Evaluation of the impact of various agricultural practices on nitrate leaching under the root zone of potato and sugar beet using the STICS soil–crop model

The quaternary aquifer of Vitoria-Gasteiz (Basque Country, Northern Spain) is characterised by a shallow water table mainly fed by drainage water, and thus constitutes a vulnerable zone in regards to nitrate pollution. Field studies were performed with a potato crop in 1993 and a sugar beet crop in 2002 to evaluate their impact on nitrate leaching. The overall predictive quality of the STICS soil–crop model was first evaluated using field data and then the model was used to analyze dynamically the impacts of different crop management practices on nitrate leaching. The model was evaluated (i) on soil nitrate concentrations at different depths and (ii) on crop yields. The simulated values proved to be in satisfactory agreement with measured values. Nitrate leaching was more pronounced with the potato crop thanwith the sugar beet experiment due to i) greater precipitation, ii) lower N uptake of the potato crop due to shallow root depth, and iii) a shorter period of growth. The potato experiment showed that excessive irrigation could significantly increase nitrate leaching by increasing both drainage and nitrate concentrations. The different levels of N-fertilization examined in the sugar beet study had no notable effects on nitrate leaching due to its high N uptake capacity. Complementary virtual experiments were carried out using the STICS model. Our study confirmed that in vulnerable zones agricultural practices must be adjusted, that is to say: 1) N-fertilizer should not be applied in autumn before winter crops; 2) crops with low N uptake capacity (e.g. potatoes) should be avoided or should be preceded and followed by nitrogen catch crops or cover crops; 3) the nitrate concentration of irrigation water should be taken into account in calculation of the N-fertilization rate, and 4) Nfertilization must be precisely adjusted in particular for potato crops

Identification of the Mechanical Properties of Particle Boards and Stochastic Simulation of the Behavior of Furniture

International audienceIn furniture industry, the numerical simulation allows the design and optimization of wood-based structures, thus avoiding expensive experimental campaigns. Most of wood-based furniture present some particular features in terms of material properties and geometries. On the one hand, the properties of timber materials (such as particule boards) are strongly heterogeneous and anisotropic. On the other hand, the furniture are often made of simply-shaped elements and then can be represented by an assembly of plates and/or beams. The present work deals with those specific features and presents the identification of the elastic properties of particle boards from digital image correlation (DIC) [1] as well as the simulation of the mechanical behavior of furniture.First, three-point bending tests based on Timoshenko's beam theory are performed on different samples cut from a prototype desk for the identification of the material properties using DIC techniques. Secondly, a probabilistic model for the uncertain material parameters is constructed by using the Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) principle [2] combined with a Markov Chain Monte-Carlo (MCMC) method based on Metropolis-Hastings algorithm for generating realizations of the underlying random variables. Thirdly, numerical virtual tests are performed to propagate the uncertainties in the material properties through the model and assess the impact of such variabilities on the response of the structure. Lastly, several real tests were previously conducted on the desk in order to validate the proposed numerical approach. Quite good agreement is observed between the numerical computations and the experimental measurements.[1] L. Chevalier, S. Calloch, F. Hild and Y. Marco, Digital image correlation used to ana- lyze the multiaxial behavior of rubber-like materials. European Journal of Mechanics- A/Solids. Vol. 20(2), pp. 169–187, 2001.[2] C. Soize, Uncertainty Quantication: An Accelerated Course with Advanced Applica- tions in Computational Engineering. Springer, Vol. 47, 2017

Economic optimization of feeding and shipping strategies in pig-fattening units with an individual-based model

International audience The economic results of pig farming systems are highly variable and depend on the price of feeds, pig performance, and pork price.  Shipping strategy affects farm income since over- and under-weight pigs tend to lose in the gross margin.  Therefore, feeding and shipping strategies are major levers for improvement

Suppression by thimerosal of ex-vivo CD4+ T cell response to influenza vaccine and induction of apoptosis in primary memory T cells.

International audienceThimerosal is a preservative used widely in vaccine formulations to prevent bacterial and fungal contamination in multidose vials of vaccine. Thimerosal was included in the multidose non-adjuvanted pandemic 2009 H1N1 vaccine Panenza. In the context of the analysis of the ex-vivo T cell responses directed against influenza vaccine, we discovered the in vitro toxicity Panenza, due to its content in thimerosal. Because thimerosal may skew the immune response to vaccines, we investigated in detail the ex-vivo effects of thimerosal on the fate and functions of T cells in response to TCR ligation. We report that ex-vivo exposure of quiescent or TCR-activated primary human T cells to thimerosal induced a dose-dependent apoptotic cell death associated with depolarization of mitochondrial membrane, generation of reactive oxygen species, cytochrome c release from the mitochondria and caspase-3 activation. Moreover, exposure to non-toxic concentrations of thimerosal induced cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 phase of TCR-activated T cells, and inhibition of the release of proinflammatory cytokines such as IFN gamma, IL-1 beta, TNF alpha, IL-2, as well as the chemokine MCP1. No shift towards Th2 or Th17 cells was detected. Overall these results underline the proapoptotic effect of thimerosal on primary human lymphocytes at concentrations 100 times less to those contained in the multidose vaccine, and they reveal the inhibitory effect of this preservative on T-cell proliferation and functions at nanomolar concentrations

Machine precision assessment for 3D/2D digital subtracted angiography images registration

Colloque avec actes et comité de lecture.During an interventional neuroradiology exam, knowing the exact location of the catheter tip with respect to the patient can dramatically help the physician. An image registration between digital subtracted angiography (DSA) images and a volumic pre-operative image (magnetic resonance or computed tomography volumes) is a way to infer this important information. This mono-patient multimodality matching can be reduced to finding the projection matrix that transforms any voxel of the volume onto the DSA image plane. This modelization is unfortunately not valid in the case of distorted images, which is the case for DSA images. A classical angiography room can now generate 3D X-ray angiography volumes (3DXA). Since the DSA images are obtained with the same machine, it should be possible to deduce the projection matrix from the sensor data indicating the current machine position. We propose an interpolation scheme, associated to a pre- operative calibration of the machi

Recalage automatique d'images d'angiographie

Colloque avec actes et comité de lecture. nationale.National audienceAujourd'hui des volumes d'angiographie tridimensionnelle sont générées en routine à partir de séquences d'angiographie rotationnelle. Nous avions dans un précédent travail étudié la précision d'un recalage de ces volumes avec des images d'angiographie 2D classique, en nous basant uniquement sur les capteurs d'état de la machine. Cet estimé initial permet de poser le problème du recalage final comme l'estimation d'une translation d'amplitude quelconque associée à une petite rotation dans l'espace. Nous décrivons ici la stratégie que nous avons suivie afin de résoudre ce problème. Nous comparons en deux étapes l'image d'angiographie à la projection MIP ( Maximum Intensity Projection ) conique du volume angiographique. Dans un premier temps, la translation est estimée en maximisant la corrélation. La deuxième étape résout les paramètres du petit mouvement résiduel grâce à une technique de flux optique modifiée. Nous décrivons également comment accélérer le processus d'optimisation en nous basant sur une analyse des équations mises en oeuvre. Notre algorithme a été validé sur 17 images de fantômes et 2 patients. La mesure manuelle de l'erreur 3D indique qu'elle est inférieure à 1 mm. Le recalage est atteint en 1 mn 30 s par image. Un prototype a été installé dans un environnement clinique pour une validation plus approfondie

Prevalence and Clinical Associations of Antiphospholipid Antibodies in Systemic Sclerosis: New Data From a French Cross-Sectional Study, Systematic Review, and Meta-Analysis

Objectives: Antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) can be present in the sera of systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of aPL in a cross-sectional study of SSc patients, to assess their clinical associations, to perform a systematic review of published reports and a meta-analysis to estimate the worldwide prevalence of aPL in SSc.Methods: Two-hundred and forty-nine SSc patients were consecutively tested once for lupus anticoagulant (LA), anticardiolipin (aCL), and anti-β2glycoprotein I (anti-β2GpI) antibodies. Clinical associations with aPL positivity were studied using a logistic regression model. A systematic review of the literature was carried out in PubMed and Embase. Meta-analysis was performed using number of aPL positive (at least one of the three antibodies positive) and negative patients. Meta-regression was used to study potential factors explaining the heterogeneity between studies.Results: In our cross-sectional study, aPL positivity was found in 16 patients (prevalence 6.4%; 95%CI [3.8–10.4]). In multivariate analysis, there was a significant association between aPL positivity and venous thrombosis (VT) (OR 6.25 [1.18–33.00]; p = 0.028) and miscarriage (OR 5.43; 95%CI [1.31–22.13]; p = 0.017). Twenty-four studies were included in the meta-analysis, representing a total population of 3036 SSc patients. The overall pooled prevalence of aPL in SSc was 14% (9–20) with a high degree of heterogeneity among studies.Conclusion: This study found a prevalence of aPL positivity in our SSc population of 6.4% (3.8–10.4) and an overall worldwide pooled prevalence of 14% (9–20). In our SSc population, aPL positivity was associated with VT and miscarriage. These data provide additional insights into the role of aPL in the vasculopathy observed in SSc

Future development of apricot blossom blight under climate change in Southern France

International audienceClimate change will have several consequences for agro-systems, one of which will concern changes to the development of pathogens. Because of the losses it causes, particularly in organic farming, Monilinia laxa is an important pathogen affecting apricot crops. This study focuses on the consequences of climate change regarding blossom and twig blight (Monilinia laxa) of apricot. To achieve this, a Climatic Index of cumulated Blight risk (CIB) was built, to obtain the weighted sum of blossom blight incidence throughout the blooming period. An epidemiological model to calculate the incidence of blossom blight during every potentially infectious episode and based on biological parameters, was calibrated using a trap pot experiment where trees were placed in orchards and subject to various meteorological conditions. The CIB derived from this model was evaluated on field data, and was shown to be a robust and useful tool to predict the effects of climate change on the development of apricot blight. Then, using the CIB with a phenological model to predict blooming periods in the future, we estimated the risks of apricot blight until 2100 on four contrasted apricot cultivars and in three geographical zones under climate change scenarios RCP 4.5 and 8.5. This study revealed different effects of climate change depending on the cultivar and altitude. Apricot trees would bloom earlier (up to a difference of 50 days between 1950 and 2100) under climate change. Under the combined effects of these shifts of blooming period and changing climatic conditions, late cultivars such as Bergarouge might see a reduction in the risk of blossom blight (down to 31%) because of warmer but dryer blooming periods. Other varieties (e.g.: Bergeron) could experience an increase in this risk by up to 27% with a shift of the blooming period towards rainier conditions at the highest altitudes. The results of this study could be used to anticipate future changes as well as be used at present as a decision-support tool for farmers

Development of (6 R)-2-Nitro-6-[4-(trifluoromethoxy)phenoxy]-6,7-dihydro-5 H-imidazo[2,1- b][1,3]oxazine (DNDI-8219): A New Lead for Visceral Leishmaniasis.

Discovery of the potent antileishmanial effects of antitubercular 6-nitro-2,3-dihydroimidazo[2,1- b][1,3]oxazoles and 7-substituted 2-nitro-5,6-dihydroimidazo[2,1- b][1,3]oxazines stimulated the examination of further scaffolds (e.g., 2-nitro-5,6,7,8-tetrahydroimidazo[2,1- b][1,3]oxazepines), but the results for these seemed less attractive. Following the screening of a 900-compound pretomanid analogue library, several hits with more suitable potency, solubility, and microsomal stability were identified, and the superior efficacy of newly synthesized 6 R enantiomers with phenylpyridine-based side chains was established through head-to-head assessments in a Leishmania donovani mouse model. Two such leads ( R-84 and R-89) displayed promising activity in the more stringent Leishmania infantum hamster model but were unexpectedly found to be potent inhibitors of hERG. An extensive structure-activity relationship investigation pinpointed two compounds ( R-6 and pyridine R-136) with better solubility and pharmacokinetic properties that also provided excellent oral efficacy in the same hamster model (>97% parasite clearance at 25 mg/kg, twice daily) and exhibited minimal hERG inhibition. Additional profiling earmarked R-6 as the favored backup development candidate