Catholique De Research Articles

Deux christologies d’aujourd’hui

Two professors of dogmatic theology who were colleagues at the Faculty of theology of the Institut catholique de Paris, have just published, quite independently of each other, an essay on Christology. If these works resemble each other in that they are concerned with the thought of Christ today and the modern separation between “Jesus” and the “Christ”, they differ on a number of points. (...)

(Invited) Current Status and Trends in RF Silicon-on-Insulator Material and Device

Performance of RF integrated circuit (IC) is directly linked to the analog and high frequency characteristics of the transistors, the quality of the back-end of line process as well as the electromagnetic properties of the substrate. This last decade Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) MOSFET technology has demonstrated its potentialities for high frequency commercial applications pushing the limits of CMOS technology. Partially depleted SOI MOSFET is now the mainstream technology adopted by all major foundries and fabless companies for the design of several wireless sub-systems. Today, more than 95 percent of substrates used in fabricating cellular and connectivity switches for handsets are SOI (from Navian market analyst, 2016 report) whereas it was not even in production in 2008, GaAs being mainstream at that time. Beside main switch, front-end module complexity has increased drastically: more than ten integrated switches are required in 4G Tier 1 phones, plus antenna tuners as well as Low Noise Amplifiers (LNA). RF-SOI Power Amplifiers (PA) market adoption is slowly ongoing being mainly position on entry market favoring price-performance-integration trade-off. The concept of trap-rich SOI substrate proposed in 2005 is at the origin of the RF-SOI success story. Indeed, substrate losses and crosstalk were the remaining killer features of Si-based technologies for RF applications these last decades. Thanks to the introduction of a high density of defects called traps at the buried oxide (BOX) / Si handle substrate interface, it has been possible to manufacture high-resistivity (HR) SOI substrates characterized with an effective resistivity as high as 10 kΩ.cm. Those traps originate from the grain boundaries in a thin (less than 1 µm-thick) polysilicon layer. This high-resistivity characteristic, which is conserved after a full CMOS process, translates to very low RF insertion loss (< 0.15 dB/mm at 1 GHz) along coplanar waveguide (CPW) transmission lines and purely capacitive crosstalk similarly to quartz substrate. It has been shown that the presence of a trapping layer does not alter the DC or RF behavior of SOI MOS transistors. And more importantly, it has been demonstrated that harmonics level originated from the substrate is reduced by at least 20 dB moving from standard resistivity SOI substrate (~ 10 Ω.cm) to high resistivity SOI (~ 1 kΩ.cm), and an additional drop of 40 dB is achieved with the innovative trap-rich HR SOI substrate. The low harmonic level achieved is comparable with insulating substrate. The improvement of the HR SOI substrate with the introduction of defects brings also clear benefits for the integration of passives, such as the quality factor of spiral inductors, tunable MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) capacitors, as well as for the reduction of the substrate noise (crosstalk) between devices integrated on the same chip, etc. Université catholique de Louvain and Soitec have been working together to manufacture the trap-rich SOI substrate concept to further improve the high-frequency performance of commercially available HR-SOI substrates. In 2013, Soitec has unveiled a new flavor of HR-SOI called RF-eSITM-SOI, for enhanced Signal IntegrityTM substrate with a measured effective resistivity as high as 10 kΩ.cm. RF-eSI-SOI substrate can really be considered as a lossless Si-based substrate. Beyond switch, RF-eSI-SOI technology opens the path to further system integration in the Front-End Module (FEM) space as well as even more complex mixed signal System-on-Chip. Based on its 45 nm baseline SOI process, GlobalFoundries just released a RF-SOI mmW offering targeting applications like 5G, satellite communication, automotive radar, WiGig, backhaul. The SOI substrates roadmap for RF and millimeter-waves applications will be presented. Future generations of mobile communication systems such as 5G or the Internet-of-Things will require transistors with better high frequency performance at lower power consumption. The advanced MOS transistors in competition are FinFET and Ultra Thin Body and Buried oxide (UTBB) SOI MOSFETs. Both devices have been intensively studied these last years. Most of the reported data concern their digital performance. Their analog/RF behavior will be described and compared in the paper. Both show pretty similar characteristics in terms of transconductance, Early voltage, voltage gain, self-heating issue but UTBB outperforms FinFET in terms of cutoff frequencies thanks to their relatively lower fringing parasitic capacitances. The relative impact of the transistor characteristics and the substrate properties on different RF ICs performances will be presented. As it will be demonstrated, the use of specific RF test structures at the early stage of a technological node development is of first importance to analyze the transistor parasitic resistances and capacitances, the transistor cutoff frequencies, the self-heating, and the substrate coupling and non-linear behavior.

Two-step transplantation with adipose tissue-derived stem cells increases follicle survival by enhancing vascularization in xenografted frozen-thawed human ovarian tissue.

Do adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ASCs) enhance vascularization and follicle survival in xenografted ovarian tissue using a two-step transplantation approach? Higher rates of oxygenation and vascularization of ovarian tissue, as well as increased follicle survival rates, were detected in the early post-grafting period. ASCs have multilineage differentiation potential, proangiogenic properties and enhance vascularization in a peritoneal grafting site. Some studies suggest that using ASCs may improve ovarian tissue quality by enhancing graft angiogenesis. A total of 15 severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice were intraperitoneally grafted with frozen-thawed human ovarian tissue (OT) from five different patients. A peritoneal transplantation site had been previously prepared in a first step using either empty fibrin (Fi+OT group [n = 5]) or ASC-loaded fibrin (Fi/ASCs+OT group [n = 5]) for 14 days prior to grafting. Five mice underwent the standard one-step transplantation procedure and served as controls (OT group). Lithium phthalocyanine (LiPc) crystals were inserted into all grafted human ovarian tissue before transplantation. Levels of partial pressure of oxygen (pO2) in grafts were monitored in vivo by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) oximetry on Days 3 and 7. Samples for histology and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were collected after euthanizing the mice on Day 7 following EPR. One piece of ovarian tissue per patient was fixed for analysis to serve as non-grafted controls. Prospective experimental study conducted at the Gynecology Research Unit, Université Catholique de Louvain. All materials were used to perform pO2 measurements (EPR oximetry), histological (haematoxylin and eosin staining), immunohistochemistry (anti-mouse and human double CD34 and anti-human Ki-67) and TUNEL analyses. A significant increase in pO2 was observed in all groups between Days 3 and 7 (P < 0.001). A significantly higher pO2 level was observed in the Fi/ASCs+OT group compared to the OT group on Day 7 (P = 0.028). Total CD34-positive vessel area on Day 7 was greater in the Fi/ASCs+OT group than in any other group (vs non-grafted group: P = 0.0014; vs OT group: P = 0.013; vs Fi+OT group: P = 0.018). Primordial follicle survival rates after grafting were higher in the Fi/ASCs+OT group than in the OT (P = 0.0059) or Fi+OT groups (P = 0.0307). TUNEL-positive follicle percentages after grafting were significantly lower in the Fi/ASCs+OT group than in any other grafted tissue (vs OT group: P = 0.045; vs Fi+OT group: P = 0.0268). Percentages of Ki-67-positive primordial follicles were significantly higher in all grafted groups compared to non-grafted tissue controls (P < 0.01). As demonstrated by our results, the proposed two-step ovarian tissue transplantation procedure using ASCs enhances vascularization in the early post-grafting period, leading to increased follicle survival rates and decreased apoptosis. However, mechanisms involved in the proangiogenic behavior of ASCs remain to be elucidated. Our results suggest that the proposed transplantation procedure with ASCs is a promising step towards potentially solving the problem of massive follicle loss after ovarian tissue grafting. This study was supported by grants from the Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique de Belgique (FNRS-PDR Convention T.0077.14, grant Télévie No. 7.6515.16 F to DDM and grant 5/4/150/5 awarded to MMD and CAA is research associate, FRS-FNRS), Fonds Spéciaux de Recherche, Fondation St Luc, and Foundation Against Cancer, and donations from the Ferrero family.

Computational multicore on two-layer 1D shallow water equations for erodible dambreak

The simulation of erodible dambreak using two-layer shallow water equations and SCHR scheme are elaborated in this paper. The results show that the two-layer SWE model in a good agreement with the data experiment which is performed by Louvain-la-Neuve Université Catholique de Louvain. Moreover, the parallel algorithm with multicore architecture are given in the results. The results show that Computer I with processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-2500 CPU Quad-Core has the best performance to accelerate the computational time. Moreover, Computer III with processor AMD A6-5200 APU Quad-Core is observed has higher speedup and efficiency. The speedup and efficiency of Computer III with number of grids 3200 are 3.716050530 times and 92.9% respectively.

Early Assessment of Mental Development in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other Neurodevelopmental Disorders – Sharing of Clinical Experience

The authors present a synthesised review of the methods for assessing mental development and autism, with an emphasis on the general tendency to reduce the age of diagnosis. Based on clinical experience, a number of particularities are described in terms of: testing, working with parents, observing and reflecting on the nature and meaning of autistic behaviours. On focus is a toolkit for detailed assessment of mental development that was elaborated within the inter-university cooperation between Sofia Medical University and Université catholique de Louvain (UCL) - Belgium. Illustrated and discussed are typical profiles of cognitive and socio-communicative functioning of children with ASD and other neurodevelopmental disorders, which help a differential diagnosis to be made by the multidisciplinary clinical team. Further described are the advantages of early assessment of mental development as a basis for future educational and therapeutic programs.

Adipose tissue-derived stem cells in a fibrin implant enhance neovascularization in a peritoneal grafting site: a potential way to improve ovarian tissue transplantation.

Do two different concentrations of human adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ASCs) embedded inside a fibrin scaffold have the potential to differentiate into vessels and aid vascularization in a peritoneal grafting site intended for ovarian tissue transplantation? Human ASCs in low and high concentrations differentiated into vessels when transplanted to mouse peritoneum inside a fibrin matrix, but only high ASC concentrations significantly increased human vessel area 14 days after transplantation. ASCs have multilineage differentiation potential, including proangiogenic properties and have been used in tissue engineering to enhance vascularization in transplanted tissues. Fibrin has been studied and used as an ASC-compatible biomaterial. In vivo experimental model using 22 severe combined immunodeficient mice. In total, 16 mice (eight per group) were intraperitoneally grafted with a fibrin scaffold loaded with two different human ASC concentrations (either 150 000 [L-ASC] or 1 500 000 [H-ASC] cells) and lithium phthalocyanine (LiPc) crystals as oxygen-sensitive probes. Six mice were grafted with an empty fibrin (EF) implant containing only LiPc and served as controls. Levels of partial pressure of oxygen (pO2) in implants were monitored in vivo by electron paramagnetic resonance oximetry (EPR). ASC identification, proliferation, and host and human vascularization were analyzed by immunohistochemistry (IHC). All analyses were performed on post-grafting Days 3, 7 and 14. Prospective experimental study conducted at the Gynecology Research Unit, Université Catholique de Louvain. All materials were used to perform pO2 measurements (EPR oximetry), as well as histological (hematoxylin-eosin staining) and IHC (anti-human vimentin, anti-human Ki67, anti-mouse and human double CD34) analyses. A significant increase in pO2 in implants was observed in all groups between Days 3 and 7 (P < 0.001). ASC-loaded implants displayed a tendency towards increased pO2 levels from Days 7 to 14, not observed in EF implants. ASC-loaded implants showed differentiation into human CD34-positive vessels. Total CD34-positive endothelial area was correlated to pO2 values obtained by EPR oximetry (r = 0.6506, P = 0.0019). In the H-ASC group, a greater human CD34-positive vascular surface area was found compared to the L-ASC group 14 days after transplantation (P < 0.0049). N/A. As demonstrated by our results, ASCs transplanted inside a fibrin matrix can differentiate into CD34-positive human vessels. However, other possible mechanisms involved in ASC angiogenic behavior remain to be investigated. High concentrations of ASCs loaded inside a fibrin scaffold could serve as a substrate to prepare a peritoneal grafting site over 14 days, in order to enhance vascularization once human ovarian tissue is grafted. Our proposed preparation of the grafting site would not only benefit ovarian tissue transplantation, but also other experimental avascular grafting procedures. This study was supported by grants from the Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique de Belgique (FNRS-PDR Convention T.0077.14, Télévie Grant no. 7.6515.16F awarded to DDM and Grant 5/4/150/5 awarded to M.M.D. [CAA is FRS-FNRS research associate]), Fonds Spéciaux de Recherche, and Fondation St Luc, Foundation Against Cancer, and donations from the Ferrero family. None of the authors have any competing interests to declare.

Marie-Claire Daveluy (1880-1968), historienne des femmes

A respected woman of letters of her day, Marie-Claire Daveluy (1880-1968) worked on several fronts, namely as a librarian, teacher, novelist and historian. Her historical contributions have left only a minor impression on the historiographic memory, however. While seeking to understand the social mechanisms that have caused Daveluy’s work to fade into obscurity, this article also highlights a characteristic of her work, namely her emphasis on making women’s role in the history of French Canada better known. After exploring the conditions in which the historian produced her work, we observe how her focus on women was reflected in her two primary historical publications, namely her monograph L’Orphelinat catholique de Montreal and her biography of Jeanne Mance

Conference report: "Morphology Days", Louvain­-la­-Neuve (Belgium), November 22–24 2017

Morphology Days is a (nearly) biennial international meeting which deals with morphology within different frameworks and in various perspectives Previous editions of this conference have taken place in Leuven (2015), Leeuwarden (2013), Leiden (2012), Nijmegen (2011), Luik (2009) and Amsterdam (2007) While the first editions of the conference were mainly addressed to researchers working on morphology in the Netherlands and in Belgium, the last editions – including this one – included international contributions The programme and the book of abstract is available at the conference’s homepage at https://morphologydays2017.wordpress.com/program/. Organized by Philippe Hiligsmann, Kristel Van Goethem, Nikos Koutsoukos and Isa Hendrikx from the Université Catholique de Louvain, and Laurent Raiser from the Université de Liège, this edition of Morphology Days hosted more than 30 researchers, among which 3 plenary speakers, coming not only from Belgium but also from France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. Although both inflection and derivation (affixation) where dealt with in the talks, this conference report will only address the studies on derivation. Dieser Beitrag ist ursprünglich im Peter-Lang-Verlag erschienen (https://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/plg/jwf/2018/00000002/00000001/art00011)

Dam break over mobile bed: Characterisation ofthe flow by means of pressure distribution and bed shear stress

The study of the pressure distribution within the dam-break flow over mobile bed is very important because it allows to discuss the hydrostatic pressure distribution, which is the main assumption for the validity of the shallow water equations (SWE). Indeed, this assumption is not always valid, especially when the streamlines are not straight and not perpendicular to the gravity acceleration direction. The flow varies abruptly in the first instants of the falling dam-break wave evolution, but it tires towards a stationary motion during time. To better characterize this phenomenon it is important to examine the evolution of each component of velocity vector field and the distribution of the pressure, which is compared to the hydrostatic distribution. Moreover, the present study considers the distribution of pressure linked with the distribution of the shear stress, through the Navier-Stokes equations. The final object of this work is to characterize the dam break experiment over mobile bed by means of forces acting during the event. The dam-break experiment under examination has been performed in a dedicated flume designed at the laboratory of Civil Engineering Department, Université catholique de Louvain. The analysis of this very transient flow it is now possible and more accurate thanks to the application of non-intrusive new techniques, such as PIV.

Single-Event Transients in Readout Circuitries at Low Temperature Down to 50 K

This paper presents the impact of cryogenic temperatures, down to 50 K, on the single-event transient (SET) sensitivity of two readout circuits of infrared image sensor designed by Sofradir. Experimental SETs data obtained under heavy ions at the Universite Catholique de Louvain la Neuve facility are described, and the temperature impact on the SET cross sections is presented. The analysis of experimental sensitivity trends is completed by means of MUSCA SEP3 tool.

Validation of a new double-coil TMS method to assess corticospinal excitability bilaterally

Validation of a new double-coil TMS method to assess corticospinal excitability bilaterally

Improvement of synaptic plasticity by pharmacological activation of RXR nuclear receptors is PPARα dependent.

Event Abstract Back to Event Improvement of synaptic plasticity by pharmacological activation of RXR nuclear receptors is PPARα dependent. Nathalie PIERROT1, 2*, Laurence Ris3, Ilie-Cosmin STANCU STANCU4, Karelle Leroy5, Pascal Kienlen-Campard1, Philippe Gailly1, Jean-Pierre Brion5, Ilse Dewachter4* and Jean-Noël Octave1 1 Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium 2 Institute of Neuroscience, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium 3 University of Mons, Belgium 4 University of Hasselt, Belgium 5 Free University of Brussels, Belgium Retinoid X receptors (RXRs) are receptors belonging to the nuclear receptor superfamily of ligand-dependent transcription factors, containing different members including the Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors (PPARs). These receptors regulate the transcription of target genes through their binding with sequence-specific elements located in gene promoters. Activation of PPARs, which form obligatory heterodimers with RXRs, stimulates the transcription of specific target genes encoding proteins involved in numerous biological processes such as reproduction, development, adipogenesis, energy balance, lipid and glucose biosynthesis and inflammation. Interestingly, a potential involvement of RXRs in neuronal activity was recently proposed since activation of RXRs with specific ligands improves behaviour and cognition in various mouse models of neurodegenerative diseases. However, the mechanisms involved are not fully understood. We have analyzed how bexarotene-mediated activation of RXRs nuclear receptors could modulate synaptic plasticity, an activity-dependent change in synaptic strength in the hippocampus considered as a prominent mechanism underlying learning and memory formation in the mammalian brain. By measuring long-term potentiation (LTP) at hippocampal CA3-CA1 synapses, we observed that activation of RXRs improved hippocampal synaptic plasticity in a transgenic mouse model with cognitive deficits by specifically increasing the expression of the GluA1 subunit of the AMPA receptors. This upregulation of GluA1 expression together with improvement of hippocampal synaptic plasticity induced by activation of RXRs were completely abolished in the absence of PPARalpha. These results indicate that improvement of synaptic functions induced by activation of RXRs is PPARalpha dependent. Keywords: Nuclear receptors (LXR, PPAR, RXR), synaptic plasiticty, LTP (Long Term Potentiation), glutamate receptor, Hippocampus Conference: Belgian Brain Congress 2018 — Belgian Brain Council, LIEGE, Belgium, 19 Oct - 19 Oct, 2018. Presentation Type: e-posters Topic: NOVEL STRATEGIES FOR NEUROLOGICAL AND MENTAL DISORDERS: SCIENTIFIC BASIS AND VALUE FOR PATIENT-CENTERED CARE Citation: PIERROT N, Ris L, STANCU I, Leroy K, Kienlen-Campard P, Gailly P, Brion J, Dewachter I and Octave J (2019). Improvement of synaptic plasticity by pharmacological activation of RXR nuclear receptors is PPARα dependent.. Front. Neurosci. Conference Abstract: Belgian Brain Congress 2018 — Belgian Brain Council. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnins.2018.95.00017 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 30 Jul 2018; Published Online: 17 Jan 2019. * Correspondence: PhD. Nathalie PIERROT, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, nathalie.pierrot@uclouvain.be Prof. Ilse Dewachter, University of Hasselt, Hasselt, Limburg, 3500, Belgium, ilse.dewachter@uhasselt.be Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Nathalie PIERROT Laurence Ris Ilie-Cosmin STANCU STANCU Karelle Leroy Pascal Kienlen-Campard Philippe Gailly Jean-Pierre Brion Ilse Dewachter Jean-Noël Octave Google Nathalie PIERROT Laurence Ris Ilie-Cosmin STANCU STANCU Karelle Leroy Pascal Kienlen-Campard Philippe Gailly Jean-Pierre Brion Ilse Dewachter Jean-Noël Octave Google Scholar Nathalie PIERROT Laurence Ris Ilie-Cosmin STANCU STANCU Karelle Leroy Pascal Kienlen-Campard Philippe Gailly Jean-Pierre Brion Ilse Dewachter Jean-Noël Octave PubMed Nathalie PIERROT Laurence Ris Ilie-Cosmin STANCU STANCU Karelle Leroy Pascal Kienlen-Campard Philippe Gailly Jean-Pierre Brion Ilse Dewachter Jean-Noël Octave Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

The role of Dopamine in Preparatory Inhibition: What can we learn from Parkinson’s disease?

The role of Dopamine in Preparatory Inhibition: What can we learn from Parkinson’s disease?

The advantages of hypnosis intervention on breast cancer surgery and adjuvant therapy

BackgroundIn oncology, hypnosis has been used for pain relief in metastatic patients but rarely for induction of anesthesia. Material and methodBetween January 2010 and October 2015, 300 patients from our Breast Clinic (Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc, Université catholique de Louvain) were included in an observational, non-randomized study approved by our local ethics committee (ClinicalTrials.gov – NCT03003611). The hypothesis of our study was that hypnosis intervention could decrease side effects of breast surgery.150 consecutive patients underwent breast surgery while on general anesthesia (group I), and 150 consecutive patients underwent the same surgical procedures while on hypnosis sedation (group II).After surgery, in each group, 32 patients received chemotherapy, radiotherapy was administered to 123 patients, and 115 patients received endocrine therapy. ResultsDuration of hospitalization was statistically significantly reduced in group II versus group I: 3 versus 4.1 days (p = 0.0000057) for all surgical procedures. The number of post-mastectomy lymph punctures was reduced in group II (1–3, median value n = 1.5) versus group I (2–5, median value n = 3.1) (p = 0.01), as was the quantity of lymph removed (103 ml versus 462.7 ml) (p = 0.0297) in the group of mastectomies.Anxiety scale was also statistically reduced in the postoperative period among the group of patients undergoing surgery while on hypnosis sedation (p = 0.0000000000000002).The incidence of asthenia during chemotherapy was statistically decreased (p = 0.01) in group II. In this group, there was a statistically non-significant trend towards a decrease in the incidence of nausea/vomiting (p = 0.1), and the frequency of radiodermitis (p = 0.002) and post-radiotherapy asthenia (p = 0.000000881) was also reduced. Finally, the incidence of hot flashes (p = 0.0000000000021), joint and muscle pain (p = 0.0000000000021) and asthenia while on endocrine therapy (p = 0.000000022) were statistically significantly decreased in group II. DiscussionHypnosis sedation exerts beneficial effects on nearly all modalities of breast cancer treatment. ConclusionBenefits of hypnosis sedation on breast cancer treatment are very encouraging and further promote the concept of integrative oncology.

ASTRE: ASIC with switched capacitor array (SCA) and trigger for detector readout electronics hardened against Single Event Latchup (SEL)

For measuring gamma rays from low energy to high energy and cover the gap between 1 MeV and 300 MeV in space measurements, Time Projection Chambers (TPC) are a promising solution. In order to read the data out of these TPCs, one needs a dedicated electronics to be flexible to cover a wide range of detectors types, with a good resolution over a large dynamic range of incoming charges. The ASTRE chip, a radiation tolerant chip for these applications is described in this article. This Application Specified Integrated Circuit (ASIC) permits the amplification, filtering, triggering and analog storage of 512 samples at a flexible sampling frequency up to 100 MHz. The power consumption is less than 10 mW/channel, with 64 channels per ASIC. The charge range of ASTRE is from 120 fC to 10 pC with 4 programmable gains. The filtering supports 16 peaking times (from 60 ns to 8μs). The ASIC can read negative or positive signals and return a multiplicity signal for triggering and selective readout. In addition it has a programmable internal trigger readable with Low Differential Voltage Signal (LVDS) outputs. The chip was fabricated in August 2016 and is under test. The results of this ASIC to Single Event Latchups, made at the Universite Catholique de Louvain (UCL) are detailed below.

A better angel of our nature: Hanna Michel "Jean" Khoury, MD (April 24, 1967-May 22, 2017).

A better angel of our nature: Hanna Michel "Jean" Khoury, MD (April 24, 1967-May 22, 2017).

Further insights into the impact of mouse follicle stage on graft outcome in an artificial ovary environment.

Are mouse preantral follicles differently affected by isolation, encapsulation and/or grafting procedures according to stage? Isolated secondary follicles showed superior ability to survive and grow after transplantation, which was not related to a particular effect of the isolation and/or grafting procedure, but rather to their own ability to induce neoangiogenesis. Isolated and encapsulated mouse preantral follicles can survive (6-27%) and grow (80-100%) in a fibrin matrix with a low concentration of fibrinogen and thrombin (F12.5/T1) after short-term transplantation. An in vivo experimental model using 20 donor Naval Medical Research Institute (NMRI) mice (6-25 weeks of age) and 14 recipient severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice (11-39 weeks of age) was applied. Each NMRI mouse underwent mechanical disruption of both ovaries and isolation of primordial-primary and secondary follicles with ovarian stromal cells, in order to encapsulate them in an F12.5/T1 matrix. Twelve out of 40 fibrin clots were immediately fixed as controls (D0) (10 for histology and 2 for scanning electron microscopy [SEM]) and the others (n = 28) were grafted to the inner part of the peritoneum for 2 (16 fibrin clots) or 7 (12 fibrin clots) days (D2 and D7). This study involved the participation of the Gynecology Research Unit (Universitè Catholique de Louvain) and the Physiological Sciences Department (University of Brasília). Specific techniques were used to analyze the follicle recovery rate (hematoxylin-eosin staining), vascularization (CD34) and follicle ultrastructure (transmission electron microscopy [TEM] and SEM). After follicle isolation and encapsulation, a statistically higher percentage of normal follicles was observed in the secondary group (62%) than in the primordial-primary group (47%). Follicle recovery rates were 34% and 62% for primordial-primary and secondary follicles on D2, respectively, and 12% and 42% on D7, confirming that secondary follicles survive better than primordial-primary follicles after grafting. Concerning vascularization, both follicle stages exhibited similar vascularization to that seen in control mouse ovary on D7, but a significantly higher number of vessels and greater vessel surface area were detected in the secondary follicle group. Despite structural differences in fiber density between fibrin clots and ovarian tissue observed by SEM and TEM, preantral follicles appeared to be well encapsulated in the matrix, also showing a normal ultrastructure after grafting. Not applicable. As demonstrated by our results during the isolation procedure, we encapsulated a significantly higher number of round structures in the primordial-primary group than in the secondary group, which could partially explain the lower recovery rate of early-stage follicles in our previous study. However, it is not excluded that the physical and mechanical properties of the fibrin matrix may also play a role in follicle survival and growth, so further investigations are needed. This research represents one more key step in the creation of the artificial ovary. This study was supported by grants from the Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique de Belgique (FNRS) to C.A. Amorim as a research associate at FRS-FNRS and (grant 5/4/150/5 awarded to M.M. Dolmans), Fonds Spéciaux de Recherche, Fondation St Luc, Foundation Against Cancer, Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES-Brazil) (grant #013/14 CAPES/WBI awarded to C.M. Lucci, with F. Paulini receiving a post-doctoral fellowship), and Wallonie-Bruxelles International, and donations from the Ferrero family. None of the authors have any competing interests to declare in relation to the topic.

Teaching political science with a mooc: analysing the supply side and the demand side

Massive open online courses (MOOC) have been considered by some observers as a powerful opportunity to improve distant learning. The Universite catholique de Louvain was the first Belgian university to deliver a political science MOOC (Louv3x) in French, entitled ‘Discovering political science’ (Decouvrir la science politique). This paper seeks to explore the challenges a pedagogical team faces when transforming a ‘traditional’ political science introductory course into a MOOC. The paper also explores how the use of a MOOC might impact the learning outcome within on-campus and worldwide students.

Systematic vitamin D supplementation and monitoring: improving outcomes in heart failure?

Systematic vitamin D supplementation and monitoring: improving outcomes in heart failure?

Role of TRPC1 ion channel in hippocampal neurons

Event Abstract Back to Event Role of TRPC1 ion channel in hippocampal neurons Sophie Lepannetier1*, Olivier Schakman1, Francois Seghers1 and Philippe Gailly1 1 Université catholique de Louvain, Institute of Neuroscience, Belgium Transient receptor potential canonical 1 (TRPC1) is a non selective cation channel. It is involved in stored-operated Ca2+ entry in cooperation with Orai channel and activated by STIM1, a sensor of Ca2+ contents in the endoplamic reticulum. However, several pieces of evidence suggest that TRPC1 can be activated independently of store depletion in response to agonists. Using LacZ reporter mouse, we found that TRPC1 is abundantly expressed in neurons from CA1-CA3 regions and to a lesser extent from the dentate gyrus region of the hippocampus. We compared cellular culture of hippocampal neurons from Trpc1-/- mice to wild type mice. Interestingly, stimulation with dihydroxyphenylglycine (DHPG), an agonist of group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (consisting of mGluR1 and mGluR5) induced a store-independent entry of Ca2+ that was very much reduced in hippocampal neurons from Trpc1-/- mice. Studying brains slices, we observed that LTP in Schaffer collaterals-CA1 synpases was diminished in Trpc1-/- mice when induced with a mild stimulus (theta burst consisting of 4 stimuli at 100Hz repeated at 5 Hz during 1s). Cognition tests such as Modified Y maze and contextual fear conditioning, realized on 4-8 months old mice revealed a deficit memory. Moreover, we noted that the specific hippocampal overexpression of the immediate early gene zif268 related to new environment learning was blunted in Trpc1-/- mice. We conclude that TRPC1 channels are activated by mGluR5 stimulation and play a role in neuronal plasticity. Keywords: TRPC1, mGluR, Hippocampus, Neuronal Plasticity, Memory Conference: 12th National Congress of the Belgian Society for Neuroscience, Gent, Belgium, 22 May - 22 May, 2017. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Neural Excitability, Synapses, and Glia: Cellular Mechanisms Citation: Lepannetier S, Schakman O, Seghers F and Gailly P (2019). Role of TRPC1 ion channel in hippocampal neurons. Front. Neurosci. Conference Abstract: 12th National Congress of the Belgian Society for Neuroscience. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnins.2017.94.00031 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 29 Apr 2017; Published Online: 25 Jan 2019. * Correspondence: Mrs. Sophie Lepannetier, Université catholique de Louvain, Institute of Neuroscience, Brussels, 1150, Belgium, slepannetier@gmail.com Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Sophie Lepannetier Olivier Schakman Francois Seghers Philippe Gailly Google Sophie Lepannetier Olivier Schakman Francois Seghers Philippe Gailly Google Scholar Sophie Lepannetier Olivier Schakman Francois Seghers Philippe Gailly PubMed Sophie Lepannetier Olivier Schakman Francois Seghers Philippe Gailly Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.