Observation of nighttime new particle formation over the French Landes forest.

Improving the understanding of processes related to atmospheric particle sources is essential to better assess future climate. Especially, how biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) are involved in new particle formation (NPF) is still unclear, highlighting the need for field studies in sites that have not yet been explored. Weakly anthropised, mostly composed of maritime pines (known as strong monoterpene emitters), vast and under the influence of sea spray inputs, the Landes forest (located in the southwestern part of France) is a suitable ecosystem to explore these questions.

Paired comparison of water, energy and carbon exchanges over two young maritime pine stands (Pinus pinaster Ait.): effects of thinning and weeding in the early stage of tree growth.

The effects of management practices on energy, water and carbon exchanges were investigated in a young pine plantation in south-west France. In 2009-10, carbon dioxide (CO(2)), H(2)O and heat fluxes were monitored using the eddy covariance and sap flow techniques in a control plot (C) with a developed gorse layer, and an adjacent plot that was mechanically weeded and thinned (W). Despite large differences in the total leaf area index and canopy structure, the annual net radiation absorbed was only 4% lower in plot W.

Effects of avocado and soya bean lipidic non-saponifiables on the components of skin connective tissue after topical application in the hairless rat: biophysical and biomechanical determination.

Synopsis The non-saponifiable lipidic fractions of avocado and soya bean applied percutaneously to hairless rats for 15 days had been shown to produce biochemical modifications of dermal connective tissue components: increases of soluble collagen and of the ratio soluble collagen/insoluble collagen. In this present study, we tried to show whether these biochemical modifications could be confirmed by biophysical analytical methods and could affect the biochemical properties of the skin. The experiments were carried out on three groups of rats treated by application to the dorsal skin, either with 0.