Diet of harbor porpoises along the Dutch coast: a combined stable isotope and stomach contents approach

in Marine Mammal Science (in press)

High stranding frequency of porpoises, Phocoena phocoena, along the Dutch coast since 2006 has led to increased interest in the ecology of porpoises in the North Sea. Stranded porpoises were collected ... [more ▼]

High stranding frequency of porpoises, Phocoena phocoena, along the Dutch coast since 2006 has led to increased interest in the ecology of porpoises in the North Sea. Stranded porpoises were collected along the Dutch coast (2006–2008) and their diet was assessed through stomach content and stable isotope analysis (d13C and d15N) of porpoise muscle and prey. Stable isotope analysis (SIAR) was used to estimate the con- tribution of prey species to the porpoises’ diet. This was compared to prey composi- tion from stomach contents, to analyze differences between long- and short-term diet. According to stomach contents, 90.5% of the diet consisted of gobies, whiting, lesser sandeel, herring, cod, and sprat. Stable isotope analysis revealed that 70-83% of the diet consisted of poor cod, mackerel, greater sandeel, lesser sandeel, sprat, and gobies, highlighting a higher importance of pelagic, schooling species in the porpoises’ diet compared to stomach contents. This could be due to prey distribution as well as differ- ences in behavior of porpoises and prey between the coastal zone and offshore waters. This study supports the need for multi-method approaches. Future ecological and fishery impact assessment studies and management decisions for porpoise conservation should acknowledge this difference between the long- and short-term diet. [less ▲]

Manuel de Science politique

Book published by De Boeck (in press)

Macroporous poly(ionic liquid)s and poly(acrylamide)s monoliths from CO2-in-water emulsion templates stabilized by sugar-based surfactants

in Journal of Materials Chemistry A: Materials for energy and sustainability (in press)

Highly interconnected poly(acrylamide) (PAM) and poly(vinylimidazolium) (PVIm) porous monoliths were templated by carbon 10 dioxide-in-water (CO2/W) high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs), a toxic-solvent ... [more ▼]

Highly interconnected poly(acrylamide) (PAM) and poly(vinylimidazolium) (PVIm) porous monoliths were templated by carbon 10 dioxide-in-water (CO2/W) high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs), a toxic-solvent free process. A range of sugar-based fluorinated surfactants prepared by chemoenzymatic synthesis were used as emulsifiers. Both the concentration and the structure of the surfactants, especially the length of their CO2-philic part and of their spacer between the sugar head and the tail, were found to strongly affect the cellular structure and morphology of the PAM polyHIPEs, i.e. the size of pores and cells. A mannose derivative bearing a chain ranging from 6 to 10 perfluorinated carbons and a long spacer emerged as the best stabilizer, leading to a porous monolith with average pores and 15 cells sizes (about 2.6 1m and 5-10 1m, respectively) among the lowest reported for polyHIPEs produced from CO2/W emulsions. The same template then served for the preparation of the first macroporous poly(ionic liquid)s (PILs) polyHIPE by using 1-vinyl-3- ethylimidazolium bromide as monomer. Shrinkage of the final material was prevented by adjusting the divinylimidazolium crosslinker content. The resulting low density polyHIPE exhibits small spherical cells (~5 1m) connected by numerous small pores (~2 1m), confirming that the CO2/W HIPE templating methodology based on fluorinated glycosurfactants is a technique of choice for the 20 preparation of macroporous PILs. [less ▲]

Brain metabolic dysfunction in Capgras delusion during Alzheimer’s disease: a positron emission tomography study

in American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease & Other Dementias (in press)

Capgras delusion is characterized by the misidentification of people and by the delusional belief that the misidentified persons have been replaced by impostors, generally perceived as persecutors. Since ... [more ▼]

Capgras delusion is characterized by the misidentification of people and by the delusional belief that the misidentified persons have been replaced by impostors, generally perceived as persecutors. Since little is known regarding the neural correlates of Capgras syndrome, the cerebral metabolic pattern of a patient with probable Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Capgras syndrome was compared with those of 24 healthy elderly subjects and 26 AD patients without delusional syndrome. Compared to the healthy and AD groups, the patient had significant hypometabolism in frontal and posterior midline structures. In light of current neural models of face perception, our patient’s Capgras syndrome may be related to impaired recognition of a familiar face, subserved by the posterior cingulate/precuneus cortex, and impaired reflection about personally relevant knowledge related to a face, subserved by the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex. [less ▲]

"How very un-Dominican of him" ou la merveilleuse masculinité d’Oscar Wao

in Banoun, Bernard; Tomiche, Anne; Zapata, Mónica (Eds.) Fictions au masculin (in press)

Dans le cadre de la littérature de l’exil, il a souvent été question de subjectivités entre-deux, de sujets in-between, et de réflexions entre un « ici » aliénant et un « là-bas » idéalisé. En réaction à ... [more ▼]

Dans le cadre de la littérature de l’exil, il a souvent été question de subjectivités entre-deux, de sujets in-between, et de réflexions entre un « ici » aliénant et un « là-bas » idéalisé. En réaction à cette pensée binaire et suite aux réflexions postcoloniales, les mouvements migratoires sont aujourd’hui célébrés et associés aux figures d’identités composées . Par ailleurs, notre compréhension des migrations a fortement évolué depuis une quinzaine d’années, on ne parle donc plus aujourd’hui de relocalisations unidirectionnelles et permanentes mais plutôt de communauté transnationale et de cultures globalisées selon un agencement postcolonial . C’est dans cette optique que j’observerai quelles sont les différentes masculinités issues de la diaspora dominicaine en confrontation dans le roman de Junot Díaz La Brève et Merveilleuse Vie d’Oscar Wao, et, face à ces tensions de genre, de quelle manière la subjectivité masculine d’Oscar Wao est singulière. [less ▲]

Jupiter's aurora in ultraviolet and infrared: simultaneous observations with the Hubble Space Telescope and the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility

in Journal of Geophysical Research. Space Physics (in press)

Nutrient return to the forest floor through litter and throughfall under 7 forest species after conversion from Norway spruce

in Forest Ecology & Management (in press), (0),

Tree species can influence nutrient return to the forest floor and nutrient cycling through the amount and chemical composition of throughfall and litter. We compared foliar nutrient concentrations ... [more ▼]

Tree species can influence nutrient return to the forest floor and nutrient cycling through the amount and chemical composition of throughfall and litter. We compared foliar nutrient concentrations, litter production, nutrient return and soil chemistry under 7 tree species planted on the same site after two generations of a Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) monoculture. Common alder (Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn.), european beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.), silver birch (Betula pendula Roth.), goat willow (Salix caprea L.) and rowan (Sorbus aucuparia L.) were planted within an experimental catchment on poor acid soil in south-eastern Belgium. Measurements were performed during one year, 11 years after planting. This study demonstrated that Ca, Mg, K and N concentrations in foliage and leaf litter are tree-species specific. Fresh foliage and foliar litter N concentrations were highest in alder and willow, while Ca, Mg and K concentrations were highest in rowan. Litter Ca concentrations were approximately twice in rowan than those of all other species. Differences in nutrient concentrations between foliage and leaf litter depended both on the element concerned and on tree species. The total average litterfall biomass ranged from 615 kg ha−1 year−1 under oak to 3122 kg ha−1 year−1 under rowan. Foliar litterfall represented above 85% for beech, spruce and oak, 70% for alder and willow and ca. 55% for birch and rowan. Reproductive parts formed 44% of total litterfall biomass under rowan. Ca, Mg, K and N return via throughfall, foliar litter and reproductive parts were higher under accompanying tree species (alder, birch, willow, rowan) than under the main commercial tree species (oak, beech, spruce). Total N return was in the order of 50 kg ha−1 year−1 under accompanying species, 33 kg ha−1 year−1 under spruce and near 20 kg ha−1 year−1 under beech and oak. Under rowan, total Ca, Mg, and K return to the forest floor through throughfall deposition, litterfall of leaves and reproductive parts amounted to 47, 9 and 66 kg ha−1 year−1, respectively. Compared to spruce, forest floor pHH20 has increased by 0.4 unit under birch and rowan, and exchangeable Ca2+, Mg2+, K+ have increased about threefold under rowan. Planting rowan as accompanying species may therefore represent an interesting management option for improving forest floor chemistry on nutrient poor sites through Ca, Mg, and K nutrient return. [less ▲]

Evaluation des processus de mise en oeuvre des plans de cohésion sociale: rapport final

Report (in press)

Ce rapport synthétise la recherche d'évaluation des plans de cohésion sociale de la région Wallonne quant à leur mise en oeuvre locale. Il couvre les aspects de gouvernance locale, de construction de ... [more ▼]

Ce rapport synthétise la recherche d'évaluation des plans de cohésion sociale de la région Wallonne quant à leur mise en oeuvre locale. Il couvre les aspects de gouvernance locale, de construction de partenariats public-associatif, d'évaluation participative, et d'une manière plus générale de l'articulation entre politique régionale et autonomie communale [less ▲]

A new Lower Cretaceous ichthyosaur from Russia reveals skull shape conservatism within Ophthalmosaurinae

in Geological Magazine (in press)

Ophthalmosaurinae is a recently recognized clade of derived ichthyosaurs (marine reptiles) ranging from the Bajocian (Middle Jurassic) to the late Albian (late Early Cretaceous). Whereas the Middle-Late ... [more ▼]

Ophthalmosaurinae is a recently recognized clade of derived ichthyosaurs (marine reptiles) ranging from the Bajocian (Middle Jurassic) to the late Albian (late Early Cretaceous). Whereas the Middle-Late Jurassic ophthalmosaurine Ophthalmosaurus is often regarded as a hyperspecialized deep diver, very little is known about the anatomy, evolutionary history, and ecology of Cretaceous ophthalmosaurines because of the scarcity of the fossils and the lack of well-preserved skull material. Here, we describe the skull of a new basal ophthalmosaurine ichthyosaur, Leninia stellans gen. et sp. nov., from the lower Aptian of western Russia, and compare the ocular characteristics of ophthalmosaurids. Leninia is recovered as a basal ophthalmosaurine; it possesses unique traits such as star-shaped frontal–parietal sutures as well as features previously thought to be unique to Ophthalmosaurus such as a supratemporal–stapes contact. A large sclerotic aperture – significantly bigger than in platypterygiine ophthalmosaurids and similar to that of the largest-eyed modern animals (giant and colossal squids) – and reduced dentition appear widespread within ophthalmosaurines. This conservatism suggests ophthalmosaurine ophthalmosaurids occupied similar ecological niche(s) throughout their long evolutionary history. [less ▲]

Reproductive phenology stages and their contributions to seed production of two Arachis pintoi ecotypes (CIAT 17434 and CIAT 18744) in Sudanian savanna region of Benin, West Africa

in Agricultural Science Research Journal (in press)

Flowering pattern, reproductive stage period (flowering, peg production, pod production and seed maturation) and efficiency of each stage for mature fruit production of two Arachis pintoi ecotypes (CIAT ... [more ▼]

Flowering pattern, reproductive stage period (flowering, peg production, pod production and seed maturation) and efficiency of each stage for mature fruit production of two Arachis pintoi ecotypes (CIAT 17434 and CIAT 18744) were investigated in West Africa. Plants were sown in a randomized complete block design with four replicates per ecotype. Data collected over 3 years were analyzed with ANOVA. First flowers appeared on average 26 and 45 d after sowing for CIAT 17434 and CIAT 18744, respectively. Pegs began to extend about 8 and 18 d after anthesis; pod initiation about 22 and 40 d after anthesis and seed fully matured about 85 and 120 d after anthesis, respectively. CIAT 17434 produced (2269 flowers/plant) significantly (p≤0.05) more flower than CIAT 18744 (761 flowers/plant) during 7 months flowering. Conversely, flower efficiency for peg production was significantly (p≤0.05) higher for CIAT 18744 (8.14%) than for CIAT 17434 (4.02%). From 85 to 97% of pegs produced pods for both ecotypes. This research showed clearly that the principal constraint for effective seed production in particular ecological conditions of West Africa was the quite low efficiency of flowers for pegs production. [less ▲]