TEM characterization of the fine scale microstructure of a Roman ferrous nail

This paper describes the microstructure of a Roman ferrous nail through its observation by transmission electron microscopy. The morphologies of pearlitic colonies and ferritic grains are detailed and the relationship between pearlitic colonies and ferrite in Roman nails is explicitly demonstrated for the first time. Observations also confirm the presence of dislocations in ferritic grains and attest to the existence of very small carbide precipitates that have not been pointed out previously in standard archaeometric studies

Egg-Laying in the Cuttlefish Sepia officinalis

This chapter reviews studies about egg-laying in the cuttlefish Sepia officinalis. Egg masses are spawned in specific mating and spawning coastal areas where mates aggregate between April and June in the English Channel and all year long in the Mediterranean Sea. Environmental cues are clearly involved in the aggregation process, but chemical communication also plays a determining role in these complex mechanisms. The successive steps of egg-laying are orchestrated by three classes of regulatory peptides: (1) neuropeptides that integrate environmental cues, (2) ovarian regulatory peptides that modulate the activity of the genital tract, and (3) sex pheromones expressed and released by the oviduct gland. After egg-laying, embryo protection is ensured for 8-10 weeks by a multilayer capsule secreted by the accessory sex glands. The oviduct gland secretes the inner layer of the egg case. The main nidamental gland secretes the main polysaccharides and glycoproteins, such as Sepia Egg Case Proteins, involved in capsule formation and in embryo protection. The accessory nidamental gland expresses specific proteins inherent in the structural organization of the gland, and hosts symbiotic bacteria. Similarly to salivary glands, this gland secretes immune factors possibly associated with gamete and/or embryo protection

Le Christianisme Céleste en France et en Belgique

L’Église du Christianisme Céleste (ECC) est aujourd’hui probablement l’Église issue du mouvement aladura la plus importante dans le monde. Cet article revient sur l’histoire de cette Église prophétique africaine en France et en Belgique, ainsi que sur quelques dynamiques qui traversent les paroisses de l’ECC dans ces deux pays. Ainsi, les situations de l’Église sont à plusieurs égards contrastées. Les paroisses françaises sont plus nombreuses, plus anciennes, et recrutent des fidèles de différentes origines ethno-nationales, tandis que les quelques paroisses belges sont largement fréquentées par des Nigérians. Dans l’un comme dans l’autre cas cependant, les relations que les paroisses entretiennent avec les centres pastoraux de l’Église présentent un caractère paradoxal, et sont marquées à la fois par des revendications d’indépendance locale, et par une dépendance ancrée dans le mode de progression dans la hiérarchie ecclésiale, qui passe par ces centres.Nowadays, the Celestial Church of Christ (CCC) is probably the most widespread Church of aladura origin. This article offers some details on the history of this African prophetic Church in France and Belgium, and highlights some dynamics that characterize CCC parishes in the two countries. Actually, the respective situations of the Church are quite contrasted. The French parishes are more numerous, more ancient, and recruit faithful of more diverse ethno-national origins, while the few Belgian branches are mostly attended by Nigerians. In both cases however, the relations that the parishes have with the pastoral centres of the Church are somehow paradoxical, and display both claims of local independence, and a dependence grounded in the mode of progression in the ecclesial hierarchy, which depends on these centres.La Iglesia del Cristianismo Celeste (ICC) es hoy probablemente la iglesia surgida del movimiento aladura más importante del mundo. Este artículo aborda la historia de esta iglesia profética africana en Francia y en Bélgica, así como algunas dinámicas que atraviesan las parroquias de la ICC en Francia y en Bélgica. Así, las situaciones de la Iglesia se comparan en distintos aspectos en los dos países. Las parroquias francesas son más numerosas, más antiguas, y reclutan fieles de diferentes orígenes etno-nacionales, mientras que las parroquias belgas, menos numerosas, son ampliamente frecuentadas por Nigerianos. En un caso como en el otro, sin embargo, las relaciones que las parroquias establecen con los centros pastorales de la Iglesia presentan un carácter paradójico, y están marcadas a la vez por reivindicaciones de independencia local, y por una dependencia anclada en el modo de ascenso en la jerarquía eclesial, que pasa por estos centros

Ca channels induced in Xenopus oocytes by rat brain mRNA

RNA was isolated from brains of 16-d-old rats and poly(A) samples were injected into stage V and VI oocytes. After allowing 2–5 d for expression, most oocytes were exposed to medium in which the K had been replaced by Cs for 24 hr prior to recording. Ba currents were usually measured in Cl-free Ba-methanesulfonate saline. I_(Ba) in noninjected oocytes was often undetectable, but ranged up to 50 nA (22 ± 4 nA, n = 21). In contrast, injected oocytes showed a peak I_(Ba) of 339 ± 42 nA (n = 33). The threshold for activation of I_(Ba) was -40 mV, with peak currents at +10 to +20 mV. After a peak, currents decayed to a nearly steady level along a single-exponential time course (τ = 650 ± 50 msec at +20 mV). The maintained current was 67 ± 6% (n = 9) of the early peak amplitude. A prepulse duration of 5 sec was needed to examine the inactivation of barium currents in injected oocytes. The inward I_(Ba) could be observed in BaCl₂ solutions at potentials positive to E_(Cl) and also in Na-free salines, indicating that neither Cl⁻ nor Na⁺ was carrying the inward current. Although I_(Ba) displayed voltage- independent blockade by Cd (50% inhibition at 6 µM), the peptide Ca channel antagonist, ω-CgTX (1 µM), and the organic Ca channel-blocking agents (verapamil, compound W-7, and nifedipine) were uniformly ineffective. No effects were observed with the dihydropyridine antagonist nifedipine (even at 10 µM, or when cells were held at -40 mV) or agonist Bay K-8644. However, I_(Ba) was enhanced via activation of protein kinase C with 4-beta-phorbol dibutyrate (PBT₂). In contrast, use of forskolin to activate protein kinase A did not alter I_(Ba). However, experiments in the presence of Cd revealed that forskolin decreased I_K. Ca channels produced by rat brain mRNA were thus in contrast to the nifedipine-sensitive, Bay K-8644- and forskolin-enhanced Ca channels observed after injection of rat heart mRNA (Dascal et al., 1986)

Ca channels induced in Xenopus oocytes by rat brain mRNA

RNA was isolated from brains of 16-d-old rats and poly(A) samples were injected into stage V and VI oocytes. After allowing 2–5 d for expression, most oocytes were exposed to medium in which the K had been replaced by Cs for 24 hr prior to recording. Ba currents were usually measured in Cl-free Ba-methanesulfonate saline. I_(Ba) in noninjected oocytes was often undetectable, but ranged up to 50 nA (22 ± 4 nA, n = 21). In contrast, injected oocytes showed a peak I_(Ba) of 339 ± 42 nA (n = 33). The threshold for activation of I_(Ba) was -40 mV, with peak currents at +10 to +20 mV. After a peak, currents decayed to a nearly steady level along a single-exponential time course (τ = 650 ± 50 msec at +20 mV). The maintained current was 67 ± 6% (n = 9) of the early peak amplitude. A prepulse duration of 5 sec was needed to examine the inactivation of barium currents in injected oocytes. The inward I_(Ba) could be observed in BaCl₂ solutions at potentials positive to E_(Cl) and also in Na-free salines, indicating that neither Cl⁻ nor Na⁺ was carrying the inward current. Although I_(Ba) displayed voltage- independent blockade by Cd (50% inhibition at 6 µM), the peptide Ca channel antagonist, ω-CgTX (1 µM), and the organic Ca channel-blocking agents (verapamil, compound W-7, and nifedipine) were uniformly ineffective. No effects were observed with the dihydropyridine antagonist nifedipine (even at 10 µM, or when cells were held at -40 mV) or agonist Bay K-8644. However, I_(Ba) was enhanced via activation of protein kinase C with 4-beta-phorbol dibutyrate (PBT₂). In contrast, use of forskolin to activate protein kinase A did not alter I_(Ba). However, experiments in the presence of Cd revealed that forskolin decreased I_K. Ca channels produced by rat brain mRNA were thus in contrast to the nifedipine-sensitive, Bay K-8644- and forskolin-enhanced Ca channels observed after injection of rat heart mRNA (Dascal et al., 1986)

Cellular Effects of Bacterial N-3-Oxo-Dodecanoyl-L-Homoserine Lactone on the Sponge Suberites domuncula (Olivi, 1792): Insights into an Intimate Inter-Kingdom Dialogue.

International audienceSponges and bacteria have lived together in complex consortia for 700 million years. As filter feeders, sponges prey on bacteria. Nevertheless, some bacteria are associated with sponges in symbiotic relationships. To enable this association, sponges and bacteria are likely to have developed molecular communication systems. These may include molecules such as N-acyl-L-homoserine lactones, produced by Gram-negative bacteria also within sponges. In this study, we examined the role of N-3-oxododecanoyl-L-homoserine lactone (3-oxo-C12-HSL) on the expression of immune and apoptotic genes of the host sponge Suberites domuncula. This molecule seemed to inhibit the sponge innate immune system through a decrease of the expression of genes coding for proteins sensing the bacterial membrane: a Toll-Like Receptor and a Toll-like Receptor Associated Factor 6 and for an anti-bacterial perforin-like molecule. The expression of the pro-apoptotic caspase-like 3/7 gene decreased as well, whereas the level of mRNA of anti-apoptotic genes Bcl-2 Homolog Proteins did not change. Then, we demonstrated the differential expression of proteins in presence of this 3-oxo-C12-HSL using 3D sponge cell cultures. Proteins involved in the first steps of the endocytosis process were highlighted using the 2D electrophoresis protein separation and the MALDI-TOF/TOF protein characterization: α and β subunits of the lysosomal ATPase, a cognin, cofilins-related proteins and cytoskeleton proteins actin, α tubulin and α actinin. The genetic expression of some of these proteins was subsequently followed. We propose that the 3-oxo-C12-HSL may participate in the tolerance of the sponge apoptotic and immune systems towards the presence of bacteria. Besides, the sponge may sense the 3-oxo-C12-HSL as a molecular evidence of the bacterial presence and/or density in order to regulate the populations of symbiotic bacteria in the sponge. This study is the first report of a bacterial secreted molecule acting on sponge cells and regulating the symbiotic relationship

Salivary gland-sparing other than parotid-sparing in definitive head-and-neck intensity-modulated radiotherapy does not seem to jeopardize local control.

International audienceBACKGROUND: The objective was to analyze locoregional (LR) failure patterns in patients with head-and-neck cancer (HNC) treated using intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) with whole salivary gland-sparing: parotid (PG), submandibular (SMG), and accessory salivary glands represented by the oral cavity (OC). METHODS: Seventy consecutive patients with Stage I-II (23%) or III/IV (77%) HNC treated by definitive IMRT were included. For all LR failure patients, the FDG-PET and CT scans documenting recurrence were rigidly registered to the initial treatment planning CT. Failure volumes (Vf) were delineated based on clinical, radiological, and histological data. The percentage of Vf covered by 95% of the prescription isodose (Vf-V95) was analyzed. Failures were classified as "in-field" if Vf--V95 >= 95%, "marginal" if 20% < Vf-V95 < 95%, and "out-of-field" if Vf-V95 <=20%. Correlation between Vf-V95 and mean doses (Dmean) in the PG, SMG, and OC was assessed using Spearman's rank-order correlation test. The salivary gland dose impact on the LR recurrence risk was assessed by Cox analysis. RESULTS: The median follow-up was 20 months (6--35). Contralateral and ipsilateral PGs were spared in 98% and 54% of patients, respectively, and contralateral and ipsilateral SMG in 26% and 7%, respectively. The OC was spared to a dose <=40 Gy in 26 patients (37%). The 2-year LR control rate was 76.5%. One recurrence was "marginal", and 12 were "in-field". No recurrence was observed in vicinity of spared structures. Vf-V95 was not significantly correlated with Dmean in PG, SMG, and OC. The LR recurrence risk was not increased by lower Dmean in the salivary glands, but by T (p = 0.04) and N stages (p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Over 92% of LR failures occurred "in-field" within the high dose region when using IMRT with a whole salivary gland-sparing strategy. Sparing SMG and OC in addition to PG thus appears a safe strategy

Diversité de l’entomofaune terricole de la galerie forestière du Monastère Notre Dame de l’Assomption (RD Congo/Kinshasa)

To find out the diversity of ground-dwelling insects colonizing the forest of the Monastery of Our Lady of the Assumption and the effect of environmental factors on their structure, an exploratory study was conducted. To achieve this, Barber jars were used in addition to active capture by sight hunting. These were trapped from January to September 2021. A total of 1880 individuals were captured and 21 species were identified alongside one unidentified hemipteran species. After analysis, the Formicidae family was the most abundant in terms of individuals (43%) and the Scarabaeidae family in terms of species richness (23%). However, Student's t test confirmed that the season did not influence the abundance of insects. Also, the majority of the fauna surveyed was made up of large species, reflecting adaptation to the environment. Furthermore, the results of this study show that the four environmental parameters evaluated did not have significant effects on either species richness or abundance. Moreover, these results confirm that the intensification of anthropic activities in this forest could lead to a negative effect on the composition of the soil entomofauna of this environment. Keywords: ground-dwelling insects, forest gallery, environmental factors, anthropogenic activitiesPour connaître la diversité des insectes terricoles colonisant la galerie&nbsp;forestière du Monastère Notre Dame de l’Assomption et l’effet de facteurs environnementaux sur la structure de ces derniers, une étude exploratoire a été menée. Pour y parvenir, des pots Barber ont été utilisés à côté d’une capture active à la chasse à vue. Ceux-ci ont été piégés de janvier à septembre 2021. Au total, 1880 individus ont été capturés et 21 espèces ont été identifiées à côté d’une espèce d’hémiptères non identifiée. Après analyse, la famille des Formicidae se révèle la plus abondante en individus (soit 43%) et celle des Scarabaeidae en richesse spécifique (soit 23%). Cependant, le test de Student a confirmé que la saison n’a pas influencé les abondances d’insectes. Aussi, la grande partie de la faune recensée était constituée d’espèces de grande taille, traduisant une adaptation dans le milieu. Par ailleurs, les résultats de cette étude attestent que les quatre paramètres environnementaux évalués n’ont pas connus d’effets significatifs (p&gt;0,05) tant sur la richesse spécifique que l’abondance. En outre, ces résultats confirment que l’intensification d’activités anthropiques dans cette galerie forestière pourrait conduire à un effet négatif sur la composition de l’entomofaune terricole de ce milieu.&nbsp; Mots clés&nbsp;: insectes terricoles, galerie&nbsp;forestière, facteurs environnementaux, activités anthropiques &nbsp

Traffic4cast at NeurIPS 2022 -- Predict Dynamics along Graph Edges from Sparse Node Data: Whole City Traffic and ETA from Stationary Vehicle Detectors

The global trends of urbanization and increased personal mobility force us to rethink the way we live and use urban space. The Traffic4cast competition series tackles this problem in a data-driven way, advancing the latest methods in machine learning for modeling complex spatial systems over time. In this edition, our dynamic road graph data combine information from road maps, $10^{12}$ probe data points, and stationary vehicle detectors in three cities over the span of two years. While stationary vehicle detectors are the most accurate way to capture traffic volume, they are only available in few locations. Traffic4cast 2022 explores models that have the ability to generalize loosely related temporal vertex data on just a few nodes to predict dynamic future traffic states on the edges of the entire road graph. In the core challenge, participants are invited to predict the likelihoods of three congestion classes derived from the speed levels in the GPS data for the entire road graph in three cities 15 min into the future. We only provide vehicle count data from spatially sparse stationary vehicle detectors in these three cities as model input for this task. The data are aggregated in 15 min time bins for one hour prior to the prediction time. For the extended challenge, participants are tasked to predict the average travel times on super-segments 15 min into the future - super-segments are longer sequences of road segments in the graph. The competition results provide an important advance in the prediction of complex city-wide traffic states just from publicly available sparse vehicle data and without the need for large amounts of real-time floating vehicle data.Comment: Pre-print under review, submitted to Proceedings of Machine Learning Researc