The characteristics of gait in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease types I and II.

Certain typical gait characteristics such as foot-drop and foot supination are well described in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. These are directly related to the primary disease and due to the weakness of ankle dorsiflexors and everters characteristic of this hereditary neuropathy. We analysed 16 subjects aged 8-52 years old (11 with type I, 5 with type II Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease) using three-dimensional gait analysis and identified kinematic features previously unreported. These patients showed a combination of tight tendo achillei, foot-drop, failure of plantar flexion and increased foot supination, but also presented with excessive internal rotation of the knee and/or tibia, knee hyperextension in stance, excessive external rotation at the hips and decreased hip adduction in stance (typical of a broad based gait). These proximal features could have been an adaptation to or consequence of the disrupted ankle and foot biomechanics, however a direct relation to the neuropathy is also possible since sub-normal muscle power was observed at the proximal levels in most subjects on both manual testing and kinetic analysis. Gait analysis is a useful tool in defining the characteristic gait of patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.

[Louis Marie Meschinet de Richemond] / Th. Cognacq

Donateur : Association française pour l'avènement des sciences

Pedotransfer functions to estimate retention and availability of water in soils of the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil

Studies on water retention and availability are scarce for subtropical or humid temperate climate regions of the southern hemisphere. The aims of this study were to evaluate the relations of the soil physical, chemical, and mineralogical properties with water retention and availability for the generation and validation of continuous point pedotransfer functions (PTFs) for soils of the State of Santa Catarina (SC) in the South of Brazil. Horizons of 44 profiles were sampled in areas under different cover crops and regions of SC, to determine: field capacity (FC, 10 kPa), permanent wilting point (PWP, 1,500 kPa), available water content (AW, by difference), saturated hydraulic conductivity, bulk density, aggregate stability, particle size distribution (seven classes), organic matter content, and particle density. Chemical and mineralogical properties were obtained from the literature. Spearman's rank correlation analysis and path analysis were used in the statistical analyses. The point PTFs for estimation of FC, PWP and AW were generated for the soil surface and subsurface through multiple regression analysis, followed by robust regression analysis, using two sets of predictive variables. Soils with finer texture and/or greater organic matter content retain more moisture, and organic matter is the property that mainly controls the water availability to plants in soil surface horizons. Path analysis was useful in understanding the relationships between soil properties for FC, PWP and AW. The predictive power of the generated PTFs to estimate FC and PWP was good for all horizons, while AW was best estimated by more complex models with better prediction for the surface horizons of soils in Santa Catarina.

Accumulation of phosphorus fractions and contamination potential in vineyard soils in the southern region of the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil

In vineyards, if phosphate is applied both before planting and at intervals during growth without consideration of technical criteria, the soil P fractions may be increased and their proportions altered. This study was carried out to evaluate the accumulation of P fractions and the parameters of the adsorption isotherm in a sandy Typic Hapludalf soil in vineyards with a history of successive and excessive phosphate fertilization. In December 2010, two vineyards were selected, one 4 and the other 15 years old, in Urussanga, State of Santa Catarina (Brazil). Three trenches were dug in each area and soil was collected from the 0-5, 5-10 and 10-20 cm depth ranges. The soil samples were dried in a forced-air oven, sieved and subjected to chemical analyses, P chemical fractionation and P adsorption isotherms. Excessive phosphate fertilization, before and during cultivation, particularly in the older vineyard and, consequently, with a longer history of phosphate fertilization, increased the inorganic P concentrations to the depth of 20 cm, especially in labile fractions extracted by anion exchange resin and NaHCO3 in the non-labile fraction, as well as in the non-labile fraction extracted by 1.0 mol L-1 HCl. The application of phosphate fertilizers and the long cultivation period increased the P levels in the organic labile fraction extracted by 0.5 mol L-1 NaHCO3, and especially in the moderately labile fraction extracted by 0.1 and 0.5 mol L-1 NaOH. Phosphate fertilization of older vineyards, i.e., cultivated for 15 years, increased the amounts of P desorbed in water, indicating a risk of contamination of surface waters and groundwater. The phosphate fertilization before planting, without considering the results of soil analysis, and during cultivation, disregarding the results of soil analysis, leaf analysis and expected yield, led to a reduction in the maximum P adsorption capacity in the 0-5 cm layer of vineyard 2, indicating saturation of part of the reactive particle adsorption sites.

[Adolphe Marie Pierre de Circourt]

Donateur : Hüber, William (1830-1895)

Water retention and availability in soils of the State of Santa Catarina-Brazil: effect of textural classes, soil classes and lithology

The retention and availability of water in the soil vary according to the soil characteristics and determine plant growth. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate water retention and availability in the soils of the State of Santa Catarina, Brazil, according to the textural class, soil class and lithology. The surface and subsurface horizons of 44 profiles were sampled in different regions of the State and different cover crops to determine field capacity, permanent wilting point, available water content, particle size, and organic matter content. Water retention and availability between the horizons were compared in a mixed model, considering the textural classes, the soil classes and lithology as fixed factors and profiles as random factors. It may be concluded that water retention is greater in silty or clayey soils and that the organic matter content is higher, especially in Humic Cambisols, Nitisols and Ferralsol developed from igneous or sedimentary rocks. Water availability is greater in loam-textured soils, with high organic matter content, especially in soils of humic character. It is lower in the sandy texture class, especially in Arenosols formed from recent alluvial deposits or in gravelly soils derived from granite. The greater water availability in the surface horizons, with more organic matter than in the subsurface layers, illustrates the importance of organic matter for water retention and availability.

[Illustrations de L'art du fabricant de velours de coton] / Bernard, grav.; Fossier, dess. ; Jean-Marie Roland de la Platière, aut. du texte

Comprend : [Bandeau folio Aij : allégorie de la Justice. Homme écrivant, singe. Ornements à la Bérin.] [Cote : Res Atlas V 117/Microfilm R 101257] ; [Pl.1 : de la mécanique à carder le coton. Vues et développements de la machine à carder le coton.] L'art du fabricant de velours de coton. [Cote : Res Atlas V 117/Microfilm R 101257] ; [Pl.2 : de la mécanique à carder le coton. Machine à carder le coton.] L'art du fabricant de velours de coton. [Cote : Res Atlas V 117/Microfilm R 101257] ; [Pl.3 : de la mécanique à carder le coton. Machine à carder le coton. Fig.4 : petits cadres en fer, implantés sur la charpente de la mécanique, sur lesquels s'appuie et tourne l'axe des cylindres.] L'art du fabricant de velours de coton. [Cote : Res Atlas V 117/Microfilm R 101257] ; [Pl.4 : de la mécanique à filer le coton et de la manière de s'en servir.] L'art du fabricant de velours de coton. [Cote : Res Atlas V 117/Microfilm R 101257] ; [Pl.5 : de la mécanique à filer le coton et de la manière de s'en servir.] L'art du fabricant de velours de coton. [Cote : Res Atlas V 117/Microfilm R 101257] ; [Pl.6 : fabrication du velours. Fig.1 : moulins à retordre les fils de coton, doublés pour la châine des velours] L'art du fabricant de velours de coton. [Cote : Res Atlas V 117/Microfilm R 101257] ; [Pl.7 : fabrication du velours. Fig.1 : vue perspective du métier monté et en travail.] L'art du fabricant de velours de coton. [Cote : Res Atlas V 117/Microfilm R 101257] ; [Pl.8 : fabrication du velours. Armure de piqué pour un carreau quatre points simple ou double, velours velvet-ret, croisé, piqué ou cannelé. Fig.8 : fabrication d'une toile sans lisière.] L'art du fabricant de velours de coton. [Cote : Res Atlas V 117/Microfilm R 101257] ; [Pl.9 : fabrication du velours. Le fourneau à brûler, griller ou raser les velours de coton et de la manière de faire cette opération.] L'art du fabricant de velours de coton. [Cote : Res Atlas V 117/Microfilm R 101257] ; [Pl.10 avec 3 vignettes : vignette 1, fabrication du velours. Des couleurs en bon teint. Atelier de teinture pour les coulers ordinaires, les garançages etc. Vignette 2 : atelier de teinture pour les cuves de bleu. Vignette 3 : atelier de teinture pour les tones de noir.] L'art du fabricant de velours de coton. [Cote : Res Atlas V 117/Microfilm R 101257] ; [Pl.11 : fabrication du velours. Des couleurs en bon teint. De la cuve du bleu à chaud. Mécanique à imprimer au cylindre les toiles, croisés, satinettes, velours de coton etc. Mécanique à découper les velours cannelés et le velvet-ret avec l'ouvrier vu en travail. ] L'art du fabricant de velours de coton. [Cote : Res Atlas V 117/Microfilm R 101257]