Embalmed heads of the Celtic Iron Age in the south of France

Ancient texts described that one of the most impressive ritual practices of the Celts during the Iron Age was to remove the heads of enemies killed in battle and to embalm them for display in front of the victors dwellings. An archaeological settlement excavation site in Le Cailar, in southern France, has revealed a considerable number of examples of this practice. It was documented by Classical authors and later by the archaeological recording of iconographic representations and skeletal remains of human heads. Weapons were also exhibited alongside the severed heads. Here we report the results of chemical investigations for the characterization of the biomarkers of embalming that are likely to be present in eleven fragments of these human cranial remains. These results may lead to answers to some of the archaeometric questions related to the subject of embalming in 3rd century BC Transalpine Gaul, thus advancing the knowledge of these ritual practices, documented by Greek Classical authors as part of the wider research into the proto-historic societies of the Mediterranean coastal region

Numerical investigation of the stability in triangular lobed Taylor-Couette flow

International audienceno abstrac

Effect of radius ratio on the stability of co- and counter-Taylor-Couette flows

International audienceno abstrac

Numerical study of the transition in counter-rotating Taylor-Couette flow for a wide gap

International audienceno abstrac

Positionnement condylien lors de la chirurgie orthognathique mandibulaire

International audienc

Particle size distribution of limestone fillers: granulometry and specific surface area investigations

Mineral fillers can be defined as “inert materials included in a mix design for some useful purpose”. They can be added to compounds in order to complete a large variety of final properties without increasing costs or to improve specific characteristics like hardness, brittleness, impact strength, compressive strength, softening point, fire resistance, surface texture, electrical conductivity, …etc. In Belgium, locally available limestone fillers are specifically very well-adapted for the optimisation of particle packing and flow behaviour of cementitious pastes in concrete mixes. Limestone fillers may be easily characterized in terms of chemical and mineralogical properties. These properties are fundamental for the study of the behaviour of concrete mixes in fresh state and for understanding interactions existing at the level of the Interfacial Transition Zone between aggregates and cement paste. These properties are however insufficiently discriminant and particle size, as well as shape distribution, seem to have a potential influence on physical phenomena which happen during the setting process. The aim of this paper is to compare five major techniques used to quantify the size and the shape of limestone fillers particles: laser diffraction scattering, wet sieving and image analysis for particle size measurement and BET adsorption and Blaine permeability methods for specific surface area

Superoxide-Mediated Upregulation of MMP9 Participates in BMPR2 Destabilization and Pulmonary Hypertension Development

Background and Aims: we previously reported in studies on organoid-cultured bovine pulmonary arteries that pulmonary hypertension (PH) conditions of exposure to hypoxia or endothelin-1 caused a loss of a cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) stabilization of bone morphogenetic protein receptor-2 (BMPR2) function, a known key process contributing to pulmonary hypertension development. Based on subsequent findings, these conditions were associated with an extracellular superoxide-mediated increase in matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) expression. We investigated if this contributed to PH development using mice deficient in MMP9. Results: wild-type (WT) mice exposed to Sugen/Hypoxia (SuHx) to induce PH had increased levels of MMP9 in their lungs. Hemodynamic measures from MMP9 knockout mice (MMP9 KO) indicated they had attenuated PH parameters compared to WT mice based on an ECHO assessment of pulmonary artery pressure, right ventricular systolic pressure, and Fulton index hypertrophy measurements. In vitro vascular reactivity studies showed impaired endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent NO-associated vasodilatory responses in the pulmonary arteries of SuHx mice and decreased lung levels of COMP and BMPR2 expression. These changes were attenuated in MMP9 KO mice potentially through preserving COMP-dependent stabilization of BMPR2. Innovation: this study supports a new function of superoxide in increasing MMP9 and the associated impairment of BMPR2 in promoting PH development which could be a target for future therapies. Conclusion: superoxide, through promoting increases in MMP9, mediates BMPR2 depletion and its consequent control of vascular function in response to PH mediators and the SuHx mouse model of PH

CDP-Ethanolamine and CDP-Choline: One-pot synthesis and \u3csup\u3e31\u3c/sup\u3eP NMR study

© 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Herein we report a one-pot multi-step synthesis of the cofactors CDP-Ethanolamine and CDP-Choline starting from cytidine 5′-monophosphate and using commercially available and/or easily prepared reagents. While studying the 31P NMR spectrum of CDP-Ethanolamine, an unexpected characteristic for a pyrophosphate diester was observed as it showed a singlet or two doublets depending upon the pH. Therefore, further NMR studies were undertaken to investigate the pH dependence of the peak splitting pattern and measure the acid dissociation constants of the compounds

Chymase-dependent Production of Angiotensin II: an Old Enzyme in Old Hearts

Age-dependent alteration of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and generation of angiotensin II (Ang II) are well documented. By contrast, RAS-independent generation of Ang II in aging and its responses to exercise have not been explored. To this end, we examined the effects of chymase, a secretory serine protease, on the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)-independent conversion of Ang I to Ang II. We hypothesized that age-dependent alteration of cardiac Ang II formation is chymase dependent in nature and is prevented by exercise training. Experiments were conducted on hearts isolated from young (3 mo), aged sedentary (24 mo), and aged rats chronically exercised on a treadmill. In the presence of low Ang I levels and downregulation of ACE expression/activity, cardiac Ang II levels were significantly higher in aged than young rats, suggesting an ACE-independent response. Aged hearts also displayed significantly increased chymase expression and activity, as well as upregulation of tryptase, a biological marker of mast cells, confirming a mast cell-sourced increase in chymase. Coincidently, cardiac superoxide produced from NADPH oxidase (Nox) was significantly enhanced in aged rats and was normalized by exercise. Conversely, a significant reduction in cardiac expression of ACE2 followed by lower Ang 1-7 levels and downregulation of the Mas receptor (binding protein of Ang 1-7) in aged rats were completely reversed by exercise. In conclusion, local formation of Ang II is increased in aged hearts, and chymase is primarily responsible for this increase. Chronic exercise is able to normalize the age-dependent alterations via compromising chymase/Ang II/angiotensin type 1 receptor/Nox actions while promoting ACE2/Ang 1-7/MasR signaling. NEW & NOTEWORTHY: Aging increases angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)-independent production of cardiac angiotensin II (Ang II), a response that is driven by chymase in an exercise-reversible manner. These findings highlight chymase, in addition to ACE, as an important therapeutic target in the treatment and prevention of Ang II-induced deterioration of cardiac function in the elderly

CDP-Ethanolamine and CDP-Choline: one-pot synthesis and 31P NMR study.

International audienceHerein we report a one-pot multi-step synthesis of the cofactors CDP-Ethanolamine and CDP-Choline starting from cytidine 5′-monophosphate and using commercially available and/or easily prepared reagents. While studying the 31P NMR spectrum of CDP-Ethanolamine, an unexpected characteristic for a pyrophosphate diester was observed as it showed a singlet or two doublets depending upon the pH. Therefore, further NMR studies were undertaken to investigate the pH dependence of the peak splitting pattern and measure the acid dissociation constants of the compounds