LA QUALITE, LA QUALIFICATION ET L'ACTION COLLECTIVE DANS LES PROCESSUS D'INNOVATION ET D'ACTIVATION DES SYAL LE CAS DES FROMAGERIES RURALES EN AMERIQUE LATINE

N° ISBN - 978-2-7380-1284-5International audienceSince the late nineties in Latin America, a new way of Rural Agro-Industry (RAI) development has been opened with Localized Agri-food Systems (SYAL in French). It appeared from existing relationships between geographical concentrations of RAI and the territory and with the idea of coping with new challenges brought about by globalization. This perspective is particularly relevant in the dairy and cheese dairy sectors. The main objective of this paper is to present an analysis of cheese dairy Localized Agri-food Systems activation, based on various case studies in Latin America that were presented during a workshop held in Toluca, Mexico, in November 2009. We highlight the necessary conditions to land resources activation in the strategies of local development based on the relationship between the territory and food products. In particular, we try to show that the various forms of the articulation between territory and value chain on the one hand, and the constitution of external or internal social networks on the other hand, largely determine the modality of collective actions and their results. In the specific case of milk that we are dealing with, it appears that the basis of local development process rests on the co-construction of a territorialized resource connected with quality and know-haw, such as collective trademarks, registered designation of origin and geographical indication of origin

SYAL : UN NOUVEL OUTIL POUR LE DEVELOPPEMENT DE TERRITOIRES MARGINAUX. LES LEÇONS DE L'ALLIANCE DES AGRO-INDUSTRIES RURALES DE LA SELVA LACANDONA, CHIAPAS.

N° ISBN - 978-2-7380-1284-5International audienceSince its beginnings in the eighties, Rural Agro-Industry (RAI) has emerged as an effective way to fight against poverty in marginalized rural areas, because of its ability to contribute to the overall improvement of small producers' living conditions. This development tool has been completed in the nineties by the Localized Agri-food Systems concept (SYAL in French) and the process of their activation. From the experience of a RAI development project promoted in the Selva Lacandona (Chiapas, Mexico), we present some lessons learned from this development project. One of the principal results was to identify and define the conditions of RAI sustainability in the Selva Lacandona. If economics profitability of the micro-enterprises proved to be essential to ensure their viability, it does not seem central as it doesn't represent a real problem. On the other hand, two aspects appeared to be fundamental to guarantee the RAI sustainable development in such marginalized region: the necessity of a prior favorable environment, in particular trough the presence of functional local public goods, and the resolution of organization and leadership problems

Free volume holes diffusion to describe physical aging in poly(mehtyl methacrylate)/silica nanocomposites

9 páginas, 5 figuras, 3 tablas.-- Trabajo presentado al "MACRO2010: 43rd IUPAC World Polymer Congress" celebrado en Glasgow (U.K.) del 11 al 16 de julio de 2010.The spontaneous thermodynamically driven densification, the so-called physical aging, of glassy poly(mehtyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and its nanocomposites with silica has been described by means of the free volume holes diffusion model. This mechanism is able to account for the partial decoupling between physical aging and segmental dynamics of PMMA in nancomposites. The former has been found to be accelerated in PMMA/silica nanocomposites in comparison to “bulk” PMMA, whereas no difference between the segmental dynamics of bulk PMMA and that of the same polymer in nanocomposites has been observed. Thus, the rate of physical aging also depends on the amount of interface polymer/nanoparticles, where free volume holes disappear after diffusing through the polymer matrix. The free volume holes diffusion model is able to nicely capture the phenomenology of the physical aging process with a structure dependent diffusion coefficient.The authors acknowledge the University of the Basque Country and Basque Country Government (Ref. No. IT- 436-07, Depto. Educación, Universidades e Investigación) and Spanish Minister of Education (Grant Nos. MAT 2007- 63681 and CSD2006-00053) for their support. The support of the Basque Government within the Etortek program is also acknowledged.Peer reviewe

Easy-dispersible poly(glycidyl phenyl ether)-functionalized graphene sheets obtained by reaction of ‘‘living’’ anionic polymer chains

3 páginas, 2 figuras.Excellent dispersion of functionalized graphene (FG) sheets in polystyrene was achieved relying on the reaction of “living” poly(glycidyl phenyl ether) chains onto graphene sheets. The physical aging of polystyrene was substantially accelerated by the presence of FG sheets at low filler content, retaining film transparency and increasing the electrical conductivity.The authors acknowledge the support of the Spanish Ministry of Education (CSD2006-00053), the Basque Government (IT-436-07), and SGIker UPV/EHU for TEM and NMR facilities. FBB and VB acknowledge the JAE-Doc contract from CSIC.Peer reviewe

Implantation Failure in Endometriosis Patients: Etiopathogenesis

peer reviewedEmbryo implantation requires adequate dialogue between a good quality embryo and a receptive endometrium. This implantation is still considered as the black box of reproductive medicine. Endometriosis is a highly prevalent chronic inflammatory disease, concerning about 10% of women of reproductive age and is one of the major causes of female infertility. The mechanisms involved in endometriosis-related infertility, an event not yet completely understood, are multifactorial and include anatomical changes, reduction in ovarian reserve, endocrine abnormalities, genetic profile, immunity markers, inflammatory mediators, or altered endometrial receptivity. In this article, we will focus on the impact of endometriosis on embryo quality and on endometrial receptivity. Results: Poor oocyte and embryo quality seem to promote a lower pregnancy rate, more than the endometrium itself in women with endometriosis. Other studies report the contrary. In addition, hormonal imbalance observed in the endometrium could also alter the embryo implantation. Conclusion: Controversial results in the literature add difficulties to the understanding of the mechanisms that lead to embryo implantation disorders. Furthermore, either oocyte/embryo impairment, altered endometrium, or both may cause impaired implantation. New prospective, randomized, and controlled studies are necessary to determine the origin of the defects that make conception more difficult in the case of endometriosis and adenomyosis

Trash-2-Cash Project: Third Milestone Report D9.4

Trash-2-Cash is an EU funded project under the Horizon 2020 research programme. The project started in June 2015 and will be running until the end of November 2018. It applies Design-Driven Material Innovation (DDMI) as a tool for development routes within design, materials research and manufacturing of new materials, services and products. The overall objective of the Trash-2-Cash project is to develop new materials and products via creative design from waste materials and industrial side-products or by-products from the textile and paper industries and to promote development within the creative sector by providing technology solutions for exploitation of waste streams and design for recycling. 18 partners from 10 countries formed a cross-disciplinary team of designers, material researchers, and manufacturers in combination with specialists on behavioural research and cost and environmental assessments. Having all these specialists on board means that waste materials can be used to create new fibres that can be spun and woven, knitted or formed, into high performance textiles and composites, which can then be made into innovative new products. The full chain is represented within the project. The design team drives the material innovation in close collaboration with the material R&D and manufacturer teams. The project flow has three iterative phases called “Cycles” that repeat specific steps. The end/beginning of each Cycle corresponds with a milestone, the delivery of prototypes. The prototypes were finalized during the third and final Cycle of the project, the refinement Cycle into full product prototypes or Master Cases. These Master Cases are now ready and have been displayed for a broader audience during the Dutch Design Week in October 2018

CC9 Livestock-Associated Staphylococcus aureus Emerges in Bloodstream Infections in French Patients Unconnected With Animal Farming

We report 4 bloodstream infections associated with CC9 agr type II Staphylococcus aureus in individuals without animal exposure. We demonstrate, by microarray analysis, the presence of egc cluster, fnbA, cap operon, lukS, set2, set12, splE, splD, sak, epiD, and can, genomic features associated with a high virulence potential in human

Preparation of polycarbonate transparent nanocomposites : structure/properties relationships

L'objet de cette étude est l'élaboration de matériaux polymères nanocomposites transparents à matrice polycarbonate, pour des applications dans des domaines tels que la lunetterie ou le vitrage automobile. L'incorporation de nanoparticules au sein du polycarbonate a été envisagée afin de lui conférer certaines propriétés mécaniques telles qu'une plus grande rigidité, une meilleure stabilité dimensionnelle, une résistance à la rayure plus importante, tout en conservant sa transparence. Le maintien de la transparence du matériau passe d'une part par l'utilisation de particules nanométriques présentant un indice de réfraction proche de celui de la matrice et d'autre part par une trés bonne dispersion de ces particules au sein de la matrice polymère. Ainsi différents types de nanoparticules minérales ont d'abord été sélectionnés puis incorporés dans la matrice polycarbonate. L'évaluation des performances de ces nanocomposites en termes de transparence et de propriétés mécaniques a non seulement permis d'affiner la sélection des charges, mais aussi mis en évidence la difficulté de limiter la dégradation de la matrice polycarbonate en présence des nanocharges. Afin d'optimiser les performances des matériaux considérés, une étude approfondie des mécanismes de dégradation de la matrice polycarbonate a été réalisée, et des modifications du procédé d'élaboration ont été envisagées afin de limiter la dégradation de la matrice au cours de l'élaboration des nanocomposites. Enfin, dans le cadre d'une réflexion plus générale sur les mécanismes de renforcement des nanocomposites, une étude a mis en évidence les relations structure/propriétés existant au sein des matériaux élaborés, soulignant l'influence des nanoparticules sur la mobilité moléculaire de la matrice polycarbonate.This study deals with the preparation of transparent polycarbonate nanocomposites for industrial applications such as optical lenses or automotive glazing. Incorporating nanoparticles to polycarbonate matrix aimed to improve some of its properties such as stiffness, dimensional stability, or scratch resistance, while maintaining intrinsic properties such as its transparency. Polycarbonate nanocomposites transparency depends on one hand on mineral partic/es diameter and refractive index, and on the other hand on the good dispersion of particles in polymer matrix. Therefore, different types of mineral fillers were selected and incorporated in polycarbonate matrix. The evaluation of mechanical and optical properties of these nanocomposites permitted not only to refine particles selection, but also to highlight polycarbonate degradation during compounding with nanofillers. ln order to optimize materials performances, a thorough study of degradation mechanisms was carried out, and the nanocomposites preparation process was modified so as to Iimit polycarbonate degradation in presence of mineral fillers. Lastly, in a more general framework, the reinforcement mechanisms involved in nanocomposite materials were investigated, and showed the existence of correlations between materials structure and properties, and the effect of mineral fi/lers on polycarbonate molecular dynamics

Caractérisation fonctionnelle de MtPM25, une protéine LEA ( Late Embryogenesis Abundant ), et implication dans la qualité germinative des graines de Medicago truncatula

The term desiccation tolerance describes the capacity to undergo total water loss without fatal damage of cellular components. The tolerance to desiccation is dependent on multiple traits but especially depends on the accumulation of stress proteins such as LEA (Late Embryogenesis Abundant) proteins. Primary sequence analysis suggests that these hydrophilic and natively unstructured proteins belong to different gene families. They are abundantly expressed in the late maturation stages of seeds. Different functional roles for these proteins have been proposed: the replacement of water, ion scavenging or stabilisation of proteins or membranes. In the laboratory, a LEA protein from Medicago truncatula, PM25, which is specifically expressed in seeds was identified and cloned. The aim of this work was to better understand the function of PM25 in seeds. To reach this goal, two strategies were applied: one physico-chemical approach to characterize the protein in vitro and a reverse genetic approach including Tnt1 insertion mutants of M. truncatula as well as transgenic E. coli. We could show that PM25 is an atypical LEA protein with nuclear localization exhibiting a rather hydrophobic character. In vitro, PM25 is not only capable to prevent protein aggregation during freezing or drying, but is also efficient in dissolving protein aggregates after these stresses were applied. In contrast to that, the physiological characterization of the seeds of the pm25 mutant did not show a reduced desiccation tolerance nor an enhanced susceptibility to artificial ageing or germination under stress conditions. The lack of a desiccation-sensitive phenotype could be due to the fact that several homologues of PM25 show an enhanced expression in mutant seeds which indicates a certain redundancy between the members of this gene family. Interestingly, the seeds of the pm25 mutant were reduced in both mass and size although the composition of soluble sugars and reserve proteins was unaffected. Our work suggests that PM25 is subjected to complex regulation mechanisms but could itself be involved in the regulation of seed filling.La tolérance à la dessiccation correspond à la propriété de résister sans dommage à la perte totale de l'eau cellulaire. Il s'agit d'un phénomène multifactoriel qui repose notamment sur l'accumulation de protéines de stress telles que les protéines LEA (Late Embryogenesis Abundant). Ces protéines hydrophiles et largement désordonnées à l'état natif appartiennent à plusieurs familles sur la base de leurs séquences primaires, et sont exprimées de façon abondante en fin de maturation des graines. On leur attribue une multitude de fonctions telles que remplacement de l'eau, pièges à ions, stabilisation des protéines et membranes. Parmi cette famille de protéine, le laboratoire a identifié et cloné chez Medicago truncatula, PM25, une protéine LEA spécifiquement exprimée dans la graine. L'objectif de ce travail a été de mieux comprendre sa fonction au sein de la graine. Deux approches ont été employées : une approche physico-chimique de caractérisation de la fonction de PM25 in vitro et une approche de génétique inverse impliquant E. coli et des mutants d'insertion Tnt1 de M. truncatula déficients en PM25. Nous avons montré que PM25 est une protéine LEA nucléaire atypique présentant des caractéristiques hydrophobes. De plus, non seulement elle empêche l'agrégation de protéines lors de la dessiccation ou la congélation, mais elle est aussi capable de dissoudre de manière très efficace ces agrégats lors de la réhydratation ou de la décongélation. Cependant, le phénotypage des graines pm25 n'a pas permis de mettre en évidence une sensibilité accrue des graines à la dessiccation, au vieillissement accéléré ou aux stress salins et osmotiques. Ce résultat peut être expliqué par le fait que plusieurs homologues de PM25 sont surexprimés dans les graines mutantes, ce qui indique un phénomène de redondance pour cette famille de gène. Par ailleurs, les graines pm25 présentent une masse et une taille réduite alors que la composition en sucres solubles et protéines de réserve n'est pas affectée. L'ensemble de nos travaux suggère que PM25 serait soumis à des phénomènes de régulation complexe et pourrait réguler le remplissage de la graine