A dynamic leaf gas-exchange strategy is conserved in woody plants under changing ambient CO2: evidence from carbon isotope discrimination in paleo and CO2 enrichment studies

Rising atmospheric [CO2 ], ca , is expected to affect stomatal regulation of leaf gas-exchange of woody plants, thus influencing energy fluxes as well as carbon (C), water and nutrient cycling of forests. Researchers have proposed various strategies for stomatal regulation of leaf gas-exchange that include maintaining a constant leaf internal [CO2 ], ci , a constant drawdown in CO2 (ca - ci ), and a constant ci /ca . These strategies can result in drastically different consequences for leaf gas-exchange. The accuracy of Earth systems models depends in part on assumptions about generalizable patterns in leaf gas-exchange responses to varying ca . The concept of optimal stomatal behavior, exemplified by woody plants shifting along a continuum of these strategies, provides a unifying framework for understanding leaf gas-exchange responses to ca . To assess leaf gas-exchange regulation strategies, we analyzed patterns in ci inferred from studies reporting C stable isotope ratios (δ(13) C) or photosynthetic discrimination (∆) in woody angiosperms and gymnosperms that grew across a range of ca spanning at least 100 ppm. Our results suggest that much of the ca -induced changes in ci /ca occurred across ca spanning 200 to 400 ppm. These patterns imply that ca - ci will eventually approach a constant level at high ca because assimilation rates will reach a maximum and stomatal conductance of each species should be constrained to some minimum level. These analyses are not consistent with canalization towards any single strategy, particularly maintaining a constant ci . Rather, the results are consistent with the existence of a broadly conserved pattern of stomatal optimization in woody angiosperms and gymnosperms. This results in trees being profligate water users at low ca , when additional water loss is small for each unit of C gain, and increasingly water-conservative at high ca , when photosystems are saturated and water loss is large for each unit C gain. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.Rising atmospheric [CO2], c(a), is expected to affect stomatal regulation of leaf gas-exchange of woody plants, thus influencing energy fluxes as well as carbon (C), water, and nutrient cycling of forests. Researchers have proposed various strategies for stomatal regulation of leaf gas-exchange that include maintaining a constant leaf internal [CO2], c(i), a constant drawdown in CO2 (c(a)-c(i)), and a constant c(i)/c(a). These strategies can result in drastically different consequences for leaf gas-exchange. The accuracy of Earth systems models depends in part on assumptions about generalizable patterns in leaf gas-exchange responses to varying c(a). The concept of optimal stomatal behavior, exemplified by woody plants shifting along a continuum of these strategies, provides a unifying framework for understanding leaf gas-exchange responses to c(a). To assess leaf gas-exchange regulation strategies, we analyzed patterns in c(i) inferred from studies reporting C stable isotope ratios (C-13) or photosynthetic discrimination () in woody angiosperms and gymnosperms that grew across a range of c(a) spanning at least 100ppm. Our results suggest that much of the c(a)-induced changes in c(i)/c(a) occurred across c(a) spanning 200 to 400ppm. These patterns imply that c(a)-c(i) will eventually approach a constant level at high c(a) because assimilation rates will reach a maximum and stomatal conductance of each species should be constrained to some minimum level. These analyses are not consistent with canalization toward any single strategy, particularly maintaining a constant c(i). Rather, the results are consistent with the existence of a broadly conserved pattern of stomatal optimization in woody angiosperms and gymnosperms. This results in trees being profligate water users at low c(a), when additional water loss is small for each unit of C gain, and increasingly water-conservative at high c(a), when photosystems are saturated and water loss is large for each unit C gain

Natural Variation in Arabidopsis thaliana as a Tool for Highlighting Differential Drought Responses

To test whether natural variation in Arabidopsis could be used to dissect out the genetic basis of responses to drought stress, we characterised a number of accessions. Most of the accessions belong to a core collection that was shown to maximise the genetic diversity captured for a given number of individual accessions in Arabidopsis thaliana. We measured total leaf area (TLA), Electrolyte Leakage (EL), Relative Water Content (RWC), and Cut Rosette Water Loss (CRWL) in control and mild water deficit conditions. A Principal Component Analysis revealed which traits explain most of the variation and showed that some accessions behave differently compared to the others in drought conditions, these included Ita-0, Cvi-0 and Shahdara. This study relied on genetic variation found naturally within the species, in which populations are assumed to be adapted to their environment. Overall, Arabidopsis thaliana showed interesting phenotypic variations in response to mild water deficit that can be exploited to identify genes and alleles important for this complex trait

Les phytoestroènes de soja (traitement alternatif de la ménopause)

Le traitement hormonal substitutif de la ménopause est, depuis l'interruption en juillet 2002 de l'étude américaine WHI, au cœur d'un débat scientifique passionné auquel les femmes ont donné un écho immédiat en interrompant massivement leur traitement et en se tournant parfois vers des alternatives plus naturelles. Les phytoestrogènes de soja font figures de challenger dans ce domaine. Ils présenteraient en effet des mécanismes d'action proches de ceux des SERM. On retrouve un nombre croissant de publications évaluant leurs effets dans plusieurs domaines. Il en ressort une diminution significative mais modeste des signes vasomoteurs ménopausiques ; une protection osseuse non démontrée ; un effet hypocholestérolémiant et anti-athéromateux vraisemblables. Leur rôle vis à vis du cancer du sein reste en suspend. Beaucoup d'inconnues persistent tant du point de vue de leurs mécanismes d'action que de leur innocuité. Des études sont encore nécessaires et pour l'instant le principe de précaution devrait prévaloir.GRENOBLE1-BU Médecine pharm. (385162101) / SudocPARIS-BIUM (751062103) / SudocSudocFranceF

Cristallisation et transferts thermiques dans un polymère thermoplastique semi-cristallin en refroidissement rapide sous pression

Une description précise des transferts de chaleurs est indispensable dans la simulation et l'optimisation de procédés, la qualité des pièces thermoplastiques semi-cristallines étant fortement liée à l'histoire thermique pendant la mise en forme. Cela requiert de connaître précisément les propriétés thermophysiques du polymère pour obtenir des résultats fiables. L objectif de ce travail est de développer des dispositifs expérimentaux associés à des méthodes d identifications afin de mesurer les propriétés thermiques et la cinétique de cristallisation du polymère dans les conditions de mise en oeuvre. Une première étude expérimentale a permis de mettre au point un protocole de mesure et d identification des propriétés thermiques ainsi que la cinétique de cristallisation de polypropylène par méthodes inverses sous faible pression et à faible vitesse de refroidissement. En parallèle, un nouvel appareil PvT fonctionnant jusqu à 400C et 200 MPa a été conçu et validé expérimentalement. La conductivité thermique et la cinétique de cristallisation ont été mesurées sous forte vitesse de refroidissement et sous forte pression. Un capteur de luminance combinant une fibre optique et un photodétecteur a été installé sur un banc expérimental du laboratoire pour mesurer la température de surface d'un polypropylène et ainsi identifier sa cinétique de cristallisation en refroidissement très rapide. Le capteur a ainsi été calibré et validées expérimentalement. La dernière partie traite du procédé d injection thermoplastique en présentant une méthodologie d identification de la cinétique de cristallisation à partir de la mesure de pression.An accurate description of the heat transfer is essential in the simulation and optimization of processes, the quality of semicrystalline thermoplastic parts is strongly linked to the thermal history during the formatting. Reliable results require a fine knowledge of the thermophysical properties of the polymer. The objective of this work is to develop experimental devices associated with identification methods to measure the thermal properties and crystallization kinetics of polymer under the material forming conditions. A measurement protocol and the identification of thermal properties and crystallization kinetics of polypropylene by inverse methods under low pressure and low cooling rate has been developed in a first study. Then, a new PvT device running up to 400 C and 200 MPa has been designed and experimentally validated. The thermal conductivity and the crystallization kinetics were measured under high cooling rate and high pressure. A luminance sensor combining an optical fiber and a photodetector has been set up on a device of the laboratory in order to measure the surface temperature of a polypropylene and thus to identify its crystallization kinetics under high cooling rate. The sensor has been experimentally calibrated and validated. The last part deals with the thermoplastic injection process by presenting a methodology for identifying the kinetics of crystallization from the pressure measurementNANTES-BU Sciences (441092104) / SudocSudocFranceF

Dispositif de mesure de la conductivité thermique effective longitudinale de torons adapté à différents degrés de carbonisation

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Mise au point d’un dispositif de mesure de conductivité thermique longitudinale de torons defibres

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High temperature sealing of silicon oxide/oxide bonding interfaces

International audienceHigh temperature (>1000°C) annealing is necessary to completely close a bonding interface. Using interface synchrotron high energy X-ray reflectivity, we have investigated the sealing behavior of silicon thermal oxide/ silicon thermal oxide interfaces, with different surface roughnesses. Interface X-ray reflection is able to measure accurately the width and the depth of the electron density gap across a bonding interface with a sub-nanometer accuracy, whose product is a good marker of the interface closure.The uncomplete closure of the interface is the result of a balance between attractive and repulsive force between the two bonded solids. These two forces depend on the statistics of asperity and on the mechanical behavior of individual asperity [1]. For attraction, at high temperatures, a key factor is the gain of contact surface area which reduces the surface energy due to uncontacted zones. Repulsion is due to compression of contacting asperities. At high temperature, both elastic and plastic behavior can be expected, with some yield of the asperities compressed above the elastic limit.In the elastic solid regime, we have shown that equilibrium distance of rough silicon oxide to rough siliconoxide bonding can be predicted using standard adhesive contact models such as Johnson-Kendall Roberts (JKR) or Deryagin-Müller-Toporov (DMT) with Gaussian roughness statistics[2]. The equilibrium distance is dependent and sensitive to the Fuller Tabor adhesion parameter, θ=E σ3/2 R1/2 / 2γR where E is the Young modulus, σ the mean roughness, R the radius of the asperity, while 2γ is the adhesion energy at contact points. When θ>>1 , the equilibrium distance is large and the contact area is small (unclosed interface) . When θ<<1 the adhesion energy is strong and the system will have a strong tendency to seal.In the plastic regime, both repulsive and attractive curves share the same dependence with distance so that the system is expected to be unstable, between a weakly evolving unsealed interface and a fully sealed interface when the asperity pressure stress is above the elastic limit.The kinetics of the sealing can also be modeled in this case, monitoring the interfacial gap as a function of time (Figure). It is found that the sealing characteristic time scales directly with the silicon oxide viscosity (Figure insert). This dependence can be understood using the plastic asperity contact model, assuming the fluid part flows according to the Stokes equation around asperities

Experimental characterization of the thermal behavior of carbon/PEEK tapes in the laser-assisted AFP process

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