In Situ effects of low pH and elevated HCO3 on juvenile massive Porites spp. in Moorea, French Polynesia

Juvenile colonies of massive Porites spp. were exposed to manipulated pH and bicarbonate ([HCO3-]) in situ to test the hypothesis that ocean acidification (OA) does not affect respiration and calcification. Incubations lasted 28 h and exposed corals to ambient temperature and light with ecologically relevant water motion. Three treatments were applied: (1) ambient conditions of pH 8.04 and 1751 µmol HCO3- kg(-1) (Treatment 1), (2) pCO2-induced ocean acidification of pH 7.73 and 2011 µmol HCO3- kg(-1) (Treatment 2), and (3) pCO2 and HCO3--enriched seawater of pH 7.69 and 2730 µmol HCO3- kg(-1) (Treatment 3). The third treatment providing elevated [HCO3-] was used to test for stimulatory effects of dissolved inorganic carbon on calcification under low pH and low saturation of aragonite (Omega arag), but it does not reflect conditions expected to occur under CO2-driven OA. Calcification of juvenile massive Porites spp. was affected by treatments, with an 81% elevation in Treatment 3 versus Treatment 1, but no difference between Treatments 1 and 2; respiration and the metabolic expenditure concurrent with calcification remained unaffected. These findings indicate that juvenile massive Porites spp. are resistant to short exposures to OA in situ, and separately, that they can increase calcification at low pH and low Omega arag if [HCO3-] is elevated. Juvenile Porites spp. may therefore be limited by dissolved inorganic carbon under ambient pCO2 conditions

High-speed trains and tourists: what is the link? Evidence from the French and Spanish capitals

The objective of this paper is to analyse the factors influencing tourists? choice of a destination and the role of High Speed Rail (HSR) systems in this choice. The methodology proposed consists in analysing two capitals in Europe, i.e. Paris and Madrid where HSR services are important, to investigate the factors influencing holidaymakers in choosing these cities, and the role of HSR in this choice. The main outcome of this paper is to show that several factors influence the choice of a tourist, like the presence of architectural sites, the quality of promotion of the destination itself, the presence of events, and also HSR services. However we found that the HSR system has affected the choice of Paris and Madrid in a different way. Concerning the French case study, HSR is considered a real transport mode alternative among tourists, therefore HSR is chosen to reach Paris as well as for revisiting it. On the other hand, Madrid is chosen by tourists irrespective on the presence of HSR, while HSR is chosen for reaching cities close to Madrid. Data collected from the two surveys have been used for a further quantitative analysis. Models have been specified and calibrated to identify the factors influencing holidaymakers to revisit Paris and Madrid and the role of HSR in this choice has been highlighted.

Harmonic Monads : Reading Contemporary Scottish Fiction through the Enlightenment

Peer reviewed

Very Chicago : Mary Borden and the Art of Fiction

Peer reviewed

Relationships of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate in the elderly with functional, psychological, and mental status, and short-term mortality: A French community-based study

In human beings of both sexes, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) circulating in blood is mostly an adrenally secreted steroid whose serum concentration (in the micromolar range and 30–50% higher in men than in women) decreases with age, toward ≈20–10% of its value in young adults during the 8th and 9th decades. The mechanism of action of DHEA and DHEAS is poorly known and may include partial transformation into sex steroids, increase of bioavailable insulin-like growth factor I, and effects on neurotransmitter receptors. Whether there is a cause-to-effect relationship between the decreasing levels of DHEAS with age and physiological and pathological manifestations of aging is still undecided, but this is of obvious theoretical and practical interest in view of the easy restoration by DHEA administration. Here we report on 622 subjects over 65 years of age, studied for the 4 years since DHEAS baseline values had been obtained, in the frame of the PAQUID program, analyzing the functional, psychological, and mental status of a community-based population in the south-west of France. We confirm the continuing decrease of DHEAS serum concentration with age, more in men than in women, even if men retain higher levels. Significantly lower values of baseline DHEAS were recorded in women in cases of functional limitation (Instrumental Activities of Daily Living), confinement, dyspnea, depressive symptomatology, poor subjective perception of health and life satisfaction, and usage of various medications. In men, there was a trend for the same correlations, even though not statistically significant in most categories. No differences in DHEAS levels were found in cases of incident dementia in the following 4 years. In men (but not in women), lower DHEAS was significantly associated with increased short-term mortality at 2 and 4 years after baseline measurement. These results, statistically established by taking into account corrections for age, sex, and health indicators, suggest the need for further careful trials of the administration of replacement doses of DHEA in aging humans. Indeed, the first noted results of such “treatment” are consistent with correlations observed here between functional and psychological status and endogenous steroid serum concentrations.

Comparative Biochemistry of the Oxidative Burst Produced by Rose and French Bean Cells Reveals Two Distinct Mechanisms1

Cultured cells of rose (Rosa damascena) treated with an elicitor derived from Phytophthora spp. and suspension-cultured cells of French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) treated with an elicitor derived from the cell walls of Colletotrichum lindemuthianum both produced H2O2. It has been hypothesized that in rose cells H2O2 is produced by a plasma membrane NAD(P)H oxidase (superoxide synthase), whereas in bean cells H2O2 is derived directly from cell wall peroxidases following extracellular alkalinization and the appearance of a reductant. In the rose/Phytophthora spp. system treated with N,N-diethyldithiocarbamate, superoxide was detected by a N,N′-dimethyl-9,9′-biacridium dinitrate-dependent chemiluminescence; in contrast, in the bean/C. lindemuthianum system, no superoxide was detected, with or without N,N-diethyldithiocarbamate. When rose cells were washed free of medium (containing cell wall peroxidase) and then treated with Phytophthora spp. elicitor, they accumulated a higher maximum concentration of H2O2 than when treated without the washing procedure. In contrast, a washing treatment reduced the H2O2 accumulated by French bean cells treated with C. lindemuthianum elicitor. Rose cells produced reductant capable of stimulating horseradish (Armoracia lapathifolia) peroxidase to form H2O2 but did not have a peroxidase capable of forming H2O2 in the presence of reductant. Rose and French bean cells thus appear to be responding by different mechanisms to generate the oxidative burst.

Private (Brown) Eyes: Ethnicity, Genre and Gender in Crime Fiction in the Gloria Damasco novels and the Chicanos Comic Series

The representation of women in crime fiction has traditionally been a complicated one. Consistently forced into secondary characters (assistants, girlfriends, or damsels in distress) the most active role a female character could aspire to was that of the femme fatale, a pit of perdition, an unwelcome distraction for a man looking for truth and justice. This traditional approach to the genre has been challenged in the last decades by women acting as detectives, trusted with solving their cases in a hostile male world. Similarly, the traditional white male protagonist has been contested by fictions where ethnic minorities are not just consigned to the criminal world, but where detectives are members of ethnic groups, and can use their knowledge of the community to solve the case. This essay focuses on the crossroads of ethnic and women’s detective fiction, specifically the Gloria Damasco series by Chicana writer Lucha Corpi and the graphic novel Chicanos (Trillo and Risso, 1996). Both protagonists (Gloria Damasco, a Chicana clairvoyant detective, and “poor, ugly, and a detective” Alejandrina Yolanda Jalisco) must face both the dangers of investigating criminal cases and discrimination in their professional surroundings due to their gender and ethnicity. By contrasting these texts, the essay elucidates the importance of specific cultural products, their connection to (and defiance of) canonical forms of the genre, and their rejection of generic and gender expectations.

Samurai Son and Exploring Cultural Myths Through Fantasy Fiction

Samurai Son is a story that captures the beauty, wonder and imagination of Japanese legends and mythology with some modern-day sensibilities and morals against the backdrop of medieval Japan. The story blends Shinto religion and stories about the tengu, bird-like wind spirits with a modern plotline in a Japanese fantasy universe. This world is filled with magic, demons, kami (magical spirits), gods and goddesses, samurai, ninja and martial arts.

Dragon Tears: Highlighting the Christian Salvation Message Through the Use of Allegorical Fantasy Fiction

The recent movie versions of the Chronicles of Narnia and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy have raised in the publishing world a public demand for good quality fantasy fiction that can be used as a teaching tool for spreading the Christian salvation message. Dragon Tears was written to fulfill this need, providing young adult readers with both an engaging fantasy story and at the same time, an allegorical format through which to receive the Christian salvation story. Dragon Tears draws its foundational material from two educational backgrounds in religion and creative writing.