Actomyosin contraction induces droplet motility

While cell crawling on a solid surface is relatively well understood, and relies on substrate adhesion, some cells can also swim in the bulk, through mechanisms that are still largely unclear. Here, we propose a minimal model for in-bulk self-motility of a droplet containing an isotropic and compressible contractile gel, representing a cell extract containing a disordered actomyosin network. In our model, contraction mediates a feedback loop between myosin-induced flow and advection-induced myosin accumulation, which leads to clustering and a locally enhanced flow. Interactions of the emerging clusters with the droplet membrane break flow symmetry and set the whole droplet into motion. Depending mainly on the balance between contraction and diffusion, this motion can be either straight or circular. Our simulations and analytical results provide a framework allowing to study in-bulk myosin-driven cell motility in living cells and to design synthetic motile active matter droplets

Dynamique non-linéaire et hors-équilibre des membranes lipidiques confinées

Self-assembled lipid membranes exhibit a rich variety of dynamical behaviors, and are ubiquitous in biology. In this thesis, we report on the study of dynamics of membranes in strong confinement, using simple theoretical models. We focus on the case of confinement between two walls, in the presence of a double-well potential leading to two possible states of adhesion (on the upper or the lower wall). Using a lubrication model, we obtained a nonlinear and nonlocal partial differential equation describing the evolution of the membrane morphology. We have mainly studied the twodimensional case, where the membrane is a one-dimensional object. Within this frame, we have shown that the membrane bending rigidity leads to dynamics that are different from the coarsening behavior obtained usually in the presence of surface tension. Indeed, the membrane reaches a frozen state, which depends on the initial conditions. The freezing of the dynamics is the consequence of the oscillatory interaction between kinks –here defined as domain walls in one-dimensional systems. The spatial organization of the final state can be controlled by the wall permeability : as an example, starting from a plane membrane half-way between the two walls, disordered configurations are obtained for very permeable walls, while long range order is obtained with impermeable walls. In addition, we have shown that different physical ingredients such as membrane tension, potential asymmetry, or thermal noise, can restore coarsening, usually above a finite threshold. Inspired by biolubrication, we have also studied the influence of shear imposed by the motion of the two confining walls. Simulations show a rich behavior with several regimes, which influence the effective friction between the walls. For weak shear rates, we obtain complex and chaotic dynamics, which induce coarsening, leading to a thixotropic behavior, where the force decreases with time. For moderate or large shear rates, we respectively obtain frozen periodic stationary solutions, or spatio-temporal chaos. In these two regimes, the system exhibits shear-thinningLes membranes lipidiques auto-assemblées présentent une riche phénoménologie de comportements dynamiques, et sont présentes dans de nombreux systèmes biologiques. Au cours de cette thèse nous avons étudié la dynamique de ces membranes dans des situations de fort confinement par des modèles théoriques simples. Nous nous sommes focalisés sur le cas d'un confinement entre deux murs, en présence d'un potentiel double-puits menant à deux états possibles d'adhésion (sur le mur du haut, ou sur celui du bas). A l'aide de modèles de lubrification, nous avons obtenu une équation différentielle nonlinéaire et nonlocale décrivant l'évolution de la morphologie de la membrane. Nous avons surtout étudié son comportement dans les systèmes bidimensionnels, où la membrane est un objet unidimensionnel. Dans ce cadre, nous avons montré que la rigidité de courbure de la membrane mène à une dynamique différente de la dynamique de mûrissement obtenue habituellement en présence d'une tension de surface. En effet, la membrane atteint rapidement une configuration gelée, qui dépend des conditions initiales. L'arrêt de la dynamique la conséquence d'une interaction oscillante entre les kinks –définis ici comme parois de domaines dans les systèmes unidimensionnels. L'organisation spatiale de la configuration finale peut être contrôlée par la perméabilité des murs : par exemple, si la membrane est initialement plane, et à mi-chemin entre les deux murs, des morphologies désordonnées sont obtenues pour des murs perméables, alors qu'un ordre à longue distance est obtenu dans le cas imperméable. Nous avons de plus montré que différents ingrédients physiques tels qu'une tension de membrane, l'asymétrie du potentiel d'adhésion, ou le bruit thermique sont susceptibles de restaurer le mûrissement, généralement au dessus d'un seul fini. Inspirés par la biolubrification, nous avons par ailleurs étudié l'influence d'un cisaillement imposé par le mouvement des murs. Les simulations montrent une dynamique riche de plusieurs régimes, qui influence la friction effective entre les murs. Pour les faibles taux de cisaillements, nous obtenons une dynamique complexe et chaotique qui engendre du mûrissement, et mène à un comportement thixotrope, où la force décroît avec le temps. Pour des taux de cisaillement modérés et fort, nous obtenons respectivement des solutions stationnaires périodiques ou du chaos spatiotemprel. Dans ces deux régimes, le système est rhéo-fluidifian

Recommendations for public action towards sustainable generative AI systems

Growing awareness of the environmental impact of digital technologies has led to several isolated initiatives to promote sustainable practices. However, despite these efforts, the environmental footprint of generative AI, particularly in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption, remains considerable. This contribution first presents the components of this environmental footprint, highlighting the massive CO2 emissions and water consumption associated with training large language models, thus underlining the need to rethink learning and inference methods. The paper also explores the factors and characteristics of models that have an influence on their environmental footprint and demonstrates the existence of solutions to reduce it, such as using more efficient processors or optimising the energy performance of data centres. The potentially harmful effects of AI on the planet and its ecosystem have made environmental protection one of the founding principles of AI ethics at international and European levels. However, this recognition has not yet translated into concrete measures to address it.To address this issue, our contribution puts forward twelve pragmatic recommendations for public action to promote sustainable generative AI, in particular by building a long-term strategy to achieve carbon neutrality for AI models, encouraging international cooperation to set common standards, supporting scientific research and developing appropriate legal and regulatory frameworks.This paper seeks to inform the members of the Interministerial Committee on Generative AI about the environmental challenges of this technology by providing a brief review of the scientific literature on the subject and proposing concrete recommendations of public policy actions to reconcile technological innovation with the need to protect our environment.Comment: in French languag

Exogenous Cost Allocation in Peer-to-Peer Electricity Markets

International audienceThe deployment of distributed energy resources, combined with a more proactive demand side management, is inducing a new paradigm in power system operation and electricity markets. Within a consumer-centric market framework, peer-to-peer approaches have gained substantial interest. Peer-to-peer markets rely on multi-bilateral negotiation among all agents to match supply and demand. These markets can yield a complete mapping of exchanges onto the grid, hence allowing to rethink the sharing of costs related to the use of common infrastructure and services. We propose here to attribute such costs through exogenous network charges in several alternative ways i.e. uniformly, based on the electrical distance between agents and by zones. This variety covers the main grid physical and regulatory configurations. Since attribution mechanisms are defined in an exogenous manner to affect each P2P trade, they eventually shift the market issue to cover the grid exploitation costs. It can even be used to release the stress on the grid when necessary. The interest of our approach is illustrated on a test case using the IEEE 39 bus test system, underlying the impact of attribution mechanisms on trades and grid usage

Confinement-Induced Transition between Wavelike Collective Cell Migration Modes

International audienceThe structural and functional organization of biological tissues relies on the intricate interplay between chemical and mechanical signaling. Whereas the role of constant and transient mechanical perturbations is generally accepted, several studies recently highlighted the existence of longrange mechanical excitations (i.e., waves) at the supracellular level. Here, we confine epithelial cell mono-layers to quasi-one dimensional geometries, to force the establishment of tissue-level waves of well-defined wavelength and period. Numerical simulations based on a self-propelled Voronoi model reproduce the observed waves and exhibit a phase transition between a global and a multi-nodal wave, controlled by the confinement size. We conrm experimentally the existence of such a phasetransition, and show that wavelength and period are independent of the confinement length. Together, these results demonstrate the intrinsic origin of tissue oscillations, which could provide cells with a mechanism to accurately measure distances at the supracellular level

Détection et quantification simultanée de la gastrine 17 et 34 sous forme sulfatée et non-sulfatée par LC-MS/MS dans le plasma humain

editorial reviewedGastrin, secreted by G cells, plays a crucial role in digestion and has diverse functions including regulation of the intestinal epithelium and stomach growth. Gastrin peptides are derived from progastrin. Peptides G17 and G34 are the most abundant in the blood. Both of them may be sulfated. Current gastrin measurement relies on the DIAsource RIA kit, however it displays cross-reactivity issues. Therefore, we developed a LC-MS/MS method to quantify both sulfated and non-sulfated G17 and G34 forms

Essential Oil Trunk Injection Into Orchard Trees: Consequences on the Performance and Preference of Hemipteran Pests.

peer reviewedApples and pears are among the most widely cultivated fruit species in the world. Pesticides are commonly applied using ground sprayers in conventional orchards; however, most of it will not reach the target plant, increasing the contamination of nontarget organisms such as natural predators, pollinators, and decomposers. Trunk injection is an alternative method of pesticide application that could reduce risks to beneficials and workers. Essential oils represent a 'green' alternative to pesticides due to their reported insecticidal, antimicrobial, antiviral, nematicidal, and antifungal properties. The aim of this study was, therefore, to evaluate the impact that the injection of a cinnamon essential oil solution into the trunk of apple and pear trees could have on their respective pests, Dysaphis plantaginea and Cacopsylla pyri, respectively. The feeding behavior (preference), the life history traits (performance), and the timing of this effect were measured. The injection of an essential oil emulsion in trees impacted hemipteran host-plant colonization, as for both species a modification of their preference and of their performance was observed. The feeding behavior of D. plantaginea was altered as a significantly lower proportion of aphids ingested phloem sap on injected trees, suggesting that the aphids starved to death. On the contrary, the feeding behavior of the psyllids was little changed compared to the control condition, implying that the observed mortality was due to intoxication. The results presented here could theoretically be used to control these two orchard hemipteran pests, although the effectiveness in real conditions still has to be demonstrated