Development and testing of cabin sidewall acoustic resonators for the reduction of cabin tone levels in propfan-powered aircraft

The use of Helmholtz resonators to increase the sidewall transmission loss (TL) in aircraft cabin sidewalls is evaluated. Development, construction, and test of an aircraft cabin acoustic enclosure, built in support of the Propfan Test Assessment (PTA) program, is described. Laboratory and flight test results are discussed. Resonators (448) were located between the enclosure trim panels and the fuselage shell. In addition, 152 resonators were placed between the enclosure and aircraft floors. The 600 resonators were each tuned to a propfan fundamental blade passage frequency (235 Hz). After flight testing on the PTA aircraft, noise reduction (NR) tests were performed with the enclosure in the Kelly Johnson Research and Development Center Acoustics Laboratory. Broadband and tonal excitations were used in the laboratory. Tonal excitation simulated the propfan flight test excitation. The resonators increase the NR of the cabin walls around the resonance frequency of the resonator array. Increases in NR of up to 11 dB were measured. The effects of flanking, sidewall absorption, cabin absorption, resonator loading of trim panels, and panel vibrations are presented. Resonator and sidewall panel design and test are discussed

Differential fine-tuning of gene expression regulation in coffee leaves by CcDREB1D promoter haplotypes under water deficit.

Despite the importance of the DREB1D gene (also known as CBF4) in plant responses to water deficit and cold stress, studies analysing its regulation by transgenic approaches are lacking. In the current work, a functional study of three CcDREB1D promoter haplotypes (named HP15, HP16 and HP17) isolated from drought-tolerant and droughtsensitive clones of Coffea canephora was carried out in plants of C. arabica stably transformed by Agrobacterium tumefaciens by analysing their ability to regulate the expression of the uidA reporter gene in response to water deficit mimicked by polyethylene glycol (−2.0 MPa) and low relative humidity treatments

Snake Cytotoxins Bind to Membranes via Interactions with Phosphatidylserine Head Groups of Lipids

The major representatives of Elapidae snake venom, cytotoxins (CTs), share similar three-fingered fold and exert diverse range of biological activities against various cell types. CT-induced cell death starts from the membrane recognition process, whose molecular details remain unclear. It is known, however, that the presence of anionic lipids in cell membranes is one of the important factors determining CT-membrane binding. In this work, we therefore investigated specific interactions between one of the most abundant of such lipids, phosphatidylserine (PS), and CT 4 of Naja kaouthia using a combined, experimental and modeling, approach. It was shown that incorporation of PS into zwitterionic liposomes greatly increased the membrane-damaging activity of CT 4 measured by the release of the liposome-entrapped calcein fluorescent dye. The CT-induced leakage rate depends on the PS concentration with a maximum at approximately 20% PS. Interestingly, the effects observed for PS were much more pronounced than those measured for another anionic lipid, sulfatide. To delineate the potential PS binding sites on CT 4 and estimate their relative affinities, a series of computer simulations was performed for the systems containing the head group of PS and different spatial models of CT 4 in aqueous solution and in an implicit membrane. This was done using an original hybrid computational protocol implementing docking, Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulations. As a result, at least three putative PS-binding sites with different affinities to PS molecule were delineated. Being located in different parts of the CT molecule, these anion-binding sites can potentially facilitate and modulate the multi-step process of the toxin insertion into lipid bilayers. This feature together with the diverse binding affinities of the sites to a wide variety of anionic targets on the membrane surface appears to be functionally meaningful and may adjust CT action against different types of cells

Glycaemic control in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus during and after cancer treatment: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Cancer and Diabetes Mellitus (DM) are leading causes of death worldwide and the prevalence of both is escalating. People with co-morbid cancer and DM have increased morbidity and premature mortality compared with cancer patients with no DM. The reasons for this are likely to be multifaceted but will include the impact of hypo/hyperglycaemia and diabetes therapies on cancer treatment and disease progression. A useful step toward addressing this disparity in treatment outcomes is to establish the impact of cancer treatment on diabetes control. Aim The aim of this review is to identify and analyse current evidence reporting glycaemic control (HbA1c) during and after cancer treatment. Methods Systematic searches of published quantitative research relating to comorbid cancer and type 2 diabetes mellitus were conducted using databases, including Medline, Embase, PsychINFO, CINAHL and Web of Science (February 2017). Full text publications were eligible for inclusion if they: were quantitative, published in English language, investigated the effects of cancer treatment on glycaemic control, reported HbA1c (%/mmols/mol) and included adult populations with diabetes. Means, standard deviations and sample sizes were extracted from each paper; missing standard deviations were imputed. The completed datasets were analysed using a random effects model. A mixed-effects analysis was undertaken to calculate mean HbA1c (%/mmols/mol) change over three time periods compared to baseline. Results The available literature exploring glycaemic control post-diagnosis was mixed. There was increased risk of poor glycaemic control during this time if studies of surgical treatment for gastric cancer are excluded, with significant differences between baseline and 12 months (p < 0.001) and baseline and 24 months (p = 0.002). Conclusion We found some evidence to support the contention that glycaemic control during and/or after non-surgical cancer treatment is worsened, and the reasons are not well defined in individual studies. Future studies should consider the reasons why this is the case

Quantification of endogenous levels of IAA, IAAsp and IBA in micro-propagated shoots of hybrid chestnut pre-treated with IBA

Endogenous levels of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), indole-3-acetylaspartic acid (IAAsp) and indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) were measured during the first 8 d of in vitro rooting of rootstock from the chestnut ‘M3’ hybrid by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Rooting was induced either by dipping the basal ends of the shoots into a 4.92-mM IBA solution for 1 min or by sub-culturing the shoots on solid rooting medium supplemented with 14.8- μM IBA for 5 d. For root development, the induced shoots were transferred to auxin-free solid medium. Auxins were measured in the apical and basal parts of the shoots by means of HPLC. Endogenous levels of IAA and IAAsp were found to be greater in IBA-treated shoots than in control shoots. In extracts of the basal parts of the shoots, the concentration of free IAA showed a significant peak 2 d after either root inductive method and a subsequent gradual decrease for the remainder of the time course. The concentration of IAAsp peaked at day 6 in extracts of the basal parts of shoots induced with 14.8-μM IBA for 5 d, whereas shoots induced by dipping showed an initial increase until day 2 and then remained stable. In extracts from basal shoot portions induced by dipping, IBA concentration showed a transient peak at day 1 and a plateau between day 2 and 4, in contrast to the profile of shoots induced on auxin-containing medium, which showed a significant reduction between 4 and 6 d after transferred to auxin-free medium. All quantified auxins remained at a relatively low level, virtually constant, in extracts from apical shoot portions, as well as in extracts from control non-rooting shoots. In conclusion, the natural auxin IAA is the signal responsible for root induction, although it is driven by exogenous IBA independently of the adding conditions

Manipulation of Plant Defense Responses by the Tomato Psyllid (Bactericerca cockerelli) and Its Associated Endosymbiont Candidatus Liberibacter Psyllaurous

Some plant pathogens form obligate relationships with their insect vector and are vertically transmitted via eggs analogous to insect endosymbionts. Whether insect endosymbionts manipulate plant defenses to benefit their insect host remains unclear. The tomato psyllid, Bactericerca cockerelli (Sulc), vectors the endosymbiont “Candidatus Liberibacter psyllaurous” (Lps) during feeding on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). Lps titer in psyllids varied relative to the psyllid developmental stage with younger psyllids harboring smaller Lps populations compared to older psyllids. In the present study, feeding by different life stages of B. cockerelli infected with Lps, resulted in distinct tomato transcript profiles. Feeding by young psyllid nymphs, with lower Lps levels, induced tomato genes regulated by jasmonic acid (JA) and salicylic acid (SA) (Allene oxide synthase, Proteinase inhibitor 2, Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase 5, Pathogenesis-related protein 1) compared to feeding by older nymphs and adults, where higher Lps titers were found. In addition, inoculation of Lps without insect hosts suppressed accumulation of these defense transcripts. Collectively, these data suggest that the endosymbiont-like pathogen Lps manipulates plant signaling and defensive responses to benefit themselves and the success of their obligate insect vector on their host plant

Rare predicted loss-of-function variants of type I IFN immunity genes are associated with life-threatening COVID-19

Background: We previously reported that impaired type I IFN activity, due to inborn errors of TLR3- and TLR7-dependent type I interferon (IFN) immunity or to autoantibodies against type I IFN, account for 15–20% of cases of life-threatening COVID-19 in unvaccinated patients. Therefore, the determinants of life-threatening COVID-19 remain to be identified in ~ 80% of cases. Methods: We report here a genome-wide rare variant burden association analysis in 3269 unvaccinated patients with life-threatening COVID-19, and 1373 unvaccinated SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals without pneumonia. Among the 928 patients tested for autoantibodies against type I IFN, a quarter (234) were positive and were excluded. Results: No gene reached genome-wide significance. Under a recessive model, the most significant gene with at-risk variants was TLR7, with an OR of 27.68 (95%CI 1.5–528.7, P = 1.1 × 10−4) for biochemically loss-of-function (bLOF) variants. We replicated the enrichment in rare predicted LOF (pLOF) variants at 13 influenza susceptibility loci involved in TLR3-dependent type I IFN immunity (OR = 3.70[95%CI 1.3–8.2], P = 2.1 × 10−4). This enrichment was further strengthened by (1) adding the recently reported TYK2 and TLR7 COVID-19 loci, particularly under a recessive model (OR = 19.65[95%CI 2.1–2635.4], P = 3.4 × 10−3), and (2) considering as pLOF branchpoint variants with potentially strong impacts on splicing among the 15 loci (OR = 4.40[9%CI 2.3–8.4], P = 7.7 × 10−8). Finally, the patients with pLOF/bLOF variants at these 15 loci were significantly younger (mean age [SD] = 43.3 [20.3] years) than the other patients (56.0 [17.3] years; P = 1.68 × 10−5). Conclusions: Rare variants of TLR3- and TLR7-dependent type I IFN immunity genes can underlie life-threatening COVID-19, particularly with recessive inheritance, in patients under 60&nbsp;years old

Rôle étiologique du phytoplasme du stolbur et d'un bacterium-like organism (BLO) dans le syndrôme des basses richesses (SBR) de la betterave sucrière (Beta vulgaris L.). Epidémiologie de la maladie et biologie du vecteur identifié, le cixiide Pentastiridius beieri, Wagner

*UMR Biochimie, biologie cellulaire et écologie des interactions plantes/microorganismes domaine d'Epoisses 21110 Bretenières Diffusion du document : UMR Biochimie, biologie cellulaire et écologie des interactions plantes/microorganismes domaine d'Epoisses 21110 Bretenières Diplôme : Dr. d'Universit

Rôle étiologique du phytoplasme du stolbur et d'un bacterium-like organism (BLO) dans le syndrôme des basses richesses (SBR) de la betterave sucrière (Beta vulgaris L.). Epidémiologie de la maladie et biologie du vecteur identifié, le cixiide Pentastiridius beieri, Wagner

*UMR Biochimie, biologie cellulaire et écologie des interactions plantes/microorganismes domaine d'Epoisses 21110 Bretenières Diffusion du document : UMR Biochimie, biologie cellulaire et écologie des interactions plantes/microorganismes domaine d'Epoisses 21110 Bretenières Diplôme : Dr. d'Universit

Contraintes structurales sur la réactivité dans les argiles et les solides très divisés

Les argiles, les zéolithes et d’autres solides microporeux tels que les silices permettent de faire des réactions chimiques dans des espaces à géométrie restreinte. Dans les argiles du groupe des smectites et des vermiculites, cet espace est quasi-bidimensionnel. Dans les zéolithes, la dimensionnalité effective de l’espace réactionnel à l’échelle moléculaire est plus basse encore (canaux ou cages), tout comme dans les silices microporeuses. Ce sont donc les effets de confinement de cage et de recombinaison qui dominent la réactivité dans les zéolithes et silices, alors que, dans les argiles, la réactivité est essentiellement contrôlée par la densité de charge superficielle et la hauteur de galerie. Nous passons en revue les exemples les plus typiques de chimie douce, de photochimie et l’électrochimie dans ces milieux