The use of copper as plant protection product contributes to environmental contamination and resulting impacts on terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity and ecosystem functions.

Copper-based plant protection products (PPPs) are widely used in both conventional and organic farming, and to a lesser extent for non-agricultural maintenance of gardens, greenspaces, and infrastructures. The use of copper PPPs adds to environmental contamination by this trace element. This paper aims to review the contribution of these PPPs to the contamination of soils and waters by copper in the context of France (which can be extrapolated to most of the European countries), and the resulting impacts on terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity, as well as on ecosystem functions.

A Flexible PDMS-Based Optical Biosensor for Stretch Monitoring in Cardiac Tissue Samples.

Cardiotoxicity, characterized by adverse impacts on normal heart function due to drug exposure, is a significant concern due to the potentially serious side effects associated with various pharmaceuticals. It is essential to detect the cardiotoxicity of a drug as early as possible in the testing phase of a medical composite. Therefore, there is a pressing need for more reliable in vitro models that accurately mimic the in vivo conditions of cardiac biopsies.

Isthmin-1 (ISM1), a novel adipokine that reflects abdominal adipose tissue distribution in individuals with obesity.

Background: The assessment of obesity-related health risks has traditionally relied on the Body Mass Index and waist circumference, but their limitations have propelled the need for a more comprehensive approach. The differentiation between visceral (VIS) and subcutaneous (SC) fat provides a finer-grained understanding of these risks, yet practical assessment methods are lacking. We hypothesized that combining the SC-VIS fat ratio with non-invasive biomarkers could create a valuable tool for obesity-related risk assessment.

Dissipation of pesticides by stream biofilms is influenced by hydrological histories.

To evaluate the effects of hydrological variability on pesticide dissipation capacity by stream biofilms, we conducted a microcosm study. We exposed biofilms to short and frequent droughts (daily frequency), long and less frequent droughts (weekly frequency) and permanently immersed controls, prior to test their capacities to dissipate a cocktail of pesticides composed of tebuconazole, terbuthylazine, imidacloprid, glyphosate and its metabolite aminomethylphosphonic acid. A range of structural and functional descriptors of biofilms (algal and bacterial biomass, extracellular polymeric matrix (EPS) concentration, microbial respiration, phosphorus uptake and community-level physiological profiles) were measured to assess drought effects.

Twenty Years of Research in Ecosystem Functions in Aquatic Microbial Ecotoxicology.

One of the major threats to freshwater biodiversity is water pollution including excessive loads of nutrients, pesticides, industrial chemicals, and/or emerging contaminants. The widespread use of organic pesticides for agricultural and nonagricultural (industry, gardening, etc.) purposes has resulted in the presence of their residues in various environments, including surface waters.

Comparison of microbial colonization between natural and plastic substrata in a polluted watershed.

Plastic pollution represents a threat for biological communities and the ecological functions they provide in river ecosystems. In this study, we compared the microbial colonization of two plastics (biodegradable and non-biodegradable) and three natural substrata (leaves, sediment, and rocks) in two study sites of an urbanized watershed differing in their plastic-contamination degree (upstream and downstream). The density and diversity of bacterial, fungal, and algal communities, as well as the extracellular enzymatic activities β-glucosidase (GLU), N-acetyl-glucosaminidase (NAG), and phosphatase (PHO), were analysed in each substrata and site over a 4-week colonization experiment.

Main conclusions and perspectives from the collective scientific assessment of the effects of plant protection products on biodiversity and ecosystem services along the land-sea continuum in France and French overseas territories.

Preservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services is critical for sustainable development and human well-being. However, an unprecedented erosion of biodiversity is observed and the use of plant protection products (PPP) has been identified as one of its main causes. In this context, at the request of the French Ministries responsible for the Environment, for Agriculture and for Research, a panel of 46 scientific experts ran a nearly 2-year-long (2020-2022) collective scientific assessment (CSA) of international scientific knowledge relating to the impacts of PPP on biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Effects of global change on the ability of stream biofilm to dissipate the herbicide glyphosate.

The herbicide glyphosate is contaminating a large number of freshwater ecosystems worldwide and its fate and effects remains uncertain in light of the effects of global change. The present study examines how variations in water temperature and light availability relative to global change affect the ability of stream biofilms to degrade the herbicide glyphosate. Biofilms were exposed in microcosms to two levels of water temperature simulating global warming (Ambient = 19-22 °C and Warm = 21-24 °C) and three levels of light representative of riparian habitat destruction due to land use change (Dark = 0, Intermediate = 600, High = 1200 μmol photons m s).

Multilocus Sequence Typing Reveals Extensive Genetic Diversity of the Emerging Fungal Pathogen .

spp. are the second most prevalent filamentous fungi after spp. recovered from cystic fibrosis (CF) patients in various regions of the world.

Regulation of p27 and Cdk2 Expression in Different Adipose Tissue Depots in Aging and Obesity.

Aging usually comes associated with increased visceral fat accumulation, reaching even an obesity state, and favoring its associated comorbidities. One of the processes involved in aging is cellular senescence, which is highly dependent on the activity of the regulators of the cell cycle. The aim of this study was to analyze the changes in the expression of and in different adipose tissue depots during aging, as well as their regulation by obesity in mice.

The combination of chemical, structural, and functional indicators to evaluate the anthropogenic impacts on agricultural stream ecosystems.

Freshwater contamination by pesticides in agricultural landscapes is of increasing concern worldwide, with strong pesticide impacts on biodiversity, ecosystem functions, and ultimately human health (drinking water, fishing). In addition, the excessively large number of substances, as well as their low - and temporally variable - concentrations in water, make the chemical monitoring by grab sampling very demanding and not fully representative of the actual contamination. Tools that integrate temporal variations and that are ecologically relevant are clearly needed to improve the monitoring of freshwater contamination and assess its biological effects.

Spectral Transmission of the Human Corneal Layers.

We have assessed the spectral transmittance of the different layers of the human cornea in the ultraviolet (UV), visible, and near-infrared (IR) spectral ranges. Seventy-four corneal sample donors were included in the study. Firstly, the corneal transmittance was measured using a spectrophotometer.

Glyphosate-degrading behavior of five bacterial strains isolated from stream biofilms.

The present study investigates the individual degrading behavior of bacterial strains isolated from glyphosate-degrading stream biofilms. In this aim, biofilms were subjected to enrichment experiments using glyphosate or its metabolite AMPA (aminomethyl phosphonic acid) as the sole phosphorus source. Five bacterial strains were isolated and taxonomically affiliated to Ensifer sp.

Cognitive Accessibility and Support in Special Education.

This work describes an assistive technology development for cognitive support and training to be used by children of special education schools in Spain. Design is based on and guided by cognitive support findings coming from a long-term collaboration of a team of engineers (University of Zaragoza) and special education teachers (Alborada Special Education School, Zaragoza). The description starts by providing a structure of such findings in five cognitive-social areas (interface usability, virtual representations understanding, time orientation, self-awareness, and social interaction).

Effects of sulfonamide antibiotics on aquatic microbial community composition and functions.

Knowledge on interactions among microbial communities colonizing various streambed substrata (e.g. cobbles, sediment, leaf-litter etc.

Structure and Role of BCOR PUFD in Noncanonical PRC1 Assembly and Disease.

Polycomb repression complex 1 (PRC1) is a multiprotein assembly that regulates transcription. The Polycomb group ring finger 1 protein (PCGF1) is central in the assembly of the noncanonical PRC1 variant called PRC1.1 through its direct interaction with BCOR (BCL-6-interacting corepressor) or its paralog, BCOR-like 1 (BCORL1).

Multi-model assessment of hydrological and environmental impacts on streambed microbes in Mediterranean catchments.

Microbes inhabiting intermittent streambeds are responsible for controlling and developing many biogeochemical processes essential for the ecosystem functions. Although streambed microbiota is adapted to intermittency the intensification of water scarcity and prolonged dry periods may jeopardise their capacity to cope with hydrological changes. This study aims to evaluate whether, and to what extent, the duration of dry periods affects streambed microbial density, diversity, composition (16S rRNA gene diversity) and functions (extracellular enzyme activities and respiration).

Role of Biofilms in Contaminant Bioaccumulation and Trophic Transfer in Aquatic Ecosystems: Current State of Knowledge and Future Challenges.

In freshwater environments, microbial assemblages attached to submerged substrates play an essential role in ecosystem processes such as primary production, supported by periphyton, or organic matter decomposition, supported by microbial communities attached to leaf litter or sediments. These microbial assemblages, also called biofilms, are not only involved in nutrients fluxes but also in contaminants dynamics. Biofilms can accumulate metals and organic contaminants transported by the water flow and/or adsorbed onto substrates.

Interaction between glyphosate and dissolved phosphorus on bacterial and eukaryotic communities from river biofilms.

Since the capacity of river biofilms to degrade glyphosate has been proven to increase when the availability of dissolved phosphorus (P) in water decreases, the present study investigates the diversity responses of bacterial and eukaryotic microbial communities from biofilms in a search for glyphosate-degrader candidates. Glyphosate and P interactions were observed for eukaryotic communities, the highest community richness and diversity being preserved at low concentrations of glyphosate and P. This trend marked by glyphosate was also observed in the structure of eukaryotic communities.

Dissolved organic matter does not promote glyphosate degradation in auto-heterotrophic aquatic microbial communities.

Environmental dissolved organic matter (DOM) has been proved to increase microbial population sizes and stimulate the degradation of some pesticide molecules. Among these molecules, the present study investigated the biodegradation of the herbicide glyphosate depending on photoautotrophs DOM supply in a microbial consortium isolated from river biofilms. Degradation experiments in the laboratory were performed in dark and light conditions, as well as after antibiotic supply, in order to characterize the eventual interactions between photoautotrophs and heterotrophs activity during glyphosate degradation.

An Amplifier-Less Acquisition Chain for Power Measurements in Series Resonant Inverters.

Successive approximation register (SAR) analog-to-digital converter (ADC) manufacturers recommend the use of a driver amplifier to achieve the best performance. When a driver amplifier is not used, the conversion speed is severely penalized because of the need to meet the settling time constraint. This paper proposes a simple digital correction method to raise the performance (conversion speed and/or accuracy) when the acquisition chain lacks a driver amplifier.

Distinct responses from bacterial, archaeal and fungal streambed communities to severe hydrological disturbances.

Stream microbes that occur in the Mediterranean Basin have been shown to possess heightened sensitivity to intensified water stress attributed to climate change. Here, we investigate the effects of long-term drought (150 days), storms and rewetting (7 days) on the diversity and composition of archaea, bacteria and fungi inhabiting intermittent streambed sediment (surface and hyporheic) and buried leaves. Hydrological alterations modified the archaeal community composition more than the bacterial community composition, whereas fungi were the least affected.

Time Orientation Technologies in Special Education.

A device to train children in time orientation has been designed, developed and evaluated. It is framed within a long-term cooperation action between university and special education school. It uses a specific cognitive accessible time display: Time left in the day is represented by a row of luminous elements initially on.

Environmental risk assessment of antibiotics in agroecosystems: ecotoxicological effects on aquatic microbial communities and dissemination of antimicrobial resistances and antibiotic biodegradation potential along the soil-water continuum.

Antibiotics have a wide application range in human and veterinary medicines. Being designed for pharmacological stability, most antibiotics are recalcitrant to biodegradation after ingestion and can be persistent in the environment. Antibiotic residues have been detected as contaminants in various environmental compartments where they cause human and environmental threats, notably with respect to the potential emergence and proliferation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Meta-analysis of glyphosate contamination in surface waters and dissipation by biofilms.

One consequence of the intensive use of glyphosate is the contamination of rivers by the active substance and its metabolites aminomethyl phosphonic acid (AMPA) and sarcosine, inducing river eutrophication. Biofilms are the predominant lifestyle for microorganisms in rivers, providing pivotal roles in ecosystem functioning and pollutant removal. The persistence of glyphosate in these ecosystems is suspected to be mostly influenced by microbial biodegradation processes.