Prolégomènes à toute appréciation critique de CANDIDE

This text describes the CANDIDE model from three critical points of view. First, it presents the structure of the model with the aid of a table of "supersectors" and a flow chart. The discussion of the linkages between these supersectors brings out the general equilibrium character of the model.The center section of the paper deals with the theoretical foundations of the behavioural equations. A statement of the equation specification in each sector of the model is followed by a brief evaluation. The authors confess to an eclectic attitude and stress the practical difficulties of making stylized theories bring order in variegated facts. Exogenous influences on the model are discussed as well.The same eclectic approach is evident in the third part of the text which treats of estimation and validation. A variety of tests and checks—some novel ones included—are applied in the process of developing the model. The authors conclude with the observation that recent tumultuous developments in the economy raise fundamental questions about the validity and usefulness of models like CANDIDE

Origins of thalamic and cortical projections to the posterior auditory field in congenitally deaf cats.

Crossmodal plasticity takes place following sensory loss, such that areas that normally process the missing modality are reorganized to provide compensatory function in the remaining sensory systems. For example, congenitally deaf cats outperform normal hearing animals on localization of visual stimuli presented in the periphery, and this advantage has been shown to be mediated by the posterior auditory field (PAF). In order to determine the nature of the anatomical differences that underlie this phenomenon, we injected a retrograde tracer into PAF of congenitally deaf animals and quantified the thalamic and cortical projections to this field. The pattern of projections from areas throughout the brain was determined to be qualitatively similar to that previously demonstrated in normal hearing animals, but with twice as many projections arising from non-auditory cortical areas. In addition, small ectopic projections were observed from a number of fields in visual cortex, including areas 19, 20a, 20b, and 21b, and area 7 of parietal cortex. These areas did not show projections to PAF in cats deafened ototoxically near the onset of hearing, and provide a possible mechanism for crossmodal reorganization of PAF. These, along with the possible contributions of other mechanisms, are considered

Prolégomènes à toute appréciation critique de CANDIDE

This text describes the CANDIDE model from three critical points of view. First, it presents the structure of the model with the aid of a table of "supersectors" and a flow chart. The discussion of the linkages between these supersectors brings out the general equilibrium character of the model.

Occupational Asthma to Detergent Protease Associated With a Late-Phase Neutrophilic Cutaneous Response

International audienceBackground: The relationships between asbestos exposure and colorectal cancer remain controversial. Objectives: We examined the association between asbestos exposure and colorectal cancer incidence. Methods: Volunteer retired workers previously exposed to asbestos were invited to participate in the French ARDCo screening program between 2003 and 2005. Additional data on risk factors for colorectal cancer were collected from the ARDCo-Nut subsample of 3,769 participants in 2011. Cases of colon and rectal cancer were ascertained each year through 2014 based on eligibility for free medical care following a cancer diagnosis. Survival regression based on the Cox model was used to estimate the relative risk of colon and rectal cancer separately, in relation to the time since first exposure (TSFE) and cumulative exposure index (CEI) to asbestos, and with adjustment for smoking in the overall cohort and for smoking, and certain risk factors for these cancers in the ARDCo-Nut subsample. Results: Mean follow-up was 10.2 years among 14,515 men, including 181 colon cancer and 62 rectal cancer cases (41 and 17, respectively, in the ARDCo-Nut subsample). In the overall cohort, after adjusting for smoking, colon cancer was significantly associated with cumulative exposure (HR = 1.14; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.26 for a 1-unit increase in ln-CEI) and ≥ 20–40 years since first exposure (HR = 4.67; 95% CI: 1.92, 11.46 vs. 0–20 years TSFE), and inversely associated with 60 years TSFE (HR = 0.26; 95% CI: 0.10, 0.70). Although rectal cancer was also associated with TSFE 20–40 years (HR = 4.57; 95% CI: 1.14, 18.27), it was not associated with ln-CEI, but these findings must be interpreted cautiously due to the small number of cases. Conclusions: Our findings provide support for an association between occupational exposure to asbestos and colon cancer incidence in men. Citation: Paris C, Thaon I, Hérin F, Clin B, Lacourt A, Luc A, Coureau G, Brochard P, Chamming’s S, Gislard A, Galan P, Hercberg S, Wild P, Pairon JC, Andujar P. 2017. Occupational asbestos exposure and incidence of colon and rectal cancers in French men: the Asbestos-Related Diseases Cohort (ARDCo-Nut). Environ Health Perspect 125:409–415; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/EHP15

A Combination of Genomic Approaches Reveals the Role of <i>FOXO1a</i> in Regulating an Oxidative Stress Response Pathway

Background: While many of the phenotypic differences between human and chimpanzee may result from changes in gene regulation, only a handful of functionally important regulatory differences are currently known. As a first step towards identifying transcriptional pathways that have been remodeled in the human lineage, we focused on a transcription factor, FOXO1a, which we had previously found to be up-regulated in the human liver compared to that of three other primate species. We concentrated on this gene because of its known role in the regulation of metabolism and in longevity.Methodology: Using a combination of expression profiling following siRNA knockdown and chromatin immunoprecipitation in a human liver cell line, we identified eight novel direct transcriptional targets of FOXO1a. This set includes the gene for thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP), the expression of which is directly repressed by FOXO1a. The thioredoxin-interacting protein is known to inhibit the reducing activity of thioredoxin (TRX), thereby hindering the cellular response to oxidative stress and affecting life span.Conclusions: Our results provide an explanation for the repeated observations that differences in the regulation of FOXO transcription factors affect longevity. Moreover, we found that TXNIP is down-regulated in human compared to chimpanzee, consistent with the up-regulation of its direct repressor FOXO1a in humans, and with differences in longevity between the two species.</p

Gene Regulation in Primates Evolves under Tissue-Specific Selection Pressures

Regulatory changes have long been hypothesized to play an important role in primate evolution. To identify adaptive regulatory changes in humans, we performed a genome-wide survey for genes in which regulation has likely evolved under natural selection. To do so, we used a multi-species microarray to measure gene expression levels in livers, kidneys, and hearts from six humans, chimpanzees, and rhesus macaques. This comparative gene expression data allowed us to identify a large number of genes, as well as specific pathways, whose inter-species expression profiles are consistent with the action of stabilizing or directional selection on gene regulation. Among the latter set, we found an enrichment of genes involved in metabolic pathways, consistent with the hypothesis that shifts in diet underlie many regulatory adaptations in humans. In addition, we found evidence for tissue-specific selection pressures, as well as lower rates of protein evolution for genes in which regulation evolves under natural selection. These observations are consistent with the notion that adaptive circumscribed changes in gene regulation have fewer deleterious pleiotropic effects compared with changes at the protein sequence level.</p

Charge and current-sensitive preamplifiers for pulse shape discrimination techniques with silicon detectors

New charge and current-sensitive preamplifiers coupled to silicon detectors and devoted to studies in nuclear structure and dynamics have been developed and tested. For the first time shapes of current pulses from light charged particles and carbon ions are presented. Capabilities for pulse shape discrimination techniques are demonstrated.Comment: 14 pages, 12 figures, to be published in Nucl. Inst. Meth.

The influence of ultrasonic pre-treatments on metal adsorption properties of softwood-derived biochar

Biomass-derived biochars are studied extensively because of their unique surface properties and efficiency in removing heavy metals from aqueous solution. Power ultrasound pre-treatments are interesting in this context, as they can make significant changes in the physicochemical characteristics of biomass. Herein, we studied their effect on adsorption characteristics of softwood biochar under different conditions of frequency, power, temperature and exposure time of ultrasound. The 40 kHz pre-treated samples exhibited around 0.3 to 0.65 mg/g increase in equilibrium adsorption capacity (Qe) which highly depends on the combination of power versus time and temperature of ultrasound. The isotherm and thermodynamic studies also showed that the mechanical effect of ultrasound plays a vital role in enhancing the surface. Results from this study demonstrated that ultrasound pre-treatment conditions influence the behaviour of biochar towards metal adsorption and ultrasonic pre-treatments can be used as an efficient processing method for biomass residues and the derived products. © 2020 Elsevier Lt

Pre- and post-pyrolysis effects on iron impregnation of ultrasound pre-treated softwood biochar for potential catalysis applications.

Slow pyrolysis is widely used to convert biomass into useable form of energy. Ultrasound pre-treatment assisted pyrolysis is a recently emerging methodology to improve the physicochemical properties of products derived. Biochar, the solid residues obtained from pyrolysis, is getting considerable attention because of its good physicochemical properties. Various modification techniques have been implemented on biochars to enhance their properties. Ultrasonic pre-treated wood biochar has showcased efficient surface and adsorption properties. Iron impregnated biochar is interesting as it has potentially proved the efficiency as an efficient low-cost catalyst. In this study, by combining the advantages of ultrasonic pre-treatment and iron impregnation, we have synthesized a series of Fe-impregnated biochar from softwood chips. Pre- and post-pyrolysis methods using a lab-scale pyrolyser had been implemented to compare the pyrolysis product yields and degree of impregnation. Biochars derived from ultrasound pre-treated woodchips by post pyrolysis demonstrated better impregnation of Fe ions on surface with better distribution of pyrolysis products such as biochar and biogas. The surface functionality of all ultrasound pre-treated biochars remained the same. However, post-pyrolysed samples at high frequency ultrasound pre-treatment showed better thermal stability. The chemical characteristics of these modified biochars are interesting and can indeed be used as a cost-effective replacement for various catalytic applications