Protein Phosphatase 1 (PP1) Is a Post-Translational Regulator of the Mammalian Circadian Clock

Circadian clocks coordinate the timing of important biological processes. Interconnected transcriptional and post-translational feedback loops based on a set of clock genes generate and maintain these rhythms with a period of about 24 hours. Many clock proteins undergo circadian cycles of post-translational modifications. Among these modifications, protein phosphorylation plays an important role in regulating activity, stability and intracellular localization of clock components. Several protein kinases were characterized as regulators of the circadian clock. However, the function of protein phosphatases, which balance phosphorylation events, in the mammalian clock mechanism is less well understood. Here, we identify protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) as regulator of period and light-induced resetting of the mammalian circadian clock. Down-regulation of PP1 activity in cells by RNA interference and in vivo by expression of a specific inhibitor in the brain of mice tended to lengthen circadian period. Moreover, reduction of PP1 activity in the brain altered light-mediated clock resetting behavior in mice, enhancing the phase shifts in either direction. At the molecular level, diminished PP1 activity increased nuclear accumulation of the clock component PER2 in neurons. Hence, PP1, may reduce PER2 phosphorylation thereby influencing nuclear localization of this protein. This may at least partially influence period and phase shifting properties of the mammalian circadian clock

Unification of multi-lingual scientific terminological resources using the ISO 16642 standard. The TermSciences initiative

This paper presents the TermSciences portal, which deals with the implementation of a conceptual model that uses the recent ISO 16642 standard (Terminological Markup Framework). This standard turns out to be suitable for concept modeling since it allowed for organizing the original resources by concepts and to associate the various terms for a given concept. Additional structuring is produced by sharing conceptual relationships, that is, cross-linking of resource results through the introduction of semantic relations which may have initially be missing.Comment: 6

VEGF-A/Notch-induced podosomes proteolyse basement membrane collagen-IV during retinal sprouting angiogenesis

During angiogenic sprouting, endothelial tip cells emerge from existing vessels in a process that requires vascular basement membrane degradation. Here, we show that F-actin/cortactin/P-Src-based matrix-degrading microdomains called podosomes contribute to this step. In vitro, VEGF-A/Notch signaling regulates the formation of functional podosomes in endothelial cells. Using a retinal neovascularization model, we demonstrate that tip cells assemble podosomes during physiological angiogenesis in vivo. In the retina, podosomes are also part of an interconnected network that surrounds large microvessels and impinges on the underlying basement membrane. Consistently, collagen-IV is scarce in podosome areas. Moreover, Notch inhibition exacerbates podosome formation and collagen-IV loss. We propose that the localized proteolytic action of podosomes on basement membrane collagen-IV facilitates endothelial cell sprouting and anastomosis within the developing vasculature. The identification of podosomes as key components of the sprouting machinery provides another opportunity to target angiogenesis therapeutically

Unification of multi-lingual scientific terminological resources using the ISO 16642 standard. The TermSciences initiative

6pInternational audienceThis paper presents the TermSciences portal , which deals with the implementation of a conceptual model that uses the recent ISO 16642 standard (Terminological Markup Framework). This standard turns out to be suitable for concept modeling since it allowed for organizing the original resources by concepts and to associate the various terms for a given concept. Additional structuring is produced by sharing conceptual relationships, that is, cross-linking of resource results through the introduction of semantic relations which may have initially be missing

Interactive Handling of Multilingual Content within Digital Media

Linguistic information plays an essential role in the management of multimedia information as it bears most of the descriptive content associated with more visual information. Depending on the context, it may be seen as the primary content, as documentary content for multimedia information, or as one among several possible information components in specific contexts such as interactive multimedia applications. In this paper we describe a generic framework that could be integrated into multimedia content. Our main objectives are both, to propose a high-level abstract model to represent multilingual content, and to offer a high degree of interactivity allowing final users to handle multilingual content within digital medi

Standardizing the management and the representation of multilingual data: the MultiLingual Information Framework

The extremely fast evolution of the technological development in the sector of Communication and Information Technologies, and in particular, in the field of natural language processing, makes particularly acute the question of standardization. The issues related to this standardization are of industrial, economic and cultural nature. This article presents a methodology of standardization, in order to harmonize the management and the representation of multilingual data. Indeed, the control of the interoperability between the industrial standards currently used for localization (XLIFF)[1], translation memory (TMX)[2], or with some recent initiatives such as the internationalization tag set (ITS)[3], constitutes a major objective for a coherent and global management of these data. MLIF (Multi Lingual Information Framework)[4] is based on a methodology of standardization resulting from the ISO (sub-committees TC37/SC3 "Computer Applications for Terminology" and SC4 "Language Resources Management"). MLIF should be considered as a unified conceptual representation of multilingual content. MLIF does not have the role to substitute or to compete with any existing standard. MLIF is being designed with the objective of providing a common conceptual model and a platform allowing interoperability among several translation and localization standards, and by extension, their committed tools. The asset of MLIF is the interoperability which allows experts to gather, under the same conceptual unit, various tools and representations related to multilingual data. In addition, MLIF will also make it possible to evaluate and to compare these multilingual resources and tools

Interoperability between translation memories and localization tools by using the MultiLingual Information Framework

The scope of research and development in the localization and translation memory process development is huge. Several formats have been developed of specific interest for localization and translation such as XLIFF and TMX. The associated software industry has thus developed several well-known tools committed to these formats: TRADOS, SDLX, DEJAVU, etc. When we closely examine these formats, we find that they have many overlapping features. They work well in the specific field they are designed for, but they lack the synergy that would make them interoperable when using one type of information in a slightly different context. The Multi Lingual Information Framework (MLIF) is being designed with the objective of providing a common conceptual model and a platform allowing interoperability among several translation and localization formats, and by extension, their committed tools. MLIF does not have the role to substitute or compete with existing standards: MLIF should be considered as a common abstract high-level framework in which the overlapping features of several existing formats may be handled independently and separately. MLIF would save time and energy for different translation and localization groups and would provide synergy to work in collaboration. MLIF is a way of opening the field of localization and translation at other communities (the multimedia community, for example) and, a way of finding there, new outlets or actors, sources of innovation

The dimensionality of stability depends on disturbance type

International audienceEcosystems respond in various ways to disturbances. Quantifying ecological stability therefore requires inspecting multiple stability properties, such as resistance, recovery, persistence and invariability. Correlations among these properties can reduce the dimensionality of stability, simplifying the study of environmental effects on ecosystems. A key question is how the kind of disturbance affects these correlations. We here investigated the effect of three disturbance types (random, species-specific, local) applied at four intensity levels, on the dimensionality of stability at the population and community level. We used previously parameterized models that represent five natural communities, varying in species richness and the number of trophic levels. We found that disturbance type but not intensity affected the dimensionality of stability and only at the population level. The dimensionality of stability also varied greatly among species and communities. Therefore, studying stability cannot be simplified to using a single metric and multi-dimensionalassessments are still to be recommended

French Pregnancy Physical Activity Questionnaire Compared with an Accelerometer Cut Point to Classify Physical Activity among Pregnant Obese Women

Given the high risk for inactivity during pregnancy in obese women, validated questionnaires for physical activity (PA) assessment in this specific population is required before evaluating the effect of PA on perinatal outcomes. No questionnaire was validated in pregnant obese women. The Pregnancy Physical Activity Questionnaire (PPAQ) has been designed based on activities reported during pregnancy and validated in pregnant women. We translated the PPAQ to French and assessed reliability and accuracy of this French version among pregnant obese women. In this cross-sectional study, pregnant obese women were evenly recruited at the end of each trimester of pregnancy. They completed the PPAQ twice, with an interval of 7 days in-between, to recall PA of the last three months. Between PPAQ assessments, participants wore an accelerometer (Actigraph GT1M) during 7 consecutive days. Fourty-nine (49) pregnant obese women (29.8±4.2 yrs, 34.7±5.1 kg.m−2) participated to the study. The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) between the two PPAQ assessments were 0.90 for total activity, 0.86 for light and for moderate intensity, and 0.81 for vigorous intensity activities. It ranged from 0.59 for “Transportation” to 0.89 for “Household and Caregiving” activities. Spearman correlation coefficients (SCCs) between the PPAQ and the Matthews’ cut point used to classify an activity of moderate and above intensity were 0.50 for total activity, 0.25 for vigorous intensity and 0.40 for moderate intensity. The correlations between the PPAQ and the accelerometer counts were 0.58 for total activity, 0.39 for vigorous intensity and 0.49 for moderate intensity. The highest SCCs were for “Occupation” and “Household and Caregiving” activities. Comparisons with other standard cutpoints were presented in files S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7. The PPAQ is reliable and moderately accurate for the measure of PA of various intensities and types among pregnant obese women