Ausweitung und Grenzen der postklassischen Narratologie. Der Wille zur Vermittlung neuer Forschungsergebnisse in Frankreich

in Diegesis (2013), 2.2.(Winter),

A spectroscopic investigation of the O-type star population in four Cygnus OB associations. I. Determination of the binary fraction

in Astronomy and Astrophysics (2013), 550

Establishing the multiplicity of O-type stars is the first step towards accurately determining their stellar parameters. Moreover, the distribution of the orbital parameters provides observational clues ... [more ▼]

Establishing the multiplicity of O-type stars is the first step towards accurately determining their stellar parameters. Moreover, the distribution of the orbital parameters provides observational clues to the way that O-type stars form and to the interactions during their evolution. Our objective is to constrain the multiplicity of a sample of O-type stars belonging to poorly investigated OB associations in the Cygnus complex and for the first time to provide orbital parameters for binaries identified in our sample. Such information is relevant to addressing the issue of the binarity in the context of O-type star formation scenarios. We performed a long-term pectroscopic survey of nineteen O-type stars. We searched for radial velocity variations to unveil binaries on timescales from a few days up to a few years, on the basis of a large set of optical spectra. We confirm the binarity for four objects: HD193443, HD228989, HD229234 and HD194649. We derive for the first time the orbital solutions of three systems, and we confirm the values of the fourth, showing that these four systems all have orbital periods shorter than 10 days. Besides these results, we also detect several objects that show non-periodic line profile variations in some of their spectral lines. These variations mainly occur in the spectral lines, that are generally affected by the stellar wind and are not likely to be related to binarity. The minimal binary fraction in our sample is estimated to be 21%, but it varies from one OB association to the next. Indeed, 3 O stars of our sample out of 9 (33%) belonging to CygOB1 are binary systems, 0% (0 out of 4) in CygOB3, 0% (0 out of 3) in CygOB8, and 33% (1 out of 3) in CygOB9. Our spectroscopic investigation also stresses the absence of long-period systems among the stars in our sample. This result contrasts with the case of the O-type stellar population in NGC 2244 among which no object showed radial velocity variations on short timescales. However, we show that it is probably an effect of the sample and that this difference does not a priori suggest a somewhat different star forming process in these two environments. [less ▲]

Occurrence of Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) in field crops

in European Journal of Entomology (2013), 110(2),

Abstract. The Multicoloured Asian Ladybird, Harmonia axyridis Pallas (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) is known to thrive principally in shrubby and arboreal habitats. This study focuses on the occurrence of ... [more ▼]

Abstract. The Multicoloured Asian Ladybird, Harmonia axyridis Pallas (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) is known to thrive principally in shrubby and arboreal habitats. This study focuses on the occurrence of this exotic species and its seasonal abundance in various field crops. The abundance of adults, larvae and pupae of H. axyridis was evaluated over a three-year period, from 2009 to 2011, in four important agronomical crops (wheat, corn, broad bean and potato) in Belgium. From May to September, 48 1-m² quadrats were visually inspected in each of the fields sampled on several farms every seven days. H. axyridis colonized and reproduced in all of the four crops studied, with the largest numbers recorded in corn and broad bean crops. Larvae and adults of H. axyridis were recorded mainly in corn and to a much less extent in wheat and potato crops. From 2009 to 2011, the mean weekly abundance of H. ayxridis remained constant except in corn crops, where the recorded densities of all the immature stages and adults were higher in 2011 than in 2009. The population dynamics of aphids and H. axyridis are well described by a symmetric logistic function (S-shape) of cumulative population size. H. axyridis was not always recorded where aphids were abundant, e.g. aphids were abundant on wheat where no H. axyridis were recorded. H. axyridis start reproducing after the peak in aphid population, suggesting that H. axyridis is able to complete its development by feeding on alternative prey such as larvae and pupae of the same and other species of ladybird and other aphidophagous species. H. axyridis is often considered to be bivoltine but it only completes one generation per year in field crops. The second generation generally develops late in the season in other habitats. [less ▲]

Lyapunov-based sufficient conditions for exponential stability in hybrid systems

in IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control (2013)

Lyapunov-based sufficient conditions for exponential stability in hybrid systems are presented. The focus is on converting non-strict Lyapunov conditions, having certain observability properties, into ... [more ▼]

Lyapunov-based sufficient conditions for exponential stability in hybrid systems are presented. The focus is on converting non-strict Lyapunov conditions, having certain observability properties, into strict Lyapunov conditions for exponential stability. Both local and global results are considered. The utility of the results is illustrated through an example. [less ▲]

Anopheles species associations in Southeast Asia: indicator species and environmental influences

in Parasites & Vectors (2013), 6

Peptide backbone fragmentation initiated by side-chain loss at cysteine residue in matrixassisted laser desorption/ionization in-source decay mass spectrometry

in Journal of Mass Spectrometry [=JMS] (2013), 48

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization in-source decay (MALDI-ISD) is initiated by hydrogen transfer from matrix molecules to the carbonyl oxygen of peptide backbone with subsequent radical-induced ... [more ▼]

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization in-source decay (MALDI-ISD) is initiated by hydrogen transfer from matrix molecules to the carbonyl oxygen of peptide backbone with subsequent radical-induced cleavage leading to c0/z• fragments pair. MALDI-ISD is a very powerful method to obtain long sequence tags from proteins or to do de novo sequencing of peptides. Besides classical fragmentation, MALDI-ISD also shows specific fragments for which the mechanism of formation enlightened the MALDI-ISD process. In this study, the MALDI-ISD mechanism is reviewed, and a specific mechanism is studied in details: the N-terminal side of Cys residue (Xxx-Cys) is described to promote the generation of c0 and w fragments in MALDI-ISD. Our data suggest that for sequences containing Xxx-Cys motifs, the N–Ca bond cleavage occurs following the hydrogen attachment to the thiol group of Cys side-chain. The c•/w fragments pair is formed by side-chain loss of the Cys residue with subsequent radical-induced cleavage at the N–Ca bond located at the left side (N-terminal direction) of the Cys residue. This fragmentation pathway preferentially occurs at free Cys residue and is suppressedwhen the cysteines are involved in disulfide bonds. Hydrogen attachment to alkylated Cys residues using iodoacetamide gives free Cys residue by the loss of •CH2CONH2 radical. The presence of alkylated Cys residue also suppress the formation of c•/w fragments pair via the (Cb)-centered radical, whereas w fragment is still observed as intense signal. In this case, the z• fragment formed by hydrogen attachment of carbonyl oxygen followed side-chain loss at alkylated Cys leads to a w fragment. Hydrogen attachment on peptide backbone and side-chain of Cys residue occurs therefore competitively during MALDI-ISD process. [less ▲]

Identity in schizophrenia: A study of trait self-knowledge

in Psychiatry Research (2013)

Identity results from interlock of two systems which are a set of abstracted representations about oneself and a phenomenological self. Literature highlights identity disturbance in schizophrenia that ... [more ▼]

Identity results from interlock of two systems which are a set of abstracted representations about oneself and a phenomenological self. Literature highlights identity disturbance in schizophrenia that affects each of both systems. In the same vein, the present study investigates the stability and the quality of traits self-knowledge, a component of abstracted representations of self, in schizophrenia patients. Sixty-eight patients with schizophrenia and 68 healthy control subjects completed a short version of a personality scale (LABEL). This scale is composed of two versions (A and B), each comprising 50 adjectives that correspond to synonymous adjectives in the alternate list. Participants indicated how these adjectives described themselves and completed both versions of the scale on two separate occasions, one month apart. The findings showed that schizophrenic patients presented an unstable identity and change in identity quality compared with healthy subjects. However, this identity disturbance was weaker than expected. These results are discussed in a part of autobiographical memory disturbances in schizophrenia, illness duration and the decompensation stage. [less ▲]

Bolaamphiphiles Derived from Alkenyl L-rhamnosides and Alkenyl D-xylosides: Importance of the Hydrophilic Head

in Molecules (2013), ACCEPTED

The two step synthesis of a new bolaamphiphile derived from alkenyl L-rhamnosides was described. The general synthetic strategy of bolaamphiphiles derived from L-rhamnose was based on a previous work ... [more ▼]

The two step synthesis of a new bolaamphiphile derived from alkenyl L-rhamnosides was described. The general synthetic strategy of bolaamphiphiles derived from L-rhamnose was based on a previous work describing the synthesis of bolaamphiphiles derived from D-xylose. The conformational properties of this new compound were investigated by FTIR spectroscopy in an aqueous film in order to obtain a reference for further studies about the membrane-interacting properties. Moreover, the surface activity of this new bolaamphiphile was analyzed by Langmuir balance technology and was compared with that of the analogous bolaamphiphile derived from alkenyl D-xylosides. The findings indicate that the rhamnoside-based bolaform has an increased surface activity and a better ability to form aggregates than xyloside-based one. [less ▲]

Involvement of the lipoxygenase pathway in the systemic resistance induced by Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria in tomato

Doctoral thesis (2013)

The treatment of plant roots with some Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) results in the enhancement of the immune capacity of the host against phytopathogens. This phenomenon called Induced ... [more ▼]

The treatment of plant roots with some Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) results in the enhancement of the immune capacity of the host against phytopathogens. This phenomenon called Induced Systemic Resistance (ISR) is observed in the whole plant and is effective against a broad spectrum of diseases. Many previous studies showed that this resistance is associated, in some pathosystems, with the stimulation of the key enzyme of the lipoxygenase (LOX) pathway. This defense pathway synthesizes antibiotic and signal compounds called oxylipins from poly unsaturated fatty acids. The main goal of our work was to analyse the involvement of the LOX pathway during the ISR in tomato plants The different steps of the pathway were analyzed at the transcriptional, enzymatic and metabolic levels in leaves of tomato plants elicited with the PGPR Pseudomonas putida BTP1, before and after infection by the fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea. Our study showed that the bacterial treatment reprogrammed the LOX pathway. Before infection, the activity of the key enzyme of the pathway, the LOX, was higher in P. putida BTP1-treated plants compared to control plants. This stimulation resulted in the accumulation 13-hydroperoxy fatty acids and 13-hydroxyfatty acids conjugated to phospholipids and galactolipids. These products could constitute a pool of antifungal compounds that can be used during the pathogen attack. During the first days after B. cinerea inoculation, the LOX activity, the accumulation of one of its substrate (linolenic acid) and of its products were stimulated in treated plants as compared to control plants. The increase of LOX activity was caused by the induction of the expression level of two Lox genes: TomLoxD and TomLoxF. We observed a decrease of the pool of conjugated oxylipins and a concomitant increase of non conjugated oxylipins, associated with the stimulation of the phospholipase A2 activity. The branches of the pathway which can use the products of the LOX as substrate were differentially regulated resulting in the accumulation of fungitoxic oxylipins against B. cinerea. In order to determine if the induction of the LOX pathway is a general feature of the ISR in tomato, the effect of other PGPR and resistance elicitors produced by PGPR was analysed. Three pure bacterial elicitors sharing common biosurfactant features (the n-alkylated benzylamine derivative (NABD) produced by P. putida BTP1, the surfactin synthesized by many Bacillus strains and rhamnolipids purified from P. aeruginosa) and six Bacillus strains including strong, medium and non producers of surfactin were applied onto tomato roots. The analysis of the key points of the modulation of the LOX pathway showed that the plant molecular response depended on the studied organ (root / leaf), the nature of the elicitor and the amount of elicitor produced by the PGPR. In addition to our study on the involvement of the LOX pathway, we searched other mechanisms potentially induced in ISR-expressing plants. The combination of histological staining, quantification of enzymatic activities and analysis of the genome expression by hybridization on DNA gene chips showed additional defense genes and pathways involved in the resistance in tomato. In conclusion, our work showed that the LOX pathway is one of the defense mechanisms which can be involved in ISR in tomato. The elicitation of the resistance allows the plant to prepare to a future infection, and to respond faster and in a more effective way to a subsequent pathogen invasion. [less ▲]

The Immunomodulating Peptide Thymosin Alpha 1 Has no Effect on Multiple Myeloma Evolution and on Immune Reconstitution

in Belgian Journal of Hematology (2013), Abstracts book(Supplement of 28th General Meeting of the Belgian Hematological Society), 41