French marine policy in the 1970s and 1980s

Abstract

France, hitherto more “continental”; than “maritime,”; increasingly developed its ocean activities in the 1970s and 1980s. This article describes the different sectors of its marine activities and evolvement of a different outlook concerning the sea. Important events such as the 1976 Proclamation and subsequent implementation of the French 200‐nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone, and 1981 formation of a new Socialist government in France after 23 years of uninterrupted “Gaullist”; rule, offered a unique opportunity to restructure marine policy. The new Ministry of the Sea was intended to integrate marine policy and cater to a developing ocean “constituency.”; It was eventually downgraded to a “Secrétariat d'Etat,”; but its impact was undeniably important.     

Multimodal pyrethroid resistance in malaria vectors, Anopheles gambiae s.s., Anopheles arabiensis, and Anopheles funestus s.s. in western Kenya

Anopheles gambiae s.s., Anopheles arabiensis, and Anopheles funestus s.s. are the most important species for malaria transmission. Pyrethroid resistance of these vector mosquitoes is one of the main obstacles against effective vector control. The objective of the present study was to monitor the pyrethroid susceptibility in the 3 major malaria vectors in a highly malaria endemic area in western Kenya and to elucidate the mechanisms of pyrethroid resistance in these species. Gembe East and West, Mbita Division, and 4 main western islands in the Suba district of the Nyanza province in western Kenya were used as the study area. Larval and adult collection and bioassay were conducted, as well as the detection of point mutation in the voltage-gated sodium channel (1014L) by using direct DNA sequencing. A high level of pyrethroid resistance caused by the high frequency of point mutations (L1014S) was detected in An. gambiae s.s. In contrast, P450-related pyrethroid resistance seemed to be widespread in both An. arabiensis and An. funestus s.s. Not a single L1014S mutation was detected in these 2 species. A lack of cross-resistance between DDT and permethrin was also found in An. arabiensis and An. funestus s.s., while An. gambiae s.s. was resistant to both insecticides. It is noteworthy that the above species in the same area are found to be resistant to pyrethroids by their unique resistance mechanisms. Furthermore, it is interesting that 2 different resistance mechanisms have developed in the 2 sibling species in the same area individually. The cross resistance between permethrin and DDT in An. gambiae s.s. may be attributed to the high frequency of kdr mutation, which might be selected by the frequent exposure to ITNs. Similarly, the metabolic pyrethroid resistance in An. arabiensis and An. funestus s.s. is thought to develop without strong selection by DDT.     

Molecular Phylogeny and Species Speciation of Adoxaceae. s. s

It remains unclear about the speciation and phylogeny of Adoxaceae s. s ., a small family with 3 genera and 4 species . In this paper , ITS ( nuclear DNA internal transcribed spacer) regions of Adoxa orientalis and Sambucus adnata were firstly sequenced . Phylogenetic trees were constructed for all species of Adoxaceae (four species ) , Sambucus, Viburnum and four genera of Caprifoliaceae . The divergences among four species of this family were further calculated based on the calibration of the fossil records of the Caprifoliaceae and the general evolutionary rate of herbs for ITS . The phylogenetic analyses did not support the previous assumptions on the phylogeny and species divergence of Adoxaceae s. s . based on the morphological evidence : Tetradoxa is not the firstly diverged and it clustered with two species of Adoxa as a monophylogenetic group , paralleling to the other lineage comprising of monotypic Sinadoxa . The allopatric speciation at the diploid level might have contributed to the differentiation among Sinadoxa corydalifolia, Tetradoxa omeiensis and Adoxa moschatellina and the polyploidy to the origin of A. orientalis . The crude timing based on ITS sequence differentiation suggested a recent divergence among all four species probably between the late Miocene and the Tertiary and this speciation process might be closely correlated with habitat fragmentation and change due to the extensive uplifts of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and climatic oscillation during the glacial and interglacial ages occurred at this stage .     

The heights of French-Canadian convicts, 1780s–1820s

This paper uses a novel dataset of heights collected from the records of the Quebec City prison between 1813 and 1847 to survey the French-Canadian population of Quebec—which was then known either as Lower Canada or Canada East. Using a birth-cohort approach with 10 year birth cohorts from the 1780s to the 1820s, we find that French-Canadian prisoners grew shorter over the period. Through the whole sample period, they were short compared to Americans. However, French-Canadians were taller either than their cousins in France or the inhabitants of Latin America (except Argentinians). In addition to extending anthropometric data in Canada to the 1780s, we are able to extend comparisons between the Old and New Worlds as well as comparisons between North America and Latin America. We highlight the key structural economic changes and shocks and discuss their possible impact on the anthropometric data.