Comparative studies of invasive Elodea canadensis Michx. in two climatically different regions

Elodea canadensis is a widespread invasive alien aquatic species in Europe. However, there is growing evidence that increasing anthropogenic eutrophication and other factors are leading to a decline in the populations of this species. We compared the structure of plant communities and the phenotypic plasticity of E. canadensis individuals across communities in Ukraine and Portugal to assess whether the species responds similarly to environmental variation, and to identify differences in its distribution, community role, and the environmental factors influencing the formation of morphological traits of the species and biomass. In both countries, E. canadensis preferentially occurs in oligo-mesotrophic and meso-eutrophic waters, forming similar communities, but in Ukraine the communities in lentic water bodies were floristically more diverse. Populations with high biomass of E. canadensis in Ukraine were formed in lentic water bodies with good water exchange, as well as in lotic ecosystems of both Ukraine and Portugal. Environmental clustering revealed a distinct ecological separation among water bodies, with the strongest contrast observed between lower-nutrient, higher-elevation Ukrainian lakes and nutrient-rich, lowland mixed lotic systems in both countries. The morphological traits of E. canadensis differed significantly between these clusters, particularly shoot length and leaf width, highlighting phenotypic responses to environmental gradients. We assume that anthropogenic eutrophication affects E. & scy;anadensis communities, and may lead to their decline or disappearance as trophic levels rise in both countries. Understanding these patterns is important for forecasting invasion dynamics under eutrophication and climate change, and for refining management strategies in freshwater ecosystems

Aging Clin Exp Res

Background: The management of older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has not been previously assessed in nursing homes within the Caribbean region. Aims: To investigate the prevalence of T2DM among residents of French Caribbean nursing homes and to characterize their health and functional status. Methods: This cross-sectional study is based on baseline screening data from the KASEHPAD (Karukera Study of Ageing in Nursing Homes) cohort. Clinical characteristics and standard geriatric parameters were systematically collected and analyzed. Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels of older adults with diabetes were retrospectively extracted from patient records. Results: A total of 332 participants aged 60 years or older were recruited from six nursing homes between September 2020 and November 2022. The prevalence of T2DM among residents was 28.3% (95% CI: 23.5–33.2). Among older adults with T2DM, 85.1% had hypertension, 17.1% had heart failure, and 24.1% had a history of stroke. The mean HbA1c level was 7.32 ± 1.5%. Of the 35 individuals (42.7%) with HbA1c < 7%, 19 (54.3%) were receiving antidiabetic medications. Multivariate analysis identified HbA1c as the sole factor significantly associated with antidiabetic medication use (OR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.12–3.04). Discussion: Older adults with T2DM residing in French Caribbean nursing homes exhibit a high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and are at risk of overtreatment. The management of T2DM in this population appears to be driven primarily by blood glucose levels. Conclusion: As the prevalence of older adults with T2DM is expected to rise in the Caribbean region, this trend will present significant challenges in delivering tailored care within future nursing home settings. © The Author(s) 2025

Jacques Cujas (1522-1590), jurisconsulte humaniste

2e éd., Genève, Droz (Titre courant 79)Jacques Cujas apparaît comme l’un des principaux représentants de l’humanisme juridique, courant qui introduit l’idée d’évolution dans la construction du droit et des institutions. Au fil de ses professorats, Cujas poursuit la critique humaniste en portant à son apogée la méthode historique. Il cherche à rétablir les textes dans leur version d’origine par la recherche des interpolations, tout en intégrant les dispositions commentées dans la longue durée. Il s’appuie tant sur sa maîtrise de la doctrine juridique, que sur sa vaste culture littéraire et philosophique. Ses travaux de philologue et d’éditeur restent d’utiles références, sans même évoquer ses reconstitutions commentées des ouvrages des juristes romains ou son analyse critique du corpus juris civilis. L’érudition ne tient cependant pas Cujas trop éloigné de la pratique, comme le prouvent ses consultations ou son étude de la féodalité. Soumis à l’épreuve de l’humanisme cujacien, le droit ressort transformé de la confrontation

Investigating Development in Human Evolution: Specificities, Challenges, and Opportunities

ABSTRACT Unlike developmental biologists, paleoanthropologists primarily investigate development using skeletal remains, specifically fossilized and already‐formed bones and teeth. Focusing on peri‐ and/or postnatal growth, they reconstruct development from fragmented “snapshots” of individual trajectories at various ontogenetic stages. These constraints prompt a discussion of what defines development versus growth, and its boundaries in studies of hominin evolution. We explore how paleoanthropologists address the limitations of the fossil record by using diverse methodological and theoretical frameworks to identify developmental markers despite missing data. Finally, we discuss the potential of the “Extended Evolutionary Synthesis,” which calls for a greater focus on developmental processes in interpreting phenotypic variation in the fossil record

Neuropsychologia

Word production difficulty is one of the most common and persisting symptoms in people suffering from aphasia (i.e., anomia). However, there is a considerable variability in patients' responses to treatment, leading to the need of new effective approaches. Also, the mechanisms underlying word (re)learning is little known in production even in neurotypical adult native language and especially in relationship with the lexical-semantic integration of (re)learnt words. The lexical-semantic network being highly contextual and multimodal, new technologies such as immersive virtual reality (iVR) may become pertinent approaches, but still need scientific proof, especially as past studies have found no advantage over a control method and have never used an immersive version of VR. Yet, the immersion has been identified as being a key factor of positive outcomes in learning. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate whether iVR provides a benefit in word learning in neurotypical adults (Study 1) and in the treatment for anomia in people suffering from aphasia following stroke (Study 2). In study 1, 32 neurotypical adults learned two matched lists of 30 rare words each in their native language (French) during a one-week protocol alternating test and learning sessions with iVR and a digital static learning method. Study 2 followed the same design over a two week-period with 16 people with aphasia (re)learning two matched lists of 28 frequent words. Neurotypical adults demonstrated a higher accuracy rate in word production for words learned with iVR in comparison to those learned with the digital static learning method. For people suffering from anomia, the iVR did not differ from the control method on total accuracy but led to a greater reduction of lexical errors. iVR has a potential of use for learning new words but also for the treatment of word production difficulties, especially in people with aphasia that produce mainly lexical errors. These two main results lead to the hypothesis that iVR promotes lexical-semantic processes

Neuroscience

The letter to the editor (LTE) is a correspondence forum that allows a journal's readers to comment on published research and also publish data and arguments in a brief way. The LTE has vital functions as an accessible comment forum, including holding authors and editors accountable for published content. Yet, there is also the possibility of misuse of the LTE format, as was evidenced by a recent mass retraction of 129 LTEs at a neurosurgery journal suspected to have been mass produced by the undeclared use of generative artificial intelligence (GAI). We argue in favor of a more interventionist stance on the part of neuroethicists to engage with, analyze, and propose solutions to the issue of low quality and GAI-generated neuroscience

Evolution and Future of the Competitive Advantages of Wine-Producing Countries

Abstract This paper discusses international trade prospects of the main wine-producing countries over different time horizons. Our framework is composed of two approaches and aims at renewing and extending the findings of the existing literature on the dynamics of major wine exporters. Firstly, we apply a Porter’s diamond analysis in order to disentangle competitive advantages in 16 countries from various features of the global wine market. Then, we assess short- and medium-term prospects from the evolution of past trends. Secondly, we use data from a survey of (57) wine experts as a robustness analysis to complete the prospective dimension over the long term. Compared with previous literature (prior to the Covid and Ukraine shocks), our results show that the international competitiveness of countries has significantly changed over the last five years. France and Italy should maintain their leadership, but Spain and Chile are slipping back, while China could collapse. New Zealand could eventually become a major leader. These results indicate that competitive advantages are very dynamic in the wine industry, despite static natural endowments (excluding climate). Investment incentives and innovation should therefore play a key role in the long term in this sector, which is often presented as being driven by tradition and natural factors