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Ce colloque est le résultat d'une volonté affichée par le Comité national de la recherche scientifique : promouvoir l'interdisciplinarité, c'est-à-dire la rencontre et la mise en commun des compétences de disciplines différentes pour aborder des grands problèmes de la recherche actuelle. La biomécanique des végétaux est typiquement un champ de recherches qui nécessite la synergie entre des scientifiques de la biologie végétale, de la modélisation des systèmes complexes et de la mécanique des matériaux et des structures. Elle a pour objectif : une meilleure compréhension de la morphogenèse et du fonctionnement des organes de soutien chez les plantes ; une contribution à l'analyse des relations entre fonctionnement des plantes cultivées et qualité de la production ; une analyse de la croissance, du développement, de la structure et particulièrement de la tenue mécanique des plantes modifiées par l'homme ou son environnement ; le développement, grâce à l'étude des végétaux, de procédés et de types de constructions originaux, inspirés des phénomènes biologiques (bionique ou biomimétique). Depuis quelques années cette thématique nouvelle a connu un développement important en Amérique du Nord, au Japon et en Europe, notamment en Grande-Bretagne, en Allemagne et en France. L'intiative du Comité national a donc permis d'organiser le premier colloque international entièrement dédié à la biomécanique des végétaux et l'ensemble des résumés de communications volontaires reflète bien les principaux axes de recherches développés actuellement. A côté des préoccupations fondamentales sur la morphogenèse et la croissance des végétaux, se retrouvent des recherches plus finalisées visant à répondre aux demandes des forestiers, du monde agricole, des industries agroalimentaires ou des gestionnaires de parcs et jardins. Ces aller-retours entre la connaissance et les applications constituent le deuxième point fort de ce colloque qui se veut d'abord un moment de rencontre entre les uns et les autres.

International audience; Feed intake and its daily pattern are regulated both at a short and a long term by several control pathways, including energy balance regulation. This trial aimed to determine the effect of dietary fibre (DB) (mix of wheat, soy and sugar beet pulp fibres) and aleurone supplementation and their interaction on energy and nitrogen balances in growing pigs with ad libitum access to feed. Forty pigs (BW: 35 kg) were fed diets differing by fibre concentration (NDF concentration: 10% or 14% DM) and aleurone supplementation (0, 2 or 4 g/kg) during 3 weeks. Pigs were housed individually in a respiration chamber during the last week to record feeding behaviour and measure energy and nitrogen balances (n = 36). Glucose oxidation was studied on the 6th day with an injection of [U-13C] glucose and measurement of 13CO2 production. There was no significant interaction between DB inclusion and aleurone supplementation on any variables characterizing feeding behaviour. Pigs had less but longer meals with high level of DB, with an increased interval between two meals without effect on daily feed intake. The meal frequency significantly decreased when aleurone supplementation increased. Total tract apparent digestibility coefficient of DM, organic matter, ash, nitrogen and gross energy decreased when pigs received high DB level. Dietary fibre level increased significantly faecal excreted nitrogen. Aleurone supplementation decreased nitrogen retention. Free access to the feed induced a great individual variability not only in feed intake level (from 784 to 2290 g/day) but also in feeding behaviour (from 5.5 to 21.5 meals per day). This variability can be linked with the importance of underlying feed intake regulation pathways and difference in energy balance and metabolism efficiency. Several profiles of metabolism efficiency can be discriminate, thanks to a clustering based on feeding behaviour and pre-prandial concentrations of metabolites and hormones. In conclusion, DB inclusion decreased meal frequency, increased average meal size, decreased total tract apparent faecal digestibility coefficient of nitrogen and gross energy. Supplementation of aleurone decreased average daily feed intake with a reduction of the meal number per day, without modification of average meal size. Aleurone supplementation decreased nitrogen retention and nutrient deposition. Independently of experimental diets, the high individual variability permitted discriminating different profiles with different metabolic strategies. Efficient pigs with a high energy retention as protein and lipid seem to be able to adapt their metabolism according to energy sources.

This paper is the first of three that overview the main mechanisms that drive the microstructure evolution in Fe alloys under irradiation. It focuses on pure a-Fe and compiles the parameters that describe quantitatively the mobility and stability of point-defects and especially their clusters, including possible reactions and criteria to decide when they should react. These parameters are the result of several years of calculations and application in microstructure evolution models. They are mainly collected from the literature and the parameter choice tries to reconcile different sets of values that, while being in general qualitatively similar, are often quantitatively not coincident. A few calculation results are presented here for the first time to support specific approximations concerning defect properties or features. Since calculations cannot cover all possible defect configurations, the definition of these parameters often requires educated guesses to fill knowledge gaps. These guesses are here listed and discussed whenever relevant. This is therefore a “hands-on” paper that: (i) collects in a single report most microstructure evolution parameters that are found in the literature for irradiated a-Fe, including a discussion of the most important mechanisms at play based on current knowledge; (ii) selects a ready-to-use set that can be employed in microstructure evolution models, such as those based on object kinetic Monte Carlo (OKMC) methods. This work also identifies parameters that are needed, but not known, hopefully prompting corresponding calculations in the future. This work has received funding from the Euratom research and training programme 2014-2018 under grant agreement No. 755039 (M4F project). This research also contributes to the Joint Programme on Nuclear Materials of the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA-JPNM).

International audience; Mathematical modelling plays an important role in food engineering having various mathematical models tailored for different food topics. However, mathematical models are followed by limited information on their application in food companies. This paper aims to discuss the extent and the conditions surrounding the usage of mathematical models in the context of European food and drinks industry. It investigates the knowledge, nature and current use of modelling approaches in relation to the industry main characteristics. A total of 203 food companies from 12 European countries were included in this research.Results reveal that the country where the company operates, and size of the company, are more important predictors on the usage of mathematical models followed by the type of food sector. The more developed countries are positioned at the higher level of knowledge and use of available models. Similar pattern was observed at the micro level showing that small or medium sized companies exhibit lack of knowledge, resources and limiting usage of models.

International audience; Recently, the gut microbiota has emerged as a crucial factor that influences cholesterol metabolism. Ever since, significant interest has been shown in investigating these host-microbiome interactions to uncover microbiome-mediated functions on cholesterol and bile acid (BA) metabolism. Indeed, changes in gut microbiota composition and, hence, its derived metabolites have been previously reported to subsequently impact the metabolic processes and have been linked to several diseases. In this context, associations between a disrupted gut microbiome, impaired BA metabolism, and cholesterol dysregulation have been highlighted. Extensive advances in metagenomic and metabolomic studies in this field have allowed us to further our understanding of the role of intestinal bacteria in metabolic health and disease. However, only a few have provided mechanistic insights into their impact on cholesterol metabolism. Identifying the myriad functions and interactions of these bacteria to maintain cholesterol homeostasis remain an important challenge in such a field of research. In this review, we discuss the impact of gut microbiota on cholesterol metabolism, its association with disease settings, and the potential of modulating gut microbiota as a promising therapeutic target to lower hypercholesterolemia.

International audience; The aim of this study was to determine how cows with different genetic merit behave and perform when grazing biodiverse and heterogeneous mountain pastures with different slopes. Three groups of 12 cows in late lactation, each composed of four Holstein, four Montbéliarde and four Valdostana Red Pied cows, breeds of increasing presumed robustness and decreasing milk yield (MY) potential. Cows grazed without concentrate either on a low-diversity flat pasture or on two species-rich mountainous pastures having slopes of either 7° or 22°. Milk yield, BW and grazing behaviour were monitored two times in the first and once in the second grazing cycle. Cows of different breeds had similar behaviour on all pastures. The Montbéliarde cows performed close to their production potential; Holstein and Valdostana cows produced less milk than anticipated. No breed difference in terms of BW loss was found. The Valdostana cows exhibited the least selective behaviour with respect to plant species and plant growth stage. Still, all cows searched for the most palatable vegetation regardless of pasture diversity. On the steep pasture, cows optimised the trade-off between ingesting and saving energy to obtain feed. They remained longer at the lowest zone and selected forbs, whereas cows on the flatter pasture went to the upper zone to select grasses. The present study gave no evidence for a superior short-term adaptation to harsh grazing conditions through an optimised feeding behaviour of the Valdostana breed compared to Montbéliarde and Holstein cows.

Grazing management has an important impact on dairy ruminants’ performance. References on the intake and milk yield of dairy goats under strip-grazing systems in temperate regions are scarce. In order to study the effect of pasture allowance on pasture intake (PI), milk yield and grazing behaviour, a trial was carried out in spring with 36 Alpine goats in mid-lactation. Three daily pasture allowances (PA=1.7, 2.6 and 3.5 kg dry matter (DM)/day, namely Low, Medium and High, respectively) were compared in a 3 × 3 Latin square design replicated six times during three successive 14-day periods. Goats individually received 268 g DM of concentrate twice daily at each milking and had access 11 h/day to pasture (from 0830 to 1600 h and from 1730 to 2100 h). Pasture intake increased with PA, and more so between Low and Medium than between Medium and High (+216 v. +101 g DM/kg DM of PA). Milk yield was lower on Low than on Medium and High (2.79 v. 3.13 kg/day), as were milk fat and protein yields. Grazing time averaged 476 min/day and was lowest on Low and greatest on Medium. Pasture intake rate was 30 g DM/h lower on Low and Medium than on High. It is concluded that under temperate conditions, when goats are supplemented with 536 g DM of concentrate and have enough access time to pasture (11 h/day), a medium pasture allowance close to 2.6 kg DM/day may be sufficient to maximise milk yield.

International audience; The local cattle populations belonging to the‘ Brune de l’Atlas’ cattle in Algeria and Morocco are potential resources in terms of genetic diversity and socioeconomic prevalence and their characterization is an essential step in any program designed to conserve genetic diversity. Our objectives were to assess the genetic diversity, the population structure and relationships among four Algerian cattle breeds, the Biskra, Cheurfa, Chelifienne and Guelmoise and of two Moroccan, the Oulmès-Zaër and Tidili by genotyping 50 309 single nucleotide polymorphism in 203 unrelated animals. A low population structure was observed across breeds with pairwise FST values ranging from 0.008 to 0.043, suggesting a high level of geneflow. These data were combined with the available data on cattle populations representative of Europe (EUT), West African taurine (WAT) and zebu (ZEB). Principle Components Analysis was carried out which revealed that the Maghrebin populations are closer to the EUT/ZEB population than to the WAT. Structure analysis confirmed this mixed origin of the Maghrebin cattle populations. We also detected the influence of zebu breeds in Cheurfa and Guelmoise populations. This study provides the first information about genetic diversity within and between Algerian and Moroccan cattle populations and gives a detailed description of their genetic structure and relationships according to their historical origins. This study revealed that several combined effects contributed to shape the genetic diversity of the six Maghrebin populations studied: (i) gene flow among local breeds, (ii) the recent introgression of European breeds in local Algerian breeds and (iii) the traditional management systems. The results of this study will primarily assist policy makers and livestock keepers to make useful decisions for improvement of genetic resources while ensuring the preservation and conservation of local breeds in Algeria and Morocco.

International audience; Breeding for resilience requires a better understanding of intra-flock variability and the related mechanisms responsible for robustness traits. Among such traits, the animals’ ability to cope with feed fluctuations by mobilizing or restoring body reserves (BR) is a key mechanism in ruminants. The objective of this work was to characterize individual variability in BR dynamics in productive Romane ewes reared in extensive conditions. The BR dynamics profiles were characterized by combining individual longitudinal measurements of BW and body condition scores (BCS) over several production cycles. Historical data, including up to 2628 records per trait distributed in 1146 ewes, underwent cluster analysis. Two to four trajectories were observed for BW depending on the cycle, while three trajectories were found for BCS, whatever the cycle. Most trajectories suggested that BR dynamics were similar but the level of BR may differ between ewes. Nevertheless, some trajectories suggested that both BR dynamics and levels were different for a proportion of ewes. Clustering on BW and BCS profiles adjusted for individual level trends, resulted in differences only in the level of BW or BCS, rather than differences in trajectories. Thus, the overall shape of trajectories was not changed considering or not the individual level trend across cycles. In addition to individual variability, the ewe’s age at first lambing and litter size contributed to the distribution of the ewes between the trajectories. Regarding the entire productive life, three trajectories were observed for BW and BCS changes over three productive cycles. Increase in BW at each cycle suggested that ewes kept growing up until 3 to 4 years old in our conditions. Similar alternation of BCS gains and losses across cycles suggested BR dynamics might be repeatable. Many individual trajectories remained the same throughout a ewe’s life, whatever the age at first lambing, parity or litter size. Our results demonstrate the relevance of using BW and BCS changes for characterizing the diversity of BR mobilization–accretion profiles in sheep in a long timespan perspective.

International audience; Plant secondary metabolites (PSM) are one of the promising options to control gastrointestinal nematodes in sheep and goats. The objective of this study was to assess the abilities of sheep and goats to self-medicate with tannin-rich sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia) (SF) when infected with gastrointestinal nematodes, using a cafeteria and an operant conditioning trial. Hypotheses were that parasitized (P) lambs and goat kids would show greater intake and preference for SF than their non-parasitized (NP) counterparts, that kids would eat more SF than lambs (due to their lower resistance against parasites and their greater ability to consume PSM), and that SF intake would increase over time for P animals. We used 20 female kids and 20 ewe lambs aged 3 months. Half of the animals per species (n = 10) were experimentally infected with 170 L3 larvae of Haemonchus contortus/kg of BW (P). The other half were free from parasites throughout the study (NP). Five weeks after infection, animals were exposed to a 24-day cafeteria trial (three 8-day periods) offering a free choice between two legume pellets: SF (3.8% condensed tannins) and alfalfa (ALF, Medicago sativa; no tannin). Subsequently, animals were involved in an operant conditioning trial of two 4-day long sessions, to assess in short-term tests their motivation to walk for a SF reward when offered in choice with freely available ALF. In the cafeteria trial, SF preference was greater in kids than in lambs, particularly in the first two periods. We did not observe a greater preference for SF in P animals, which was even greater in NP animals for periods 1 and 2. Sainfoin intake increased through periods for P animals, which led to similar SF preferences for all groups during period 3. In the operant-conditioning trial, motivation to get the SF reward was similar between P and NP animals. These results support the hypotheses that goats are more willing to consume tanniferous feeds than sheep, and that P animals increased SF intake through time. However, the emergence of a curative self-medicative behaviour was not supported, as P individuals did not show greater SF intake, preference, nor a greater motivation to get SF than NP animals, regardless of animal species. These findings are discussed with previous results and some explanations are presented.

This article presents experimental data describing the physiology and morphology of sunflower plants subjected to water deficit. Twenty-four sunflower genotypes were selected to represent genetic diversity within cultivated sunflower and included both inbred lines and their hybrids.Drought stress was applied to plants in pots at the vegetative stage using the high-throughput phenotyping platform Heliaphen at INRA Toulouse (France). Here, we provide data including specific leaf area, osmotic potential and adjustment, carbon isotope discrimination, leaf transpiration, plant architecture: plant height, leaf number, stem diameter. We also provide leaf areas of individual organs through time and growth rate during the stress period, environmental data such as temperatures, wind and radiation during the experiment. These data differentiate both treatment and the different genotypes and constitute a valuable resource to the community to study adaptation of crops to drought and the physiological basis of heterosis. It is available on the following repository: https://doi.org/10.25794/phenotype/er6lPW7V Keywords: Helianthus, Abiotic stress, Phenotyping platform, Drought stress

International audience; The data presented in this article are related to the research article entitled "A new framework to estimate spatio-temporal ammonia emissions due to Nitrogen fertilization in France" (Ramanantena-soa et al., 2018) but are given with more details at a regional scale (NUTS2) in the objective to get them available for other research or applied studies. They concerns (i) the data implemented in the CADASTRE_NH 3 framework and (ii) the data obtained using it, for crop year 2005/06. For the source data, the article focusses on the N fertilization practice management description, as this dataset is the most difficult to collect and to analyze in the objective of realistically representing the spatial and temporal variabilities needed in the framework.

After laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) of an ultra-strong in situ TiC whisker reinforced β-Ti composite, this paper investigates the evolution of microstructure and mechanical properties in response to heat treatment at different temperatures. Using in depth nano-SEM and TEM analyses, it is shown that ageing at 400 °C rounds the whiskers, annihilates the strain fields and grows Mo segregated nano-cells, but without improving the ductility. In contrast, ageing at 600 °C enables the transformation of metastable β to a lamellar β + α, leading to a dual phase matrix embedding TiC particles. This is in such a manner that extra ageing at 600 °C coalesces the nano-lamellar α + β microstructure to form a coarser micro-lamellar α + β matrix. This microstructure achieves 66 % of the compressive deformation of Cp-Ti, and over 1400 MPa compressive strength after 1 h of ageing at 600 °C. Despite this success under compression, hard and stiff TiC particles may still cause large spherical fractured voids, severely limiting the plastic deformation under tension. After laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) of an ultra-strong in situ TiC whisker reinforced β-Ti composite, this paper investigates the evolution of microstructure and mechanical properties in response to heat treatment at different temperatures. Using in depth nano-SEM and TEM analyses, it is shown that ageing at 400 °C rounds the whiskers, annihilates the strain fields and grows Mo segregated nano-cells, but without improving the ductility. In contrast, ageing at 600 °C enables the transformation of metastable β to a lamellar β + α, leading to a dual phase matrix embedding TiC particles. This is in such a manner that extra ageing at 600 °C coalesces the nano-lamellar α + β microstructure to form a coarser micro-lamellar α + β matrix. This microstructure achieves 66 % of the compressive deformation of Cp-Ti, and over 1400 MPa compressive strength after 1 h of ageing at 600 °C. Despite this success under compression, hard and stiff TiC particles may still cause large spherical fractured voids, severely limiting the plastic deformation under tension. ispartof: Additive Manufacturing vol:36 status: published

International audience; A bio-sourced foam, agglomerated cork, was chosen to evaluate the influence of short fibres on the mechanical behaviour of cellular materials. The final material was obtained by mixing cork particles with a thermoset resin. Rigid short fibres were then added before uni-axial compression. Enhancing the foam's mechanical properties without increasing the density is a current problem in transport industries. In this article, we demonstrate how the addition of short fibres strongly modifies the mechanical behaviour of agglomerated foam materials. Dynamic Mechanical Analysis technique revealed that the glass temperature was greater for reinforced foams and more energy loss by heat in visco-elasticity was also noticed for this material. In quasi-static compression, rigidity was strongly enhanced, causing absorbed energy before densification to increase. Maximal force and displacement before fracture were studied by applying Mode I fracture tests, and both were improved by the addition of short fibres. The mesoscopic and microscopic observations revealed it was linked to fracture mechanisms, most of which happen inside cork beads for the reinforced cellular material. The properties of agglomerated foams may then be improved and tailored by the addtion of short fibres and make weight saving possible in several industrial applications.; A bio-sourced foam, agglomerated cork, was chosen to evaluate the influence of short fibres on the mechanical behaviour of cellular materials. The final material was obtained by mixing cork particles with a thermoset resin. Rigid short fibres were then added before uni-axial compression. Enhancing the foam's mechanical properties without increasing the density is a current problem in transport industries. In this article, we demonstrate how the addition of short fibres strongly modifies the mechanical behaviour of agglomerated foam materials. Dynamic Mechanical Analysis technique revealed that the glass temperature was greater for reinforced foams and more energy loss by heat in visco-elasticity was also noticed for this material. In quasi-static compression, rigidity was strongly enhanced, causing absorbed energy before densification to increase. Maximal force and displacement before fracture were studied by applying Mode I fracture tests, and both were improved by the addition of short fibres. The mesoscopic and microscopic observations revealed it was linked to fracture mechanisms, most of which happen inside cork beads for the reinforced cellular material. The properties of agglomerated foams may then be improved and tailored by the addtion of short fibres and make weight saving possible in several industrial applications.

International audience; Quantifying robustness of farm animals is essential before it can be implemented in breeding and management strategies.A generic modelling and data analysis procedure was developed to quantify the feed intake response of growing pigs toperturbations in terms of resistance and resilience. The objective of this study was to apply this procedure to quantify these traitsin 155 pigs from an experiment where they received diets with or without cereals contaminated with the mycotoxindeoxynivalenol (DON). The experimental pigs were divided equally in a control group and three DON-challenged groups. Pigs ineach of the challenged groups received a diet contaminated with DON for 7 days early on (from 113 to 119 days of age), later on(from 134 to 140 days of age) or in both periods of the experiment. Results showed that the target feed intake trajectory of eachpig could be estimated independently of the challenge. The procedure also estimated relatively accurately the times when DONwas given to each challenged group. Results of the quantification of the feed intake response indicated that age and previousexposure to DON have an effect on the resilience capacity of the animals. The correlation between resistance and resilience traitswas modest, indicating that these are different elements of robustness. The feed intake analysis procedure proved its capacity todetect and quantify the response of animals to perturbations, and the resulting response traits can potentially be used inbreeding strategies

Several seed and seedling traits are measured to evaluate germination and emergence potential in relation with environmental conditions. More generally, these traits are also measured in the field of ecology as simple traits that can be correlated to other adaptative traits more difficult to measure on adult plants, as for example traits of the rooting system. Methods were developed for deep high throughput phenotyping of hundreds of genotypes from dry seed to the end of heterotrophic growth. The present dataset comes from a project on genotyping and phenotyping of populations of genotypes, with different geographic and genetic origins so as to increase genotypic diversity of sugar beet in terms of germination and early growth traits, evaluated at low temperatures. Data were collected in relation to the creation of the first sugar beet crop ontology. This dataset corresponds to the first automated phenotyping of a population of 198 genotypes and 4 commercial control varieties and is hosted on INRAE public depository under the reference number doi.org/10.15,454/AKNF4Q. The equipment and methods presented here are available on a phenotyping platform opened to collaborative research and adaptable for specific services for characterizing thousands of genotypes on different crops or other species. The phenotyping values can also be linked to genomic information to study the genetic determinism of the trait values. Keywords: Seed, Seedling, Germination, Heterotrophic growth, Automated phenotyping, Sugar beet, Genotypes

Bisphenol S (BPS) is widely used as a substitute for Bisphenol A in consumer products. Despite its potential endocrine-disrupting effects and widespread exposure, toxicokinetic data, particularly during the critical period of pregnancy, are not available for BPS. The objectives of our study were to evaluate the mechanisms determining fetal exposure to BPS and to BPS glucuronide (BPSG) and to compare them with those prevailing for BPA.The disposition of BPS and BPSG was evaluated in the materno-fetal unit of the catheterized pregnant ewe model, following intravenous administrations of BPS and BPSG to mothers and their fetuses. In a second experiment, the rate of BPS accumulation in the fetal compartment was determined under steady-state conditions after repeated intravenous BPS administrations to the mother.In the maternal compartment, BPS was mainly metabolized into BPSG and totally eliminated in urine. Only 0.40% of the maternal dose was transferred to the fetus. However, once in the fetal compartment, 26% of the fetal dose was rapidly eliminated through placental transfer, while 46% of BPS was metabolized into BPSG which remained trapped in the fetal compartment. Thus, the elimination of BPSG from the fetal compartment required its back-conversion into bioactive BPS, leading to an 87% enhancement of the fetal BPS exposure.Our findings demonstrate that, despite the low materno-fetal placental transfer of BPS, this substitute for BPA is able to accumulate in the fetal compartment after repeated maternal exposure, leading to chronic fetal exposure to BPS in a range of concentrations similar to those of BPA. Keywords: Bisphenol S, Bisphenol S Glucuronide, Toxicokinetic, Fetal exposure, Bisphenol A analogue

Dealing with the major societal and research challenges related to antimicrobial use will require cross-disciplinary research and strong relationships between researchers and stakeholders. Design theories, such as the concept-knowledge (C-K) theory, can help spur the emergence of innovation. Here, our objective was to examine how the C-K theory could promote the development of novel, cross-disciplinary research projects on antimicrobial use and animal microbes’ resistance to antimicrobials. A French research network (R2A2; Réseau Recherche Antibiotiques Animal) was created whose goal was to foster cross-disciplinary research and scientific discussion on these topics. The R2A2 network hosted general meetings and thematic workshops, during which participants brainstormed using C-K diagrams. The network's performance was evaluated through the evolution of C-K diagrams, project creation, and participant interviews. R2A2 led to the creation of a minimum of eight research projects. The participants felt network events facilitated interactions and collaborations with researchers in different disciplines. The R2A2 network has opened new avenues of research into several important topics: antimicrobial use on farms, the environmental impacts of antimicrobials, animal immunity, and alternative treatments. The keys to its success were: (i) participant interest; (ii) the use of C-K design theory to encourage cross-disciplinary thinking; (iii) the aim of fostering several small projects rather than one large project; and (iv) network responsiveness to participant needs with regards to meeting and workshop topics. C-K theory served a key role in promoting cross-disciplinary thinking on topics at the interface between research and stakeholder interests. Keywords: Antimicrobials, Animal health, Innovation design, Cross-disciplinary, Research network, C-K theory, KCP process

International audience; Human apolipoprotein E (apoE) exhibits three major isoforms (apoE2, apoE3, and apoE4) corresponding to polymorphism in theAPOEgene. Total plasma apoE concentrations are closely related to these isoforms but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. We aimed to describe the kinetics of apoE individual isoforms to explore the mechanisms for variable total apoE plasma concentrations. We used liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to discriminate between isoforms by identifying specific peptide sequences in subjects (3 E2/E3, 3 E3/E3 and 3 E3/E4 phenotypes) who received a primed constant infusion of2H3-leucine for 14 hours. ApoE concentrations and leucine enrichments were measured hourly in plasma. Concentrations of apoE2 were higher than apoE3, and concentrations of apoE4 were lower than apoE3. There was no difference between apoE3 and apoE4 catabolic rates and between apoE2 and apoE3 production rates, but apoE2 catabolic rates and apoE4 production rates were lower. Then, the mechanisms leading to the difference in total plasma apoE concentrations are related to contrasted kinetics of the isoforms. Production or catabolic rates are differently affected according to the specific isoforms. From these grounds, studies on the regulation of the involved biochemical pathways and the impact of pathological environments are now warranted.

Pigs selected for high performance may be more at risk of developing diseases. This study aimed to assess the health and performance of two pig lines divergently selected for residual feed intake (RFI) (low RFI (LRFI) v. high RFI (HRFI)) and housed in two contrasted hygiene conditions (poor v. good) using a 2×2 factorial design (n=40/group). The challenge period (Period 1), started on week zero (W0) when 12-week-old pigs were transferred to good or poor housing conditions. At week 6 (W6), half of the pigs in each group were slaughtered. During a recovery period (Period 2) from W6 to W13 to W14, the remaining pigs (n=20/group) were transferred in good hygiene conditions before being slaughtered. Blood was collected every three (Period 1) or 2 weeks (Period 2) to assess blood indicators of immune and inflammatory responses. Pulmonary lesions at slaughter and performance traits were evaluated. At W6, pneumonia prevalence was greater for pigs housed in poor than in good conditions (51% v. 8%, respectively, P

In pikeperch, Sander lucioperca, aquaculture hormonal treatment is usually applied to synchronize ovulation. However, the effect of dopamine (DA) receptor antagonists, in particular those blocking the D1 DA receptors, remains unknown. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate and compare the effects of D1 and D2 DA receptor antagonists on the sex-steroid production and reproductive performance of the species. Two experiments were performed during which mature pikeperch females were injected with different molecules: NaCl 0.9% (negative control) or human chorionic gonadotropin 500 IU/kg (positive control) in both experiments, metoclopramide (a D2 receptor antagonist; 4 mg/kg or 20 mg/kg) or SCH23390 (a D1 receptor antagonist; 0.8 mg/kg or 4 mg/kg) alone (experiment 1) or in combination with a salmon gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue (sGnRHa at 25 µg/kg; experiment 2). In experiment 2, fish were also injected with sGnRHa (25 µg/kg) as positive control. Samplings of oocytes and blood were performed on the day of injection and after 24 h (both experiments), after 48 h (experiment 2) and at the time of ovulation (both experiments). In non-ovulating fish, samplings were performed 7 days (experiment 1) or 14 days (experiment 2) after injection. In experiment 2, various zootechnical parameters of fertilized eggs were recorded (survival, hatching and malformation rates). The two antagonists alone were ineffective in inducing the final stages and regulating sex-steroid (testosterone, 11 ketotestosterone, 17β estradiol and 17,20β-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one) production. When administered with sGnRHa, both SCH23390 and metoclopramide induced the final stages. However, only SCH23390 stimulated testosterone (4 mg/kg) and 17β estradiol (0.8 mg/kg) production compared with sGnRHa alone. None of the treatments affected the survival, hatching or malformation rates. This is the first report suggesting that in pikeperch the D1, but not the D2, DA receptor antagonist would be involved in the testosterone and 17β estradiol production as a potentiator of the sGnRHa effect.

Graphical abstract, Evaluating the quality changes of packed strawberries during storage requires multiple, time consuming and costly measurements such as sensorial, chemical and decay identification. In order to efficiently assess the quality of strawberries in Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) while reducing the number of analysis done, we propose to gather the main visual quality changes under one unique, overall measurement. For this end, a protocol associated to a deterioration grid was built to evaluate surface deterioration as a function of time considering color change, texture softening and microorganism development. The developed method has permitted to build the deterioration kinetic of strawberries packed in different conditions (MAP or no MAP). It allows to mimic the quality analysis made by the consumer, at a glance, during purchase. To the best of our knowledge, the presented method is a breakthrough unlike most common usual methods mainly relying on the number of spoiled strawberries. • Global measurement of the deterioration encompassing microorganism development, color change and texture softening. • An annotation grid built to be used as reference for the attribution of the percentage of strawberries’ deterioration. • Measurements of a percentage of surface deterioration was found more accurate than counting the number of rotten strawberries.

Intestinal strongyles are the most problematic endoparasites of equids as a result of their wide distribution and the spread of resistant isolates throughout the world. While abundant literature can be found on the extent of anthelmintic resistance across continents, empirical knowledge about associated risk factors is missing. This study brought together results from anthelmintic efficacy testing and risk factor analysis to provide evidence-based guidelines in the field. It involved 688 horses from 39 French horse farms and riding schools to both estimate Faecal Egg Count Reduction (FECR) after anthelmintic treatment and to interview farm and riding school managers about their practices. Risk factors associated with reduced anthelmintic efficacy in equine strongyles were estimated across drugs using a marginal modelling approach. Results demonstrated ivermectin efficacy (96.3% ± 14.5% FECR), the inefficacy of fenbendazole (42.8% ± 33.4% FECR) and an intermediate profile for pyrantel (90.3% ± 19.6% FECR). Risk factor analysis provided support to advocate for FEC-based treatment regimens combined with individual anthelmintic dosage and the enforcement of tighter biosecurity around horse introduction. The combination of these measures resulted in a decreased risk of drug resistance (relative risk of 0.57, p = 0.02). Premises falling under this typology also relied more on their veterinarians suggesting practitionners play an important role in the sustainability of anthelmintic usage. Similarly, drug resistance risk was halved in premises with frequent pasture rotation and with stocking rate below five horses/ha (relative risk of 0.53, p, Highlights • 688 horses have been enrolled for Egg reduction rate measure. • Ivermectin remains efficient but fendendazole is not any more. • Evidence-based drenching and individual dosing lower resistance risk. • Higher biosecurity is associated with higher drug efficacy. • Premises with the least pasture constraints show higher drug efficacy.

International audience; Probiotics are defined as live microorganisms that when administered in adequate amount confer a health benefit to the host. To be considered as a probiotic, a bacterial strain must not only be safe but should also survive in the human gastrointestinal tract and exert health benefits on its host. Streptococcus thermophilus is a Gram positive bacterium widely used in dairy fermentations for the production of yogurt and cheese. In contrast with other lactic acid bacteria, the probiotic status of S. thermophilus remains still questioned. This review gives an update of the human trials, in vivo assays in animal models and in vitro experiments, which have assessed the resistance of S. thermophilus to gastrointestinal stresses and have investigated its positive health effects. The underlying mechanisms of action are also described and the probiotic status of the bacterium is debated with respect to the available literature.

Currently for bacterial identification and classification the rrs gene encoding 16S rRNA is used as a reference method for the analysis of strains of the genus Nocardia. However, it does not have enough polymorphism to differentiate them at the species level. This fact makes it necessary to search for molecular targets that can provide better identification. The sodA gene (encoding the enzyme superoxide dismutase) has had good results in identifying species of other Actinomycetes. In this study the sodA gene is proposed for the identification and differentiation at the species level of the genus Nocardia. We used 41 type species of various collections; a 386 bp fragment of the sodA gene was amplified and sequenced, and a phylogenetic analysis was performed comparing the genes rrs (1171 bp), hsp65 (401 bp), secA1 (494 bp), gyrB (1195 bp) and rpoB (401 bp). The sequences were aligned using the Clustal X program. Evolutionary trees according to the neighbour-joining method were created with the programs Phylo_win and MEGA 6. The specific variability of the sodA genus of the genus Nocardia was analysed. A high phylogenetic resolution, significant genetic variability, and specificity and reliability were observed for the differentiation of the isolates at the species level. The polymorphism observed in the sodA gene sequence contains variable regions that allow the discrimination of closely related Nocardia species. The clear specificity, despite its small size, proves to be of great advantage for use in taxonomic studies and clinical diagnosis of the genus Nocardia.

Metabolic profile of urine from piglets administered with single boluses contaminated with mycotoxin mixture (deoxynivalenol, aflatoxin B1, fumonisin B1, zearalenone, and ochratoxin A) were studied by 1H NMR spectroscopy and chemometrics (PCA, PLS-DA, and OPLS-DA). The mycotoxin levels were close to the established maximum and guidance levels for animal feed (2003/100/EC and 2006/576/EC). Urine samples were obtained from four groups of four piglets before (control, C) or within 24 h (treated, T) after receiving a contaminated boluses with increasing doses of mycotoxins (boluses 1–4). For the two highest dose groups, the urines were collected also after one week of wash out (W). For the two lowest doses groups no significant differences between the C and T samples were observed. By contrast, for the two highest doses groups the T urines separated from the controls for a higher relative content of creatinine, p-cresol glucuronide and phenyl acetyl glycine and lower concentration of betaine and TMAO. Interestingly, a similar profile was found for both W and T urines suggesting, at least for the highest doses used, serious alteration after a single bolus of mycotoxin mixture., Highlights • A single dose of mycotoxins mixture (DON, AFB1, FB1, ZEN, and OTA ) could produce serious impairments of gut microbiota of piglets. • The explorative metabolomic analysis on urine piglets, fed with boluses contaminated with mycotoxins mixtures, was performed. • NMR-based MVA resulted in a higher urinary concentrations of creatinine, p-cresol glucuronide and phenyl acetyl glycine and lower concentrations of betaine and TMAO after treatment with respect to own controls.

Objective According to the Developmental Origin of Health and Disease (DOHaD) concept, maternal obesity and accelerated growth in neonates predispose offspring to white adipose tissue (WAT) accumulation. In rodents, adipogenesis mainly develops during lactation. The mechanisms underlying the phenomenon known as developmental programming remain elusive. We previously reported that adult rat offspring from high-fat diet-fed dams (called HF) exhibited hypertrophic adipocyte, hyperleptinemia and increased leptin mRNA levels in a depot-specific manner. We hypothesized that leptin upregulation occurs via epigenetic malprogramming, which takes place early during development of WAT. Methods As a first step, we identified in silico two potential enhancers located upstream and downstream of the leptin transcription start site that exhibit strong dynamic epigenomic remodeling during adipocyte differentiation. We then focused on epigenetic modifications (methylation, hydroxymethylation, and histone modifications) of the promoter and the two potential enhancers regulating leptin gene expression in perirenal (pWAT) and inguinal (iWAT) fat pads of HF offspring during lactation (postnatal days 12 (PND12) and 21 (PND21)) and in adulthood. Results PND12 is an active period for epigenomic remodeling in both deposits especially in the upstream enhancer, consistent with leptin gene induction during adipogenesis. Unlike iWAT, some of these epigenetic marks were still observable in pWAT of weaned HF offspring. Retained marks were only visible in pWAT of 9-month-old HF rats that showed a persistent “expandable” phenotype. Conclusions Consistent with the DOHaD hypothesis, persistent epigenetic remodeling occurs at regulatory regions especially within intergenic sequences, linked to higher leptin gene expression in adult HF offspring in a depot-specific manner., Highlights • The white adipose tissue is an important target of developmental programming. • Higher leptin gene expression occurs in offspring from obese dams in a depot-specific manner. • Leptin upregulation occurs via epigenetic malprogramming during development of adipose tissue. • Persistent genomic epigenetic remodeling occurs in adipose tissue of offspring from obese dams. • Intergenic regions were more affected than the leptin promoter region in offspring of obese dams.

Prokaryotes forming the domain of Archaea, named after their first discovery in extreme environments, are acknowledged but still neglected members of the human digestive tract microbiota. In this microbiota, cultured archaea comprise anaerobic methanogens: Methanobrevibacter smithii, Methanobrevibacter oralis, Methanobrevibacter massiliense, Methanosphaera stadtmanae, Methanobrevibacter arboriphilus, Methanobrevibacter millerae and Methanomassiliicoccus luminyensis; along with the non-methanogen halophilic Archaea Halopherax massiliense. Metagenomic analyses detected DNA sequences indicative of the presence of additional methanogenic and non-methanogenic halophilic Archaea in the human intestinal tract and oral cavity. Methanogens specifically metabolize hydrogen produced by anaerobic fermentation of carbohydrates into methane; further transforming heavy metals and metalloids into methylated derivatives, such as trimethylbismuth which is toxic for both human and bacterial cells. However, the role of Archaea as pathogens remains to be established. Future researches will aim to increase the repertoire of the human digestive tract Archaea and to understand their possible association with intestinal and extra-intestinal infections and diseases including weight regulation abnormalities. Keywords: Human-associated Archaea, Methanogens, Halophiles, Oral cavity, Intestinal tract

International audience; The traditional beef production in the South of Portugal is based on a discontinuous growth (DG) system that requires lower external inputs and could enhance meat quality and financial returns to cattle producers. This system allows farmers to take advantage of the bull's compensatory growth when the pasture is abundant and finishes the cattle on concentrates for 2 to 3 months before slaughter. The fast gain rate before slaughter could be a valuable strategy to improve tenderness and to reduce its inconsistency in beef production. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of production system (continuous growth (CG) v. DG) on longissimus thoracis muscle properties from Alentejana bulls. In total, 40 Alentejana male calves were allocated to two distinct feeding regimes: in the CG system, animals were fed concentrate plus hay and slaughtered at 18 months of age, whereas in the DG system, animals were fed on hay until 15 months of age and then fed the same diet provided to the CG group until 24 months of age. The DG system had a positive impact on meat tenderness (P

International audience; In pigs, digestive disorders associated with weaning lead to antibiotic use to maintain intestinal health. Microalgae have been studied in humans and rodents for their beneficial effects on health. The nutritional value of microalgae in animal diets has been assessed, but results were not conclusive. Dietary supplementation with microalgae as an alternative to antibiotic use was studied in two trials (72 piglets with initial BW=9.1±1.1 kg in trial 1 and 24 piglets with initial BW=9.1±0.9 kg in trial 2). All piglets were weaned at 28 days of age and then housed in individual cages. Piglets were randomly allocated to one of the four diets during 2 weeks after weaning: a standard diet with no supplementation (NC) or the standard diet supplemented with 1% Spirulina (SP), with 1% Chlorella (CV), or with 0.2% of colistin as positive control (PC). Trial 1 was performed to determine the effect of microalgae supplementation from 28 to 42 days on performance and incidence of diarrhoea. Animals received then a standard diet from 42 to 56 days of age. Trial 2 was performed from 28 to 42 days of age to assess nutrient digestibility of the experimental diets and to determine inflammatory status and intestinal morphology at 42 days of age. In trial 1, 94% of the pigs had diarrhoea in the 1st week after weaning with no beneficial effect of colistin on diarrhoea incidence, average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily gain (ADG), and gain : feed (G : F) ratio. This suggests that the diarrhoea was due to digestive disorders that did not result from enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli infection. Supplementation with either Spirulina or Chlorella did not affect ADFI, ADG and G : F in trials 1 and 2 (P>0.10). Diarrhoea incidence was reduced in CV pigs compared with NC, SP and PC pigs (P

To view supplementary material for this article, please visit https:/doi.org/10.1017/S175173111600286X; This review summarizes the results from the INRA (Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique) divergent selection experiment on residual feed intake (RFI) in growing Large White pigs during nine generations of selection. It discusses the remaining challenges and perspectives for the improvement of feed efficiency in growing pigs. The impacts on growing pigs raised under standard conditions and in alternative situations such as heat stress, inflammatory challenges or lactation have been studied. After nine generations of selection, the divergent selection for RFI led to highly significant ( P

Epub 2017 May 04; Traumatic situations in animals induce responses including pain, expressed through behavioural and physiological pathways such as inflammation, oxidative stress, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and autonomic nervous system. As some of these systems can also be activated during excitement and situations with a positive valence, their use as a means to assess pain response is difficult. We explored (i) how these five aforementioned pathways change in sheep exposed to various degrees of invasiveness of surgical procedures despite a therapeutic regimen and (ii) whether a multiparametric analysis that combines information from these five pathways enhances the discrimination between these situations, and estimates the relative importance of these pathways in the response. We used 24 adult sheep split into four treatments: Control (C; no fasting, no anaesthesia, no surgery), Sham (S; fasting, anaesthesia, no surgery), Rumen Canulation (R; fasting, anaesthesia, rumen cannulation) and Rumen-Duodenal-Ileum cannulation (RDI; fasting, anaesthesia, cannulation of the rumen, duodenum and ileum). Sheep' responses were measured for 5 days after surgery. When considering each behavioural or physiological pathway independently, discrimination between treatments was acceptable, its sensitivity (Se) ranging from 0% to 100%, and its specificity (Sp) ranging from 62% to 100%. The multiparametric analysis gathering information from the five pathways enhanced the effectiveness of discrimination between treatments (Se, 50% to 100%; Sp, 82% to 100%), and gave additional information on the relative contribution of each pathway to the global sheep response. Sheep global response was higher when exposed to a surgery, and increased with the surgery invasiveness. This response relied mostly on inflammation (absolute correlation for haptoglobin, 0.89), HPA (cortisol, 0.85) and behaviour (antalgic postures, 0.85). The multiparametric approach seems to be a promising tool to discriminate between different degrees of invasiveness of surgical procedures.

International audience; The aim of this study was to characterize the lipids present in the oil and kernels of Ricinodendron heudelotii seeds. Two dehulling methods were used to extract kernels from their husks: a heat treatment and a manual mechanical dehulling technique. Oil from kernels obtained by traditional heat treatment of seeds had a kinematic viscosity of 169 ± 0.5 mPa.s, and an iodine value of 175.6 ± 1.1 g/100 g oil. The oil from kernels isolated by mechanical dehulling had a kinematic viscosity of 128 ± 0.11 mPa.s and an iodine value of 195.2 ± 2.0 g/100 g oil. Determination of the minor compound profile of the oil revealed a total tocopherol content of 135.0 ± 0.4 mg oil from kernels isolated by traditional heat treatment. The oil obtained from kernels isolated by manual mechanical dehulling had a total tocopherol content of 178.3 ± 0.4 mg/100 g. An analysis of the fatty-acid profile of the oil from kernels isolated by traditional heat treatment revealed the presence of α-eleostearic acid (50.5% ±0.1), linoleic acid (24.0% ±0.0), β-eleostearic (8.4% ±0.0) and catalpic acid (0.40% ±0.1). By contrast, the fatty acid composition of oil from kernels isolated by manual mechanical dehulling was of α-eleostearic acid (60.1% ±0.2), linoleic acid (22.8% ±0.1). Ricinodendron heudelotii oil has a very high level (84.4 ± 0.4%) of polyunsaturated fatty acids (CLnA). Some analysis of the triglycerides present in the oil revealed the potential isomerization of α-eleostearic acid to form β-eleostearic acid and catalpic acid

International audience; The bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass is a promising method for the production of bio-energy, biomolecules and biomaterials. Pretreatment of the lignocellulosic biomass is an essential step in this process. The choice of pretreatment process is a difficult one, and there are currently no clear criteria on which to base this choice. This project, with its sustainability and agri-food perspective, used environmental impacts to assess the various processes and their panels of technologies. The approach developed integrates big data, to improve sustainability management in supply chain design, with the aim of valorising agricultural waste. In five main steps, this approach combines concepts from industry 4.0, sustainability and the agri-food industry. We apply this approach to a case study in the domain of agricultural waste valorisation: the pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass in the rice supply chain.

International audience; The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of the loading rate on the mechanical properties and damage mechanisms of a Glass/Elium150 laminate composite. Quasi-static indentation (QS) and low energy dynamic impact (DYN) tests which simulate lifetime structural loadings (dropped tool, gravel impacts, …) are lead. A specific experimental approach is developed to compare results of both experiments. The effect of the loading rate on the structural response (stiffness, dissipated energy) of the composite is highlighted. The numerous damage mechanisms involved in the collapse of the material are observed at a microscopic scale using both optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Finally an intra-laminar crack propagation mechanism is described based on post-mortem observations at ply scale to explain the formation of interlaminar cracks

International audience; Insects are everywhere: they represent 73% of the total described fauna, and, being linked to every ecosystem function, they play key roles in biodiversity resilience. However, are we humans aware of this? Through a study conducted on French students in Environmental and Human Sciences, we designed a free-associations test-based game to elucidate whether Insects were a part of animal diversity representations and which Insects were indeed in students' minds. We also looked for perceived values and related knowledge among taxa in order to examine those results with regard to students' socio-demographic characteristics. Besides a known overall negative perception of invertebrates, we found that this perception was correlated to the "human environment" of the person beyond the "exposure to nature" theory: being surrounded by persons actively involved in nature conservation increases positive perception of Insecta. Moreover, invertebrates were less seen as a part of ecosystems than vertebrates; this implies a lack of a holistic vision of diversity, which might be the key to improving insect understanding and conservation. Departing from the depiction of insects from a specific group of participants, we propose a generic framework to enhance awareness for insect conservation and recommendations to improve education initiatives. These baselines could significantly help future conservation strategies as they address the perception challenge of insects.

Wine-related non-Saccharomyces yeasts are becoming more widely used in oenological practice for their ability to confer wine a more complex satisfying aroma, but their metabolism remains unknown. Our study explored the nitrogen utilisation profile of three popular non-Saccharomyces species, Torulaspora delbrueckii, Metschnikowia pulcherrima and Metschnikowia fructicola. The nitrogen source preferences to support growth and fermentation as well as the uptake order of different nitrogen sources during wine fermentation were investigated. While T. delbrueckii and S. cerevisiae strains shared the same nitrogen source preferences, Metschnikowia sp. Displayed a lower capacity to efficiently use the preferred nitrogen compounds, but were able to assimilate a wider range of amino acids. During alcoholic fermentation, the non-Saccharomyces strains consumed different nitrogen sources in a similar order as S. cerevisiae, but not as quickly. Furthermore, when all the nitrogen sources were supplied in the same amount, their assimilation order was similarly affected for both S. cerevisiae and non-Saccharomyces strains. Under this condition, the rate of nitrogen source consumption of non-Saccharomyces strains and S. cerevisiae was comparable. Overall, this study expands our understanding about the preferences and consumption rates of individual nitrogen sources by the investigated non-Saccharomyces yeasts in a wine environment. This knowledge provides useful information for a more efficient exploitation of non-Saccharomyces strains that improves the management of the wine fermentation.

This data article contains annotation data characterizing Multi Criteria Assessment (MCA) Methods proposed in the agri-food sector by researchers from INRA, Europe's largest agricultural research institute (INRA, http://institut.inra.fr/en). MCA can be used to assess and compare agricultural and food systems, and support multi-actor decision making and design of innovative systems for crop production, animal production and processing of agricultural products. These data are stored in a public repository managed by INRA (https://data.inra.fr/; https://doi.org/10.15454/WB51LL). Keywords: Literature search query, INRA divisions, Trade-offs, Multicriteria decision, Multicriteria assessment

Variation in facial emotion processing abilities may contribute to variability in penetrance for psychotic symptoms in 22q11.2DS. However, the precise nature of the social cognitive dysfunction (i.e., facial expression perception vs. emotion recognition), the potential additional roles of genetic and environmental variabilities, and consequently the possibility of using this neurocognitive marker in clinical monitoring remain unclear. The present case study aimed at testing the hypothesis that when confounding factors are controlled, the presence of psychotic symptoms in 22q11.2DS is associated, at the individual level, with a neural marker of facial expression perception rather than explicit emotional face recognition. Two monozygotic twins with 22q11.2DS discordant for psychiatric manifestations performed (1) a classical facial emotion labelling task and (2) an implicit neural measurement of facial expression perception using a frequency-tagging approach in electroencephalography (EEG). Analysis of the periodic brain response elicited by a change of facial expression from neutrality indicated that the twin with psychotic symptoms did not detect emotion among neutral faces while the twin without the symptoms did. In contrast, both encountered difficulties labelling facial emotion. The results from this exploratory twin study support the idea that impaired facial expression perception rather than explicit recognition of the emotion expressed might be a neurocognitive endophenotype of psychotic symptoms that could be reliable at a clinical level. Although confirmatory studies should be required, it facilitates further discussion on the etiology of the clinical phenotype in 22q11.2DS., Highlights • Study design is a privileged opportunity to highlight reliable endophenotypes of psychiatric symptoms at an individual level • Impaired facial expression perception rather than explicit recognition might be an endophenotype of psychotic symptoms • Further discussion on the etiology of the incomplete penetrance for psychotic symptoms in 22q11.2DS

Background & Aims: Although the role of inflammation to combat infection is known, the contribution of metabolic changes in response to sepsis is poorly understood. Sepsis induces the release of lipid mediators, many of which activate nuclear receptors such as the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)alpha, which controls both lipid metabolism and inflammation. We aimed to elucidate the previously unknown role of hepatic PPAR alpha in the response to sepsis.Methods: Sepsis was induced by intraperitoneal injection of Escherichia coli in different models of cell-specific PPAR alpha-deficiency and their controls. The systemic and hepatic metabolic response was analyzed using biochemical, transcriptomic and functional assays. PPAR alpha expression was analyzed in livers from elective surgery and critically ill patients and correlated with hepatic gene expression and blood parameters.Results: Both whole body and non-hematopoietic PPAR alpha-deficiency in mice decreased survival upon bacterial infection. Livers of septic PPAR alpha-deficient mice displayed an impaired metabolic shift from glucose to lipid utilization resulting in more severe hypoglycemia, impaired induction of hyperketonemia and increased steatosis due to lower expression of genes involved in fatty acid catabolism and ketogenesis. Hepatocyte-specific deletion of PPAR alpha impaired the metabolic response to sepsis and was sufficient to decrease survival upon bacterial infection. Hepatic PPAR alpha expression was lower in critically ill patients and correlated positively with expression of lipid metabolism genes, but not with systemic inflammatory markers.Conclusion: During sepsis, PPAR alpha-deficiency in hepatocytes is deleterious as it impairs the adaptive metabolic shift from glucose to FA utilization. Metabolic control by PPAR alpha in hepatocytes plays a key role in the host defense against infection.Lay summary: As the main cause of death in critically ill patients, sepsis remains a major health issue lacking efficacious therapies. While current clinical literature suggests an important role for inflammation, metabolic aspects of sepsis have mostly been overlooked. Here, we show that mice with an impaired metabolic response, due to deficiency of the nuclear receptor PPAR alpha in the liver, exhibit enhanced mortality upon bacterial infection despite a similar inflammatory response, suggesting that metabolic interventions may be a viable strategy for improving sepsis outcomes. (C) 2019 European Association for the Study of the Liver. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Glycosylation, a common modification of cellular proteins and lipids, is often altered in diseases and pathophysiological states such as hypoxia, yet the underlying molecular causes remain poorly understood. By utilizing lectin microarray glycan profiling, Golgi pH and redox screens, we show here that hypoxia inhibits terminal sialylation of N- and O-linked glycans in a HIF- independent manner by lowering Golgi oxidative potential. This redox state change was accompanied by loss of two surface-exposed disulfide bonds in the catalytic domain of the α-2,6-sialyltransferase (ST6Gal-I) and its ability to functionally interact with B4GalT-I, an enzyme adding the preceding galactose to complex N-glycans. Mutagenesis of selected cysteine residues in ST6Gal-I mimicked these effects, and also rendered the enzyme inactive. Cells expressing the inactive mutant, but not those expressing the wild type ST6Gal-I, were able to proliferate and migrate normally, supporting the view that inactivation of the ST6Gal-I help cells to adapt to hypoxic environment. Structure comparisons revealed similar disulfide bonds also in ST3Gal-I, suggesting that this O-glycan and glycolipid modifying sialyltransferase is also sensitive to hypoxia and thereby contribute to attenuated sialylation of O-linked glycans in hypoxic cells. Collectively, these findings unveil a previously unknown redox switch in the Golgi apparatus that is responsible for the catalytic activation and cooperative functioning of ST6Gal-I with B4GalT-I., Graphical abstract Image 1

International audience; This study focused for the first time on characterizing the inclusion complexes between β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and hydroxytyrosol (HT) in the solid state. In solution, HT and β-CD are able to form a 1:1 inclusion complex with an association constant of 33.2 ± 3.7 M-1. In the solid state, the inclusion complexes prepared by freeze-drying and spray-drying of an equimolar mixture of both partners were characterized and compared by 13C NMR and SEM. After dissolution, their free radical-scavenging ability was also determined by UV–visible spectroscopy. The results show that β-CD and drying processes have no effect on the efficiency of HT to reduce the DPPH radical. The solid state 13C NMR data provided information on the spatial proximity between β-CD and HT and suggest the formation of inclusion complexes for both drying processes compared to the physical mix. However, the morphology of the solids obtained was significantly different, as spherical particles were formed by spray-drying while freeze-drying only provided irregular shapes.

This paper tested the ability of machine learning techniques, namely artificial neural networks and random forests, to predict the individual trees within a forest most at risk of damage in storms. Models based on these techniques were developed individually for both a small forest area containing a set of 29 permanent sample plots that were damaged in Storm Martin in December 1999, and from a much larger set of 235 forest inventory data damaged in Storm Klaus in January 2009. Both data sets are within the Landes de Gascogne Forest in Nouvelle Aquitaine, France. The models were tested both against the data from which they were developed, and against the data set from the other storm. For comparison with an earlier study using the same data, logistic regression models were also developed. In addition, the ability of machine learning techniques to substitute for a mechanistic wind damage risk model by training them with previous mechanistic model predictions was tested. All models were accurate at identifying whether trees would be damaged or not damaged but the random forests models were more accurate, had higher discriminatory power, and were almost totally unaffected by the removal of any individual input variable. However, if all information relating to a stand was removed the random forests model lost accuracy and discriminatory power. The other models were similarly affected by the removal of all site information but none of the models were affected by removal of all tree information, suggesting that damage in the Landes de Gascogne Forest occurs at stand scale and is not controlled by individual tree characteristics. The models developed with the large comprehensive database were also accurate in identifying damaged trees when applied to the small forest data damaged in the earlier storm. However, none of the models developed with the smaller forest data set could successfully discriminate between damaged and undamaged trees when applied across the whole landscape. All models were very successful in replicating the predictions of the mechanistic wind risk model and using them as a substitute for the mechanistic model predictions of critical wind speed did not affect the damage model results. Overall the results suggest that random forests provide a significant advantage over other statistical modelling techniques and the random forest models were found to be more robust in their predictions if all input variables were not available. In addition, the ability to replace the mechanistic wind damage model suggests that random forests could provide a powerful tool for damage risk assessment at the stand or single tree level over large regions and provide rapid assessment of the impact of different management strategies or be used in the development of optimised forest management with multiple objectives and constraints including the risk of wind damage.

International audience; This study concerned a 25 yr continuous record of bulk precipitation and throughfall composition in a medium-altitude forested environment. The 1986-2012 survey from the more intense acid rain period in the mid-eighties until the present allowed the quantification of the interaction between atmospheric deposition and vegetation and the long-term evolution following pollutant emission trends. The long-term monitoring evidenced some significant temporal trends (pH, conductivity, SO42-, Cl-, NO3-, Ca2+, Mg2+, and K+). Significant decreases in the concentrations and fluxes of several ions were observed (H+ and SO42-, Cl-, and Ca2+) in open field precipitation and throughfalls. The regular and strong decrease in protons and sulfate followed the decreases in anthropogenic SO2 and NOx (proton precursors) since the 1980s. The decrease in Cl- concentrations was weaker and could have been related to the regional reduction in HCl emissions and/or to changes in the precipitation regime. The annual calcium fluxes were reduced from approximately 15 to 9 and 6 to 2 kg ha(-1) under spruces and beeches, respectively, as a consequence of reductions in anthropogenic industrial dust. In such calcium-limited resource soils, the atmospheric Ca flux exceeded the Ca flux from mineral weathering and was highly bioavailable for vegetation growth. This decrease in nutrient input had strong consequences for soil nutrients and may thus have participated in forest decline. The two tree plantations had contrasting effects on the physico-chemical parameters of the incoming precipitation with higher water interception and chemical concentrations under spruces than under beeches, which underlined the role of tree species in atmospheric inputs to soils. The structure and persistence of spruce needles enhanced the capture of particles and water, accentuating the acidity of the deposition and leading to the intensification of acidification processes, nutrient leaching in soils and forest decline. In contrast, beech leaves were able to neutralize a portion of the atmospheric protons, which minimized and reduced the negative effects of acid rain. In addition, the throughfalls represented an important part of the biological cycle of trees for some elements such as K or N, as indicated by the contrasting patterns at year and long-term scales regarding the vegetation type. However, our study indicated that the influence of tree species might change over time with changes in atmospheric pollution, in precipitation regime, or in stand structure. This study outlined the importance of the long-term record of open field precipitation and throughfalls under various tree types to better evaluate the real inputs of elements to forest ecosystems and among them, essential mineral nutrients.

Alphaviruses such as the Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) are important human emerging pathogens transmitted by mosquitoes. They possess a unique viral mRNA capping mechanism catalyzed by the viral non-structural protein nsP1, which is essential for virus replication. The alphaviruses capping starts by the methylation of a GTP molecule by the N7-guanine methyltransferase (MTase) activity; nsP1 then forms a covalent link with mGMP releasing pyrophosphate (GT reaction) and the mGMP is next transferred onto the 5′-diphosphate end of the viral mRNA to form a cap-0 structure. The cap-0 structure decreases the detection of foreign viral RNAs, prevents RNA degradation by cellular exonucleases, and promotes viral RNA translation into proteins. Additionally, reverse-genetic studies have demonstrated that viruses mutated in nsP1 catalytic residues are both impaired towards replication and attenuated. The nsP1 protein is thus considered an attractive antiviral target for drug discovery. We have previously demonstrated that the guanylylation of VEEV nsP1 can be monitored by Western blot analysis using an antibody recognizing the cap structure. In this study, we developed a high throughput ELISA screening assay to monitor the GT reaction through mGMP-nsP1 adduct quantitation. This assay was validated using known nsP1 inhibitors before screening 1220 approved compounds. 18 compounds inhibiting the nsP1 guanylylation were identified, and their IC determined. Compounds from two series were further characterized and shown to inhibit the nsP1 MTase activity. Conversely, these compounds barely inhibited a cellular MTase demonstrating their specificity towards nsP1. Analogues search and SAR were also initiated to identify the active pharmacophore features. Altogether the results show that this HT enzyme-based assay is a convenient way to select potent and specific hit compounds targeting the viral mRNA capping of Alphaviruses., This work was supported by the French research agency ANR “VMTaseIn”, grant ANR-ST14-ASTR-0026, and by the European Union (Seventh Framework Program, Marie Skłodowska-Curie ETN “EUVIRNA”, grant agreement number 264286 and Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie ETN “ANTIVIRALS”, grant agreement number 642434), and by the MINECO/FEDER SAF2015-64629-C2-1-R.

[EN] Guard cells integrate various hormone signals and environmental cues to balance plant gas exchange and transpiration. The wounding-associated hormone jasmonic acid (JA) and the drought hormone abscisic acid (ABA) both trigger stomatal closure. In contrast to ABA however, the molecular mechanisms of JA-induced stomatal closure have remained largely elusive. Here, we identify a fast signaling pathway for JA targeting the K+ efflux channel GORK. Wounding triggers both local and systemic stomatal closure by activation of the JA signaling cascade followed by GORK phosphorylation and activation through CBL1-CIPK5 Ca2+ sensor-kinase complexes. GORK activation strictly depends on plasma membrane targeting and Ca2+ binding of CBL1-CIPK5 complexes. Accordingly, in gork, cbl1, and cipk5 mutants, JA-induced stomatal closure is specifically abolished. The ABA-coreceptor ABI2 counteracts CBL1-CIPK5-dependent GORK activation. Hence, JA-induced Ca2+ signaling in response to biotic stress converges with the ABA-mediated drought stress pathway to facilitate GORK-mediated stomatal closure upon wounding., The authors would like to thank Stefanie Schultke and Linda Beckmann for their contribution of early interaction studies and Jan Niklas Offenborn for providing reagents and constructs. We thank Rainer Hedrich, Tracey Ann Cuin, Elzbieta Krol, and Dietmar Geiger for helpful discussions and critical comments on the manuscript and Irene Marten for supporting the patch-clamp experiments. This work was supported by grants from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) within the GK1342 "lipid signaling" to D.B. and within the DFG research group FOR964 to D.B., E.G., and J.K.

International audience; In 2018, the CNRS Thematic School “M2Corr” (“Mechanics – Microstructure – Corrosion”) brought together some one hundred people around the theme of coupling between mechanics, microstructure and corrosion, under the aegis of CNRS and CEFRACOR. Experts from various academic institutions and stakeholders from a range of industrial sectors discussed and analyzed the state of the art of scientific and technological developments related to the durability of materials and structures subjected to mechanical and environmental stress, coupled or decoupled. The experimental, theoretical and numerical aspects were discussed at different scales.This book, consisting of 22 chapters summarizing the courses taught at this school, provides its readers with the most advanced tools and scientific approaches to:– apprehend the phenomena of coupling by understanding the associated mechanisms, and to identify the variables of the first order among those related to the mechanical state, the material or the chemical environment; and– propose strategies to control and/or extend the life of structures in a multi-process coupling situation.The aim of this chapter is to briefly describe different techniques used for modeling structures from the atomic scale to the macroscopic scale and, where appropriate, their surrounding environment. For each method we will provide the general principle, references to books for more information, strengths and limitations, as well as some examples of recent applications drawn from the literature.

Chapitre 3; International audience; Legume-based mixtures have considerable interest for modern agriculture, because they can increase or stabilize crop production and simultaneously provide important agro-ecosystem functions. Accordingly, there is increasing demand for legume cultivars adapted to this utilization. This paper reviews the available findings and discuss methodological, eco-physiological and diversity-related issues that can help define cost-efficient breeding strategies for cool- and warm-season annual legumes intercropped with cereals, and perennial legumes intercropped with forage grasses. On average, selection in pure stand (PS) exhibited about 40% lower predicted yield gains than selection in target mixed stand (MS) conditions, in a survey of case studies. Specific breeding for intercropping tends to be particularly important for species undergoing severe competition because of modest competitive ability or the targeted growing conditions, for which direct selection in MS or indirect selection for traits associated with greater competitive ability prove valuable. Breeding for compatibility with a wide range of plant companions is encouraged by the larger size of general-compatibility effects relative to specific-compatibility ones. There is fairly limited evidence for the advantage of greater intraspecific diversity in legume breeding for intercropping. On the whole, however, the available findings are insufficient for designing efficient breeding strategies for the majority of legume species. We present a range of informative and cost-efficient methodological approaches that could be exploited for future studies. There is an urgent need to assess the efficiency of novel and relatively low-cost breeding strategies, among which evolutionary breeding and genomic selection emerge as the most promising.

The first tick genome published in 2016 provided an invaluable tool for studying the molecular basis of tick–pathogen interactions. Metabolism is a key element in host–pathogen interactions. However, our knowledge of tick–pathogen metabolic interactions is very limited. Recently, a systems biology approach, using omics datasets, has revealed that tick-borne pathogen infection induces transcriptional reprograming affecting several metabolic pathways in ticks, facilitating infection, multiplication, and transmission. Results suggest that the response of tick cells to tick-borne pathogens is associated with tolerance to infection. Here we review our current understanding of the modulation of tick metabolism by tick-borne pathogens, with a focus on the model intracellular bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum., PA was funded by the Junta de Comunidades of Castilla-La Mancha (Spain).