Developing long-term monitoring of natural areas for a Unesco world heritage site: study case of la Reunion

La Réunion island, in the Mascarenes, has been recognized as a World Heritage site for its Piton, Cirques and Remparts since 2010. The site, coinciding with the core zone of La Réunion National Park, represents 100000 ha, equivalent to 40 % of the island. These dramatic landscapes of rugged terrain, impressive escarpments, forested gorges are dominated by three cliff-rimmed cirques and two volcanoes ― a dormant massif forming the highest peak, Piton des Neiges (3069 m), and in the eastern part of the island lies the very active volcano, the Piton de la Fournaise (2632 m). The island harbours a wide variety of natural habitats (tropical montane cloud forests, subalpine shrublands, lowland forests, dry forest…), now all remnant in the Mascarene archipelago, that host high levels of endemism for both flora and fauna. Thereby, La Réunion is the most significant contributor towards conservation of terrestrial biodiversity in the Mascarene islands. The Divines project (FEDER) aims at developing innovative methods for characterizing and monitoring terrestrial biodiversity in the long term for conservation managers to ensure the protection of this world heritage site. In this poster, a description of the goals, actions and preliminary results of the DIVINES project will be described from gene to ecosystem levels

On Some Weighted Stokes Problems. Application on Smagorinsky Models

In this paper we study existence and uniqueness of weak solutions for some non-linear weighted Stokes problems using convex analysis. The characteri- zation of these considered equations is that the viscosity depends on the strain rate of the velocity field with a weight being a positive power of the distance to the boundary of the domain. These non-linear relations can be seen as a first approach of mixing-length eddy viscosity from turbulent modeling. A well known model is von Karman’s on which the viscosity depends on the square of the distance to the boundary of the domain. Numerical experiments conclude the work and show prop- erties from the theory

Predictive value of nonspecific bronchial responsiveness in occupational asthma

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of occupational asthma (OA) can be challenging and needs a stepwise approach. However, the predictive value of the methacholine challenge has never been addressed specifically in this context. OBJECTIVE: We sought to evaluate the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of the methacholine challenge in OA. METHODS: A Canadian database was used to review 1012 cases of workers referred for a suspicion of OA between 1983 and 2011 and having had a specific inhalation challenge. We calculated the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of methacholine challenges at baseline of the specific inhalation challenge, at the workplace, and outside work. RESULTS: At baseline, the methacholine challenge showed an overall sensitivity of 80.2% and a specificity of 47.1%, with positive and negative predictive values of 36.5% and 86.3%, respectively. Among the 430 subjects who were still working, the baseline measures displayed a sensitivity of 95.4%, a specificity of 40.1%, and positive and negative predictive values of 41.1% and 95.2%, respectively. Among the 582 subjects tested outside work, the baseline measures demonstrated a sensitivity and specificity of 66.7% and 52%, respectively, and positive and negative predictive values of 31.9% and 82.2%, respectively. When considering all subjects tested by a methacholine challenge at least once while at work (479), the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were 98.1%, 39.1%, and 44.0% and 97.7%, respectively. CONCLUSION: A negative methacholine challenge in a patient still exposed to the causative agent at work makes the diagnosis of OA very unlikely

Anti-inflammatory effects of Lactobacillus casei BL23 producing or not a manganese-dependant catalase on DSS-induced colitis in mice

Background :Human immune cells generate large amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS) throughout the respiratory burst that occurs during inflammation. In inflammatory bowel diseases, a sustained and abnormal activation of the immune system results in oxidative stress in the digestive tract and in a loss of intestinal homeostasis. We previously showed that the heterologous production of the Lactobacillus plantarum ATCC14431 manganese-dependant catalase (MnKat) in Lb. casei BL23 successfully enhances its survival when exposed to oxidative stress. In this study, we evaluated the preventive effects of this antioxidative Lb. casei strain in a murine model of dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced moderate colitis.[br/] Results : Either Lb. casei BL23 MnKat- or MnKat+ was administered daily to mice treated with DSS for 10 days. In contrast to control mice treated with PBS for which DSS induced bleeding diarrhea and mucosal lesions, mice treated with both Lb. casei strains presented a significant (p < 0.05) reduction of caecal and colonic inflammatory scores.[br/] Conclusion : No contribution of MnKat to the protective effect from epithelial damage has been observed in the tested conditions. In contrast, these results confirm the high interest of Lb. casei as an anti-inflammatory probiotic strain

L’évaluation des enseignements par les étudiants (EEE)

Cet article présente une approche de l’évaluation des enseignements par les étudiants (EEE) axée sur le soutien au développement professionnel des enseignants, qui se distingue d’une approche visant le contrôle de la qualité de l’enseignement. Une telle approche peut être mise en place ou soutenue par les centres ou services de pédagogie universitaire au sein des universités. L’article explique les principes essentiels de la mise en place d’une démarche d’EEE. L’illustration de ces principes à l’aide de trois cas propose des pistes pour la mise en place d’une démarche d’évaluation visant le soutien au développement professionnel des enseignants mais aussi des pistes de recherche à explorer.This article presents an approach to student evaluation of teaching that is oriented towards faculty professional development more than towards quality control. This approach can be implemented and supported by university centres for teaching and learning. The article explains the principles that should be considered when implementing a process of student evaluation of teaching and provides three illustrative cases. Ideas for implementing an evaluation system designed to support faculty professional development are presented along with ideas for further research on this topic.Dieser Artikel legt eine Herangehensweise über die Bewertung des Unterrichts durch die Studenten vor, die auf die Unterstützung der beruflichen Entwicklung der Professoren stützt, aber sich von einer Herangehensweise unterscheidet, die zur Qualitätskontrolle des Unterrichtens tendieren würde. Eine solche Herangehensweise kann von pädagogischen Abteilungen innerhalb der Universität eingeführt oder unterstützt werden. Der Artikel legt die wesentlichen Prinzipien zur Einführung eines Prozesses der Bewertung des Unterrichts durch die Studenten vor. Die Veranschaulichung dieser Prinzipien durch drei Studienfälle bietet Hinweise zur Einführung eines solchen Bewertungsprozesses vor, die auf die Unterstützung der beruflichen Entwicklung der Professoren abzielt, aber auch Denkanstöße für weitere Forschungen anbietet.Este artículo presenta una aproximación de la evaluación de las enseñanzas por los estudiantes (EEE) centrada en el apoyo al desarrollo profesional de los docentes, que se diferencia de una aproximación apuntando a controlar la calidad de la enseñanza. Semejante aproximación puede ser organizada o apoyada por los centros o servicios de pedagogia universitaria dentro de las universidades. El artículo explica los principios esenciales a la instalación de un proceso de EEE. La ilustración de estos principios con la ayuda de tres casos propone algunas pistas para la puesta en práctica de semejante proceso de evaluación que apunta al apoyo al desarrollo profesional de los docentes, pero también algunas pistas de investigación para explorar

Chorologie des Familles de Cochenilles (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) dans la Parcelle Permanente de Rabi (Sud-ouest Gabon)

Au Gabon, les connaissances portant sur les cochenilles (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) demeurent encore insuffisantes. Pourtant, ces insectes, en raison de leur phytophagie représentent un fléau majeur pour la préservation des espèces végétales. C’est dans ce cadre qu’une enquête entomologique a été conduite à Rabi, province de l’Ogooué-Maritime, en juillet 2015 (saison sèche), afin de connaître les familles de cochenilles auxquelles sont exposés les arbres. Toutes les cochenilles ont été collectées directement à la main ou en s‘aidant d’un élagueur. Au total 366 cochenilles ont été récoltées sur les 249 espèces d’arbres reparties en 45 familles et examinées dans cette parcelle. Les résultats obtenus ont montré que trois familles de cochenilles parasitent les arbres prospectés ; il s’agit des Diaspididae: 297 (81,15%), des Coccidae: 62 (16,94 %) et des Pseudococcidae: 7 (1,91 %). Les Diaspididae ont été statistiquement la famille des cochenilles la plus abondante dans cette parcelle permanente (p&lt;0,05). Par ailleurs, les familles d’arbres les plus infestées statistiquement par les cochenilles étaient les familles d‘Euphorbiaceae (p&lt;0,05), de Fabaceae (p&lt;0,05) et celle de Rubiaceae (p&lt;0,05). Au niveau de l’espèce, la famille de Fabaceae n’a pas été statistiquement infestée par les cochenilles (p&gt;0,05) contrairement aux espèces de famille d‘Euphorbiaceae et de Rubiaceae, avec respectivement Klaineanthus gaboniae ( p&lt;0,05), Synsepalum cf. stipulatum (p&lt;0,05), Pausinystalia macroceras (p&lt;0,05) et Beilschmiedia pierreana (p&lt;0,05). Ces niveaux d’infestation enregistrés chez les espèces arborées de Rabi mettent en exergue la nécessité de tenir compte des cochenilles dans le processus de conservation des forêts gabonaises. In Gabon, knowledge of scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) is still insufficient. However, these insects, because of their phytophagy, represent a major scourge for the preservation of plant species. It is in this context that an entomological survey was carried out in Rabi, Ogooué-Maritime province, in July 2015 (dry season), in order to know the families of scale insects to which the trees are exposed. All scale insects were collected directly by hand or using pruning shears. A total of 366 scale insect were collected from 249 tree species divided into 45 families. The results obtained showed that three families of scale insects parasitize the surveyed trees; these are Diaspididae: 297 (81.15%), Coccidae: 62 (16.94%) and Pseudococcidae: 7 (1.91%). Diaspididae were statistically the most abundant scale insect family in this forest plot (p&lt;0.05). In addition, tree families most statistically infested by scale insects were Euphorbiaceae (p&lt;0.05), Fabaceae (p&lt;0.05) and Rubiaceae (p&lt;0.05) families. At the specific level, the Fabaceae family is statistically not infested by scale insects (p&gt;0.05) unlike the species of Euphorbiaceae and Rubiaceae families, with respectively Klaineanthus gaboniae (p&lt;0.05), Synsepalum cf. stipulatum (p&lt;0.05), Pausinystalia macroceras (p&lt;0.05) and Beilschmiedia pierreana (p&lt;0.05). These levels of infestation recorded in Rabi tree species underline the need to take scale insects into account in the conservation process of Gabonese forests