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Showing papers by "University of Montpellier published in 2003"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Wound bed preparation is the management of a wound in order to accelerate endogenous healing or to facilitate the effectiveness of other therapeutic measures to select the most appropriate intervention.
Abstract: The healing process in acute wounds has been extensively studied and the knowledge derived from these studies has often been extrapolated to the care of chronic wounds, on the assumption that nonhealing chronic wounds were simply aberrations of the normal tissue repair process. However, this approach is less than satisfactory, as the chronic wound healing process differs in many important respects from that seen in acute wounds. In chronic wounds, the orderly sequence of events seen in acute wounds becomes disrupted or “stuck” at one or more of the different stages of wound healing. For the normal repair process to resume, the barrier to healing must be identified and removed through application of the correct techniques. It is important, therefore, to understand the molecular events that are involved in the wound healing process in order to select the most appropriate intervention. Wound bed preparation is the management of a wound in order to accelerate endogenous healing or to facilitate the effectiveness of other therapeutic measures. Experts in wound management consider that wound bed preparation is an important concept with significant potential as an educational tool in wound management. This article was developed after a meeting of wound healing experts in June 2002 and is intended to provide an overview of the current status, role, and key elements of wound bed preparation. Readers will be able to examine the following issues; • the current status of wound bed preparation; • an analysis of the acute and chronic wound environments; • how wound healing can take place in these environments; • the role of wound bed preparation in the clinic; • the clinical and cellular components of the wound bed preparation concept; • a detailed analysis of the components of wound bed preparation. (WOUND REP REG 2003;11:1–28)

1,206 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The IMGT unique numbering is, therefore, highly valuable for the comparative, structural or evolutionary studies of the immunoglobulin superfamily (IgSF) domains, V-DOMAINs and C- DOMAINs of IG and TR in vertebrates, and V-LIKE-DOMains andC-LIke-DOMains of proteins other than IG andTR, in any species.
Abstract: IMGT, the international ImMunoGeneTics database (http://imgt.cines.fr) is a high quality integrated information system specializing in immunoglobulins (IG), T cell receptors (TR) and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) of human and other vertebrates. IMGT provides a common access to expertly annotated data on the genome, proteome, genetics and structure of the IG and TR, based on the IMGT Scientific chart and IMGT-ONTOLOGY. The IMGT unique numbering defined for the IG and TR variable regions and domains of all jawed vertebrates has allowed a redefinition of the limits of the framework (FR-IMGT) and complementarity determining regions (CDR-IMGT), leading, for the first time, to a standardized description of mutations, allelic polymorphisms, 2D representations (Colliers de Perles) and 3D structures, whatever the antigen receptor, the chain type, or the species. The IMGT numbering has been extended to the V-like domain and is, therefore, highly valuable for comparative analysis and evolution studies of proteins belonging to the IG superfamily.

1,069 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Several case studies of ancient vertebrate communities from Upper Palaeolithic sites in southwestern France are presented to check whether the enrichment values estimated for these past ecosystems are consistent with those measured in well-monitored modern ecosystems.
Abstract: Prey-predator collagen enrichment values for carbon and nitrogen isotopic compositions are investigated. New enrichment values are given for the well-monitored ecosystem of Bialowieza primeval forest (Poland) for lynx and wolf. The impact of using different approximations in calculating such enrichment values is discussed. Several case studies of ancient vertebrate communities from Upper Palaeolithic sites in southwestern France are presented to check whether the enrichment values estimated for these past ecosystems are consistent with those measured in well-monitored modern ecosystems. The use of ranges of values rather than average ones is recommended, tentatively 0 to 2‰ for δ13C and 3 to 5‰ for δ15N. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

734 citations


Book ChapterDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors propose an organization centered multi-agent system (OCMAS) model called AGR for agent/group/role and propose a set of notations and a methodological framework to help the designer to build MAS using AGR.
Abstract: While multi-agent systems seem to provide a good basis for building complex software systems, this paper points out some of the drawbacks of classical “agent centered” multi-agent systems. To resolve these difficulties we claim that organization centered multi-agent system, or OCMAS for short, may be used. We propose a set of general principles from which true OCMAS may be designed. One of these principles is not to assume anything about the cognitive capabilities of agents. In order to show how OCMAS models may be designed, we propose a very concise and minimal OCMAS model called AGR, for Agent/Group/Role. We propose a set of notations and a methodological framework to help the designer to build MAS using AGR. We then show that it is possible to design multi-agent systems using only OCMAS models.

704 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Interestingly, the results indicate that transferrin (Tf) stimulated exosome release in a Ca2+-dependent manner, suggesting that Tf might be a physiological stimulus for exosomes release in K562 cells.

699 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
20 Feb 2003-Nature
TL;DR: Carbon and oxygen isotope records from a stalagmite collected in southwest France which have been precisely dated using 234U/230Th ratios give evidence of drastic and rapid vegetation changes in western Europe, an important site in human cultural evolution.
Abstract: The signature of Dansgaard-Oeschger events--millennial-scale abrupt climate oscillations during the last glacial period--is well established in ice cores and marine records. But the effects of such events in continental settings are not as clear, and their absolute chronology is uncertain beyond the limit of (14)C dating and annual layer counting for marine records and ice cores, respectively. Here we present carbon and oxygen isotope records from a stalagmite collected in southwest France which have been precisely dated using 234U/230Th ratios. We find rapid climate oscillations coincident with the established Dansgaard-Oeschger events between 83,000 and 32,000 years ago in both isotope records. The oxygen isotope signature is similar to a record from Soreq cave, Israel, and deep-sea records, indicating the large spatial scale of the climate oscillations. The signal in the carbon isotopes gives evidence of drastic and rapid vegetation changes in western Europe, an important site in human cultural evolution. We also find evidence for a long phase of extremely cold climate in southwest France between 61.2 +/- 0.6 and 67.4 +/- 0.9 kyr ago.

599 citations



Journal ArticleDOI
08 May 2003-Nature
TL;DR: In this paper, a single amino acid substitution in the enzyme was found in ten highly resistant strains of Culex pipiens from tropical (Africa and Caribbean) and temperate (Europe) areas, as well as in one resistant African strain of A. gambiae.
Abstract: Resistance to insecticides among mosquitoes that act as vectors for malaria (Anopheles gambiae) and West Nile virus (Culex pipiens) emerged more than 25 years ago in Africa, America and Europe; this resistance is frequently due to a loss of sensitivity of the insect's acetylcholinesterase enzyme to organophosphates and carbamates1. Here we show that this insensitivity results from a single amino-acid substitution in the enzyme, which we found in ten highly resistant strains of C. pipiens from tropical (Africa and Caribbean) and temperate (Europe) areas, as well as in one resistant African strain of A. gambiae. Our identification of this mutation may pave the way for designing new insecticides.

462 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The meta-ecosystem concept as mentioned in this paper is defined as a set of ecosystems connected by spatial flows of energy, materials and organisms across ecosystem boundaries, which is a natural extension of the metapopulation and metacommunity concepts.
Abstract: This contribution proposes the meta-ecosystem concept as a natural extension of the metapopulation and metacommunity concepts. A meta-ecosystem is defined as a set of ecosystems connected by spatial flows of energy, materials and organisms across ecosystem boundaries. This concept provides a powerful theoretical tool to understand the emergent properties that arise from spatial coupling of local ecosystems, such as global source–sink constraints, diversity–productivity patterns, stabilization of ecosystem processes and indirect interactions at landscape or regional scales. The meta-ecosystem perspective thereby has the potential to integrate the perspectives of community and landscape ecology, to provide novel fundamental insights into the dynamics and functioning of ecosystems from local to global scales, and to increase our ability to predict the consequences of land-use changes on biodiversity and the provision of ecosystem services to human societies.

454 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This review will compare the effects of NO-3 availability and PGPB on root morphogenesis andNO-3 uptake, in order to determine whether interactions exist between the NO- 3-dependent and the PGPb-dependent regulatory pathways.
Abstract: Plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) and NO - 3 availability both affect NO - 3 uptake and root architecture. The presence of external NO - 3 induces the expression of NO - 3 transporter genes and elicits lateral root elongation in the part of the root system exposed to the NO - 3 supply. By contrast, an increase in NO3 supply leads to a higher plant N status (low N demand), which represses both the NO - 3 transporters and lateral root development. The effects of PGPB on NO3 uptake and root development are similar to those of low NO3 availability (concomitant stimulation of NO - 3 uptake rate and lateral root development). The mechanisms responsible for the localized and long-distance regulation of NO - 3 uptake and root development by NO3 availability are beginning to be elucidated. By contrast, the signalling and transduction pathways elicited by the rhizobacteria remain totally unknown. This review will compare the effects of NO - 3 availability and PGPB on root morphogenesis and NO3 uptake, in order to determine whether interactions exist between the NO - 3-dependent and the PGPB-dependent regulatory pathways.

438 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
13 Jun 2003-Science
TL;DR: The ancestry of HIV-1 has been traced to SIVcpz (simian immunodeficiency virus) infecting chim-panzees in west central Africa, but the origin of SIVCPz itself remains unknown.
Abstract: The ancestry of HIV-1 (human immunodeficiency virus–1) has been traced to SIVcpz (simian immunodeficiency virus) infecting chim-panzees ( Pan troglodytes )] in west central Africa ( [1][1] ), but the origin of SIVcpz itself remains unknown. Species-specific strains of SIV have been identified in

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The maximal lactate steady state ( MLSS) is defined as the highest blood lactate concentration (MLSSc) and work load (MLSSw) that can be maintained over time without a continualBlood lactate accumulation.
Abstract: concentration (MLSSc) and work load (MLSSw) that can be maintained over time without a continual blood lactate accumulation. A close relationship between endurance sport performance and MLSSw has been reported and the average velocity over a marathon is just below MLSSw. This work rate delineates the lowto high-intensity exercises at which carbohydrates contribute more than 50% of the total energy need and at which the fuel mix switches (crosses over) from predominantly fat to predominantly carbohydrate. The rate of metabolic adenosine triphosphate (ATP) turnover increases as a direct function of metabolic power

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A clustering procedure of functional data emphasizing the functional nature of the objects is proposed, which consists of fitting the functional data by B‐splines and partitioning the estimated model coefficients using a k‐means algorithm.
Abstract: Data in many different fields come to practitioners through a process naturally described as functional. Although data are gathered as finite vector and may contain measurement errors, the functional form have to be taken into account. We propose a clustering procedure of such data emphasizing the functional nature of the objects. The new clustering method consists of two stages: fitting the functional data by B-splines and partitioning the estimated model coefficients using a k-means algorithm. Strong consistency of the clustering method is proved and a real-world example from food industry is given.

Journal ArticleDOI
28 Jul 2003-Vaccine
TL;DR: The presence of milk SIgA at 15 days as well as the persistence of a SIgM response during the whole lactation period was associated with lower risk of HIV transmission from the mother to the infant, and HIV-1 antibodies from maternal milk have been shown to block transcytosis in vitro in a monolayer enterocyte model.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This article provides examples with the aim of promoting the use of new strains belonging to different species of Mus established from wild progenitors, helpful for making genome annotations because they permit highly refined genotype-phenotype correlations.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Comparison of all alternative partitions of the landmarks into two contiguous subsets confirmed the hypothesis for the location of the boundary between modules but also underscored that the separation between them is not complete, indicating that developmental processes contribute differentially to variation at different levels.
Abstract: SUMMARY The mouse mandible has long served as a model system for studying the development and evolution of complex morphological structures. We used the methods of geometric morphometrics to reassess the hypothesis that the mandible consists of two separate modules: an anterior part bearing the teeth and a posterior part with muscle attachment surfaces and articulating with the skull. The analyses particularly focused on covariation of fluctuating asymmetry, because such covariation is due exclusively to direct interactions between the developmental processes that produce the traits of interest, whereas variation of traits among individuals also reflects other factors. The patterns of fluctuating asymmetry and individual variation were only partly consistent, indicating that developmental processes contribute differentially to variation at different levels. The results were in agreement with the hypothesis that the anterior and posterior parts of the mandible are separate developmental modules. Comparison of all alternative partitions of the landmarks into two contiguous subsets confirmed the hypothesis for the location of the boundary between modules but also underscored that the separation between them is not complete. Modularity is therefore manifest as the relative independence of parts within the framework of overall integration of the mandible as a wholeFit is a matter of degrees, not all or nothing.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The FBN1 mutation database has recently been modified to follow the guidelines on mutation databases of the HUGO Mutation Database Initiative (MDI) and the Human Genome Variation Society (HGVS), including their approved mutation nomenclature.
Abstract: Fibrillin is the major component of extracellular microfibrils. Mutations in the fibrillin gene on chromosome 15 (FBN1) were first described in the heritable connective disorder, Marfan syndrome (MFS). FBN1 has also been shown to harbor mutations related to a spectrum of conditions phenotypically related to MFS, called "type-1 fibrillinopathies." In 1995, in an effort to standardize the information regarding these mutations and to facilitate their mutational analysis and identification of structure/function and phenotype/genotype relationships, we created a human FBN1 mutation database, UMD-FBN1. This database gives access to a software package that provides specific routines and optimized multicriteria research and sorting tools. For each mutation, information is provided at the gene, protein, and clinical levels. This tool is now a worldwide reference and is frequently used by teams working in the field; more than 220,000 interrogations have been made to it since January 1998. The database has recently been modified to follow the guidelines on mutation databases of the HUGO Mutation Database Initiative (MDI) and the Human Genome Variation Society (HGVS), including their approved mutation nomenclature. The current update shows 559 entries, of which 421 are novel. UMD-FBN1 is accessible at www.umd.be/. We have also recently developed a FBN1 polymorphism database in order to facilitate diagnostics.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Domains and rafts are shown to play an important role in this amazing behavior of lipid membranes, thus imposing a new structural hierarchy on top of the classical bilayer membrane.
Abstract: "It takes a membrane to make sense out of disorder in biology. You have to be able to catch energy and hold it, storing precisely the needed amount and releasing it in measured shares". So wrote Lewis Thomas in The Lives of Cells. Domains and rafts are shown in the present Review to play an important role in this amazing behavior of lipid membranes. Topics touched upon include the experimental detection of domains, their composition, domain induction, properties of rafts (a special form of domain), and the relationship of rafts to human diseases. Lipids, polymers, and proteins can contribute to this type of micro- and nanostructuring within membranes, thus imposing a new structural hierarchy on top of the classical bilayer membrane. The purpose of this Review is to develop an appreciation for the multiple organizational levels in self-assembling systems.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is proposed that the unusual ultraslow dynamics are due to the relaxation of internal stresses, built into the sample at the jamming transition, and simple scaling arguments that support this hypothesis are presented.
Abstract: We use conventional and multispeckle dynamic light scattering to investigate the dynamics of a wide variety of jammed soft materials, including colloidal gels, concentrated emulsions, and concentrated surfactant phases. For all systems, the dynamic structure factor f(q,t) exhibits a two-step decay. The initial decay is due to the thermally activated diffusive motion of the scatterers, as indicated by the q−2 dependence of the characteristic relaxation time, where q is the scattering vector. However, due to the constrained motion of the scatterers in jammed systems, the dynamics are arrested and the initial decay terminates in a plateau. Surprisingly, we find that a final, ultraslow decay leads to the complete relaxation of f(q,t), indicative of rearrangements on length scales as large as several microns or tens of microns. Remarkably, for all systems the same very peculiar form is found for the final relaxation of the dynamic structure factor: f(q,t) ∼ exp[−(t/τs)p], with p ≈ 1.5 and τs ∼ q−1, thus suggesting the generality of this behavior. Additionally, for all samples the final relaxation slows down with age, although the aging behavior is found to be sample dependent. We propose that the unusual ultraslow dynamics are due to the relaxation of internal stresses, built into the sample at the jamming transition, and present simple scaling arguments that support this hypothesis.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: According to as discussed by the authors, human social groups became large as a result of between-group competition over preferred habitats and resources, but although larger social groups are more successful in competition, they also experience more pressures to fission.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: An increasing number of data indicate that the conjugation of non-permeant molecules to these CPPs allows their cellular uptake and leads to the expected biological responses, thus pointing to the interest of this delivery strategy.
Abstract: During the last decade several peptides have been extensively studied for their ability to translocate across the plasma membrane. These peptides have been called “cell penetrating peptides” (CPP) or “protein transduction domains” (PTD). These peptides also promote the cellular uptake of various cargo molecules. Their mechanism of cellular entry appeared very intriguing since most publications in the field highlighted an energyindependent process. Indeed, cellular uptake of these peptides was still observed by fluorescence microscopy at low temperature or in the presence of several drugs known to inhibit active transport. In addition, internalization was reported to be much faster than known endocytic processes. However the involvement of a specific cellular component responsible for this uptake process appeared unlikely following intensive structure activity relationship studies using a wide panel of Tat analogues. Several reports about a possible artefactual redistribution of CPPs, and their associated cargos, during the cell fixation step commonly used for fluorescence microscopy have recently emerged in the literature. Moreover strong ionic interactions of CPPs with the cell surface also led to an overestimation of the recorded cell-associated fluorescent signal. It now seems well established that arginine-rich peptides are internalized by an energy dependant process involving endocytosis. Whatever the case, however, an increasing number of data indicate that the conjugation of non-permeant molecules to these CPPs allows their cellular uptake and leads to the expected biological responses, thus pointing to the interest of this delivery strategy. However, initial structure activity relationship studies of these CPPs will have to be reconsidered and the relative potency of each peptide (and their analogues) to vectorize the cargos to their most appropriate subcellular compartment will require careful re-evaluation.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A Bayesian relaxed molecular clock approach based on the continuous autocorrelation of evolutionary rates along branches was applied to estimate the divergence ages between the major clades of ruminants, confirming the traditional view that separates Tragulina and Pecora.
Abstract: The ruminants constitute the largest group of ungulates, with >190 species, and its distribution is widespread throughout all continents except Australia and Antarctica. Six families are traditionally recognized within the suborder Ruminantia: Antilocapridae (pronghorns), Bovidae (cattle, sheep, and antelopes), Cervidae (deer), Giraffidae (giraffes and okapis), Moschidae (musk deer), and Tragulidae (chevrotains). The interrelationships of the families have been an area of controversy among morphology, palaeontology, and molecular studies, and almost all possible evolutionary scenarios have been proposed in the literature. We analyzed a large DNA data set (5,322 nucleotides) for 23 species including both mito- chondrial (cytochrome b, 12S ribosomal RNA (rRNA), and 16S rRNA) and nuclear (•-casein, cytochrome P-450, lactoferrin, andfi-lactalbumin) markers. Our results show that the family Tragulidae occupies a basal position with respect to all other ruminant families, confirming the traditional view that separates Tragulina and Pecora. Within the pecorans, Antilocapridae and Giraffidae emerge first, and the families Bovidae, Moschidae, and Cervidae are allied, with the unexpected placement of Moschus close to bovids rather than to cervids. We used these molecular results to assess the homoplastic evolution of morphological characters within the Ruminantia. A Bayesian relaxed molecular clock approach based on the continuous autocorrelation of evolutionary rates along branches was applied to estimate the divergence ages between the major clades of ruminants. The evolutionary radiation of Pecora occurred at the Early/Late Oligocene transition, and Pecoran families diversified and dispersed rapidly during the Early and Middle Miocene. We propose a biogeographic scenario to explain the extraordinary expansion of this group during the Cenozoic era. (Bayesian relaxed clock; Bovidae; molecules; morphology; Moschidae; phylogeny; Ruminantia.)

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The present study investigated the perceptual dimensions of everyday tactile textures and the semantics associated with touch experiences, and suggested the existence of a limited but consensual tactile repertory.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a review of the rock sequences and evolution of the eastern and central terranes of Hoggar is presented, focusing on the Neoproterozoic subduction-related evolution and collision stages in the central part of the Tuareg shield.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In the intermediate mass range, in which the Higgs boson decays into pairs of real and virtual Z bosons, threshold effects and angular correlations, parallel to Higgs-strahlung, may be adopted to determine spin and parity, though high event rates will be required for the analysis in practice.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Data suggest that rapid changes in BDNF expression may be part of a compensatory response to preserve hippocampal homeostasis or a form of neuronal plasticity to cope with new stimuli.
Abstract: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is strongly expressed in the hippocampus, where it has been associated with memory processes. In the central nervous system, some learning processes, as well as brain insults, including stress, induce modifications in BDNF mRNA expression. Because stress and memory appear to share some neuronal pathways, we studied BDNF mRNA and BDNF peptide variations in response to short times of immobilization stress. Using an RNase protection assay, we demonstrated that short-time stress application induced a significant increase (at 60 min) in BDNF mRNA levels in the whole rat hippocampus. Changes in BDNF mRNA content appear to reflect increased expression of BDNF transcripts containing exons I, II, and III, that were also significantly modified at this time. The time course of stress-induced changes in BDNF transcript levels revealed that mRNA containing exon III was the first increased, significantly elevated by 15 min, attaining maximal levels at 60 min, as BDNF transcripts containing exons I and II. However, at longer times of stress (180 min), BDNF mRNA levels were decreased as well as mRNA containing exon IV. In situ hybridization analysis of discrete hippocampal layers demonstrated that BDNF mRNA expression increased as early as 15 min in most hippocampal regions, with no modification in the number of labeled cells. The same signal pattern, although less pronounced, was determined at 60 min, but at this time a significant increase in BDNF-positive cells was visualized in the CA3 layer. The peptide, measured by immunoassay, was significantly augmented after 180 min of stress exposure whereas at 300 min, levels were similar to those measured in control animals. These data suggest that rapid changes in BDNF expression may be part of a compensatory response to preserve hippocampal homeostasis or a form of neuronal plasticity to cope with new stimuli.

Journal ArticleDOI
16 Jan 2003-Gene
TL;DR: An expressed sequence tag program to isolate genes involved in defense mechanisms of the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas, identified 20 genes that may be implicated in immune function and investigated the expression of four of them during bacterial challenge of oysters.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the influence of homogenization pressure (100-300 MPa) and milk inlet temperature Tin (4°C, 14°C or 24°C) on fat globule size distribution and reduction of the endogenous flora were investigated.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A new index of host specificity is proposed, one that takes into account the average taxonomic or phylogenetic distance between pairs of host species used by a parasite, derived from measures of taxonomic distinctness used in biodiversity studies.
Abstract: The host specificity of a parasite is not merely a function of how many host species it can exploit, but also of how closely related these host species are to each other. Here, a new index of host specificity is proposed, one that takes into account the average taxonomic or phylogenetic distance between pairs of host species used by a parasite. The index is derived from measures of taxonomic distinctness used in biodiversity studies. It is easy to compute and interpret, ranging from a minimum value of 1 when all host species are members of the same genus, to a maximum of 5, when all host species belong to different classes. The variance of this measure can also be computed, and provides additional information on the taxonomic or phylogenetic structure of the host assemblage. Using data on helminth parasites of Canadian freshwater fishes, we show that the new index, unlike the mere number of known host species, is independent of study effort i.e. the number of published records of a parasite. Although the index and the number of known hosts are not entirely independent statistically, each captures a different aspect of host specificity. For instance, although acanthocephalans infect significantly more host species than trematodes, cestodes or nematodes, there is no difference in the average index value among these 4 helminth taxa, suggesting that the average taxonomic distances between the host species of a parasite do not vary among these higher taxa. We recommend the use of our new index in future comparative studies of host specificity, in particular when the focus is on the evolutionary history of parasites and of their past colonizations of host lineages.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In situ atomic force microscopy experiments are reported which reveal the presence of nanoscale damage cavities ahead of a stress-corrosion crack tip in glass, which might explain the departure from linear elasticity observed in the vicinity of a crack tip.
Abstract: We report in situ atomic force microscopy experiments which reveal the presence of nanoscale damage cavities ahead of a stress-corrosion crack tip in glass. Their presence might explain the departure from linear elasticity observed in the vicinity of a crack tip in glass. Such a ductile fracture mechanism, widely observed in the case of metallic materials at the micrometer scale, might be also at the origin of the striking similarity of the morphologies of fracture surfaces of glass and metallic alloys at different length scales.