72 research outputs found
Espagne : les feux de forĂȘt en 1999.
Le pourcentage de surface forestiÚre nationale brûlée n'a atteint que 0,3%, ce qui représente le chiffre le plus bas de la zone de risque du bassin méditerranéen
Sistema integrado para determinaciĂłn del peligro de incendios forestales (SystĂšme intĂ©grĂ© pour la dĂ©termination du danger d'incendies de forĂȘts)
Le danger d'incendie de forĂȘts dĂ©pend des conditions mĂ©tĂ©orologiques, de l'Ă©tat de combustibilitĂ© et des causes de mise Ă feu. La mĂ©thode prĂ©sentĂ©e consiste Ă calculer des indices de risque que l'on peut cartographier
Les feux de forĂȘts en Espagne en 1997 : des rĂ©sultats modĂ©rĂ©s pour la deuxiĂšme annĂ©e consĂ©cutive
Bilan des feux de forĂȘts en Espagne en 1997
The 2HWC HAWC Observatory Gamma Ray Catalog
We present the first catalog of TeV gamma-ray sources realized with the
recently completed High Altitude Water Cherenkov Observatory (HAWC). It is the
most sensitive wide field-of-view TeV telescope currently in operation, with a
1-year survey sensitivity of ~5-10% of the flux of the Crab Nebula. With an
instantaneous field of view >1.5 sr and >90% duty cycle, it continuously
surveys and monitors the sky for gamma ray energies between hundreds GeV and
tens of TeV.
HAWC is located in Mexico at a latitude of 19 degree North and was completed
in March 2015. Here, we present the 2HWC catalog, which is the result of the
first source search realized with the complete HAWC detector. Realized with 507
days of data and represents the most sensitive TeV survey to date for such a
large fraction of the sky. A total of 39 sources were detected, with an
expected contamination of 0.5 due to background fluctuation. Out of these
sources, 16 are more than one degree away from any previously reported TeV
source. The source list, including the position measurement, spectrum
measurement, and uncertainties, is reported. Seven of the detected sources may
be associated with pulsar wind nebulae, two with supernova remnants, two with
blazars, and the remaining 23 have no firm identification yet.Comment: Submitted 2017/02/09 to the Astrophysical Journa
Tnfa Signaling Through Tnfr2 Protects Skin Against Oxidative Stress-Induced Inflammation
TNFα overexpression has been associated with several chronic inflammatory diseases, including psoriasis, lichen planus, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease. Paradoxically, numerous studies have reported new-onset psoriasis and lichen planus following TNFα antagonist therapy. Here, we show that genetic inhibition of Tnfa and Tnfr2 in zebrafish results in the mobilization of neutrophils to the skin. Using combinations of fluorescent reporter transgenes, fluorescence microscopy, and flow cytometry, we identified the local production of dual oxidase 1 (Duox1)-derived H2O2 by Tnfa- and Tnfr2-deficient keratinocytes as a trigger for the activation of the master inflammation transcription factor NF-ÎșB, which then promotes the induction of genes encoding pro-inflammatory molecules. In addition, pharmacological inhibition of Duox1 completely abrogated skin inflammation, placing Duox1-derived H2O2 upstream of this positive feedback inflammatory loop. Strikingly, DUOX1 was drastically induced in the skin lesions of psoriasis and lichen planus patients. These results reveal a crucial role for TNFα/TNFR2 axis in the protection of the skin against DUOX1-mediated oxidative stress and could establish new therapeutic targets for skin inflammatory disorders
Variable frequency of LRRK2 variants in the Latin American research consortium on the genetics of Parkinson's disease (LARGE-PD), a case of ancestry
ABSTARCT: Mutations in Leucine-Rich Repeat Kinase 2 (LRRK2), primarily located in codons G2019 and R1441, represent the most common genetic cause of Parkinson's disease in European-derived populations. However, little is known about the frequency of these mutations in Latin American populations. In addition, a prior study suggested that a LRRK2 polymorphism (p.Q1111H) specific to Latino and Amerindian populations might be a risk factor for Parkinson's disease, but this finding requires replication. We screened 1734 Parkinson's disease patients and 1097 controls enrolled in the Latin American Research Consortium on the Genetics of Parkinson's disease (LARGE-PD), which includes sites in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Uruguay. Genotypes were determined by TaqMan assay (p.G2019S and p.Q1111H) or by sequencing of exon 31 (p.R1441C/G/H/S). Admixture proportion was determined using a panel of 29 ancestry informative markers. We identified a total of 29 Parkinson's disease patients (1.7%) who carried p.G2019S and the frequency ranged from 0.2% in Peru to 4.2% in Uruguay. Only two Parkinson's disease patients carried p.R1441G and one patient carried p.R1441C. There was no significant difference in the frequency of p.Q1111H in patients (3.8%) compared to controls (3.1%; OR 1.02, pâ=â0.873). The frequency of LRRK2-p.G2019S varied greatly between different Latin American countries and was directly correlated with the amount of European ancestry observed. p.R1441G is rare in Latin America despite the large genetic contribution made by settlers from Spain, where the mutation is relatively common
The Neglected Tropical Diseases of Latin America and the Caribbean: A Review of Disease Burden and Distribution and a Roadmap for Control and Elimination
The neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) represent some of the most common infections of the poorest people living in the Latin American and Caribbean region (LAC). Because they primarily afflict the disenfranchised poor as well as selected indigenous populations and people of African descent, the NTDs in LAC are largely forgotten diseases even though their collective disease burden may exceed better known conditions such as of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, or malaria. Based on their prevalence and healthy life years lost from disability, hookworm infection, other soil-transmitted helminth infections, and Chagas disease are the most important NTDs in LAC, followed by dengue, schistosomiasis, leishmaniasis, trachoma, leprosy, and lymphatic filariasis. On the other hand, for some important NTDs, such as leptospirosis and cysticercosis, complete disease burden estimates are not available. The NTDs in LAC geographically concentrate in 11 different sub-regions, each with a distinctive human and environmental ecology. In the coming years, schistosomiasis could be eliminated in the Caribbean and transmission of lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis could be eliminated in Latin America. However, the highest disease burden NTDs, such as Chagas disease, soil-transmitted helminth infections, and hookworm and schistosomiasis co-infections, may first require scale-up of existing resources or the development of new control tools in order to achieve control or elimination. Ultimately, the roadmap for the control and elimination of the more widespread NTDs will require an inter-sectoral approach that bridges public health, social services, and environmental interventions
Fructooligosacharides Reduce Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 Pathogenicity through Distinct Mechanisms
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
is ubiquitously present in the environment and acts as an opportunistic pathogen on humans,
animals and plants. We report here the effects of the prebiotic polysaccharide inulin and its hydrolysed form FOS on this
bacterium. FOS was found to inhibit bacterial growth of strain PAO1, while inulin did not affect growth rate or yield in a
significant manner. Inulin stimulated biofilm formation, whereas a dramatic reduction of the biofilm formation was
observed in the presence of FOS. Similar opposing effects were observed for bacterial motility, where FOS inhibited the
swarming and twitching behaviour whereas inulin caused its stimulation. In co-cultures with eukaryotic cells (macrophages)
FOS and, to a lesser extent, inulin reduced the secretion of the inflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-10 and TNF-
a
. Western blot
experiments indicated that the effects mediated by FOS in macrophages are associated with a decreased activation of the
NF-
k
B pathway. Since FOS and inulin stimulate pathway activation in the absence of bacteria, the FOS mediated effect is
likely to be of indirect nature, such as via a reduction of bacterial virulence. Further, this modulatory effect is observed also
with the highly virulent ptxS mutated strain. Co-culture experiments of P. aeruginosa with IEC18 eukaryotic cells showed
that FOS reduces the concentration of the major virulence factor, exotoxin A, suggesting that this is a possible mechanism
for the reduction of pathogenicity. The potential of these compounds as components of antibacterial and anti-inflammatory
cocktails is discussed.The authors acknowledge financial support from FEDER funds and Fondo Social Europeo through grants from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (grants SAF2011-22922, SAF2011-22812) the Andalusian regional government Junta de AndalucĂa (grant CVI-7335) and the Centre of Networked
Biomedical Research on Hepatic and Digestive Diseases (CIBERehd) which is funded by the Carlos III Health Institute and the RamĂłn Areces Foundation, Spain
Evidence for widespread hydrated minerals on asteroid (101955) Bennu
Early spectral data from the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) mission reveal evidence for abundant hydrated minerals on the surface of near-Earth asteroid (101955) Bennu in the form of a near-infrared absorption near 2.7â”m and thermal infrared spectral features that are most similar to those of aqueously altered CM-type carbonaceous chondrites. We observe these spectral features across the surface of Bennu, and there is no evidence of substantial rotational variability at the spatial scales of tens to hundreds of metres observed to date. In the visible and near-infrared (0.4 to 2.4â”m) Bennuâs spectrum appears featureless and with a blue (negative) slope, confirming previous ground-based observations. Bennu may represent a class of objects that could have brought volatiles and organic chemistry to Earth
The dynamic geophysical environment of (101955) Bennu based on OSIRIS-REx measurements
The top-shaped morphology characteristic of asteroid (101955) Bennu, often found among fast-spinning asteroids and binary asteroid primaries, may have contributed substantially to binary asteroid formation. Yet a detailed geophysical analysis of this morphology for a fast-spinning asteroid has not been possible prior to the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) mission. Combining the measured Bennu mass and shape obtained during the Preliminary Survey phase of the OSIRIS-REx mission, we find a notable transition in Bennuâs surface slopes within its rotational Roche lobe, defined as the region where material is energetically trapped to the surface. As the intersection of the rotational Roche lobe with Bennuâs surface has been most recently migrating towards its equator (given Bennuâs increasing spin rate), we infer that Bennuâs surface slopes have been changing across its surface within the last million years. We also find evidence for substantial density heterogeneity within this body, suggesting that its interior is a mixture of voids and boulders. The presence of such heterogeneity and Bennuâs top shape are consistent with spin-induced failure at some point in its past, although the manner of its failure cannot yet be determined. Future measurements by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will provide insight into and may resolve questions regarding the formation and evolution of Bennuâs top-shape morphology and its link to the formation of binary asteroids
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