Mass transport phenomena in microgravity: Preliminary results of the first MEPHISTO flight experiment

The MEPHISTO space program is the result of a cooperative effort that involves the French nuclear and space agencies (Commissariat a l'energie atomique, CEA - Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales, CNES) and the American National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The scientific studies and apparatus development were funded in the frame of the GRAMME agreement between CEA and CNES, the flight costs being taken in charge by NASA. Six flight opportunities are scheduled, with alternating French and American principal investigators. It is the purpose of this paper to briefly present MEPHISTO along with the preliminary results obtained during its first flight on USMP-1 in October 1992

Of Evolution, Systems and Complexity

International audienceThe question of complexity in biological systems is recurrent in evolutionary biology and is central in complex systems science for obvious reasons. But this question is surprisingly overlooked by Evolutionary Systems Biology. This comes unexpected given the roots of systems biology in complex systems science but also given that a proper understanding of the origin and evolution of complexity would provide clues for a better understanding of extant biological systems. In this chapter we will explore the links between evolutionary systems biology and biological systems complexity, in terms of concepts, tools, and results. In particular, we will show how complex models can be used to explore this question and show that complexity can spontaneously accumulate even in simple conditions owing to a “complexity ratchet” fuelled by sign-epistasis

In silico experimental evolution shows that complexity can rise even in simple environments

International audienceSystems biology is often viewed as reverse engineering of biological systems. However, contrary to reverse engineering, systems biology deals with objects that have not been designed, that have no given purpose and that don’t follow engineering rules (e.g. modularity, standardization…). Indeed, we don’t know what are the “design rules” that evolution imposes to biological systems while this knowledge would be a valuable interpretative framework for systems biology.One of the recurrent questions on that matter is the origin of the striking molecular complexity of biological systems. Answering this question requires deciphering the complex interactions between all the forces that drive evolution, including selective and non-selective ones. In this context, simulation is a valuable tool as it enables to observe how organisms grow in complexity (or not) when they evolve in environments which complexity is perfectly mastered.In Liard et al., 2018, we used the Aevol platform (www.aevol.fr), to design an in silico experiment in which populations of organisms evolved in an environment designed to enable survival of the simplest possible organism (i.e., an organism whose genome encodes a single gene) and in which this simple organism have the best possible fitness. By repeatedly evolving organisms in this experimental design, we observed two very different outcomes: some lineages were able to quickly find the optimal genotype (one single gene) and were then stable for the rest of the experiment. However, most lineages were not able to find the optimal genotype and showed a very different dynamics with continuous complexification through gene acquisition all along the experiment. Importantly, these “complex” organisms ended up with fitness values typically 10 to 100 times lower than the simple ones.Our results show that, in such a simple constant environment, there is a decoupling between the molecular complexity of the organisms and the complexity of the environment. This shows that selection for complexity is not mandatory for complexity to evolve and that complex biological structures could flourish in conditions where complexity is not needed. Reciprocally, the global function of complex biological structures could very well be simple. We think this result is greatly significant for both evolutionary biology and systems biology.Liard, et al. (2018) The Complexity Ratchet: Stronger than selection, weaker than robustness. In: Proceedings of ALife 2018

Modélisation des déplacements de barrages

En dépit de leur immobilité apparente, les barrages se meuvent au cours de leur exploitation. Ils sont surveillés par le biais d'une activité dite d'auscultation d'ouvrages (exploitation de mesures de débit, de contraintes, de déplacement ...) qui permet de se prononcer sur leur état de santé. On se propose de mettre en oeuvre des algorithmes de soustraction de bruit - le bruit correspondant aux contributions perturbatrices de la côte et de la température -afin d'en extraire la composante utile : la composante de fatigue du barrage. Les algorithmes ont été adaptés au contexte non stationnaire des mesures (évolution des fonctions de transfert des ouvrages) ainsi qu'à l'irrégularité de la mesure de sortie et aux nonlinéarités existant entre certaines entrées-sorties

Psoriatic Arthritis and Burden of Disease: Patient Perspectives from the Population-Based Multinational Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (MAPP) Survey

Introduction: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is underdiagnosed and has a substantial impact on quality of life, disability, and work productivity. The population-based Multinational Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (MAPP) survey examined the impact of PsA on patients’ activities of daily living and unmet treatment needs. Methods: This large-scale, random digit dialing, telephone survey of patients self-reporting a diagnosis of psoriasis and/or PsA was conducted in North America and Europe. Results: In all, 3426 patients participated in the survey, including 712 (21%) who identified themselves as having PsA. Over half of the patients reported severe PsA involving more than four joints. Eighty-three percent of patients with PsA visited a health-care provider within the past 12 months. Approximately one-quarter saw their primary care provider or dermatologist most often for their disease; 37% responded that their rheumatologist was the health-care provider seen most often for PsA. Patients with PsA reported a substantial impact of disease on physical function. One-third of patients with PsA reported missing work because of their disease and PsA impacted their ability to work full time. Over half of the patients with PsA (58%) reported receiving no treatment or topical therapy only, leaving their joint disease untreated. Factors associated with lack of adherence were perceived lack of efficacy and concerns about long-term safety. Conclusions: The MAPP survey confirms that PsA has a significant impact on physical function and activities of daily living. Undertreatment of PsA suggests a need for improved screening and diagnosis as well as education about treatment options and adherence

Evaluation of seven tumour markers in pleural fluid for the diagnosis of malignant effusions

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigens 15–3, 19–9 and 72–4 (CA 15–3, CA 19–9 and CA 72–4), cytokeratin 19 fragments (CYFRA 21–1), neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC) were evaluated in pleural fluid for the diagnosis of malignant effusions. With a specificity of 99%, determined in a series of 121 benign effusions, the best individual diagnostic sensitivities in the whole series of 215 malignant effusions or in the subgroup of adenocarcinomas were observed with CEA, CA 15–3 and CA 72–4. As expected, a high sensitivity was obtained with SCC in squamous cell carcinomas and with NSE in small-cell lung carcinomas. CYFRA and/or CA 15–3 were frequently increased in mesotheliomas. Discriminant analysis showed that the optimal combination for diagnosis of non-lymphomatous malignant effusions was CEA + CA 15–3 + CYFRA + NSE: sensitivity of 94.4% with an overall specificity of 95%. In malignant effusions with a negative cytology, 83.9% were diagnosed using this association. The association CYFRA + NSE + SCC was able to discriminate adenocarcinomas from small-cell lung cancers. Regarding their sensitivity and their complementarity, CEA, CA 15–3, CYFRA 21–1, NSE and SCC appear to be very useful to improve the diagnosis of malignant pleural effusions. © 1999 Cancer Research Campaig

Missense and nonsense mutations in melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) gene of different goat breeds: association with red and black coat colour phenotypes but with unexpected evidences

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Agouti </it>and <it>Extension </it>loci control the relative amount of eumelanin and pheomelanin production in melanocytes that, in turn, affects pigmentation of skin and hair. The <it>Extension </it>locus encodes the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) whose permanent activation, caused by functional mutations, results in black coat colour, whereas other inactivating mutations cause red coat colour in different mammals.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The whole coding region of the <it>MC1R </it>gene was sequenced in goats of six different breeds showing different coat colours (Girgentana, white cream with usually small red spots in the face; Maltese, white with black cheeks and ears; Derivata di Siria, solid red; Murciano-Granadina, solid black or solid brown; Camosciata delle Alpi, brown with black stripes; Saanen, white; F₁goats and the parental animals). Five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified: one nonsense mutation (p.Q225X), three missense mutations (p.A81V, p.F250V, and p.C267W), and one silent mutation. The stop codon at position 225 should cause the production of a shorter MC1R protein whose functionality may be altered. These SNPs were investigated in a larger sample of animals belonging to the six breeds. The Girgentana breed was almost fixed for the p.225X allele. However, there was not complete association between the presence of red spots in the face and the presence of this allele in homozygous condition. The same allele was identified in the Derivata di Siria breed. However, its frequency was only 33%, despite the fact that these animals are completely red. The p.267W allele was present in all Murciano-Granadina black goats, whereas it was never identified in the brown ones. Moreover, the same substitution was present in almost all Maltese goats providing evidence of association between this mutation and black coat colour.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>According to the results obtained in the investigated goat breeds, <it>MC1R </it>mutations may determine eumelanic and pheomelanic phenotypes. However, they are probably not the only factors. In particular, the surprising not complete association of the nonsense mutation (p.Q225X) with red coat colour raises a few hypotheses on the determination of pheomelanic phenotypes in goats that should be further investigated.</p