The Effect of Blue Light on Leaf Growth and Plant Development in Two Morphologically Contrasted Perennial Ryegrass Genotypes: Cellular Basis and Ecological Implications

Several major plant responses to competition for light are determined by responses to light signals, in particular to red/far-red ratio (R/FR) and blue light, besides responses mediated through photosynthesis and carbon assimilation (Gautier et al., 1999). These responses to light signals allow plants to react to the presence of neighbours and to anticipate the impact of light competition on photosynthesis. The objective of the study was to evaluate the impact of blue light on leaf growth and its cellular basis, on two short and long leaved populations (FC and FL respectively), which were shown to have different competitive ability (Hazard et al., 1996)

Mutational analysis of the carbohydrate binding activity of the tobacco lectin

At present the three-dimensional structure of the tobacco lectin, further referred to as Nictaba, and its carbohydrate-binding site are unresolved. In this paper, we propose a three-dimensional model for the Nictaba domain based on the homology between Nictaba and the carbohydrate-binding module 22 of Clostridium thermocellum Xyn10B. The suggested model nicely fits with results from circular dichroism experiments, indicating that Nictaba consists mainly of beta-sheet. In addition, the previously identified nuclear localization signal is located at the top of the protein as a part of a protruding loop. Judging from this model and sequence alignments with closely related proteins, conserved glutamic acid and tryptophan residues in the Nictaba sequence were selected for mutational analysis. The mutant DNA sequences as well as the original Nictaba sequence have been expressed in Pichia pastoris and the recombinant proteins were purified from the culture medium. Subsequently, the recombinant proteins were characterized and their carbohydrate binding properties analyzed with glycan array technology. It was shown that mutation of glutamic acid residues in the C-terminal half of the protein did not alter the carbohydrate-binding activity of the lectin. In contrast, mutation of tryptophan residues in the N-terminal half of the Nictaba domain resulted in a complete loss of carbohydrate binding activity. These results suggest that tryptophan residues play an important role in the carbohydrate binding site of Nictaba

Experimental study of granular surface flows via a fast camera: a continuous description

Depth averaged conservation equations are written for granular surface flows. Their application to the study of steady surface flows in a rotating drum allows to find experimentally the constitutive relations needed to close these equations from measurements of the velocity profile in the flowing layer at the center of the drum and from the flowing layer thickness and the static/flowing boundary profiles. The velocity varies linearly with depth, with a gradient independent of both the flowing layer thickness and the static/flowing boundary local slope. The first two closure relations relating the flow rate and the momentum flux to the flowing layer thickness and the slope are then deduced. Measurements of the profile of the flowing layer thickness and the static/flowing boundary in the whole drum explicitly give the last relation concerning the force acting on the flowing layer. Finally, these closure relations are compared to existing continuous models of surface flows.Comment: 20 pages, 11 figures, submitted to Phys. FLuid

Trace checking of Metric Temporal Logic with Aggregating Modalities using MapReduce

Modern complex software systems produce a large amount of execution data, often stored in logs. These logs can be analyzed using trace checking techniques to check whether the system complies with its requirements specifications. Often these specifications express quantitative properties of the system, which include timing constraints as well as higher-level constraints on the occurrences of significant events, expressed using aggregate operators. In this paper we present an algorithm that exploits the MapReduce programming model to check specifications expressed in a metric temporal logic with aggregating modalities, over large execution traces. The algorithm exploits the structure of the formula to parallelize the evaluation, with a significant gain in time. We report on the assessment of the implementation - based on the Hadoop framework - of the proposed algorithm and comment on its scalability.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures, Extended version of the SEFM 2014 pape

Wigner crystal versus Fermionization for one-dimensional Hubbard models with and without long-range interactions

The ground state properties of Hubbard model with or without long-range interactions in the regime with strongly repulsive on-site interaction are investigated by means of the exact diagonalization method. We show that the appearance of $N$-crests in the density profile of a trapped N-fermion system is a natural result of "fermionization" between antiparallel-spin fermions in the strongly repulsive limit and can not be taken as the only signature of Wigner crystal phase, as the static structure factor does not show any signature of crystallization. On the contrary, both the density distribution and static structure factor of Hubbard model with strong long-range interactions display clear signature of Wigner crystal. Our results indicate the important role of long-range interaction in the formation of Wigner crystal.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure

Modélisation Territoriale des Types de Labour dans le Bassin Versant d’Affon-Donga au Bénin

L’élaboration d’une politique de gestion durable des terres agricoles par les décideurs s’avère d’une importance capitale pour les agriculteurs. La territorialisation de l’agriculture doit être vulgarisée suite à l’identification des terres aptes à l’agriculture durable. La présente étude vise à élaborer un modèle territorial des types de labour dans le bassin versant d’Affon-Donga (au Bénin) pour une pérennisation des terres en vue d’asseoir une agriculture durable. L’usage du modèle RUSLE a permis de localiser les secteurs exposés à l’érosion hydrique dans ledit bassin versant. La carte issue du modèle RUSLE, la carte d’épaisseur du sol et la carte d’occupation du sol ont été utilisées comme facteurs dans le modèle de superposition pondéré pour déterminer les zones aptes aux différents types de labour. Les résultats obtenus révèlent que 13,45 % de la superficie du bassin versant représente les sols relativement profonds où tout type de labour est possible ; 17,92 % du bassin versant correspond aux sols aptes au labour en billons perpendiculaires à la pente pour éviter considérablement l’érosion hydrique ; 56,17 % du bassin versant représente les sols aptes au labour en planches perpendiculaires à la pente pour pratiquer les cultures maraîchères uniquement dans les bas-fonds et 12,45 % du bassin versant représente les sols qui ne sont pas destinés aux labours. Pourtant, la production des fourrages y est possible. Pour la pérennité des terres agricoles, le modèle de la territorialisation des types de labour permet aux décideurs d’orienter les agriculteurs sur les terres agricoles aptes.   The development of a policy for the sustainable management of agricultural land by decision-makers is of paramount importance to farmers. The territorialization of agriculture must be popularized following the identification of land suitable for sustainable agriculture. This study aims to develop a territorial model of the types of plowing in the Affon-Donga watershed (in Benin) for the sustainability of the land with a view to establishing sustainable agriculture. The use of the RUSLE model made it possible to locate areas exposed to water erosion. The map from the RUSLE model, the soil thickness map and the land cover map were used as factors in the weighted overlay model to determine the areas suitable for different types of tillage. The results obtained show that 13.45% of the area of the watershed represents relatively deep soils where any type of plowing is possible; 17.92% of the watershed corresponds to soils suitable for plowing in ridges perpendicular to the slope to considerably avoid water erosion; 56.17% of the watershed represents soils suitable for plowing in planks perpendicular to the slope for cultivating market gardening only in lowlands and 12.45% of the watershed represents soils which are not intended for plowing. Nevertheless, the production of fodder is possible there. For the sustainability of agricultural land, the model of the territorialisation of types of plowing allows decision-makers to direct farmers to suitable agricultural land

Simian immunodeficiency virus infection in wild-caught chimpanzees from Cameroon

Simian immunodeficiency viruses (SIVcpz) infecting chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) in west central Africa are the closest relatives to all major variants of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 ([HIV-1]; groups M, N and O), and have thus been implicated as the source of the human infections; however, information concerning the prevalence, geographic distribution, and subspecies association of SIVcpz still remains limited. In this study, we tested 71 wild-caught chimpanzees from Cameroon for evidence of SIVcpz infection. Thirty-nine of these were of the central subspecies (Pan troglodytes troglodytes), and 32 were of the Nigerian subspecies (Pan troglodytes vellerosus), as determined by mitochondrial DNA analysis. Serological analysis determined that one P. t. troglodytes ape (CAM13) harbored serum antibodies that cross-reacted strongly with HIV-1 antigens; all other apes were seronegative. To characterize the newly identified virus, 14 partially overlapping viral fragments were amplified from fecal virion RNA and concatenated to yield a complete SIVcpz genome (9,284 bp). Phylogenetic analyses revealed that SIVcpzCAM13 fell well within the radiation of the SIVcpzPtt group of viruses, as part of a clade including all other SIVcpzPtt strains as well as HIV-1 groups M and N. However, SIVcpzCAM13 clustered most closely with SIVcpzGAB1 from Gabon rather than with SIVcpzCAM3 and SIVcpzCAM5 from Cameroon, indicating the existence of divergent SIVcpzPtt lineages within the same geographic region. These data, together with evidence of recombination among ancestral SIVcpzPtt lineages, indicate long-standing endemic infection of central chimpanzees and reaffirm a west central African origin of HIV-1. Whether P. t. vellerosus apes are naturally infected with SIVcpz requires further study

Interest of pet imaging in multiple myeloma

The interest of 18Fluoro-deoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging in the management of patients with multiple myeloma (MM) for the workup at diagnosis and for therapeutic evaluation has recently been demonstrated. FDG-PET is a powerful imaging tool for bone lesions detection at initial diagnosis with high sensitivity and specificity values. The independent pejorative prognostic value on progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of baseline PET-derived parameters (presence of extra-medullary disease (EMD), number of focal bone lesions (FLs), and maximum standardized uptake values [SUVmax]) has been reported in several large independent prospective studies. During therapeutic evaluation, FDG-PET is considered as the reference imaging technique, because it can be performed much earlier than MRI which lacks specificity. Persistence of significant FDG uptake after treatment, notably before maintenance therapy, is an independent pejorative prognostic factor, especially for patients with a complete biological response. So FDG-PET and medullary flow cytometry are complementary tools for detection of minimal residual disease before maintenance therapy. However, the definition of PET metabolic complete response should be standardized. In patients with smoldering multiple myeloma, the presence of at least one hyper-metabolic lytic lesions on FDG-PET may be considered as a criterion for initiating therapy. FDG-PET is also indicated for initial staging of a solitary plasmacytoma so as to not disregard other bone or extra-medullary localizations. Development of nuclear medicine offer new perspectives for MM imaging. Recent PET tracers are willing to overcome limitations of FDG. (11)C-Methionine, which uptake reflects the increased protein synthesis of malignant cells seems to correlate well with bone marrow infiltration. Lipid tracers, such as Choline or acetate, and some peptide tracers, such as (68) Ga-Pentixafor, that targets CXCR4 (chemokine receptor-4, which is often expressed with high density by myeloma cells), are other promising PET ligands. 18F-fludarabine and immuno-PET targeting CD138 and CD38 also showed promising results in preclinical models

Release properties of UCx_x and molten U targets

The release properties of UC$_x$ and molten U thick targets associated with a Nier- Bernas ion source have been studied. Two experimental methods are used to extract the release time. Results are presented and discussed for Kr, Cd, I and Xe