Integron Involvement in Environmental Spread of Antibiotic Resistance

The spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is a growing problem and a public health issue. In recent decades, various genetic mechanisms involved in the spread of resistance genes among bacteria have been identified. Integrons – genetic elements that acquire, exchange, and express genes embedded within gene cassettes (GC) – are one of these mechanisms. Integrons are widely distributed, especially in Gram-negative bacteria; they are carried by mobile genetic elements, plasmids, and transposons, which promote their spread within bacterial communities. Initially studied mainly in the clinical setting for their involvement in antibiotic resistance, their role in the environment is now an increasing focus of attention. The aim of this review is to provide an in-depth analysis of recent studies of antibiotic-resistance integrons in the environment, highlighting their potential involvement in antibiotic-resistance outside the clinical context. We will focus particularly on the impact of human activities (agriculture, industries, wastewater treatment, etc.)

The Structure of a Gene Co-Expression Network Reveals Biological Functions Underlying eQTLs

What are the commonalities between genes, whose expression level is partially controlled by eQTL, especially with regard to biological functions? Moreover, how are these genes related to a phenotype of interest? These issues are particularly difficult to address when the genome annotation is incomplete, as is the case for mammalian species. Moreover, the direct link between gene expression and a phenotype of interest may be weak, and thus difficult to handle. In this framework, the use of a co-expression network has proven useful: it is a robust approach for modeling a complex system of genetic regulations, and to infer knowledge for yet unknown genes. In this article, a case study was conducted with a mammalian species. It showed that the use of a co-expression network based on partial correlation, combined with a relevant clustering of nodes, leads to an enrichment of biological functions of around 83%. Moreover, the use of a spatial statistics approach allowed us to superimpose additional information related to a phenotype; this lead to highlighting specific genes or gene clusters that are related to the network structure and the phenotype. Three main results are worth noting: first, key genes were highlighted as a potential focus for forthcoming biological experiments; second, a set of biological functions, which support a list of genes under partial eQTL control, was set up by an overview of the global structure of the gene expression network; third, pH was found correlated with gene clusters, and then with related biological functions, as a result of a spatial analysis of the network topology

L'analyse d'un réseau de co-expression génique met en valeur des groupes fonctionnels homogènes et des gènes importants relatifs a un phénotype d'intérêt

National audienceCet article présente l'analyse d'un réseau de co-expression entre gènes dont la particularité est d'être régulés génétiquement. Cette étude est menée selon deux axes : une classification des gènes impliqués dans le réseau permet de mettre en valeur des groupes fonctionnels homogènes. Par ailleurs, une analyse conjointe du réseau et d'un phénotype d'intérêt permet de mettre en évidence des gènes candidats importants

North Atlantic Midlatitude Surface-Circulation Changes Through the Plio-Pleistocene Intensification of Northern Hemisphere Glaciation

The North Atlantic Current (NAC) transports warm salty water to high northern latitudes, with important repercussions for ocean circulation and global climate. A southward displacement of the NAC and Subarctic Front, which separate subpolar and subtropical water masses, is widely suggested for the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and may have acted as a positive feedback in glacial expansion at this time. However, the role of the NAC during the intensification of Northern Hemisphere glaciation (iNHG) at ~3.5 to 2.5 Ma is less clear. Here we present new records from Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Site U1313 (41°N) spanning ~2.8–2.4 Ma to trace the influence of Subarctic Front waters above this mid‐latitude site. We reconstruct surface and permanent pycnocline temperatures and seawater δ18O using paired Mg/Ca‐δ18O measurements on the planktic foraminifers Globigerinoides ruber and Globorotalia crassaformis and determine abundances of the subpolar foraminifer Neogloboquadrina atlantica. We find that the first significant glacial incursions of Subarctic Front surface waters above Site U1313 did not occur until ~2.6 Ma. At no time during our study interval was (sub)surface reorganization in the midlatitude North Atlantic analogous to the LGM. Our findings suggest that LGM‐like processes sensu stricto cannot be invoked to explain interglacial‐glacial cycle amplification during iNHG. They also imply that increased glacial productivity at Site U1313 during iNHG was not only driven by southward deflections of the Subarctic Front. We suggest that nutrient injection from cold‐core eddies and enhanced glacial dust delivery may have played additional roles in increasing export productivity in the midlatitude North Atlantic from 2.7 Ma.t. Funding for this research was provided by IODP France (C. T. B.) and the German Research Foundation (DFG) (grant OF 2544/2 to O. F.). I. B. is grateful to the UK IODP for financial support for shipboard and post-cruise participation in IODP Exp. 306. C. T. B., K. T., T. D. G., L. V., C. S., and M. E. acknowledge OSU Pythéas. M. M. R. acknowledges support by the USGS Land Change Science Program

Mémento 2 : Résidences 1999-2000

This richly illustrated catalogue documents the work of 35 artists who took part in six residencies (including two events - La Cueillette and La Ruche) that took place in 1999 and 2000 at Centre Est-Nord-Est. The centre’s director, F. Michel, describes the nature and purpose of the residencies as well as that of the catalogue : to reflect each participant’s experience. Includes brief comments by the artist on their work and on their stay. Text in French and English. Biographical notes

The CHEOPS mission

The CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite (CHEOPS) was selected in 2012, as the first small mission in the ESA Science Programme and successfully launched in December 2019. CHEOPS is a partnership between ESA and Switzerland with important contributions by ten additional ESA Member States. CHEOPS is the first mission dedicated to search for transits of exoplanets using ultrahigh precision photometry on bright stars already known to host planets. As a follow-up mission, CHEOPS is mainly dedicated to improving, whenever possible, existing radii measurements or provide first accurate measurements for a subset of those planets for which the mass has already been estimated from ground-based spectroscopic surveys and to following phase curves. CHEOPS will provide prime targets for future spectroscopic atmospheric characterisation. Requirements on the photometric precision and stability have been derived for stars with magnitudes ranging from 6 to 12 in the V band. In particular, CHEOPS shall be able to detect Earth-size planets transiting G5 dwarf stars in the magnitude range between 6 and 9 by achieving a photometric precision of 20 ppm in 6 hours of integration. For K stars in the magnitude range between 9 and 12, CHEOPS shall be able to detect transiting Neptune-size planets achieving a photometric precision of 85 ppm in 3 hours of integration. This is achieved by using a single, frame-transfer, back-illuminated CCD detector at the focal plane assembly of a 33.5 cm diameter telescope. The 280 kg spacecraft has a pointing accuracy of about 1 arcsec rms and orbits on a sun-synchronous dusk-dawn orbit at 700 km altitude. The nominal mission lifetime is 3.5 years. During this period, 20% of the observing time is available to the community through a yearly call and a discretionary time programme managed by ESA.Comment: Submitted to Experimental Astronom

Stages de cinquième année hospitalo-universitaire (bilan et perspectives)

CLERMONT FD-BCIU-Santé (631132104) / SudocLYON1-BU Santé (693882101) / SudocSudocFranceF

HiDDeN, une architecture décisionnelle distribuée pour la coopération de véhicules individuellement autonomes

Session "Articles"National audienceHiDDeN est une architecture décisionnelle, distribuée au sein d'une équipe de véhicules autonomes, qui permet leur coopération dans l'accomplissement d'une mission dont l'environnement est dynamique et dans lequel les communications ne sont pas toujours possibles. Gérer l'exécution de la mission et procurer une certaine robustesse face à l'apparition d'aléas font partie des objectifs du système HiDDeN. On admet l'hypothèse que l'on dispose d'un plan de mission hiérarchisé. L'équipe de véhicules, possiblement hétérogènes, est décomposée en une structure hiérarchique de sous-équipes. Lors de la détection d'aléa(s), une réparation de plan est menée de façon aussi locale que possible, en se basant sur les deux structures mentionnées, pour permettre à l'équipe d'atteindre ses objectifs initiaux. La faisabilité d'un tel système a été évaluée en simulation sur un problème de blanchiment de chenal, destiné à une expérimentation réelle prochain