Trade openness and investment in North Africa: A CGE application to deep and comprehensive free trade areas (DCFTAs) between the EU and respectively Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia

The aim of this paper is to provide an impact analysis of deep and comprehensive free trade areas (DCFTAs) between the European Union (EU) and most of the North-African (NAF) countries – namely Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia. Scenarios are modelled with MAGNET, a general equilibrium model, and focus on trade liberalisation including non-tariff measures (NTMs) on the one hand, increases in foreign direct investments (FDIs) and capital flows on the other. They assume either broad productivity gains in all sectors of NAF countries, or targeted productivity gains in the agricultural sector aiming to reduce losses (waste) in NAF countries' agricultural production, post-harvest handling and storage. Results suggest that economic growth is stimulated mostly by widespread productivity gains, and boosted by trade liberalisation. Positive impacts on economic growth could thus be intensified by combining pro-investment policies with comprehensive trade liberalisation, especially the removal of NTMs. The effects on jobs and food security remain ambiguous.JRC.J.4-Agriculture and Life Sciences in the Econom

Cellular Uptake and Nuclear Delivery of Recombinant Adenovirus Penton Base

AbstractAn Ad2 capsid component, the penton base, expressed as recombinant protein, was found to be capable of affecting the entire entry pathway of adenovirion in HeLa cells, i.e., cell attachment, endocytosis, vesicular escape, intracytoplasmic movement, and translocation through the nuclear pore complex. Data with pentamerization-defective mutants suggested that none of these successive steps depended upon penton base pentamer status, indicating that the peptide domains responsible for these functions were carried by the monomer. Observations performed with wild-type (WT) and an integrin-binding-site double-mutant (K288E340) suggested that the penton base could enter the cell via an alternative, RGD- and LDV-independent, pathway. Of three mutants that were found to be defective in nuclear addressing in insect cells, only one, W165H, was also altered in nuclear transport in HeLa cells. The other two, W119H and RRR547EQQ, showed a WT pattern of nuclear localization in HeLa cells, suggesting that the region including tryptophan-119 and the basic signal at position 547 did not act as a nuclear localization signal in the human cell context. The integrity of cellular structures and the cytoskeleton seemed to be required for the vectorial movement and nuclear import of WT penton base, as suggested by experiments using permeabilized HeLa cells, isolated nuclear membranes, and cytoskeleton-targeted drugs

Evaluation of the knowledge on alveolar echinococcosis among general practitioners in the province of Liege : impact of a formative intervention

editorial reviewedL’échinococcose alvéolaire est une zoonose autochtone provoquée par le développement tissulaire de la larve d’un petit ténia, Echinoccocus multilocularis. Mal- gré une faible incidence en Belgique, avec une moyenne de 10 cas recensés par an, cette parasitose pose un réel problème de santé publique car elle reste souvent difficile à diagnostiquer et potentiellement mortelle en l’absence de traitement. Les médecins généralistes sont en première ligne, mais ils ne connaissent pas toujours suffisamment la maladie, ce qui retarde le diagnostic et compromet le pronostic. La présente étude visait à évaluer les connaissances à propos de l’échinococcose alvéolaire des médecins généralistes de la province de Liège via un questionnaire approprié et à accroître leur niveau de connaissance via une intervention formative sous forme de capsule vidéo. Nous avons réalisé une étude à visée expérimentale randomisée contrôlée qui a montré que les médecins généralistes de la province de Liège ont des connaissances partielles sur la symptomatologie, les outils de diagnostic et le traitement. L’intervention formative réa- lisée a permis d’augmenter leur niveau de connaissances à propos de cette maladie.Alveolar echinococcosis is an indigenouszoo- nosis caused by the growth of the larval stage of a small tapeworm, Echinococcus multilocularis. Despite a low inci- dence in Belgium, with about 10 cases on average recorded per year, this parasitosis poses a real public health pro- blem because it often remains difficult to diagnose and is potentially fatal in the absence of treatment. General prac- titioners are on the frontline, but they do not always know enough about the disease, which causes a delay in the diagnosis and impacts the prognosis. The present study aims to assess the level of knowledge of alveolar echino- coccosis among general practitioners in the province of Liège via a questionnaire, on the one hand, and to increase their level of knowledge via a formative intervention using a video capsule, on the other hand. We have performed a randomized controlled experimental study, which showed that general practitioners in the province of Liège have limited knowledge on alveolar echinococcosis. This mainly concerns symptomatology, diagnostic tools and treatment. The formative intervention carried out allowed increasing their level of knowledge about this disease

Quantification of short and long asbestos fibers to assess asbestos exposure: a review of fiber size toxicity.

International audienceThe fibrogenicity and carcinogenicity of asbestos fibers are dependent on several fiber parameters including fiber dimensions. Based on the WHO (World Health Organization) definition, the current regulations focalise on long asbestos fibers (LAF) (Length: L ≥ 5 μm, Diameter: D  3). However air samples contain short asbestos fibers (SAF) (L < 5 μm). In a recent study we found that several air samples collected in buildings with asbestos containing materials (ACM) were composed only of SAF, sometimes in a concentration of ≥10 fibers.L-1. This exhaustive review focuses on available information from peer-review publications on the size-dependent pathogenetic effects of asbestos fibers reported in experimental in vivo and in vitro studies. In the literature, the findings that SAF are less pathogenic than LAF are based on experiments where a cut-off of 5 μm was generally made to differentiate short from long asbestos fibers. Nevertheless, the value of 5 μm as the limit for length is not based on scientific evidence, but is a limit for comparative analyses. From this review, it is clear that the pathogenicity of SAF cannot be completely ruled out, especially in high exposure situations. Therefore, the presence of SAF in air samples appears as an indicator of the degradation of ACM and inclusion of their systematic search should be considered in the regulation. Measurement of these fibers in air samples will then make it possible to identify pollution and anticipate health risk

Antiviral activity of recombinant ankyrin targeted to the capsid domain of HIV-1 Gag polyprotein

BACKGROUND: Ankyrins are cellular mediators of a number of essential protein-protein interactions. Unlike intrabodies, ankyrins are composed of highly structured repeat modules characterized by disulfide bridge-independent folding. Artificial ankyrin molecules, designed to target viral components, might act as intracellular antiviral agents and contribute to the cellular immunity against viral pathogens such as HIV-1. RESULTS: A phage-displayed library of artificial ankyrins was constructed, and screened on a polyprotein made of the fused matrix and capsid domains (MA-CA) of the HIV-1 Gag precursor. An ankyrin with three modules named Ank(GAG)1D4 (16.5 kDa) was isolated. Ank(GAG)1D4 and MA-CA formed a protein complex with a stoichiometry of 1:1 and a dissociation constant of K(d) ~ 1 muM, and the Ank(GAG)1D4 binding site was mapped to the N-terminal domain of the CA, within residues 1-110. HIV-1 production in SupT1 cells stably expressing Ank(GAG)1D4 in both N-myristoylated and non-N-myristoylated versions was significantly reduced compared to control cells. Ank(GAG)1D4 expression also reduced the production of MLV, a phylogenetically distant retrovirus. The Ank(GAG)1D4-mediated antiviral effect on HIV-1 was found to occur at post-integration steps, but did not involve the Gag precursor processing or cellular trafficking. Our data suggested that the lower HIV-1 progeny yields resulted from the negative interference of Ank(GAG)1D4-CA with the Gag assembly and budding pathway. CONCLUSIONS: The resistance of Ank(GAG)1D4-expressing cells to HIV-1 suggested that the CA-targeted ankyrin Ank(GAG)1D4 could serve as a protein platform for the design of a novel class of intracellular inhibitors of HIV-1 assembly based on ankyrin-repeat modules

Remodeling of the actin network associated with the non-structural protein 1 (NS1) of West Nile virus and formation of NS1-containing tunneling nanotubes

The cellular response to the recombinant NS1 protein of West Nile virus (NS1WNV) was studied using three different cell types: Vero E6 simian epithelial cells, SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells, and U-87MG human astrocytoma cells. Cells were exposed to two different forms of NS1WNV: (i) the exogenous secreted form, sNS1WNV, added to the extracellular milieu; and (ii) the endogenous NS1WNV, the intracellular form expressed in plasmid-transfected cells. The cell attachment and uptake of sNS1WNV varied with the cell type and were only detectable in Vero E6 and SH-SY5Y cells. Addition of sNS1WNV to the cell culture medium resulted in significant remodeling of the actin filament network in Vero E6 cells. This effect was not observed in SH-SY5Y and U-87MG cells, implying that the cellular uptake of sNS1WNV and actin network remodeling were dependent on cell type. In the three cell types, NS1WNV-expressing cells formed filamentous projections reminiscent of tunneling nanotubes (TNTs). These TNT-like projections were found to contain actin and NS1WNV proteins. Interestingly, similar actin-rich, TNT-like filaments containing NS1WNV and the viral envelope glycoprotein EWNV were also observed in WNV-infected Vero E6 cells

Fostering the resilience of graduate students

[EN] This paper originates from research carried out by an international team of university professors interested in protective factors promoting the resilience of graduate students, in particular regarding the student-supervisor relationship. Following a literature review on the subject, the paper presents the resilience factors affecting the student and those relating to the supervisor. The main factors that appear to promote the resilience of graduate students are individual, family and environmental protective factors (as gender, temperament, cultural background, personal history of schooling, motivation, family support, being childless, wealth of the social support network, means offered by the supervisor and the university). For the supervisor, the main protective factors appear to be individual (experience, style and role assumed towards the student, support the student’s empowerment as his/her schooling progresses). The reciprocal adjustment throughout the studies between the supervisor and the student appears essential to promote their tuning for the resilience and the success in the graduate studies.Jourdan-Ionescu, C.; Ionescu, S.; Julien-Gauthier, F.; Cantinotti, M.; Boulanger, S.; Kayiranga, D.; St-Pierre, L.... (2021). Fostering the resilience of graduate students. En 7th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd'21). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 889-897. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAd21.2021.13006OCS88989

Les habitats carolingiens de Montours et La Chapelle-Saint-Aubert (Ille-et-Vilaine)

Quatre sites ruraux du haut Moyen Âge ont été fouillés dans la région de Fougères lors des opérations d’archéologie préventive conduites de 1995 à 1997 sur le tracé de l’autoroute des Estuaires (A84). La contemporanéité de ces gisements a conduit, d’emblée, à harmoniser les problématiques et à accorder une part importante à l’approche paléoenvironnementale ainsi qu’à l’analyse du mobilier céramique. L’étude des trois ensembles d’habitats et d’un gué carolingiens laisse entrevoir une gestion organisée et dynamique des terroirs environnants (parcellaire, réseaux fossoyés, chemins, aménagement d’un fond de vallon tourbeux...) qui ont été structurés et exploités entre le XIIe et le Xe s. Parallèlement à la contribution que cette synthèse apporte à la connaissance de l’habitat et du mode de vie dans les campagnes bretonnes au haut Moyen Âge, domaine encore peu abordé par l’archéologie, les données bioarchéologiques précisent l’impact des activités agro-pastorales sur l’évolution du milieu végétal et du paysage.From 1995 to 1997, four early medieval sites were excavated in the Fougères region as part of archaeological research work carried out prior to the construction of the A84 motarway. As the sites all date from the same period, a comprehensive research plan was implemented from the outset, with special emphasis on paleo-environmental analysis and examination of pottery finds. Examination of the three Carolingian settlement sites, as well as a ford from the same period, reveals an organised, interactive approach to environmental management of the surrounding lands (land division, ditch Systems. tracks, development of a peatcovered valley floor), which were developed and systematically exploited from the 7th to 10th century. The present volume provides a significant contribution to our understanding of early medieval rural settlements in Brittany, an area of study which has hitherto received little attention from archaeologists The research is enhanced by an analysis of bio-archaeological data from the sites, showing the impact of agro-pastoral activities on the landscape and vegetation in nearby areas