The deep-sea macrobenthos on the continental slope of the northwestern Mediterranean Sea: a quantitative approach

As part of the ECOMARGE operation (J.G.O.F.S. France), macrobenthic assemblages in the Toulon Canyon were described and quantified on the basis of sampling carried out between 250 and 2000 m depth on the Mediterranean continental slope. Results show that Mediterranean bathyal assemblages are made up mainly of continental shelf eurybathic species. The qualitative and quantitative composition of populations varies with depth on the slope and also varies with station position at equivalent depth, whether on the flanks or in the canyon channel. Various analyses have provided evidence on the factors responsible for this population distribution pattern. No single factor emerges as predominant, but rather a group of factors, which are related to the nature and origin of sediments and more particularly their grain size distribution, geochemical composition and mode of transportation and sedimentation (benthic nepheloid or originating from the water column), act in conjunction to determine the pattern. Comparison with ocean continental slopes shows that in the Mediterranean Sea the absence of tidal current modifies the trophic structure of the macrobenthic assemblages, which are characterized by a dominance of surface and subsurface deposit feeders as compared to a dominance of suspension feeders and carnivores in the upper and median part of the slope in the ocean. Surface dumping of dredge spoil at the canyon head and channelling of waste induces an increase of organic matter and pollutant concentrations in sediment from the upper part of the canyon channel but does not give rise to any marked population degradation

Multiperiodic nanohole array for high precision sensing

In this article, we present a multiperiodic nanohole array structure for improved sensing. The structure consists a series of rows of nanoholes, each having a different period in an ascending order. A monochromatic source illuminates the structure, and a resonance condition is met for the row having a momentum matching Bloch wave, which leads to extraordinary optical transmission. With this new plasmonic structure, the sensing signal can be retrieved using the spatial position of the transmission maxima. This setup requires a simple optical setup while achieving increased resolution and accuracy. A resolution of 4.6 × 10−6 refractive index units is achieved, which is comparable to surface plasmon resonance system based on the Kretchmann configuration

Optical transmission theory for metal-insulator-metal periodic nanostructures

A semi-analytical formalism for the optical properties of a metal-insulator-metal periodic nanostructure using coupled-mode theory is presented. This structure consists in a dielectric layer in between two metallic layers with periodic one-dimensional nanoslit corrugation. The model is developed using multiple-scattering formalism, which defines transmission and reflection coefficients for each of the interface as a semi-infinite medium. Total transmission is then calculated using a summation of the multiple paths of light inside the structure. This method allows finding an exact solution for the transmission problem in every dimension regime, as long as a sufficient number of diffraction orders and guided modes are considered for the structure. The resonant modes of the structure are found to be related to the metallic slab only and to a combination of both the metallic slab and dielectric layer. This model also allows describing the resonant behavior of the system in the limit of a small dielectric layer, for which discontinuities in the dispersion curves are found. These discontinuities result from the out-of-phase interference of the different diffraction orders of the system, which account for field interaction for both inner interfaces of the structure

Impact of age, leukocyte count and day 21-bone marrow response to chemotherapy on the long-term outcome of children with philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia in the pre-imatinib era: results of the FRALLE 93 study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We explored the heterogeneity of philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph1-ALL) in a study of the effect of early features on prognosis in children. Here we report the long-term results of the FRALLE 93 study conducted in the era before the use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Between 1993 and 1999, 36 children with Ph1-ALL were enrolled into the FRALLE 93 protocol. After conventional four-drug induction, children were stratified by availability of an HLA-matched sibling.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Complete remission (CR) was observed in 26 children (72%), of which 13 underwent allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Thirty-one children were good responders to prednisone, defined on day 8, and 21 were good responders to chemotherapy, defined by day-21 bone marrow (M1). Overall five-year disease-free survival (DFS) was 42 ± 9.7%. Based on multivariate analysis, two groups showed marked differences in five-year outcome: children with age<10, leukocyte count <100,000/mm³and day-21 M1 marrow had a more favorable prognosis (14 pts: 100% CR, event free survival [EFS]: 57%, overall survival [OS]: 79%), than the high-risk group (22 patients: 55% CR, EFS: 18%, OS: 27%) (p < 0.005). We also observed a non statistically significant difference (p = 0.14) in outcome between these groups for transplanted patients (5-year DFS: 83 ± 14% and 33 ± 15%, respectively).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Age, leukocyte count and early response to treatment defined by the D21 bone marrow response provide an accurate model for outcome prediction. The combination of available tools such as minimal residual disease assessment with determination of these simple factors could be useful for refining indications for BMT in the current era of tyrosine-kinase inhibitor-based therapy.</p

Diastereoselective Synthesis of Novel Aza-diketopiperazines via a Domino Cyclohydrocarbonylation/Addition Process

Herein, we report an unprecedented, short and diastereo-selective synthesis of newly reported aza-diketopiperazine (aza-DKP) scaffolds starting from amino acids. The strategy is based on a Rh(I)-catalyzed hydroformylative cyclohydrocarbonylation of allyl-substituted aza-DKP, followed by a diastereoselective functionalization of the platform. This methodology allows the synthesis of novel bicyclic and tricyclic aza-DKP scaffolds incorporating six- or seven-membered rings, with potential applications in medicinal chemistry

Semi-empirical dissipation source functions for ocean waves: Part I, definition, calibration and validation

New parameterizations for the spectra dissipation of wind-generated waves are proposed. The rates of dissipation have no predetermined spectral shapes and are functions of the wave spectrum and wind speed and direction, in a way consistent with observation of wave breaking and swell dissipation properties. Namely, the swell dissipation is nonlinear and proportional to the swell steepness, and dissipation due to wave breaking is non-zero only when a non-dimensional spectrum exceeds the threshold at which waves are observed to start breaking. An additional source of short wave dissipation due to long wave breaking is introduced to represent the dissipation of short waves due to longer breaking waves. Several degrees of freedom are introduced in the wave breaking and the wind-wave generation term of Janssen (J. Phys. Oceanogr. 1991). These parameterizations are combined and calibrated with the Discrete Interaction Approximation of Hasselmann et al. (J. Phys. Oceangr. 1985) for the nonlinear interactions. Parameters are adjusted to reproduce observed shapes of directional wave spectra, and the variability of spectral moments with wind speed and wave height. The wave energy balance is verified in a wide range of conditions and scales, from gentle swells to major hurricanes, from the global ocean to coastal settings. Wave height, peak and mean periods, and spectral data are validated using in situ and remote sensing data. Some systematic defects are still present, but the parameterizations yield the best overall results to date. Perspectives for further improvement are also given.Comment: revised version for Journal of Physical Oceanograph

La TD-GC×GC-HRTOFMS pour investiguer la fibrose pulmonaire chez des patients

Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography has a great potential for exhaled breath analysis. The increased peak capacity and sensitivity, provided by the combination of two capillary columns of different stationary phases by means of a modulator, enable the chromatographic separation and detection of thousands of compounds from a complex matrix. For this reason, we carried out an exploratory study on SSc. Basically, breath samples were collected in 5L Tedlar® bags. Volatiles contained in the sampling bag were then transferred onto Tenax®GR/Carbopack™B thermal desorption tubes and finally released and separated into a Pegasus GC-HRT 4D through a mid-polar Rxi-624SilMS as first column (dimension) and a polar Stabilwax as second dimension. The exhaled breath of 32 patients and 30 healthy subjects was therefore analyzed. The high resolving power of this approach and the use of statistical models enabled the identification of 16 compounds discriminating SSC patients from healthy ones. However, further investigations had to be held to reach a better disease classification. In fact, the biomarkers highlighted here could be related to the scarring of the lungs making these non-specific to SSCs. The second phase of the study aims to go deeper in patient stratification. Three groups were investigated: 50 SSC patients, 50 SSC-fibrosis patients and 50 ILD ones. The samples were collected at Maastricht medical center and CHU of Liège. All samples were then analyzed in the OBiACHem lab. Currently, a classification model is under construction to stratify patients based on their fibrosis status

BREATHOMICS APPROACH TO INVESTIGATE SYSTEMIC SCLEROSIS USING THERMAL DESORPTION AND COMPREHENSIVE TWO-DIMENSIONAL GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY HIGH-RESOLUTION TIME-OF-FLIGHT MASS SPECTROMETRY

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a chronic and heterogenous auto-immune disease of unknown origin characterized by fibrosis, inflammation, vascular damages, and involvement of internal organs. Organ involvement appears at the early stage of the disease[1,2]. Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is one of the most common types of pulmonary involvement, responsible for the disease severity, and leading to high morbidity and mortality. One of the challenges in SSc remains the early diagnosis of patients with a high risk of disease progression driving mortality[3]. There is an unmet need for biological markers enabling SSc early diagnosis, prognosis, disease progression monitoring, and improving patients’ classification for more targeted therapies. Ideally, new diagnostic methods for SSc should be simple, fast, accurate, and cost-effective. Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC) has a great potential for exhaled breath analysis. The increased peak capacity and sensitivity of GC×GC, provided by the combination of two capillary columns of different stationary phases by means of a modulator, enable the chromatographic separation and detection of thousands of compounds from a complex matrix[4]. For this reason, we carried out an exploratory study on SSc[5]. Basically, breath samples were collected in 5L Tedlar® bags. Volatiles contained in the sampling bag were then transferred onto Tenax®GR/Carbopack™B thermal desorption tubes (Markes International Ltd., Llantrisant, UK) and finally released and separated into a Pegasus GC-HRT 4D (LECO Corporation, St Joseph, MI, USA) through a mid-polar Rxi-624SilMS (30 m × 0.25 mm × 1.4 μm) as first column (dimension) and a polar Stabilwax (2 m × 0.25 mm ×0.5μm) as second dimension. The exhaled breath of 32 patients and 30 healthy subjects was therefore analyzed. The high resolving power of this approach and the use of statistical models enabled the identification of 16 compounds discriminating SSC patients from healthy ones[5]. However, further investigations had to be held to reach a better disease classification. In fact, the biomarkers highlighted here could be related to the scarring (fibrosis) of the lungs making these non-specific to SSCs. The second phase of the study aims to go deeper in patient stratification. Three groups were investigated: 50 SSC patients, 50 SSC-fibrosis patients and 50 ILD ones. The samples were collected at Maastricht medical center and CHU of Liège. All samples were then analyzed in the OBiACHem lab. Currently, a classification model is under construction to stratify patients based on their fibrosis status. [1] E. Zanatta, V. Codullo, J. Avouac, Y.A.-J. bone spine, undefined 2020, Elsevier (2019). [2] O. Bonhomme, B. André, F. Gester, … D. de S.-, undefined 2019, Academic.Oup.Com (n.d.). [3] J. Guiot, M. Henket, B. Andre, M. Herzog, N. Hardat, M.S. Njock, C. Moermans, M. Malaise, R. Louis, Clin. Epigenetics 12 (2020). [4] D. Zanella, J. Focant, F.A. Franchina, Anal. Sci. Adv. 2 (2021) 213–224. [5] D. Zanella, J. Guiot, P.-H. Stefanuto, L. Giltay, M. Henket, F. Guissard, B. André, M. Malaise, J. Potjewijd, F. Schleich, R. Louis, J.-F. Focant, Anal. Bioanal. Chem. 2021 41314 413 (2021) 3813–3822

French Roadmap for complex Systems 2008-2009

This second issue of the French Complex Systems Roadmap is the outcome of the Entretiens de Cargese 2008, an interdisciplinary brainstorming session organized over one week in 2008, jointly by RNSC, ISC-PIF and IXXI. It capitalizes on the first roadmap and gathers contributions of more than 70 scientists from major French institutions. The aim of this roadmap is to foster the coordination of the complex systems community on focused topics and questions, as well as to present contributions and challenges in the complex systems sciences and complexity science to the public, political and industrial spheres