RSS based CERN Alerter. Information broadcast to all CERN offices.

Nearly every large organization uses a tool to broadcast messages and information across the internal campus (messages like alerts announcing interruption in services or just information about upcoming events). These tools typically allow administrators (operators) to send "targeted" messages which are sent only to specific groups of users or computers, e/g only those located in a specified building or connected to a particular computing service. CERN has a long history of such tools: CERNVMSÂÂs SPM_quotMESSAGE command, Zephyr and the most recent the NICE Alerter based on the NNTP protocol. The NICE Alerter used on all Windows-based computers had to be phased out as a consequence of phasing out NNTP at CERN. The new solution to broadcast information messages on the CERN campus continues to provide the service based on cross-platform technologies, hence minimizing custom developments and relying on commercial software as much as possible. The new system, called CERN Alerter, is based on RSS (Really Simple Syndication) for the transport protocol and uses Microsoft SharePoint as the backend for database and posting interface. The windows-based client relies on Internet Explorer 7.0 with custom code to trigger the window pop-ups and the notifications for new events. Linux and Mac OS X clients could also rely on any RSS readers to subscribe to targeted notifications. The paper covers the architecture and implementation aspe cts of the new system

Candida glabrata biofilms: How far have we come?

Infections caused by Candida species have been increasing in the last decades and can result in local or systemic infections, with high morbidity and mortality. After Candida albicans, Candida glabrata is one of the most prevalent pathogenic fungi in humans. In addition to the high antifungal drugs resistance and inability to form hyphae or secret hydrolases, C. glabrata retain many virulence factors that contribute to its extreme aggressiveness and result in a low therapeutic response and serious recurrent candidiasis, particularly biofilm formation ability. For their extraordinary organization, especially regarding the complex structure of the matrix, biofilms are very resistant to antifungal treatments. Thus, new approaches to the treatment of C. glabratas biofilms are emerging. In this article, the knowledge available on C. glabratas resistance will be highlighted, with a special focus on biofilms, as well as new therapeutic alternatives to control them.This work was supported by the Programa Operacional, Fatores de competitividade— COMPETE and by national funds through FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia on the scope of the projects FCT PTDC/SAU-MIC/119069/2010, RECI/EBB-EBI/0179/2012, and PEst-OE/EQB/LA0023/2013, Célia F. Rodrigues’ SFRH/BD/93078/2013 PhD grant, Maria Elisa Rodrigues’ Grant SFRH/BD/93078/2013. The authors thank the Project “BioHealth—Biotechnology and Bioengineering approaches to improve Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (ON.2—O Novo Norte), QREN, F

Chemical composition and antibacterial activity of essential oils from the medicinal plant Mentha cervina L. grown in Portugal

Mentha cervina is a medicinal plant traditionally used in Portugal in folk medicine, in different gastric disorders and inflammations of the respiratory tract. In order to validate those traditional uses, M. cervina essential oils (EOs) were characterized by GC and GC–MS and their antimicrobial activity was tested against 23 bacterial strains (including multiresistant strains). The EOs were dominated by the monoterpenes pulegone (52–75%), isomenthone (8–24%), limonene (4–6%), and menthone (1–2%). The antibacterial activity of these EOs was compared to that of the main components standards. The most effective antibacterial activity was expressed by the EOs against the Gram-negative bacteria, Escherichia coli and Acinetobacter baumanni, with MIC values of 1 mg/ml. The EOs complex mixtures were more active than the individual aromatic components supporting the hypothesis that the EOs antibacterial activity is a function of the synergistic effect of their different aromatic components. These results show the potential role of M. cervina EOs as antibacterial agents and validate the traditional use of this plant

Signalisation calcique et protéines 14-3-3 dans la mort cellulaire induite par les sphingolipides chez les végétaux

Les sphingolipides et plus particulièrement les bases à longue chaîne (LCBs) jouent un rôle crucial dans l'induction de la mort cellulaire programmée. Chez les végétaux, la fumonisine B1 (FB1), une mycotoxine produite par le champignon nécrotrophe Fusarium moniliforme, perturbe la voie de biosynthèse des sphingolipides ce qui conduit à l'accumulation des deux LCBs majoritaires chez Arabidopsis thaliana, à savoir la phytosphingosine (PHS) et la dihydrosphingosine (DHS). Néanmoins, la voie de signalisation induite par la FB1 demeure largement inconnue à ce jour. En utilisant A. thaliana, l'équipe a récemment montré qu'en réponse aux LCBs ou à la FB1, les protéines 14-3-3 sont phosphorylées par la protéine kinase dépendante du calcium CPK3, à laquelle elles sont associées de manière constitutive. Cette phosphorylation conduit à la dissociation du complexe CPK3/14-3-3s et au clivage de la protéine kinase qui a été identifiée comme étant un régulateur majeur de cette voie de signalisation. L'objectif de mon travail de thèse s'est inscrit dans la continuité de ces travaux et a consisté, de manière générale, à une meilleure compréhension des processus impliquant la protéine kinase CPK3, notamment sa régulation par les 14-3-3s et son devenir après la dissociation du complexe en réponse aux LCBs. A travers mes travaux de thèse, j'ai pu montrer que CPK3 interagit préférentiellement avec les isoformes de 14-3-3s appartenant au groupe non-epsilon de manière phospho- et calcium-dépendante en condition contrôle. Suite à sa perte d'interaction avec les 14-3-3s, j'ai montré que le domaine variable N-terminal de CPK3 est clivé de manière LCB-dépendante. Ce clivage est à corréler avec l'activation, dépendante de la PHS et de la FB1, de la protéase à cystéine de type papaïne, RD21 (responsive-to-dessication 21). De manière intéressante, alors que la forme pleine longueur de CPK3 est principalement associée aux membranes en condition contrôle, la forme clivée de cette protéine kinase est retrouvée exclusivement au niveau de la fraction soluble. Une approche génétique associée à des analyses phénotypiques indique que RD21 agit en tant que régulateur négatif de la PCD induite par la FB1 chez A. thaliana.The sphingolipids and more particularly the long chain bases (LCBs) play a crucial role in the induction of programmed cell death. In plants, the mycotoxin fumonisin B1 (FB1) produced by the necrotrophic fungus Fusarium moniliforme disrupts sphingolipid biosynthesis, leading to the accumulation of the two major LCBs in Arabidopsis thaliana, i.e. phytosphingosine (PHS) and dihydrosphingosine (DHS). However, the FB1-induced signaling pathway remains largely unknown. By using A. thaliana as a plant model, the team has recently shown that, upon LCB or FB1 treatment, 14-3-3 proteins are phosphorylated by the calcium-dependent protein kinase, CPK3, with which 14-3-3s are constitutively associated. This phosphorylation event leads to the dissociation of the CPK3/14-3-3 complex and to CPK3 cleavage, which was identified as a crucial regulator of this signaling pathway. In this context, the objectives of my thesis were to get a deep further in the knowledge of this signaling pathway involving the protein kinase CPK3, including its regulation by 14-3-3s and its becoming after complex dissociation in response to LCBs. Thus, I have shown that CPK3 preferentially binds to the non-epsilon 14-3-3 isoforms in a phospho- and calcium-dependent manner in control condition. After the CPK3/14-3-3 complex dissociation, I have demonstrated that the N-terminal variable domain of CPK3 is cleaved in a LCB-dependent manner. This cleavage can be correlated with the PHS/FB1-induced activation of the papain-like cysteine protease, RD21 (responsive-to-dessication 21). Interestingly, while full-length CPK3 is mainly associated to membranes in control condition, its FB1-induced cleaved form becomes soluble. A genetic approach associated to phenotype analyses indicates that RD21 acts as a negative regulator of FB1-induced cell death in A. thaliana

Calcium signaling and 14-3-3 proteins in sphingolipid-induced cell death in plants

Les sphingolipides et plus particulièrement les bases à longue chaîne (LCBs) jouent un rôle crucial dans l'induction de la mort cellulaire programmée. Chez les végétaux, la fumonisine B1 (FB1), une mycotoxine produite par le champignon nécrotrophe Fusarium moniliforme, perturbe la voie de biosynthèse des sphingolipides ce qui conduit à l'accumulation des deux LCBs majoritaires chez Arabidopsis thaliana, à savoir la phytosphingosine (PHS) et la dihydrosphingosine (DHS). Néanmoins, la voie de signalisation induite par la FB1 demeure largement inconnue à ce jour. En utilisant A. thaliana, l'équipe a récemment montré qu'en réponse aux LCBs ou à la FB1, les protéines 14-3-3 sont phosphorylées par la protéine kinase dépendante du calcium CPK3, à laquelle elles sont associées de manière constitutive. Cette phosphorylation conduit à la dissociation du complexe CPK3/14-3-3s et au clivage de la protéine kinase qui a été identifiée comme étant un régulateur majeur de cette voie de signalisation. L'objectif de mon travail de thèse s'est inscrit dans la continuité de ces travaux et a consisté, de manière générale, à une meilleure compréhension des processus impliquant la protéine kinase CPK3, notamment sa régulation par les 14-3-3s et son devenir après la dissociation du complexe en réponse aux LCBs. A travers mes travaux de thèse, j'ai pu montrer que CPK3 interagit préférentiellement avec les isoformes de 14-3-3s appartenant au groupe non-epsilon de manière phospho- et calcium-dépendante en condition contrôle. Suite à sa perte d'interaction avec les 14-3-3s, j'ai montré que le domaine variable N-terminal de CPK3 est clivé de manière LCB-dépendante. Ce clivage est à corréler avec l'activation, dépendante de la PHS et de la FB1, de la protéase à cystéine de type papaïne, RD21 (responsive-to-dessication 21). De manière intéressante, alors que la forme pleine longueur de CPK3 est principalement associée aux membranes en condition contrôle, la forme clivée de cette protéine kinase est retrouvée exclusivement au niveau de la fraction soluble. Une approche génétique associée à des analyses phénotypiques indique que RD21 agit en tant que régulateur négatif de la PCD induite par la FB1 chez A. thaliana.The sphingolipids and more particularly the long chain bases (LCBs) play a crucial role in the induction of programmed cell death. In plants, the mycotoxin fumonisin B1 (FB1) produced by the necrotrophic fungus Fusarium moniliforme disrupts sphingolipid biosynthesis, leading to the accumulation of the two major LCBs in Arabidopsis thaliana, i.e. phytosphingosine (PHS) and dihydrosphingosine (DHS). However, the FB1-induced signaling pathway remains largely unknown. By using A. thaliana as a plant model, the team has recently shown that, upon LCB or FB1 treatment, 14-3-3 proteins are phosphorylated by the calcium-dependent protein kinase, CPK3, with which 14-3-3s are constitutively associated. This phosphorylation event leads to the dissociation of the CPK3/14-3-3 complex and to CPK3 cleavage, which was identified as a crucial regulator of this signaling pathway. In this context, the objectives of my thesis were to get a deep further in the knowledge of this signaling pathway involving the protein kinase CPK3, including its regulation by 14-3-3s and its becoming after complex dissociation in response to LCBs. Thus, I have shown that CPK3 preferentially binds to the non-epsilon 14-3-3 isoforms in a phospho- and calcium-dependent manner in control condition. After the CPK3/14-3-3 complex dissociation, I have demonstrated that the N-terminal variable domain of CPK3 is cleaved in a LCB-dependent manner. This cleavage can be correlated with the PHS/FB1-induced activation of the papain-like cysteine protease, RD21 (responsive-to-dessication 21). Interestingly, while full-length CPK3 is mainly associated to membranes in control condition, its FB1-induced cleaved form becomes soluble. A genetic approach associated to phenotype analyses indicates that RD21 acts as a negative regulator of FB1-induced cell death in A. thaliana

What is new in Office 2007 - (IT3T/2007/2)

IT3T/2007/2 - Quoi de neuf avec Office 2007 Nous allons présenter le nouveau type de site web disponible au CERN: "Collaboration Workspaces". Avec des fonctionnalités comme les forums de discussion, les pages wiki, la création rapide de formulaires web et les "document libraries", nous montrerons comment les Collaboration Workspaces permettent de publier, partager et récupérer l'information de manière plus simple et plus rapide, et permettent de collaborer de manière efficace sur les documents. IT3T/2007/2 - What is new in Office 2007 The presentation will introduce the new features of Microsoft Office 2007 including the new Microsoft Office Fluent user interface and explain how to use the Ribbon, Contextual Tabs, Galleries, and Live Preview. No special previous knowledge is required, at the same time a basic knowledge of Office 2003 applications (Word/Excel/PowerPoint) may be a convenient starting point

CERN Single Sign On Solution

The need for Single Sign On has always been restricted by the absence of cross platform solutions: a single sign on working only on one platform or technology is nearly useless. The recent improvements in Web Services Federation (WS-Federation) standard enabling federation of identity, attribute, authentication and authorization information can now provide real extended Single Sign On solutions. Various solutions have been investigated at CERN and now, a Web SSO solution using some parts of WS-Federation technology is available. Using the Shibboleth Service Provider module for Apache hosted web sites and Microsoft ADFS as the identity provider linked to Active Directory user, users can now authenticate on any web application using a single authentication platform, providing identity, user information (building, phone...) as well as group membership enabling authorization possibilities. A typical scenario: a CERN user can now authenticate on a Linux/Apache website using Windows Integrated credentials, and his Active Directory group membership can be checked before allowing access to a specific web page

Observations sur les Infusoires des environs de Lyon

Ormancey P. Observations sur les Infusoires des environs de Lyon. In: Annales de la Société linnéenne de Lyon, tome 8, Années 1850-1852. 1852. pp. 257-276

INFLUENCE OF HUMIDITY ON POTENTIAL DISTRIBUTION IN BaTiO3 CERAMICS AND CRYSTALS

A method is described which permits the measurement of potential distribution under d. c. field on BaTiOs. It is found that humidity exercises a great influence on pure crystals between 10 % and 60 % of relative humidity. These results depend to a large extent on the state of the surface. The study of crystals doped with OH or iron has shown that the influence of humidity on pure crystal is due to a partial dopage with OH. We give the hypotheses of calculation for these distributions of potential