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To investigate the hypothesis of top-down control by viruses and heterotrophic nanoflagellates on bacterial-mediated carbon fluxes in freshwater systems, a year-long study (2023–2024) was conducted in the pelagic zone of Lake Saint-Gervais (France). The variability in BGE (9.9% to 45.5%) was attributed to the decoupling of production and respiration, providing bacterioplankton communities with a competitive advantage in adapting to fluctuating environmental disturbances in freshwater systems. The high nucleic acid (HNA) bacterial community, the active fraction, contributed the most to bacterial production and was linked to BGE estimates. Weak bottom-up controls (nutrient concentrations and stoichiometry) on BGE suggested a stronger role for mortality forces. Among viral subgroups (VLP1–VLP4) identified via flow cytometry, the dominant low-fluorescence DNA VLP1 subgroup (range = 0.7 to 3.1 × 108 VLP mL−1) accounting for the majority of viral production was closely linked to the HNA population. Both top-down forces exerted antagonistic effects on BGE at the community level. The preferential lysis and grazing of the susceptible HNA population, which stimulated bacterial community respiration more than production in the non-target population, resulted in reduced BGE. These results underscore the key role of top-down processes in shaping carbon flux through bacterioplankton in this freshwater system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is based on ethnographic research conducted in one of the physical training institutions that offer the Laban/Bartenieff Movement Studies (LBMS) certification program in 2021. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, the training was held in a hybrid format in which some participants were in the studio while others were attending remotely via Zoom. Zoom-mediated movement training for long hours revealed how the intervention of telematic technologies challenged practitioners' sensorial experience and sense-making process. Moreover, bringing co-located and remote participants' experiences together in the hybrid setting disclosed different modes of interaction dynamics in the studio and online. Overall, participants described their hybrid experience as a clash. In the article, starting from unfolding those clashes from the enactive perspective, I discuss how remote intercorporeality through an audio–video streaming system, Zoom, challenges participants' sensorial experience and how remote interaction affects the shared sense-making process in the hybrid format setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study addresses the ongoing debate on forest land-sparing vs land-sharing, aiming to identify effective strategies for both species conservation and timber exploitation. Previous studies, guided by control theory, compared sharing and sparing by optimizing logging intensity along a presumed trade-off between timber yield and ecological outcomes. However, the realism of this trade-off assumption is questioned by ecological and governance theories. This article introduces a mathematical model of Social-Ecological System (SES) dynamics, distinguishing selective logging intensification between sharing and sparing, with associated governance requirements. The model assumes consistent rules for logging, replanting, conservation support, access regulation, socio-economic, soil and climate conditions. Actors, each specialized in sustainable logging and replanting of a single species, coexist with various tree species in the same space for land sharing, contrasting with separate actions on monospecific stands for sparing. In sharing scenarios, a gradient of intensification is created from 256 combinations of selective logging for a forest with eight coexisting tree species. This is compared with eight scenarios of monospecific stands adjacent to a spared eight-species forest area safeguarded from logging. Numerical projections over 100 years rank sparing and sharing options based on forest-level tree biodiversity, carbon storage, and timber yield. The findings underscore the context-specific nature of the problem but identify simple heuristics to optimize both sparing and sharing practices. Prioritizing the most productive tree species is effective when selecting sparing, especially when timber yield and biodiversity are benchmarks. Conversely, sharing consistently outperforms sparing when carbon storage and biodiversity are main criteria. Sharing excels across scenarios considering all three criteria, provided a greater diversity of actors access and coexist in the shared space under collective rules ensuring independence and sustainable logging and replanting. The present model addresses some limitations in existing sparing-sharing theory by aligning with established ecological theories exploring the intricate relationship between disturbance practices, productivity and ecological outcomes. The findings also support a governance hypothesis from the 2009 Nobel Prize in Economics (E. Ostrom) regarding the positive impact on biodiversity and productivity of increasing polycentricity, i.e., expanding the number of independent species controllers’ channels (loggers/ replanters/supporters/regulators). This hypothesis, rooted in Ashby’s law of requisite variety from control theory, suggests that resolving the sharing/sparing dilemma may depend on our ability to predict the yield-ecology performances of sparing (in heterogeneous landscapes) vs of sharing (in the same space) from their respective levels of “polycentric requisite variety”. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Interstudia is the property of Alma Mater and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

An annotated reference sequence representing the hexaploid bread wheat genome in 21 pseudomolecules has been analyzed to identify the distribution and genomic context of coding and noncoding elements across the A, B, and D subgenomes. With an estimated coverage of 94% of the genome and containing 107,891 high-confidence gene models, this assembly enabled the discovery of tissue- and developmental stage-related coexpression networks by providing a transcriptome atlas representing major stages of wheat development. Dynamics of complex gene families involved in environmental adaptation and end-use quality were revealed at subgenome resolution and contextualized to known agronomic single-gene or quantitative trait loci. This community resource establishes the foundation for accelerating wheat research and application through improved understanding of wheat biology and genomics-assisted breeding., (Copyright © 2018 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.)

Mechanical allodynia (pain to normally innocuous tactile stimuli) is a widespread symptom of inflammatory and neuropathic pain. Spinal or medullary dorsal horn (SDH or MDH) circuits mediating tactile sensation and pain need to interact in order to evoke mechanical allodynia. PKCγ-expressing (PKCγ+) interneurons and inhibitory controls within SDH/MDH inner lamina II (IIi) are pivotal in connecting touch and pain circuits. However, the relative contribution of GABA and glycine to PKCγ+ interneuron inhibition remains unknown. We characterized inhibitory inputs onto PKCγ+ interneurons by combining electrophysiology to record spontaneous and miniature IPSCs (sIPSCs, mIPSCs) and immunohistochemical detection of GABAARα2 and GlyRα1 subunits in adult rat MDH. While GlyR-only- and GABAAR-only-mediated mIPSCs/sIPSCs are predominantly recorded from PKCγ+ interneurons, immunohistochemistry reveals that ~80% of their inhibitory synapses possess both GABAARα2 and GlyRα1. Moreover, nearly all inhibitory boutons at gephyrin-expressing synapses on these cells contain glutamate decarboxylase and are therefore GABAergic, with around half possessing the neuronal glycine transporter (GlyT2) and therefore being glycinergic. Thus, while GABA and glycine are presumably co-released and GABAARs and GlyRs are present at most inhibitory synapses on PKCγ+ interneurons, these interneurons exhibit almost exclusively GABAAR-only and GlyR-only quantal postsynaptic inhibitory currents, suggesting a pharmacological specialization of their inhibitory synapses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eighteen free amino acids (FAAs) were quantified in cloud water sampled at the Puy de Dôme station (PUY – France) during 13 cloud events. This quantification has been performed without concentration or derivatization, using liquid chromatography hyphened to mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and the standard addition method to correct for matrix effects. Total concentrations of FAAs (TCAAs) vary from 1.2 to 7.7 µ M, Ser (serine) being the most abundant AA (23.7 % on average) but with elevated standard deviation, followed by glycine (Gly) (20.5 %), alanine (Ala) (11.9 %), asparagine (Asn) (8.7 %), and leucine/isoleucine (Leu/I)​​​​​​​ (6.4 %). The distribution of AAs among the cloud events reveals high variability. TCAA constitutes between 0.5 and 4.4 % of the dissolved organic carbon measured in the cloud samples. AA quantification in cloud water is scarce, but the results agree with the few studies that investigated AAs in this aqueous medium. The environmental variability is assessed through a statistical analysis. This work shows that AAs are correlated with the time spent by the air masses within the boundary layer, especially over the sea surface before reaching the PUY. The cloud microphysical properties' fluctuation does not explain the AA variability in our samples, confirming previous studies at the PUY. We finally assessed the sources and the atmospheric processes that potentially explain the prevailing presence of certain AAs in the cloud samples. The initial relative distribution of AAs in biological matrices (proteins extracted from bacterial cells or mammalian cells, for example) could explain the dominance of Ala, Gly, and Leu/I. AA composition of aquatic organisms (i.e., diatom species) could also explain the high concentrations of Ser in our samples. The analysis of the AA hygroscopicity also indicates a higher contribution of AAs (80 % on average) that are hydrophilic or neutral, revealing the fact that other AAs (hydrophobic) are less favorably incorporated into cloud droplets. Finally, the atmospheric aging of AAs has been evaluated by calculating atmospheric lifetimes considering their potential transformation in the cloud medium by biotic or abiotic (mainly oxidation) processes. The most concentrated AAs encountered in our samples present the longest atmospheric lifetimes, and the less dominant ones are clearly efficiently transformed in the atmosphere, potentially explaining their low concentrations. However, this cannot fully explain the relative contribution of several AAs in the cloud samples. This reveals the high complexity of the bio-physico-chemical processes occurring in the multiphase atmospheric environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Bildungsforschung is the property of Bildungsforschung and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Image registration under small displacements is the keystone of several image analysis tasks such as optical flow estimation, stereoscopic imaging, or full-field displacement estimation in photomechanics. A popular approach consists in locally modeling the displacement field between two images by a parametric transformation and performing least-squares estimation afterward. This procedure is known as "digital image correlation" in several domains as in photomechanics. The present article is part of this approach. First, the estimated displacement is shown to be impaired by biases related to the interpolation scheme needed to reach subpixel accuracy, the image gradient distribution, as well as the difference between the hypothesized parametric transformation and the true displacement. A quantitative estimation of the difference between the estimated value and the actual one is of importance in application domains such as stereoscopy or photomechanics, which have metrological concerns. Second, we question the extent to which these biases could be eliminated or reduced. We also present numerical assessments of our predictive formula in the context of photomechanics. Software codes are freely available to reproduce our results. Although this paper is focused on a particular application field, namely photomechanics, it is relevant to various scientific areas concerned by image registration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Huaynaputina volcano, southern Peru, was the site of the largest historical eruption (VEI 6) in the Andes in 1600 CE, which occurred during the historic transition between the Inca Empire and the Viceroyalty of Peru. This event had severe consequences in the Central Andes and a global climatic impact. Spanish chronicles reported that at least 15 villages or settlements existed around the volcano, of which seven of them were totally destroyed by the eruption. Multidisciplinary studies have allowed us to identify and analyze the characteristics of six settlements buried by the eruption. Tephra fallout and pyroclastic current deposits (PDCs) had different impacts according to the settlement distance from the crater, the location with respect to the emplacement of PDCs along valleys, the geomorphological characteristics of the site, and type of constructions. Thus, Calicanto, Cojraque, and San Juan de Dios, located beneath the main axis of tephra dispersal lobe due west and/or on valley edges, were buried under several meters of pyroclastic deposits, while the villages of Estagagache, Chimpapampa, and Moro Moro, located to the S and SE of the lobe, were partially mantled by tephra. The 1600 CE Huaynaputina eruption created an important geological and cultural heritage, which has scientific, educational, and touristic values. Geo-touristic attractions are proposed based on identification, characterization, and qualitative evaluation of four groups totaling 17 geosites: volcanic geosites, volcanic-cultural geomorphosites, and hot springs. Seven geological roads along with seven viewpoints are proposed, which allow to value the most relevant landscapes, deposits and geological structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article deals with an original equalization method of 3-D electromagnetic (EM) cavity resonance by using bandpass negative group delay (NGD) function. Based on the equivalent circuit, the S-matrix model of the equalized EM cavity is introduced. The design equations of the NGD function are established in function of the cavity physical parameters. The feasibility of the equalization method is validated with a 42×28×3.8 cm rectangular cavity containing two communicating monopole antennas. By considering the TE110-mode, a significant equalization is realized with improvement of transmission coefficient flatness from 4 dB to less than 0.3 dB. In addition to the magnitude, the NGD equalization method enables to outstandingly reduce spikes of 3-D EM cavity group delay. With the proof of concept, the GD is reduced from more than 4 to 1 ns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Forest Research is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

N‐alkylated aromatic poly‐ and oligoamides are a particular class of abiotic foldamers that is deprived of the capability of forming intramolecular hydrogen‐bonding networks to stabilize their tri‐dimensional structure. The alkylation of the backbone amide nitrogen atoms greatly increases the chemical diversity accessible for aromatic poly‐ and oligoamides. However, the nature and the conformational preferences of the N,N‐disubstituted amides profoundly modify the folding properties of these aromatic poly‐ and oligoamides. In this Review, representative members of this class of aromatic poly‐ and oligoamides will be highlighted, among them N‐alkylated phenylene terephthalamides, benzanilides, pyridylamides, and aminomethyl benzamide oligomers. The principal synthetic pathways to the main classes of N‐alkylated aromatic polyamides with narrow to broad molecular‐weight distribution, or oligoamides with specific sequences, will be detailed and their foldameric properties will be discussed. The Review will end by describing the few applications reported to date and future prospects for the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aquaporins are transmembrane water channels found in almost every living organism. Numerous studies have brought a good understanding of both water transport through their pores and the regulations taking place at the molecular level, but subtleties remain to be clarified. Recently, a voltage‐related gating mechanism involving the conserved arginine of the channel's main constriction was captured for human aquaporins through molecular dynamics studies. With a similar approach, we show that this voltage‐gating could be conserved among this family and that the underlying mechanism could explain part of plant AQPs diversity when contextualized to high ionic concentrations provoked by drought. Finally, we identified residues as adaptive traits which constitute good targets for drought resistance plant breeding research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NucleusJ 1.0, an ImageJ plugin, is a useful tool to analyze nuclear morphology and chromatin organization in plant and animal cells. NucleusJ 2.0 is a new release of NucleusJ, in which image processing is achieved more quickly using a command-lineuser interface. Starting with large collection of 3D nuclei, segmentation can be performed by the previously developed Otsu-modified method or by a new 3D gift-wrapping method, taking better account of nuclear indentations and unstained nucleoli. These two complementary methods are compared for their accuracy by using three types of datasets available to the community at . Finally, NucleusJ 2.0 was evaluated using original plant genetic material by assessing its efficiency on nuclei stained with DNA dyes or after 3D-DNA Fluorescence in situ hybridization. With these improvements, NucleusJ 2.0 permits the generation of large user-curated datasets that will be useful for software benchmarking or to train convolution neural networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article addresses the difficult question of the evaluation of the support systems for success in license through an in-depth study, at UCA, of the target audience of a device intended to support certain students in their (re) orientation in cross-referencing the results of two surveys. The first, conducted with first year undergraduate students, shows that they do not differ significantly, in terms of their potential need to be accompanied in their (re) orientation, depending on whether they have been labeled yes or yes., from Parcoursup. The second highlights on the one hand that the mastery of the language intervenes as a salient fact to characterize, by default, the students followed qualitatively. And on the other hand, that the attendance rates are different according to the fields experienced, Law, AES, Economy, Management . Questions emerge to adjust the system to the reality of the public and choose more appropriate and less segregative selection methods. The article deals with the difficult question of the program evaluation to help students achieve their Bachelor's degree by an in-depth study, at the UCA, of the target public of a program intended to accompany some students in their (re) orientation by cross- referencing the results of two surveys. The first, conducted among undergraduate students, shows that they do not differ significantly in their potential need to be support in their (re) orientation, depending on whether they have been labeled "yes" or "yes, if" on Parcoursup. The second shows that language proficiency is a salient factor in characterizing, by default, thestudents followed qualitatively and that the experienced sections, Law, AES, Economics, Management, do not have the same attendance rates. Questions arise in order to adjust the program to the reality of the public and to choose more appropriate and less segregated selection methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the last 25 years, CO-PDD (Cézeaux-Aulnat-Opme-puy de Dôme) has evolved to become a full instrumented platform for atmospheric research. It has received credentials as a national observing platform in France and is internationally recognized as a global station in the GAW (Global Atmosphere Watch) network. It is a reference site of European and national research infrastructures ACTRIS (Aerosol Cloud and Trace gases Research Infrastructure) and ICOS (Integrated Carbon Observing System). The site located on top of the puy de Dôme mountain (1465 m a.s.l.) is completed by additional sites located at lower altitudes and adding the vertical dimension to the atmospheric observations: Opme (660 m a.s.l.), Cézeaux (410 m), and Aulnat (330 m). The integration of different sites offers a unique combination of in situ and remote sensing measurements capturing and documenting the variability of particulate and gaseous atmospheric composition, but also the optical, biochemical, and physical properties of aerosol particles, clouds, and precipitations. Given its location far away from any major emission sources, its altitude, and the mountain orography, the puy de Dôme station is ideally located to sample different air masses in the boundary layer or in the free troposphere depending on time of day and seasons. It is also an ideal place to study cloud properties with frequent presence of clouds at the top in fall and winter. As a result of the natural conditions prevailing at the site and of the very exhaustive instrumental deployment, scientific studies at the puy de Dôme strongly contribute to improving knowledge in atmospheric sciences, including the characterization of trends and variability, the understanding of complex and interconnected processes (microphysical, chemical, biological, chemical and dynamical), and the provision of reference information for climate/chemistry models. In this context, CO-PDD is a pilot site to conduct instrumental development inside its wind tunnel for testing liquid and ice cloud probes in natural conditions, or in situ systems to collect aerosol and cloud. This paper reviews 25 years (1995–2020) of atmospheric observation at the station and related scientific research contributing to atmospheric and climate science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The morning of November 23, 2013, a lava fountain formed from the New South-East Crater (NSEC) of Mt. Etna (Italy), one of the most active volcanoes in Europe. The explosive activity was observed from two ground-based radars, the X-band polarimetric scanning and the L-band Doppler fixed-pointing, as well as from a thermal-infrared camera. Taking advantage of the capability of the microwave radars to probe the volcanic plume and extending the volcanic ash radar retrieval (VARR) methodology, we estimate the mass eruption rate (MER) using three main techniques, namely surface-flux approach (SFA), mass continuity-based approach (MCA), and top-plume approach (TPA), as well as provide a quantitative evaluation of their uncertainty. Estimated exit velocities are between 160 and 230 m/s in the paroxysmal phase. The intercomparison between the SFA, MCA, and TPA methods, in terms of retrieved MER, shows a fairly good consistency with values up to 2.4 × 106 kg/s. The estimated total erupted mass (TEM) is 3.8 × 109, 3.9 × 109, and 4.7 × 109 kg for SFA with L-band, X-band, and thermal-infrared camera, respectively. Estimated TEM is between 1.7 × 109 kg and 4.3 × 109 for TPA methods and 3.9 ×109 kg for the MCA technique. The SFA, MCA, and TPA results for TEM are in fairly good agreement with independent evaluations derived from ground collection of tephra deposit and estimated to be between 1.3 ± 1.1 × 109 and 5.7 × 109 kg. This article shows that complementary strategies of ground-based remote sensing systems can provide an accurate real-time monitoring of a volcanic explosive activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic pain is a frequent and disabling condition that is significantly maintained by central sensitization, which results in pathological amplification of responses to noxious and innocuous stimuli. As such, mechanical allodynia, or pain in response to a tactile stimulus that does not normally provoke pain, is a cardinal feature of chronic pain. Recent evidence suggests that the dorsal horn excitatory interneurons that express the γ isoform of protein kinase C (PKCγ) play a critical role in the mechanism of mechanical allodynia during chronic pain. Here, we review this evidence as well as the main aspects of the development, anatomy, electrophysiology, inputs, outputs, and pathophysiology of dorsal horn PKCγ neurons. Primary afferent high-threshold neurons transmit the nociceptive message to the dorsal horn of the spinal cord and trigeminal system where it activates second-order nociceptive neurons relaying the information to the brain. In physiological conditions, low-threshold mechanoreceptor inputs activate inhibitory interneurons in the dorsal horn, which may control activation of second-order nociceptive neurons. During chronic pain, low-threshold mechanoreceptor inputs now activate PKCγ neurons that forward the message to second-order nociceptive neurons, turning thus tactile inputs into pain. Several mechanisms may contribute to opening this gate, including disinhibition, activation of local astrocytes, release of diffusible factors such as reactive oxygen species, and alteration of the descending serotoninergic control on PKCγ neurons through 5-HT2A serotonin receptors. Dorsal horn PKCγ neurons, therefore, appear as a relevant therapeutic target to alleviate mechanical allodynia during chronic pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The simulation of ultrashort two-dimensional double gate metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors and similar semiconductor devices through a deterministic mesoscopic, hence accurate, model can be very useful for the industry: It can provide reference results for macroscopic solvers and properly describe weakly charged zones of the device. For the scope of this work, we use a Boltzmann–Schrödinger–Poisson model. Its drawback is being particularly costly from the computational point of view, and a purely sequential code may take weeks to simulate high voltages. In this article, we develop a hybrid parallel solver for a graphics processing unit (GPU)-based platform. In order to accelerate the simulations, the Boltzmann transport equations are solved on GPU using the CUDA programing model, while the Schrödinger–Poisson block is performed on multicore CPUs using OpenMP. We have adapted the costliest computing phases to the GPU in an efficient manner, achieving high performance and drastically reducing the simulation time. We give details about the parallel-design strategy and show the performance results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Is to design personalised, super-selective therapies and to identify more precise means of monitoring response to treatment in routine The now well-established tracks M2M - Molecule to Man (basic and translational science) and Do.MoRe (radionuclide therapy and dosimetry) promise to promote high-quality research through interaction between basic and translational clinical Scientists and to present the latest achievements and developments in the fields of clinical molecular imaging and nuclear medicine therapy. Radiobiology and Dosimetry for Radioembolisation Therapy Problems Related to Dosimetry for Therapy Based on. [Extracted from the article]

Objectives: The main aim of this paper was to investigate the processes by which body scan meditation (BSM) increases happiness. We hypothesized that BMS would lead to a transition from the narrative self to the minimal self, but also and more importantly to a transition from the minimal self to a state of more unified consciousness characterized by both self-loss and oneness. Methods: Participants (n = 89; 79 women and 10 men; Mage = 19.5) were randomly assigned to either a body scan, a relaxing spiritual-minimalist style of music, or an active control condition. All constructs were assessed by means of self-report measures. Results: As expected, the increase in unified consciousness and happiness was greater in the BSM condition than in the two other conditions, with unified consciousness mediating the effect of BSM on happiness (b = 0.10, CI: 0.03, 0.19). Feeling of being in harmony emerges as a significant mediator of the effect of unified consciousness on happiness (b = 0.06, CI: 0.01, 0.13), while alteration in inner-body experience significantly mediates the effect of BSM on unified consciousness (b = 0.35, CI: 0.12, 0.62). The increase in decentering and decrease in mind-wandering during the meditation does not explain the effect of BSM on happiness and unified consciousness. Conclusions: Altogether, the results support the hypothesis that BSM alters both the narrative and the minimal self and favors a transition toward a state of unified consciousness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comment on: "Spatio-temporal characteristics of the relationship between carbon emissions and economic growth in China's transportation industry." To the Editor: We read with interest the article by Wang et al. highlighting the burden of transport industry to carbon emissions in China (Wang et al. [12]). [Extracted from the article]

We study the sparsest cut problem when the “capacity-demand” graph is planar, and give a combinatorial polynomial algorithm. In this type of graphs there is an edge for each positive capacity and also an edge for each positive demand. We extend this result to graphs with no K5 minor. We also show how to find a maximum concurrent flow in these two cases. We also prove that the sparsest cut problem is NP-hard if we only impose that the “capacity-demand” graph has no K6 minor. We use ideas that had been developed for the max-cut problem, and show how to exploit the connections among these problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The alpha-pinene oxide lyase (Prα-POL) from Pseudomonas rhodesiae CIP107491 belongs to catabolic alpha-pinene degradation pathway. In this study, the gene encoding Prα-POL has been identified using mapping approach combined to inverse PCR (iPCR) strategy. The Prα-POL gene included a 609-bp open reading frame encoding 202 amino acids and giving rise to a 23.7 kDa protein, with a theoretical isoelectric point (pI) of 5.23. The amino acids sequence analysis showed homologies with those of proteins with unknown function from GammaProteobacteria group. Identification of a conserved domain in amino acid in positions 18 to 190 permitted to classify Prα-POL among the nuclear transport factor 2 (NTF2) protein superfamily. Heterologous expression of Prα-POL, both under its native form and with a histidin tag, was successfully performed in Escherichia coli, and enzymatic kinetics were analyzed. Bioconversion assay using recombinant E. coli strain allowed to reach a rate of isonovalal production per gramme of biomass about 40-fold higher than the rate obtained with P. rhodesiae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A resistive active power divider (RAPWD) design based on Kron's model is introduced. The three-way RAPWD topology is essentially constructed with a low noise amplifier (LNA) with input and output matching shunt resistances. The RAPWD S-parameter is analytically expressed from the Kron's method hybridized with the LNA touchstone model. The RAPWD synthesis relation is established in function of the expected gain and matching access. The feasibility of the established Kron's method modelling is validated with a proof-of-concept (POC) using the surface mounted monolithic LNA LEE-9+ from mini-circuits. As expected, S-parameters are in good correlation between simulations and computed results from the proposed hybrid method. A relatively flat transmission gain of about 9+/-0.2 dB is realized in the very wide frequency band 0.5 to 4.5 GHz. The broadband tested RAPWD input and output matching and access port isolations are widely better than 10 dB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Genome is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and meta-analyses support the benefits of flavanols on cardiometabolic health, but the factors affecting variability in the responses to these compounds have not been properly assessed. The objectives of this meta-analysis were to systematically collect the RCTs-based-evidence of the effects of flavanol-containing tea, cocoa and apple products on selected biomarkers of cardiometabolic risk and to explore the influence of various factors on the variability in the responses to the consumption of these products. A total of 120 RCTs were selected. Despite a high heterogeneity, the intake of the flavanol-containing products was associated using a random model with changes (reported as standardized difference in means (SDM)) in body mass index (-0.15, p < 0.001), waist circumference (-0.29, p < 0.001), total-cholesterol (-0.21, p < 0.001), LDL-cholesterol (-0.23, p < 0.001), and triacylglycerides (-0.11, p = 0.027), and with an increase of HDL-cholesterol (0.15, p = 0.005). Through subgroup analyses, we showed the influence of baseline-BMI, sex, source/form of administration, medication and country of investigation on some of the outcome measures and suggest that flavanols may be more effective in specific subgroups such as those with a BMI ≥ 25.0 kg/m², non-medicated individuals or by specifically using tea products. This meta-analysis provides the first robust evidence of the effects induced by the consumption of flavanol-containing tea, cocoa and apple products on weight and lipid biomarkers and shows the influence of various factors that can affect their bioefficacy in humans. Of note, some of these effects are quantitatively comparable to those produced by drugs, life-style changes or other natural products. Further, RCTs in well-characterized populations are required to fully comprehend the factors affecting inter-individual responses to flavanol and thereby improve flavanols efficacy in the prevention of cardiometabolic disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revue Française de Gouvernance d'Entreprise is the property of Institut Francais des Administrateurs and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Fruit is an essential part of the human diet and is of great interest because of its richness in phytochemicals. Various fruit extracts from citrus, berries and pomegranates have been shown to possess a broad spectrum of medicinal properties. Fruit phytochemicals are of considerable interest because of their antioxidant properties involving different mechanisms of action, which can act against different pathogenic bacteria. The antioxidant capacity of fruit phytochemicals involves different kinds of reactions, such as radical scavenging and chelation or complexation of metal ions. The interaction between fruit phytochemicals and bacteria has different repercussions: it disrupts the cell envelope, disturbs cell–cell communication and gene regulation, and suppresses metabolic and enzymatic activities. Consequently, fruit phytochemicals can directly inhibit bacterial growth or act indirectly by modulating the expression of virulence factors, both of which reduce microbial pathogenicity. The aim of this review was to report our current knowledge on various fruit extracts and their major bioactive compounds, and determine the effectiveness of organic acids, terpenes, polyphenols, and other types of phenolic compounds with antioxidant properties as a source of antimicrobial agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Associated with livestock farming, grasslands with a high diversity of plant species are at the core of low-input fodder production worldwide. However, this Special Issue does not fully consider climate-induced biodiversity change and the extent to which population growth, urbanisation, land-use change, consumption lifestyles and resource exploitation threaten grassland biodiversity as key factors directly or indirectly associated with climate change. For instance, innovative systems at the interface of grassland and cereal production hold promise for reconciling production objectives with the preservation of biodiversity and soil-water-air resources, and pave the way for a multifunctional, sustainable and more climate-resilient agriculture. [Extracted from the article]

Histone chaperones regulate the flow and dynamics of histone variants and ensure their assembly into nucleosomal structures, thereby contributing to the repertoire of histone variants in specialized cells or tissues. To date, not much is known on the distribution of histone variants and their modifications in the dry seed embryo. Here, we bring evidence that genes encoding the replacement histone variant H3.3 are expressed in Arabidopsis dry seeds and that embryo chromatin is characterized by a low H3.1/H3.3 ratio. Loss of HISTONE REGULATOR A (HIRA), a histone chaperone responsible for H3.3 deposition, reduces cellular H3 levels and increases chromatin accessibility in dry seeds. These molecular differences are accompanied by increased seed dormancy in hira-1 mutant seeds. The loss of HIRA negatively affects seed germination even in the absence of HISTONE MONOUBIQUITINATION 1 or TRANSCRIPTION ELONGATION FACTOR II S, known to be required for seed dormancy. Finally, hira-1 mutant seeds show lower germination efficiency when aged under controlled deterioration conditions or when facing unfavorable environmental conditions such as high salinity. Altogether, our results reveal a dependency of dry seed chromatin organization on the replication-independent histone deposition pathway and show that HIRA contributes to modulating seed dormancy and vigor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Desulfurized gypsum (DG) as a soil modifier imparts it with bulk solid sulfite. The Fe(III)–sulfite process in the liquid phase has shown great potential for the rapid removal of As(III), but the performance and mechanism of this process using DG as a sulfite source in aqueous solution remains unclear. In this work, employing solid CaSO3 as a source of SO32−, we have studied the effects of different conditions (e.g., pH, Fe dosage, sulfite dosage) on As(III) oxidation in the Fe(III)–CaSO3 system. The results show that 72.1% of As(III) was removed from solution by centrifugal treatment for 60 min at near-neutral pH. Quenching experiments have indicated that oxidation efficiencies of As(III) are due at 67.5% to HO•, 17.5% to SO5•− and 15% to SO4•−. This finding may have promising implications in developing a new cost-effective technology for the treatment of arsenic-containing water using DG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]