Generating 3D volumetric meshes of internal and external fruit structure

International audienceTwo essential functions in determining fruit quality are the transport and accumulation of water and dry matter to various fruit tissues. Since water and carbon are delivered to fruit tissues through a complex vasculature system, the internal fruit structure and pattern of vasculature may have a significant impact on their distribution within the fruit. The aim of this work is to provide methods for generating fruit structure that can be integrated with models of fruit function and used to investigate such effects. To this end, we have developed a modelling pipeline in the OpenAlea platform that involves two steps: (1) generating a 3D volumetric mesh representation of the entire fruit, and (2) generating a complex network of vasculature that is embedded within this mesh. To create the 3D volumetric mesh, we use reconstruction algorithms from the 3D mesh generation package of the Computational Geometry Algorithms Library. To generate the pattern of vasculature within this volumetric mesh, we use an algorithmic approach from PlantScan3D software that was designed to reconstruct tree architecture from laser scanner data. We have applied our modelling pipeline to generate the internal and external geometry of a cherry tomato fruit using Magnetic Resonance Imaging data as input. These kinds of applications of our pipeline demonstrate its ability to create species-specific models of fruit structure with relatively low effort. In another work, the volumetric meshes will be combined with models of function to form integrative computational fruit models, which will help to investigate the effects of fruit structure on quality

Coupling mechanical and hydraulic processes in multicellular models of plant development.

The study of plant growth has recently been revisited with the new possibility to investigate the dynamics of growth at tissue level. Experimental set-ups have now dramatically progressed and make it possible to measure growth variable (geometry, rigidity of cell walls, pressures, …). This opens the way to study how tissues acquire their shapes through genetic and mechanical processes. Up to now, models of shape development have mainly focussed on cell wall properties at cellular level (rigidity and anisotropy). However, growth is primarily powered by water fluxes and cell turgor. In this work, we propose a new multicellular model to study the interaction between the hydraulic and mechanical processes involved in tissue development. In this model, turgor pressure appears as a flexible variable that can mediate between various growth constraints

Un décor peint médiéval découvert et restauré au XIXe siècle dans l’église Notre-Dame-du-bourg à Rabastens (Tarn) : critique d’authenticité et sa restauration aujourd’hui

La quasi-totalité des élévations intérieures de l’église Notre-Dame-du-bourg à Rabastens (Tarn), environ 3 560 m2, est recouverte de peintures murales d’époques différentes restaurées principalement au XIXe, puis ponctuellement au XXe siècle.Oubliés et cachés sous des badigeons depuis 1594, des décors peints d’époque médiévale ont été découverts et restaurés de 1860 à 1863 par Joseph Engalière, artiste peintre. Aujourd’hui, la commune s’engage dans un programme de restauration générale du bâtiment et de ses peintures intérieures. Une étude de diagnostic de ces dernières s’est déroulée de 2017 à 2020. Dans la connaissance des décors et leur critique d’authenticité, la principale difficulté a été de mettre en évidence l’ampleur de la restauration - parties originales repeintes, parties reconstituées ou parties créées par Joseph Engalière. Plusieurs moyens ont été mis en œuvre : corrélations entre documents d’archives et observations sur place sous différents angles d’éclairage, sondages stratigraphiques, repérage des différents matériaux avec l’imagerie de fluorescence sous UV et leur identification grâce aux analyses élémentaires avec la spectroscopie d’émission atomique dans le plasma induit par le laser et la spectroscopie de fluorescence X. Cette approche combinée a permis de caractériser et de différencier précisément la peinture d’origine de l’intervention de Joseph Engalière.Aujourd’hui, comment envisageons-nous la conservation et la restauration de cet ensemble unique ? Une méthodologie à adapter à « grande échelle » en cours des différentes phases de travaux est proposée.Almost all the interior elevations of the church Notre-Dame-du-Bourg in Rabastens (Tarn), about 3 500 m2, are covered with mural paintings from different periods that were mainly restored in the 19th century, then punctually in the 20th century.Hidden under whitewash and forgotten since 1562, the 14th century painted decorations were discovered and restored by Joseph Engalière from 1860 to 1863. Today, the municipality is embarking on a program of general restoration to the building and its painted scenes. A diagnostic study of the latter took place from 2017 to 2020. With the knowledge of the decorations and their criticism of authenticity, the main difficulty was to highlight the extent of the restoration – originals repainted parts, reconstituted parts or parts created by Joseph Engalière. Several means have been implemented: correlations between archival documents and observations on site under different lighting angles, stratigraphic soundings, identification of different materials with UV fluorescence imaging and elemental analyses with atomic emission spectroscopy in plasma induced by laser as well as X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. This combined approach made it possible to precisely characterize and differentiate the original painting from Joseph Engalière’s intervention.Today, how do we envisage the conservation and restoration of this unique ensemble, a methodology to be adapted on a "large scale" during renovations

Generating 3D volumetric meshes of internal and external fruit structure

International audienceTwo essential functions in determining fruit quality are the transport and accumulation of water and dry matter to various fruit tissues. Since water and carbon are delivered to fruit tissues through a complex vasculature system, the internal fruit structure and pattern of vasculature may have a significant impact on their distribution within the fruit. The aim of this work is to provide methods for generating fruit structure that can be integrated with models of fruit function and used to investigate such effects. To this end, we have developed a modelling pipeline in the OpenAlea platform that involves two steps: (1) generating a 3D volumetric mesh representation of the entire fruit, and (2) generating a complex network of vasculature that is embedded within this mesh. To create the 3D volumetric mesh, we use reconstruction algorithms from the 3D mesh generation package of the Computational Geometry Algorithms Library. To generate the pattern of vasculature within this volumetric mesh, we use an algorithmic approach from PlantScan3D software that was designed to reconstruct tree architecture from laser scanner data. We have applied our modelling pipeline to generate the internal and external geometry of a cherry tomato fruit using Magnetic Resonance Imaging data as input. These kinds of applications of our pipeline demonstrate its ability to create species-specific models of fruit structure with relatively low effort. In another work, the volumetric meshes will be combined with models of function to form integrative computational fruit models, which will help to investigate the effects of fruit structure on quality

Effect of Ligusticum wallichii Aqueous Extract on Oxidative Injury and Immunity Activity in Myocardial Ischemic Reperfusion Rats

We investigated the efficacy of Ligusticum wallichi aqueous extract (LWE) for myocardial protection against ischemia-reperfusion injury. Rats were fed for five weeks with either a control diet (sham and ischemia reperfusion (IR) model control groups) or a diet mixed with 0.2%, 0.4% or 0.6% Ligusticum wallichi extract. At the end of the five week period, hearts were excised and subjected to global ischemia for 30 min followed by reperfusion for 2 h. The hearts were compared for indices of oxidative stress and immunity activities. Administration of Ligusticum wallichi extract significantly decreased serum TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8, NO, MIP-1α, CRP and myocardium MDA levels, and serum CK, LDH and AST activities, and increased myocardium Na+-K+-ATPase, Ca2+-Mg2+-ATPase, NOS, SOD, CAT, GSH-Px and TAOC activities. The results indicate that Ligusticum wallichii extract treatment can enhance myocardial antioxidant status and improve the immunity profile in ischemic-reperfusion rats

Theory of Planned Behaviour and Parasuicide: An Exploratory Study

Recent evidence suggests that parasuicide (deliberate self-harm) should be considered in terms of ‘normal’ rather than ‘abnormal’ behaviour. This study aimed to address this assertion by applying a social cognition model, for the first time, to parasuicidal behaviour. An extended theory of planned behaviour (TPB) model was tested on 55 individuals drawn from hospital and non-hospital populations. Thirty-eight percent of the sample (n=21) reported a history of deliberate self-harm. Findings supported the utility of the TPB: attitudes, subjective norm, self-efficacy, moral norm and anticipated affect discriminated significantly between those with and without a history of parasuicide. The extended TPB explained more than 50% of the variance associated with intentions to deliberately self-harm. These findings have considerable theoretical and practical implications for intervention. Future research should investigate the utility of the TPB employed within a prospective framework