Images : l’originalité remise en question ?

Colloque organisé au Sénat en juin 2014, sur le thème: "Images: l’originalité remise en question?" par l’Observatoire de l’image qui regroupe, entre autres, éditeurs de livres, éditeurs de presse, agences photographiques et iconographes

Functional muscle impairment in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy is correlated with oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction

International audienceFacioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD),the most frequent muscular dystrophy, is an autosomal dominant disease. In most individuals with FSHD, symptoms are restricted to muscles of the face, arms, legs, and trunk. FSHD is genetically linked to contractions of the D4Z4 repeat array causing activation of several genes.One of these maps in the repeat itself and expresses the DUX4 (the double homeobox 4) transcription factor causing a gene deregulation cascade. In addition, analyses of the RNA or protein expression profiles in muscle have indicated deregulations in the oxidative stress response. Since oxidative stress affects peripheral muscle function, we investigated mitochondrial function and oxidative stress in skeletal muscle biopsies and blood samples from patients with FSHD and age-matched healthy controls, and evaluated their association with physical performances.We show that specifically, oxidative stress (lipid peroxidation and protein carbonylation), oxidative damage (lipofuscin accumulation), and antioxidant enzymes (catalase, copper–zinc-dependent super- oxide dismutase, and glutathione reductase) were higher in FSHD than in control muscles. FSHD muscles also presented abnormal mitochondrial function (decreased cytochrome c oxidase activity and reduced ATP synthesis). In addition, the ratio between reduced (GSH) and oxidized glutathione (GSSG) was strongly decreased in all FSHD blood samples as a consequence of GSSG accumulation. Patients with FSHD also had reduced systemic antioxidative response molecules, such as low levels of zinc (a SOD cofactor), selenium (a GPx cofactor involved in the elimination of lipid peroxides), and vitamin C. Half of them had a low ratio of gamma/alpha tocopherol and higher ferritin concentrations. Both systemic oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction were correlated with functional muscle impairment. Mitochondrial ATP production was significantly correlated with both quadriceps endurance (TLimQ) and maximal voluntary contraction (MVCQ) values (rho¼0.79, P¼0.003; rho¼0.62, P¼0.05, respectively). The plasma concentration of oxidized glutathione was negatively correlated with the TLimQ, MVCQ values, and the 2-min walk distance (MWT) values (rho¼0.60, P¼0.03; rho¼0.56, P¼0.04; rho¼0.93, Po0.0001, respectively). Our data characterized oxidative stress in patients with FSHD and demonstrated a correlation with their peripheral skeletal muscle dysfunction. They suggest that antioxidants that might modulate or delay oxidative insult maybe useful in maintaining FSHD muscle functions

Towards a Critical Aesthetic of Virtual-World Geographies

This article addresses the interaction of players and designers in the creation of Norrathian geography. In the context of contemporary geographic theory, the authors examine the ways in which EverQuest players have worked both with and against the game’s delineation of meaningful places within the virtual world, arguing that the game’s virtual geography is best understood in the context of the real world geographies within which it is situated

The elements of academic style : writing for the humanities /

"Hayot does more than explain the techniques of academic writing. He aims to adjust the writer's perspective, encouraging scholars to think of themselves as makers and doers of important work. Scholarly writing can be frustrating and exhausting, yet also satisfying and crucial, and Hayot weaves these experiences, including his own trials and tribulations, into an ethos for scholars to draw on as they write. Combining psychological support with practical suggestions for composing introductions and conclusions, developing a schedule for writing, using notes and citations, and structuring paragraphs and essays, this guide to the elements of academic style does its part to rejuvenate scholarship and writing in the humanities." -- Publisher's website.Includes bibliographical references.1. Why Read This Book? -- Part I. Writing as Practice -- 2. Unlearning What You (Probably) Know -- 3. Eight Strategies for Getting Writing Done -- 4. Institutional Contexts -- 5. Dissertations and Books -- 6. A Materialist Theory of Writing -- 7. How Do Readers Work? -- Part II. Strategy -- 8. The Uneven U -- 9. Structure and Subordination -- 10. Structural Rhythm -- 11. Introductions -- 12. Don't Say It All Early -- 13. Paragraphing -- 14. Three Types of Transitions -- 15. Showing Your Iceberg -- 16. Metalanguage -- 17. Ending Well -- 18. Titles and Subtitles -- Part III. Tactics -- 19. Citational Practice -- 20. Conference Talks -- 21. Examples -- 22. Figural Language -- 23. Footnotes and Endnotes -- 24. Jargon -- 25. Parentheticals --26. Pronouns -- 27. Repetition -- 28. Rhetorical Questions and Clauses -- 29. Sentence Rhythm -- 30. Ventilation -- 31. Weight -- Part IV. Becoming -- 32. Work as Process -- 33. Becoming a Writer -- 34. From the Workshop to the World (as Workshop [as World])."Hayot does more than explain the techniques of academic writing. He aims to adjust the writer's perspective, encouraging scholars to think of themselves as makers and doers of important work. Scholarly writing can be frustrating and exhausting, yet also satisfying and crucial, and Hayot weaves these experiences, including his own trials and tribulations, into an ethos for scholars to draw on as they write. Combining psychological support with practical suggestions for composing introductions and conclusions, developing a schedule for writing, using notes and citations, and structuring paragraphs and essays, this guide to the elements of academic style does its part to rejuvenate scholarship and writing in the humanities." -- Publisher's website

Assessment of the risk and biomechanical consequences of lateral epicondylalgia by estimating wrist and finger muscle capacities in tennis players.

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Measurements of tennis players' specific forearm muscle force imbalance to assess the potential risk of lateral epicondylitis

10th Conference of the International-Sports-Engineering-Association, Sheffield Hallam Univ, Sheffield, ENGLAND, JUL 14-17, 2014International audienceSeveral studies suggested that lateral epicondylitis could potentially develop among tennis players presenting a muscle force imbalance, defined as a functional ratio weakness between agonist and antagonist muscles and/or a predominance of synergic muscles during the movement. Consequently, the measurement of muscle force capability and the assessment of imbalance between antagonist and agonist muscle groups could be useful in the context of clinical follow-up, ascertaining the subject's functional capabilities to return to tennis practice. The purpose of the present study was to develop a method to quantify subject's specific imbalance in forearm muscles to improve the knowledge about lateral epicondylitis. The study included a group of healthy male tennis players (n=11, no history of musculoskeletal problems) and specific tennismen profiles (recovered lateral epicondylitis (n=2), expert (n=1) and woman (n=1)). Maximal isometric net torques in both flexion and extension were measured at the metacarpophalangeal and wrist joints using an isokinetic ergometer. Tennis players' specific fingers and wrist muscle force imbalance between agonistic and antagonistic prehension muscles were estimated using a twostep calculation procedure including (i) an EMG-calibration procedure in order to integrate the muscle coactivation in net joint torques calculation and; (ii) the calculation of the antagonist/agonist torque ratio from corrected joint torques. The results showed dissimilar muscle force imbalances between the healthy men group and recovered lateral epicondylitis players. The observed differences between healthy players and recovered lateral epicondylitis suggested that the proposed method of muscle force imbalance estimation may provide a useful assessment of functional recovery in lateral epicondylitis. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license