Net-zooplankton abundance and biomass from Annaba Bay (SW Mediterranean Sea) under estuarine influences

Zooplankton samples were collected in Annaba Bay (Algeria) from January 2009-March 2011 at three coastal sites differently affected by estuarine plumes and external currents. Aim of this survey was to analyze zooplankton composition, abundance and biomass and compare the results with previous studies to reveal possible populations and environmental changes. The mean zooplankton abundance varied between 1,200-6,000 ind. m-3 and biomass 6.70-25.70 mg DW m-3, according to the site. Copepods constituted the main fraction of zooplankton community, and Oithona similis and Paracalanus indicus successively dominated during autumn-winter and spring-summer. The dinoflagellate Noctiluca scintillans was one of the major zooplankton components, and developed high numbers during February-April, becoming common in neritic and coastal regions. The singularity of the zooplankton from Annaba Bay is the prevalence of P. indicus throughout the entire bay and the decrease in Acartia discaudata and A. clausi (with respect to previous years), possibly replaced by A. negligens. Additionally, Oithona nana abundance markedly decreased with the large development of O. similis. Annaba Bay also differs from other similar Mediterranean coastal areas by the large development of Centropages ponticus populations during the warm period. Among the identified copepod species, the alien species Pseudodiaptomus australiensis and P. arabicus are reported for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea. The occurrence of copepodid V stages of P. australiensis suggests that this species survives and reproduces in Annaba Bay, but so far without developing an abundant population.

Nitrogen Source Differently Regulates Barley (Hordeum vulgare) Response to NaCl Stress At Seed Germination and Early Seedling Development Stages

Nitrogen (N) acts as nutrient and signaling molecule in plants all over their development stages. The involvement of various N forms in the regulation of seed germination response to salt stress was assessed in the present work. Nitrogen sources (NO, NO2−, NO3−, NH4+, glutamine and glutamate) were added at 1mMto the germination medium of barley (Hordeum vulgare, cv Ardhaoui) in combination or not with NaCl stress (14 g.L−1). The application of nitrogen monoxide (NO) alleviated by about 20% the NaCl-induced germination capacity decrease. However, the addition of ammonium ions (NH4+) and glutamic acid (Glu) accentuated the inhibitory effects of NaCl, decreasing germination capacity by about 50% compared to the control. The levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), which is an indicator of membrane lipid peroxidation by stresses, were increased by salinity in seeds treated with nitrite (NO2−), NO3−, Glu and Gln. In N-free medium, NaCl stress induced a severe nitrate reductase activity (NR, EC 1.6.1.6) inhibition. Such an effect was alleviated by the application of N treatments. Glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH, EC 1.4.1.2) aminating activity (NADH-GDH) of seedlings was inhibited by NaCl stress in the presence of NO, Glu and Gln. Conversely, there was stimulation by salt stress of NADH-GDH activity in seedlings treated with NaCl and NH4+. Deaminating GDH activity (NAD-GDH) was found to be enhanced by salt stress in NO2− and NO3− treatments. The differential effects of applied N forms on germination and early seedling development processes in this grass probably underlines different regulatory actions within N mobilization and assimilation

The novel endosomal membrane protein Ema interacts with the class C Vps–HOPS complex to promote endosomal maturation

Defective attenuation of BMP signaling causes synapses to overgrow in Drosophila Ema mutants due to impaired endosomal maturation

From Disease Association to Risk Assessment: An Optimistic View from Genome-Wide Association Studies on Type 1 Diabetes

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been fruitful in identifying disease susceptibility loci for common and complex diseases. A remaining question is whether we can quantify individual disease risk based on genotype data, in order to facilitate personalized prevention and treatment for complex diseases. Previous studies have typically failed to achieve satisfactory performance, primarily due to the use of only a limited number of confirmed susceptibility loci. Here we propose that sophisticated machine-learning approaches with a large ensemble of markers may improve the performance of disease risk assessment. We applied a Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithm on a GWAS dataset generated on the Affymetrix genotyping platform for type 1 diabetes (T1D) and optimized a risk assessment model with hundreds of markers. We subsequently tested this model on an independent Illumina-genotyped dataset with imputed genotypes (1,008 cases and 1,000 controls), as well as a separate Affymetrix-genotyped dataset (1,529 cases and 1,458 controls), resulting in area under ROC curve (AUC) of ∼0.84 in both datasets. In contrast, poor performance was achieved when limited to dozens of known susceptibility loci in the SVM model or logistic regression model. Our study suggests that improved disease risk assessment can be achieved by using algorithms that take into account interactions between a large ensemble of markers. We are optimistic that genotype-based disease risk assessment may be feasible for diseases where a notable proportion of the risk has already been captured by SNP arrays

antibiotics and resistance a fatal attraction

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Arbitration and carriage of goods by sea contracts comparative study : French Law, Common Law and the law of Arab countries

Le contrat de transport maritime de marchandises a presque toujours un caractère international, ce qui en fait un terrain propice à l’arbitrage. L’arbitrage - mode naturel de règlement des litiges du commerce international - est largement pratiqué dans le monde. Cette institution ancestrale, indépendante de la justice étatique, tire sa légitimité du consentement des parties. Ce mode de règlement privé des litiges commerciaux internationaux présente un intérêt particulier en ce qu’il combine dans ses fondements et dans son fonctionnement des caractéristiques empruntées aux deux grands systèmes de droit qui dominent actuellement la matière : le droit continental et la Common Law. Le droit maritime, d’essence spécifique et technique, adapte le droit commun des contrats et l’institution de l’arbitrage, aboutissant parfois la création d’un régime exorbitant de l’arbitrage commercial international. Cette exorbitance, précisément manifestée dans la validité de la clause compromissoire insérée dans le contrat de transport maritime de marchandises, met à mal le consentement des parties à l’arbitrage. Contrairement aux autres contrats maritimes qui dans la mise en œuvre de l’arbitrage ne soulèvent pas de questions particulières, l’arbitrage des litiges issus des contrats de transport maritime de marchandises soulève dans la jurisprudence une problématique spécifique qui tient à la construction même du contrat. En effet, celui-ci met en œuvre une relation généralement tripartite. Les deux contractants originels, en général l’expéditeur et le transporteur, font peser la force obligatoire de leur contrat sur un tiers qui sera attiré in fine à la relation contractuelle : le destinataire de la marchandise. À l’occasion de ce type de transport, deux sortes de documents peuvent être délivrés : la charte-partie et le connaissement. Ces documents contiennent une clause compromissoire à laquelle seuls l’expéditeur et le transporteur ont expressément consenti. Un problème se pose lorsqu’un litige naît et que la clause d’arbitrage est activée pour les trois acteurs de la relation commerciale que sont l’expéditeur, le transporteur et le destinataire de marchandise qui, lui, n’a pas expressément consenti à l’arbitrage. L’arbitrage en matière de transport de marchandises par mer apporte des solutions spécifiques, voire contraires à la pratique de l’arbitrage commercial international. Comment garantir le consentement de toutes les parties à l’arbitrage lorsque la clause compromissoire a été incorporée dans le connaissement ou le connaissement de charte-partie, ou qu’une telle clause compromissoire se trouve actionnée par simple référence au contrat principal ?The contract for the carriage of goods by sea is almost always international in its characteristics, which make it a fertile ground for arbitration. Arbitration - a natural method of settling disputes in international trade - is widely practised around the world. This ancestral institution, independent of state justice, derives its legitimacy from the consent of the parties. This method of private settlement of international commercial disputes is of particular interest in that it combines in its foundations and in its operation characteristics borrowed from the two major systems of law which currently dominate the subject: continental law and common law. Maritime law, as it is specific and technical, adapts contract law and the institution of arbitration, and sometimes even creates an exorbitant regime of international commercial arbitration. This exorbitance, precisely manifested in the validity of the arbitration clause incorporated in the contract for the maritime transport of goods, undermines the consent of the parties to the arbitration. Unlike other maritime contracts which, in the implementation of arbitration, do not raise specific questions, arbitration of disputes arising from contracts for the maritime transport of goods rises in case law a specific problem which relates to the very construction of the contract. Indeed, it implements a generally tripartite relationship. The two original contractors, generally the shipper and the carrier, impose the binding force of their contract on a third party who will ultimately be attracted to the contractual relationship: the recipient of the goods. During this type of transport, two kinds of documents can be issued: the charter party and the bill of lading. These documents contain an arbitration clause to which only the sender and the carrier have expressly consented. A problem arises when a dispute arises and the arbitration clause is activated for the three actors in the commercial relationship, namely the sender, the carrier, and the recipient of the goods, who have not expressly consented to arbitration. Arbitration relating to the transport of goods by sea provides specific solutions, even contrary to the practice of international commercial arbitration. How can the consent of all parties to the arbitration be guaranteed when the arbitration clause has been incorporated into the bill of lading or charter party bill of lading, or when such an arbitration clause is activated by simple reference to the main contract

Propriétés physico-chimiques et mécaniques des résines composites, cadre normatif, définitions et caractérisations

Beside advances in restorative dentistry field, technical progresses in the industrial world led to constantly improve resin composite physicochemical and mechanical properties. As a medical device, their development and marketing are subject to standards ; allowing define and characterize the biological, physicochemical and mechanical properties, related to their use; however, many other properties can be found in the literature. The aim of this work is to present all of these properties, at the physicochemical and mechanical level, relating to light-cured resin composite formulations, in particular through the Academy of Dental Materials guidelines. Firstly, the normative framework regarding to composite resins will be presented through the ISO 4049 standard. Secondly, each of these properties will be defined, and its modes of characterization will be presented, using schematic representation and illustrated by results from the literature, for better understanding.En parallèle des avancées dans le domaine de la dentisterie restauratrice, les évolutions techniques du monde de l’industrie ont permis de sans cesse améliorer les principales propriétés physico-chimiques et mécaniques des résines composites. En tant que dispositif médical, leur développement et leur mise sur le marché sont soumis à des normes ; celles-ci permettent entre autres de définir et de caractériser les propriétés biologiques, physico-chimiques et mécaniques relatives à leur utilisation ; cependant de nombreuses autres propriétés peuvent être retrouvées dans la littérature. Le but de ce travail est de présenter l’ensemble de ces propriétés, au niveau physico-chimique et mécanique, relatives aux résines composites photo-polymérisables, notamment par l’intermédiaire des recommandations de l’Academy of Dental Materials. Dans un premier temps, le cadre normatif relatif aux résines composites sera présenté par l’intermédiaire de la norme ISO 4049. Dans un second temps, chacune de ces propriétés sera définie, et ses modes de caractérisation seront présentés à l’aide de représentation schématique et illustrés par des résultats issus de la littérature, pour permettre au mieux leur compréhension