From debate to political propaganda trough the "Women's quarrel" in Juan Rodríguez del Padrón, Diego de Valera and Álvaro de Luna

En este artículo, se analizan tres obras que fueron compuestas una tras otra bajo el reinado de Juan II de Castilla, quizá en su época más agitada, entre 1438 y 1446, a la luz del trasfondo político, cultural y literario que dejan entrever: el “Triunfo de las donas “de Juan Rodríguez del Padrón, la “Defensa de virtuosasmujeres” de Diego de Valera y “Virtuosas e claras mugeres “de Álvaro de Luna. Éstos son testimonios valiosos de las distintas tendencias políticas que se enfrentaban en aquel entonces. De hecho, desde un punto de vista ideológico, se pueden leer las dos obras posteriores como reescrituras que tienden a sustituir la lección política subversiva que contiene el tratado de Juan Rodríguez del Padrón.This article analyzes three works composed one after another during the reign of John II of Castile, probably in its more unrestrained period, between 1438 and 1446, in the light of the political, cultural and literary background they reveal: Juan Rodríguez del Padrón’s “Triunfo de las donas”, Diego de Valera’s “Defensa de virtuosas mujeres” and Álvaro de Luna’s “Virtuosas e claras mujeres”. These are precious testimonies of different political tendencies which were opposed at that time. In fact, as far as ideology is concerned, the two latest works can be read as rewritings which tend to replace the subversive political lesson contained in Juan Rodríguez del Padrón’s treatise

Pseudomonads from wild free-living sea turtles in Principe Island, Gulf of Guinea

Dissemination of antibiotic resistance is a major concern, especially in aquatic environments, where pollution contributes for resistant bacteria selection. These strains may have serious health implications, especially for endangered species, including the sea turtles' hawksbill Eretmochelys imbricata and green turtles Chelonia mydas. We aimed to evaluate the presence of antibiotic resistant pseudomonads in wild sea turtles from Principe Island, Sao Tome and Principe, Guinea Gulf. Isolates were obtained from oral and cloacal swabs of free-living turtles by conventional techniques. Pseudomonads screening was performed by multiplex-PCR (oprl/oprL) and biochemical identification and antibiotic resistance profiling were achieved using Vitek2. All pseudomonad isolates were genotyped by Rep-PCR. Thirteen isolates were oprl-positive and classified as pseudomonads, eight from the genus Pseudomonas with the species P. aeruginosa, P. stutzeri, and P. mendocina, and five co-isolated Alcaligenes faecalis. The P. aeruginosa isolate was also oprL-positive. Regarding isolates susceptibility profile, 38.5% were susceptible to all antibiotics tested, and multidrug resistant (MDR) strains were not identified. DNA fingerprinting did not show any specific clonal-cluster similarity. Data on the worldwide incidence of antibiotic resistance among wildlife is still very scarce, especially concerning remote tropical areas. Since Pseudomonas genus has emerged as a group of increasingly reported opportunistic microorganisms in human and veterinary medicine with high resistance levels, it could be used as a tool for environmental resistance surveillance, particularly considering their ubiquity.Oceandrio de Lisboa, PortugalMarine Turtle Conservation Act - U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service grantInterdisciplinary Research Centre for Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon (FMV/UL) [UID/CVT/00276/2013]Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Technology, Queen Astrid Military Hospital, Brussels, Belgiuminfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A quality-aware spatial data warehouse for querying hydroecological data

International audienceAddressing data quality issues in information systems remains a challenging task. Many approaches only tackle this issue at the extract, transform and load steps. Here we define a comprehensive method to gain greater insight into data quality characteristics within data warehouse. Our novel architecture was implemented for an hydroecological case study where massive French watercourse sampling data are collected. The method models and makes effective use of spatial, thematic and temporal accuracy, consistency and completeness for multidimensional data in order to offer analysts a âdata qualityâ oriented framework. The results obtained in experiments carried out on the Saône River dataset demonstrated the relevance of our approac

Evaluation of nanometer thick mercury film electrodes for stripping chronopotentiometry

In this work, the performance and applicability of the thin mercury film electrode (TMFE) in the heavy metal speciation, by stripping chronopotentiometry (SCP), were exploited. The TMFE thickness was optimized and a 7.6 nm mercury film was selected. This TMFE was mechanically stable and able to perform 60 SCP consecutive measurements, with no significant variation in the analytical signal of lead(II) (RSD less than 2%). Due to the small electrode thickness the measurements were performed under conditions of complete depletion over a wide oxidation current (Is) range, i.e., within the interval [75–500] × 10−9 A. The limit of detection (3σ) for lead(II) was 2.4 × 10−9 M for a deposition time of 40 s and an oxidation current of 75 × 10−9 A. The TMFE was successfully applied to the construction of SSCP experimental waves, which were in conformity to those predicted by the theory. The stability constant calculated (K′) for the Pb(II)-carboxylated latex nanospheres system using a TMFE, agreed with the one obtained using the HMDE, for identical experimental conditions

Association between prenatal exposure to traffic-related air pollution and preterm birth in the PELAGIE mother–child cohort, Brittany, France. Does the urban–rural context matter?

International audienceIntroduction Evidence has accumulated that exposure to ambient air pollution during pregnancy may influence preterm birth (PTB) in urban settings. Conversely, this relation has barely been investigated in rural areas where individual characteristics (demographic, socioeconomic, and psychosocial factors) and environmental co-exposures may differ. Objective We examined the association between prenatal exposure to traffic-related air pollution and PTB among pregnant women from the PELAGIE mother–child cohort (Brittany, France, 2002–2006) living in urban (n=1550) and rural (n=959) settings. Methods Women’s residences were classified as either urban or rural according to the French census bureau rural–urban definitions. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations at home addresses were estimated from adjusted land-use regression models as a marker of traffic-related pollution. Associations between NO2 concentrations and PTB were assessed with logistic regression models. Results Prevalence of PTB was similar among women living in urban (3.2%) and in rural (3.5%) settings. More positive socioeconomic characteristics and health behaviors but more single-parent families were observed among urban women. NO2 exposure averaged 20.8±6.6 µg m−3 for women residing in urban areas and 18.8±5.6 µg m−3 for their rural counterparts. A statistically significant increased risk of PTB was observed among women exposed to NO2 concentrations ≥16.4 µg m−3 and residing in urban areas but not among their rural counterparts. Discussion The results of this study, conducted in a region with interspersed urban–rural areas, are in line with previous findings suggesting an increased risk of PTB associated with higher NO2 concentrations for women living in urban areas. The absence of association among their rural counterparts for whom exposure levels were similar suggests that environmental mixtures and psychosocial inequalities might play a role in this heterogeneit

Phytotoxic metabolites from Neofusicoccum parvum, a pathogen of Botryosphaeria dieback of grapevine

Liquid chromatography-diode array screening of the organic extract of the cultures of 13 isolates of the fungus Neofusicoccum parvum, the main causal agent of botryosphaeria dieback of grapevine, showed similar metabolites. One strain was selected for further chemical studies and led to the isolation and characterisation of 13 metabolites. Structures were elucidated through spectroscopic analyses, including one- and two-dimensional NMR and mass spectrometry, and through comparison to literature data. The isolated compounds belong to four different chemical families: five metabolites, namely, ( )-terremutin (1), (+)-terremutin hydrate (2), (+)-epi-sphaeropsidone (3) ( )-4-chloro-terremutin hydrate (4) and(+)-4- hydroxysuccinate-terremutin hydrate (5), belong to the family of dihydrotoluquinones; two metabolites, namely, (6S,7R) asperlin (6) and (6R,7S)-dia-asperlin (7), belong to the family of epoxylactones; four metabolites, namely, (R)-( )-mellein (8), (3R,4R)-4-hydroxymellein (9), (3R,4S)-4-hydroxymellein (10) (R)( )-3-hydroxymellein (11), belong to the family of dihydroisocoumarins; and two of the metabolites, namely, 6-methyl-salicylic acid (12) and 2-hydroxypropyl salicylic acid (13), belong to the family of hydroxybenzoic acids. We determined the phytotoxic activity of the isolated metabolites through a leaf disc assay and the expression of defence-related genes in Vitis vinifera cells cv. Chardonnay cultured with ( )-terremutin (1), the most abundant metabolite. Finally, analysis of the brown stripes of grapevine wood from plants showing botryosphaeria dieback symptoms revealed the presence of two of the isolated phytotoxinsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Management of grapevine trunk diseases: knowledge transfer, current strategies and innovative strategies adopted in Europe

Since the early 1990s, grapevine trunk diseases (GTDs) have posed threats for viticulture. Esca complex, Eutypa- and Botryosphaeria- diebacks, mostly detected in adult vineyards, are currently responsible for considerable economic losses in the main vine-growing areas of the world. Other GTDs, such as Petri- (Esca complex) and Black-foot diseases, are emerging problems in grapevine nurseries (resulting in grafting failures and/or loss of saleable plants) and in young vineyards. The impacts of GTDs in modern viticulture depend on several factors, some related to their complexity, and others linked to host plant characteristics, changes in vineyard management and to the scarcity of simple tools for their control. For these reasons control of GTDs remains difficult, also depending on knowledge transfer from research to field and vice versa. This paper outlines the main preventive and curative techniques currently applied, scientifically tested or not that have resulted from the outcomes of “Winetwork”, a European Union funded project with special emphasis on the promising and innovative approaches.

Apoptosis, G1 Phase Stall, and Premature Differentiation Account for Low Chimeric Competence of Human and Rhesus Monkey Naive Pluripotent Stem Cells

After reprogramming to naive pluripotency, human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) still exhibit very low ability to make interspecies chimeras. Whether this is because they are inherently devoid of the attributes of chimeric competency or because naive PSCs cannot colonize embryos from distant species remains to be elucidated. Here, we have used different types of mouse, human, and rhesus monkey naive PSCs and analyzed their ability to colonize rabbit and cynomolgus monkey embryos. Mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) remained mitotically active and efficiently colonized host embryos. In contrast, primate naive PSCs colonized host embryos with much lower efficiency. Unlike mouse ESCs, they slowed DNA replication after dissociation and, after injection into host embryos, they stalled in the G1 phase and differentiated prematurely, regardless of host species. We conclude that human and non-human primate naive PSCs do not efficiently make chimeras because they are inherently unfit to remain mitotically active during colonization

Blood Bacterial Profiles Associated With Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection and Immune Recovery

[EN] Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection impairs mucosal immunity and leads to bacterial translocation, fueling chronic inflammation and disease progression. While this is well established, questions remain about the compositional profile of the translocated bacteria, and to what extent it is influenced by antiretroviral therapy (ART). Using 16S ribosomal DNA targeted sequencing and shotgun proteomics, we showed that HIV increases bacterial translocation from the gut to the blood. HIV increased alpha diversity in the blood, which was dominated by aerobic bacteria belonging to Micrococcaceae (Actinobacteria) and Pseudomonadaceae (Proteobacteria) families, and the number of circulating bacterial proteins was also increased. Forty-eight weeks of ART attenuated this phenomenon. We found that enrichment with Lactobacillales order, and depletion of Actinobacteria class and Moraxellaceae and Corynebacteriacae families, were significantly associated with greater immune recovery and correlated with several inflammatory markers. Our findings suggest that the molecular cross talk between the host and the translocated bacterial products could influence ART-mediated immune recovery.This work was supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Plan Estatal de I+D+i 2013–2016, projects PI15/00345 and PI18/00154); the Fundación Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer within the European Research Era-NET aligning national/regional translational cancer research programs and activities program (grant AC17/00019) and cofinanced by the European Development Regional Fund; and Plan Estatal de I+D+i 2013–2016 (grant PT17/0019 to the Proteomics Facility of the Spanish National Center for BIotechnology)

A Concerted Action of Engrailed and Gooseberry-Neuro in Neuroblast 6-4 Is Triggering the Formation of Embryonic Posterior Commissure Bundles

One challenging question in neurogenesis concerns the identification of cues that trigger axonal growth and pathfinding to form stereotypic neuronal networks during the construction of a nervous system. Here, we show that in Drosophila, Engrailed (EN) and Gooseberry-Neuro (GsbN) act together as cofactors to build the posterior commissures (PCs), which shapes the ventral nerve cord. Indeed, we show that these two proteins are acting together in axon growth and midline crossing, and that this concerted action occurs at early development, in neuroblasts. More precisely, we identified that their expressions in NB 6-4 are necessary and sufficient to trigger the formation of the PCs, demonstrating that segmentation genes such as EN and GsbN play a crucial role in the determination of NB 6-4 in a way that will later influence growth and guidance of all the axons that form the PCs. We also demonstrate a more specific function of GsbN in differentiated neurons, leading to fasciculations between axons, which might be required to obtain PC mature axon bundles