Geophysical survey of two rural sites in Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Spain): unveiling Roman villae

Two rural sites on the island of Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Spain) have been investigated with geophysical methods. A previous archaeological field survey provided surface ceramics that allowed for a first classification of the sites as possible Roman rural settlements, possibly villae. The objective of the investigation was to work towards the identification of architectural remains to better understand the nature of the sites. Using the 7-probe fluxgate gradiometer array LEA MAX, magnetic measurements were executed on a large area on each site. GPR measurements were subsequently carried out to examine selected areas of interest in detail by means of the IDS GPR system based on the Fast-Wave module. The investigated areas demonstrated excellent surface conditions with a negligible number of sources of disturbance, permitting a detailed interpretation of the geophysical data. The results helped to reveal the presence of architectural remains beneath the soil at both sites

SPICES: Spectro-Polarimetric Imaging and Characterization of Exoplanetary Systems

SPICES (Spectro-Polarimetric Imaging and Characterization of Exoplanetary Systems) is a five-year M-class mission proposed to ESA Cosmic Vision. Its purpose is to image and characterize long-period extrasolar planets and circumstellar disks in the visible (450 - 900 nm) at a spectral resolution of about 40 using both spectroscopy and polarimetry. By 2020/22, present and near-term instruments will have found several tens of planets that SPICES will be able to observe and study in detail. Equipped with a 1.5 m telescope, SPICES can preferentially access exoplanets located at several AUs (0.5-10 AU) from nearby stars ($<$25 pc) with masses ranging from a few Jupiter masses to Super Earths ($\sim$2 Earth radii, $\sim$10 M$_{\oplus}$) as well as circumstellar disks as faint as a few times the zodiacal light in the Solar System

Signatures of mutational processes in human cancer.

All cancers are caused by somatic mutations; however, understanding of the biological processes generating these mutations is limited. The catalogue of somatic mutations from a cancer genome bears the signatures of the mutational processes that have been operative. Here we analysed 4,938,362 mutations from 7,042 cancers and extracted more than 20 distinct mutational signatures. Some are present in many cancer types, notably a signature attributed to the APOBEC family of cytidine deaminases, whereas others are confined to a single cancer class. Certain signatures are associated with age of the patient at cancer diagnosis, known mutagenic exposures or defects in DNA maintenance, but many are of cryptic origin. In addition to these genome-wide mutational signatures, hypermutation localized to small genomic regions, 'kataegis', is found in many cancer types. The results reveal the diversity of mutational processes underlying the development of cancer, with potential implications for understanding of cancer aetiology, prevention and therapy

New insights on marine ecological requirements and spatial distribution of one of the most endangered fish species in Europe, the European sturgeon

International audienceMarine ecological requirements and distribution of the European sturgeon (Acipenser Sturio) remain unknown, hindering the establishment of adequate conservation measures for this critically endangered diadromous fish. We applied a consensus modelling approach on the only remaining population, native from the Gironde–Garonne–Dordogne system in France and sustained by re-stocking between 2007 and 2015. Participative data from incidental catching (2012-2021) where coupled with multiple environmental factors in Bay of Biscay and Channel waters. The influence of topographic, physico-chemical, geographic, hydrodynamic and substrate factors was tested. First results show a marked influence of physico-chemical factors (e.g. sea bottom temperature) and appear to confirm that the species is mainly coastal. Distance to the source basin seems to play also an important role in the distribution of the species, allowing more reliable range predictions

Differential olfactory responses associated with host plant shift by the fruit-piercing moth, Eudocima phalonia, in the Pacific islands

The fruit-piercing moth (FPM) Eudocima phalonia is widely present in the tropics, causing major damages to the citrus industry. In its ancestral distribution range, e.g. Australia, FPM develops on vines from the Menispermaceae family. But in more recently colonized islands, e.g. New Caledonia, FPM populations have shifted to new host plants of the Fabaceae family, Erythrina spp.. To understand this host shift, we studied the chemical ecology of FPM as a mechanism driving host plant acceptance. We collected volatile headspace samples of Erythrina species and Menispermaceae and compared their chemical spectra. We assessed the electrophysiological responses of FPM populations from the two countries to the plant chemical extracts and identified bioactive compounds. The volatile profiles from each species were quite different between and within each plant family. However, five compounds common across the two families triggered electrophysiological responses in both FPM populations. Those common bioactive compounds could have facilitated the host shift to completely different plant family. Furthermore, the diverging history between the two FPM populations may explain differences in electrophysiological sensitivity to other specific compounds. These results are discussed in the context of the production of a generic lure that could be attractive to all FPM populations

French ichthyological records for 2017

Uncommon records of fishes may evidence local or global changes of fish composition resulting from environmental modifications or anthropic activities. Significant records of uncommon marine fishes, including threatened species, collected in French waters or by French vessels in European waters are reported for the year 2017. They include first, new, rare and unusual records for the following species: Sphyrna zygaena, Acipenser sturio, Muraena helena, Nessorhamphus ingolfianus, Evermannella balbo, Raniceps raninus, Cheilopogon heterurus, Scopelogadus beanii, Zenopsis conchifer, Eutelichthys leptochirus, Serranus cabrilla, Naucrates ductor, Seriola rivoliana, Gobius gasteveni, Gobius paganellus, Lepidocybium flavobrunneum, Ruvettus pretiosus, Hippoglossus hippoglossus, and Sphoeroides pachygaster.Les signalements inhabituels de poissons peuvent témoigner de changements locaux ou globaux résultant de modifications environnementales ou d’activités anthropiques. Des signalements remarquables de poissons marins, comprenant des espèces menacées, collectés dans les eaux françaises ou bien par des navires français dans les eaux européennes sont mentionnés pour l’année 2017. Ils comprennent des premiers et nouveaux signalements ainsi que des signalements rares et inhabituels pour les espèces : Sphyrna zygaena, Acipenser sturio, Muraena helena, Nessorhamphus ingolfianus, Evermannella balbo, Raniceps raninus, Cheilopogon heterurus, Scopelogadus beanii, Zenopsis conchifer, Eutelichthys leptochirus, Serranus cabrilla, Naucrates ductor, Seriola rivoliana, Gobius gasteveni, Gobius paganellus, Lepidocybium flavobrunneum, Ruvettus pretiosus, Hippoglossus hippoglossus et Sphoeroides pachygaster

Minimizing clonal variation during mammalian cell line engineering for improved systems biology data generation

Mammalian cells are widely used to express genes for basic biology studies and biopharmaceuticals. Current methods for generation of engineered cell lines introduce high genomic and phenotypic diversity, which hamper studies of gene functions and discovery of novel cellular mechanisms. Here, we minimized clonal variation by integrating a landing pad for recombinase-mediated cassette exchange site-specifically into the genome of CHO cells using CRISPR and generated subclones expressing four different recombinant proteins. The subclones showed low clonal variation with high consistency in growth, transgene transcript levels and global transcriptional response to recombinant protein expression, enabling improved studies of the impact of transgenes on the host transcriptome. Little variation over time in subclone phenotypes and transcriptomes was observed when controlling environmental culture conditions. The platform enables robust comparative studies of genome engineered CHO cell lines and can be applied to other mammalian cells for insight into diverse biological, biomedical and biotechnological applications

Coalition: Advocacy for prospective clinical trials to test the post-exposure potential of hydroxychloroquine against COVID-19

Our coalition of public health experts, doctors, and scientists worldwide want to draw attention to the need for high-quality evaluation protocols of the potential beneficial effect of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) as a post-exposure drug for exposed people. In the absence of an approved, recognized effective pre or post-exposure prophylactic drug or vaccine for COVID-19, nor of any approved and validated therapeutic drug, coupled with social and political pressure raised by publicity both regarding the potential beneficial effect of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) as well as potential risks from HCQ, we urge the immediate proper clinical trials. Specifically, we mean using HCQ for post-exposure of people with close contact with patients with positive COVID19 rtPCR, including home and medical caregivers. We have reviewed the mechanisms of antiviral effect of HCQ, the risk-benefit ratio taking into consideration the PK/PD of HCQ and the thresholds of efficacy. We have studied its use as an antimalarial, an antiviral, and an immunomodulating drug and concluded that the use of HCQ at doses matching that of the standard treatment of Systemic Lupus erythematous, which has proven safety and efficacy in terms of HCQ blood and tissue concentration adapted to bodyweight (2,3), at 6 mg/kg/day 1 (loading dose) followed by 5 mg/kg/ day, with a maximum limit of 600 mg/day in all cases should swiftly be clinically evaluated as a post-exposure drug for exposed people