Post-1995 French cinema: return of the social, return of the political?

A key trend in post-1995 French cinema has been the return of the social. Analysing this trend, this article seeks to evaluate its politic impact. Using Hervé Le Roux’s Reprise (1997) and Agnès Varda’s Les Glaneurs et la glaneuse (2000) as key meta-texts, it suggests that the current wave of politically engaged cinema needs to be approached in new ways that recognise how films trace the impact of a politically unmediated, ‘raw’ real on groups or individuals. It further suggests that the withdrawal of political mediation gives the films an essential ambiguity and a melodramatic quality that, rather than mere cliché, may be a privileged way to engage with the violence of the real. Film is now not so much in the van but dans le bain of a diverse socio-political stirring

Interplay of Sugar, Light and Gibberellins in Expression of Rosa hybrida Vacuolar Invertase 1 Regulation

Our previous findings showed that the expression of the Rosa hybrida vacuolar invertase 1 gene (RhVI1) was tightly correlated with the ability of buds to grow out and was under sugar, gibberellin and light control. Here, we aimed to provide an insight into the mechanistic basis of this regulation. In situ hybridization showed that RhVI1 expression was localized in epidermal cells of young leaves of bursting buds. We then isolated a 895 bp fragment of the promoter of RhVI1. In silico analysis identified putative cis-elements involved in the response to sugars, light and gibberellins on its proximal part (595 bp). To carry out functional analysis of the RhVI1 promoter in a homologous system, we developed a direct method for stable transformation of rose cells. 5′ deletions of the proximal promoter fused to the uidA reporter gene were inserted into the rose cell genome to study the cell’s response to exogenous and endogenous stimuli. Deletion analysis revealed that the 468 bp promoter fragment is sufficient to trigger reporter gene activity in response to light, sugars and gibberellins. This region confers sucrose- and fructose-, but not glucose-, responsive activation in the dark. Inversely, the –595 to –468 bp region that carries the sugar-repressive element (SRE) is required to down-regulate the RhVI1 promoter in response to sucrose and fructose in the dark. We also demonstrate that sugar/light and gibberellin/light act synergistically to up-regulate β-glucuronidase (GUS) activity sharply under the control of the 595 bp pRhVI1 region. These results reveal that the 127 bp promoter fragment located between –595 and –468 bp is critical for light and sugar and light and gibberellins to act synergistically

The secondary eclipses of WASP-19b as seen by the ASTEP 400 telescope from Antarctica

The ASTEP (Antarctica Search for Transiting ExoPlanets) program was originally aimed at probing the quality of the Dome C, Antarctica for the discovery and characterization of exoplanets by photometry. In the first year of operation of the 40 cm ASTEP 400 telescope (austral winter 2010), we targeted the known transiting planet WASP-19b in order to try to detect its secondary transits in the visible. This is made possible by the excellent sub-millimagnitude precision of the binned data. The WASP-19 system was observed during 24 nights in May 2010. The photometric variability level due to starspots is about 1.8% (peak-to-peak), in line with the SuperWASP data from 2007 (1.4%) and larger than in 2008 (0.07%). We find a rotation period of WASP-19 of 10.7 +/- 0.5 days, in agreement with the SuperWASP determination of 10.5 +/- 0.2 days. Theoretical models show that this can only be explained if tidal dissipation in the star is weak, i.e. the tidal dissipation factor Q'star > 3.10^7. Separately, we find evidence for a secondary eclipse of depth 390 +/- 190 ppm with a 2.0 sigma significance, a phase consistent with a circular orbit and a 3% false positive probability. Given the wavelength range of the observations (420 to 950 nm), the secondary transit depth translates into a day side brightness temperature of 2690(-220/+150) K, in line with measurements in the z' and K bands. The day side emission observed in the visible could be due either to thermal emission of an extremely hot day side with very little redistribution of heat to the night side, or to direct reflection of stellar light with a maximum geometrical albedo Ag=0.27 +/- 0.13. We also report a low-frequency oscillation well in phase at the planet orbital period, but with a lower-limit amplitude that could not be attributed to the planet phase alone, and possibly contaminated with residual lightcurve trends.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics, 13 pages, 13 figure

Plant responses to red and far-red lights, applications in horticulture

Light drives plant growth and development, so its control is increasingly used as an environment-friendly tool to manage horticultural crops. However, this implies a comprehensive view of the main physiological processes under light control, and bridging knowledge gaps. This review presents the state of the art in i) perception of red (R) and far-red (FR) wavelengths and of the R:FR ratio by plants, ii) phenotypic plant responses, and iii) the molecular mechanisms related to these responses. Changes in red or far red radiation and R:FR ratios are perceived by phytochromes. Phytochrome-mediated regulation is complex and specific to each physiological process. Our review presents the effects of red and far-red lights on germination, aerial architectural development, flowering, photosynthesis and plant nutrition. It also addresses how red and far-red radiations interact with tolerance to drought, pathogens and herbivores. Current knowledge about the mechanisms whereby red, far-red and R:FR regulate these different processes is presented. The specific actors of light signal transduction are better known for germination or flowering than for other processes such as internode elongation or bud outgrowth. The phenotypic response to red, far-red and R:FR can vary among species, but also with growing conditions. The mechanisms underlying these differences in plant responses still need to be unveiled. Current knowledge about plants\u27 response to light is being applied in horticulture to improve crop yield and quality. To that purpose, it is now possible to manipulate light quality thanks to recent technological evolutions such as the development of photo-selective films and light-emitting diodes

Sucrose is an early modulator of the key hormonal mechanisms controlling bud outgrowth in Rosa hybrida

Sugar has only recently been identified as a key player in triggering bud outgrowth, while hormonal control of bud outgrowth is already well established. To get a better understanding of sugar control, the present study investigated how sugar availability modulates the hormonal network during bud outgrowth in Rosa hybrida. Other plant models, for which mutants are available, were used when necessary. Buds were grown in vitro to manipulate available sugars. The temporal patterns of the hormonal regulatory network were assessed in parallel with bud outgrowth dynamics. Sucrose determined bud entrance into sustained growth in a concentration-dependent manner. Sustained growth was accompanied by sustained auxin production in buds, and sustained auxin export in a DR5::GUS-expressing pea line. Several events occurred ahead of sucrose-stimulated bud outgrowth. Sucrose upregulated early auxin synthesis genes (RhTAR1, RhYUC1) and the auxin efflux carrier gene RhPIN1, and promoted PIN1 abundance at the plasma membrane in a pPIN1::PIN1-GFP-expressing tomato line. Sucrose downregulated both RwMAX2, involved in the strigolactone-transduction pathway, and RhBRC1, a repressor of branching, at an early stage. The presence of sucrose also increased stem cytokinin content, but sucrose-promoted bud outgrowth was not related to that pathway. In these processes, several non-metabolizable sucrose analogues induced sustained bud outgrowth in R. hybrida, Pisum sativum, and Arabidopsis thaliana, suggesting that sucrose was involved in a signalling pathway. In conclusion, we identified potential hormonal candidates for bud outgrowth control by sugar. They are central to future investigations aimed at disentangling the processes that underlie regulation of bud outgrowth by sugar

PrCYP707A1, an ABA catabolic gene, is a key component of Phelipanche ramosa seed germination in response to the strigolactone analogue GR24

After a conditioning period, seed dormancy in obligate root parasitic plants is released by a chemical stimulus secreted by the roots of host plants. Using Phelipanche ramosa as the model, experiments conducted in this study showed that seeds require a conditioning period of at least 4 d to be receptive to the synthetic germination stimulant GR24. A cDNA-AFLP procedure on seeds revealed 58 transcript-derived fragments (TDFs) whose expression pattern changed upon GR24 treatment. Among the isolated TDFs, two up-regulated sequences corresponded to an abscisic acid (ABA) catabolic gene, PrCYP707A1, encoding an ABA 8\u27-hydroxylase. Using the rapid amplification of cDNA ends method, two full-length cDNAs, PrCYP707A1 and PrCYP707A2, were isolated from seeds. Both genes were always expressed at low levels during conditioning during which an initial decline in ABA levels was recorded. GR24 application after conditioning triggered a strong up-regulation of PrCYP707A1 during the first 18h, followed by an 8-fold decrease in ABA levels detectable 3 d after treatment. In situ hybridization experiments on GR24-treated seeds revealed a specific PrCYP707A1 mRNA accumulation in the cells located between the embryo and the micropyle. Abz-E2A, a specific inhibitor of CYP707A enzymes, significantly impeded seed germination, proving to be a non-competitive antagonist of GR24 with reversible inhibitory activity. These results demonstrate that P. ramosa seed dormancy release relies on ABA catabolism mediated by the GR24-dependent activation of PrCYP707A1. In addition, in situ hybridization corroborates the putative location of cells receptive to the germination stimulants in seeds

Nitrogen hydrides in interstellar gas: Herschel/HIFI observations towards G10.6-0.4 (W31C)

The HIFI instrument on board the Herschel Space Observatory has been used to observe interstellar nitrogen hydrides along the sight-line towards G10.6-0.4 in order to improve our understanding of the interstellar chemistry of nitrogen. We report observations of absorption in NH N=1-0, J=2-1 and ortho-NH2 1_1,1-0_0,0. We also observed ortho-NH3 1_0-0_0, and 2_0-1_0, para-NH3 2_1-1_1, and searched unsuccessfully for NH+. All detections show emission and absorption associated directly with the hot-core source itself as well as absorption by foreground material over a wide range of velocities. All spectra show similar, non-saturated, absorption features, which we attribute to diffuse molecular gas. Total column densities over the velocity range 11-54 km/s are estimated. The similar profiles suggest fairly uniform abundances relative to hydrogen, approximately 6*10^-9, 3*10^-9, and 3*10^-9 for NH, NH2, and NH3, respectively. These abundances are discussed with reference to models of gas-phase and surface chemistry.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, 2 online pages with 2 figures. Accepted for publication in A&A July 6 (Herschel/HIFI special issue

The importance of Portuguese Continental Shelf Waters to Balearic Shearwaters revealed by aerial census

The Balearic shearwater Puffinus mauretanicus is one of the most threatened seabirds in the world. To evaluate the abundance and distribution of Balearic Shearwaters in Portuguese Continental Shelf Waters, during the post-breeding period when migrating birds are outside the Mediterranean Sea, we conducted 5 aerial surveys between 2010 and 2014 (21 survey days covering 62,716 km2). Following a line transect method, observers recorded a total of 181 Balearic Shearwaters sightings. Using Distance sampling software, we estimated an overall species abundance (2010–2014) of 10,182, ranging between 2338 in 2010 and 23,221 individuals in 2012. During the 2012 post-breeding period, the Portuguese Continental Shelf Waters were used by up to 96.8% of the latest migratory population assessment. Considering Balearic Shearwater estimates per sampling block, there was a preference for the North and Center sectors of the Portuguese coast (respectively, 7058 and 1366 individuals) where several SPAs were already designated. We computed the annual and overall habitat predictive models for Balearic Shearwaters using a maximum entropy algorithm on MaxEnt software. In all models, the Balearic shearwater distribution was best predicted by mean chlorophyll concentration. Balearic Shearwaters are mostly present in shallow shelf and coastal waters particularly in the widest portions of the continental shelf. These areas are strongly influenced by upwelling, which concurs with the chlorophyll concentration being the most important predicting variable. Portuguese Continental Shelf Waters are one of the most important post-breeding grounds to the Balearic ShearwaterPortuguese Wildlife Society and projects SafeSea EEA-Grants, FAME (Proj. 2009-1/089) and European Commission’s Life Programme (MarPro NAT/PT/00038). This study was also partly supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) with Grants SFRH/ BD/30240/2006 to M. Ferreira and SFRH/BD/32841/2006 to P. C. Rodrigues. C. Eira is supported by FCT through CESAM UID/AMB/50017/2013 co-funded by FCT/MEC and FEDER, within PT2020 and Compete 2020 and S. Monteiro is financed by a Grant (BPD/0043/AMB/50017) from UID/AMB/50017/2013. This work was also partially supported by the strategic programme UID/BIA/04050/2013 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007569) funded by FCT and by ERDF (COMPETE2020). The authors thank observers and airplane pilots who contributed to this workinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mise en place d'une expérience avec le grand public: entre recherche, vulgarisation et pédagogie

Methodological considerations on implementing a participative experimentWe present the implementation of an economic experiment conducted simultaneously in 11 French cities, with over 2700 participants, during four uninterrupted hours, during a popular-science event held in September 2015. Our goal is both to provide a roadmap for a possible replication and to discuss how the discipline can be used in new fields (science popularization, popular education, public communication)