Presentation of a mixed reality software with a HoloLens headset for a nutrition workshop

Multimedia Tools and Applications - Microsoft has recently released a mixed reality headset called HoloLens. This semi-transparent visor headset allows the user who wears it to view the projection...     

The invasion of a large lake by the Eurasian genotype of common reed: The influence of roads and residential construction

The Eurasian genotype of common reed (Phragmites australis) is one of the most aggressive plant invading North American wetlands. There is, however, little published evidence on establishment patterns of populations along lakes of the St. Lawrence River–Great Lakes watershed. We tested the hypothesis that the recent invasion of Great Lake Saint-François (Québec, Canada) by common reed was facilitated by a dense road system and by an intense residence construction activity along lakeshores. A total of 345 and 2914 reed stands were mapped along lakeshores, and along the road system of the study area, respectively. The probability of finding a reed stand on a lakeshore increases with the proximity of the lake's outlet, and of a paved road, but decreases with the proximity of a residence built since 1990. It is likely that common reed first spread along the road system, and that wind dispersal of seeds then favored the establishment of populations on lakeshores. Our model does not support the hypothesis that residential construction facilitated the establishment of reed stands, probably because the recent residential construction boom occurred essentially in the southern part of the lake, where the number of roadside reed populations is much lower than in the northern part (lower seed rain). The invasion of Great Lake Saint-François shows that the spread of the plant is not restricted to major river or road systems. Large or small lakes, if submitted to intense diaspore pressure, can also be at risk.     

Three-dimensional investigation and scoring of extracellular matrix remodeling during lung fibrosis using multiphoton microscopy

The organization of collagen during fibrotic processes is poorly characterized because of the lack of appropriate methodologies. Here we show that multimodal multiphoton microscopy provides novel insights into lung fibrosis. We characterize normal and fibrotic pulmonary tissue in the bleomycin model, and show that second-harmonic generation by fibrillar collagen reveals the micrometer-scale three-dimensional spatial distribution of the fibrosis. We find that combined two-photon excited fluorescence and second-harmonic imaging of unstained lung tissue allows separating the inflammatory and fibrotic steps in this pathology, underlining characteristic features of fibroblastic foci in human Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis samples. Finally, we propose phenomenological scores of lung fibrosis and we show that they unambiguously sort out control and treated mice, with a better sensitivity and reproducibility in the subpleural region. These results should be readily generalized to other organs, as an accurate method to assess extracellular matrix remodeling during fibrosis.     

Determination of aldehydes as pentafluorobenzyl derivatives in grape pomace distillates by HS-SPME-GC/MS

This work describes an analytic method that quantifies aldehydes in grape pomace distillates (Orujo). Diluted samples were derivatised with O-(2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorobenzyl) hydroxylamine and then microextracted with a solid phase (SPME) for analysis by GC–MS. Twenty compounds, among them, short chain aldehydes having pungent notes (propanal, butanal, and Strecker aldehydes) and long chain aldehydes characterised by fatty odours were studied.     

Changes in tissue polyunsaturated fatty acids with age, in spontaneously hypertensive rats

The relationship between the biosynthesis of long-chain fatty acids and their distribution in the key organs of hypertension is of considerable interest because of their role in the production of vasoactive eicosanoids and their effects on membrane properties. The present study analyzed the fatty acid compositions of the total lipids in the kidney, aorta, heart, and hepatocytes of 1-, 3-, and 6-mon-old spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and their normotensive controls, Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY) by capillary gas chromatography. The major changes concerned the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). The percentage of arachidonic acid (AA) was significantly greater in the 1-mon-old SHR kidney than in the WKY kidney, but it was lower at 3 and 6 mon. The percentage of eicosapentaenoic acid was very low in the SHR kidney. The results for the aorta were similar, with marked decreases in 18:2n−6 and 18:3n−3 in SHR aged 1 and 6 mon. Despite a higher proportion of 18:2n−6 and AA at 6 mon, there was no major change in the SHR heart lipids. The fatty acid spectrum in the liver provides additional evidence for the previously reported inhibition of desaturase activities in SHR. Thus, this study shows that the PUFA composition is modified differently in different tissues in SHR, and this may be related to the pathogenesis of hypertension in these animals.     

The prosequence of thermolysin acts as an intramolecular chaperone when expressed in trans with the mature sequence in Escherichia coli

The zinc metalloendopeptidase, thermolysin (EC 3.4.24.27) produced by Bacillus thermoproteolyticus serves as a model of important physiological enzymes such as neprilysin, angiotensin converting enzyme and endothelin converting enzyme. Thermolysin is synthesised as a pre-proenzyme, with an N-terminal prosequence of 204 residues and a mature sequence of 316 residues. The prosequence facilitates the folding of the denatured mature sequence in vitro and the cleavage of the peptide bond linking the pro and mature sequences occurs by an autocatalytic, intramolecular process. With the aim to study the role of the prosequence in vivo and to produce active mutants for structural studies, the mature sequence of thermolysin has now been expressed in Escherichia coli, either alone or with the prosequence as an independent polypeptide, i.e. in trans form. In addition, the mature sequence of an inactive mutant in which Glu143 involved in the catalytic process was replaced by Ala has also been expressed in trans with the prosequence. The results show that the pro-sequence is required to obtain active thermolysin and that a covalent link with the mature sequence is not necessary for the correct folding of the protease in vivo. Moreover, when expressed in E. coli (in trans with the prosequence), the yield of correctly folded E143A mutant was similar to that of the wild-type protease, whereas no mature enzyme was detected when it was expressed as a pre-proenzyme in Bacillus subtilis. These results demonstrate that the thermolysin prosequence acts as an intramolecular chaperone in vivo and open the way to structural studies of catalytic site mutants produced in large quantities in E. coli.     

L'amorce du virage préventif en santé mentale au Québec: Enquête sur les politiques, les structures et les programmes de prévention en santé mentale.

This study represents the Quebec contribution to a Canada-wide survey that sought to determine the status of mental health prevention programs as health services undergo major restructuring. Similar to the Canada-wide survey, data on prevention policies, resources and programs were collected from provincial authorities who were responsible for mental health promotion. Data were also obtained from regional health and social services boards (Régies régionales de la santé et des services sociaux) which were in the process of being formed and from other departments which offered mental health services. Although the data support the vitality of prevention programs within government departments they also suggest that those prevention programs may need greater administrative structure and that there are gaps between government promises and commitments, notably with respect to ongoing financing for prevention programs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Deimination,Intermediate Filaments and Associated Proteins

Deimination (or citrullination) is a post-translational modification catalyzed by a calcium-dependent enzyme family of five peptidylarginine deiminases (PADs). Deimination is involved in physiological processes (cell differentiation, embryogenesis, innate and adaptive immunity, etc.) and in autoimmune diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and lupus), cancers and neurodegenerative diseases. Intermediate filaments (IF) and associated proteins (IFAP) are major substrates of PADs. Here, we focus on the effects of deimination on the polymerization and solubility properties of IF proteins and on the proteolysis and cross-linking of IFAP, to finally expose some features of interest and some limitations of citrullinomes.