Caractérisation des risques de contamination des agrosystèmes périurbains de Dakar par les éléments traces métalliques

L’application de produits résiduaires organiques (PRO) améliore la fertilité des sols, mais induit des effets négatifs sur les agrosystèmes, en raison de la présence de contaminants tels que les éléments traces métalliques (ETM). Cette étude vise à évaluer l’influence de deux doses (20 et 60 T.ha-1) d’apport de boue de station d’épuration STEP et de fiente de volaille sur la disponibilité de quatre ETM (Ni, Cd, Cr et Pb) dans un arenosol et un fluvisol. Une incubation de 88 jours en conditions contrôlées a été conduite sur les deux sols mélangés aux différentes doses de boue et de fiente. La disponibilité des ETM dans les sols incubés a été évaluée par la technique DGT (Diffusive Gradient in Thin films). Les boues ont abaissé le pH des deux sols tandis que les fientes ont alcalinisé l’arenosol durant les 14 premiers jours d’incubation. Ces PRO ont augmenté les concentrations de Ni, Cd, Pb et Cr disponibles dans les sols. Les  disponibilités du Ni, Cd et Pb sont plus élevées dans l’arenosol que dans le fluvisol. La boue à 60 T.ha-1 a induit les plus fortes disponibilités en Cd et Pb tandis que la fiente à 60 T.ha-1 a induit les plus fortes disponibilités en Ni et Cr dans les deux sols.Mots clés : Eléments traces métalliques, arenosol, fluvisol, boue d’épuration, fiente.  CHARACTERIZATION OF CONTAMINATION RISKS OF THE  SUBURBANAGROECOSYSTEMS OF DAKAR BY TRACE ELEMENTSOrganic wastes (OW) spreading improve soil fertility, but can induce negative effects on agroecosystems, due to the presence of contaminants such as trace elements (TE). This study aims to evaluate the impacts of two doses (20 and 60 T.ha-1) of sewage sludge and poultry manure on the availability of four trace elements (Ni, Cd, Cr and Pb) in arenosol and  fluvisol. Soils mixed with different doses of sewage sludge and poultry manure were incubated for 88 days under controlled conditions. The  availability of trace elements in incubated soils was evaluated by the DGT (Diffusive Gradient in Thin films) technique. Sewage sludge has decreased the pH of both soils while poultry manure induced an alkalinization of arenosol during the first 14 days of incubation. OW increased Ni, Cd, Pb and Cr availability in the soils. Availability of Ni, Cd and Pb were higher in arenosol than in the fluvisol. Sewage sludge at 60 T.ha-1 induced the highest availability of Cd and Pb while the poultry manure at 60 T.ha-1 induced the highest availability of Ni and Cr in both soils.Keywords : Trace elements, arenosol, fluvisol, sewage sludge, poultry manure

Genomic tools development for Aquilegia: construction of a BAC-based physical map

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The genus <it>Aquilegia</it>, consisting of approximately 70 taxa, is a member of the basal eudicot lineage, Ranuculales, which is evolutionarily intermediate between monocots and core eudicots, and represents a relatively unstudied clade in the angiosperm phylogenetic tree that bridges the gap between these two major plant groups. <it>Aquilegia </it>species are closely related and their distribution covers highly diverse habitats. These provide rich resources to better understand the genetic basis of adaptation to different pollinators and habitats that in turn leads to rapid speciation. To gain insights into the genome structure and facilitate gene identification, comparative genomics and whole-genome shotgun sequencing assembly, BAC-based genomics resources are of crucial importance.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>BAC-based genomic resources, including two BAC libraries, a physical map with anchored markers and BAC end sequences, were established from <it>A. formosa</it>. The physical map was composed of a total of 50,155 BAC clones in 832 contigs and 3939 singletons, covering 21X genome equivalents. These contigs spanned a physical length of 689.8 Mb (~2.3X of the genome) suggesting the complex heterozygosity of the genome. A set of 197 markers was developed from ESTs induced by drought-stress, or involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis or floral development, and was integrated into the physical map. Among these were 87 genetically mapped markers that anchored 54 contigs, spanning 76.4 Mb (25.5%) across the genome. Analysis of a selection of 12,086 BAC end sequences (BESs) from the minimal tiling path (MTP) allowed a preview of the <it>Aquilegia </it>genome organization, including identification of transposable elements, simple sequence repeats and gene content. Common repetitive elements previously reported in both monocots and core eudicots were identified in <it>Aquilegia </it>suggesting the value of this genome in connecting the two major plant clades. Comparison with sequenced plant genomes indicated a higher similarity to grapevine (<it>Vitis vinifera</it>) than to rice and <it>Arabidopsis </it>in the transcriptomes.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The <it>A. formosa </it>BAC-based genomic resources provide valuable tools to study <it>Aquilegia </it>genome. Further integration of other existing genomics resources, such as ESTs, into the physical map should enable better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying adaptive radiation and elaboration of floral morphology.</p

Fluids and barriers of the CNS: a historical viewpoint

Tracing the exact origins of modern science can be a difficult but rewarding pursuit. It is possible for the astute reader to follow the background of any subject through the many important surviving texts from the classical and ancient world. While empirical investigations have been described by many since the time of Aristotle and scientific methods have been employed since the Middle Ages, the beginnings of modern science are generally accepted to have originated during the 'scientific revolution' of the 16th and 17th centuries in Europe. The scientific method is so fundamental to modern science that some philosophers consider earlier investigations as 'pre-science'. Notwithstanding this, the insight that can be gained from the study of the beginnings of a subject can prove important in the understanding of work more recently completed. As this journal undergoes an expansion in focus and nomenclature from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) into all barriers of the central nervous system (CNS), this review traces the history of both the blood-CSF and blood-brain barriers from as early as it was possible to find references, to the time when modern concepts were established at the beginning of the 20th century