L’initiative populaire fédérale « Le droit suisse au lieu de juges étrangers (initiative pour l’autodétermination) » : analyse critique du contenu de l’initiative et de ses conséquences juridico-politiques.

L’initiative populaire fédérale « Pour l’autodétermination », lancée par l’UDC, a pour but principal d’inscrire dans la constitution la primauté du droit constitutionnel sur le droit international. Ce mémoire analyse le texte de l’initiative en profondeur, présentant les arguments des partisans et des opposants au texte, tout en donnant des pistes sur les conséquences possibles de l’adoption de cette initiative sur l’ordre juridique suisse et sur la Suisse en tant que membre de la communauté internationale. L’analyse de cette initiative permet d’aborder les enjeux du rapport entre droit interne et droit international, de la démocratie directe, des droits de l’homme, de la sécurité juridique ou encore du contrôle constitutionnel en Suisse

Dimensionless study of the total response of thermally stimulated luminescence

The response of thermally stimulated luminescence (TSL) is investigated theoretically. An original dimensionless treatment is proposed, first to highlight the key dimensionless factors rationalizing the competition between the mechanisms at play during the TSL readout, and second to clean up the approach from any particular values of the relevant physical parameters. The approach holds for an unlimited number of interactive traps. The total response from a current trap is derived and cast into simple formal expressions as a function of the recombination cross-section, the set of trapping cross-sections and of initial trap occupancies (i.e. those existing before the readout of the current peak). This allows one to calculate each peak response by taking proper account of carrier transfers accompanying the successive peak readouts

The mitochondrial genomes of the acoelomorph worms Paratomella rubra, Isodiametra pulchra and Archaphanostoma ylvae

Acoels are small, ubiquitous - but understudied - marine worms with a very simple body plan. Their internal phylogeny is still not fully resolved, and the position of their proposed phylum Xenacoelomorpha remains debated. Here we describe mitochondrial genome sequences from the acoels Paratomella rubra and Isodiametra pulchra, and the complete mitochondrial genome of the acoel Archaphanostoma ylvae. The P. rubra and A. ylvae sequences are typical for metazoans in size and gene content. The larger I. pulchra  mitochondrial genome contains both ribosomal genes, 21 tRNAs, but only 11 protein-coding genes. We find evidence suggesting a duplicated sequence in the I. pulchra mitochondrial genome. The P. rubra, I. pulchra and A. ylvae mitochondria have a unique genome organisation in comparison to other metazoan mitochondrial genomes. We found a large degree of protein-coding gene and tRNA overlap with little non-coding sequence in the compact P. rubra genome. Conversely, the A. ylvae and I. pulchra genomes have many long non-coding sequences between genes, likely driving genome size expansion in the latter. Phylogenetic trees inferred from mitochondrial genes retrieve Xenacoelomorpha as an early branching taxon in the deuterostomes. Sequence divergence analysis between P. rubra sampled in England and Spain indicates cryptic diversity

Put a tiger in your tank: the polyclad flatworm Maritigrella crozieri as a proposed model for evo-devo

Polyclad flatworms are an early branching clade within the rhabditophoran Platyhelminthes. They provide an interesting system with which to explore the evolution of development within Platyhelminthes and amongst Spiralia (Lophotrochozoa). Unlike most other flatworms, polyclads undergo spiral cleavage (similar to that seen in some other spiralian taxa), they are the only free-living flatworms where development via a larval stage occurs, and they are the only flatworms in which embryos can be reared outside of their protective egg case, enabling embryonic manipulations. Past work has focused on comparing early cleavage patterns and larval anatomy between polyclads and other spiralians. We have selected Maritigrella crozieri, the tiger flatworm, as a suitable polyclad species for developmental studies, because it is abundant and large in size compared to other species. These characteristics have facilitated the generation of a transcriptome from embryonic and larval material and are enabling us to develop methods for gene expression analysis and immunofluorescence techniques. Here we give an overview of M. crozieri and its development, we highlight the advantages and current limitations of this animal as a potential evo-devo model and discuss current lines of research

Light-sheet microscopy for everyone? Experience of building an OpenSPIM to study flatworm development.

Background: Selective plane illumination microscopy (SPIM a type of light-sheet microscopy) involves focusing a thin sheet of laser light through a specimen at right angles to the objective lens. As only the thin section of the specimen at the focal plane of the lens is illuminated, out of focus light is naturally absent and toxicity due to light (phototoxicity) is greatly reduced enabling longer term live imaging. OpenSPIM is an open access platform (Pitrone et al. 2013 and OpenSPIM.org) created to give new users step-by-step instructions on building a basic configuration of a SPIM microscope, which can in principle be adapted and upgraded to each laboratory’s own requirements and budget. Here we describe our own experience with the process of designing, building, configuring and using an OpenSPIM for our research into the early development of the polyclad flatworm Maritigrella crozieri – a non-model animal. Results: Our OpenSPIM builds on the standard design with the addition of two colour laser illumination for simultaneous detection of two probes/molecules and dual sided illumination, which provides more even signal intensity across a specimen. Our OpenSPIM provides high resolution 3d images and time lapse recordings, and we demonstrate the use of two colour lasers and the benefits of two color dual-sided imaging. We used our microscope to study the development of the embryo of the polyclad flatworm M. crozieri. The capabilities of our microscope are demonstrated by our ability to record the stereotypical spiral cleavage pattern of M. crozieri with high-speed multi-view time lapse imaging. 3D and 4D (3D + time) reconstruction of early development from these data is possible using image registration and deconvolution tools provided as part of the open source Fiji platform. We discuss our findings on the pros and cons of a self built microscope. Conclusions: We conclude that home-built microscopes, such as an OpenSPIM, together with the available open source software, such as MicroManager and Fiji, make SPIM accessible to anyone interested in having continuous access to their own light-sheet microscope. However, building an OpenSPIM is not without challenges and an open access microscope is a worthwhile, if significant, investment of time and money. Multi-view 4D microscopy is more challenging than we had expected. We hope that our experience gained during this project will help future OpenSPIM users with similar ambitions

The Drosophila actin nucleator DAAM is essential for left-right asymmetry

Author summary Although our body looks symmetrical when viewed from the outside, it is in fact highly asymmetrical when we consider the shape and implantation of organs. For example, our heart is on the left side of the thorax, while the liver is on the right. In addition, our heart is made up of two distinct parts, the right heart and the left heart, which play different roles for blood circulation. These asymmetries, called left-right asymmetries, play a fundamental role in the morphogenesis and function of visceral organs and the brain. Aberrant LR asymmetry in human results in severe anatomical defects leading to embryonic lethality, spontaneous abortion and a number of congenital disorders. Our recent work has identified a particular myosin (Myo1D) as a major player in asymmetry in Drosophila and vertebrates. Myosins are proteins that can interact with the skeleton of cells (called the cytoskeleton) to transport other proteins, contract the cells, allow them to move, etc. In this work, we were able to identify all the genes of the cytoskeleton involved with myosin in left-right asymmetry, in particular a so-called 'nucleator' gene because it is capable of forming new parts of the cytoskeleton necessary for setting up asymmetries. Left-Right (LR) asymmetry is essential for organ positioning, shape and function. Myosin 1D (Myo1D) has emerged as an evolutionary conserved chirality determinant in both Drosophila and vertebrates. However, the molecular interplay between Myo1D and the actin cytoskeleton underlying symmetry breaking remains poorly understood. To address this question, we performed a dual genetic screen to identify new cytoskeletal factors involved in LR asymmetry. We identified the conserved actin nucleator DAAM as an essential factor required for both dextral and sinistral development. In the absence of DAAM, organs lose their LR asymmetry, while its overexpression enhances Myo1D-induced de novo LR asymmetry. These results show that DAAM is a limiting, LR-specific actin nucleator connecting up Myo1D with a dedicated F-actin network important for symmetry breaking

The Complete Mitochondrial Genome of the Geophilomorph Centipede Strigamia maritima

Strigamia maritima (Myriapoda; Chilopoda) is a species from the soil-living order of geophilomorph centipedes. The Geophilomorpha is the most speciose order of centipedes with over a 1000 species described. They are notable for their large number of appendage bearing segments and are being used as a laboratory model to study the embryological process of segmentation within the myriapods. Using a scaffold derived from the recently published genome of Strigamia maritima that contained multiple mitochondrial protein-coding genes, here we report the complete mitochondrial genome of Strigamia, the first from any geophilomorph centipede. The mitochondrial genome of S. maritima is a circular molecule of 14,938 base pairs, within which we could identify the typical mitochondrial genome complement of 13 protein-coding genes and 2 ribosomal RNA genes. Sequences resembling 16 of the 22 transfer RNA genes typical of metazoan mitochondrial genomes could be identified, many of which have clear deviations from the standard ‘cloverleaf’ secondary structures of tRNA. Phylogenetic trees derived from the concatenated alignment of protein-coding genes of S. maritima and >50 other metazoans were unable to resolve the Myriapoda as monophyletic, but did support a monophyletic group of chilopods: Strigamia was resolved as the sister group of the scolopendromorph Scolopocryptos sp. and these two (Geophilomorpha and Scolopendromorpha), along with the Lithobiomorpha, formed a monophyletic group the Pleurostigmomorpha. Gene order within the S. maritima mitochondrial genome is unique compared to any other arthropod or metazoan mitochondrial genome to which it has been compared. The highly unusual organisation of the mitochondrial genome of Strigamia maritima is in striking contrast with the conservatively evolving nuclear genome: sampling of more members of this order of centipedes will be required to see whether this unusual organization is typical of the Geophilomorpha or results from a more recent reorganisation in the lineage leading to Strigamia

Extraocular, rod-like photoreceptors in a flatworm express xenopsin photopigment

Animals detect light using opsin photopigments. Xenopsin, a recently classified subtype of opsin, challenges our views on opsin and photoreceptor evolution. Originally thought to belong to the Gαi-coupled ciliary opsins, xenopsins are now understood to have diverged from ciliary opsins in pre-bilaterian times, but little is known about the cells that deploy these proteins, or if they form a photopigment and drive phototransduction. We characterized xenopsin in a flatworm, Maritigrella crozieri, and found it expressed in ciliary cells of eyes in the larva, and in extraocular cells around the brain in the adult. These extraocular cells house hundreds of cilia in an intra-cellular vacuole (phaosome). Functional assays in human cells show Maritigrella xenopsin drives phototransduction primarily by coupling to Gαi. These findings highlight similarities between xenopsin and c-opsin and reveal a novel type of opsin-expressing cell that, like jawed vertebrate rods, encloses the ciliary membrane within their own plasma membrane

A novel approach to modeling tissue-level activity of cortisol levels according to the theory of Endobiogeny, applied to chronic heart failure

Background: Chronic heart failure (CHF) is an inflammatory disorder in which cortisol plays an important role. Despite this, cortisol is not routinely quantitatively measured for a number of reasons. It is considered non-specific. Accuracy and validity remain in question. It is not considered convenient or cost effective. Finally, tissue level effects of cortisol do not correlate linearly to quantitative levels. If the functional, tissue level effectiveness of cortisol could be modeled, its evaluation in CHF patient may become relevant. Endobiogeny is a global systems theory that claims to be able to model complex physiology through biomarkers, offering context-rich interpretations of data for meaningful clinical applicability. Cortisol is known to alter circulating levels of elements from a complete blood count (CBC). By relating these biomarkers in a qualitative fashion, the theory of Endobiogeny posits that these elements can be contextualized to reflect the tissue level activity of cortisol, referred to as the cortisol index (CI). The algorithm derived from the theory is called the Biology of Functions (BoF). Aim: The aim of this study was to determine if the cortisol index is accurate in reflecting a greater expression of cortisol activity in ambulatory CHF patients versus controls subjects. Methods: A retrospective observational case control study was performed in 93 patients with New York Heart Association class II-III heart failure patients and 104 individuals with no cardiovascular pathology as a control group. Results from a CBC were entered into BOF modeling software, from which the cortisol index is derived. Results: The Cortisol index (3-7) was significantly elevated in CHF vs. control patients (12.8±0.91 vs. 8.48±0.74, p< 001), as were individual CBC elements used to form the index. Conclusions: The cortisol index, derived from the theory of Endobiogeny showed results consistent with CHF pathophysiology. The cortisol index was able to model the effective tissue level activity of cortisol in CHF patients using only a CBC, without measuring serum cortisol. Future studies should compare the cortisol index to standard inflammatory markers in CHF patients to further correlate the validity of the index to other known effects of cortisol

The sea urchin kinome: A first look

AbstractThis paper reports a preliminary in silico analysis of the sea urchin kinome. The predicted protein kinases in the sea urchin genome were identified, annotated and classified, according to both function and kinase domain taxonomy. The results show that the sea urchin kinome, consisting of 353 protein kinases, is closer to the Drosophila kinome (239) than the human kinome (518) with respect to total kinase number. However, the diversity of sea urchin kinases is surprisingly similar to humans, since the urchin kinome is missing only 4 of 186 human subfamilies, while Drosophila lacks 24. Thus, the sea urchin kinome combines the simplicity of a non-duplicated genome with the diversity of function and signaling previously considered to be vertebrate-specific. More than half of the sea urchin kinases are involved with signal transduction, and approximately 88% of the signaling kinases are expressed in the developing embryo. These results support the strength of this nonchordate deuterostome as a pivotal developmental and evolutionary model organism