Detection and Quantification of Microparticles from Different Cellular Lineages Using Flow Cytometry. Evaluation of the Impact of Secreted Phospholipase A2 on Microparticle Assessment

Microparticles, also called microvesicles, are submicron extracellular vesicles produced by plasma membrane budding and shedding recognized as key actors in numerous physio(patho)logical processes. Since they can be released by virtually any cell lineages and are retrieved in biological fluids, microparticles appear as potent biomarkers. However, the small dimensions of microparticles and soluble factors present in body fluids can considerably impede their quantification. Here, flow cytometry with improved methodology for microparticle resolution was used to detect microparticles of human and mouse species generated from platelets, red blood cells, endothelial cells, apoptotic thymocytes and cells from the male reproductive tract. A family of soluble proteins, the secreted phospholipases A2 (sPLA2), comprises enzymes concomitantly expressed with microparticles in biological fluids and that catalyze the hydrolysis of membrane phospholipids. As sPLA2 can hydrolyze phosphatidylserine, a phospholipid frequently used to assess microparticles, and might even clear microparticles, we further considered the impact of relevant sPLA2 enzymes, sPLA2 group IIA, V and X, on microparticle quantification. We observed that if enriched in fluids, certain sPLA2 enzymes impair the quantification of microparticles depending on the species studied, the source of microparticles and the means of detection employed (surface phosphatidylserine or protein antigen detection). This study provides analytical considerations for appropriate interpretation of microparticle cytofluorometric measurements in biological samples containing sPLA2 enzymes

Global perspectives on observing ocean boundary current systems

© The Author(s), 2019. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Todd, R. E., Chavez, F. P., Clayton, S., Cravatte, S., Goes, M., Greco, M., Ling, X., Sprintall, J., Zilberman, N., V., Archer, M., Aristegui, J., Balmaseda, M., Bane, J. M., Baringer, M. O., Barth, J. A., Beal, L. M., Brandt, P., Calil, P. H. R., Campos, E., Centurioni, L. R., Chidichimo, M. P., Cirano, M., Cronin, M. F., Curchitser, E. N., Davis, R. E., Dengler, M., deYoung, B., Dong, S., Escribano, R., Fassbender, A. J., Fawcett, S. E., Feng, M., Goni, G. J., Gray, A. R., Gutierrez, D., Hebert, D., Hummels, R., Ito, S., Krug, M., Lacan, F., Laurindo, L., Lazar, A., Lee, C. M., Lengaigne, M., Levine, N. M., Middleton, J., Montes, I., Muglia, M., Nagai, T., Palevsky, H., I., Palter, J. B., Phillips, H. E., Piola, A., Plueddemann, A. J., Qiu, B., Rodrigues, R. R., Roughan, M., Rudnick, D. L., Rykaczewski, R. R., Saraceno, M., Seim, H., Sen Gupta, A., Shannon, L., Sloyan, B. M., Sutton, A. J., Thompson, L., van der Plas, A. K., Volkov, D., Wilkin, J., Zhang, D., & Zhang, L. Global perspectives on observing ocean boundary current systems. Frontiers in Marine Science, 6, (2010); 423, doi: 10.3389/fmars.2019.00423.Ocean boundary current systems are key components of the climate system, are home to highly productive ecosystems, and have numerous societal impacts. Establishment of a global network of boundary current observing systems is a critical part of ongoing development of the Global Ocean Observing System. The characteristics of boundary current systems are reviewed, focusing on scientific and societal motivations for sustained observing. Techniques currently used to observe boundary current systems are reviewed, followed by a census of the current state of boundary current observing systems globally. The next steps in the development of boundary current observing systems are considered, leading to several specific recommendations.RT was supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Endowed Fund for Innovative Research at WHOI. FC was supported by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. MGo was funded by NSF and NOAA/AOML. XL was funded by China’s National Key Research and Development Projects (2016YFA0601803), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41490641, 41521091, and U1606402), and the Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (2017ASKJ01). JS was supported by NOAA’s Global Ocean Monitoring and Observing Program (Award NA15OAR4320071). DZ was partially funded by the Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean (JISAO) under NOAA Cooperative Agreement NA15OAR4320063. BS was supported by IMOS and CSIRO’s Decadal Climate Forecasting Project. We gratefully acknowledge the wide range of funding sources from many nations that have enabled the observations and analyses reviewed here

Analyse de l'évolution de la surface de la forêt wallonne par interprétation d'images aériennes : un outil complémentaire à l'inventaire forestier régional

L'analyse des images aériennes vient en complément des données recueillies par l'inventaire permanent des ressources forestières. L'objectif est d'obtenir des données plus fréquemment actualisées en ce qui concerne les proportions et les surfaces de mises à blanc, l'âge d'exploitation et les surfaces de plantation

Desperately Seeking Impostors: Data-Mining for Competitive Impostor Testing in a Text-Dependent Speaker Verification System

Precise determination of the operating point of a real-world verification application is of great importance. For a textdependent password-based security system, this can be a challenging task, as lexically matched impostor test data may be nonexistent. In this work we present a data mining approach for extracting suitable impostor data. The approach may be applied to either the Target database (the application data itself) or the Stock databases (data from other applications). The method entails 1) determining Levenstein distances of impostor text utterances with respect to the claimant password 2) selecting subsets of impostor data at various levels of lexical distance, 3) calculating the score threshold using such subsets, 4) extrapolating the score threshold (and hence the operating point) for lexically perfectly-matched data. Experiments on four databases in two languages are presented. This approach, as applied to the Target database, provides an accurate and inexpensive solution to a formidable real-world problem

Nocturnal and lunar input patterns of pre-settlement coral reef fish in Wallis lagoon (Central South Pacific): Implications for sampling strategies

Diel, nocturnal and lunar input patterns of pre-settlement coral reef fish were described in Wallis, a typical high-island in the south-central Pacific, with a mid-size lagoon and a 2-m spring tidal range. Crest nets were set on the barrier reef to collect incoming pre-settlement fish. A diel input pattern was observed, with 82 to 99% of the larvae arriving at night. Nocturnal input of pre-settlement fish occurred throughout the night, at different times depending on the lunar phases. In contrast to studies done in other locations, the input was not higher during the first part of the night. The input level was related to moonlight and water level, but independent of tide direction. High input levels were recorded during all lunar phases, except the full moon. This lunar pattern differed from maximum settlement observed during the new moon in other locations. Consequently, a sampling strategy for studying temporal patterns of coral reef fish settlement in typical west Pacific high-islands should include new and quarter of the moon phases and should be extended to the entire night

DELMOGES. Cartes de distribution saisonnières et interannuelles des principales proies des dauphins communs dans le GdG à partir des données existantes

Le projet Delmoges vise à produire de nouvelles connaissances écologiques et halieutiques, pour réduire les captures accidentelles de dauphins dans le golfe de Gascogne (GdG). Ce livrable présente les cartes produites par un modèle hiérarchique de la distribution saisonnière et interannuelle des principales proies des dauphins, les petits poissons pélagiques. Le modèle intègre 3 types de données : présence-absence et biomasse de poissons des campagnes scientifiques et présences de poissons par les données de pêche. Le modèle a fourni pour la première fois une description quantitative de la dynamique spatiale saisonnière de la sardine et des pêcheries associées. Les principales zones de distribution de la sardine étaient côtières, de l'embouchure de la Gironde au sud-ouest de la Bretagne. La sardine était en moyenne distribuée sur une plus large zone sous forme de petits agrégats au printemps. Elle semblait se concentrer dans ses zones de distribution principales en été et se disperser vers le large en automne, mais dans une moindre mesure qu’au printemps. Les pêcheries étaient concentrées dans les zones de distribution principale de la sardine à la côte, et étaient plus intenses en été, puis à l’automne et moins intenses au printemps. Après avoir intégré les données hivernales, l’application de notre modèle à l’anchois, et son couplage avec les distributions de dauphins communs devrait à terme permettre d'améliorer notre compréhension des interactions entre les petits poissons pélagiques et les dauphins et d’évaluer leur influence sur les captures accidentelles

National Forest Inventories - Assessment of Wood Availability and Use: Belgium (Wallonia)

peer reviewe

Recording of the thermal evolution of limestones undergoing experimental accelerated ageing tests

International audienceSodium sulfates are widely regarded as the most destructive salts for porous stone, concrete and brick. Thenardite (Na2SO4), mirabilite (Na2SO4, 10H2O) and heptahydrate (Na2SO4, 7H2O) are the common phases that occur under surface conditions. The heptahydrate phase has been largely neglected in most modern work about salt weathering. However, several recent publications suggest that it could play an important role in geochemical and planetary processes. Therefore its role in the Na2SO4-H2O system should be clarified.We present here results of accelerated ageing experiments performed on samples of a micritic limestone under two different ambient temperatures: 20°C (i.e. below the upper limit of metastability of the heptahydrate), and 30°C (i.e. above this limit and also below the upper limit of stability of mirabilite). Thermocouples were placed into the samples in order to follow the evolution of the temperature of the stones during the weathering tests. This method allows the recording of exo- and endothermic reactions that are linked to physicochemical processes, such as crystallization, wetting, evaporative cooling, etc.The experiments show significant differences in the pattern and degree of damage. In the experiment at 20°C, the loss of material is noticeable, and occurs as crumbling and scaling. In the experiment at 30°C, we observe just efflorescence with no visible loss of material. The recorded thermal evolution is also different for the two experiments, which provides some clues as to the different physicochemical processes occurring in each situation, depending on the ambient temperature

Senegal, a new potential endemic country for Buruli ulcer?

International audienceMycobacterium ulcerans is the causal agent of Buruli ulcer, a neglected tropical disease with cutaneous tropism. We report a case of Buruli ulcer in a patient who travelled in Senegal, a country not identified by the World Health Organization as being endemic for this disease. This case is the third case of Buruli ulcer reported as having been contracted in Senegal, showing the urgent need to develop data collection in this country by having an active community-based surveillance-response system