Post-pulse addition of trans-cyclohexane-1,2-diol improves electrotransfer mediated gene expression in mammalian cells

AbstractElectric field mediated gene transfer is facing a problem in expression yield due to the poor transfer across the nuclear envelope. Trans-cyclohexane-1,2-diol (TCHD) was shown to significantly increase chemically mediated transfection by collapsing the permeability barrier of the nuclear pore complex. We indeed observed a significant increase in expression by electrotransfer when cells are treated post pulse by a low non toxic concentration of TCHD. This was obtained for different pulsing conditions, cell strains and plasmid constructs. An interesting improvement in cell viability can be obtained. This can significantly enhance the non-viral gene electrical delivery

Is a cannibal different from its conspecifics? A behavioural, morphological, muscular and retinal structure study with pikeperch juveniles under farming conditions

Cannibalism is defined as the act of killing and consuming the whole, or major part, of an individual belonging to the same species, irrespective of its stage of development. Intra-cohort cannibalism in fish larval or juvenile stages, which is a major economic problem, has been widely studied in captive fish populations. In our study, we investigated the influence of animal personality (with cross-maze and conspecific choice tests) on intra-cohort cannibalism using pikeperch Sander lucioperca as a model species. Furthermore, we investigated the morphological (geometric morphological analysis) and anatomical (histological analysis of retinal and muscle tissue sections) differences between cannibal (C) fish (TL = 34.6 ± 9.4 mm, n = 25) and conspecific fish randomly sampled from rearing tanks, herein called ‘potential non-cannibal fish’ (PNC) (TL = 31.4 ± 10.5 mm, n = 42). We did not find any behavioural differences (swimming activity, exploration, conspecific choice) between cannibal and potential non-cannibal fish that could explain asynchrony in the onset of cannibalism. Moreover, we did not observe any morphological differences between the two groups (C and PNC fish). However, we did detect anatomical differences in two retinal layers (ganglion cell layer and inner nuclear layer) that were thicker for cannibals. These two layers are involved in the collection of information by photoreceptors and allow the shapes, colours and movements of objects to be detected in the water column. The onset of cannibalism therefore appears to be linked to environmental condition-dependent individual development, with some individuals exhibiting precocious anatomical, and probably physiological, development, rather than to individual personality.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Improving pikeperch larviculture by combining environmental, feeding and populational factors

Pikeperch (Sander lucioperca) has a high potential for inland aquaculture diversification in Europe. Bottlenecks (i.e. low survival, cannibalism and deformity rates) hamper further expansion of pikeperch culture, because of the weak production performances at the nursery level. To improve the production of pikeperch juveniles under recirculation system we used a pilot scale larval rearing system (700 L tanks) and multifactorial designs. Three successive larval rearing trials (duration: 35-49 days) were conducted to identify the best combination of environmental, feeding and population factors. Considering the main significant effects observed on survival, growth, swim bladder inflation rates and biomass gain, a favourable combination of twelve factor (F) modalities was proposed (F1- initial density: 100 larvae.L-1, F2- no sorting of fish jumper, F3- no sibling population, F4- eggs from large females, F5- discontinuous feeding, F6- no co-feeding, F7- light intensity: 50 lx, F8- beginning of the weaning at 16 dph (days post-hatching), F9- weaning duration: 9 days, F10- water renewal rate of 100 % per hour, F11- tank cleaning during morning and F12- tank bottom-up water current). A final validation step was realized over a last trial (seven replicates, duration: 49 days), and validated with the best productive results obtained over the global experimental period (2015-2018). These results were: a final body weight of 815.64 ± 95.34 mg, a survival rate of 16.9 ± 1.7 %, a specific growth rate of 15.1 ± 5.9 %.d-1, a final fish biomass of 9.55 ± 0.23 kg, a swim bladder inflation rate of 92.6 ± 3.2 % and a food conversion rate of 0.65 ± 0.02 (dry food). The final stocking density was 13.6 kg.m-3 of rearing volume. Authors were able to validate and provide a reliable basic protocol for pikeperch larval rearing using recirculating units.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

CNN photometric redshifts in the SDSS at r≤20r\leq 20

We release photometric redshifts, reaching $\sim$0.7, for $\sim$14M galaxies at $r\leq 20$ in the 11,500 deg$^2$ of the SDSS north and south galactic caps. These estimates were inferred from a convolution neural network (CNN) trained on $ugriz$ stamp images of galaxies labelled with a spectroscopic redshift from the SDSS, GAMA and BOSS surveys. Representative training sets of $\sim$370k galaxies were constructed from the much larger combined spectroscopic data to limit biases, particularly those arising from the over-representation of Luminous Red Galaxies. The CNN outputs a redshift classification that offers all the benefits of a well-behaved PDF, with a width efficiently signaling unreliable estimates due to poor photometry or stellar sources. The dispersion, mean bias and rate of catastrophic failures of the median point estimate are of order $\sigma_{\rm MAD}=0.014$, $=0.0015$, $\eta(|\Delta z_{\rm norm}|>0.05)=4\%$ on a representative test sample at $r<19.8$, out-performing currently published estimates. The distributions in narrow intervals of magnitudes of the redshifts inferred for the photometric sample are in good agreement with the results of tomographic analyses. The inferred redshifts also match the photometric redshifts of the redMaPPer galaxy clusters for the probable cluster members. The CNN input and output are available at: https://deepdip.iap.fr/treyer+2023.Comment: Submitted to MNRA

Life cycle in practice: capacity building aiming European SME’s

The application of life cycle approaches – including life cycle assessment, ecodesign and environmental labelling – is becoming an increasing reality for business, and a growing challenge in many economic sectors. Businesses are facing increasing legal and market requirements to enhance resource efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of their products & services. To significantly address this challenge, the Life Cycle in Practice (LCiP) project was conceived, aiming to promote the uptake of LC approaches particularly in SMEs. The LCiP project helps SMEs in France, Belgium, Portugal and Spain reduce the environmental impacts of their products and services across the entire Life Cycle in three sectors: Buildings & Construction, Waste Management and Energy Equipment. LCiP’s specific objectives are to foster the widespread uptake of these approaches by SMEs beyond the duration of the project, by (i) Demonstrating the environmental and business benefits of applying LC Approaches through practical application in 32 businesses; (ii) Providing physical and online resource centres to support regional application of LC approaches; (iii) Building capacity for on-going implementation of LC approaches through a network of Life Cycle Champions and (iv) (Re)designing practical tools & methods tailored to the needs of the three industrial sectors. This paper presents the project's activities and expected results, as well as the conclusions of a maturity assessment on life cycle approaches that has been performed in the three sectors and four partner regions, as a means to identify needs and gaps that LCiP should fulfil

Gender-Related Differences in the Prevalence of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors and their Correlates in Urban Tanzania.

\ud Urban areas in Africa suffer a serious problem with dual burden of infectious diseases and emerging chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and diabetes which pose a serious threat to population health and health care resources. However in East Africa, there is limited literature in this research area. The objective of this study was to examine the prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors and their correlates among adults in Temeke, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Results of this study will help inform future research and potential preventive and therapeutic interventions against such chronic diseases. The study design was a cross sectional epidemiological study. A total of 209 participants aged between 44 and 66 years were included in the study. A structured questionnaire was used to evaluate socioeconomic and lifestyle characteristics. Blood samples were collected and analyzed to measure lipid profile and fasting glucose levels. Cardiovascular risk factors were defined using World Health Organization criteria. The age-adjusted prevalence of obesity (BMI > or = 30) was 13% and 35%, among men and women (p = 0.0003), respectively. The prevalence of abdominal obesity was 11% and 58% (p < 0.0001), and high WHR (men: >0.9, women: >0.85) was 51% and 73% (p = 0.002) for men and women respectively. Women had 4.3 times greater odds of obesity (95% CI: 1.9-10.1), 14.2-fold increased odds for abdominal adiposity (95% CI: 5.8-34.6), and 2.8 times greater odds of high waist-hip-ratio (95% CI: 1.4-5.7), compared to men. Women had more than three-fold greater odds of having metabolic syndrome (p = 0.001) compared to male counterparts, including abdominal obesity, low HDL-cholesterol, and high fasting blood glucose components. In contrast, female participants had 50% lower odds of having hypertension, compared to men (95%CI: 0.3-1.0). Among men, BMI and waist circumference were significantly correlated with blood pressure, triglycerides, total, LDL-, and HDL-cholesterol (BMI only), and fasting glucose; in contrast, only blood pressure was positively associated with BMI and waist circumference in women. The prevalence of CVD risk factors was high in this population, particularly among women. Health promotion, primary prevention, and health screening strategies are needed to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease in Tanzania.\u

MULTI-CAMERA SYSTEM CALIBRATION OF A LOW-COST REMOTELY OPERATED VEHICLE FOR UNDERWATER CAVE EXPLORATION

Exploration, documentation and mapping of underwater environment is one of the biggest open challenges for science and engineering. Humankind is not naturally designed to operate in water and, despite the enormous technological advancement that offers nowadays unprecedented opportunities, diving and working underwater is still very dangerous, especially in confined spaces such as underwater caves. Great research efforts are currently devoted to underwater autonomous navigation, but available solutions still mainly rely on complex and expensive systems, due to the difficulty of adapting localization and mapping sensors and algorithms suited for terrestrial or aerial applications. However, small and affordable underwater remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) are available, which offer good opportunities for underwater exploration and mapping. This paper focuses on the development of a small, low-cost ROV designed for 3D mapping of underwater environments, like caves. The system is based on a commercially available vehicle, the BluRov2, and relies on the use of up to 12 action cameras (GoPro) mounted on it. A trifocal camera system for underwater real-time visual odometry can also be included. The work describes the photogrammetric procedure developed for the synchronization and calibration of the GoPro cameras and provides a thorough analysis on the achievable results

Biocultural determinants of overweight and obesity in the context of nutrition transition in Senegal: a holistic anthropological approach

Senegal is experiencing a rising obesity epidemic, due to the nutrition transition occurring in most African countries, and driven by sedentary behaviour and high-calorie dietary intake. In addition, the anthropological local drivers of the social valorization of processed high-calorie food and large body sizes could expose the population to obesity risk. This study aimed to determine the impact of these biocultural factors on the nutritional status of Senegalese adults. A mixed methods approach was used, including qualitative and quantitative studies. Between 2011 and 2013, fourteen focus group discussions (n=84) and a cross-sectional quantitative survey (n=313 women; n=284 men) of adults in three different socio-ecological areas of Senegal (rural: n=204; suburban: n=206; urban: n=187) were conducted. Dietary intake (Dietary Diversity Scores), physical activity (International Physical Activity Questionnaire), body weight norms (Body Size Scale), weight and health statuses (anthropometric measures and blood pressure) were measured. Middle-aged and older Senegalese women were found to value overweight/obesity more than younger Senegalese in all regions. In addition, young urban/suburban adults had a tendency for daily snacking whilst urban/suburban adults tended to be less physically active and had higher anthropometric means. A binary logistic regression model showed that being female, older, living in urban/suburban areas and valuing larger body size were independently associated with being overweight/obese, but not high-calorie diet. Univariate analyses showed that lower physical activity and higher socioeconomic status were associated with being overweight/obese. Finally, overweight/obesity, which is low in men, is associated with hypertension in the total sample. The nutrition transition is currently underway in Senegal's urban/suburban areas, with older women being more affected. Since several specific biocultural factors jointly contribute to this phenomenon, the study's findings suggest the need for local public health interventions that target women and which account for the anthropological specificities of the Senegalese population

Relevance of tissue Doppler in the quantification of stress echocardiography for the detection of myocardial ischemia in clinical practice

In the present article we review the main published data on the application of Tissue Doppler Imaging (TDI) to stress echocardiography for the detection of myocardial ischemia. TDI has been applied to stress echocardiography in order to overcome the limitations of visual analysis for myocardial ischemia. The introduction of a new technology for clinical routine use should pass through the different phases of scientific assessment from feasibility studies to large multicenter studies, from efficacy to effectiveness studies. Nonetheless the pro-technology bias plays a major role in medicine and expensive and sophisticated techniques are accepted before their real usefulness and incremental value to the available ones is assessed. Apparently, TDI is not exempted by this approach : its applications are not substantiated by strong and sound results. Nonetheless, conventional stress echocardiography for myocardial ischemia detection is heavily criticized on the basis of its subjectivity. Stress echocardiography has a long lasting history and the evidence collected over 20 years positioned it as an established tool for the detection and prognostication of coronary artery disease. The quantitative assessment of myocardial ischemia remains a scientific challenge and a clinical goal but time has not come for these newer ultrasonographic techniques which should be restricted to research laboratories