Corps et âme en mouvement. Expression et signification du mouvement dans la peinture de vases en Grèce ancienne (Ve s. av. J.-C.). Ivresse, possession divine et mort

This thesis proposes to study the expression and depiction of movement in ancient Greek painting, specifically vase painting. While illustrating the very rich and unique source of the visual world of ancient Greece, the emphasis is kept on the link which unites the emotions to the body movements, gesture or posture. Theories about ancient pictorial representations are unanimous on the subject of painting the human figure. From the myths concerning the creation of painting and visual arts (sculpture & modeling), the artist must portray and illustrate the living in all aspects, external and internal. Using the human figure and representation of the anatomy, appears to be the most effective way to convey the emotions and feelings that animate the body through the depiction of gesture, posture or facial expression. This portrayal applies to the expression of intense emotion or altered state of being such as: the over consumption of wine, being possessed by a god (divine action) or the imminence of death. For a better understanding of the portrayal of this phenomenon, it is necessary to turn to the origin of the ancient Greek idea of the soul (θυμός or/and ψυχή). From the Homeric age this concept can be understood as the basis of sentiment and emotion and can be seen as natural as a breath which enters and exits the body. This notion is of key importance, to understand the origin of movement that brings to life the characters depicted in the images, whether consumed by drunkenness, under the yoke of divine possession or about to die. In each case, the soul is solicited, in one way or another, whether in its temporary or permanent separation or dissociative state from the body. Whether the aim is set out in art or in the relationship that the soul maintains with the body, Ancient Greek imagery does not ignore such concepts as the expression of these intense emotional and altered states whatsoever. Bodily movements clearly articulate an out of the ordinary state by the orientation of the body, gestures, actions and facial expressions and does not seem to be limited to the representation of only a physiological reaction. A link will be established between ancient images and modern theories developed on the subject of representation of movement in art. The objective: To demonstrate that the artists who adorned ancient vases favored the illustration of a concept or an idea, by imagination and expressivity, above the reporting of a perfect realityCette thèse se propose d’étudier l’expression du mouvement dans la peinture grecque ancienne, ici la peinture de vases, source très riche concernant l’univers visuel des Grecs de l’antiquité, et plus particulièrement le lien qui unit les émotions aux mouvements corporels. Les théories anciennes à propos de la représentation figurée sont unanimes : l’objet de la peinture est l’être humain et le peintre, dès les mythes qui relatent la création de la peinture et plus généralement des arts plastiques (sculpture et modelage), se doit de représenter le vivant sous tous ses aspects, extérieur comme intérieur; autrement dit, le corps humain apparaît comme le moyen le plus efficace pour exprimer et transmettre les émotions qui l’animent, par les mouvements ou les attitudes que le corps adopte ou encore les expressions faciales. Ce constat s’applique à l’expression des états émotionnels intenses ou altérés comme par exemple : les modifications qu’entraînent la consommation de vin, une action divine comme la possession par un dieu ou encore l’imminence de la mort. Il faut, pour mieux comprendre ces phénomènes, se tourner vers la conception ancienne de l’âme (θυμός et/ou ψυχή), qui dès l’époque homérique est conçue comme le siège des sentiments mais aussi comme un souffle qui entre et sort du corps. C’est une notion primordiale pour saisir la nature des mouvements qui animent les personnages figurés en proie à l’ivresse, sous le joug d’une possession divine ou sur le point de mourir : dans chacun de ces cas, l’âme est sollicitée d’une manière ou d’une autre, soit que ses liens avec le corps se trouvent relâchés ou qu’elle quitte temporairement ou définitivement le corps. Il apparaît que l’expression de ces états particuliers, dans l’imagerie grecque ancienne, n’ignore pas de tels concepts que ce soit à propos du but fixé à l’art ou sur la relation que l’âme entretient avec le corps : les mouvements corporels expriment clairement un état qui sort de l’ordinaire par l’orientation des corps, les gestes, les actions et les expressions faciales et ne semblent pas se borner à la figuration d’une simple réaction physiologique. Il s’agira également d’établir un lien entre les images anciennes et les théories modernes développées à propos de la figuration des mouvements dans l’art : le but étant de montrer que les peintres de vases privilégiaient bien plus l’expressivité, dans le but d’illustrer un concept, une idée, plutôt que de rendre compte d’une parfaite réalit

A High Voltage Programmable Input Interface for Avionic Equipment

International audienceAvionic computers are required to sense their environment or interact with other devices through the use of various sensors or communication buses. Currently, these sensors and buses use dedicated interfaces, which limits the functionalities that can be implemented in the computer. In this paper, we propose a programmable interface meant to interface most common sensors found in avionics, which could facilitate the designand reuse of avionic computers. The architecture of the interface is presented, with a focus on the programmable analog signal conditioning stage which is able to withstand the high voltages present in the harsh avionic environment

Dysfonctionnement systémique de la différenciation ostéoblastique des cellules souches adipeuses des patients atteints de myélome multiple

International audienceMultiple myeloma is characterized by bone lesions linked to increased osteoclast and decreased osteoblast activities. In particular, the osteoblast differentiation of bone marrow-derived stem cells (MSC) is impaired. Among the potential therapeutic tools for counteracting bone lesions, adipose-derived stem cells (ASC) could represent an appealing source for regenerative medicine due to their similar characteristics with MSC. Our study is among the first giving detailed insights into the osteoblastogenic capacities of ASC isolated by fat aspiration from myeloma patients (MM-ASC) compared to healthy subjects (HD-ASC). We showed that MM-ASC and HD-ASC exhibited comparable morphology, proliferative capacity, and immunophenotype. Unexpectedly, although normal in adipocyte differentiation, MM-ASC present a defective osteoblast differentiation, as indicated by less calcium deposition, decreased alkaline phosphatase activity, and downregulation of RUNX2 and osteocalcin. Furthermore, these ASC-derived osteoblasts displayed enhanced senescence, as shown by an increased β-galactosidase activity and cell cycle inhibitors expression (p16 INK4A , p21 WAF1/CIP1 .), associated with a markedly increased expression of DKK1, a major inhibitor of osteoblastogenesis in multiple myeloma. Interestingly, inhibition of DKK1 attenuated senescence and rescued osteoblast differentiation, highlighting its key role. Our findings show, for the first time, Cells 2019, 8, 441 2 of 16 that multiple myeloma is a systemic disease and suggest that ASC from patients would be unsuitable for tissue engineering designed to treat myeloma-associated bone disease.Le myélome multiple est caractérisé par des lésions osseuses liées à une augmentation de l'activité ostéoclastique et à une diminution de l'activité ostéoblastique. En particulier, la différenciation ostéoblastique des cellules souches issues de la moelle osseuse (CSM) est altérée. Parmi les outils thérapeutiques potentiels pour contrer les lésions osseuses, les cellules souches dérivées de l'adipeux (CSA) pourraient représenter une source intéressante pour la médecine régénérative en raison de leurs caractéristiques similaires à celles des cellules MSC. Notre étude est l'une des premières à donner un aperçu détaillé des capacités ostéoblastogènes de l'ASC isolée par aspiration graisseuse chez les patients atteints de myélome (MM-ASC) par rapport aux sujets sains (HD-ASC). Nous avons montré que le MM-ASC et le HD-ASC présentaient une morphologie, une capacité proliférative et un immunophénotype comparables. De façon inattendue, bien que normal dans la différenciation adipocytaire, le MM-ASC présente une différenciation ostéoblastique défectueuse, comme l'indiquent la diminution des dépôts de calcium, la diminution de l'activité des phosphatases alcalines et la régulation négative de RUNX2 et de l'ostéocalcine. De plus, ces ostéoblastes dérivés de l'ASC présentaient une sénescence accrue, comme en témoigne l'augmentation de l'activité de la β-galactosidase et de l'expression des inhibiteurs du cycle cellulaire (p16 INK4A, p21 WAF1/CIP1 .), associée à une expression nettement accrue du DKK1, un inhibiteur majeur de l'ostéoblastogenèse dans les myélomes multiples. Il est intéressant de noter que l'inhibition du DKK1 a atténué la sénescence et sauvé la différenciation des ostéoblastes, soulignant son rôle clé. Nos résultats montrent, pour la première fois, que le myélome multiple est une maladie systémique et suggèrent que les cellules 2019, 8, 441 2 sur 16 ne conviennent pas au génie tissulaire conçu pour traiter les maladies osseuses associées au myélome

Optimizing the bioenergy water footprint by selecting SRC willow canopy phenotypes: regional scenario simulations

© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company. All rights reserved. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Background and Aims: Bioenergy is central for the future energy mix to mitigate climate change impacts; however, its intricate link with the water cycle calls for an evaluation of the carbon–water nexus in biomass production. The great challenge is to optimize trade-offs between carbon harvest and water use by choosing cultivars that combine low water use with high productivity. Methods: Regional scenarios were simulated over a range of willow genotype × environment interactions for the major UK soil × climate variations with the process-based model LUCASS. Soil available water capacity (SAWC) ranged from 51 to 251 mm and weather represented the north-west (wet, cool), north-east (dry, cool), south-west (wet, warm) and south-east (dry, warm) of the UK. Scenario simulations were evaluated for small/open narrow-leaf (NL) versus large/closed broad-leaf (BL) willow canopy phenotypes using baseline (1965–89) and warmer recent (1990–2014) weather data. Key Results: The low productivity under baseline climate in the north could be compensated by choosing BL cultivars (e.g. ‘Endurance’). Recent warmer climate increased average productivity by 0.5–2.5 t ha−1, especially in the north. The modern NL cultivar ‘Resolution’ had the smallest and most efficient water use. On marginal soils (SAWC <100 mm), yields remained below an economic threshold of 9 t ha−1 more frequently under baseline than recent climate. In the drought-prone south-east, ‘Endurance’ yielded less than ‘Resolution’, which consumed on average 17 mm year−1 less water. Assuming a planting area of 10 000 ha, in droughty years between 1.3 and 4.5 × 106 m3 of water could be saved, with a small yield penalty, for ‘Resolution’. Conclusions: With an increase in air temperature and occasional water scarcities expected with climate change, high-yielding NL cultivars should be the preferred choice for sustainable use of marginal lands and reduced competition with agricultural food crops.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Direct interaction of TrkA/CD44v3 is essential for NGF-promoted aggressiveness of breast cancer cells

Background CD44 is a multifunctional membrane glycoprotein. Through its heparan sulfate chain, CD44 presents growth factors to their receptors. We have shown that CD44 and Tropomyosin kinase A (TrkA) form a complex following nerve growth factor (NGF) induction. Our study aimed to understand how CD44 and TrkA interact and the consequences of inhibiting this interaction regarding the pro-tumoral effect of NGF in breast cancer. Methods After determining which CD44 isoforms (variants) are involved in forming the TrkA/CD44 complex using proximity ligation assays, we investigated the molecular determinants of this interaction. By molecular modeling, we isolated the amino acids involved and confirmed their involvement using mutations. A CD44v3 mimetic peptide was then synthesized to block the TrkA/CD44v3 interaction. The effects of this peptide on the growth, migration and invasion of xenografted triple-negative breast cancer cells were assessed. Finally, we investigated the correlations between the expression of the TrkA/CD44v3 complex in tumors and histo-pronostic parameters. Results We demonstrated that isoform v3 (CD44v3), but not v6, binds to TrkA in response to NGF stimulation. The final 10 amino acids of exon v3 and the TrkA H112 residue are necessary for the association of CD44v3 with TrkA. Functionally, the CD44v3 mimetic peptide impairs not only NGF-induced RhoA activation, clonogenicity, and migration/invasion of breast cancer cells in vitro but also tumor growth and metastasis in a xenograft mouse model. We also detected TrkA/CD44v3 only in cancerous cells, not in normal adjacent tissues. Conclusion Collectively, our results suggest that blocking the CD44v3/TrkA interaction can be a new therapeutic option for triple-negative breast cancers

Dynamic and influential interaction of cancer cells with normal epithelial cells in 3D culture

BACKGROUND: The cancer microenvironment has a strong impact on the growth and dynamics of cancer cells. Conventional 2D culture systems, however, do not reflect in vivo conditions, impeding detailed studies of cancer cell dynamics. This work aims to establish a method to reveal the interaction of cancer and normal epithelial cells using 3D time-lapse. METHODS: GFP-labelled breast cancer cells, MDA-MB-231, were co-cultured with mCherry-labelled non-cancerous epithelial cells, MDCK, in a gel matrix. In the 3D culture, the epithelial cells establish a spherical morphology (epithelial sphere) thus providing cancer cells with accessibility to the basal surface of epithelia, similar to the in vivo condition. Cell movement was monitored using time-lapse analyses. Ultrastructural, immunocytochemical and protein expression analyses were also performed following the time-lapse study. RESULTS: In contrast to the 2D culture system, whereby most MDA-MB-231 cells exhibit spindle-shaped morphology as single cells, in the 3D culture the MDA-MB-231 cells were found to be single cells or else formed aggregates, both of which were motile. The single MDA-MB-231 cells exhibited both round and spindle shapes, with dynamic changes from one shape to the other, visible within a matter of hours. When co-cultured with epithelial cells, the MDA-MB-231 cells displayed a strong attraction to the epithelial spheres, and proceeded to surround and engulf the epithelial cell mass. The surrounded epithelial cells were eventually destroyed, becoming debris, and were taken into the MDA-MB-231 cells. However, when there was a relatively large population of normal epithelial cells, the MDA-MB-231 cells did not engulf the epithelial spheres effectively, despite repeated contacts. MDA-MB-231 cells co-cultured with a large number of normal epithelial cells showed reduced expression of monocarboxylate transporter-1, suggesting a change in the cell metabolism. A decreased level of gelatin-digesting ability as well as reduced production of matrix metaroproteinase-2 was also observed. CONCLUSIONS: This culture method is a powerful technique to investigate cancer cell dynamics and cellular changes in response to the microenvironment. The method can be useful for various aspects such as; different combinations of cancer and non-cancer cell types, addressing the organ-specific affinity of cancer cells to host cells, and monitoring the cellular response to anti-cancer drugs. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12935-014-0108-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Inhibition of ectopic glioma tumor growth by a potent ferrocenyl drug loaded into stealth lipid nanocapsules.

UNLABELLED: In this work, a novel ferrocenyl complex (ansa-FcdiOH) was assessed for brain tumor therapy through stealth lipid nanocapsules (LNCs). Stealth LNCs, prepared according to a one-step process, showed rapid uptake by cancer cells and extended blood circulation time. The ferrocenyl complex was successfully encapsulated into these LNCs measuring 40nm with a high loading capacity (6.4%). In vitro studies showed a potent anticancer effect of ansa-FcdiOH on 9L cells with a low IC50 value (0.1μM) associated with an oxidative stress and a dose-dependent alteration of the cell cycle. Repeated intravenous injections of stealth ansa-FcdiOH LNCs in ectopic glioma bearing rats induced a significant tumor growth inhibition, supported by a reduced number of proliferative cells in tumors compared to control group. Additionally, no liver damage was observed in treated animals. These results indicated that stealth ansa-FcdiOH LNCs might be considered as a potential new approach for cancer chemotherapy. FROM THE CLINICAL EDITOR: In this study, a novel ferrocenyl complex was assessed for brain tumor therapy through stealth lipid nanocapsules, demonstrating no liver damage, and superior tumor volume reduction compared to saline and stealth lipid nanocapsules alone in an ectopic glioma model