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From the outset of the Gilets Jaunes movement, scholars have pursued many interpretations, often diverse and occasionally contradictory. This article aims to offer a literature review, as exhaustive as possible, of the scholarly analyses concerning the Gilets Jaunes' demonstrations at traffic roundabouts. The purpose is to uncover the political and epistemological presuppositions that inform the academic discourse on the Gilets Jaunes. By invoking Durkheim's theoretical framework of mechanical and organic solidarity, this review reveals how predominant academic publications on the movement share a common intent: to question the state's status and its actions, beyond recognizing the reconstituted communal solidarity at these roundabout gatherings. The hypothesis presented here is that the spectrum of literature on the Gilets Jaunes, whether ethnographically engaged or more abstracted from empirical investigation, conveys a collective adherence to a singular plea by its authors. By charting the emergence of a new 'precarious' peri-urban social stratum, these authors advocate for the commencement of a wider historical phase wherein diverse social agents would not dismiss the authority of the state en masse. Instead, they would, collectively, urge the state to re-establish a social contract, a goal that social movements of the past have laboured over a century to achieve.

Rangelang Assesment of Kolo Ranch Savanna - Zaire. In a ranch where the number of heads are stabilised for over 25 years, the authors have analysed the productivity, stocking rate and the pasture management on the 51.000 ha natural rangelands. The referred region has a soudanian climate with a 5 months dry season. The grazing areas have been classified and mapped into 8 morpho-pedological units. Regarding the flora, these areas are : a) sandy soils covered by Loudetia arundinacea savannas (4, 1 % of total area), b) sandy clay/clayed soils covered mainly by Hyparrhenia diplandra savannas (44 %) on the plateaus and in the bottom areas, and by Hyparrhenia lecomtei savannas (26 %) on the poorer soils on the slopes and on the tops. The daily productions of these savannas available to animals have been evaluated in each various morpho-pedological units. These productions were respectively 1.9 and 3.8 times lower in average and at the end of the dry season than in the wet season. The pasture management (rotation on 5 plots) and the stocking rate used (2.5 LSU) are established in accordance with the constraints issued from the measurements of the productivity and the nuthtional value of the grass regrowth taken after the controlled burning of the plots. For this type of extensive rearing, the estimated average stocking rate seems to be carried out starting by the average of grass regrowth after burning during the dry season. Nevertheless, this type of forecasts would only be applicable to areas wider than the one utilised by a single herd which is the most practical working unit of rangelands for pasture management.

Abstract In the chapters dealing with enzyme reactions, the authors of all Biochemistry textbooks and of even more specialized texts consider that the characteristic parameters (k cat and K m ) must be determined under initial or steady-state rate conditions. This implies the transformation of a very limited proportion of substrate (at most 10–20%) or a continuous recording of the product or substrate concentration vs. time. Both options can present practical difficulties. Is it possible to get around these very stringent conditions? Here we show that in the most favourable cases up to 70% of the substrate can be converted resulting in systematic errors on the parameters (that can easily be taken account of) if the simple Henri-Michaelis–Menten equation is utilised. Alternatively, the integrated form of the same equation directly yields excellent estimates of the same parameters. Our observations should greatly facilitate the task of researchers who study systems in which measurements of the reaction progress are painstaking or when substrate concentrations close to the detection limit must be used. The general conclusion is that it is not always absolutely necessary to determine initial or steady-state rates to obtain reliable estimations of the enzyme kinetic parameters..

Onychomycosis (OM) is a widespread infection requiring prolonged treatment with potential side effects. Diagnostic certainty is therefore essential before initiating antifungal therapy. Molecular biology has already shown benefits in reducing the time to diagnosis, providing technical ease, and increasing sensitivity for the respective species that molecular tests can detect. Nevertheless, causative agents are numerous, and culture remains essential, particularly for detecting non-dermatophytes mold infections. This study compared the performance of three different diagnostic strategies: conventional culture technique, the multiplex DermaGenius® 2.0 PCR (DG), and a mixed PCR/culture algorithm guided by the result of direct examination with calcofluor (DEC). The mixed algorithm (MA) prioritizes DG PCR and DEC as the primary diagnostic tools, supplemented by selective sample inoculation when mycelial elements are visualized in DEC and when DG PCR fails to detect any fungus or identifies a fungus with morphology differing from that observed in DEC (filamentous fungi versus yeasts). With only 13% of samples requiring inoculation, MA emerged as the most effective strategy, demonstrating significantly higher sensitivity (98.18%; p < 0.001) compared to single-method approaches (78.18% for DG PCR alone and 74.55% for culture alone) while maintaining a specificity comparable to DG PCR (100%). This new approach saves time in result delivery, requires fewer human resources, and increases diagnostic accuracy to better meet the needs of clinicians.

Generative adversarial networks (or GANs) are a specific deep learning architecture often used for different usages, such as data generation or image-to-image translation. In recent years, this structure has gained increased popularity and has been used in different fields. One area of expertise currently in vogue is the use of GANs to produce synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data, and especially expand training datasets for SAR automatic target recognition (ATR). In effect, the complex SAR image formation makes these kind of data rich in information, leading to the use of deep networks in deep learning-based methods. Yet, deep networks also require sufficient data for training. However, contrary to optical images, we generally do not have a substantial number of available SAR images because of their acquisition and labelling cost; GANs are then an interesting tool. Concurrently, how to improve explainability for SAR ATR deep neural networks and how to make their reasoning more transparent have been increasingly explored as model opacity deteriorates trust of users. This paper aims at reviewing how GANs are used with SAR images, but also giving perspectives on how GANs could be used to improve interpretability and explainability of SAR classifiers.

Utilizing lignocellulosic biosourced platforms, we synthesized novel cyanostilbene (CS) derivatives featuring the 3,4-dimethoxyphenyl moiety. These derivatives were investigated for their emission properties in both solution and solid states. The two simple CS derivatives exhibit very weak luminescence in solution but significant luminescence in the solid state, indicating distinct Aggregation-Induced Emission (AIE) characteristic. Furthermore, combining these two CS units, without conjugation and with quasi perpendicular orientation, results in a Dual-State Emission (DSE) fluorophore showing luminescence both in solution and solid states. X-ray crystallography studies on the solid-state compounds reveal a structure–emission relationship, demonstrating that the colour emission correlates with the conformations adopted by the molecules in the solid state, which influence the type of stacking.

Abstract Background The study of the host-microbiome by the collection of non-invasive samples has the potential to become a powerful tool for conservation monitoring and surveillance of wildlife. However, multiple factors can bias the quality of data recovered from scats, particularly when field-collected samples are used given that the time of defecation is unknown. Previous studies using scats have shown that the impact of aerobic exposure on the microbial composition is species-specific, leading to different rates of change in microbial communities. However, the impact that this aging process has on the relationship between the bacterial and fungal composition has yet to be explored. In this study, we measured the effects of time post-defecation on bacterial and fungal compositions in a controlled experiment using scat samples from the endangered koala (Phascolarctos cinereus). Results We found that the bacterial composition remained stable through the scat aging process, while the fungal composition did not. The absence of an increase in facultative anaerobes and the stable population of obligate anaerobic bacteria were likely due to our sampling from the inner portion of the scat. We report a cluster of fungal taxa that colonises scats after defecation which can dilute the genetic material from the autochthonous mycoflora and inhibit recovery. Conclusion We emphasize the need to preserve the integrity of scat samples collected in the wild and combat the effects of time and provide strategies for doing so.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether playing music during PE lessons had an impact on the intrinsic motivation of high school students, including enjoyment, competency, freedom of choice and stress. Using a mixed method approach, intrinsic motivation of 40 students (25 girls, 15 boys) was surveyed. The Intrinsic Motivation Inventory was combined with a focus group discussion to collect pupils’ and teacher’s perceptions. Data analysis showed motivation scores to be significantly better during PE with music than PE without music. This difference was also reflected for joy or interest, with pupils experiencing more joy during PE with music. Students reported feeling more enthusiastic with music, which gave them more energy; they participated with higher motivation and had more fun. In addition, the combination of increased concentration and self-confidence resulted in higher competence scores during PE with music. No significant differences were found for freedom of choice and stress in either condition. It can be concluded that playing music during PE positively influences students’ intrinsic motivation. More specifically, the influence of music is mainly found in increased students’ perception of enjoyment, interest and sense of competence. The findings of this study should be the impetus for PE teachers to implement music more often.

Soft back exoskeletons are aimed at reducing musculoskeletal effort during manual handling tasks, contributing to the prevention of low back disorders like lumbar strains and sprains or intervertebral disk problems. However, large differences in their biomechanical effects are observed in the literature. A possible explanation could be the lack or disparity of familiarization protocols with the exoskeleton. The aim of this experimental study was to characterize the familiarization process with a soft back-support occupational exoskeleton and determine the time needed to stabilize biomechanical variables. Participants carried out 6 familiarization sessions of 1 h to the CORFOR® soft back-exoskeleton. Joint kinematics, postural stability, exoskeleton pressure perception, muscle activity, and performance were measured at the beginning of the first session and at the end of each session during stoop and squat liftings. Results showed that back kinematics, performance, and exoskeleton pressure perception changed during the first sessions and stabilized after sessions 3 or 4, depending on the variable. The authors recommend a familiarization protocol for the CORFOR® soft back-exoskeleton of 4 sessions of 1 h duration. This recommendation could help CORFOR® users, for instance, in the automotive industry, the food retail industry, or the agriculture field.

Abstract Infectious fungal diseases can have devastating effects on wildlife health and a detailed understanding of the evolution of related emerging fungal pathogen along with the ability to detect them in the wild is considered indispensable for effective management strategies. Several fungi from the genera Nannizziopsis and Paranannizziopsis are emerging pathogens of reptiles and have been observed to cause disease in a wide range of taxa. Nannizziopsis barbatae has become a particularly important pathogen of Australian reptiles with an increasing number of herpetofauna being reported with cases of infection from across the country. Here, we present the mitochondrial genome sequences and phylogenetic analysis for seven species in this group of fungi uncovering new information on the evolutionary relationship of these emerging pathogens. From this analysis, we designed a species‐specific qPCR assay for the rapid detection of N. barbatae and demonstrate its application in a wild urban population of a dragon lizard.

This work identifies the protein “macrophage infectivity potentiator” of Trypanosoma cruzi trypomastigotes, as supporting a new property, namely a pro-type 1 immunostimulatory activity on neonatal cells. In its recombinant form (rTcMIP), this protein triggers the secretion of the chemokines CCL2 and CCL3 by human umbilical cord blood cells from healthy newborns, after 24h in vitro culture. Further stimulation for 72h results in secretion of IFN-γ, provided cultures are supplemented with IL-2 and IL-18. rTcMIP activity is totally abolished by protease treatment and is not associated with its peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase enzymatic activity. The ability of rTcMIP to act as adjuvant was studied in vivo in neonatal mouse immunization models, using acellular diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis-vaccine (DTPa) or ovalbumin, and compared to the classical alum adjuvant. As compared to the latter, rTcMIP increases the IgG antibody response towards several antigens meanwhile skewing antibody production towards the Th-1 dependent IgG2a isotype. The amplitude of the rTcMIP adjuvant effect varied depending on the antigen and the co-presence of alum. rTcMIP did by contrast not increase the IgE response to OVA combined with alum. The discovery of the rTcMIP immunostimulatory effect on neonatal cells opens new possibilities for potential use as pro-type 1 adjuvant for neonatal vaccines. This, in turn, may facilitate the development of more efficient vaccines that can be given at birth, reducing infection associated morbidity and mortality which are the highest in the first weeks after birth.

Sleep is an important contributor for neural maturation and emotion regulation during adolescence, with long-term effects on a range of white matter tracts implicated in affective processing in at-risk populations. We investigated the effects of adolescent sleep patterns on longitudinal changes in white matter development and whether this is related to the emergence of emotional (internalizing) problems. Sleep patterns and internalizing problems were assessed using self-report questionnaires in adolescents recruited in the general population followed up from age 14–19 years (N = 111 White matter structure was measured using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and estimated using fractional anisotropy (FA). We found that longitudinal increases in time in bed (TIB) on weekends and increases in TIB-variability between weekdays to weekend, were associated with an increase in FA in various interhemispheric and cortico-striatal tracts. Extracted FA values from left superior longitudinal fasciculus mediated the relationship between increases in TIB on weekends and a decrease in internalizing problems. These results imply that while insufficient sleep might have potentially harmful effects on long-term white matter development and internalizing problems, longer sleep duration on weekends (catch-up sleep) might be a natural counteractive and protective strategy.

Early treatment is the mainstay of sepsis therapy. We suspected that early recognition of sepsis by prehospital healthcare providers may shorten the time for antibiotic administration in the emergency department. We retrospectively evaluated all patients above 18 years of age who were diagnosed with sepsis or severe infection in our emergency department between 2018 and 2020. We recorded the suspected diagnosis at the time of presentation, the type of referring healthcare provider, and the time until initiation of antibiotic treatment. Differences between groups were calculated using the Kruskal–Wallis rank sum test. Of the 277 patients who were diagnosed with severe infection or sepsis in the emergency department, an infection was suspected in 124 (44.8%) patients, and sepsis was suspected in 31 (11.2%) patients by referring healthcare providers. Time to initiation of antibiotic treatment was shorter in patients where sepsis or infection had been suspected prior to arrival for both patients with severe infections (p = 0.022) and sepsis (p = 0.004). Given the well-described outcome benefits of early sepsis therapy, recognition of sepsis needs to be improved. Appropriate scores should be used as part of routine patient assessment to reduce the time to antibiotic administration and improve patient outcomes.

Abstract Background The koala (Phascolarctos cinereus), an iconic yet endangered specialised folivore experiencing widespread decline across Australia, is the focus of many conservation programs. Whilst animal translocation and progressive conservation strategies such as faecal inoculations may be required to bring this species back from the brink of extinction, insight into the variation of host-associated gut microbiota and the factors that shape this variation are fundamental for their success. Despite this, very little is known about the landscape variability and factors affecting koala gut microbial community dynamics. We used large scale field surveys to evaluate the variation and diversity of koala gut microbiotas and compared these diversity patterns to those detected using a population genetics approach. Scat samples were collected from five locations across South East Queensland with microbiota analysed using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Results Across the landscape koala gut microbial profiles showed large variability, with location having a large effect on bacterial community composition and bacterial diversity. Certain bacteria were found to be significantly differentially abundant amongst locations; koalas from Noosa showed a depletion in two bacterial orders (Gastranaerophilales and Bacteroidales) which have been shown to provide beneficial properties to their host. Koala gut microbial patterns were also not found to mirror population genetic patterns, a molecular tool often used to design conservation initiatives. Conclusions Our data shows that koala gut microbiotas are extremely variable across the landscape, displaying complex micro- and macro- spatial variation. By detecting locations which lack certain bacteria we identified koala populations that may be under threat from future microbial imbalance or dysbiosis. Additionally, the mismatching of gut microbiota and host population genetic patterns exposed important population structure that has previously gone undetected across South East Queensland. Overall, this baseline data highlights the importance of integrating microbiota research into conservation biology in order to guide successful conservation programs such as species translocation and the implementation of faecal inoculations.

Taylor Evans et al. present analyses based on 32 years of observations of dolphin social behaviour in Shark Bay, Western Australia. Their findings indicate that individual social traits, such as preference for time spent alone vs in groups, remain stable throughout an individual’s lifetime, despite physiological and social changes through adulthood.

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory is a cubic-kilometer-scale high-energy neutrino detector built into the ice at the South Pole. Construction of IceCube, the largest neutrino detector built to date, was completed in 2011 and enabled the discovery of high-energy astrophysical neutrinos. We describe here the design, production, and calibration of the IceCube digital optical module (DOM), the cable systems, computing hardware, and our methodology for drilling and deployment. We also describe the online triggering and data filtering systems that select candidate neutrino and cosmic ray events for analysis. Due to a rigorous pre-deployment protocol, 98.4% of the DOMs in the deep ice are operating and collecting data. IceCube routinely achieves a detector uptime of 99% by emphasizing software stability and monitoring. Detector operations have been stable since construction was completed, and the detector is expected to operate at least until the end of the next decade.

ABSTRACT Bacterial genes coding for antibiotic resistance represent a major issue in the fight against bacterial pathogens. Among those, genes encoding beta-lactamases target penicillin and related compounds such as carbapenems, which are critical for human health. Beta-lactamases are classified into classes A, B, C, and D, based on their amino acid sequence. Class D enzymes are also known as OXA beta-lactamases, due to the ability of the first enzymes described in this class to hydrolyze oxacillin. While hundreds of class D beta-lactamases with different activity profiles have been isolated from clinical strains, their nomenclature remains very uninformative. In this work, we have carried out a comprehensive survey of a reference database of 80,490 genomes and identified 24,916 OXA-domain containing proteins. These were deduplicated and their representative sequences clustered into 45 non-singleton groups derived from a phylogenetic tree of 1,413 OXA-domain sequences, including five clusters that include the C-terminal domain of the BlaR membrane receptors. Interestingly, 801 known class D beta-lactamases fell into only 18 clusters. To probe the unknown diversity of the class, we selected 10 protein sequences in 10 uncharacterized clusters and studied the activity profile of the corresponding enzymes. A beta-lactamase activity could be detected for seven of them. Three enzymes (OXA-1089, OXA-1090 and OXA-1091) were active against oxacillin and two against imipenem. These results indicate that, as already reported, environmental bacteria constitute a large reservoir of resistance genes that can be transferred to clinical strains, whether through plasmid exchange or hitchhiking with the help of transposase genes. IMPORTANCE The transmission of genes coding for resistance factors from environmental to nosocomial strains is a major component in the development of bacterial resistance toward antibiotics. Our survey of class D beta-lactamase genes in genomic databases highlighted the high sequence diversity of the enzymes that are able to recognize and/or hydrolyze beta-lactam antibiotics. Among those, we could also identify new beta-lactamases that are able to hydrolyze carbapenems, one of the last resort antibiotic families used in human antimicrobial chemotherapy. Therefore, it can be expected that the use of this antibiotic family will fuel the emergence of new beta-lactamases into clinically relevant strains.

Abstract Effective conservation requires accurate data on population genetic diversity, inbreeding, and genetic structure. Increasingly, scientists are adopting genetic non‐invasive sampling (gNIS) as a cost‐effective population‐wide genetic monitoring approach. gNIS has, however, known limitations which may impact the accuracy of downstream genetic analyses. Here, using high‐quality single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data from blood/tissue sampling of a free‐ranging koala population (n = 430), we investigated how the reduced SNP panel size and call rate typical of genetic non‐invasive samples (derived from experimental and field trials) impacts the accuracy of genetic measures, and also the effect of sampling intensity on these measures. We found that gNIS at small sample sizes (14% of population) can provide accurate population diversity measures, but slightly underestimated population inbreeding coefficients. Accurate measures of internal relatedness required at least 33% of the population to be sampled. Accurate geographic and genetic spatial autocorrelation analysis requires between 28% and 51% of the population to be sampled. We show that gNIS at low sample sizes can provide a powerful tool to aid conservation decision‐making and provide recommendations for researchers looking to apply these techniques to free‐ranging systems.