Divided attention in young drivers under the influence of alcohol

Aim: The present research evaluates driving impairment linked to two crashes factors, divided attention task and alcohol, and determines whether it is higher for novice drivers than for experienced drivers. Method: Novice and experienced drivers participated in three experimental sessions in which blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) were 0.0 g/L, 0.2 g/L and 0.5 g/L. They performed a divided attention task with a main task of car-following task and an additional task of number parity identification. Driving performance, response time and accuracy on the additional task were measured. Results: ANOVA showed a driving impairment and a decrease in additional task performance from BAC of 0.5g/L, particularly for novice drivers. Indeed, the latter adopt more risky behaviour such as tailgating. In the divided attention task, driving impairment was found for all drivers and impairment on information processing accuracy was highlighted, notably in peripheral vision. Impact of research: The divided attention task used here provides a relevant method for identifying the effects of alcohol on cognitive functions and could be used in psychopharmacological research

Divided-attention task on driving simulator: comparison among three groups of drivers

Introduction: Driving is a complex and dynamic task that requires performing simultaneously several sub-tasks, as traffic management and vehicle control. Driving involves both automatic and controlled processing depending on situation met and drivers’ experience. Method: Three groups of drivers with different driving experience were submitted to a divided-attention task in order to assess the interference linked to a secondary task on driving behaviour. The main task was a car-following task and the secondary task was a number identification task which could appear on central or peripheral vision. Results and discussion: Results showed that driving performances increase with experience. Indeed, novice drivers, compared to more experienced drivers, took more time to brake and had more difficulties to maintain a stable position in the lane. This task allowed to differentiate driving behaviour depending on experience and could be used in training of novice drivers

Evolution du contrôle parlementaire des forces armées en Europe

Depuis plusieurs années, la question du contrôle parlementaire des forces armées est devenue en Europe un enjeu important du débat public et politique. L’attention s’est notamment portée sur le contrôle des opérations extérieures et du renseignement, qui ont donné lieu à plusieurs initiatives parlementaires depuis la fin des années 1990 : rapports, projets de loi, missions d’information. Mais ce contrôle est désormais soumis à d’importantes mutations. Certaines ont trait à l’évolution des forces armées et de leurs missions, notamment l’internationalisation des usages de la force armée dans le cadre d’alliance ou d’opérations en coalition. D’autres sont liées à l’évolution plus fondamentale du Parlementarisme en Europe, généralement centrée sur la thématique du déclin des assemblées législatives face à la montée en puissance des exécutifs. Ces dynamiques affectent négativement les capacités de contrôle du Parlement sur les armées et la politique de défense alors même qu’elles en renforcent la nécessité. À partir d’une vaste étude à la fois quantitative (questions au gouvernement) et qualitative (entretiens au sein des commissions parlementaires) menée au Royaume-Uni, en Allamagne, en Espagne, en Suède et en France, Bastien Irondelle, Olivier Rozenberg, Catherine Hoeffler, Jean Joana, Olivier Chopin et Christian Olsson montrent comment les Parlements cherchent à renforcer leurs fonctions de contrôle du gouvernement et de l’exécutif dans une Europe en pleine mutation face à l’usage de la force

Evolution du contrôle parlementaire des forces armées en Europe:Rapport d’étude pour le C2SD

L’Institut de recherche stratégique de l’École militaire a pour mission de produire et de valoriser la recherche sur les questions de défense. Il favorise une analyse pluridisciplinaire, croisant les regards des chercheurs universitaires et des militaires, des observateurs et des acteurs des grandes questions stratégiques. En collaboration avec les principales composantes du ministère (État-major des armées, Enseignement militaire supérieur, Délégation aux affaires stratégiques, Secrétariat général pour l’Administration, Direction générale de l’Armement), et en lien avec le tissu français et international de la réflexion stratégique, l’Institut renouvelle les perspectives conceptuelles, encourage une nouvelle génération de chercheurs sur ces domaines, participe à l’enseignement militaire, et fait rayonner la pensée stratégique française par des partenariats internationaux. (Premier paragraphe

High-Resolution Analysis of Cytosine Methylation in Ancient DNA

Epigenetic changes to gene expression can result in heritable phenotypic characteristics that are not encoded in the DNA itself, but rather by biochemical modifications to the DNA or associated chromatin proteins. Interposed between genes and environment, these epigenetic modifications can be influenced by environmental factors to affect phenotype for multiple generations. This raises the possibility that epigenetic states provide a substrate for natural selection, with the potential to participate in the rapid adaptation of species to changes in environment. Any direct test of this hypothesis would require the ability to measure epigenetic states over evolutionary timescales. Here we describe the first single-base resolution of cytosine methylation patterns in an ancient mammalian genome, by bisulphite allelic sequencing of loci from late Pleistocene Bison priscus remains. Retrotransposons and the differentially methylated regions of imprinted loci displayed methylation patterns identical to those derived from fresh bovine tissue, indicating that methylation patterns are preserved in the ancient DNA. Our findings establish the biochemical stability of methylated cytosines over extensive time frames, and provide the first direct evidence that cytosine methylation patterns are retained in DNA from ancient specimens. The ability to resolve cytosine methylation in ancient DNA provides a powerful means to study the role of epigenetics in evolution

Divided-attention task on driving simulator: comparison among three groups of drivers

ABSTRACT Introduction: Driving is a complex and dynamic task that requires performing simultaneously several sub-tasks, as traffic management and vehicle control. Driving involves both automatic and controlled processing depending on situation met and drivers' experience. Method: Three groups of drivers with different driving experience were submitted to a divided-attention task in order to assess the interference linked to a secondary task on driving behaviour. The main task was a carfollowing task and the secondary task was a number identification task which could appear on central or peripheral vision. Results and discussion: Results showed that driving performances increase with experience. Indeed, novice drivers, compared to more experienced drivers, took more time to brake and had more difficulties to maintain a stable position in the lane. This task allowed to differentiate driving behaviour depending on experience and could be used in training of novice drivers

Characterization of the Poplar Pan-Genome by Genome-Wide Identification of Structural Variation

Many recent studies have emphasized the important role of structural variation (SV) in determining human genetic and phenotypic variation. In plants, studies aimed at elucidating the extent of SV are still in their infancy. Evidence has indicated a high presence and an active role of SV in driving plant genome evolution in different plant species.With the aim of characterizing the size and the composition of the poplar pan-genome, we performed a genome-wide analysis of structural variation in three intercrossable poplar species: Populus nigra, Populus deltoides, and Populus trichocarpa We detected a total of 7,889 deletions and 10,586 insertions relative to the P. trichocarpa reference genome, covering respectively 33.2\u2009Mb and 62.9\u2009Mb of genomic sequence, and 3,230 genes affected by copy number variation (CNV). The majority of the detected variants are inter-specific in agreement with a recent origin following separation of species.Insertions and deletions (INDELs) were preferentially located in low-gene density regions of the poplar genome and were, for the majority, associated with the activity of transposable elements. Genes affected by SV showed lower-than-average expression levels and higher levels of dN/dS, suggesting that they are subject to relaxed selective pressure or correspond to pseudogenes.Functional annotation of genes affected by INDELs showed over-representation of categories associated with transposable elements activity, while genes affected by genic CNVs showed enrichment in categories related to resistance to stress and pathogens. This study provides a genome-wide catalogue of SV and the first insight on functional and structural properties of the poplar pan-genome