L'Inspection du Travail au féminin, 1878-1974. Itinéraires et statuts

rapport dactylographié à la DARES, 2 tomes; le 2e tome est un annuaire des Inspectrices du Travail, 1878-1974La loi de 1892 qui scelle la professionnalisation de l'Inspection du travail — avec un concours de recrutement national, la rémunération des inspecteurs et inspectrices par le Ministère — n'organise pas exactement le même métier pour les Inspecteurs que pour les Inspectrices. Si la rémunération est convenue identique (ce qui n'est pas le cas dans l'enseignement), par contre les lieux d'exercice diffèrent ; ainsi seuls les Inspecteurs peuvent visiter des ateliers comprenant une majorité d'hommes et/ou des machines et ce n'est qu'en 1932 qu'une épreuve technique est incluse dans leur concours. Lors des conflits et des arbitrages du Front populaire, l'activité des inspectrices montre qu'elles sont confinées dans des secteurs à main-d'œuvre très féminine et où dominent les petites entreprises. Par ailleurs, les femmes sont, par le texte de la loi de 1892, exclues de la promotion, puisque seuls les Inspecteurs peuvent accéder au grade d'Inspecteur divisionnaire, c'est-à-dire celui de la responsabilité et du commandement sur les autres. Jusqu'à la Seconde guerre mondiale, pour ces quelques dizaines d'inspectrices, les recrutements sont rares, les concours féminins s'ouvrent rarement (tous les six ou sept ans) et la concurrence y est rude. De fait, le recrutement est plus compétitif aux inspectrices qu'aux inspecteurs ; les centaines de candidates qui se présentent pour sont bien plus diplômées que leurs confrères et font même partie des « pionnières » pour l'acquisition des diplômes de l'enseignement supérieur. La hauteur de leurs diplômes correspond à celle des maris et des pères: une moitié de ces femmes sont filles et épouses d'industriels, de négociants, d'hommes des professions libérales où dominent les médecins. Si ces Inspectrices sont des femmes actives, elle ne travaillent donc pas par nécessité financière, ni par désœuvrement familial (elles sont mères de famille pour les deux tiers d'entre elles), mais bien par souci d'équité sociale et/ou de réalisation individuelle. À partir de 1946, avec la mise en place du Statut de la fonction publique et surtout de 1974, avec la mixité des concours de recrutements des fonctionnaires, des mutations égalitaires s'organisent. À partir de 1946, les circonscriptions deviennent mixtes, les Inspectrices peuvent organiser la mobilité géographique qui permet la promotion. Pourtant, même si les textes du Statut énoncent l'égalité, les Inspectrices n'accèdent toujours pas aux grades qui autorisent la prise décision et l'autorité sur les autres, en particulier comme directeur régional du travail : il faut attendre 1974 pour que leurs carrières commencent à être comparables à celles de leurs collègues masculins. 1974 est aussi la date de la fusion des corps de l'Inspection, avec l'intégration des Inspecteurs de l'Agriculture et des Transports, où les femmes étaient toujours interdites de concours de recrutement

Feel, smell and see in an egg: emergence of perception and learning in an immature invertebrate, the cuttlefish embryo.

International audienceIt is now well established that prenatal sensory experience affects development itself and has long-term consequences in terms of postnatal behavior. This study focused on the functionality of the sensory system in cuttlefish in ovo. Embryos of stage 23, 25 and 30 received a tactile, chemical or visual stimulus. An increase of mantle contraction rhythm was taken to indicate a behavioral response to the stimulus. We clearly demonstrated that tactile and chemical systems are functional from stage 23, whereas the visual system is functional only from stage 25. At stage 25 and 30, embryos were also exposed to a repeated light stimulus. Stage 30 embryos were capable of habituation, showing a progressive decrease in contractions across stimulations. This process was not due to fatigue as we observed response recovery after a dishabituation tactile stimulus. This study is the first to show that cuttlefish embryos behaviorally respond to stimuli of different modalities and that the visual system is the last to become functional during embryonic development, as in vertebrate embryos. It also provides new evidence that the memory system develops in ovo in cuttlefish

L'accompagnement vers l'emploi. Acteurs, pratiques, dynamiques

Rapport de rechercheNational audienceEn Mars 2006, la DARES lançait un appel à projet intitulé « l'accompagnement vers l'emploi et l'accompagnement dans l'emploi ». Les objectifs de cet appel à projet étaient, d'une part, de mieux cerner les spécificités de l'accompagnement en mettant en lumière les principaux types d'accompagnement au regard des pratiques professionnelles et des modes de coordination et, d'autre part, de recenser les facteurs potentiels, mais aussi effectifs de réussite des différentes formes d'accompagnement.notre projet de recherche affichait deux objectifs principaux. Le premier visait à saisir de manière fine les pratiques d'accompagnement et à proposer sur cette base une typologie des pratiques locales rencontrées. En ce sens, le projet consistait à se focaliser sur les pratiques des acteurs, sur leurs outils et méthodes en cherchant à mettre en évidence les différences selon les intermédiaires, selon les publics concernés, ou selon les marchés du travail locaux ou les segments de marchés. Il s'agissait également de saisir la manière dont les partenariats locaux interagissent avec les pratiques d'accompagnement, ainsi que les logiques et critères dans les procédures de répartition des publics entre les acteurs de l'accompagnement. Le second objectif du projet de recherche affichait l'ambition de mettre en évidence des pratiques innovantes construites dans le cadre de processus d'accompagnement

The dog and rat olfactory receptor repertoires

BACKGROUND: Dogs and rats have a highly developed capability to detect and identify odorant molecules, even at minute concentrations. Previous analyses have shown that the olfactory receptors (ORs) that specifically bind odorant molecules are encoded by the largest gene family sequenced in mammals so far. RESULTS: We identified five amino acid patterns characteristic of ORs in the recently sequenced boxer dog and brown Norway rat genomes. Using these patterns, we retrieved 1,094 dog genes and 1,493 rat genes from these shotgun sequences. The retrieved sequences constitute the olfactory receptor repertoires of these two animals. Subsets of 20.3% (for the dog) and 19.5% (for the rat) of these genes were annotated as pseudogenes as they had one or several mutations interrupting their open reading frames. We performed phylogenetic studies and organized these two repertoires into classes, families and subfamilies. CONCLUSION: We have established a complete or almost complete list of OR genes in the dog and the rat and have compared the sequences of these genes within and between the two species. Our results provide insight into the evolutionary development of these genes and the local amplifications that have led to the specific amplification of many subfamilies. We have also compared the human and rat ORs with the human and mouse OR repertoires

Antidiabetic, antioxidant and anti inflammatory properties of water and n-butanol soluble extracts from Saharian Anvillea radiata in high-fat-diet fed mice

International audienceEthnopharmacological relevance: According to Saharian traditional medicine, Anvillea radiata Coss. & Dur. (Asteraceae) has been valued for treating a variety of ailments such as gastro-intestinal, liver and pulmonary diseases, and has gained awareness for its beneficial effect on postprandial hyperglycemia. However, to best of our knowledge, no detailed study of the antidiabetic curative effects of this plant has been conducted yet.Aim of the study: To determine the hypoglycemic and antidiabetic effect of dietary supplementation with Anvillea radiata extracts on high-fat-diet (HFD)-induced obesity and insulin resistance in C57BL/6J mice in relation with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, pancreatic beta-cells and skeletal muscle protection, and digestive enzyme inhibiting properties.Materials and methods: Six extracts (water soluble and organic) from aerial parts of the plant were analyzed phytochemically (total phenolic and flavonoid content) and screened for in vitro superoxide (by chemiluminescence) and hydroxyl radical (by electron paramagnetic resonance spin-trapping) scavenging, antioxidant (DPPH, TRAP and ORAC assays), xanthine oxidase, metal chelating, α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitory property, and protective effects on copper-induced lipoprotein oxidation. Then selected hydroalcoholic and aqueous extracts were assessed for toxicity in normal human lung fibroblasts and A549 cancer cells using FMCA and MTT assays. Two water-soluble extracts having the best overall properties were assessed for their (i) protective effect at 115 µg/mL on metabolic activity of rat insulinoma-derived INS-1 cells exposed to hyperglycemic medium, and (ii) acute hypoglycemic effect on 16-weeks HFD-induced diabetic mice. Then diabetic mice were administered HFD supplemented by extracts (up to 150 mg/kg/day) for 12 additional weeks using standard diet as control and the antidiabetic drug, metformin (150 mg/kg), as positive control. Then the antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity of extracts were determined.Results: Of the highly efficient polyphenolics-enriched hydroalcoholic and ethyl acetate extracts, the lyophilized aqueous (AQL) and butanol extracts were not toxic in cells (≤ 400 µg/mL) or when given orally in normal mice (≤ 2000 mg/kg), exerted a dose-dependent hypoglycemic action in diabetic mice, which was maximal at the dose of 150 mg/kg. Upon administering this dose for 12 weeks, both extracts significantly ameliorated body weight control capacity, recovery of plasma glucose and insulin level, reduced oxidative stress in blood, myocardial and skeletal muscles, and improved hyperlipidemic and inflammatory status. Moreover, diabetes-related complications were optimally ameliorated by oral therapy based on halved doses (75 mg/kg) of a mixture of AQL and metformin.Conclusions: Current investigation supports the traditional medicinal usage of Anvillea radiata and suggests that both readily accessible and low-cost bio-extracts have the potency to develop an antihyperglycemic, antihyperlipidemic and protective agent against beta-cells and muscle dysfunction at doses compatible with the common practices of indigenous people for the management of metabolic disorders

Targeting the chemokine receptor CXCR4 with histamine analog to reduce inflammation in juvenile arthritis

IntroductionAmong immune cells, activated monocytes play a detrimental role in chronic and viral-induced inflammatory pathologies, particularly in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA), a childhood rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease. The uncontrolled activation of monocytes and excessive production of inflammatory factors contribute to the damage of bone-cartilage joints. Despite the moderate beneficial effect of current therapies and clinical trials, there is still a need for alternative strategies targeting monocytes to treat RA.MethodsTo explore such an alternative strategy, we investigated the effects of targeting the CXCR4 receptor using the histamine analog clobenpropit (CB). Monocytes were isolated from the blood and synovial fluids of JIA patients to assess CB's impact on their production of key inflammatory cytokines. Additionally, we administered daily intraperitoneal CB treatment to arthritic mice to evaluate its effects on circulating inflammatory cytokine levels, immune cell infiltrates, joints erosion, and bone resorption, as indicators of disease progression.ResultsOur findings demonstrated that CXCR4 targeting with CB significantly inhibited the spontaneous and induced-production of key inflammatory cytokines by monocytes isolated from JIA patients. Furthermore, CB treatment in a mouse model of collagen-induce arthritis resulted in a significant decrease in circulating inflammatory cytokine levels, immune cell infiltrates, joints erosion, and bone resorption, leading to a reduction in disease progression.DiscussionIn conclusion, targeting CXCR4 with the small amino compound CB shows promise as a therapeutic option for chronic and viral-induced inflammatory diseases, including RA. CB effectively regulated inflammatory cytokine production of monocytes, presenting a potential targeted approach with potential advantages over current therapies. These results warrant further research and clinical trials to explore the full therapeutic potential of targeting CXCR4 with CB-like molecules in the management of various inflammatory diseases

A recruitment maneuver increases oxygenation after intubation of hypoxemic intensive care unit patients: a randomized controlled study

International audienc

Ecological and evolutionary consequences of anticancer adaptations

Cellular cheating leading to cancers exists in all branches of multicellular life, favoring the evolution of adaptations to avoid or suppress malignant progression, and/or to alleviate its fitness consequences. Ecologists have until recently largely neglected the importance of cancer cells for animal ecology, presumably because they did not consider either the potential ecological or evolutionary consequences of anticancer adaptations. Here, we review the diverse ways in which the evolution of anticancer adaptations has significantly constrained several aspects of the evolutionary ecology of multicellular organisms at the cell, individual, population, species, and ecosystem levels and suggest some avenues for future research