Small Cages with Insect Couples Provide a Simple Method for a Preliminary Assessment of Mating Disruption

Mating disruption by sex pheromones is a sustainable, effective and widely used pest management scheme. A drawback of this technique is its challenging assessment of effectiveness in the field (e.g., spatial scale, pest density). The aim of this work was to facilitate the evaluation of field-deployed pheromone dispensers. We tested the suitability of small insect field cages for a pre-evaluation of the impact of sex pheromones on mating using the grape moths Eupoecilia ambiguella and Lobesia botrana, two major pests in vineyards. Cages consisted of a cubic metal frame of 35 cm sides, which was covered with a mosquito net of 1500 μm mesh size. Cages were installed in the centre of pheromone-treated and untreated vineyards. In several trials, 1 to 20 couples of grape moths per cage were released for one to three nights. The proportion of mated females was between 15 to 70% lower in pheromone-treated compared to untreated vineyards. Overall, the exposure of eight couples for one night was adequate for comparing different control schemes. Small cages may therefore provide a fast and cheap method to compare the effectiveness of pheromone dispensers under standardised semi-field conditions and may help predict the value of setting-up large-scale field trials

Software Quality Objectives for Source Code

International audienceThe MathWorks - Renault SA - PSA Peugeot Citroën - Delphi Diesel System - Valeo group wrote together a code quality standard from scratch. This document describes how the code standard places the proof of absence of run-time errors at the centre of its software quality model. It details how the following elements of the quality model co-exist together with the supplier code life cycle: MISRA-C coding standard, the absence of run-time errors and some code complexity metrics. Additionally, this document describes how the Automotive manufacturers and the suppliers have to agree on and achieve different Software Quality Objectives according to the code life cycle stage and the safety aspects of the application.Finally, the document illustrates that standard with the PolySpace product and details how the product can help both the automotive manufacturer and the supplier working with this standard

Final Report of the ModSysC2020 Working Group - Data, Models and Theories for Complex Systems: new challenges and opportunities

Final Report of the ModSysC2020 Working Group at University Montpellier 2At University Montpellier 2, the modeling and simulation of complex systems has been identified as a major scientific challenge and one of the priority axes in interdisciplinary research, with major potential impact on training, economy and society. Many research groups and laboratories in Montpellier are already working in that direction, but typically in isolation within their own scientific discipline. Several local actions have been initiated in order to structure the scientific community with interdisciplinary projects, but with little coordination among the actions. The goal of the ModSysC2020 (modeling and simulation of complex systems in 2020) working group was to analyze the local situation (forces and weaknesses, current projects), identify the critical research directions and propose concrete actions in terms of research projects, equipment facilities, human resources and training to be encouraged. To guide this perspective, we decomposed the scientific challenge into four main themes, for which there is strong background in Montpellier: (1) modeling and simulation of complex systems; (2) algorithms and computing; (3) scientific data management; (4) production, storage and archiving of data from the observation of the natural and biological media. In this report, for each theme, we introduce the context and motivations, analyze the situation in Montpellier, identify research directions and propose specific actions in terms of interdisciplinary research projects and training. We also provide an analysis of the socio-economical aspects of modeling and simulation through use cases in various domains such as life science and healthcare, environmental science and energy. Finally, we discuss the importance of revisiting students training in fundamental domains such as modeling, computer programming and database which are typically taught too late, in specialized masters

Ensuring an effective global stocktake with a sectoral perspective

A sectoral perspective can help the Global Stocktake (GST) to effectively achieve its objective to inform Parties' in enhancing subsequent NDCs and in enhancing international cooperation. Specifically, granular and actionable sectoral lessons, grounded in country-driven assessments, should be identified and elaborated. To be effective, conversations on sectoral transformations need to synthesise key challenges and opportunities identified in the national analyses and link them to international enablers; focus on systemic interdependencies, involve diverse actors, and be thoroughly prepared including by pre-scoping points of convergences and divergence across transformations. We specifically recommend that: the co-facilitators of the Technical Dialogue use their (limited) mandate to facilitate an effective conversationon sectoral transformations e.g. by organising dedicated informal seminars in between formal negotiation sessions; key systemic transformations necessary toachieve net-zero by mid-century should be spelled out and included in the final decision or political declaration of the GST; and the political outcome of the GST should mandate follow-up processes at the regional level and encourage national-level conversations to translate the collective messages from GST into actionable and sector-specific policy recommendations

Dogs used as a large animal model of obesity-related insulin resistance

As for ethical and other reasons, studies of the pathophysiological mechanisms of obesity and its association with insulin resistance (IR) cannot be performed in man, researchers have to use appropriate animal models. Although dogs fed on a high-fat diet seem to meet the requirements to study this human syndrome, the canine model has hardly been used. Our objective was to study the lipoprotein metabolism and reverse cholesterol transport in healthy dogs, then in dogs with insulin resistance. We also aimed to describe the plasmatic changes associated with insulin resistance, and quantify the expression of genes involved in this disorder, in insulin target tissues (visceral adipose tissue and skeletal muscle). In healthy dogs, apoB100 exclusively appears in VLDL, whose high production is associated with a high fractional catabolism (5-fold greater than that of human). LDL-apoB100 metabolism is similar in dogs and humans. Our results showed that the healthy dog does not exhibit any CETP activity in vivo, and that reverse cholesterol transport is very active, with substantial selective uptake of HDL esterified cholesterol. Consequently, among species with no CETP activity, dogs provide an adequate model to study changes in this selective cholesterol uptake. The anomalies observed in lipoprotein profiles produced by FPLC in IR obese dogs were identical to those seen in IR man. Insulin resistance is associated with a decreased production of LDL apo B100, due to a reduced production, despite the increased catabolism. Both transcription and plasmatic results confirmed those found in man (overexpression of leptin mRNA, underexpression of adiponectin, GLUT4, LPL, PPAR and UCP mRNAs). Therefore, dogs could provide a useful research model, particularly to elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved in the development of insulin resistance and dyslipidemia.Pour des raisons notamment éthiques, il n'est pas possible d'étudier chez l'homme les phénomènes physiopathologiques associés à l'évolution conjointe de l'obésité et de la baisse de sensibilité à l'insuline. L'établissement de modèles animaux reflétant la pathologie humaine paraît donc indispensable. Le chien soumis à un régime hyperlipidique semblait répondre aux critères de sélection d'un modèle adapté à l'étude de ce syndrome. Il n'avait cependant été que peu exploré. Le but de notre travail a été d'une part, d'étudier le métabolisme des lipoprotéines et le transport inverse du cholestérol chez le chien sain, puis chez le chien insulinorésistant (IR) et d'autre part, de caractériser l'évolution des modifications plasmatiques associées à l'insulinorésistance, puis de quantifier, au sein de certains tissus cibles de l'insuline (tissus adipeux viscéral et musculaire), l'expression de gènes impliqués dans ce désordre métabolique. Chez le chien sain, l'apo B100 (apolipoprotéine B100) apparaît exclusivement dans les VLDL dont la production élevée est associée à un catabolisme important, égal à 5 fois celui de l'homme. Ces lipoprotéines subissent une lipolyse partielle, formant les LDL qui contiennent donc aussi de l'apoB100. L'apoB100 des LDL a un métabolisme similaire à celui de l'homme. Le chien sain ne manifeste pas d'activité CETP (cholesterol ester tranfer protein) in vivo, mais présente un transport inverse du cholestérol très actif, notamment associé à une importante capture sélective du cholestérol estérifié des HDL. Le chien pourrait donc s'avérer le meilleur modèle pour l'étude de la modulation de cette voie de retour du cholestérol. Les profils lipidiques des lipoprotéines, obtenus par chromatographie FPLC chez le chien obèse IR, ont montré les mêmes perturbations que chez l'homme IR. La production d'apo B100 dans les VLDL est augmentée et la lipolyse diminuée. La concentration en apo B100 des LDL est diminuée, conséquence d'une production réduite et d'un catabolisme augmenté. Les résultats obtenus aux niveaux transcriptionnel et plasmatique sont également conformes aux observations effectuées chez l'homme (surexpression du gène de la leptine, sous-expression de celui de l'adiponectine, du GLUT4, de la lipoprotéine lipase, des PPAR et des UCP notamment). Sur les deux plans de l'étude, nos résultats confirment que le chien pourrait constituer un bon modèle d'étude, notamment pour l'élucidation des mécanismes moléculaires impliqués dans le développement de l'insulinorésistance et des dyslipidémies

Drug Export Pathway of Multidrug Exporter AcrB Revealed by DARPin Inhibitors

The multidrug exporter AcrB is the inner membrane component of the AcrAB-TolC drug efflux system in Escherichia coli and is responsible for the resistance of this organism to a wide range of drugs. Here we describe the crystal structure of the trimeric AcrB in complex with a designed ankyrin-repeat protein (DARPin) inhibitor at 2.5-Å resolution. The three subunits of AcrB are locked in different conformations revealing distinct channels in each subunit. There seems to be remote conformational coupling between the channel access, exit, and the putative proton-translocation site, explaining how the proton motive force is used for drug export. Thus our structure suggests a transport pathway not through the central pore but through the identified channels in the individual subunits, which greatly advances our understanding of the multidrug export mechanism

Genetically engineered proteins with two active sites for enhanced biocatalysis and synergistic chemo- and biocatalysis

Enzyme engineering has allowed not only the de novo creation of active sites catalysing known biological reactions with rates close to diffusion limits, but also the generation of abiological sites performing new-to-nature reactions. However, the catalytic advantages of engineering multiple active sites into a single protein scaffold are yet to be established. Here, we report on proteins with two active sites of biological and/or abiological origin, for improved natural and non-natural catalysis. The approach increased the catalytic properties, such as enzyme efficiency, substrate scope, stereoselectivity and optimal temperature window, of an esterase containing two biological sites. Then, one of the active sites was metamorphosed into a metal-complex chemocatalytic site for oxidation and Friedel–Crafts alkylation reactions, facilitating synergistic chemo- and biocatalysis in a single protein. The transformations of 1-naphthyl acetate into 1,4-naphthoquinone (conversion approx. 100%) and vinyl crotonate and benzene into 3-phenylbutyric acid (≥83%; e.e. >99.9%) were achieved in one pot with this artificial multifunctional metalloenzyme.This work was funded by grant ‘INMARE’ from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 (grant agreement no. 634486), grants PCIN-2017-078 (within the Marine Biotechnology ERA-NET), CTQ2016-79138-R, BIO2016-76601-C3-1-R, BIO2016-76601-C3-3-R, BIO2017-85522-R, RTI2018-095166-B-I00 and RTI2018-095090-B-100 from the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (MCIU), the Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI), the Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) and the European Union (EU). P.N.G. and R.B. acknowledge the support of the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC; grant No. BB/M029085/1) and the Centre of Environmental Biotechnology Project and the Supercomputing Wales project, which are partly funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Welsh Government. The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support provided by the ERDF. C.C. thanks the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad and FEDER for a Ph.D. fellowship (Grant BES-2015-073829). J.L.G.-A. thanks the support of the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport through the National Program FPU (FPU17/00044). I.C.-R. thanks the Regional Government of Madrid for a fellowship (PEJ_BIO_AI_1201). The authors would like to acknowledge S. Ciordia and M. C. Mena for MALDI-TOF/TOF analysis. We thank the staff of both the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF, Grenoble, France), for providing access and technical assistance at beamline ID30A-1/MASSIf-1, and the Synchrotron Radiation Source at Alba (Barcelona, Spain), for assistance at BL13-XALOC beamline. The authors would also like to acknowledge M. J. Vicente and M. A. Pascual at the Servicio Interdepartamental de Investigación (SIDI) of the Autonomous University of Madrid for the ESI-MS analyses

Ensuring an Effective Global Stocktake with a Sectoral Perspective

A sectoral perspective can help the Global Stocktake (GST) to effectively achieve its objective to inform Parties' in enhancing subsequent NDCs and in enhancing international cooperation. Specifically, granular and actionable sectoral lessons, grounded in country-driven assessments, should be identified and elaborated. To be effective, conversations on sectoral transformations need to synthesise key challenges and opportunities identified in the national analyses and link them to international enablers; focus on systemic interdependencies, involve diverse actors, and be thoroughly prepared including by pre-scoping points of convergences and divergence across transformations

Impact of repeated four-monthly anthelmintic treatment on Plasmodium infection in preschool children: a double-blind placebo-controlled randomized trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Helminth infections can alter susceptibility to malaria. Studies need to determine whether or not deworming programs can impact on <it>Plasmodium </it>infections in preschool children.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A double-blind placebo-controlled randomised trial was conducted to investigate the impact of anthelmintic treatment on <it>Plasmodium </it>infection in children aged 12-59 months. Children were randomly assigned to receive either albendazole or placebo every four months for 12 months with a follow-up at 14 months.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>320 children (out of 1228, 26.1%) complied with all the follow-up assessments. <it>Plasmodium </it>prevalence and mean <it>Plasmodium </it>parasite density was significantly higher in the treatment group (44.9% and 2319 ± SE 511) compared to the placebo group (33.3% and 1471 ± 341) at baseline. The odds of having <it>Plasmodium </it>infection increased over time for children in both the placebo and treatment groups, however this increase was significantly slower for children in the treatment group (P = 0.002). By month 14, mean <it>Plasmodium </it>density had increased by 156% in the placebo group and 98% in the treatment group but the rate of change in <it>Plasmodium </it>density was not significantly different between the groups. The change from baseline in haemoglobin had a steeper increase among children in the treatment group when compared to the placebo group but this was not statistically significant.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Repeated four-monthly anthelminthic treatments for 14 months resulted in a significantly lower increase in the prevalence of <it>Plasmodium </it>infection in preschool children which coincided with a reduction in both the prevalence and intensity of <it>A. lumbricoides </it>infections.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>Current controlled trials ISRCTN44215995</p