Auxiliaries and Clitics in French UCG Grammar

International audienceFrench auxiliaries and clitics have been analysed in the frame of U.C.G. (Unification Categorial Grammar). Concatenation of a functor sign and an adjacent argument sign is the basic operation of the model; unification allows (a) to verify if constraints on concatenation are respected; (b) to produce a flow of information between the functor sign and the argument sign. The rules of the grammar and the design structure of the sign allow to express: (a) the concatenation between French auxiliaries (*être* and *avoir*) and the participle verb form within a single pattern, (b) transitions between clitics in a systematic way. Two complex questions of French syntax are thus covered in a fairly simple way

Morphology of the suspensory ligament (interosseous muscle III) of the horse

Introduction: The injuries of the suspensory ligament (SL) are important causes of lameness and financial losses in the equine industry. Ultrasound examination permitted to visualize some parts of the SL. The significance of “abnormal” findings is however not sufficiently known. Until now, few studies described the relationship between the ultrasonographic appearance and the exact morphology in histological sections. The aim of this study is to develop good techniques for cutting and staining the SL and to improve knowledge about the normal morphology of the SL. Methods: In this study, the SL of eight horses were collected. The body of the SL was divided in 3 thirds and sampling was realised within each third and between the thirds. The samples were embedded in paraffin or in Tissue-Tek for cryosections. The sections were stained with hematoxylin/eosin or Masson's trichrome. For 3 SL, ultrasounds were performed before sampling. The digital tip was maintained in physiological position owing to a press. Results: Most of the paraffin sections were shredded because of the hardness of the tissue. Cryosection revealed a better preservation of tissues. Only some freezing artifacts (holes) appeared on a few sections. Muscles fibers surrounded by adipose tissue containing blood vessels were present mainly in the proximal and medium third of the SL whereas they were not found in the distal third. The remaining structure look like a tendon and was composed of collagen fibers, stained in green with the Masson's trichrome coloration. Conclusions: This study permitted to develop cutting and staining techniques for the SL and helped to map the adipose, muscular and tendinous parts within the SL. It lays down the bases of subsequent studies that will concern ultrasonographically examined digital tips of sound and pathological horses of different breeds and ages

Physiologie de la reproduction et endocrinologie chez les cervidés : une revue

peer reviewedKnowledge about cervids are rapidly growing. This work aims to present the more recent scientific information on reproductive physiology and endocrinology of the cervids: anatomy of the genital tract, length of breeding season, parameters and endocrinology of the reproductive cycle, endocrinology of pregnancy. It also aims to highlight differences between cervids and domestic ruminants such as embryonic diapause observed in Capreolus capreolus.Les connaissances relatives aux cervidés sont de plus en plus étendues. La présente synthèse vise à rapporter à partir des données récentes de la littérature les caractéristiques essentielles de la reproduction des principales espèces : anatomie de l’appareil reproducteur, durée de la saison de reproduction, différents paramètres du cycle sexuel, endocrinologie du cycle sexuel et de la gestation. Il vise également à mettre en évidence les particularités différenciant les cervidés des ruminants domestiques, telle par exemple la diapause embryonnaire rencontrée chez le chevreuil

Morphology of the digital sheath in horses

Introduction: The digital sheath is located in the palmar (plantar) face of the distal limb. It consists of a synovium, divided into intimate and vascularised supportive layers, and ligaments that strengthen the tendon sheath in its palmar (plantar) face. The synovium surrounds the digital flexor tendons during their passage within the sheath. The synovium fluid, produced by the filtering of the blood and by the intima cells, allows lubrification within the sheath. Lameness, originating from digital sheath pathology is not rare, and it is important, for any equine practitioner, to know its normal morphology. The aim of this study is to precise the morphology of the digital sheath, particularly its synovium because the literature is not unanimous. Methods: The digitals tips of 7 "sound" horses were collected. Samples were taken within the 3 annular ligaments (Proximal, Digital Proximal, Digital Distal). The digital flexor tendons were sampled with the visceral sheath of the synovial membrane at the level of the proximal sesamoïd bones and just proximal to the medium scutum. All these samples were embedded in tissue-tek and freezed for cryosectioning. The proximal and distal recessus of the synovial membrane were also sampled, fixed in formalin and embedded in paraffin. Sections were stained with haematoxylin/eosin. One sample of the synovial membrane was taken for electronic microscopy and embedded in? Results: Annular ligaments are composed of dense connective tissue but are transversal strengthening of the fascia rather than true ligaments. The digital flexor tendons showed the typical organisation of the collagen network. Type III fibrocytes were observed within the deep digital flexor tendon. The synovial membrane showed two layers: an intima (with visceral and parietal sheath) with fibroblast-like cells and macrophagic cells, and a sub-intima composed of fibrous tissue that was sometime so thickened that it was difficult to cut! The recessus contained large synovial fringe with adipose tissue. Conclusion: This study permitted to precise the morphology of the digital sheath in horse which may help to better understand the pathological changes

Morphological and morphometric analyses of the suspensory ligament in Standardbreds

Ultrasound techniques allow examination of some parts of the suspensory ligament (SL) but "anomalies" are regularly observed. Their significance is not known. Few studies have described the relationship between ultrasonographic appearance and the exact morphology in histological sections. The aim of this study is to develop good techniques for cutting, staining, and showing the variation in the tissue composition within the SL. The SLs from the right limbs of 11 horses were collected. Samples were taken from cross-sections at six levels of the SL and they were embedded in paraffin or in Tissue-Tek®. Most of the paraffin sections were shredded. By using the cryosection technique, some freezing artifacts (holes) appeared. Therefore, a technique of freezing with cryoprotection was carried out, which produced the best results. Hematoxylin-phloxine-saffron gives a good contrast of colors between the tissues observed allowing the use of an image analysis program. The percentage of each tissue within the SL for each section and for six levels of the ligament was calculated. Results were analyzed by SAS software. The muscle tissue (PMT) and adipose tissue (PAT) decreased significantly (p < 0.0001), whereas the connective tissue (PCT) increased significantly (p < 0.0001) with age and when descending from the proximal to the distal level of the SL. The PMT was significantly higher (p < 0.0001) in females than males, while the PCT was significantly higher (p < 0.0001) in males than females. The PAT was significantly higher (p = 0.0278) in hindlimbs than in forelimbs

Morphometric analyses of the normal suspensory ligament in Standardbreds

The suspensory ligament (SL) is composed of connective tissue (CT) with a variable proportion of muscle (MT) and adipose tissue (AT). The aim of our study is to quantify the CT, MT and AT within the SL in sound horses. Right limbs from 11 horses were collected. Samples from 6 levels of the SL were embedded in paraffin or in Tissue-Tek®. Most of the paraffin sections were shredded. Using the cryosection, some artefacts appeared. Cryoprotection was carried out, which produced the best results. Hematoxylin–phloxine–saffron and Hematoxylin–eosin gave a good contrast of colours between the tissues allowing the use of an image analysis programme. The percentage of MT and AT decreased significantly (P < 0.0001), whereas the percentage of CT increased significantly (P < 0.0001) with age and when descending from the proximal to the distal level of the SL. The percentage of MT was significantly higher (P < 0.0001) in females than males, while the percentage of CT was significantly higher (P < 0.0001) in males than females. The percentage of AT was significantly higher (P = 0.0278) in pelvic limbs than in thoracic limbs. These results confirm the variation in tissue composition within the SL of sound horses