Droit de la construction : de la jurisprudence à la pratique notariale

"Parce que le contentieux de la construction concerne les notaires à bien des égards, cette nouvelle chronique, rédigée par des universitaires et des praticiens, a pour objectif premier de brosser un panorama des décisions importantes rendues au cours de l\u27année 2012 en la matière. Les signataires de ces lignes ont ensuite cherché, dans le cadre de cette collaboration entre chercheurs et notaires, à enrichir leurs commentaires de conseils pratiques. Ainsi, au cours de l\u27année écoulée, la Cour de cassation s\u27est prononcée sur des questions générales d\u27organisation de l\u27immeuble, précisant la liberté de choix entre le statut de la copropriété et la division en volumes ou revenant sur les règles applicables aux travaux réalisés sur un mur mitoyen. Des précisions ont également été apportées sur le champ d\u27application de la responsabilité décennale des constructeurs, puisqu\u27il a été rappelé que le vendeur même non professionnel d\u27un immeuble rénové peut, à certaines conditions, engager sa responsabilité décennale, de même que cette cause de responsabilité est également susceptible de s\u27appliquer lorsque les dommages affectant un immeuble neuf causent des préjudices à des tiers ou se matérialisent par un simple risque d\u27écroulement, sans que la catastrophe ne soit encore survenue. Un arrêt important précise en outre, dans le domaine des assurances, la distinction entre la faute lourde, couverte, et celle intentionnelle, dont l\u27assureur ne répondra pas. On relèvera finalement trois décisions importantes en matière de vente d\u27immeubles à construire. Deux concernent la rédaction des actes, quant à la distinction entre les notions d\u27achèvement et de livraison d\u27une part, puis relativement aux clauses d\u27allongement de délai de livraison pour intempéries, d\u27autre part. Le dernier revient sur la question importante la rénovation en précisant l\u27étendue de la responsabilité du notaire dans le choix entre le modèle de la vente en l\u27état futur d\u27achèvement et celui de la vente d\u27immeuble à rénover." Gwenaëlle Durand-Pasquie

Campana points of bounded height on vector group compactifications

We initiate a systematic quantitative study of subsets of rational points that are integral with respect to a weighted boundary divisor on Fano orbifolds. We call the points in these sets Campana points. Earlier work of Campana and subsequently Abramovich shows that there are several reasonable competing definitions for Campana points. We use a version that delineates well different types of behaviour of points as the weights on the boundary divisor vary. This prompts a Manin-type conjecture on Fano orbifolds for sets of Campana points that satisfy a klt (Kawamata log terminal) condition. By importing work of Chambert-Loir and Tschinkel to our set-up, we prove a log version of Manin's conjecture for klt Campana points on equivariant compactifications of vector groups.Comment: 52 pages; minor revision, changes in the definition of Campana point

Choline Dehydrogenase Polymorphism rs12676 Is a Functional Variation and Is Associated with Changes in Human Sperm Cell Function

Approximately 15% of couples are affected by infertility and up to half of these cases arise from male factor infertility. Unidentified genetic aberrations such as chromosomal deletions, translocations and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) may be the underlying cause of many cases of idiopathic male infertility. Deletion of the choline dehydrogenase (Chdh) gene in mice results in decreased male fertility due to diminished sperm motility; sperm from Chdh−/− males have decreased ATP concentrations likely stemming from abnormal sperm mitochondrial morphology and function in these cells. Several SNPs have been identified in the human CHDH gene that may result in altered CHDH enzymatic activity. rs12676 (G233T), a non-synonymous SNP located in the CHDH coding region, is associated with increased susceptibility to dietary choline deficiency and risk of breast cancer. We now report evidence that this SNP is also associated with altered sperm motility patterns and dysmorphic mitochondrial structure in sperm. Sperm produced by men who are GT or TT for rs12676 have 40% and 73% lower ATP concentrations, respectively, in their sperm. rs12676 is associated with decreased CHDH protein in sperm and hepatocytes. A second SNP located in the coding region of IL17BR, rs1025689, is linked to altered sperm motility characteristics and changes in choline metabolite concentrations in sperm

Glycine betaine, an osmotic effector in Klebsiella pneumoniae and other members of the Enterobacteriaceae.

Osmoregulation was examined in members of the Enterobacteriaceae. Exogenous glycine betaine at a concentration as low as 1 mM was found to stimulate the growth rate of Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, and Klebsiella pneumoniae in media of inhibitory osmotic strength. The stimulation was shown to be independent of any specific solutes, electrolytes, or nonelectrolytes. Therefore, the stimulatory effect of glycine betaine was a consequence of high osmotic potential. This effect was found to be far greater than the proline effect previously observed in S. typhimurium. Whereas nitrogen fixation by K. pneumoniae is completely inhibited under conditions of osmotic stress, nitrogenase activity could be partially restored by the addition of exogenous glycine betaine to the culture medium. Furthermore, glycine betaine in combination with proline, especially proline produced internally at a high level because of regulatory mutations affecting proline biosynthesis, strongly stimulated nitrogen fixation activity during osmotic stress. Glycine betaine was accumulated by the cells, and the amount taken up was correlated with the osmolarity of the medium. These findings are discussed in relation to the possible mechanisms by which glycine betaine might cause enhanced osmotolerance

Survival in seawater of Escherichia coli cells grown in marine sediments containing glycine betaine.

Considering both the protective effect of glycine betaine (GB) on enteric bacteria grown at high osmolarity and the possible presence of GB in marine sediments, we have analyzed the survival, in nutrient-free seawater, of Escherichia coli cells incubated in sediments supplemented with GB or not supplemented and measured the efficiency of GB uptake systems and the expression of proP and proU genes in both seawater and sediments. We did this by using strains harboring proP-lacZ and proU-lacZ operon or gene fusions. We found that the uptake of GB and the expression of both proP and proU were very weak in seawater. The survival ability of cells in seawater supplemented with GB was a linear function of GB concentration, although the overall protection by the osmolyte was low. In sediments, proP expression was weak and GB uptake and proU expression were variable, possibly depending on the availability of organic nutrients. In a sediment with a high total organic carbon content, GB uptake was very high and proU expression was enhanced; cells previously incubated in this sediment showed a higher resistance to decay in seawater. GB might therefore play a significant role in the long-term maintenance of enteric bacterial cells in some marine sediments

遗传工程在农业上的应用:渗透调节

<正> 目前,通过遗传上的和化学上的操作已经能够改变微生物的渗透耐受性。而在将来,遗传工程技术也能构建比较耐干早和耐盐碱的农作物品种(TIBS 1980,535—39;167—170)

Osmotic control of glycine betaine biosynthesis and degradation in Rhizobium meliloti.

Intracellular accumulation of glycine betaine has been shown to confer an enhanced level of osmotic stress tolerance in Rhizobium meliloti. In this study, we used a physiological approach to investigate the mechanism by which glycine betaine is accumulated in osmotically stressed R. meliloti. Results from growth experiments, 14C labeling of intermediates, and enzyme activity assays are presented. The results provide evidence for the pathway of biosynthesis and degradation of glycine betaine and the osmotic effects on this pathway. High osmolarity in the medium decreased the activities of the enzymes involved in the degradation of glycine betaine but not those of enzymes that lead to its biosynthesis from choline. Thus, the concentration of the osmoprotectant glycine betaine is increased in stressed cells. This report demonstrates the ability of the osmolarity of the growth medium to regulate the use of glycine betaine as a carbon and nitrogen source or as an osmoprotectant. The mechanisms of osmoregulation in R. meliloti and Escherichia coli are compared