1,919 research outputs found
Designing exploratory partnerships in Southeast Asia: The challenge of building a sustainable ecosystem to address chronic malnutrition
International audienceMalnutrition linked to under nutrition is a cause of 3.1 million child deaths annually. Stakeholders from all over the word, gathered within various organizations, from public to private sector, tend to work together to fight against this disease that affects very vulnerable people. However, these stakeholders are generally highly dependent on numerous geopolitical issues and form together a highly fragmented ecosystem, which appears to be not efficient enough to provide nutrition solutions to all affected children. At the same time, researchers have identified for decades that other forms of malnutrition, such as chronic malnutrition, could also result from dietary habits that are linked to specific sociocultural contexts, which require a radically different approach: instead of treating an easily diagnosable patient, the aim is to prevent and change nutritional habits, and the mass of affected children is much larger. Thus, innovative partnerships beyond NGOs, local actors and public agencies need to be explored, for instance with private actors, to consider new ways to structure such a sustainable ecosystem. And the shift in the understanding of how to treat the disease entails necessarily deep changes in the structuration of an appropriate ecosystem to deal with it, which also highlights the need for a collective capability for innovation.In this paper, we tackle the organizational issue of building a sustainable ecosystem, both robust and innovative, to prevent chronic malnutrition in Southeast Asia. In particular, we study the building of innovative partnerships that contribute to long-term nutrition transition in this area where there international funds alone are not sufficient to support the stunting prevention, and thus private and public actors must work to develop hybrids models
Un Ă©cosystĂšme Julia pour prototyper efficacement des radios logicielles
National audienceSDRs are immensely popular as they allow to have a flexible approach for sounding, monitoring or processing radio signals through the use of generic analog components and lots of digital signal processing. As, in this paradigm, most of the processing are done at software level (i.e. on a CPU), an efficient software methodology has to be envisioned. Right now, most of the existing methods focus either on low-level languages (e.g. C or C++) for good runtime performance at the cost of easy prototyping or on high-level languages (such as Python) for flexibility at the price of runtime performance. In this article, we propose a new methodology based on Julia language that addresses this two-language problem and paves the way for efficient prototyping without giving up runtime performance. To prove the benefits of the proposed approach, a performance benchmark with several optimisation levels compares the Julia approach with C++ and Python ones.Ce papier présente une nouvelle approche de prototypage rapide et efficace à partir du langage Julia. Les radios logicielles sont des architectures radio-fréquences (RF) qui permettent de capter un signal électro-magnétique et de le traiter numériquement avec des processeurs de calcul. Du fait leur flexibilité RF et numérique, les radios logicielles sont des outils précieux largement déployés dans des contextes trÚs divers. La majorité de la chaßne de traitement se faisant via un logiciel, il convient de choisir un langage de programmation qui garantisse cette flexibilité. Les stratégies classiques s'appuient sur des langages de description bas-niveau (e.g. C/C++), pour garantir les performances d'exécution au détriment de la simplicité de conception, ou des approches haut-niveau (e.g. Python) pour offrir une grande capacité d'abstraction au détriment des performances. Dans cet article, nous introduisons une nouvelle méthodologie basée sur le langage Julia qui adresse ce problÚme du "double langage". Nous proposons un ensemble d'outils pour piloter des radios logicielles et nous démontrons par l'intermédiaire d'un benchmark que les performances obtenues avec l'approche Julia sont trÚs intéressantes
Analyse des images PLIF-Al Ă haute cadence pour l'Ă©tude de la combustion de goutte d'aluminium en flammes de propergol solide
International audienceThe combustion of aluminum particles is a key factor for solid-propellant propulsion in terms of performance and stability. An automatic detection of droplets in Al-PLIF image was developed. The "Maximally Stable Extremal Regions" detection method is evaluated on two image sets previously obtained at 1.0 and 1.5 MPa. The method shows good detection performances compared to a set of Ground Truth images for both pressure levels. When applied to 3000-image series, more than 35000 objects were detected on LIF images. This is very promising for future statistical analysis of Al combustion based on Al-PLIF diagnostic.La combustion des particules d'aluminium est un facteur crucial pour la propulsion solide en termes de performance et de stabilité. Cette présentation expose nos travaux actuels sur la détection automatisée de gouttelettes sur les images acquises par fluorescence laser (LIF) de l'aluminium atomique. La méthode de détection MSER (Maximally Stable Extremal Regions) est testée sur deux séries d'images obtenues pour des combustions de propergols aluminisés à 1.0 et 1.5 MPa.De bonnes performances de détection sont obtenues comparées aux images "Vérité Terrain". Plus de 35000 objets sont détectés sur les images LIF. Ces premiers résultats de détection automatisé sont encourageants pour une prochaine analyse statistique des diagnostics LIF de la combustion des gouttes d'aluminium
Neuronal activity regulates remyelination via glutamate signalling to oligodendrocyte progenitors.
Myelin regeneration can occur spontaneously in demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the underlying mechanisms and causes of its frequent failure remain incompletely understood. Here we show, using an in-vivo remyelination model, that demyelinated axons are electrically active and generate de novo synapses with recruited oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs), which, early after lesion induction, sense neuronal activity by expressing AMPA (α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid)/kainate receptors. Blocking neuronal activity, axonal vesicular release or AMPA receptors in demyelinated lesions results in reduced remyelination. In the absence of neuronal activity there is a âŒ6-fold increase in OPC number within the lesions and a reduced proportion of differentiated oligodendrocytes. These findings reveal that neuronal activity and release of glutamate instruct OPCs to differentiate into new myelinating oligodendrocytes that recover lost function. Co-localization of OPCs with the presynaptic protein VGluT2 in MS lesions implies that this mechanism may provide novel targets to therapeutically enhance remyelination.This work was supported by the Medical Research Council (R.T.K, R.J.M.F and H.O.B.G. G0701476; K.V. and R.T.K 1233560), Wellcome Trust (R.T.K. and K.A.E. 091543/Z/10/Z), Marie Curie training programme Axregen EC FP7 ITN (I.L. and R.T.K 214003), and core support grant from the Wellcome Trust and MRC to the Wellcome Trust â Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from NPG via http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ncomms951
Two Earth-sized planets orbiting Kepler-20
Since the discovery of the first extrasolar giant planets around Sun-like
stars, evolving observational capabilities have brought us closer to the
detection of true Earth analogues. The size of an exoplanet can be determined
when it periodically passes in front of (transits) its parent star, causing a
decrease in starlight proportional to its radius. The smallest exoplanet
hitherto discovered has a radius 1.42 times that of the Earth's radius (R
Earth), and hence has 2.9 times its volume. Here we report the discovery of two
planets, one Earth-sized (1.03R Earth) and the other smaller than the Earth
(0.87R Earth), orbiting the star Kepler-20, which is already known to host
three other, larger, transiting planets. The gravitational pull of the new
planets on the parent star is too small to measure with current
instrumentation. We apply a statistical method to show that the likelihood of
the planetary interpretation of the transit signals is more than three orders
of magnitude larger than that of the alternative hypothesis that the signals
result from an eclipsing binary star. Theoretical considerations imply that
these planets are rocky, with a composition of iron and silicate. The outer
planet could have developed a thick water vapour atmosphere.Comment: Letter to Nature; Received 8 November; accepted 13 December 2011;
Published online 20 December 201
Cloning, expression, purification and characterization of a DsbA-like protein from Wolbachia pipientis
Wolbachia pipientis are obligate endosymbionts that infect a wide range of insect and other arthropod species. They act as reproductive parasites by manipulating the host reproduction machinery to enhance their own transmission. This unusual phenotype is thought to be a consequence of the actions of secreted Wolbachia proteins that are likely to contain disulfide bonds to stabilize the protein structure. In bacteria, the introduction or isomerization of disulfide bonds in proteins is catalyzed by Dsb proteins. The Wolbachia genome encodes two proteins, a-DsbA1 and a-DsbA2, that might catalyze these steps. In this work we focussed on the 234 residue protein a-DsbA1; the gene was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli, the protein was purified and its identity confirmed by mass spectrometry. The sequence identity of a-DsbA1 for both dithiol oxidants(E. coli DsbA, 12%) and disulfide isomerases(E. coli DsbC, 14%) is similar. We therefore sought to establish whether a-DsbA1 is an oxidant or an isomerase based on functional activity. The purified a-DsbA1 was active in an oxidoreductase assay but had little isomerase activity, indicating that a-DsbA1 is DsbA-like rather than DsbC-like. This work represents the first successful example of the characterization of a recombinant Wolbachia protein. Purified a-DsbA1 will now be used in further functional studies to identify protein substrates that could help explain the molecular basis for the unusual Wolbachia phenotypes, and in structural studies to explore its relationship to other disulfide oxidoreductase proteins. Copyright © 2008 Elsevier In
Late orogenic doming in the Eastern Betics : final exhumation of the Nevado-Filabride complex and its relation to basin genesis.
The geometry, timing, and kinematics of late orogenic extension in the Betic Cordilleras pose the problem of a decoupling of upper crustal and lower crustal deformation regimes. Perpendicular directions of extension in metamorphic domes and nearby sedimentary basins remain unexplained. This paper puts kinematic constraints on the final exhumation of the Nevado-Filabride complex, focusing on the formation of metamorphic domes and their relations with the adjacent basins. Structural fabrics and kinematic indicators below the main shear zones as well as their relations with both published changing metamorphic P-T conditions and geochronological data were studied. Our approach describes (1) a consistent top-to-the-west shear parallel to dome axes of during D2 (i.e., during decompression) with distributed ductile flow and the onset of strain localization along major shear zones, (2) further strain localization along the major shear zones under greenschist facies conditions, during D3 leading to S-CâČ mylonites formation accompanied with a rock strong thickness reduction, (3) the divergence of shear direction on either limbs of domes during D3 showing the appearance of the dome geometry, and (4) a local evolution toward N-S brittle extension (D4) in the upper plate and formation of sedimentary basins. Continuous ductile to brittle top-to-the-west shear is compatible with the slab retreat hypothesis from the Miocene; the formation of domes which adds gravitational forces responsible for the final stages of exhumation is thus characterized by important kinematics changes necessary to explain coeval N-S opened basins. Later, from the upper Tortonian, a contractional event (D5) amplified the earlier domal structures forming the present north vergent folds
Interaction between Plate Make and Protein in Protein Crystallisation Screening
Background: Protein crystallisation screening involves the parallel testing of large numbers of candidate conditions with the aim of identifying conditions suitable as a starting point for the production of diffraction quality crystals. Generally, condition screening is performed in 96-well plates. While previous studies have examined the effects of protein construct, protein purity, or crystallisation condition ingredients on protein crystallisation, few have examined the effect of the crystallisation plate
ExELS: an exoplanet legacy science proposal for the ESA Euclid mission I. Cold exoplanets
Euclid is the second M-class mission of the ESA Cosmic Vision programme, with
the principal science goal of studying dark energy. Euclid is also expected to
undertake additional Legacy Science programmes. One proposal is the Exoplanet
Euclid Legacy Survey (ExELS) which will be the first survey able to measure the
abundance of exoplanets down to Earth mass for host separations from ~1AU out
to the free-floating (unbound) regime. The cold and free-floating exoplanet
regimes represent a crucial discovery space for testing planet formation
theories. ExELS will use the gravitational microlensing technique and will
detect 1000 microlensing events per month over 1.6 deg^2 of the Galactic bulge.
We assess how many of these events will have detectable planetary signatures
using a detailed multi-wavelength microlensing simulator (MABuLS) which
incorporates the Besancon Galactic model with 3D extinction. MABuLS is the
first theoretical simulation of microlensing to treat the effects of point
spread function (PSF) blending self-consistently with the underlying Galactic
model. We use MABuLS, together with current numerical models for the Euclid
PSFs, to explore a number of designs and de-scope options for ExELS, including
the exoplanet yield as a function of filter choice and slewing time, and the
effect of systematic photometry errors. Using conservative extrapolations of
current empirical exoplanet mass functions determined from ground-based
microlensing and radial velocity surveys, ExELS can expect to detect a few
hundred cold exoplanets around mainly G, K and M-type stellar hosts, including
~45 Earth-mass planets and ~6 Mars-mass planets for an observing programme
totalling 10 months. ExELS will be capable of measuring the cold exoplanet mass
function down to Earth mass or below, with orbital separations from ~1AU to the
free-floating regime. (Abridged)Comment: 22 pages. Submitted to MNRAS. New version re-normalises the Besancon
model predictions using current luminosity function and microlensing data
towards the bulge. Exoplanet predictions are revised (upwards) accordingly.
The Euclid exoplanet sensitivity contours shown in Fig 10 are available to
download as an ancillary data fil
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