represents a unique and important molecular resource for T. cacao study and improvement, facilitating the discovery of candidate genes for important T. cacao trait variation. (Résumé d'auteur

Evaluation of the tuberculin skin test and the interferon-γ release assay for TB screening in French healthcare workers

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Using French cut-offs for the Tuberculin Skin Test (TST), results of the TST were compared with the results of an Interferon-γ Release Assay (IGRA) in Healthcare Workers (HCW) after contact to AFB-positive TB patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Between May 2006 and May 2007, a total of 148 HCWs of the University Hospital in Nantes, France were tested simultaneously with IGRA und TST. A TST was considered to indicate recent latent TB infection (LTBI) if an increase of >10 mm or if TST ≥ 15 mm for those with no previous TST result was observed. For those with a positive TST, chest X-ray was performed and preventive chemotherapy was offered.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>All HCWs were BCG-vaccinated. The IGRA was positive in 18.9% and TST ≥ 10 mm was observed in 65.5%. A recent LTBI was believed to be highly probable in 30.4% following TST. Agreement between IGRA and TST was low (kappa 0.041). In 10 (16.7%) out of 60 HCWs who needed chest X-ray following TST the IGRA was positive. In 9 (20%) out of 45 HCWs to whom preventive chemotherapy was offered following TST the IGRA was positive. Of those considered TST-negative following the French guidelines, 20.5% were IGRA-positive. In a two-step strategy - positive TST verified by IGRA - 18 out of 28 (64.3%) IGRA-positive HCWs would not have been detected using French guidelines for TST interpretation.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The introduction of IGRA in contact tracings of BCG-vaccinated HCWs reduces X-rays and preventive chemotherapies. Increasing the cut-off for a positive TST does not seem to be helpful to overcome the effect of BCG vaccination on TST.</p

Impairment of NO-Dependent Relaxation in Intralobar Pulmonary Arteries: Comparison of Urban Particulate Matter and Manufactured Nanoparticles

International audienceBACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Because pulmonary circulation is the primary vascular target of inhaled particulate matter (PM), and nitric oxide is a major vasculoprotective agent, in this study we investigated the effect of various particles on the NO-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) pathway in pulmonary arteries. METHODS: We used intrapulmonary arteries and/or endothelial cells, either exposed in vitro to particles or removed from PM-instilled animals for assessment of vasomotricity, cGMP and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and cytokine/chemokine release. RESULTS: Endothelial NO-dependent relaxation and cGMP accumulation induced by acetylcholine (ACh) were both decreased after 24 hr exposure of rat intrapulmonary arteries to standard reference material 1648 (SRM1648; urban PM). Relaxation due to NO donors was also decreased by SRM1648, whereas responsiveness to cGMP analogue remained unaffected. Unlike SRM1648, ultrafine carbon black and ultrafine and fine titanium dioxide (TiO2) manufactured particles did not impair NO-mediated relaxation. SRM1648-induced decrease in relaxation response to ACh was prevented by dexamethasone (an anti-inflammatory agent) but not by antioxidants. Accordingly, SRM1648 increased the release of proinflammatory mediators (tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-8) from intrapulmonary arteries or pulmonary artery endothelial cells, but did not elevate ROS levels within intrapulmonary arteries. Decreased relaxation in response to ACh was also evidenced in intrapulmonary arteries removed from rats intratracheally instilled with SRM1648, but not with fine TiO2. CONCLUSION: In contrast to manufactured particles (including nanoparticles), urban PM impairs NO but not cGMP responsiveness in intrapulmonary arteries. We attribute this effect to oxidative-stress-independent inflammatory response, resulting in decreased guanylyl cyclase activation by NO. Such impairment of the NO pathway may contribute to urban-PM-induced cardiovascular dysfunction