Chronic exercise differentially impacts perceptual or motor inhibition as a function of age: a cross-sectional study

Poster (2013)

Le rôle de la qualité de la trace mnésique en oubli dirigé: une comparaison de participants jeunes et âgés lors de la procédure item

Conference (2013)

Hemodynamic comparison of restrictive mitral valve annuloplasty and mitral valve replacement for ischemic mitral regurgitation

in Circulation (2013)

Cross-Border Loss Compensation: State and Critique of the Judicature

in Richelle, Isabelle; Traversa, Edoardo; Schön, Wolfgang (Eds.) Allocating Taxing Powers within the European Union (2013)

- Addresses key issues for the allocation of taxing powers in the European Union - Looks at fundamental questions of direct taxation - Covers a broad range of aspects such as limited tax liability, losses ... [more ▼]

- Addresses key issues for the allocation of taxing powers in the European Union - Looks at fundamental questions of direct taxation - Covers a broad range of aspects such as limited tax liability, losses or transfer pricing The contributions to this volume try to overcome the traditional approach of the judicature of the European Court of Justice regarding the application of the fundamental freedoms in direct taxation that is largely built on a non-discrimination test. In this volume, outstanding authors cover various aspects of the national and international tax order when European law meets domestic taxation. This includes testing traditional pillars of income taxation – ability-to-pay, source and residence, abuse of law, arm’s length standard – with respect to their place in the emerging European tax order as well as substantial matters of co-existence between different tax systems that are not covered by the non-discrimination approach such as mutual recognition, cross-border loss compensation or avoidance of double taxation. The overarching goal is to flesh out the extent to which a substantive “allocation of taxing powers” within the European Union is on its way to a convincing overall framework and to stretch the discussion “beyond discrimination”. [less ▲]

How adaptation strategies of crops could counteract climate change effects? The case of four catchments in Wallonia, Belgium.

in Geophysical Research Abstracts (2013), 15

A sharp increase in extreme heat and drought stress is projected in Belgium by the end of the 21st century, with the potential to significantly reduce crops’ yields under current agricultural practices ... [more ▼]

A sharp increase in extreme heat and drought stress is projected in Belgium by the end of the 21st century, with the potential to significantly reduce crops’ yields under current agricultural practices. This contribution uses an agro-hydrological model in order to assess the potential effects of climate evolution on crop development, yield, and water balance for the main agricultural productions in the Meuse catchment. Erosion risk is also evaluated. We show that grasslands and maize yield decrease and yield variability increases under climate change scenarios. The leaf area index study permits to put in emphasis the earlier start of the vegetation due to warmer climate. It appears that all the sensitive stages occur earlier in the season and that crops are negatively affected by summer drought stress. The better understanding of crops development under evolving climate allows us to propose some changes in agricultural practices and to assess their effectiveness. We evaluate different strategies of adaptation in agricultural practices in order to reduce the potential negative effects of climate change on grasslands and maize production. Adaptation strategies proposed are advanced sowing and harvesting date, introduction of a cover crop for maize and advance in the cutting dates for grasslands. In the particular case of the Vesdre catchment, shifting the growth period of maize permits to avoid the water-deficit period and allow increased yield. This shift makes it possible to introduce a cover crop that will drastically reduce winter soil erosion. For grassland, the adjustment of the cutting dates favored the first cut and the earlier start of the vegetation. The second cut is less profitable due to summer drought stress. The vulnerability assessments focused on the main rotation encountered in the cultivated areas and in the difference in the cover type of these crops. [less ▲]

Middle Palaeolithic Blade Industries and Early Upper Palaeolithic with Carinated Bladelet Cores: New Data from Kulbulak (Uzbekistan)

Conference (2013)

Peptidoglycan glycosyltransferase substrate mimics as templates for the design of new antibacterial drugs.

in Frontiers in immunology (2013), 4

Peptidoglycan (PG) is an essential net-like macromolecule that surrounds bacteria, gives them their shape, and protects them against their own high osmotic pressure. PG synthesis inhibition leads to ... [more ▼]

Peptidoglycan (PG) is an essential net-like macromolecule that surrounds bacteria, gives them their shape, and protects them against their own high osmotic pressure. PG synthesis inhibition leads to bacterial cell lysis, making it an important target for many antibiotics. The final two reactions in PG synthesis are performed by penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs). Their glycosyltransferase (GT) activity uses the lipid II precursor to synthesize glycan chains and their transpeptidase (TP) activity catalyzes the cross-linking of two glycan chains via the peptide side chains. Inhibition of either of these two reactions leads to bacterial cell death. beta-lactam antibiotics target the transpeptidation reaction while antibiotic therapy based on inhibition of the GTs remains to be developed. Ongoing research is trying to fill this gap by studying the interactions of GTs with inhibitors and substrate mimics and utilizing the latter as templates for the design of new antibiotics. In this review we present an updated overview on the GTs and describe the structure-activity relationship of recently developed synthetic ligands. [less ▲]

Anthropogenic perturbation of the carbon fluxes from land to ocean

in Nature Geoscience (2013)

A substantial amount of the atmospheric carbon taken up on land through photosynthesis and chemical weathering is transported laterally along the aquatic continuum from upland terrestrial ecosystems to ... [more ▼]

A substantial amount of the atmospheric carbon taken up on land through photosynthesis and chemical weathering is transported laterally along the aquatic continuum from upland terrestrial ecosystems to the ocean. So far, global carbon budget estimates have implicitly assumed that the transformation and lateral transport of carbon along this aquatic continuum has remained unchanged since pre-industrial times. A synthesis of published work reveals the magnitude of present-day lateral carbon fluxes from land to ocean, and the extent to which human activities have altered these fluxes. We show that anthropogenic perturbation may have increased the flux of carbon to inland waters by as much as 1.0 Pg C yr-1 since pre-industrial times, mainly owing to enhanced carbon export from soils. Most of this additional carbon input to upstream rivers is either emitted back to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide (~0.4 Pg C yr-1) or sequestered in sediments (~0.5 Pg C yr-1) along the continuum of freshwater bodies, estuaries and coastal waters, leaving only a perturbation carbon input of ~0.1 Pg C yr-1 to the open ocean. According to our analysis, terrestrial ecosystems store ~0.9 Pg C yr-1 at present, which is in agreement with results from forest inventories but significantly differs from the figure of 1.5 Pg C yr-1 previously estimated when ignoring changes in lateral carbon fluxes. We suggest that carbon fluxes along the land–ocean aquatic continuum need to be included in global carbon dioxide budgets. [less ▲]

L'addiction au sexe, ça se soigne ?

in Revue Médicale de Liège (2013), 68

L'addiction sexuelle, ou dépendance au sexe, se caractérise par une hypersexualité, une altération de la régulation du désir sexuel et une compulsion sexuelle traduisant l’existence d’une sexualité avec ... [more ▼]

L'addiction sexuelle, ou dépendance au sexe, se caractérise par une hypersexualité, une altération de la régulation du désir sexuel et une compulsion sexuelle traduisant l’existence d’une sexualité avec une fréquence excessive non contrôlée (5 à 15 actes sexuels par jour, pendant plus de 6 mois, à partir de 15 ans). Entre 3% et 6% de la population adulte ( ≥18 ans) présenteraient les caractéristiques de l’addiction sexuelle, trouble prédominant chez les hommes, indépendamment de l’orientation sexuelle. A la base de cette pathologie on trouve les altérations de la régulation des émotions ainsi que du système de récompense et de motivation. L’addiction sexuelle est fréquemment associée à d’autres addictions et à d’autres troubles psychopathologiques. L’utilisation d’accessoires sexuels pour optimiser les performances sexuelles est régulièrement décrite. Dans cet article nous aborderons les multiples facettes de l’hypersexualité et les différentes possibilités d'approches thérapeutiques dont l’exposition en réalité virtuelle. [less ▲]

Experimental in situ exposure of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile to 15 trace elements

in Aquatic Toxicology (2013)

The Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile has been used for trace element (TE) biomonitoring since decades ago. However, present informations for this bioindicator are limited mainly to ... [more ▼]

The Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile has been used for trace element (TE) biomonitoring since decades ago. However, present informations for this bioindicator are limited mainly to plant TE levels, while virtually nothing is known about their fluxes through P. oceanica meadows. We therefore contaminated seagrass bed portions at two experimental TE levels in situ with a mix of 15 TEs (Al, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Mo, Ag, Cd, Pb and Bi) to study their uptake and loss kinetics by P. oceanica. Shoots immediately accumulated pollutants from the beginning of exposures. Once contaminations ended, TE concentrations came back to their original levels within two weeks, or at least showed a clear decrease. P. oceanica leaves exhibited different uptake kinetics depending on elements and leaf age: the younger growing leaves forming new tissues incorporated TEs more rapidly than the older senescent leaves. Leaf epiphytes also exhibited a net uptake of most TEs, partly similar to that of P. oceanica shoots. The principal route of TE uptake was through the water column, as no contamination of superficial sediments was observed. However, rhizomes indirectly accumulated many TEs during the overall experiments through leaf to rhizome translocation processes. This study thus experimentally confirmed that P. oceanica shoots are undoubtedly an excellent short-term bioindicator and that long-term accumulations could be recorded in P. oceanica rhizomes. [less ▲]