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The early evolution of a supernova (SN) can reveal information about the environment and the progenitor star. When a star explodes in vacuum, the first photons to escape from its surface appear as a brief, hours-long shock-breakout flare1,2, followed by a cooling phase of emission. However, for stars exploding within a distribution of dense, optically thick circumstellar material (CSM), the first photons escape from the material beyond the stellar edge and the duration of the initial flare can extend to several days, during which the escaping emission indicates photospheric heating3. Early serendipitous observations2,4that lacked ultraviolet (UV) data were unable to determine whether the early emission is heating or cooling and hence the nature of the early explosion event. Here we report UV spectra of the nearby SN 2023ixf in the galaxy Messier 101 (M101). Using the UV data as well as a comprehensive set of further multiwavelength observations, we temporally resolve the emergence of the explosion shock from a thick medium heated by the SN emission. We derive a reliable bolometric light curve that indicates that the shock breaks out from a dense layer with a radius substantially larger than typical supergiants.

La rectocèle est définie par une hernie du rectum par protrusion de sa paroi antérieure au travers de la paroi postérieure du vagin. C’est une situation fréquente, dont on estime la prévalence à 30–50 % des femmes de plus de 50 ans. La symptomatologie amenant les femmes à consulter est variable, dominée par des symptômes anorectaux et/ou gynécologiques, tels que la dyschésie, le recours aux manœuvres digitales d’exonération, la pesanteur pelvienne, l’incontinence anale ou la dyspareunie. La rectocèle peut être isolée ou associée à d’autres troubles de la statique pelvienne impliquant les étages pelviens antérieur et moyen. Une exploration paraclinique (imagerie dynamique, manométrie anorectale) est indispensable avant toute prise en charge chirurgicale de cette affection. L’indication d’une prise en charge chirurgicale d’une rectocèle repose sur l’intensité des plaintes et donc l’altération de la qualité de vie, et se discute après échec d’un traitement médical. Différentes voies d’abord sont possibles, sans qu’il n’existe actuellement un réel consensus dans la littérature. Les voies d’abord dépendent du type de rectocèle : si elle est inférieure ou moyenne et/ou isolée, les voies d’abord basses (abord transanal, transpérinéal, ou transvaginal) peuvent être proposées, tandis qu’en présence d’une rectocèle haute et/ou associée à plusieurs troubles de la statique pelvienne, la voie abdominale (rectopexie) est plus adaptée.

Les recommandations pour la pratique clinique (RPC) concernant l’information des patientes présentant un utérus uni- ou bi-cicatriciel sur leur mode d’accouchement ont été actualisées en France en 2012. L’objectif de notre étude a été d’évaluer le suivi des RPC par les médecins obstétriciens de notre maternité.

A common humus classification system improves communication among soil scientists.A cellular phone application can be used for global soil mapping and monitoring purposes.The humus classification can be combined with different soil classification systems. The name TerrHumis an abbreviation of the words “Terrestrial” (not hydromorphic, not submerged) and “Humipedon” (organic and organic‐mineral humus horizons). With this application, it is possible to describe and classify terrestrial forest and grassland topsoils in a system published as a Special Issue entitled “Humusica 1– Terrestrial Natural Humipedons” in the journal Applied Soil Ecology. The iOS application TerrHumallows the storage of the main content of Humusica 1 on a cellular phone. Images, diagrams and simplified tables of classification may be recalled with a few touches on the screen. Humus forms, representing five humus systems, are classified based on the vertical arrangement of diagnostic horizons and their attributes. TerrHumallows accessing specific figures that are stored in a virtual cloud and can be downloaded the first time the user recalls them. Once all figures have been opened in the device, the application is ready to use, without any further internet connection. The application is in continuous evolution.

La patologia emorroidaria è la principale causa di visita in proctologia. Quando diventano complicate, le emorroidi esterne causano trombosi e le emorroidi interne sono responsabili di sanguinamenti e/o di prolasso. I principali trattamenti strumentali sono la fotocoagulazione a infrarossi e la legatura elastica. Chirurgicamente, l’emorroidectomia è più efficace a lungo termine, ma espone a sequele più lunghe e più dolorose. L’intervento di Longo o la legatura sotto controllo Doppler con o senza mucopessi hanno indicazioni più limitate e un tasso di fallimento e di recidiva più importante. La ragade anale è la seconda causa principale di consultazione in proctologia. La diagnosi è spesso clinicamente evidente. Il trattamento medico, in particolar modo con la regolarizzazione del transito, è la prima linea solitamente raccomandata. Tuttavia, la chirurgia è il trattamento a lungo termine più efficace. Si basa su due principi che possono essere associati: ridurre il tono dello sfintere ed eseguire l’escissione della ragade anale. La sfinterotomia laterale interna è la tecnica standard nella letteratura internazionale, ma espone al rischio di incontinenza irreversibile. In Francia, è, quindi, preferita la fissurectomia, che, tuttavia, è più a rischio di recidiva. La fistola anale è la più frequente delle suppurazioni anoperineali. Il trattamento della fistola anale è sempre chirurgico. Solo la gestione dell’ascesso è urgente. Gli obiettivi sono di drenare la suppurazione, di evitare la recidiva e di preservare l’apparato dello sfintere. La fistulotomia è la tecnica più efficace, ma espone a rischi di incontinenza, in determinate situazioni. Le tecniche di risparmio sfinterico si sviluppano per preservare la continenza, ma sono all’origine di un alto tasso di insuccesso. La malattia di Crohn, il seno pilonidale e la malattia di Verneuil sono responsabili della maggior parte delle altre suppurazioni perineali.

Figurative cave paintings from the Indonesian island of Sulawesi date to at least 35,000 years ago (ka) and hand-stencil art from the same region has a minimum date of 40 ka1. Here we show that similar rock art was created during essentially the same time period on the adjacent island of Borneo. Uranium-series analysis of calcium carbonate deposits that overlie a large reddish-orange figurative painting of an animal at Lubang Jeriji Saléh—a limestone cave in East Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo—yielded a minimum date of 40 ka, which to our knowledge is currently the oldest date for figurative artwork from anywhere in the world. In addition, two reddish-orange-coloured hand stencils from the same site each yielded a minimum uranium-series date of 37.2 ka, and a third hand stencil of the same hue has a maximum date of 51.8 ka. We also obtained uranium-series determinations for cave art motifs from Lubang Jeriji Saléh and three other East Kalimantan karst caves, which enable us to constrain the chronology of a distinct younger phase of Pleistocene rock art production in this region. Dark-purple hand stencils, some of which are decorated with intricate motifs, date to about 21–20 ka and a rare Pleistocene depiction of a human figure—also coloured dark purple—has a minimum date of 13.6 ka. Our findings show that cave painting appeared in eastern Borneo between 52 and 40 ka and that a new style of parietal art arose during the Last Glacial Maximum. It is now evident that a major Palaeolithic cave art province existed in the eastern extremity of continental Eurasia and in adjacent Wallacea from at least 40 ka until the Last Glacial Maximum, which has implications for understanding how early rock art traditions emerged, developed and spread in Pleistocene Southeast Asia and further afield.

•We describe symptomatic Mycoplasma genitalium(MG) anoproctitis in MSM patients.•Patients were tested for C. trachomatis, N. gonorrhoeae, M. genitalium.•MG was positive for 15% of patients with 61% of macrolide resistance.•Clinical symptoms were associated with all sexual pathogens.

Genetic evidence for anatomically modern humans (AMH) out of Africa before 75 thousand years ago (ka) and in island southeast Asia (ISEA) before 60 ka (93–61 ka) predates accepted archaeological records of occupation in the region. Claims that AMH arrived in ISEA before 60 ka (ref. 4) have been supported only by equivocal or non-skeletal evidence. AMH evidence from this period is rare and lacks robust chronologies owing to a lack of direct dating applications, poor preservation and/or excavation strategies and questionable taxonomic identifications. Lida Ajer is a Sumatran Pleistocene cave with a rich rainforest fauna associated with fossil human teeth. The importance of the site is unclear owing to unsupported taxonomic identification of these fossils and uncertainties regarding the age of the deposit, therefore it is rarely considered in models of human dispersal. Here we reinvestigate Lida Ajer to identify the teeth confidently and establish a robust chronology using an integrated dating approach. Using enamel–dentine junction morphology, enamel thickness and comparative morphology, we show that the teeth are unequivocally AMH. Luminescence and uranium-series techniques applied to bone-bearing sediments and speleothems, and coupled uranium-series and electron spin resonance dating of mammalian teeth, place modern humans in Sumatra between 73 and 63 ka. This age is consistent with biostratigraphic estimations, palaeoclimate and sea-level reconstructions, and genetic evidence for a pre-60 ka arrival of AMH into ISEA. Lida Ajer represents, to our knowledge, the earliest evidence of rainforest occupation by AMH, and underscores the importance of reassessing the timing and environmental context of the dispersal of modern humans out of Africa.

Les recommandations pour la pratique clinique (RPC) concernant l’information des patientes présentant un utérus uni- ou bi-cicatriciel sur leur mode d’accouchement ont été actualisées en France en 2012. L’objectif de notre étude a été d’évaluer le suivi des RPC par les médecins obstétriciens de notre maternité.

Le traitement chirurgical des hémorroïdes, radical et définitif, est indiqué chez environ 10 % des patients ayant une pathologie hémorroïdaire. La technique de Milligan et Morgan est la plus répandue en France : elle est bien codifiée, a des résultats satisfaisants et durables si ses indications et le suivi postopératoire sont bien respectés. Il existe également des moyens de diminuer la douleur postopératoire.

Le projet de Réacteur Rapide Européen - «European Fast Reactor» (EFR), dont les études ont été engagées au début de 1988, a atteint une étape importante consistant dans l'achèvement de la phase de validation de la conception. Celle-ci a montré que les deux objectifs principaux fixés dès le début des études par les producteurs d'électricité pouvaient être atteints : un objectif économique de coût du kilowatt-heure produit par une tranche EFR «de série» compétitif avec celui d'une tranche REP construite à la même époque; un objectif technique de conformité avec les impératifs de sûreté les plus ambitieux envisagés pour les tranches électronucléaires du futur, permettant d'envisager une construction dans l'un quelconque des pays participant au projet.

We present a model for the migration of glioma cells on substrates of collagen and astrocytes. The model is based on a cellular automaton where the various dynamical effects are introduced through adequate evolution rules. Using our model, we investigate the role of homotype and heterotype gap junction communication and show that it is possible to reproduce the corresponding experimental migration patterns. In particular, we confirm the experimental findings that inhibition of homotype gap junctions favours migration while heterotype inhibition hinders it. Moreover, the effect of heterotype gap junction inhibition dominates that of homotype inhibition.

Vitreousness is an important grading factor for durum wheat kernel that is associated with protein content. The European Union (EU) regulations stipulate the use of a visual method to determine the vitreousness rate. However, some authors have been interested in the development of automatic and non-destructive methods based on near infrared spectroscopy or digital imaging technology. In this paper, we propose to couple spectroscopy and digital imaging technology and, thus, to analyse the potential of a near infrared hyperspectral imaging system to classify wheat kernels by their vitreousness. Hyperspectral reflectance images of wheat kernel at different vitreousness rates have been achieved (wavelength range: 650–1100 nm). A discrimination method using latent variables from partial least squares has enabled satisfactory discrimination results to be obtained: perfect separation between vitreous and non-vitreous kernels and a classification rate reaching up to 94% for the discrimination of total and partial starchy kernel classes.

Vitreousness is an important grading factor for durum wheat kernel that is associated with protein content. The European Union (EU) regulations stipulate the use of a visual method to determine the vitreousness rate. However, some authors have been interested in the development of automatic and non-destructive methods based on near infrared spectroscopy or digital imaging technology. In this paper, we propose to couple spectroscopy and digital imaging technology and, thus, to analyse the potential of a near infrared hyperspectral imaging system to classify wheat kernels by their vitreousness. Hyperspectral reflectance images of wheat kernel at different vitreousness rates have been achieved (wavelength range: 650–1100 nm). A discrimination method using latent variables from partial least squares has enabled satisfactory discrimination results to be obtained: perfect separation between vitreous and non-vitreous kernels and a classification rate reaching up to 94% for the discrimination of total and partial starchy kernel classes.

Tetracyclines are used to control bacterial diseases such as European and American foulbrood, which may cause severe losses in the honey bee population and honey production. By using 24 hives randomly distributed into four groups of six hives, this study was performed to measure the occurrence of tetracycline hydrochloride (TC) residues in honey following two types of TC application. Two groups of colonies were treated three times with 0.5 g TC in 1 litre syrup (group S) or in 10 g powdered sugar (group P). Six hives of a first control group (C) fed with untreated syrup were installed at 20 and 45 m from groups S and P, respectively. A second control group (DC) was set up 3 km away. Honey was sampled at different times from all hives, and honey artificially contaminated with TC was stored in the laboratory at 4, 20 and 35°C; all samples were analysed by ELISA and HPLC methods. One day after the last application, the mean TC concentration in brood chamber honey was ten times higher in group S (40.7 mg kg−1) than in group P (4.34 mg kg−1). After 8 days, TC residues were detected in all hives of group C. After 146 days, the mean TC concentration in harvested honey was 1.54, 0.35 and 0.15 mg kg−1for groups S, P and C, respectively. The control group C had been contaminated with TC by drifting. In all hives of group DC, no residues were detected at any time during the study. The honey collected at day 504 did not contain any detectable TC residues, except in one super from group C (0.026 mg kg−1). The half-life of TC in honey from supers was similar in groups C, S and P: 65 days. This duration was twice lower than in honey stored in laboratory in similar conditions: at 35°C in the dark (t½ = 121 days). In honey stored at 20°C, TC was quite stable and its half-life was 242 days. The data from these experiments indicate levels of TC residues in honey after a treatment in hives, their persistence and diffusion into the apiary. These results show that the TC must be used with precaution in honey production.

Le curium-242 est un isotope particulièrement important dans les combustibles nucléaires irradiés en raison de sa contribution à la puissance résiduelle et également de sa chaîne de décroissance radioactive. La détermination de sa teneur est donc essentielle pour améliorer la connaissance des données nucléaires de base. Selon la nature et le temps de refroidissement du combustible irradié, la teneur en 242Cm peut être inférieure à la limite de détection des techniques de spectrométrie de masse classiquement utilisées. La spectrométrie alpha peut alors prendre le relais pour ce radionucléide de courte période (T= 162,9 jours). À partir de solutions diluées de deux combustibles MOX (OXyde Mixte d’uranium et de plutonium) irradiés de faible temps de refroidissement et dont la teneur en 242Cm est de quelques dizaines de pg, la mise au point de différentes séparations chimiques successives a permis d’obtenir des fractions de curium suffisamment pures pour effectuer l’analyse isotopique du curium par spectrométrie de masse à thermo-ionisation mais également la détermination du rapport 242Cm/244Cm par spectrométrie alpha. L’accord obtenu sur les rapports déterminés par les deux techniques a permis d’étendre la mesure par spectrométrie alpha à un combustible UOX (OXyde d’Uranium) de teneur en 242Cm encore plus faible. L’association de la mesure du rapport 242Cm/244Cm avec le rapport 244Cm/238U déterminé par spectrométrie de masse à thermo-ionisation et dilution isotopique, à l’aide d’un traceur 248Cm/233U, permet ainsi de connaître la teneur en curium-242 par rapport à l’uranium-238, utilisé comme référence, dans le combustible.

During the winters of 1998–1999 and 1999–2000, 41 apiaries from various regions of France that experienced severe bee mortality were examined for diseases and poisoning. In more than 76% of the apiaries one or several serious diseases, known to be able to totally destroy colonies, were present. Whether or not these diseases are the primary cause of winter mortality in France, the study indicates that the application of classical management methods for preventing diseases and treating well-known pathogens remains necessary and beneficial.

The integrity of estuarine wetlands is maintained by physical connections between river and sea to floodplain. Their ecological importance can be assessed through plant biodiversity and such ecosystem functions as primary productivity and nitrate removal capacity. Multivariate analysis were used to establish a hierarchy of environmental factors related to the vegetation structure and diversity. Four different measures of plant diversity (both structural and functional) were made on a Seine River wetland. Key functions of estuarine floodplain (productivity and denitrification capacity) were either measured directly or assessed using remotely sensed data. The richest plant communities correspond to mesophilous grasslands which have an intermediate position between natural and anthropogenic disturbance regimes. These species assemblages occur in ecosystems presenting both a regular productivity in time and space and the highest denitrification potentiality.

Muscle energy metabolism was studied in 30 subjects after recovery from exercise hyperthermia syndrome (EHTS subjects) and 15 healthy men with identical physical activities. Blood lactate, free fatty acid (FFA), serum creatine kinase activity (CK), and glycerol and the temperature in the auditory duct (Tc) and on the thumb pad (Tsk) were measured at rest and during and after maximal exercise on a cycloergometer. The EHTS subjects had a limitation of physical performance, with lowered values for maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max, P< 0.0005), maximal workload (P< 0.05), and ventilatory threshold (Vt, P< 0.0005). The discrepancy between high plasma concentrations of FFA and the lack of decrease in respiratory ratio (RR) suggests that, in EHTS subjects, a very active release of FFA was not balanced by a proportional increase in catabolism. The increased skin temperature was smaller in EHTS subjects (P< 0.05 at 180 and 200 W). At the end of exercise, auditory duct temperature increase was higher in EHTS subjects than in control subjects (P< 0.05). This study thus showed an impairment of muscle metabolism and an abnormality of thermoregulatory mechanisms. These results may provide insight into the underlying physiopathological disturbance. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Muscle Nerve 24: 1071–1077, 2001

A series of antagonists of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) of the general formula Ac-d2Nal-d4Cpa-d3Pal-Ser-4Aph/4Amf(P)-d4Aph/d4Amf(Q)-Leu-ILys-Pro-dAla-NH2 was synthesized, characterized, and screened for duration of inhibition of luteinizing hormone release in a castrated male rat assay. Selected analogues were tested in a reporter gene assay (IC50 and pA2) and an in vitro histamine release assay. P and Q contain urea/carbamoyl functionalities designed to increase potential intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonding opportunities for structural stabilization and peptide/receptor interactions, respectively. These substitutions resulted in analogues with increased hydrophilicity and a lesser propensity to form gels in aqueous solution than azaline B [Ac-d2Nal-d4Cpa-d3Pal-Ser-4Aph(Atz)-d4Aph(Atz)-Leu-ILys-Pro-dAla-NH2 with Atz = 3‘-amino-1H-1‘,2‘,4‘-triazol-5‘-yl, 5], and in some cases they resulted in a significant increase in duration of action after subcutaneous (sc) administration. Ac-d2Nal-d4Cpa-d3Pal-Ser-4Aph(l-hydroorotyl)-d4Aph(carbamoyl)-Leu-ILys-Pro-dAla-NH2 (acetate salt is FE200486) (31) and eight other congeners (20, 35, 37, 39, 41, 45−47) were identified that exhibited significantly longer duration of action than acyline [Ac-d2Nal-d4Cpa-d3Pal-Ser-4Aph(Ac)-d4Aph(Ac)-Leu-ILys-Pro-dAla-NH2] (6) when administered subcutaneously in castrated male rats at a dose of 50 μg in 100 μL of phosphate buffer. No correlation was found between retention times on a C18 reverse phase column using a triethylammonium phosphate buffer at pH 7.0 (a measure of hydrophilicity) or affinity in an in vitro human GnRH report gene assay (pA2) and duration of action. FE200486 was selected for preclinical studies, and some of its properties were compared to those of other clinical candidates. In the intact rat, ganirelix, abarelix, azaline B, and FE200486 inhibited plasma testosterone for 1, 1, 14, and 57 days, respectively, at 2 mg/kg sc in 5% mannitol (injection volume = 20 μL). Based on the information that 31, 33, 35 and 37 were significantly shorter acting than acyline or azaline B after intravenous administration (100 μg/rat), we surmised that the very long duration of action of the related FE200486 (for example) was likely due to unique physicochemical properties such as solubility in aqueous milieu, comparatively low propensity to form gels, and ability to diffuse at high concentrations in a manner similar to that described for slow release formulations of peptides. Indeed, in rats injected sc with FE200486 (2 mg/kg), plasmatic concentrations of FE200486 remained above 5 ng/mL until day 41, and the time after which they dropped below 3 ng/mL and plasma LH levels started rising until full recovery was reached at day 84 with levels of FE200486 hovering around 1 ng/mL. Additionally, FE200486 was less potent at releasing histamine from isolated rat mast cells than any of the GnRH antagonists presently described in preclinical reports.

Rapporter le taux de récidive de diverticulite sigmoïdienne après sigmoïdectomie prophylactique cœlioscopique et identifier des facteurs de risque de récidive après chirurgie.

Évaluer les résultats de la promontofixation pour troubles de la statique pelvienne (TSP) chez la femme en surpoids ou obèse par rapport à la femme de poids normal (PN).

The binding characteristics of the prolactin (PRL) receptors present in toad (Bufo marinus) kidneys were investigated and compared to those of PRL receptors present in rabbit mammary glands. The molecular characteristics of the Triton X-100 solubilized renal and mammary PRL receptors were assessed by gel filtration and by migration analysis on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) after affinity labeling of the binding sites with 125I-human growth hormone. Similar results were obtained for both receptors. Partial purification of the toad PRL receptor could be achieved by affinity chromatography. The molecular weight of this purified receptor could be determined by analysis on SDS-PAGE. With the use of a polyclonal antiserum raised against a purified preparation of rabbit mammary PRL receptor, one or several antigenic epitope(s) could be identified on the core of the toad renal PRL receptor. In conclusion, although the structure and the biological role(s) of PRL have substantially changed during evolution, the receptor for this hormone has retained many of its structural features as could be assessed between an amphibian and a mammalian species on functionally different target tissues.

Nitrates in soil relate to nitrates in plants, and, at times to nitrates, nitrites and nitrosamines ingested by man. How nitrogenous and other fertilisers affect these relationships is discussed. The toxic effects of nitrites and nitrosamines are outlined and reference is made to the relationship of nitrosamine to cancer.

Echinococcus multilocularis oncospheres, primary vesicular cysts, and protoscolices were assessed in vitro and in vivo for their potential to synthesize a PAS-positive laminated layer containing monoclonal antibody (mAb) G11-binding Em2 antigen. The presence of Em2 antigen in developed oncospheres and cysts was subsequently correlated to the potential of in vivo development into a secondary metacestode in recipient host mice, which also responded by anti-Em2 serum antibody formation. In contrast, protoscolices failed to develop the “Em2-positive” layer in vitro under the selected experimental conditions. The failure to develop subsequently in vivo into a secondary metacestode was underlined by a lack of anti-Em2 serum antibody formation by the hosts. We furthermore developed a technique to obtainE. multilocularis clones by inoculating single oncospheres into recipient mice.

The water steam convection existing below a fumarolic area creates hydraulic, thermal and electric anomalies, the electric anomaly being probably the most correlated to a change of the deep thermal activity. The anomaly range depends on the position of the site connected with the configuration of the magmatic activity, but also on the local hydrogeologic conditions. The spatial and temporal surveillance of the eruptions based on these convective data should take into consideration these conditions.

1. We analyzed the rapid adaptation of elbow movement to unexpected changes in external load conditions at the elbow joint. The experimental approach was based on the lambda model, which defines control variables (CVs) setting the positional frames of reference for recruitment of flexor and extensor motoneurons. CVs may be specified by the nervous system independently of the current values of output variable such as electromyographic (EMG) activity, muscle torques, and kinematics. The CV R specifies the referent joint angle (R) at which the transition of flexor to extensor activity or vice versa can be observed during changes in the actual joint angle, theta, elicited by an external force. The other CV, the coactivation (C) command, instead of a single transition angle, defines an angular range in which flexor and extensor muscles may be simultaneously active (if C > 0) or silent (if C < 0). Changes in the R command result in shifts in the equilibrium state of the system, a dynamic process leading to EMG modifications resulting in movement or isometric force production if movement is obstructed. Fast movements are likely produced by combining the R command with a positive C command, which provides movement stability and effective energy dissipation, diminishing oscillations at the end of movement. 2. According to the model, changes in the load characteristic (e.g., from a 0 to a springlike load) influence the system's equilibrium state, leading to a positional error. This error may be corrected by a secondary movement produced by additional changes in R and C commands. In subsequent trials, the system may reproduce the CVs specified after correction in the previous trial. This behavior is called the recurrent strategy. It allows the system to adapt to the new load condition in the subsequent trials without corrections (1-trial adaptation). Alternatively, the system may reproduce the CVs specified before correction (invariant strategy). If the movement was perturbed only in a single trial, the invariant strategy allows the system to reach the target in the subsequent trials without corrections. 3. To test the assumption on the dominant role of the recurrent strategy in rapid adaptation of movement to new load conditions, we performed experiments in which subjects (n = 6) used a pivoting manipulandum and made fast 60 degrees movements to a target. After a random number of trials (5-10) with no load, we introduced opposing (experiment 1), assisting (experiment 2), or randomly varied opposing or assisting loads (experiment 3) for 5-10 trials before unexpectedly switching loads again (14-18 switches in total). The opposing or assisting torque was created by position feedback to a torque motor and was a linear function of the displacement of the manipulandum form the initial position (springlike load). Subjects were instructed to correct positional errors as soon as possible to reach the target. The EMG activity of two elbow flexors (biceps brachii and brachioradialis) and two elbow extensors (triceps brachii and anconeus), elbow position, velocity, and torque were recorded. Kinematic and EMG patterns were compared with those obtained in similar experiments in which subjects were instructed not to correct errors. 4. In 94% of the trials in which a change in the load occurred, the primary movement was in error and was followed by a corrective secondary movement. In primary movements, both the phasic and tonic levels of EMG activity as well as the kinematics were load dependent, implicating reflex and intramuscular mechanisms in the adaptation of muscle forces counteracting external loads. These mechanisms, however, were not sufficient to eliminate positional errors. 5. An undershoot error occurred in trials with an opposing load after those with no load or in trials with no load after those with an assisting load. After adaptation to a new load condition, a sudden return to the previous load condition resulted in an error of the oppo

Radiative properties of opaque materials strongly depend on their surface condition. The fabrication of superficial cavities of various forms and dimensions modifies the directional spectral emissivities or absorptivities. They are usually increased compared to those of optically smooth material; the gain depends on the material, the type of cavities, as well as the wavelength ? and the direction ? of the emitted or incident radiation. When grooves of dimensions larger than ? are fabricated in a sample, the models, taking into account the successive reflections on their inner sides, give a good agreement with experimental data. But a similar theory does not explain the substantial increase of the infrared emissivity of ballblasted samples.

Résumé: La reconnaissance par sondages électriques de la topographie du socle sous la Chaîne des Puys permet de mettre en évidence une dépression volcanotectonique correspondant à l’effondrement du toit de la chambre magmatique.

The distribution of the long form leptin receptor mRNA as examined in the mouse brain using in situ hybridization histochemistry with two independent [³⁵S]labeled oligonucleotide probes. Analysis of film autoradiograms showed that the long form leptin receptor mRNA was widely expressed throughout the mouse brain. A strong hybridization signal was detected through the olfactory bulb, the pyramidal layer of the piriform cortex, the medial amygdala, the hippocampus, the medial habenula and the cerebellum. Additionally, several subdivisions of the hypothalamus, namely the arcuate, the ventromedial and dorsomedial nuclei, also displayed a high level of labeling. The specific labeling detected in other brain areas was low and generally more diffuse. Overall, these anatomical findings suggest that the role of leptin in the central nervous system is not confined to the control of energy balance. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

In the pursuit of potent analogues of neuropeptide Y (NPY) that are selective for the Y1 receptor subtype, two lactam bridge scans of a centrally truncated parent compound were synthesized. A single lactam bridge (γ-carboxyl of Glu to ε-amino of Lys) extending from residues i to i + 3 or i to i + 4 of the proposed α-helical region (residues 25−31 of NPY) was introduced in des-AA^7-24[Gly⁶]NPY. Cyclogues (contraction of cyclic analogues), which were approximately one-half the size of native NPY, were initially screened for binding affinity at two discrete NPY receptor types using human neuroblastoma cell membranes, SK-N-MC and SK-N-BE2. Exploitation of the subtle differences present on each receptor type allowed for the identification of cyclogues which bound specifically to Y1 receptors with increased affinity when compared to the corresponding linear parent analogue, while one short Y1 specific cyclogue, des-AA^2,3,5,7-24cyclo(26/29)[Gly⁶,Glu²⁶,Lys²⁹,Pro³⁴]NPY, bound with Ki = 16 nM. Other cyclogues showed distinct preference for Y2 receptors and bound in the low-nanomolar range. Functionally, the compounds inhibited the norepinephrine-stimulated accumulation of cAMP indicating that all acted as agonists with varying potencies.

Established cell lines (TB-6c and TB-M) obtained by continuous culture of epithelial cells from toad Bufo marinus urinary bladder, which, in culture, maintained a high degree of functional differentiation, exhibited a significant number of high-affinity (KA = 1-2 X 10(10) M-1) binding sites detected both with radioiodinated (125I) ovine prolactin (oPRL) and human growth hormone (hGH). Binding capacity was higher in the case of TB-6c cells (7,573 +/- 581 sites/cell) than with the TB-M cells (1,160 +/- 87). Similarly, binding sites for oPRL were characterized on Xenopus laevis kidney-derived cell line A6. With oPRL used both as tracer and standard, significant cross-reaction was observed with hGH, less with human or rat prolactin (PRL), and none with human chorionic somatomammotropin, bovine growth hormone, and rat luteinizing hormone or follicle-stimulating hormones. B. marinus pituitary extracts completely displaced the binding of 125I-oPRL to toad bladder binding sites. This finding of specific sites for PRL on amphibian bladder and kidney cells confirms that PRL exerts specific biological actions for the control of electrolyte and water metabolism in the amphibians.

The experiments were performed on cats anesthetized with chloralose or Nembutal. The unitary activity of cortical neurons was recorded in the SI and SII areas by means of extracellular glass microelectrodes. The neurons showed frequently a spontaneous discharge (irregular or regular tonic discharge bursts of spikes).

A heterologous radioimmunoassay for human prolactin (hPRL) was developed, using a rabbit anti-ovine PRL (oPRL) which cross-reacted with hPRL and hPRL (Lewis 203-1) as tracer and standard. The sensitivity (0.02 ng hPRL) and the values obtained were comparable to those in homologous assays. When the immunoreactivity of a variety of hPRL preparations was compared, Friesen-71 hPRL was the most immunoreactive preparation, Lewis 203-1 and 201-195-1 hPRL had 75.6%, Friesen-C hPRL 54.4 %, and the Medical Research Council Standard (# 71-222) 27.5% of the immunoreactivity of Friesen-71 hPRL. hPRL content in 6 hGH preparations ranged from 0.001 to 0.2 %. Antibodies to hPRL were detected in 2 anti-hGH sera. The mean concentration of plasma hPRL in adult females (8.5 ± 1.5 ng/ml ± se) was significantly higher than in males (5.2 ± 0.5; P= 0.025). Plasma values of hPRL in girls between 4 and 17 years of age (7.2 ± 0.5) were not significantly different than in boys of the same age (6.0 ± 0.5). No variation in basal levels was found during puberty in girls, or with age in boys. The concentration of plasma hPRL was increased in pregnant women, newborn infants and in patients with galactorrhoea. Anencephalic infants had hPRL levels comparable to healthy newborns. The mean concentrations of plasma hPRL in patients with idiopathic isolated hGH deficiency or with idiopathic multiple pituitary hormone deficiencies were significantly higher than in normal subjects. Low to normal basal levels were measured in patients with hypothalamic tumour. Eight of 22 acromegalic patients had elevated hPRL levels; 5 female acromegalics had a significant rise in plasma hPRL values following injection of synthetic thyrotrophin releasing factor (TRF), but no increase after luteinizing hormone releasing factor (LRF). In conclusion, the heterologous radioimmunoassay for hPRL, using an anti-oPRL serum, has the requisite specificity, sensitivity, precision and reproducibility for clinical use.