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2013, IX, 349 p. 79 illus., 55 in color; International audience; We discuss models that astrochemists have developed to study the chemical composition of the interstellar medium. These models aim at computing the evolution of the chemical composition of a mixture of gas and dust under astrophysical conditions. These conditions, as well as the geometry and the physical dynamics, have to be adapted to the objects being studied because different classes of objects have very different characteristics (temperatures, densities, UV radiation fields, geometry, history etc); e.g., proto-planetary disks do not have the same characteristics as proto-stellar envelopes. Chemical models are being improved continually thanks to comparisons with observations but also thanks to laboratory and theoretical work in which the individual processes are studied.

Increases in arterial stiffness and pulse pressure are typical features of the arterial stiffness during aging and are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular complications. Cellular and molecular determinants of arterial stiffness have not been completely elucidated. Clinically, the carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) is the gold standard parameter of arterial stiffness. A recent genome-wide scan of the Framingham Heart Study population has shown that arterial stiffness and mean and pulsatile components of blood pressure are heritable and map to separate the genetic loci in humans, suggesting that distinct genes may modulate these two phenotypes. This chapter details the recent knowledge on the influence of genetic determinants and telomere length on the development of age-related phenotypes. Recent genetic studies have revealed specific genes contributing to arterial stiffening. Available data on genome-wide association (GWA) have been initiated on PWV and have identified common genetic variation in specific loci or single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) significantly associated with PWV. Telomere length at birth is strongly determined genetically and is the main determinant of leukocytes’ telomere length (LTL) later in life. Short LTL is associated with increased risk of stiffness and atherosclerosis of the carotid artery, atherosclerotic heart disease, and diminished survival in the elderly.

International audience; We describe an approach to extract 13C-labeled sugars (glucose, fructose, maltose, sucrose, myo-inositol as well as glucose from starch) from plant tissues and to analyze their isotopomer distribution by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Sugars are derivatized with N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl) trifluoroacetamide (BSTFA) into their Si(CH3)3 derivatives. Electronic and chemical ionizations are used to obtain suitable fragments for metabolic flux analysis (MFA). Unique fragments are identified by computer simulation and experimental verification with labeled standards. Linear equations for separating information from glucosyl and fructosyl moieties of sucrose are presented. Finally, mass distributions are corrected for natural isotope abundance using a home-written program. The method is illustrated by sugar isotopomer analysis of 13C-labeled rapeseed embryos.

International audience; Toxoplasma gondii is a highly successful parasite that is thought to infect nearly one third of the world's population. Molecular epidemiology studies have illuminated the population structure of T. gondii strains world-wide and enabled insights into how the parasite is transmitted and the frequency of genetic exchange. Toxoplasma population genetics studies have shown that in North America and Europe, three genotypes have predominated whereas other diverse genotypes have propagated in other parts of the world, particularly in Central and South America. This chapter summarizes the techniques used to understand the population structure of T. gondii and how these techniques have also been helpful in understanding outbreaks of toxoplasmosis. As technology has advanced, more in-depth studies have facilitated our understanding of how differing genotypes can be linked to biological phenotypes including human disease.

International audience; Over the long run, sustained growth is central to poverty reduction. The rapid growth seen in much of the world over the past few decades — notably, but not only, in China and India — has led to an unprecedented reduction in poverty. And, in general, increases in per capita income tend to translate into proportionate increases in income of the poor. As Dollar and Kraay (2002) memorably put it, “Growth Is Good for the Poor.” All the more reason, then, to place sustainability of growth at the center of any poverty reduction strategy.

Private Set Intersection Cardinality (PSI-CA) allows two parties, each holding a set of items, to learn the size of the intersection of those sets without revealing any additional information. To the best of our knowledge, this work presents the first protocol that allows one of the parties to delegate PSI-CA computation to untrusted servers. At the heart of our delegated PSI-CA protocol is a new oblivious distributed key PRF (Odk-PRF) abstraction, which may be of independent interest.

This chapter examines the interactive communications of geographically distant virtual classrooms, connected via virtual aids ranging from e-mails to videoconferences. The combination is crucial: through diverse filters, virtual teams mediate a final text for a new language and culture. The authors use linguistic pragmatics as a mechanism to analyze and assess the efficiency and the meaningfulness of such communications. They then use this approach to recommend best practices for educators teaching in cross-cultural virtual environments.

Abstract The serotonergic system plays a key modulatory role in the brain. This system is critical in many drug developments for brain disorders via interactions with the 14 subtypes of 5-HT receptors or through reuptake blockade. Positron emission tomography (PET) is an efficient tool for in vivo studies of physiological and pathological processes. Because of its pertinent radiochemical properties, fluorine-18 is one of the most used radioisotopes in PET imaging. This chapter will propose an overview of the 18F-radioligands targeting serotonin receptors, which have been developed over the last few years. Both radiosyntheses and pharmacological properties of these radiotracers will be described, with a specific emphasis on their potential medical applications.

International audience