Olive phenology as a sensitive indicator of future climatic warming in the Mediterranean

Experimental and modelling work suggests a strong dependence of olive flowering date on spring temperatures. Since airborne pollen concentrations reflect the flowering phenology of olive populations within a radius of 50 km, they may be a sensitive regional indicator of climatic warming. We assessed this potential sensitivity with phenology models fitted to flowering dates inferred from maximum airborne pollen data. Of four models tested, a thermal time model gave the best fit for Montpellier, France, and was the most effective at the regional scale, providing reasonable predictions for 10 sites in the western Mediterranean. This model was forced with replicated future temperature simulations for the western Mediterranean from a coupled ocean-atmosphere general circulation model (GCM). The GCM temperatures rose by 4·5 °C between 1990 and 2099 with a 1% per year increase in greenhouse gases, and modelled flowering date advanced at a rate of 6·2 d per °C. The results indicated that this long-term regional trend in phenology might be statistically significant as early as 2030, but with marked spatial variation in magnitude, with the calculated flowering date between the 1990s and 2030s advancing by 3–23 d. Future monitoring of airborne olive pollen may therefore provide an early biological indicator of climatic warming in the Mediterranean

Southern Europeans in France: Invisible Migrants?

France fared relatively well at the start of the current economic crisis, but has experienced low economic growth and high unemployment rates in the recent years. As a result it has been a less popular destination with Southern Europeans and EU migrants in general in search of economic opportunities. Although their numbers have increased and represent a growing proportion of recent flows to France, they remain low compared to numbers observed in Germany and the UK. Despite this statistical reality, EU mobility and more generally the role of the EU in economic and social policy have been at the forefront of debates in France since the start of the 2000s, thus well before the start of the crisis. These debates have focused on two populations – the Roma and posted workers – with both groups being portrayed as threats to the French welfare state. Although posted workers are not migrants, according to official EU definitions, their characteristics and experiences are similar to other groups of temporary migrant workers. Southern Europeans account for an increasing number of posted workers, and although they have not been the primary nationalities targeted in discussions concerning this issue, the debates and policy changes introduced in the recent years concern them as well. Moreover, we argue that the focusing of political debates on other populations in France has contributed to the relative invisibility of Southern European immigrants in this country

The HIBEAM program: search for neutron oscillations at the ESS

With the construction of the European Spallation Source, a remarkable opportunity has emerged to conduct high sensitivity searches for neutron oscillations, including a first search for thirty years for free neutrons converting to antineutrons. Furthermore, searches can be made for transitions of neutrons and antineutrons to sterile neutron states. The HIBEAM program provides an increase in sensitivity of an order of magnitude compared to previous work. The HIBEAM program corresponds to baryon number violation by one and two units. The observation of a process satisfying a Sakharov condition addresses the open question of the origin of the matter-antimatter asymmetry in the Universe. Sterile neutron states would belong to a `dark' sector of particles which may explain dark matter. As electrically neutral, meta-stable objects that can be copiously produced and studied, neutrons represent an attractive portal to a `dark' sector. This paper describes the capability, design, infrastructure, and potential of the HIBEAM program. This includes a dedicated beamline, neutron optical system, magnetic shielding and control, and detectors for neutrons and antineutrons.Comment: 41 pages, 12 figure

Identification of a Classical Bipartite Nuclear Localization Signal in the Drosophila TEA/ATTS Protein Scalloped

Drosophila melanogaster wing development has been shown to rely on the activity of a complex of two proteins, Scalloped (Sd) and Vestigial (Vg). Within this complex, Sd is known to provide DNA binding though its TEA/ATTS domain, while Vg modulates this binding and provides transcriptional activation through N- and C-terminal activation domains. There is also evidence that Sd is required for the nuclear translocation of Vg. Indeed, a candidate sequence which shows consensus to the bipartite family of nuclear localization signals (NLSs) has been identified within Sd previously, though it is not known if it is functional, or if additional unpredicted signals that mediate nuclear transport exist within the protein. By expressing various enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) tagged constructs within Drosophila S2 cells, we demonstrate that this NLS is indeed functional and necessary for the proper nuclear localization of Sd. Additionally, the region containing the NLS is critical for the wildtype function of ectopically expressed Sd, in the context of wing development. Using site-directed mutagenesis, we have identified a group of five amino acids within this NLS which is critical for its function, as well as another group of two which is of lesser importance. Together with data that suggests that this sequence mediates interactions with Importin-α3, we conclude that the identified NLS is likely a classical bipartite signal. Further dissection of Sd has also revealed that a large portion of the C-terminal domain of the protein is required its proper nuclear localization. Finally, a Leptomycin B (LB) sensitive signal which appears to facilitate nuclear export is identified, raising the possibility that Sd also contains a nuclear export signal (NES)

Brain energy rescue:an emerging therapeutic concept for neurodegenerative disorders of ageing

The brain requires a continuous supply of energy in the form of ATP, most of which is produced from glucose by oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria, complemented by aerobic glycolysis in the cytoplasm. When glucose levels are limited, ketone bodies generated in the liver and lactate derived from exercising skeletal muscle can also become important energy substrates for the brain. In neurodegenerative disorders of ageing, brain glucose metabolism deteriorates in a progressive, region-specific and disease-specific manner — a problem that is best characterized in Alzheimer disease, where it begins presymptomatically. This Review discusses the status and prospects of therapeutic strategies for countering neurodegenerative disorders of ageing by improving, preserving or rescuing brain energetics. The approaches described include restoring oxidative phosphorylation and glycolysis, increasing insulin sensitivity, correcting mitochondrial dysfunction, ketone-based interventions, acting via hormones that modulate cerebral energetics, RNA therapeutics and complementary multimodal lifestyle changes

Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review

In a meta-analysis, Julianne Holt-Lunstad and colleagues find that individuals' social relationships have as much influence on mortality risk as other well-established risk factors for mortality, such as smoking

Epistasis among Presynaptic Serotonergic System Components

Epistatic interactions among regulatory components of the serotonin (5-HT) neurotransmitter system may be an important aspect of 5-HT function. Because 5-HT dysregulation is associated with several common psychiatric disorders, the potential for epistasis among genetic variants in the 5-HT transporter (SERT), 5-HT 1B terminal autoreceptor and the 5-HT 1A somatodendritic autoreceptor should be examined. In this study, output from a dynamic minimal model of 5-HT function was compared to empirical results in the literature. Parameters representing extracellular 5-HT clearance rates (SERT), 5-HT release levels (5-HT 1B ) and inhibitory thresholds (the amount of extracellular 5-HT above which cell firing is inhibited, an indication of 5-HT 1A autoreceptor sensitivity) were varied to simulate genetic deletion (i.e. knockout) of each component singly, and in combination. Simulated knockout effects on extracellular 5-HT level and presynaptic neural firing rates were in the same direction and of similar relative magnitude as studies in the literature. Epistasis among presynaptic components appears to be important in the 5-HT system’s regulation of extracellular 5-HT levels, but not of firing rates.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/44113/1/10519_2004_Article_1019.pd

Impact of species and antibiotic therapy of enterococcal peritonitis on 30-day mortality in critical care - An analysis of the OUTCOMEREA database

Introduction: Enterococcus species are associated with an increased morbidity in intraabdominal infections (IAI). However, their impact on mortality remains uncertain. Moreover, the influence on outcome of the appropriate or inappropriate status of initial antimicrobial therapy (IAT) is subjected to debate, except in septic shock. The aim of our study was to evaluate whether an IAT that did not cover Enterococcus spp. was associated with 30-day mortality in ICU patients presenting with IAI growing with Enterococcus spp. Material and methods: Retrospective analysis of French database OutcomeRea from 1997 to 2016. We included all patients with IAI with a peritoneal sample growing with Enterococcus. Primary endpoint was 30-day mortality. Results: Of the 1017 patients with IAI, 76 (8%) patients were included. Thirty-day mortality in patients with inadequate IAT against Enterococcus was higher (7/18 (39%) vs 10/58 (17%), p = 0.05); however, the incidence of postoperative complications was similar. Presence of Enterococcus spp. other than E. faecalis alone was associated with a significantly higher mortality, even greater when IAT was inadequate. Main risk factors for having an Enterococcus other than E. faecalis alone were as follows: SAPS score on day 0, ICU-acquired IAI, and antimicrobial therapy within 3 months prior to IAI especially with third-generation cephalosporins. Univariate analysis found a higher hazard ratio of death with an Enterococcus other than E. faecalis alone that had an inadequate IAT (HR = 4.4 [1.3-15.3], p = 0.019) versus an adequate IAT (HR = 3.1 [1.0-10.0], p = 0.053). However, after adjusting for confounders (i.e., SAPS II and septic shock at IAI diagnosis, ICU-acquired peritonitis, and adequacy of IAT for other germs), the impact of the adequacy of IAT was no longer significant in multivariate analysis. Septic shock at diagnosis and ICU-acquired IAI were prognostic factors. Conclusion: An IAT which does not cover Enterococcus is associated with an increased 30-day mortality in ICU patients presenting with an IAI growing with Enterococcus, especially when it is not an E. faecalis alone. It seems reasonable to use an IAT active against Enterococcus in severe postoperative ICU-acquired IAI, especially when a third-generation cephalosporin has been used within 3 months. © 2019 The Author(s)