(HT)-Raman microscopy to study (U,Pu)O2 fuel microstructure illustration on (U,La)O2 and CeO2; first results on (U,Pu)O2

International audienc

Characterization of ply mixing rules for non-symmetric forms of fully orthotropic laminates

Stacking sequence listings are presented for fully orthotropic angle-ply laminates, with up to 21 plies, together with rules for mixing these sequences to form laminates containing any number of plies. The mixing rules are demonstrated through an abridged set of sequences, which are characterized in terms of angle- and cross-ply sub-sequence symmetries. The abridged set of sequences is derived from a new definitive list that supersedes previously published listings. Stacking sequences are presented together with dimensionless parameters from which the bending stiffness terms are readily calculated and an assessment of the bending stiffness efficiency made for angle- and cross-ply sub-sequences. Expressions relating the dimensionless parameters to the well-known lamination parameters are also given, together with graphical representations of feasible domains for all sub-sequence symmetries contained in the definitive list. Feasible domains for extensionally isotropic and fully isotropic laminates are also presented as important sub-sets of fully orthotropic laminates. Finally, examples are given for tapered laminates with fully orthotropic properties, derived from compatible sequences in the definite list

Stacking sequences for extensionally isotropic, fully isotropic and quasi-homogeneous orthotropic laminates

Stacking sequence listings are presented for fully uncoupled Extensionally Isotropic (EILs), Fully Isotropic (FILs) and Quasi-Homogeneous Orthotropic (QHOLs) angle-ply Laminates, with up to 21 plies. All are sub-sets of a definitive list of Fully Orthotropic Laminates (FOLs), containing generally non-symmetric stacking sequences that are characterized in terms of angle- and cross-ply sub-sequence symmetries. Dimensionless parameters are given for each stacking sequence, from which the ABD matrix is readily derived. Expressions relating these dimensionless parameters to the well-known lamination parameters are also given, together with graphical representations of the feasible domains for Pi/3 and Pi/4 EILs and angle-ply QHOLs containing two and three ply orientations. The feasible domain for Pi/3 FILs is represented graphically by a single point, whereas the domain for angle-ply QHOLs containing four ply orientations is represented by a single stacking sequence

Phosphoproteome profiles of the phytopathogenic fungi Alternaria brassicicola and Botrytis cinerea during exponential growth in axenic cultures

This study describes the gel-free phosphoproteomic analysis of the phytopathogenic fungi Alternaria brassicicola and Botrytis cinerea grown in vitro under nonlimiting conditions. Using a combination of strong cation exchange and IMAC prior to LC-MS, we identified over 1350 phosphopeptides per fungus representing over 800 phosphoproteins. The preferred phosphorylation sites were found on serine (>80%) and threonine (>15%), whereas phosphorylated tyrosine residues were found at less than 1% in A. brassicicola and at a slightly higher ratio in B. cinerea (1.5%). Biological processes represented principally among the phoshoproteins were those involved in response and transduction of stimuli as well as in regulation of cellular and metabolic processes. Most known elements of signal transduction were found in the datasets of both fungi. This study also revealed unexpected phosphorylation sites in histidine kinases, a category overrepresented in filamentous ascomycetes compared to yeast.The data have been deposited to the ProteomeXchange database with identifie

Optimization of radial diffusion coefficients for the proton radiation belt during the CRRES era

Proton flux measurements from the Proton Telescope instrument aboard the CRRES satellite are revisited, and used to drive a radial diffusion model of the inner proton belt at 1.1 ≤ L ≤ 1.65. Our model utilises a physics‐based evaluation of the cosmic ray albedo neutron decay (CRAND) source, and coulomb collisional loss is driven by a drift averaged density model combining results from the International Reference Ionosphere, NRLMSIS‐00 atmosphere and Radio Plasma Imager plasmasphere models, parameterised by solar activity and season. We drive our model using time‐averaged data at L = 1.65 to calculate steady state profiles of equatorial phase space density, and optimise our choice of radial diffusion coefficients based on four defining parameters to minimise the difference between model and data. This is first performed for a quiet period when the belt can be assumed to represent steady state. Additionally, we investigate fitting steady state solutions to time averages taken during active periods where the data exhibits limited deviation from steady state, demonstrated by CRRES measurements following the 24th March 1991 storm. We also discuss a way to make the optimisation process more reliable by excluding periods of variability in plasmaspheric density from any time average. Lastly, we compare our resultant diffusion coefficients to those derived via a similar process in previous work, and diffusion coefficients derived for electrons from ground and in situ observations. We find that higher diffusion coefficients are derived compared with previous work, and suggest more work is required to derive proton diffusion coefficients for different geomagnetic activity levels

Rapid diagnostic tests relying on antigen detection from stool as an efficient point of care testing strategy for giardiasis and cryptosporidiosis? Evaluation of a new immunochromatographic duplex assay

Microscopy is the gold standard for the diagnosis of gastrointestinal parasites but is time-consuming and dependent on operator skills. Rapid diagnostic tests represent alternative methods but most evaluations have been conducted on a limited number of samples preventing their implementation in the clinical setting. We evaluated a new CE-IVD marked immunochromatographic assay (Crypto/Giardia K-SeT®, Coris Bioconcept) for the detection of G. intestinalis and Cryptosporidium spp. in 2 phases (retrospective and prospective) on a set of 482 stool samples including rare Cryptosporidium species. Besides G. intestinalis, this test could represent a rapid and reliable alternative to the modified Ziehl-Neelsen staining for the diagnosis of cryptosporidiosis (sensitivity/specificity were 89.2%/99.3% and 86.7%/100% for G. intestinalis and Cryptosporidium resp.), reducing diagnostic delays. Such strategy would also be time-saving by avoiding wet mount microscopy and concentrations steps, being particularly appropriate for laboratories having little expertise in microscopy or not able to implement molecular diagnostic methods

Effect of nitrate supply and mycorrhizal inoculation on characteristics of tobacco root plasma membrane vesicles

Plant plasma membrane (pm) vesicles from mycorrhizal tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum cv. Samsun) roots were isolated with negligible fungal contamination by the aqueous two-phase partitioning technique as proven by fatty acid analysis. Palmitvaccenic acid became apparent as an appropriate indicator for fungal membranes in root pm preparations. The pm vesicles had a low specific activity of the vanadate-sensitive ATPase and probably originated from non-infected root cells. In a phosphate-limited tobacco culture system, root colonisation by the vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus, Glomus mosseae, is inhibited by external nitrate in a dose-dependent way. However, detrimental high concentrations of 25 mM nitrate lead to the highest colonisation rate observed, indicating that the defence system of the plant is impaired. Nitric oxide formation by the pm-bound nitrite:NO reductase increased in parallel with external nitrate supply in mycorrhizal roots in comparison to the control plants, but decreased under excess nitrate. Mycorrhizal pm vesicles had roughly a twofold higher specific activity as the non-infected control plants when supplied with 10–15 mM nitrate

Environmental metabarcoding reveals contrasting belowground and aboveground fungal communities from poplar at a Hg phytomanagement site

Characterization of microbial communities in stressful conditions at a field level is rather scarce, especially when considering fungal communities from aboveground habitats. We aimed at characterizing fungal communities from different poplar habitats at a Hg-contaminated phytomanagement site by using Illumina-based sequencing, network analysis approach, and direct isolation of Hg-resistant fungal strains. The highest diversity estimated by the Shannon index was found for soil communities, which was negatively affected by soil Hg concentration. Among the significant correlations between soil operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in the co-occurrence network, 80% were negatively correlated revealing dominance of a pattern of mutual exclusion. The fungal communities associated with Populus roots mostly consisted of OTUs from the symbiotic guild, such as members of the Thelephoraceae, thus explaining the lowest diversity found for root communities. Additionally, root communities showed the highest network connectivity index, while rarely detected OTUs from the Glomeromycetes may have a central role in the root network. Unexpectedly high richness and diversity were found for aboveground habitats, compared to the root habitat. The aboveground habitats were dominated by yeasts from the Lalaria, Davidiella, and Bensingtonia genera, not detected in belowground habitats. Leaf and stem habitats were characterized by few dominant OTUs such as those from the Dothideomycete class producing mutual exclusion with other OTUs. Aureobasidium pullulans, one of the dominating OTUs, was further isolated from the leaf habitat, in addition to Nakazawaea populi species, which were found to be Hg resistant. Altogether, these findings will provide an improved point of reference for microbial research on inoculation-based programs of tailings dumps