Male accessory gland substances from Aedes albopictus affect the locomotor activity of Aedes aegypti females

Dengue is one of the world’s most important mosquito-borne diseases and is usually transmitted by one of two vector species: Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus . These two diurnal mosquitoes are frequently found coexisting in similar habitats, enabling interactions between adults, such as cross-mating. The objective of this study was to assess cross-mating between Ae. aegypti females and Ae. albopictus males under artificial conditions and evaluate the locomotor activity of Ae. aegypti virgin females injected with male accessory gland (MAG) homogenates to infer the physiological and behavioural responses to interspecific mating. After seven days of exposure, 3.3-16% of Ae. aegypti females mated with Ae. albopictus males. Virgin Ae. aegypti females injected with conspecific and heterospecific MAGs showed a general decrease in locomotor activity compared to controls and were refractory to mating with conspecific males. The reduction in diurnal locomotor activity induced by injections of conspecific or heterospecific MAGs is consistent with regulation of female reproductive activities by male substances, which are capable of sterilising female Ae. aegypti through satyrisation by Ae. albopictus .

Music and felt emotions: how systematic pitch level variations affect the experience of pleasantness and arousal

Pitch is a fundamental musical factor; however, findings about its contribution to the elicitation of emotions are contradictory. The purpose of this work was to assess the effect of systematic pitch variations on self-reports of felt valence and arousal. In a within-subject design, 49 subjects listened to four 1-minute classical piano excerpts, each presented at three different pitch levels (one octave lower than the original version, the original version and one octave higher than the original version). Compared to excerpts both without octave modification and in the +1 octave variant, pleasantness of excerpts in the -1 octave variant was significantly lower. This main effect was stronger for women than men and, importantly, was modulated by the specific characteristics of the stimuli. There was also a significant, yet smaller, negative relationship between pitch level and arousal, moderated by gender: Compared to higher pitch, lower pitch was associated with higher arousal in men only. Regarding the complex outcomes of this study, future studies should investigate to which extent our findings can be generalized to other musical works. The ultimate goal might be to demonstrate how pitch level interacts with other musical features and listeners' characteristics in eliciting diverse affective experiences.

The rise of soluble TWEAK levels in severely obese subjects after bariatric surgery may affect adipocyte-cytokine production induced by TNFα.

CONTEXT Soluble TNF-like weak inducer of apoptosis (sTWEAK) is generated by the intracellular proteolytic cleavage of full-length membrane-bound TNF-like weak inducer of apoptosis (mTWEAK). sTWEAK levels are reduced in diseases with an inflammatory component. Additionally, sTWEAK hampers TNFα activity in human cells. OBJECTIVES The objectives of the study were as follows: 1) to determine circulating sTWEAK in severe obesity and after bariatric surgery; 2) to study m/sTWEAK and its receptor fibroblast growth factor-inducible 14 (Fn14) protein expression in sc adipose tissue (SAT) of severely obese subjects, in SAT stromal vascular fraction (SVF), and isolated adipocytes and in human monocyte-derived macrophages; and 3) to explore, on human adipocytes, the sTWEAK effect on TNFα proinflammatory activity. DESIGN sTWEAK levels were measured in cohort 1: severely obese subjects (n = 23) and a control group (n = 35); and in cohort 2: (n = 23) severely obese subjects before and after surgery. The m/sTWEAK and Fn14 expressions were determined in SAT biopsies, SVF, and isolated adipocytes from severely obese and control subjects and in human monocyte-derived macrophages. In human primary cultured adipocytes, sTWEAK pretreated and TNFα challenged, IL-6, IL-8, and adiponectin protein and gene expressions were determined and nuclear factor-κ B and MAPK signaling analyzed. RESULTS sTWEAK levels were reduced in severely obese subjects. After surgery, sTWEAK levels rose in 69% of patients. mTWEAK protein expression was increased in SAT and SVF of severely obese subjects, whereas Fn14 was up-regulated in isolated adipocytes. M2 human monocyte-derived macrophages overexpress mTWEAK. In human adipocytes, sTWEAK down-regulates TNFα cytokine production by hampering TNFα intracellular signaling events. CONCLUSION The decrease of sTWEAK in severely obese patients may favor the proinflammatory activity elicited by TNFα.

Chromosome size differences may affect meiosis and genome size.

Genetic crosses in many organisms have shown that alleles of unlinked genes generally assort independently of one another during gamete formation. However, variation in chromosome size may affect the process of meiosis and lead to nonindependent assortment of chromosomes. We therefore examined chromosomes with insertions and found that they preferentially segregated away from the X chromosome during meiosis in Caenorhabditis elegans males. Conversely, chromosomes with deletions preferentially segregated with the X chromosome. The degree of segregation bias was significantly associated with the length of the insertion or deletion. Simulations revealed that this segregation bias leads to genome size reduction in hermaphroditic species, a pattern consistent with differences in genome sizes in the genus Caenorhabditis. These results suggest that insertions and deletions may affect chromosome segregation patterns.

Horizontal, but not vertical, biotic interactions affect fine-scale plant distribution patterns in a low-energy system

Studies of species range determinants have traditionally focused on abiotic variables (typically climatic conditions), and therefore the recent explicit consideration of biotic interactions represents an important advance in the field. While these studies clearly support the role of biotic interactions in shaping species distributions, most examine only the influence of a single species and/or a single interaction, failing to account for species being subject to multiple concurrent interactions. By fitting species distribution models (SDMs), we examine the influence of multiple vertical (i.e., grazing, trampling, and manuring by mammalian herbivores) and horizontal (i.e., competition and facilitation; estimated from the cover of dominant plant species) interspecific interactions on the occurrence and cover of 41 alpine tundra plant species. Adding plant-plant interactions to baseline SDMs (using five field-quantified abiotic variables) significantly improved models' predictive power for independent data, while herbivore-related variables had only a weak influence. Overall, abiotic variables had the strongest individual contributions to the distribution of alpine tundra plants, with the importance of horizontal interaction variables exceeding that of vertical interaction variables. These results were consistent across three modeling techniques, for both species occurrence and cover, demonstrating the pattern to be robust. Thus, the explicit consideration of multiple biotic interactions reveals that plant-plant interactions exert control over the fine-scale distribution of vascular species that is comparable to abiotic drivers and considerably stronger than herbivores in this low-energy system.

Deletion of Sirt3 does not affect atherosclerosis but accelerates weight gain and impairs rapid metabolic adaptation in LDL receptor knockout mice: implications for cardiovascular risk factor development.

Sirt3 is a mitochondrial NAD(+)-dependent deacetylase that governs mitochondrial metabolism and reactive oxygen species homeostasis. Sirt3 deficiency has been reported to accelerate the development of the metabolic syndrome. However, the role of Sirt3 in atherosclerosis remains enigmatic. We aimed to investigate whether Sirt3 deficiency affects atherosclerosis, plaque vulnerability, and metabolic homeostasis. Low-density lipoprotein receptor knockout (LDLR(-/-)) and LDLR/Sirt3 double-knockout (Sirt3(-/-)LDLR(-/-)) mice were fed a high-cholesterol diet (1.25 % w/w) for 12 weeks. Atherosclerosis was assessed en face in thoraco-abdominal aortae and in cross sections of aortic roots. Sirt3 deletion led to hepatic mitochondrial protein hyperacetylation. Unexpectedly, though plasma malondialdehyde levels were elevated in Sirt3-deficient mice, Sirt3 deletion affected neither plaque burden nor features of plaque vulnerability (i.e., fibrous cap thickness and necrotic core diameter). Likewise, plaque macrophage and T cell infiltration as well as endothelial activation remained unaltered. Electron microscopy of aortic walls revealed no difference in mitochondrial microarchitecture between both groups. Interestingly, loss of Sirt3 was associated with accelerated weight gain and an impaired capacity to cope with rapid changes in nutrient supply as assessed by indirect calorimetry. Serum lipid levels and glucose tolerance were unaffected by Sirt3 deletion in LDLR(-/-) mice. Sirt3 deficiency does not affect atherosclerosis in LDLR(-/-) mice. However, Sirt3 controls systemic levels of oxidative stress, limits expedited weight gain, and allows rapid metabolic adaptation. Thus, Sirt3 may contribute to postponing cardiovascular risk factor development.

Introduction du Dossier "Affecter, être affecté. Autour des travaux de Jeanne Favret-Saada"

Dossiers, Affecter, être affecté. Autour des travaux de Jeanne Favret-Saada, mis en ligne le 24 juin 2014

How did the Financial Crisis affect the Real Interest Rate Dynamics in Europe?

We investigate the effects of the financial crisis on the stationarity of real interest rates in the Euro Area. We use a new unit root test developed by Peseran et al. (2013) that allows for multiple unobserved factors in a panel set up. Our results suggest that while short-term and long-term real interest rates were stationary before the financial crisis, they became nonstationary during the crisis period likely due to persistent risk that characterized financial markets during that time. JEL codes: E43, C23. Keywords: Real interest rates, Euro Area, financial crisis, panel unit root tests, cross-sectional dependence.

Chromosomal rearrangements do not seem to affect the gene flow in hybrid zones between karyotypic races of the common shrew (Sorex araneus).

Chromosomal rearrangements are proposed to promote genetic differentiation between chromosomally differentiated taxa and therefore promote speciation. Due to their remarkable karyotypic polymorphism, the shrews of the Sorex araneus group were used to investigate the impact of chromosomal rearrangements on gene flow. Five intraspecific chromosomal hybrid zones characterized by different levels of karyotypic complexity were studied using 16 microsatellites markers. We observed low levels of genetic differentiation even in the hybrid zones with the highest karyotypic complexity. No evidence of restricted gene flow between differently rearranged chromosomes was observed. Contrary to what was observed at the interspecific level, the effect of chromosomal rearrangements on gene flow was undetectable within the S. araneus species.

Do Financial Incentives Affect Firms' Demand For Disabled Workers?

A number of OECD countries aim to encourage work integration of disabled persons using quota policies. For instance, Austrian firms must provide at least one job to a disabled worker per 25 nondisabled workers and are subject to a tax if they do not. This "threshold design" provides causal estimates of the noncompliance tax on disabled employment if firms do not manipulate nondisabled employment; a lower and upper bound on the causal effect can be constructed if they do. Results indicate that firms with 25 nondisabled workers employ about 0.04 (or 12%) more disabled workers than without the tax; firms do manipulate employment of nondisabled workers but the lower bound on the employment effect of the quota remains positive; employment effects are stronger in low-wage firms than in high-wage firms; and firms subject to the quota of two disabled workers or more hire 0.08 more disabled workers per additional quota job. Moreover, increasing the noncompliance tax increases excess disabled employment, whereas paying a bonus to overcomplying firms slightly dampens the employment effects of the tax.

De l'importance de l'approfondissement de l'affect en psychothérapie = On the importance of deepening of affect in psychotherapy

Deepening of affect in psychotherapy is a process that allows the patient to access more fully his/her affective experience linked to the problems. This process allows him/her to better understand this experience, aiming at a new understanding of himself/herself, the internal determinants of the problem and his/her reactions to difficult situations. Four clinical models treat this question by proposing different techniques aiming at deepening of affect in session: brief psychodynamic psychotherapy, clinical hypnosis, emotion-focused therapy, clarification-oriented psychotherapy as development of focusing. It appears that, despite diverse theoretical approaches, there exist several parallels throughout these approaches. We will summarize the research results supporting the hypothesis of affect deepening as an efficacious therapeutic process in different forms of exploratory psychotherapy. (C) 2009 Societe francaise de psychologie. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Mutations in msrA and msrB, encoding epimer-specific methionine sulfoxide reductases, affect expression of glycerol-catabolic operons in Enterococcus faecalis differently.

This study aims to define the cellular roles of methionine sulfoxide reductases A and B, evolutionarily highly conserved enzymes able to repair oxidized methionines in proteins. msrA and msrB mutants were exposed to an internal oxidative stress by growing them under aerobic conditions on glycerol. Interestingly, the msr mutants behave completely differently under these conditions. The msrA mutant is inhibited, whereas the msrB mutant is stimulated in its growth in comparison with the parent strain. Glycerol can be catabolized by either the GlpK or DhaK pathways in Enterococcus faecalis. Our results strongly suggest that in the msrA mutant, glycerol is catabolized via the GlpK pathway leading to increased synthesis of H2O2, which accumulates to concentrations inhibitory to growth in comparison with the parent strain. In contrast in the msrB mutant, glycerol is metabolized via the DhaK pathway which is not accompanied by the synthesis of H2O2. The molecular basis for the differences in glycerol flux seems to be due to expression differences of the two glycerol-catabolic operons in the msr mutants.

Do welfare benefits affect womens' choices of adult care giving?

The efficacy of social care, publicly and universally provided, has been contested from two different points of view. First, advocates of targeting social policy criticized the Matthew’s effect of universal provision and; second, theories arguing in favour of heterogeneous rationalities between men and women and, even different preferences among women, predict that universal provision of services is limiting women’s choices more than home allowances. The author tests both hypotheses and concludes that, at least in the case of adult care, women’s choices are significantly affected by women’s social positions and by the availability of public services. Furthermore, targeting through means-test eligibility criteria has no significant effect on inequality but, confirming the redistributive paradox, reduces women’s options.

Parental investments in children: how bargaining and educational homogamy affect time allocation

This study examines parental time investment in their children, distinguishing between developmental and non-developmental care. Our analyses centre on three influential determinants: educational background, marital homogamy, and spouses' relative bargaining power. We find that the emphasis on quality care time is correlated with parents' education, and that marital homogamy reduces couple specialization, but only among the highly educated. In line with earlier research, we identify gendered parental behaviour. The presence of boys is an important condition for fathers' time dedication, but primarly among lower educated fathers. To the extent that parental stimulation is decisive for child outcomes, our findings suggest the persistence of important inequalities. This emerges through our special attention to behavioural differences across the educational distribution among households.