Experimental study of a liquid Xenon PET prototype module

A detector using liquid Xenon in the scintillation mode is studied for Positron Emission Tomography (PET). The specific design aims at taking full advantage of the liquid Xenon properties. It does feature a promising insensitive to any parallax effect. This work reports on the performances of the first LXe prototype module, equipped with a position sensitive PMT operating in the VUV range (178 nm).Comment: Proc. of the 7th International Workshops on Radiation Imaging Detectors (IWORID-7), Grenoble, France 4-7 July 200

Quantifying humpback whale song sequences to understand the dynamics of song exchange at the ocean basin scale

Humpback whales have a continually evolving vocal sexual display, or "song," that appears to undergo both evolutionary and "revolutionary" change. All males within a population adhere to the current content and arrangement of the song. Populations within an ocean basin share similarities in their songs; this sharing is complex as multiple variations of the song (song types) may be present within a region at any one time. To quantitatively investigate the similarity of song types, songs were compared at both the individual singer and population level using the Levenshtein distance technique and cluster analysis. The highly stereotyped sequences of themes from the songs of 211 individuals from populations within the western and central South Pacific region from 1998 through 2008 were grouped together based on the percentage of song similarity, and compared to qualitatively assigned song types. The analysis produced clusters of highly similar songs that agreed with previous qualitative assignments. Each cluster contained songs from multiple populations and years, confirming the eastward spread of song types and their progressive evolution through the study region. Quantifying song similarity and exchange will assist in understanding broader song dynamics and contribute to the use of vocal displays as population identifiers

Usages et biodiversité dans les forêts méditerranéennes - L'exemple du massif des Albères (Pyrénées-Orientales) -

De tout temps, la forêt méditerranéenne a été pourvoyeuse de ressources pour les sociétés humaines. Ces ressources étaient exploitées selon des “droits d'usages” précis. Le pacage du bétail en forêt fait partie des usages qui se maintiennent encore localement même si cette activité a subi un fort déclin sur les rives nord de la Méditerranée occidentale depuis le milieu du XIXe siècle. Cette activité pastorale pose cependant la question de son influence sur le milieu forestier, notamment en termes de régénération forestière et de maintien de la biodiversité. Le massif des Albères, dans les Pyrénées-Orientales, fait partie de ces moyennes montagnes méditerranéennes où le sylvopastoralisme perdure. Ce massif abrite également une riche biodiversité comme en témoignent les résultats des inventaires réalisés au sein de la Réserve naturelle de la Massane, située au cœur des Albères. La présence de troupeaux domestiques et l’expression d’une riche biodiversité témoignent d’une coexistence possible entre différents enjeux au sein d’un même territoire

Handling polymorphic algebraic effects

Algebraic effects and handlers are a powerful abstraction mechanism to represent and implement control effects. In this work, we study their extension with parametric polymorphism that allows abstracting not only expressions but also effects and handlers. Although polymorphism makes it possible to reuse and reason about effect implementations more effectively, it has long been known that a naive combination of polymorphic effects and let-polymorphism breaks type safety. Although type safety can often be gained by restricting let-bound expressions---e.g., by adopting value restriction or weak polymorphism---we propose a complementary approach that restricts handlers instead of let-bound expressions. Our key observation is that, informally speaking, a handler is safe if resumptions from the handler do not interfere with each other. To formalize our idea, we define a call-by-value lambda calculus that supports let-polymorphism and polymorphic algebraic effects and handlers, design a type system that rejects interfering handlers, and prove type safety of our calculus.Comment: Added the errata for the ESOP'19 paper (page 28

Genetic and genomic monitoring with minimally invasive sampling methods

Funding: Marie Slodowska Curie Fellowship, (Behaviour-Connect) funded by the EU Horizon2020 program (ELC).The decreasing cost and increasing scope and power of emerging genomic technologies are reshaping the field of molecular ecology. However, many modern genomic approaches (e.g., RAD-seq) require large amounts of high quality template DNA. This poses a problem for an active branch of conservation biology: genetic monitoring using minimally invasive sampling (MIS) methods. Without handling or even observing an animal, MIS methods (e.g. collection of hair, skin, faeces) can provide genetic information on individuals or populations. Such samples typically yield low quality and/or quantities of DNA, restricting the type of molecular methods that can be used. Despite this limitation, genetic monitoring using MIS is an effective tool for estimating population demographic parameters and monitoring genetic diversity in natural populations. Genetic monitoring is likely to become more important in the future as many natural populations are undergoing anthropogenically-driven declines, which are unlikely to abate without intensive adaptive management efforts that often include MIS approaches. Here we profile the expanding suite of genomic methods and platforms compatible with producing genotypes from MIS, considering factors such as development costs and error rates. We evaluate how powerful new approaches will enhance our ability to investigate questions typically answered using genetic monitoring, such as estimating abundance, genetic structure and relatedness. As the field is in a period of unusually rapid transition, we also highlight the importance of legacy datasets and recommend how to address the challenges of moving between traditional and next generation genetic monitoring platforms. Finally, we consider how genetic monitoring could move beyond genotypes in the future. For example, assessing microbiomes or epigenetic markers could provide a greater understanding of the relationship between individuals and their environment.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Abstracting Extensible Data Types: Or, Rows by Any Other Name

We present a novel typed language for extensible data types, generalizing and abstracting existing systems of row types and row polymorphism. Extensible data types are a powerful addition to traditional functional programming languages, capturing ideas from OOP-like record extension and polymorphism to modular compositional interpreters. We introduce row theories, a monoidal generalization of row types, giving a general account of record concatenation and projection (dually, variant injection and branching). We realize them via qualified types, abstracting the interpretation of records and variants over different row theories. Our approach naturally types terms untypable in other systems of extensible data types, while maintaining strong metatheoretic properties, such as coherence and principal types. Evidence for type qualifiers has computational content, determining the implementation of record and variant operations; we demonstrate this in giving a modular translation from our calculus, instantiated with various row theories, to polymorphic λ -calculus

Photo-identification confirms that humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) from eastern Australia migrate past New Zealand but indicates low levels of interchange with breeding grounds of Oceania

Recent photo-identification and genetic studies have identified at least five discrete breeding populations in Australia and Oceania: western Australia (D), eastern Australia (E (i)), New Caledonia (E (ii)), Tonga (E (iii)), French Polynesia and the Cook Islands (F). Also evident are low levels of intermingling among breeding populations consistent with the degree of genetic differentiation. Photo-identification has confirmed linkages between Area V feeding areas and eastern Australia breeding grounds and one genotype match has been reported between Area V feeding areas and Oceania breeding grounds. Recent abundance estimates show strong increases in the eastern Australian population, and some recovery in the New Caledonia and Tonga populations, but with little evidence of recovery at other known Oceania breeding grounds or New Zealand. Studies to date have provided no conclusive evidence of the migratory destination of humpback whales passing through New Zealand waters en route between Antarctic feeding areas and tropical breeding grounds. Photo-identification comparisons were undertaken between humpback whale fluke catalogues from eastern Australia (EA, 1315), Oceania east (OE, 513), Oceania west (OW, 166) and New Zealand (NZ, 13). Five matches were found between OE/OW, four matches between OW/EA and three matches between NZ/EA. The data are used to investigate and discuss the migratory destination and breeding ground migratory terchange of humpback whales travelling through New Zealand waters. The data confirm that humpback whales with site fidelity to eastern Australia migrate past New Zealand including through the Cook Strait and Foveaux Strait

No distinct local cuisines among humpback whales: A population diet comparison in the Southern Hemisphere

Southern hemisphere humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae, SHHW) breeding populations follow a high-fidelity Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) diet while feeding in distinct sectors of the Southern Ocean. Their capital breeding life history requires predictable ecosystem productivity to fuel migration and migration-related behaviours. It is therefore postulated that populations feeding in areas subject to the strongest climate change impacts are more likely to show the first signs of a departure from a high-fidelity krill diet. We tested this hypothesis by investigating blubber fatty acid profiles and skin stable isotopes obtained from five SHHW populations in 2019, and comparing them to Antarctic krill stable isotopes sampled in three SHHW feeding areas in the Southern Ocean in 2019. Fatty acid profiles and δ13C and δ15N varied significantly among all five populations, however, calculated trophic positions did not (2.7 to 3.1). Similarly, fatty acid ratios, 16:1ω7c/16:0 and 20:5ω3/22:6ω3 were above 1, showing that whales from all five populations are secondary heterotrophs following an omnivorous diet with a diatom-origin. Thus, evidence for a potential departure from a high-fidelity Antarctic krill diet was not seen in any population. δ13C of all populations were similar to δ13C of krill sampled in productive upwelling areas or the marginal sea-ice zone. Consistency in trophic position and diet origin but significant fatty acid and stable isotope differences demonstrate that the observed variability arises at lower trophic levels. Our results indicate that, at present, there is no evidence of a divergence from a high-fidelity krill diet. Nevertheless, the characteristic isotopic signal of whales feeding in productive upwelling areas, or in the marginal sea-ice zone, implies that future cryosphere reductions could impact their feeding ecology

Paclitaxel in self-micro emulsifying formulations: oral bioavailability study in mice

The anticancer drug paclitaxel is formulated for i.v. administration in a mixture of Cremophor EL and ethanol. Its oral bioavailability is very low due to the action of P-glycoprotein in the gut wall and CYP450 in gut wall and liver. However, proof-of-concept studies using the i.v. formulation diluted in drinking water have demonstrated the feasibility of the oral route as an alternative when given in combination with inhibitors of P-glycoprotein and CYP450. Because of the unacceptable pharmaceutical properties of the drinking solution, a better formulation for oral application is needed. We have evaluated the suitability of various self-micro emulsifying oily formulations (SMEOF’s) of paclitaxel for oral application using wild-type and P-glycoprotein knockout mice and cyclosporin A (CsA) as P-glycoprotein and CYP450 inhibitor. The oral bioavailability of paclitaxel in all SMEOF’s without concomitant CsA was low in wild-type mice, showing that this vehicle does not enhance intestinal uptake by itself. Paclitaxel (10 mg/kg) in SMEOF#3 given with CsA resulted in plasma levels that were comparable to the Cremophor EL-ethanol containing drinking solution plus CsA. Whereas the AUC increased linearly with the oral paclitaxel dose in P-glycoprotein knockout mice, it increased less than proportional in wild-type mice given with CsA. In both strains more unchanged paclitaxel was recovered in the feces at higher doses. This observation most likely reflects more profound precipitation of paclitaxel within the gastro-intestinal tract at higher doses. The resulting absolute reduction in absorption of paclitaxel from the gut was possibly concealed by partial saturation of first-pass metabolism when P-glycoprotein was absent. In conclusion, SMEOF’s maybe a useful vehicle for oral delivery of paclitaxel in combination with CsA, although the physical stability within the gastro-intestinal tract remains a critical issue, especially when applied at higher dose levels