Combinatorial Construction of Time-Stamp Systems and Interpolation Systems

. A time-stamp system allows to maintain in a distributed way a total order among a set of objects by assigning them some labels or time-stamps. An elementary operation consists in moving one of these objects from the ith position to the first one by only modifying its time-stamp. We introduce the notion of interpolation system, which generalizes the previous notion by allowing the objects to move from any position to any other position. Time-stamp systems and interpolation systems can be described as directed graphs (whose vertices stand for time-stamps) satisfying some special properties. We study in this paper different construction mechanisms leading to such systems. R'esum'e. Un syst`eme d'estampillage permet de g'erer de fa¸con distribu'ee un ordre total sur des objets en leur attribuant des 'etiquettes ou estampilles. Une action 'el'ementaire consiste `a faire passer un objet d'une position i quelconque en position 1 en modifiant uniquement l'estampille de cet objet. Nous intro..

Génome complet du Paenibacillus B-LR producteur de colistine

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Three-Dimensional Microstructure of a Polymer-Dispersed Liquid Crystal Observed by Transmission Electron Microscopy

A film consisting of an amorphous photo-crosslinkable polymer matrix and a dispersion of microinclusions of a cholesteric polymer was investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The polymerization procedure of the blend provides a composite with many small nodules of spherical or ellipsoidal shapes, with sizes between 0.4 and 6 $\mu$m. The cholesteric stratification is well evidenced in transmission electron microscopy by dark lines due to diffraction contrast. The 3D organization was reconstructed by the observation of successive ultramicrotomed sections. Six types of nodules were distinguished according to the number of defects (foci or disclination lines), among which only three had already been observed and theoretically calculated. The confined geometry inherent in the size of the nodules, close to the cholesteric pitch, is responsible of these unexpected structures. In these conditions, the surface forces are in tight competition with the cholesteric elastic forces

Lactococcus lactis Diversity Revealed by Targeted Amplicon Sequencing of purR Gene, Metabolic Comparisons and Antimicrobial Properties in an Undefined Mixed Starter Culture Used for Soft-Cheese Manufacture

International audienceThe undefined mixed starter culture (UMSC) is used in the manufacture of cheeses. Deciphering UMSC microbial diversity is important to optimize industrial processes. The UMSC was studied using culture-dependent and culture-independent based methods. MALDI-TOF MS enabled identification of species primarily from the Lactococcus genus. Comparisons of carbohydrate metabolism profiles allowed to discriminate five phenotypes of Lactococcus (n = 26/1616). The 16S sequences analysis (V1–V3, V3–V4 regions) clustered the UMSC microbial diversity into two Lactococcus operational taxonomic units (OTUs). These clustering results were improved with the DADA2 algorithm on the housekeeping purR sequences. Five L. lactis variants were detected among the UMSC. The whole-genome sequencing of six isolates allowed for the identification of the lactis subspecies using Illumina® (n = 5) and Pacbio® (n = 1) technologies. Kegg analysis confirmed the L. lactis species-specific niche adaptations and highlighted a progressive gene pseudogenization. Then, agar spot tests and agar well diffusion assays were used to assess UMSC antimicrobial activities. Of note, isolate supernatants (n = 34/1616) were shown to inhibit the growth of Salmonella ser. Typhimurium CIP 104115, Lactobacillus sakei CIP 104494, Staphylococcus aureus DSMZ 13661, Enterococcus faecalis CIP103015 and Listeria innocua CIP 80.11. Collectively, these results provide insightful information about UMSC L. lactis diversity and revealed a potential application as a bio-protective starter culture

Marine bacteria from the French Atlantic coast displaying high forming-biofilm abilities and different biofilm 3D architectures

International audienceFew studies have reported the species composition of bacterial communities in marine biofilms formed on natural or on man-made existing structures. In particular, the roles and surface specificities of primary colonizers are largely unknown for most surface types. The aim of this study was to obtain potentially pioneering bacterial strains with high forming-biofilm abilities from two kinds of marine biofilms, collected from two different surfaces of the French Atlantic coast: an intertidal mudflat which plays a central role in aquaculture and a carbon steel structure of a harbour, where biofilms may cause important damages

Antibiofilm activity in the culture supernatant of a marine Pseudomonas sp. bacterium

International audienceIn the marine environment, most solid surfaces are covered by microbial biofilms, mainly composed of bacteria and diatoms. The negative effects of biofilms on materials and equipment are numerous and pose a major problem for industry and human activities. Since marine micro-organisms are an important source of bioactive metabolites, it is possible that they synthesize natural ecofriendly molecules that inhibit the adhesion of organisms. In this work, the antibiofilm potential of marine bacteria was investigated using Flavobacterium sp. II2003 as a target. This strain is potentially a pioneer strain of bacteria that was previously selected from marine biofilms for its strong biofilm-forming ability. The culture supernatants of 86 marine heterotrophic bacteria were tested for their ability to inhibit Flavobacterium sp. II2003 biofilm formation and the Pseudomonas sp. IV2006 strain was identified as producing a strong antibiofilm activity. The Pseudomonas sp. IV2006 culture supernatant (SNIV2006) inhibited Flavobacterium sp. II2003 adhesion without killing the bacteria or inhibiting its growth. Moreover, SNIV2006 had no effect on the Flavobacterium sp. II2003 cell surface hydrophilic/hydrophobic and general Lewis acid–base characteristics, but modified the surface properties of glass, making it on the whole more hydrophilic and more alkaline and significantly reducing bacterial cell adhesion. The glass-coating molecules produced by Pseudomonas sp. IV2006 were found to probably be polysaccharides, whereas the antibiofilm molecules contained in SNIV2006 and acting during the 2 h adhesion step on glass and polystyrene surfaces would be proteinaceous. Finally, SNIV2006 exhibited a broad spectrum of antibiofilm activity on other marine bacteria such as Flavobacterium species that are pathogenic for fish, and human pathogens in both the medical environment, such as Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa , and in the food industry, such as Yersinia enterocolitica . Thus, a wide range of applications could be envisaged for the SNIV2006 compounds, both in aquaculture and human health