Visualizing Food-Drug Interactions in the Theriaque Database

This paper presents a prototype for the visualization of food-drug interactions implemented in the MIAM project, whose objective is to develop methods for the extraction and representation of these interactions and to make them available in the Thériaque database. The prototype provides users with a graphical visualization showing the hierarchies of drugs and foods in front of each other and the links between them representing the existing interactions as well as additional details about them, including the number of articles reporting the interaction. The prototype is interactive in the following ways: hierarchies can be easily folded and unfolded, a filter can be applied to view only certain types of interactions, and details about a given interaction are displayed when the mouse is moved over the corresponding link. Future work includes proposing a version more suitable for non-health professional users and the representation of the food hierarchy based on a reference classification

Drop breakup modelling in turbulent flows

This paper deals with drop and bubble break-up modelling in turbulent flows. We consider the case where the drop/bubble slip velocity is smaller than or of the order of the turbulent velocity scales, or when the drop/bubble deformation is mainly caused by the turbulent stress (atomisation is not addressed here). The deformation of a drop is caused by continuous interactions with turbulent vortices; the drop responds to these interactions by performing shape-oscillations and breaks up when its deformation reaches a critical value. Following these observations, we use a model of forced oscillator that describes the drop deformation dynamics in the flow to predict its break-up probability. Such a model requires a characterization of the shape-oscillation dynamics of the drop. As this dynamics is theoretically known only under restrictive conditions (without gravity, surfactants), CFD two-phase flow simulations, based on the Level-Set and Ghost Fluid methods, are used to determine the interface dynamics in more complex situations: deformation of a drop in the presence of gravity, bubble-vortex interactions. Results are compared with experimental data. The perspectives to apply this model to breakup in emulsification processes are also discussed

Soil water stress affects both cuticular wax content and cuticle-related gene expression in young saplings of maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Ait)

Background: The cuticle is a hydrophobic barrier located at the aerial surface of all terrestrial plants. Recent studies performed on model plants, such as Arabidopsis thaliana, have suggested that the cuticle may be involved in drought stress adaptation, preventing non-stomatal water loss. Although forest trees will face more intense drought stresses (in duration and intensity) with global warming, very few studies on the role of the cuticle in drought stress adaptation in these long-lived organisms have been so far reported. Results: This aspect was investigated in a conifer, maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Ait.), in a factorial design with two genetic units (two half-sib families with different growth rates) and two treatments (irrigated vs non-irrigated), in field conditions. Saplings were grown in an open-sided greenhouse and half were irrigated three times per week for two growing seasons. Needles were sampled three times per year for cuticular wax (composition and content) and transcriptome (of 11 genes involved in cuticle biosynthesis) analysis. Non-irrigated saplings (i) had a higher cuticular wax content than irrigated saplings and (ii) overexpressed most of the genes studied. Both these trends were more marked in the faster growing family. Conclusions: The higher cuticular wax content observed in the non-irrigated treatment associated with strong modifications in products from the decarbonylation pathway suggest that cuticular wax may be involved in drought stress adaptation in maritime pine. This study provides also a set of promising candidate genes for future forward genetic studies in conifers

Hematologic and hemorheological determinants of resting and exercise-induced hemoglobin oxygen desaturation in children with sickle cell disease.

International audienceThe aim of the study was to determine the factors associated with resting and exercise-induced hemoglobin oxygen desaturation. The well-established six-minute walk test was conducted in 107 sickle cell children (50 with sickle hemoglobin C disease and 57 with sickle cell anemia) at steady state. Hemoglobin oxygen saturation was measured before and immediately after the six-minute walk test. Blood samples were obtained on the same day to measure hematologic and hemorheological parameters. Exercise-induced hemoglobin oxygen desaturation was defined as a drop in hemoglobin oxygen saturation of 3% or more at the end of the six-minute walk test compared to resting levels. No children with sickle hemoglobin C disease, but approximately 50% of children with sickle cell anemia showed mild or moderate oxygen desaturation at rest, which was independently associated with the percentage of reticulocytes. Exercise-induced hemoglobin oxygen desaturation was observed in 18% of children with sickle hemoglobin C disease and 34% of children with sickle cell anemia, and was independently associated with the six-minute walk test, acute chest syndrome rate and the strength of red blood cell aggregates in children with sickle cell anemia. No association was found in children with sickle hemoglobin C disease between exercise-induced hemoglobin oxygen desaturation and the measured parameters. Hemoglobin oxygen desaturation at rest was common in children with sickle cell anemia but not in children with sickle hemoglobin C disease, and was mainly associated with greater hemolysis. Physiological strain during exercise and red blood cell aggregation properties may predict the occurrence of exercise-induced hemoglobin oxygen desaturation in children with sickle cell anemia

A field experiment to study the phenotypic plasticity of maritime pine saplings (Pinus pinaster aiton) to water stress

In a context of climate change, adaptation of perennial plantations to water constraints becomes a major concern for wood production. Projections point towards more extreme precipitation regimes coupled with more intense, more frequent and longer lasting heat waves inducing frequent and severe droughts. During two years, phenotypic plasticity of Pinus pinaster Ait. to water availability was quantified in the field by planting 1-year-old seedlings under a greenhouse, open at its borders, for rainwater exclusion. Water was provided to re-supply evapo-transpiration losses to half the plants by aerial irrigation. One well growing and one slow growing half-sib families, both of the local improved provenance were compared. The soil water content, water table level, air temperature and humidity were monitored. Shallow soil water content decreased to 6% in the dry treatment in late summer. Predawn leaf water potential was regularly measured and reached -1.37 MPa in the dry treatment/slow-growth family (versus -0.2 in the irrigated treatment) at the end of experiment. After measuring height and diameter (3 times per year in March, July and September 2008 and 2009), 40 to 70 saplings were uprooted for aerial and root biomass and architecture assessment. At the two last sampling times, architecture was measured by 3D digitizing which allowed precise numeric representation of the geometry and topology. Each plant was digitized in two multiscale tree graphs (MTG) of the aerial and root architecture. Several characteristics of architecture were extracted by queries including root/branch number, length, diameter, volume, spatial position, ramification order, branching angle and length of interlaterals. Surprisingly, after the first year of the experiment, water shortage did not affect total biomass of the saplings. However, the water stressed trees had slimmer stems, more biomass allocation to needles (+18%), and distinctly less allocation to roots (-30%), especially distal roots. After two years, the improved saplings in the dry treatment were less tapered. An increase of diameter growth was observed only at the end of the second year of the experiment. We hypothesize that Pinus pinaster saplings stop root growth when the soil is too dry, but maintain their productivity by setting more needles