Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
Acute viral hepatitis results from an inefficient innate immune response to clear the virus and a delayed immune adaptive response. Murine hepatitis virus (MHV) infection represents a unique animal model to identify new escape mechanisms in liver of innate immune responses. The objective of this study was to identify early disorders in TLRs, helicases, cytokines and chemokines favoring the development of a fulminant hepatitis. Groups of C57BL/6 WT and TLR2-/- mice were infected with highly hepatotropic MHV3 and/or weakly hepatotropic MHV-A59 viruses. Histopathological analysis of liver and mRNA expression levels of viral nucleoprotein, viral sensors, interferons, cytokines and chemokines assessed by RT-qPCR were done in the first 3 days of infection. The results showed that liver damages, viral replication and mRNA levels of TLR-2, TLR-3, RIG-1, MDA-5, IL-33, IFN-b, CXCL1, CXCL9, CXCL-10, CXCL-11, CCL3, CCL5, IL-6 and TNF-a increased higher or appeared sooner in MHV3-infected WT than in MHV-A59 and TLR2-/- mice. To address the role of hepatocytes in TLR2-dependent viral replication and innate immune factors, in vitro viral infections were performed on FL83B cells. The results showed that viral replication and mRNA levels of TLR-2 and IL-6 occurred sooner than those of other innate immune parameters. Moreover, blockade of TLR-2 by siRNA decreased IFN-b, TNF-a, CXCL-1, CXCL-10 and CCL-2 expression in infected hepatocytes and also inhibited the viral replication of MHV-A59, and at a lesser extent of MHV3, suggesting that TLR-2 signaling promotes simultaneously the viral replication and the production of innate immune factors in hepatocytes, exacerbating viral hepatitis.
Frontiers of Immunology
Milan, Italy

hal-01118155
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01118155
DOI : 10.3389/conf.fimmu.2013.02.00648

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : This paper develops a two-way director-firm fixed effect model to study the relationship between independent directors’ individual heterogeneity and firm operating performance, using French data. This strategy allows considering and differentiating in a unified empirical framework mechanisms related to board functioning and mechanisms related to director selection. We first show that the independence status, netted out unobservable individual heterogeneity, is negatively related to performance. This result suggests that independent board members experience a strong informational gap that outweighs other monitoring benefits. However, we show that industry-specific expertise as well as informal connections inside the boardroom may help to bridge this gap. Second, we provide evidence that independent directors have higher intrinsic ability as compared to affiliated board members, consistent with a reputation-based selection process.
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01060211

hal-01060211
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01060211
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01060211v2/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01060211/file/cahier%202014-29.pdf

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
Viral replication in the liver is generally detected by cellular endosomal Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and cytosolic helicase sensors that trigger antiviral inflammatory responses. Recent evidence suggests that surface TLR2 may also contribute to viral detection through recognition of viral coat proteins but its role in the outcome of acute viral infection remains elusive. In this study, we examined in vivo the role of TLR2 in acute infections induced by the highly hepatotrophic mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) type 3 and weakly hepatotrophic MHV-A59 serotype. To address this, C57BL/6 (wild-type; WT) and TLR2 knockout (KO) groups of mice were intraperitoneally infected with MHV3 or MHV-A59. MHV3 infection provoked a fulminant hepatitis in WT mice, characterized by early mortality and high alanine and aspartate transaminase levels, histopathological lesions and viral replication whereas infection of TLR2 KO mice was markedly less severe. MHV-A59 provoked a comparable mild and subclinical hepatitis in WT and TLR2 KO mice. MHV3-induced fulminant hepatitis in WT mice correlated with higher hepatic expression of interferon-β, interleukin-6, tumour necrosis factor-α, CXCL1, CCL2, CXCL10 and alarmin (interleukin-33) than in MHV-A59-infected WT mice and in MHV3-infected TLR2 KO mice. Intrahepatic recruited neutrophils, natural killer cells, natural killer T cells or macrophages rapidly decreased in MHV3-infected WT mice whereas they were sustained in MHV-A59-infected WT mice and MHV3-infected TLR2 KO. MHV3 in vitro infection of macrophagic cells induced rapid and higher viral replication and/or interleukin-6 induction in comparison to MHV-A59, and depended on viral activation of TLR2 and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase. Taken together, these results support a new aggravating inflammatory role for TLR2 in MHV3-induced acute fulminant hepatitis. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd
Immunology

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess
hal-01373946
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01373946
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01373946/document
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01373946/file/Toll-like%20receptor%20%28tlr%29-2%20exacerbates%20murine%20acute%20viral%20hepatitis.pdf
DOI : 10.1111/imm.12627

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Geophysical Union
Résumé : International audience
The North Tehran Fault (NTF) is located at the southernmost piedmont of Central Alborz and crosses the northern suburbs of the Tehran metropolis and adjacent cities, where ∼15 million people live. Extending over a length of about 110 km, the NTF stands out as a major active fault and represents an important seismic hazard for the Iranian capital after historical seismicity. In order to characterize the activity of the NTF in terms of kinematics, magnitude and recurrence intervals of earthquakes, we carried out a first paleoseismological study of the fault within its central part between Tehran and Karaj cities. We opened a trench across a 3 m-high fault scarp affecting Quaternary deposits. Our study shows that the scarp is the result of repeated events along a main N115°E trending shallow dipping thrust fault, associated with secondary ruptures. From the trench analysis and Infrared Stimulated Luminescence (IRSL) dating of fault-related sediments, we interpreted between 6 and 7 surface-rupturing events that occurred during the past 30 kyrs. Their magnitudes (estimated from the displacements along the faults) are comprised between 6.1 and 7.2. The two last events - the largest - occurred during the past 7.9 ± 1.2 ka, which yields a Holocene slip rate of ∼0.3 mm/yr. The 7 earthquakes scenario suggests a regular periodicity with a mean recurrence interval of ∼3.8 kyrs. However, the two most recent events could correspond to the two largest historical earthquakes recorded in the area (in 312-280 B.C. and 1177 A.D.), and therefore suggest that the NTF activity is not regular.
ISSN: 0148-0227

hal-00757568
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00757568
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00757568v2/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00757568/file/ritz2012.pdf
DOI : 10.1029/2012JB009147

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Northwest Iran is characterized by a high level of historical and instrumental seismicity related to the ongoing convergence between the Arabian and Eurasian plates. In this region, the main right-lateral strike-slip fault known as the North Tabriz fault (NTF) forms the central portion of a large crustal fault system called the Tabriz fault system (TFS). The NTF is a major seismic source along which at least three strong and destructive earthquakes have occurred since 858 AD. The two most recent destructive seismic events occurred in 1721 AD and 1780 AD, rupturing the SE and NW fault segments, respectively. This paper reports paleoseismological and quantitative geomorphologic investigations on the SE segment of the NTF, between the cities of Bostanabad and Tabriz. These observations help to improve our understanding of the seismic hazard for Tabriz city and its surrounding areas. Our field investigations revealed evidence of successive faulting events since the Late Quaternary. Paleoseismic investigations indicate that since 33.5 kyr, the SE segment of the NTF has experienced at least three major (M>7.5) seismic events, including the 1721 AD earthquake (M=7.6–7.7). Along the NW segment of the fault, however, our results suggest that the amount of strong (M~7.5) seismic events during the same period is significantly greater than along the SE segment. One possible explanation of such a difference in seismic activity is that the Late Quaternary-Holocene coseismic slip rate is decreasing along the NTF from the northwest to the southeast. This explanation contradicts the former hypothesis of a constant slip rate along the whole length of the NTF. In addition, more distributed deformation along several parallel fault branches, in a wider fault zone of the SE segment of the NTF may be considered as additional evidence for the estimation of lower rate of deformation along the fault segment. Such a slip distribution pattern can explain the existence of smaller (~300 m) Pliocene-Quaternary cumulative dextral offsets along the SE fault segment than the measured cumulative offsets along the NW segment (~800 m) of the NTF.
ISSN: 0040-1951

hal-01089420
http://hal.upmc.fr/hal-01089420
http://hal.upmc.fr/hal-01089420/document
http://hal.upmc.fr/hal-01089420/file/Solaymani%20Azad%20et%20al.%2C%202014%20%28accepted%29.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/j.tecto.2014.11.010

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Society for Microbiology
Résumé : International audience
Coronaviruses (CoVs) have shown neuroinvasive properties in human and animal secondary to replication in peripheral organ but the mechanism of neuroinvasion is unknown. The major aim of our work was to evaluate the ability of CoVs to enter the central nervous system (CNS) through the blood brain barrier (BBB). Using the high hepatotropic mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) type 3, its attenuated variant 51.6-MHV3, showing low tropism for endothelial cells, and the low hepatotropic MHV-A59 strains from murine coronavirus group, we investigated the viral-induced dysfunctions of BBB in vivo and in brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) in vitro. We report here a MHV strain-specific ability to cross the BBB during acute infection according to their virulence for liver. Brain invasion was only observed in MHV3-infected mice and correlated with enhanced BBB permeability associated with decreased expression of ZO-1, VE-cadherin and occludin but not claudin-5 in the brain or in cultured BMECs. BBB breakdown in MHV3 infection was not related to production of barrier-dysregulating inflammatory cytokines or chemokines by infected BMECs but rather to a downregulation of barrier protective IFN-β production. Our findings highlight the importance of IFN-β production by infected BMECs in preserving BBB function and preventing access of blood-borne infectious viruses to the brain. IMPORTANCE: Coronaviruses (CoVs) infect several mammals including humans and are associated with respiratory, gastrointestinal and/or neurological diseases. Some evidences suggest that human respiratory CoVs may show neuroinvasive properties. Indeed, the SARS-CoV, causing severe acute respiratory syndrome, and the CoVs OC43 and 229E were found in the brains of SARS and multiple sclerosis patients respectively. These finding suggest that hematogenous spread CoVs may gain access to CNS at the BBB level. Herein we report for the first time that CoVs exhibit ability to cross the BBB according to strain virulence. BBB invasion by CoVs correlates with viral-induced disruption of tight junctions on BMECs, leading to BBB dysfunction and enhanced permeability. We provide evidence that production of IFN-β by BMECs during CoV infection may prevent BBB breakdown and brain viral invasion
ISSN: 0022-538X

hal-01187308
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01187308
DOI : 10.1128/JVI.01501-15
PUBMED : 26202229

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
The purpose of this study is to identify links between the geothermal context and the conceptions in different initial teachers training, from the Caribbean and North America. The Caribbean Islands are located in a subduction zone, creating a great potential for geothermal energy. In Guadeloupe, this potential has been harnessed and a geothermal power plant produces about 5% of the local demand for electricity. It is called high temperature geothermy. In Quebec the bedrock mainly consists of ancient Precambrian rocks from the Canadian Shield, which does not allow for electricity production. The geothermal heat is used to regulate the temperature in buildings, to create spars, to grow crops and other purposes. It is called low temperature geothermy. This design-based research (Sandoval, W. et Al., 2004) takes part in the contextualization of sciences education research works (Blanchet, P. et Al., 2009, Anciaux, F. et Al., 2013) and in the continuation of the Gounouy project (Fecil, S. et Al., 2014). A project-based learning on geothermal energy has been set up with two groups of initial teachers training from the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) and from the French West Indies University (UA). The purpose is to create collaborations between each group in order to enable them to encounter, recognize and formulate their conceptions. Further, they will collectively elaborate a more complex understanding of conceptions about geothermy. More specifically, the design used in this experiment aims to highlight context effects (Merlo-Leurette, S., Forissier, T., 2009). Context effects are pedagogical events occurring when there is a clash between the different conceptions of students, observed uring courses regarding different problematics related to geothermal energy. Communications via videoconferences were arranged so that the counterpart teams may discuss their investigative findings. Videos from the exchanges have been collected, as well as weekly summaries about student’s accomplishment, ideas, questions and feelings. Pre-test and post-test questionnaires on geothermal energy were submitted at the beginning and at the end of the project, to compare conceptions before and after the learning process. Collected data enables to bring out the student’s contextuality. Therefore, they highlight context effects, due to the differences between the geothermal contexts in Guadeloupe and in Montreal.This study is supported by the Geotref project.
CARIBBEAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 20 th GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND BIENNAL MEETING
Dehaies, Guadeloupe, France

hal-01534665
https://hal.univ-antilles.fr/hal-01534665

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Ecological Society of America
Résumé : CABI:20153174020
Understanding how plants are constructed - i.e., how key size dimensions and the amount of mass invested in different tissues varies among individuals - is essential for modeling plant growth, carbon stocks, and energy fluxes in the terrestrial biosphere. Allocation patterns can differ through ontogeny, but also among coexisting species and among species adapted to different environments. While a variety of models dealing with biomass allocation exist, we lack a synthetic understanding of the underlying processes. This is partly due to the lack of suitable data sets for validating and parameterizing models. To that end, we present the Biomass And Allometry Database (BAAD) for woody plants. The BAAD contains 259634 measurements collected in 176 different studies, from 21084 individuals across 678 species. Most of these data come from existing publications. However, raw data were rarely made public at the time of publication. Thus, the BAAD contains data from different studies, transformed into standard units and variable names. The transformations were achieved using a common workflow for all raw data files. Other features that distinguish the BAAD are: (i) measurements were for individual plants rather than stand averages; (ii) individuals spanning a range of sizes were measured; (iii) plants from 0.01-100 m in height were included; and (iv) biomass was estimated directly, i.e., not indirectly via allometric equations (except in very large trees where biomass was estimated from detailed sub-sampling). We included both wild and artificially grown plants. The data set contains the following size metrics: total leaf area; area of stem cross-section including sapwood, heartwood, and bark; height of plant and crown base, crown area, and surface area; and the dry mass of leaf, stem, branches, sapwood, heartwood, bark, coarse roots, and fine root tissues. We also report other properties of individuals (age, leaf size, leaf mass per area, wood density, nitrogen content of leaves and wood), as well as information about the growing environment (location, light, experimental treatment, vegetation type) where available. It is our hope that making these data available will improve our ability to understand plant growth, ecosystem dynamics, and carbon cycling in the world's vegetation.
ISSN: 0012-9658

hal-01535227
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01535227
DOI : 10.1890/14-1889.1
PRODINRA : 306122