Aurore, l’enfant martyre. Essai sur la violence faite aux enfants

Ressortir de la petite histoire récente du Québec rural ce drame-symbole de l'enfant martyre que fut Aurore Gagnon : cela n'est pas sans provoquer, dans une perspective systémique en tout cas, des réflexions et une mise en perspective qui vont bien au-delà des généralités auxquelles ce genre de récit donne habituellement lieu. On voit bien, par exemple, que le comportement de la belle-mère d'Aurore, pour aberrant qu'il soit, n'en est pas moins surdéterminé par un ensemble de circonstances du milieu. Les conditions sociales d'aujourd'hui ne ressemblent guère à celles de naguère ; il n'empêche que, certains facteurs étant réunis, les enfants, qui sont pourtant notre bien le plus précieux, continuent d'être en danger en présence de leurs propres parents.This article draws on the sad story of Aurore Gagnon, a battered child raised in rural Québec and whose turmoil was dramatized on film. By elaborating on this symbol, the author is able to generate, at least in a systemic perspective, a number of issues and outlooks that go far beyond the generalities usually associated with this tale. For instance, there is ample evidence showing that the behaviour of Aurore's stepmother, aberrant as it may be, is largely caused by a set of environmental circumstances. Of course, today's social conditions hardly resemble those of the past. Yet, given the conjunctions of certain factors, children, who are nevertheless our most valuable asset, continue to be in danger in the presence of their very own parents

Stability Diagram of a Few-Electron Triple Dot

Quantum dots are considered building blocks for future quantum information circuits. We present here experimental results on a quantum dot circuit consisting of three quantum dots with controlled electron numbers down to one per dot and tunable coupling. We experimentally map out for the first time the stability diagram of the triatomic system and reveal the existence of quadruple points, a signature of the three dots being in resonance. In their vicinity we observe a surprising effect, a 'cloning' of charge transfer transitions related to charge and spin reconfigurations. The experimental results are reproduced by equivalent circuit analysis and Hubbard models

Detection of prokaryotic promoters from the genomic distribution of hexanucleotide pairs

BACKGROUND: In bacteria, sigma factors and other transcriptional regulatory proteins recognize DNA patterns upstream of their target genes and interact with RNA polymerase to control transcription. As a consequence of evolution, DNA sequences recognized by transcription factors are thought to be enriched in intergenic regions (IRs) and depleted from coding regions of prokaryotic genomes. RESULTS: In this work, we report that genomic distribution of transcription factors binding sites is biased towards IRs, and that this bias is conserved amongst bacterial species. We further take advantage of this observation to develop an algorithm that can efficiently identify promoter boxes by a distribution-dependent approach rather than a direct sequence comparison approach. This strategy, which can easily be combined with other methodologies, allowed the identification of promoter sequences in ten species and can be used with any annotated bacterial genome, with results that rival with current methodologies. Experimental validations of predicted promoters also support our approach. CONCLUSION: Considering that complete genomic sequences of over 1000 bacteria will soon be available and that little transcriptional information is available for most of them, our algorithm constitutes a promising tool for the prediction of promoter sequences. Importantly, our methodology could also be adapted to identify DNA sequences recognized by other regulatory proteins

Temperament and externalizing problems

Abstract : This study examines how maternal adverse parenting (hostility, neglect, low warmth) and psychological distress explain the associations between child temperament factors and externalizing problems. It also examines if these associations differ according to the child’s biological sex. The sample consists of 339 school-age children receiving in-school services for conduct problems. Data were collected through questionnaires completed by mothers at 3 time points, at one-year intervals. Results from path analyses revealed that maternal psychological distress partly explained the associations between each child temperamental factors (negative affectivity, surgency/extraversion, effortful control) and levels of externalizing problems. Specifically, the indirect effect of psychological distress on child negative affectivity and externalizing problems was only significant for boys, not girls. Maternal hostility, on the other hand, mediated the association between child surgency/extraversion and externalizing problems in both boys and girls. Interestingly, neglectful parenting and maternal warmth did not explain the association between child temperamental factors and externalizing problems. The findings suggest small but significant temperament child-driven effects on maternal psychological distress and hostility, in turn, translating into higher levels of externalizing problems. These findings support the relevance of temperament-based interventions for children with conduct problems and of increased mental health support for their mothers. By aiding mothers in developing a larger repertoire of parenting strategies, mothers may be better equipped to respond appropriately to their child with various temperamental characteristics, hence, reducing their psychological distress and hostile behaviors and limiting the development of externalizing problems

A phosphorylation-and-ubiquitylation circuitry driving ATR activation and homologous recombination

Abstract RPA-coated single-stranded DNA (RPA–ssDNA), a nucleoprotein structure induced by DNA damage, promotes ATR activation and homologous recombination (HR). RPA is hyper-phosphorylated and ubiquitylated after DNA damage. The ubiquitylation of RPA by PRP19 and RFWD3 facilitates ATR activation and HR, but how it is stimulated by DNA damage is still unclear. Here, we show that RFWD3 binds RPA constitutively, whereas PRP19 recognizes RPA after DNA damage. The recruitment of PRP19 by RPA depends on PIKK-mediated RPA phosphorylation and a positively charged pocket in PRP19. An RPA32 mutant lacking phosphorylation sites fails to recruit PRP19 and support RPA ubiquitylation. PRP19 mutants unable to bind RPA or lacking ubiquitin ligase activity also fail to support RPA ubiquitylation and HR. These results suggest that RPA phosphorylation enhances the recruitment of PRP19 to RPA–ssDNA and stimulates RPA ubiquitylation through a process requiring both PRP19 and RFWD3, thereby triggering a phosphorylation-ubiquitylation circuitry that promotes ATR activation and HR

Les système MF-InF3 (M = Rb, Cs, Tl)

International audienceL'étude des systèmes MF-InF3 (M = Rb, Cs, Tl) met en évidence dans tous les cas des composés de formules M3InF6, MInF4 et MIn3F10..

Examination of Urinary Pesticide Concentrations, Protective Behaviors, and Risk Perceptions Among Latino and Latina Farmworkers in Southwestern Idaho

Introduction: Studies have documented high levels of pesticide exposure among men farmworkers; however, few have examined exposures or the experiences of women farmworkers. Data gaps also exist regarding farmworkers’ perceived risk and control related to pesticides, information that is critical to develop protective interventions. Objective: We aimed to compare urinary pesticide biomarker concentrations between Latino and Latina farmworkers and examine associations with occupational characteristics, risk perceptions, perceived control, and protective behaviors. Methods: We enrolled a convenience sample of 62 farmworkers (30 men and 32 women) during the pesticide spray season from April–July 2022 in southwestern Idaho. Participants were asked to complete two visits within a seven-day period; at each visit, we collected a urine sample and administered a questionnaire assessing demographic and occupational information. Urine samples were composited and analyzed for 17 biomarkers of herbicides and of organophosphate (OP) and pyrethroid insecticides. Results: Ten pesticide biomarkers (TCPy, MDA, PNP, 3-PBA, 4-F-3-PBA, cis- and trans-DCCA, 2,4-D, Glyphosate, AMPA) were detected in \u3e80% of samples. Men and women had similar urinary biomarker concentrations (p = 0.19–0.94); however, women worked significantly fewer hours than men (p = 0.01), wore similar or greater levels of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and were slightly more likely to report having experienced an Acute Pesticide Poisoning (26% of women vs. 14% of men; p = 0.25). We observed inconsistencies in risk perceptions, perceived control, and protective behaviors among men. Discussion: Our study is one the first to examine pesticide exposure and risk perceptions among a cohort of farmworkers balanced on gender. Taken with previous findings, our results suggest that factors such as job tasks, biological susceptibility, or access to trainings and protective equipment might uniquely impact women farmworkers’ exposure and/or vulnerability to pesticides. Women represent an increasing proportion of the agricultural workforce, and larger studies are needed to disentangle these findings

Effects of Aging and Caloric Restriction on Fiber Type Composition, Mitochondrial Morphology and Dynamics in Rat Oxidative and Glycolytic Muscles

Aging is associated with a progressive decline in muscle mass and strength, a process known as sarcopenia. Evidence indicates that mitochondrial dysfunction plays a causal role in sarcopenia and suggests that alterations in mitochondrial dynamics/morphology may represent an underlying mechanism. Caloric restriction (CR) is among the most efficient nonpharmacological interventions to attenuate sarcopenia in rodents and is thought to exert its beneficial effects by improving mitochondrial function. However, CR effects on mitochondrial morphology and dynamics, especially in aging muscle, remain unknown. To address this issue, we investigated mitochondrial morphology and dynamics in the oxidative soleus (SOL) and glycolytic white gastrocnemius (WG) muscles of adult (9-month-old) ad libitum-fed (AL; A-AL), old (22-month-old) AL-fed (O-AL), and old CR (O-CR) rats. We show that CR attenuates the aging-related decline in the muscle-to-body-weight ratio, a sarcopenic index. CR also prevented the effects of aging on muscle fiber type composition in both muscles. With aging, the SOL displayed fragmented SubSarcolemmal (SS) and InterMyoFibrillar (IMF) mitochondria, an effect attenuated by CR. Aged WG displayed enlarged SS and more complex/branched IMF mitochondria. CR had marginal anti-aging effects on WG mitochondrial morphology. In the SOL, DRP1 (pro-fission protein) content was higher in O-AL vs YA-AL, and Mfn2 (pro-fusion) content was higher in O-CR vs A-AL. In the gastrocnemius, Mfn2, Drp1, and Fis1 (pro-fission) contents were higher in O-AL vs A-AL. CR reduced this aging-related increase in Mfn2 and Fis1 content. Overall, these results reveal for the first time that aging differentially impacts mitochondrial morphology and dynamics in different muscle fiber types, by increasing fission/fragmentation in oxidative fibers while enhancing mitochondrial size and branching in glycolytic fibers. Our results also indicate that although CR partially attenuates aging-related changes in mitochondrial dynamics in glycolytic fibers, its anti-aging effect on mitochondrial morphology is restricted to oxidative fibers

Urinary And Breast Milk Biomarkers To Assess Exposure Ro Naphthalene In Pregnant Women: An Investigation Of Personal And Indoor Air Sources

Naphthalene exposures for most non-occupationally exposed individuals occur primarily indoors at home. Residential indoor sources include pest control products (specifically moth balls), incomplete combustion such as cigarette smoke, woodstoves and cooking, some consumer and building products, and emissions from gasoline sources found in attached garages. The study aim was to assess naphthalene exposure in pregnant women from Canada, using air measurements and biomarkers of exposure

Formation of stress-specific p53 binding patterns is influenced by chromatin but not by modulation of p53 binding affinity to response elements†

The p53 protein is crucial for adapting programs of gene expression in response to stress. Recently, we revealed that this occurs partly through the formation of stress-specific p53 binding patterns. However, the mechanisms that generate these binding patterns remain largely unknown. It is not established whether the selective binding of p53 is achieved through modulation of its binding affinity to certain response elements (REs) or via a chromatin-dependent mechanism. To shed light on this issue, we used a microsphere assay for protein–DNA binding to measure p53 binding patterns on naked DNA. In parallel, we measured p53 binding patterns within chromatin using chromatin immunoprecipitation and DNase I coupled to ligation-mediated polymerase chain reaction footprinting. Through this experimental approach, we revealed that UVB and Nutlin-3 doses, which lead to different cellular outcomes, induce similar p53 binding patterns on naked DNA. Conversely, the same treatments lead to stress-specific p53 binding patterns on chromatin. We show further that altering chromatin remodeling using an histone acetyltransferase inhibitor reduces p53 binding to REs. Altogether, our results reveal that the formation of p53 binding patterns is not due to the modulation of sequence-specific p53 binding affinity. Rather, we propose that chromatin and chromatin remodeling are required in this process