Klimawandel und biologische Invasion: eine soziologische Längsschnittstudie der Ausbreitungsüberwachung der Asiatische Tigermücke in Europa

The consequences of climate change on public health can be direct or indirect such as, for example, by modifying vector species distribution. This is the case with Aedes albopictus, a mosquito that is a vector for dengue fever, chikungunya, and potentially the Zika virus. This article focuses on the Alpes-Maritimes department, the first French department affected by the introduction of A. albopictus, i.e., the “Asian tiger mosquito”. It draws on qualitative and quantitative diachronic research conducted from 2009 to 2014 to provide a time-dependent sociological analysis of the implementation of chikungunya and dengue prevention policies and their reception by the population of the Alpes-Maritimes. The article first compares scientific expertise and the discourse of inhabitants regarding the climatic and anthropogenic factors that have encouraged the introduction and proliferation of tiger mosquitoes. It then highlights how both policy-makers and inhabitants must mediate between the epidemic-related and environmental challenges that have accompanied the spread of A. albopictus. Finally, the paper examines the (un)acceptance of the population vis-à-vis this invasive exotic species and points to the unequal capacity of different inhabitants to react when confronted with an environmental and health-related risk.Posljedice klimatskih promjena po zdravlje ljudi mogu biti izravne ali i neizravne kao što je, primjerice, raspodjela vektorskih vrsta. Takav je slučaj s komarcem Aedes albopictus, koji je vektor Denge virusa, Chikungunya virusa, a potencijalno i Zika virusa. U ovom se radu istražuje pojava A. albopictusa, ili “azijskog tigrastog komarca”, u francuskom departmanu Alpes-Maritimes u kojem se u Francuskoj prvi put pojavio. Rad se temelji na kvalitativnom i kvantitativnom dijakroničnom istraživanju provedenom između 2009. i 2014. godine s ciljem davanja vremenski ovisne sociološke analize implementacije preventivnih politika protiv Chikungunya i Denge virusa, kao i njihovog prihvaćanja među stanovništvom ovog departmana. U radu se prvo uspoređuju znanstveni diskurs i diskurs lokalnog stanovništva o klimatskim i antropogenim čimbenicima koji su doveli do pojave i širenja tigrastih komaraca. Nadalje, ističe se činjenica da i donositelji mjera i lokalno stanovništvo moraju uzeti u obzir i epidemiološke i okolišne izazove koji prate širenje A. albopictusa. Konačno, u radu se istražuje (ne)prihvaćanje stanovnika prema ovoj invazivnoj egzotičnoj vrsti, te se ukazuje na nejednakosti među dijelovima populacije s obzirom na mogućnosti rješavanja ovog pitanja okolišne i zdravstvene ugroze.Die Auswirkungen des Klimawandels auf die menschliche Gesundheit können direkt aber auch indirekt sein, wie z.B. die Verteilung von Vektorarten. Um einen solchen Fall handelt es sich bei der Mücke aedes albopictus, die das Dengue-Virus, das Chikungunya-Virus, und vielleicht auch das Zika-Virus überträgt. In dieser Arbeit befassen wir uns mit der aedes albopictus, der “asiatischen Tigermücke”, im französischen Département Alpes-Maritimes, wo sie in Frankreich zum ersten Mal gesichtet wurde. Die Arbeit beruht auf einer zwischen 2009 und 2014 durchgeführten qualitativen und quantitativen diachronischen Untersuchung, die es zum Ziel hatte,eine zeitabhängige soziologische Analyse der Implementierung von Präventionspolitiken gegen das Chikungunya- und das Dengue-Virus, sowie deren Rezeption von der Bevölkerung des Départements durchzuführen. In der Arbeit wird zuerst der wissenschaftliche Diskurs mit dem Diskurs der lokalen Bevölkerung verglichen, hinsichtlich der klimatischen und anthropogenen Faktoren, die zum Erscheinen und zur Verbreitung von Tigermücken beigetragen haben. Weiterhin wird die Tatsache hervorgehoben, dass sowohl die Maßnahmenträger als auch die lokale Bevölkerung epidemiologische und ökologische die Verbreitung von aedes albopictus begleitende Herausforderungen berücksichtigen müssen. Schließlich wird die (Nicht-) Akzeptierung dieser invasiven exotischen Art von der Bevölkerung erforscht, es wird auch auf die ungleichen Möglichkeiten der Bevölkerungsteile hingewiesen im Hinblick auf die Lösung dieses Problems der Umwelt- und Gesundheitsgefährdung

Arabica-like flavour in a heat tolerant wild coffee species

There are numerous factors to consider when developing climate resilient coffee crops, including the ability to tolerate altered climatic conditions, meet agronomic and value chain criteria, and satisfy consumer preferences for flavour (aroma and taste). We evaluated the sensory characteristics and key environmental requirements for the enigmatic narrow-leaved coffee (Coffea stenophylla), a wild species from Upper West Africa1. We confirm historical reports of a superior flavour1-3, and uniquely and remarkably, reveal a sensory profile analogous to high quality Arabica coffee. We demonstrate that this species grows and crops under the same range of key climatic conditions as (sensorially inferior) robusta and Liberica coffee4-9, and has a mean annual temperature 6.2–6.8⁰C higher than Arabica coffee, even under equivalent rainfall conditions. This species substantially broadens the climate envelope for high quality coffee, and could provide an important resource for the development of climate resilient coffee crop plants

A Critical Role of Sodium Flux via the Plasma Membrane Na+/H+Exchanger SOS1 in the Salt Tolerance of Rice

International audienc

Activation of mTOR coincides with autophagy during ligation-induced atrophy in the rat submandibular gland

Salivary gland atrophy is a common consequence of pathology, including Sjögren's syndrome, irradiation therapy and obstructive sialadenitis. During severe atrophy of the rat submandibular gland caused by excretory duct ligation, the majority of acinar cells disappear through apoptosis, whereas ductal cells proliferate and dedifferentiate; yet, the gland can survive in the atrophic state almost indefinitely, with an ability to fully recover if deligated. The control mechanisms governing these observations are not well understood. We report that ∼10% of acinar cells survive in ligation-induced atrophy. Microarray and quantitative real-time PCR analysis of ligated glands indicated sustained transcription of acinar cell-specific genes, whereas ductal-specific genes were reduced to background levels. After 3 days of ligation, activation of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway and autophagy occurred as shown by phosphorylation of 4E-BP1 and expression of autophagy-related proteins. These results suggest that activation of mTOR and the autophagosomal pathway are important mechanisms that may help to preserve acinar cells during atrophy of salivary glands after injury

Transcription factor OsHsfC1b regulates salt tolerance and development in Oryza sativa ssp. japonica

The paper describes the functional analysis of a class C heat shock transcription factor from rice (Oryza sativa). OsHsfC1b is shown to play a role in ABA-mediated salt stress tolerance and is required for plant growth under non-stress conditions