University of Avignon

About: University of Avignon is a education organization based out in Avignon, Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur, France. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Speaker recognition. The organization has 1526 authors who have published 3766 publications receiving 88928 citations.

Two months of endurance training does not alter diastolic function evaluated by TDI in 9–11-year-old boys and girls

Abstract: Objective: Superior global cardiac performance (ie stroke volume) is classically reported after training in children. Current knowledge of the impact of exercise training on myocardial relaxation, a major component of left ventricular (LV) filling and subsequently stroke volume, is, however, limited in the paediatric population. This study aimed to investigate the effect of aerobic training on LV wall motion velocities by tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) in healthy children. Methods: 25 children (11 girls, 14 boys) were enrolled in a 2 month high-intensity aerobic training programme and 25 (12 girls and 13 boys) served as controls. The children (9–11 years old) performed a graded maximal exercise test on a treadmill to evaluate maximal oxygen uptake. Standard Doppler echocardiography and TDI measurements were performed at baseline and end of the study. Tissue Doppler systolic, early and late myocardial velocities were obtained at the mitral annulus in the septal, lateral, inferior and posterior walls. Results: Maximal oxygen uptake increased by 6.5% (before: 51.6 (SD 4.2), after: 55.0 (4.5) ml/min/kg p -1/2 , p Conclusion: High-intensity aerobic sessions repeated over a 2 month period failed to improve regional diastolic function assessed by TDI in healthy young children.

2-methyloxolane as alternative solvent for lipid extraction and its effect on the cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica L.) seed oil fractions

Abstract: The potential of 2-methyloxolane (2-MeO) as an alternative solvent to extract cactus seed oil was compared, in qualitative and quantitative terms, with that of n-hexane, a solvent commonly used for the extraction of edible or cosmetic oils. With 2-MeO, the oil yield was higher (9.55 ± 0.12 g/100 g) than the oil extracted with n-hexane (8.86 ± 0.25 g/100 g). The chemical and physical parameters quality indices (acidity, peroxide value and extinction coefficients (K232 and K270 ) of 2-methyloxolane extracted oil were found to be much higher than that of oil extracted with n-hexane. A suitable refining scheme will have to be applied, probably leading to slight additional cost and losses. Also, the results showed that the sterol content was higher in the oil obtained with 2-MeO (111.5 ± 2.5 mg/100 g) as a solvent when compared to the oil extracted with n-hexane (102.1 ± 7.54 mg/100 g). However, fatty acid and tocopherol content were not influenced by the extraction solvent. Therefore, the bio-based solvent 2-methyloxolane can be considered as an excellent alternative to the petroleum-based solvent n-hexane for edible/cosmetic oil extraction. The utilization of 2-MeO for oil extraction can drastically reduce the health and environmental impacts associated with n-hexane.

Using a two-phase sowing approach in restoration: sowing foundation species to restore, and subordinate species to evaluate restoration success

Abstract: Questions: Is it possible to restore a target herbaceous plant community on ex-arable land by sowing foundation species? What is the impact of sheep grazing on the restoration of this ecosystem? How can we rapidly evaluate the success of restoration methods? Location: Nature reserve of the plain of La Crau, southeast France (43° 31′ N, 4° 50′ E) Methods: In an ex-arable field, we sowed an indigenous species mix in 2007. This was composed of two perennial species dominant in the reference grassland ecosystem (Brachypodium retusum, Thymus vulgaris) and one annual species (Trifo-lium subterraneum) also found on the reference grassland and which is well-known for its ability to quickly cover bare soil. These three species are called foundation species as they play an essential role in structuring the restored ecosystem community. To investigate the significances of the foundation species on community dynamics, four subordinate species were sown 1 yr later: Taeniathe-rum caput-medusae, Linum strictum, Evax pygmaea and Asphodelus ayardii. The subordinate species are typical plants of the reference grassland which describe well this vegetation type. Results: Sowing foundation species was an effective means of reintroducing them. Their presence in the ex-arable field very rapidly promoted establishment of grassland species and impeded establishment of weeds. When grazing was excluded, the foundation species covered the ground, particularly with Trifolium subterraneum, which reached 54% ground cover. Subordinate species established better on the foundation species sown treatment and on the grazed treatment. Conclusion: In the short term, sowing indigenous foundation species and maintaining grazing seems to be a good method to restore grassland plant communities that have a poor ability to re-establish spontaneously. This study also demonstrates that sowing and monitoring of subordinate species is an effective method to rapidly test whether a particular restoration protocol will have a positive effect on community assembly and development.

Inradius and Circumradius of Various Convex Cones Arising in Applications

Abstract: This note addresses the issue of computing the inradius and the circumradius of a convex cone in a Euclidean space. It deals also with the related problem of finding the incenter and the circumcenter of the cone. We work out various examples of convex cones arising in applications.