Hacia nuevos dispositivos de investigación y educación en Francia: el ejemplo de la Universidad de Toulouse

La comprensió de l'estat actual de la investigació en arts, lletres, filosofia o llengües es basa en:- un fet: els investigadors, els seus col·lectius i les institucions de recerca, ja siguin públiques o privades, sempre estan finançades per la societat en què estan immerses.- una hipòtesi: aquest finançament comporta una contrapartida, ja que els resultats de la recerca han de ser útils per a la societat i utilitzables per ella.- una constatació: a les esmentades disciplines, les relacions de producció que regeixen les institucions de recerca, determinen les forces productives (professors i investigadors) i conformen les produccions (els programes de recerca i els discursos científics), no semblen satisfer les exigències de aquesta contrapartida.The understanding of the current state of research in arts, humanities, philosophy or languages is based on:- a fact: researchers, their groups and research institutions, whether public or private, are always financed by the society in which they are immersed.- a hypothesis: this financing entails a counterpart, since the results of the research must be useful for society and usable by it.- a finding: in the aforementioned disciplines, the production relations that govern the research institutions, determine the productive forces (professors and researchers) and make up the productions (research programs and scientific discourses), do not seem to satisfy the demands of that counterpart.La comprensión del estado actual de la investigación en artes, letras, filosofía o lenguas se basa en: - un hecho: los investigadores, sus colectivos y las instituciones de investigación, ya sean públicas o privadas, siempre están financiadas por la sociedad en la que están inmersas.- una hipótesis: esa financiación conlleva una contrapartida, pues los resultados de la investigación deben ser útiles para la sociedad y utilizables por ella.- una constatación: en las mencionadas disciplinas, las relaciones de producción que rigen las instituciones de investigación, determinan las fuerzas productivas (profesores e investigadores) y conforman las producciones (los programas de investigación y los discursos científicos), no parecen satisfacer las exigencias de esa contrapartida

Electrical glassy behavior in granular aluminium thin films

We present new results obtained by field effect measurements on insulating granular Al thin films. First, reproducible and stable conductance fluctuations are seen in micron size samples as a function of gate voltage. The anomalous field effect and its slow relaxation already known to exist in macroscopic samples are shown to still exist in small samples and to have no influence on the fluctuations pattern. Secondly, "true" aging is demonstrated, i.e. the anomalous field effect relaxation depends on the time elapsed since the cooling, the longer this time the longer it takes for the system to react to a gate voltage change. Interpretations and implications of these findings are discussed.Comment: 5th International Conference on Electronic Crystals (ECRYS), Carg\`ese : France (2008

Influence of the Virus LbFV and of Wolbachia in a Host-Parasitoid Interaction

Symbionts are widespread and might have a substantial effect on the outcome of interactions between species, such as in host-parasitoid systems. Here, we studied the effects of symbionts on the outcome of host-parasitoid interactions in a four-partner system, consisting of the parasitoid wasp Leptopilina boulardi, its two hosts Drosophila melanogaster and D. simulans, the wasp virus LbFV, and the endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia. The virus is known to manipulate the superparasitism behavior of the parasitoid whereas some Wolbachia strains can reproductively manipulate and/or confer pathogen protection to Drosophila hosts. We used two nuclear backgrounds for both Drosophila species, infected with or cured of their respective Wolbachia strains, and offered them to L. boulardi of one nuclear background, either infected or uninfected by the virus. The main defence mechanism against parasitoids, i.e. encapsulation, and other important traits of the interaction were measured. The results showed that virus-infected parasitoids are less frequently encapsulated than uninfected ones. Further experiments showed that this viral effect involved both a direct protective effect against encapsulation and an indirect effect of superparasitism. Additionally, the Wolbachia strain wAu affected the encapsulation ability of its Drosophila host but the direction of this effect was strongly dependent on the presence/absence of LbFV. Our results confirmed the importance of heritable symbionts in the outcome of antagonistic interactions.Peer reviewe

Biomass hydrodeoxygenation catalysts innovation from atomistic activity predictors

Circular economy emphasizes the idea of transforming products involving economic growth and improving the ecological system to reduce the negative consequences caused by the excessive use of raw materials. This can be achieved with the use of second-generation biomass that converts industrial and agricultural wastes into bulk chemicals. The use of catalytic processes is essential to achieve a viable upgrade of biofuels from the lignocellulosic biomass. We carried out density functional theory calculations to explore the relationship between 13 transition metals (TMs) properties, as catalysts, and their affinity for hydrogen and oxygen, as key species in the valourization of biomass. The relation of these parameters will define the trends of the hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) process on biomass-derived compounds. We found the hydrogen and oxygen adsorption energies in the most stable site have a linear relation with electronic properties of these metals that will rationalize the surface's ability to bind the biomass-derived compounds and break the C–O bonds. This will accelerate the catalyst innovation for low temperature and efficient HDO processes on biomass derivates, e.g. guaiacol and anisole, among others. Among the monometallic catalysts explored, the scaling relationship pointed out that Ni has a promising balance between hydrogen and oxygen affinities according to the d-band centre and d-band width models. The comparison of the calculated descriptors to the adsorption strength of guaiacol on the investigated surfaces indicates that the d-band properties alone are not best suited to describe the trend. Instead, we found that a linear combination of work function and d-band properties gives significantly better correlation

Les dynamiques d'un terroir viticole. Azay-le-Rideau, XVe -XIX e siècle

International audienceUnderstanding the dynamics of a vineyard implies a down to earth analysis in the middle of fields and vines, it requires a close study of the beatings – calm or rapid – of the ancestral wine growing culture profoundly rooted in a living soil. This article offers a micro-analytic mode of the spatial dynamics of wine growing soils. The “recessive method” based on contemporary fiscal sources, both modern and medieval, allows us to work on the beating of wine growing plots of land. The experience was followed on the territory of Azay le Rideau (Touraine, Indre et Loire, France), of which we have a rich file allowing a continuous inquiry from the 15th to the 19th century. What comes out of our analysis is the observation that the wine growing territory (of Azay-le-Rideau) is permanent and lasting but infinitely fluctuant plot wise. These fluctuations are the result of social, economic and institutional evolutions.Comprendre la dynamique d'un vignoble implique une analyse au ras du sol, au milieu des champs et des pieds de vignes, pour examiner les battements, calmes ou précipités, d'une viticulture ancrée dans un territoire, vivante des hommes qui cultivent la terre. Cet article propose un mode d'approche micro-analytique de la dynamique spatiale des terroirs viticoles, utilisant la méthode régressive à partir des sources fiscales contemporaines, modernes et médiévales, qui permettent d'aborder les pulsations du parcellaire viticole. L'expérience a été menée sur le territoire d'Azay-le-Rideau (Touraine, département d'Indre-et-Loire, France), pour lequel on dispose d'un riche dossier permettant une enquête continue du XV e au XIX e siècle. Cette analyse débouche sur la constatation d'une exploitation viticole permanente et durable, mais infiniment mouvante à l'échelle de la parcelle. Ces fluctuations sont le fruit d'évolutions sociales, économiques et institutionnelles

Life and Death of Selfish Genes: Comparative Genomics Reveals the Dynamic Evolution of Cytoplasmic Incompatibility.

Cytoplasmic incompatibility is a selfish reproductive manipulation induced by the endosymbiont Wolbachia in arthropods. In males Wolbachia modifies sperm, leading to embryonic mortality in crosses with Wolbachia-free females. In females, Wolbachia rescues the cross and allows development to proceed normally. This provides a reproductive advantage to infected females, allowing the maternally transmitted symbiont to spread rapidly through host populations. We identified homologs of the genes underlying this phenotype, cifA and cifB, in 52 of 71 new and published Wolbachia genome sequences. They are strongly associated with cytoplasmic incompatibility. There are up to seven copies of the genes in each genome, and phylogenetic analysis shows that Wolbachia frequently acquires new copies due to pervasive horizontal transfer between strains. In many cases, the genes have subsequently acquired loss-of-function mutations to become pseudogenes. As predicted by theory, this tends to occur first in cifB, whose sole function is to modify sperm, and then in cifA, which is required to rescue the cross in females. Although cif genes recombine, recombination is largely restricted to closely related homologs. This is predicted under a model of coevolution between sperm modification and embryonic rescue, where recombination between distantly related pairs of genes would create a self-incompatible strain. Together, these patterns of gene gain, loss, and recombination support evolutionary models of cytoplasmic incompatibility.Wellcome Trust grant number WT094664MA - Wellcome Trust grant number WT202888/Z/16/Z - ERC grant 28166

Mapping hydrogen storage capacities of UK offshore hydrocarbon fields and exploring potential synergies with offshore wind

Energy storage is an essential component of the transitioning UK energy system, a crucial mechanism for stabilising intermittent renewable electricity supply and meeting seasonal variation in demand. Low-carbon hydrogen provides a balancing mechanism for variable renewable energy supply and demand, and a method for decarbonising domestic heating, essential for meeting the UK's 2050 net-zero targets. Geological hydrogen storage in porous rocks offers large-scale energy storage over a variety of timescales and has promising prospects due to the widespread availability of UK offshore hydrocarbon fields, with established reservoirs and existing infrastructure. This contribution explores the potential for storage within fields in the UK Continental Shelf. Through comparison of available energy storage capacity and current domestic gas demands, we quantify the hydrogen required to decarbonise the UK gas network. We estimate a total hydrogen storage capacity of 3454TWh, significantly exceeding the 120TWh seasonal domestic demand. Multi-criteria decision analysis, in consultation with an expert focus group, identified optimal fields for coupling with offshore wind, which could facilitate large-scale renewable hydrogen production and storage. These results will be used as inputs for future energy system modelling, optimising potential synergies between offshore oil and gas and renewables sectors, in the context of the energy transition.ISSN:0375-6440ISSN:0305-8719ISSN:2041-492

Should Symbionts Be Nice or Selfish? Antiviral Effects of Wolbachia Are Costly but Reproductive Parasitism Is Not.

Symbionts can have mutualistic effects that increase their host's fitness and/or parasitic effects that reduce it. Which of these strategies evolves depends in part on the balance of their costs and benefits to the symbiont. We have examined these questions in Wolbachia, a vertically transmitted endosymbiont of insects that can provide protection against viral infection and/or parasitically manipulate its hosts' reproduction. Across multiple symbiont strains we find that the parasitic phenotype of cytoplasmic incompatibility and antiviral protection are uncorrelated. Strong antiviral protection is associated with substantial reductions in other fitness-related traits, whereas no such trade-off was detected for cytoplasmic incompatibility. The reason for this difference is likely that antiviral protection requires high symbiont densities but cytoplasmic incompatibility does not. These results are important for the use of Wolbachia to block dengue virus transmission by mosquitoes, as natural selection to reduce these costs may lead to reduced symbiont density and the loss of antiviral protection.This study was funded by the Wellcome Trust grant WT094664MA (http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/). FMJ is supported by a Royal Society Research Fellowship.This is the final published version. It first appeared at http://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article?id=10.1371/journal.ppat.1005021