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This paper examines The diary from the border: Ventimiglia, an auto‐ethnographic comic based on intensive fieldwork in the Italian border city of Ventimiglia from September to December 2018. The primary objective of my empirical research was to explore the socio‐spatial effects of France's reintroduction of border controls in the area since 2015, mainly targeting irregular mobilities within the European Union (EU). This study presents the auto‐ethnographic comic by delving into two crucial aspects. Firstly, it illuminates the rationale behind utilising an auto‐ethnographic comic as a research output, shedding light on the creative process involved in its conception. Secondly, it explores its composite narrative plot, encompassing three key elements: 'me' (the researcher's personal experiences extending beyond the fieldwork), 'me in Ventimiglia' (the researcher's encounters during the fieldwork), and 'Ventimiglia itself' (the French‐Italian border regime). By fostering a trans‐disciplinary dialogue encompassing migration issues, comics and life course theory, this paper enriches the geographical debate in three significant ways. It recognises the profound impact of the researcher's life events in shaping both research experiences and outcomes within and beyond the fieldwork. Additionally, it underscores the importance of auto‐ethnographic comics in challenging dominant narratives and visually portraying the multifaceted experiences of migration. Lastly, it contributes to the ongoing discussion on visual methods within geography and advocates for using comics as a compelling tool to disseminate research findings, fostering empathy and a comprehensive understanding of migration experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the recognition of the rising challenge from China have resulted in a closer alignment of American, British and French strategic interests. This policy paper explores how the strategic relationship between the United States, the United Kingdom and France has evolved amid this changed threat environment. The Russia–Ukraine war exposed the limitations of France's policy of 'strategic autonomy' and reasserted the importance of an American role in European security. The war has re-focused attention upon the Lancaster House framework in which the UK and France have the potential to enhance their contribution to European defence. The UK still regards its 'special relationship' with the US as being of critical importance to its foreign policy. But the UK's diminishing military power makes it a less valuable ally to the US whose attention is increasingly upon the Indo-Pacific region. The paper argues that the alignment between the three countries has been closer over the Russian war in Ukraine compared to attitudes towards China, where tensions between France and the 'Anglo-Saxons' persist. France has been unwilling to adopt the American approach towards China and has stuck to its vision of a multipolar world. The AUKUS deal arranged between the US, UK and Australia had the effect of alienating France. The policy paper contends that the temporary alignment between US, UK and French interests will erode as long-standing conflicts of interest re-emerge. In particular, the unpredictability of US leadership will damage the trilateral relationship if Donald Trump regains the presidency in November 2024. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the atmosphere, aerosols can originate from numerous sources, leading to the mixing of different particle types. This paper introduces an approach to the partitioning of aerosol mixtures in terms of backscattering coefficients. The method utilizes data collected from the Mie-Raman-fluorescence lidar, with the primary input information being the aerosol backscattering coefficient, particle depolarization ratio (δ), and fluorescence capacity (GF). The fluorescence capacity is defined as the ratio of the fluorescence backscattering coefficient to the particle backscattering coefficient at the laser wavelength. By solving a system of equations that model these three properties (bF, δ and GF), it is possible to characterize a three-component aerosol mixture. Specifically, the paper assesses the contributions of smoke, urban, and dust aerosols to the overall backscattering coefficient at 532 nm. It is important to note that aerosol properties (δ and GF) may exhibit variations even within a specified aerosol type. To estimate the associated uncertainty, we employ the Monte Carlo technique, which assumes that GF and δ are random values uniformly distributed within predefined intervals. In each Monte Carlo run, a solution is obtained. Rather than relying on a singular solution, an average is computed across the whole set of solutions, and their dispersion serves as a metric for method uncertainty. This methodology was tested using observations conducted at the ATOLL observatory, Laboratoire d'Optique Atmosphérique, University of Lille, France. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The 80 km/h speed limit is associated with a significant reduction in fatalities. • Estimated benefits are between 300 and 350 lives saved. • Estimated effects vary between counties, illustrating the potential impact depending on the local context. • The dynamics of the measure evolve over time. Introduction : Speeding is considered to be a major contributor to road fatalities and injuries worldwide. Inappropriate speeding behavior is associated with a high casualty burden. It could be responsible for at least 30% of road accidents. Method : In 2018, the French authorities decided to introduce a new speed limit. They lowered the speed limit to 80 km/h on the unseparated interurban network. The aim was to reduce the number of fatalities and injuries and to implement some measures in line with international commitments. This paper uses different econometric models applied to time series for different groups of counties. Results : The results show a significant positive contribution of the new speed limit. The estimated number of lives saved is between 300 and 350. The overall reduction in the number of fatalities is 10%. The results also show a differentiated impact according to the local context and the different dynamics at play. Conclusions and Practical Applications : The results of this paper are in line with the scientific literature on speed limit reductions. They represent a validation of a debated public decision, while at the same time consolidating the body of knowledge on the subject, helping the decision-maker to adopt an appropriate measure to improve road safety performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the promotion of modern jewelry and accessories in interwar France using the men’s fashion magazine Adam: la revue de l’homme as a case study. It focuses on a number of the magazine’s features on jewelry and accessories from the period 1925-40 in order to demonstrate how its mission to become “the magazine of the rue de la Paix” encompassed the promotion of jewelry and accessories. Recognizing that jewelry and accessories is an under-researched area, particularly in relation to studies of men’s formal attire of the period, this essay provides evidence of the seriousness with which the style commentators of Adam, complemented by its editorial decisions and advertisers’ contributions, were prepared to lend to the subject. Ultimately, the paper argues that a consideration of modern jewelry and accessories in the context of a relatively conservative men’s fashion magazine can help to further our understanding of the role played by modern objects of personal adornment in the interwar period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the role of family trajectories during childhood in explaining inequalities by maternal education in children's math and reading skills using harmonized, longitudinal, and nationally representative surveys, which follow children over the course of primary and lower secondary school in four high‐income countries (England, France, Germany, and the United States). As single parenthood and family transitions are more likely among less educated parents and are associated with fewer resources for children, we explore whether growing up outside a stable two‐parent family mediates educational inequalities in math and reading scores. Results show a strong educational gradient in family trajectories in the four countries, but this varies by child age and by country. Children who experience a family transition record lower test scores, although the magnitude differs by the type of postseparation arrangements. Overall, family trajectories are strongly associated with children's math and reading scores but, because of the importance of selectivity in family trajectories, they play only a modest role in explaining the skills gaps by maternal education, considerably less than determinants such as income. The penalties associated with not living within a stable two‐parent family are always larger in the United States and England than in France and Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How do religious citizens' election projections influence voter turnout? While previous studies have demonstrated the significant impact of religious orientation on individuals' general future outlook, little is known about the influence of religion on voters' electoral expectations and how these expectations affect voter turnout. In this paper, we employ a nuanced conceptual framework of election projections and examine the impact of religion on both the affective and probabilistic aspects of citizens' expectations regarding election outcomes. Our analysis draws upon original panel survey data collected in two countries, focusing on the 2021 Israeli general elections and the 2022 French presidential elections. The findings reveal a mobilizing effect of religious citizens' election projections in both Israel and France. Specifically, religious voters tend to have more positive affective forecasts about their projected election outcomes, consequently resulting in increased voter turnout. While affective forecasting plays a significant role in religious citizens' turnout, probabilistic certitude does not have a similar effect. We discuss the contribution and implications of these findings for research on religion and political behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the potential impacts of a hypothetical implementation of the Income Stabilisation Tool (IST) in France for the field crops sector. The IST is a risk management tool available within the 2014–2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to support farmers facing a severe drop in their incomes. This analysis was conducted using a farm‐level model relying on expected utility theory and based on positive mathematical programming with risk. The model was applied to a sample of 1375 field crop farms in France derived from Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) data. Simulation results show that the uptake rate of the tool is relatively low, less than 37% in all scenarios. It is strongly dependent on CAP public support and on how much premium farmers have to pay. Highest uptake rates are observed in farms specialising in Other Field Crops, such as potatoes, pulses and sugar beet, and farms located in regions highly exposed to climatic risks. Previous experience with insurance favours the acceptance of the IST. Model results also show that the IST improves adopters' income and reduces income inequality. However, its impacts on crop diversity, measured by the Shannon index, are negative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the infrastructure projects undertaken for the event initially known as the Semaine des sports d'hiver, which took place in Chamonix, France, from 25 January to 4 February 1924 and was later recognized as the first Winter Olympics. Although the already famous resort town was able to use its existing hotels to accommodate visitors and athletes, it also made a considerable investment in the construction of new sports infrastructure. Following an agreement signed just 9 months before the Games, these facilities included a large ice rink, a bobsleigh run and a ski jump. The project was entrusted to the Ponts et Chaussées engineers, who encouraged local firms to help with the construction. Archival analysis will be used to examine the relationship between the project and the changing environment. Our aim is to show how the work in Chamonix modified the environment by exploiting certain natural elements (e.g. water, soil and forests) and, conversely, how the natural (in particular, the geological and climatic) and historical (notably land ownership) components of the environment affected the execution of these works. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reduce total test time and increase the efficiency of statistical analysis of a life-testing experiment adaptive progressive Type-II censoring scheme has been proposed. This paper addresses the statistical inference of the unknown parameters, reliability, and hazard rate functions of logistic exponential distribution under adaptive progressive Type-II censored samples. Maximum likelihood estimates (MLEs) and maximum product spacing estimates (MPSEs) for the model parameters, reliability, and hazard rate functions can not be obtained explicitly, hence these are derived numerically using the Newton–Raphson method. Bayes estimates for the unknown parameters and reliability and hazard rate functions are computed under squared error loss function (SELF) and linear exponential loss function (LLF). It has been observed that the Bayes estimates are not in explicit forms, hence an approximation method such as Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method is employed. Further, asymptotic confidence intervals (ACIs) and highest posterior density (HPD) credible intervals for the unknown parameters, reliability, and hazard rate functions are constructed. Besides, point and interval Bayesian predictions have been derived for future samples. A Monte Carlo simulation study has been carried out to compare the performance of the proposed estimates. Furthermore, three different optimality criteria have been considered to obtain the optimal censoring plan. Two real-life data sets, one from electronic industry and other one from COVID-19 data set containing the daily death rate from France are re-analyzed to demonstrate the proposed methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a first comprehensive analysis of long-term measurements of atmospheric aerosol components from Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor (ACSM) and multi-wavelength Aethalometer (AE33) instruments collected between 2015 and 2021 at 13 (sub)urban sites as part of the French CARA program. The datasets contain the mass concentrations of major chemical species within PM1, namely organic aerosols (OA), nitrate (NO3-), ammonium (NH4+), sulfate (SO42-), non-sea-salt chloride (Cl-), and equivalent black carbon (eBC). Rigorous quality control, technical validation, and environmental evaluation processes were applied, adhering to both the guidance from the French reference laboratory for air quality monitoring and the Aerosol, Clouds, and Trace gases Research Infrastructure (ACTRIS) standard operating procedures. Key findings include geographical differences in aerosol chemical composition, seasonal variations, and diel patterns, which are influenced by meteorological conditions, anthropogenic activities, and proximity to emission sources. Overall, OA dominates PM1 at each site (43–60 %), showing distinct seasonality with higher concentrations (i) in winter, due to enhanced residential heating emissions, and (ii) in summer, due to increased photochemistry favoring secondary aerosol formation. NO3 is the second most important contributor to PM1 (15–30 %), peaking in late winter and early spring, especially in northern France, and playing a significant role during pollution episodes. SO4 (8–14 %) and eBC (5–11 %) complement the major fine aerosol species, with their relative contributions strongly influenced by the origin of air masses and the stability of meteorological conditions, respectively. Such chemically-speciated multi-year datasets have significant value for the scientific community, offering opportunities for future research, including source apportionment studies, trend analyses, and epidemiological investigations. They are also vital for evaluating and validating regional air quality models. In this regard, a comparison with the CHIMERE Chemical Transport Model shows high correlations between simulations and measurements, albeit underestimating OA concentrations by 46–76 %. Regional discrepancies in NO3 concentration levels emphasize the importance of these datasets in validating air quality models and tailoring air pollution mitigation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessment and retrofitting of riveted lattice girders in metal roof structures Metal structures from the 19th and early 20th centuries, such as factories, train sheds and market halls, are a valuable and useful heritage. Preserving these structures by maintaining or adapting their use is of economic, ecological, and cultural interest. In this endeavour, accurately assessing their load capacity by calculation is a challenge. In France, riveted lattice girders are widely used in roof structures dating from 1850–1930. Numerically, they present stability problems often leading to preventive strengthening measures. This paper draws on the study of these structural components to explore a novel holistic assessment method that combines structural engineering, construction history and heritage conservation to provide a robust basis for the design of sensitive and targeted structural interventions. This approach could be extended to iron and steel structures of the 19th and early 20th centuries, and broadly to most types of existing structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Endometriosis affects approximately 10% of women of reproductive age and leads to significant morbidity and financial burden. Consequently, countries such as France and Germany are formulating strategies to combat endometriosis. In this study, we propose the implementation of our three‐dimensional model (3D‐E) to raise awareness about endometriosis and enhance timely diagnosis, treatment, and long‐term care for affected patients. Methods: Based on the adapted Six Sigma Principle and the modified recommendation of Sales et al. for implementing evidence‐based findings into a clinical routine, we first conducted a comprehensive investigation to identify risk factors leading to diagnostic delay of endometriosis. After identifying improvable factors, the applicable options were selected due to defined criteria such as integrability in the clinical routine, cost‐effectiveness, and evidence‐based‐principle. Finally, solutions feasible for health care providers were integrated and the 3D‐E model was established. Results: Some of the main risk factors contributing to diagnostic delays are symptoms acceptance and misinterpreted symptoms, especially if presenting to nongynecologists in cases of extragenital endometriosis with atypical presentation. Therefore, we tried to sensitize colleagues (first dimension) with a review paper in Germany's largest medical journal and started an elective for medical students (second dimension) at our university. In order to involve additional health care professionals in endometriosis care (third dimension), we are preparing the concept of the EndoNurse. Conclusion: The 3D‐E model is a relatively low‐cost, comprehensive, and worldwide adaptable approach for facilitating knowledge transfer, sensitizing health care providers, and improving endometriosis diagnostics and therapy for patients with endometriosis who are in the center of the model. Synopsis: The 3D‐E model could have the potential to be a first step to improve endometriosis awareness and care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rise of exclusionary populism is widely regarded as one of the most significant phenomena in today's political world. Despite this, the relationship between populism and security remains under-explored in the literature, including the affective power of populist security narratives. Against this background, this paper conducts a comparative analysis of radical right populist discourse in response to two recent shocking crimes in France and Ireland. The different expression given to security concerns in the two countries, such as a much less antagonistic 'flaunting of the low' in France, is suggestive of a more contingent and institutionally mediated relationship between security and populism than the existing literature would suggest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the design of a model predictive control (MPC) for the Calais canal, located in the north of France for satisfactory management of the system. To estimate the unknown inputs/outputs arising from the uncontrolled pumps, a digital twin (DT) in the framework of a Matlab- SIC2 is used to reproduce the dynamics of the canal, and the real database corresponding to a period of three days is employed to evaluate the control strategy. The canal is characterized by two operating modes due to high and low tides. As a consequence of this, time-varying constraints on the use of gates must be considered, which leads to the design of two multiobjective control problems, one for the high tide and another for the low tide. Furthermore, a moving horizon estimation (MHE) strategy is used to provide the MPC with unmeasured states. The simulation results show that the different objectives are met satisfactorily. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyse how State policies, on the book and in practice, shape family reunification. It focuses on child migration under constraint in France, by analysing the timing and factors of (non-)reunification among foreign immigrants, whose legal conditions for family reunification are much more restrictive than for those who obtained the French citizenship. Using a quantitative approach with a nationally representative survey, the article analyses to what extent and in what circumstances migrants took one or the other of three paths during the 1973–2009 period: bringing their children in France through the administrative channel of family reunification (de jure reunification), turning to an alternative channel of child migration (de facto reunification), or leaving their child behind in their birth country. Results show that de jure reunification is not the predominant option and strongly suggest that this pathway is impaired both by an official state selection based on socioeconomic criteria enshrined in law, and by an unofficial state selection in policy implementation due to discriminatory treatments and regional inequalities in administration resources. In response to these restrictions, families adapt either by turning to de facto reunification or by maintaining transnational ways of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vaccine coverage against human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination remains low in France. The objective of this study was to study adolescent perceptions by comparing boys and girls, in order to build effective school-based interventions. This paper presents a cross-sectional study in French middle school pupils. They completed online questionnaires on their knowledge and attitudes toward the HPV vaccine, HPV vaccination status, their intention, reasons to vaccinate or not to vaccinate, and psychological antecedents of vaccination. A structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis was used to test the hypothesized model. The participants are 818 pupils aged from 12 to 16 years (M age = 13.78). Most pupils were in the pre-contemplative stage (62.7 % of boys and 40.8 % of girls). SEM analysis indicated that the relationship between the level of HPV knowledge, the representations of vaccines in general, and vaccine intention was mediated by attitudes towards the HPV vaccine among both boys and girls. These findings reveal a high percentage of boys who do not feel concerned by the HPV vaccine and highlight the need to consider the psychological antecedents of vaccination in general in addition to the specific attitudes to the HPV vaccine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While a rich literature investigates how and why NPOs use social media, research on why they differ in their social media adoption (SMA) is limited. In this paper we examine how NPOs' interorganizational partner portfolio characteristics can enable or constrain their adoption of social media, including blogs and videos, conventional social media (Facebook, Twitter...) and crowd-based platforms (crowdfunding and petitions). Based on a survey distributed to a sample of environmental NPOs in France, results indicate that NPOs having open networks, whose partners are physically distant, and that have more cross-sectoral partners have higher SMA. Network portfolio management can thus make up for a shortage of financial resources to invest in social media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an analysis of the impact of the indoor classroom environment on students' learning efficiency. The research is based on a classroom smart monitoring and a questionnaire about the students' assessment of the comfort conditions and learning efficiency. Multisensor devices are used to measure the indoor temperature, relative humidity, and CO2 concentration at the students' desks. Data analysis concerned an investigation of the spatial and temporal variation of the comfort parameters and their correlation with students' assessment of comfort conditions and learning efficiency. The results show a significant spatial variation in the indoor comfort conditions, particularly for temperature and CO2 concentration. The indoor temperature could exceed by up to 5 °C, the temperature threshold limits value in France's public buildings. At the beginning of the class, the learning efficiency correlates well with the students' assessment of comfort conditions. At the end of the class, the results show a weak correlation with both recorded comfort parameters and the students' assessment of the indoor conditions. The results indicate a decrease in learning efficiency during the class. However, students do not mainly attribute this decrease to the degradation in indoor conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presented a national register for esophageal atresia (EA) started in January 2008. We report our experience about the conception of this database and its coordination. Data management and data quality are also detailed. In 2023, more than 2,500 patients with EA are included. Prevalence of EA in France was calculated at 1.8/10,000 live birth. Main clinical results are listed with scientific publications issued directly from the register. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Veterinarians are a pivotal force in addressing animal health and welfare surveillance, with a critical role in improving public health security and increasing the profits of livestock farmers. Yet, the veterinary profession is adversely affected by personnel shortages, particularly in rural areas. Since the health of people, animals and their shared environment are interconnected in a One Health perspective, a set of policies are required to ensure public health by attraction and retention of veterinarians in rural areas. In France, a tutored internship programme, financially subsiding students and mentors to execute a training period in remote rural areas, was promoted to better integrate and retain veterinary students ending their veterinary training. This paper aims to evaluate how veterinarians' tutored internships influences students' choices for rural practice, using three different statistical methods derived from causal inference theory. Using survey data for the period 2016–2020, we show that: (i) the average effect of the tutored internship on veterinarians' work in food animal sector is not significant; and that (ii) the tutored internship leads veterinarians with a low share of work in the food animal sector to have a rural practise after they graduated between 13 and 20% greater than those who did not participate in the tutored internship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Paris-Lyon line is the busiest High-Speed Line in Europe and has been open to competition in open access since December 18, 2021. The main objective of the paper is to explore the effects for users with respect to price and frequency compare with the existing literature. The analysis is based on a large database (n = 1243) collected by web scraping from September 2019 to October 2022. The method relies on a descriptive analysis with a similar route without competition (Paris-Bordeaux) in the comparison group. The results highlight an increase of frequency by 15% and a decrease in price by 23%. The prices charged by the newcomer are lower than those of the incumbent (−30% to −50%). The comparison with the control route suggests a positive effect on price that moderates the economic catch-up effect following the COVID-19 pandemic in an inflationary context. More specifically, SNCF appears to take a wait and see attitude to competitive pressure from Trenitalia. It has moderated its prices since the new offer was introduced and has maintained its trains. • Competition have a positive effect on user welfare. • Barriers to competition underscore the importance of public regulation for success. • Incumbent adopts a wait and see attitude in response to competitive pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beginning in the mid-1980s, European governments have increasingly implemented performance-based funding systems for higher education. While a focus on the transnational pressures that contributed to the widespread adoption of performance-based funding in Europe accounts for the impetus for performance-based funding policies, it fails to address how and why the resultant performance-based funding policies are as distinct and different as they are. In this paper, I argue that an institutional logics perspective offers a theoretical account of the performance-based funding policy formation process. I use the United Kingdom (UK), Germany, and France as case studies. I contend that in these three cases, different local logics drove the performance-based funding policy formation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) technology advancements are primarily aimed at decarbonizing and enhancing the resiliency of the energy grid. Incorporating SPV is one of the ways to achieve the goal of energy efficiency. Because of the nonlinearity, modeling of SPV is a very difficult process. Identification of variables in a lumped electric circuit model is required for accurate modeling of the SPV system. This paper presents a new state-of-the-art control technique based on human artefacts dubbed Drone Squadron Optimization for estimating 15 parameters of a three-diode equivalent model solar PV system. The suggested method simulates a nonlinear relationship between the P–V and I–V performance curves, lowering the difference between experimental and calculated data. To evaluate the adaptive performance in every climatic state, two different test cases with commercial PV cells, RTC France and photo watt-201, are used. The proposed method provides a more accurate parameter estimate. To validate the recommended approach's performance, the data are compared to the results of the most recent and powerful methodologies in the literature. For the RTC and PWP Photo Watt Cell, the DSO technique has the lowest Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 6.7776 × 10–4 and 0.002310324 × 10–4, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Electronic health records (EHRs) contain valuable information for clinical research; however, the sensitive nature of healthcare data presents security and confidentiality challenges. De-identification is therefore essential to protect personal data in EHRs and comply with government regulations. Named entity recognition (NER) methods have been proposed to remove personal identifiers, with deep learning-based models achieving better performance. However, manual annotation of training data is time-consuming and expensive. The aim of this study was to develop an automatic de-identification pipeline for all kinds of clinical documents based on a distant supervised method to significantly reduce the cost of manual annotations and to facilitate the transfer of the de-identification pipeline to other clinical centers. Methods: We proposed an automated annotation process for French clinical de-identification, exploiting data from the eHOP clinical data warehouse (CDW) of the CHU de Rennes and national knowledge bases, as well as other features. In addition, this paper proposes an assisted data annotation solution using the Prodigy annotation tool. This approach aims to reduce the cost required to create a reference corpus for the evaluation of state-of-the-art NER models. Finally, we evaluated and compared the effectiveness of different NER methods. Results: A French de-identification dataset was developed in this work, based on EHRs provided by the eHOP CDW at Rennes University Hospital, France. The dataset was rich in terms of personal information, and the distribution of entities was quite similar in the training and test datasets. We evaluated a Bi-LSTM + CRF sequence labeling architecture, combined with Flair + FastText word embeddings, on a test set of manually annotated clinical reports. The model outperformed the other tested models with a significant F1 score of 96,96%, demonstrating the effectiveness of our automatic approach for deidentifying sensitive information. Conclusions: This study provides an automatic de-identification pipeline for clinical notes, which can facilitate the reuse of EHRs for secondary purposes such as clinical research. Our study highlights the importance of using advanced NLP techniques for effective de-identification, as well as the need for innovative solutions such as distant supervision to overcome the challenge of limited annotated data in the medical domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fractions are challenging for both typically achieving children and adults. Although some prior research has focused on fraction difficulties of children with mathematics difficulties (MD), persistent difficulties encountered by adults with MD remain unknown. It is possible that these adults may be able to compensate for some deficits. In this study, we administered an un-timed, paper-based fraction achievement test to French adults with and without MD to compare their knowledge of fractions. Compared with controls, adults with MD performed worse in fraction number lines, fraction concepts, fraction arithmetic, and word problems. However, no difference in performance between the two groups was observed on symbolic representations. This suggests that adults with MD might be able to perform rote procedures such as transcoding from a verbal to a symbolic representation but are severely impaired for fraction number line, fraction concept, and fraction arithmetic. Exploratory error pattern analyses for fraction number line and fraction arithmetic further revealed mistakes similar to those observed in prior studies on children with MD, indicating core deficits in fraction understanding in individuals with MD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil organic carbon storage is a well-identified climate change mitigation solution. Quantification of the soil carbon storage in cropland for agricultural policy and offset carbon markets using in situ sampling would be excessively costly, especially at the intrafield scale. For this reason, comprehensive monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) of soil carbon and its explanatory variables at a large scale need to rely on hybrid approaches that combine remote sensing and modelling tools to provide the carbon budget components with their associated uncertainties at intrafield scale. Here, we present AgriCarbon-EO v1.0.1: an end-to-end processing chain that enables the estimation of carbon budget components for major and cover crops at intrafield resolution (10 m) and regional extents (e.g. 10 000 km 2) by assimilating remote sensing data (e.g. Sentinel-2 and Landsat8) in a physically based radiative transfer (PROSAIL) and agronomic models (SAFYE-CO2). The data assimilation in AgriCarbon-EO is based on a novel Bayesian approach that combines normalized importance sampling and look-up table generation. This approach propagates the uncertainties across the processing chain from the reflectances to the output variables. After a presentation of the chain, we demonstrate the accuracy of the estimates of AgriCarbon-EO through an application over winter wheat in the southwest of France during the cropping seasons from 2017 to 2019. We validate the outputs with flux tower data for net ecosystem exchange, biomass destructive samples, and combined harvester yield maps. Our results show that the scalability and uncertainty estimates proposed by the approach do not hinder the accuracy of the estimates (net ecosystem exchange, NEE: RMSE =1.68 –2.38 gC m -2 , R2=0.87 –0.77; biomass: RMSE =11.34 g m -2 , R2=0.94). We also show the added value of intrafield simulations for the carbon components through scenario testing of pixel and field simulations (biomass: bias =-47 g m -2 , - 39 % variability). Our overall analysis shows satisfying accuracy, but it also points out the need to represent more soil processes and include synthetic aperture radar data that would enable a larger coverage of AgriCarbon-EO. The paper's findings confirm the suitability of the choices made in building AgriCarbon-EO as a hybrid solution for an MRV scheme to diagnose agro-ecosystem carbon fluxes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has recently been observed, that a change in the crop spectrum happened during the so-called Middle Neolithic in France at ca. 4000 BC. An agricultural system based on free-threshing cereals (naked wheat and naked barley) seems to shift to one based on glume wheats. This is a major change for traditional farmers and this paper aims to shed light on its possible causes. Here we describe the results of new investigations in a key area for the understanding of this process: the NW Mediterranean arch, where free-threshing cereals are the main cultivars since ca. 5100 BC. New data confirm that the shift towards glume wheats is also observed in some sites of the NE of the Iberian Peninsula and that among the glume wheats that spread at ca. 4000 BC we should not only consider emmer and einkorn but also Timopheevi's wheat. Stable isotope analyses indicate no major decrease in soil fertility or alterations in local precipitation regimes. The agricultural change may be the result of a combination of the spread of damaging pests for free-threshing cereals and presumably new networks being developed with the North-eastern part of Italy and the Balkans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Before French cuisine emerged as the global benchmark for gastronomic excellence, tempting tourists both near and far, a tradition of culinary travel, largely linked with the valorization of regional cuisines and products, had already been established among French citizens themselves, having notably arisen during the inter-war period. Stimulating a sense of cultural unity and shared values, inspiring imaginations, and boosting commerce alike, the idea of a national cuisine, encompassing France's diverse regions, offered a sense of continuity, comfort, and rootedness in a time of socio-economic upheaval. Beyond this, the expansion of food certification labels, linking products with places, and the integration of the concept of terroir grew in importance and scope. This paper seeks to explore the roots of the inter-war boom of culinary tourism within France and to trace the representative power of regional cuisines and products through analyzing three inter-related factors: culinary guidebooks and literature, gastronomic maps, and authenticity labels, all of which facilitate a sense of belonging, whether symbolic or literal for the citizen or foreign tourist. I will identify contributions of these three components in constructing a collective culinary identity, and will propose how concepts of terroir are now being adapted and employed today to address a changing nation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars have argued that anti-racialist ideologies – which deem racial categorization dangerous and racist – are an obstacle to antiracism, because they make race and its effects invisible, and obscure institutional and structural racism. This paper reexamines this argument empirically, by analyzing how activists resist "racial ignorance" and produce knowledge about race in anti-racialist contexts. Drawing on race scholarship, social movement theory, and sociology of knowledge, I ask: How do social movements produce knowledge about the role of race in policing in France? What are the implications of different epistemic practices for activists' racial conceptualizations and political practice? The article is based on an ethnography of three mobilizations contesting policing in France. The comparative methodology reveals that epistemic practices play a role in shaping how mobilizations reach a shared understanding of race and racism. Specifically, how knowledge projects determine racial difference, the methodologies used to capture racial inequality/oppression, and the level of analysis, all matter for the understanding of racism that activists are able to substantiate. Mobilization's epistemic approaches provide some activists with additional resources to promote their preferred racial conceptualizations and can produce the evidence needed to change the mobilization's dominant discourse, from individualistic to structural and systemic conceptualizations of racism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Purpose(s). We have extensively used HCQ at 200 mg three times a day (tid) to treat various infections such as Q fever and Whipple's disease. Serum levels of between 1 μg/ml and 2 μg/ml serum level are recommended to achieve the safety and efficacy of these treatments. Our aim in this paper is to describe our experience regarding the pharmacokinetics and toxicity of HCQ in another infection caused by SARS-CoV-2. Methods. As recommended, we performed electrocardiograms before administering HCQ off-label. The HCQ concentration in the serum was monitored to ensure the effectiveness and safety of the treatment. We retrospectively analysed HCQ serum concentrations measured over time and toxicity data in patients with COVID-19 who were treated with HCQ at the IHU Marseille Infection. We did not treat patients with HCQ contraindications with this medication. Results. We measured HCQ concentrations in 1310 serum samples from 989 patients with COVID-19. The mean ± SD HCQ concentration increased in patients' sera during treatment from day 1 (0.10 μg/ml ± 0.08) to day 11 (0.85 μg/ml ± 0.44), confirming that HCQ accumulates in the body during short-term therapy. However, the observed concentrations did not exceed the therapeutic range for other indications (0.80–1.20 μg/mL in Q fever patients treated for between 18 and 24 months). In patients treated with HCQ, major side effects included intestinal disorders (nausea, vomiting, and gastric pain) and QT prolongation. No conduction disorders (including torsades de pointes and ventricular arrhythmia), cardiomyopathy, retinopathy, or HCQ-related deaths were observed. Conclusions. In patients treated over a short time period with 200 mg tid of HCQ, therapeutic concentrations in serum were obtained in most patients without significant side effects or complications. Although patients must be carefully evaluated for HCQ contraindications, HCQ 200 mg tid for ten days can be considered an appropriate and safe dosage in patients with COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subsistence strategies of early farming communities have been highlighted since the beginning of the Neolithic, thanks to numerous studies on lipid residues from ceramic vessels conducted in various parts of continental Europe. However, after the Early Neolithic, evidence of subsistence strategies along the northern Atlantic coast are still lacking, especially for island contexts. This paper presents the results of lipid residue analysis of 129 potsherds from Beg ar Loued (Molène, France), an island site dating primarily to the Early Bronze Age (c. 2700-2600 to 1800 BCE). Aiming to understand the use of vessels, vessel treatment and culinary practices on the settlement, analyses of visible charred residues, sherds and ceramic surfaces/coating layers were carried out using chromatographic (n = 174) and isotopic techniques (n = 24) after lipid extraction by solvent (n = 174) or acid methanolysis (n = 31). The results demonstrate the extensive use of terrestrial products (ruminant carcass and dairy) in pottery, including occasional plant products (with possible mixtures of different waxes), while the detection of aquatic products is limited. Thus, combined with evidence from faunal remains at the site, the results indicate that terrestrial resources like ruminant meat and dairy products were preferentially processed in vessels, and aquatic products mostly without the use of ceramics. These findings demonstrate the significance of lipid residue analysis for studying the role of pottery in food production and consumption at sites along the Atlantic coast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the paper is to validate SolaRes (Solar Resource estimate) in clear-sky conditions, and to examine the aerosol influence on the differences between observation and estimate. SolaRes has the ambition to fulfil both research and industrial applications exploiting downwelling solar radiation at surface level. Consistently with solar resource applications, we show the capacity of SolaRes to reproduce the angular behaviour of the angular field, by validating not only global horizontal irradiance (GHI), but also direct normal irradiance (DNI), diffuse horizontal irradiance DifHI), global and diffuse irradiance in tilted plane (GTI, DifTI), and even the circumsolar contributions. Computations are made with the SMART-G radiative transfer code, taking spectral aerosol optical thickness (AOT) data sets as input, which are delivered by the Aerosol Robotic network (AERONET) and the Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service (CAMS). A mixture of two aerosol models is required to compute aerosol optical properties. Measurements for validation are made at two sites in Northern France. Clear-sky is identified by two methods to show its influence: 1) a method reproducing the AOT variability conditions, and 2) a stricter method eliminating some residual cloud influence but also conditions with largest AOT. SolaRes is validated according to comparison scores found in the literature, with the (relative) root mean square difference (RMSD) in GHI as low as 1%, and the mean bias difference (MBD) which could be 0%. Angular behaviour is reproduced with satisfying scores. The circumsolar contribution improves MBD in DNI and DifHI, by 1% and 4% respectively, as well as RMSD by ~0.5%. MBD in DNI is around -1% and RMSD around 2%, and MBD in DifHI is 2% and RMSD around 9%. RMSD and MBD in both DNI and DifHI are larger than in GHI because they are more sensitive to the aerosol and surface properties. DifTI measured in a vertical plane facing South is reproduced with a RMSD of 8%, similar to DifHI. It is suggested a strong influence of reflection by not only ground surface but also surrounding buildings, increasing the albedo from 0.13 to 0.35. The sensitivity study on the aerosol parameterisation shows that the spectral AOT contains enough information for best quality in DNI retrieval. The choice of aerosol models in the parameterisation has an influence in RMSD smaller than 0.7%. Complementary information on angular scattering and aerosol absorption has a significant influence in GHI by reducing RMSD by ~0.5%, and MBD by ~0.8%. The uncertainty on the data source has a significant influence. The CAMS data set increases the RMSD in DNI by 5%, but has has less influence in GHI, by increasing RMSD by ~1% and MBD by ~0.4%. RMSD in GHI still remains slightly smaller than state-of-the-art methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study is to examine the effect of brand attribution on consumer behaviour. The authorsare interested in finding out if consumers are more likely to purchase a new sports product when it is attributed to a brand. The authors are interested in finding out if the brand positively influences the consumer's appreciation of the product in the case of the launch of a new product. Design/methodology/approach: The authors completed a quantitative survey with 320 people who are familiar with the toning concept, aged between 20 and 45 years old. The questionnaire was conducted face to face in six large cities in France. Findings: Main results show that belief in the effectiveness of the product is positively correlated with purchase intention. However, the attribution of the product to the brand does not guarantee belief in the effectiveness of the product nor does it guarantee purchase intention. Brand credibility has a positive impact on belief in the effectiveness of the product. Furthermore, exposure to advertising allows the product to be attributed to the brand. Yet, it does not have an impact on belief in the product's effectiveness or purchase intention. Originality/value: Whereas studying consumer behaviour is not new, analysing consumer perceptions of innovative products and how these perceptions relate to the product brand can provide interesting implications both for consumer behaviour research and from a practical perspective for brands. Indeed, this paper shows the importance of exposure to advertising for a product to be attributed to a brand but this is not enough to induce its purchase. It is the credibility of the brand in the product category as well as the belief in the effectiveness of the product that can lead consumers to buy it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adoption of the Global Compacts on Migration and Refugees in 2018 marked a turning point in international migration governance. According to objective 13 of the Global Compact for Migration, States Parties have committed to use immigration detention as a measure of last resort and work towards alternatives. As for the Global Compact on Refugees, States Parties and relevant stakeholders also pledged to contribute to the development of non-custodial and community-based alternatives to detention, particularly with respect to children. Five years later, the enhancement of human rights protection for migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers within national territories remains a challenge. We argue that two states of the Global North – Canada and France – are actually using the Global Compacts to push forward their own agenda on the international scene, as a tool to influence other states. Even if Canada and France have engaged in multilateral discussions on the regulation of migration and the protection of refugees through soft law instruments, we find that national practices have not been altered since 2018. As such, this paper will demonstrate that the implementation of the Global Compacts is, in fact, used to advance foreign national policy for both states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the geography of multi-dimensional poverty across French communes in 2017. We build an extended data set documenting 7 key dimensions of well-being (income, unemployment, housing, education, civic engagement, life expectancy and air quality) in about 35,000 communes. Life expectancy at commune-level is obtained from an original small-area estimation method combining commune and department-level data. We derive an index of multi-dimensional poverty to provide an unprecedented degree of granularity in the description of spatial inequality and poverty in France. The results show that joint deprivation in at least 5 dimensions of well-being is starkly concentrated among 316 communes, representing as much as 5.2 million inhabitants (7.7% of the French population). About 70% of these people are also in extreme poverty, which suggests that the concepts of multi-dimensional poverty and extreme income poverty significantly overlap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

First Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Journal of Cell Science, helping researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Anne Rosfelter is first author on 'Reduction of cortical pulling at mitotic entry facilitates aster centration', published in JCS. Anne conducted the research described in this article while a PhD student in Alex McDougall's lab at Laboratoire Biologie du De'veloppement (LBDV), Villefranche-sur-Mer, France. She is now a post-doctoral researcher in the lab of Yu-Chiun Wang at the RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR), Kobe, Japan, investigating the spatial organization of cells and tissue through studying the cytoskeleton. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Thermal infrared (TIR) remote sensing provides a diagnostic of surface energy balance. • The Two-Source Energy Balance (TSEB) model uses TIR to map evapotranspiration. • This paper describes the development and applications of TSEB from field to globe. • Applications include drought monitoring, yield prediction, and water management. Thermal infrared (TIR) remote sensing of the land-surface temperature (LST) provides an invaluable diagnostic of surface fluxes and vegetation state, from plant and sub-field scales up to regional and global coverage. However, without proper consideration of the nuances of the remotely sensed LST signal, TIR imaging can give poor results for estimating sensible and latent heating. For example, sensor view angle, atmospheric impacts, and differential coupling of soil and canopy sub-pixel elements with the overlying atmosphere can affect the use of satellite-based LST retrievals in land-surface modeling systems. A concerted effort to address the value and perceived shortcomings of TIR-based modeling culminated in the Workshop on Thermal Remote Sensing of the Energy and Water Balance, held in La Londe les Maures, France in September of 1993. One of the outcomes of this workshop was the Two-Source Energy Balance (TSEB) model, which has fueled research and applications over a range of spatial scales. In this paper we provide some historical context for the development of TSEB and TSEB-based multi-scale modeling systems (ALEXI/DisALEXI) aimed at providing physically based, diagnostic estimates of latent heating (evapotranspiration, or ET, in mass units) and other surface energy fluxes. Applications for TSEB-based ET retrievals are discussed: in drought monitoring and yield estimation, water and forest management, and data assimilation into – and assessment of – prognostic modeling systems. New research focuses on augmenting temporal sampling afforded in the thermal bands by integrating cloud-tolerant, microwave-based LST information, as well as evaluating the capabilities of TSEB for separating ET estimates into evaporation and transpiration components. While the TSEB has demonstrated promise in supplying water use and water stress information down to sub-field scales, improved operational capabilities may be best realized in conjunction with ensemble modeling systems such as OpenET, which can effectively combine strengths of multiple ET retrieval approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic inequality, in terms of income or wealth, is one of the most complex and perplexing challenges of our current capitalist economic system. While the dynamic relationship between income inequality and economic growth has been extensively investigated (since the beginning of the last century), the dynamic link between wealth inequality (or wealth concentration) and economic growth has been largely ignored in the literature, taking more attention in recent years. This paper asserts that the accumulation of non-productive assets/luxury goods is an important determinant of wealth inequality, as well as a determinant of the relationship between wealth inequality and economic growth. In this paper our aim is to show that an increase in wealth inequality is associated with a slowdown in economic growth. In particular, the paper shows that there is a negative relationship between wealth inequality and economic growth in France because poor households own a relatively large fraction of non-productive luxury goods. Nevertheless, this is not the case in the US, which is what explains that such negative relationship is not observed there. We conclude that a redistribution of wealth (from the rich to the poor) is important for attaining a sustained economic growth performance. • This paper contributes to the analysis of economic growth and wealth inequality in France and the United States. • We propose a macroeconomic model that includes both productive and non-productive assets. • Economic growth slows as the aggregate stock of non-productive assets increases as wealth inequality increases. • Redistribution will enrich the poorest households and therefore decrease their propensity to own unproductive assets. • Wealth inequality and economic growth may have a non-linear relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a response to a letter submitted by Tassi et al. regarding a recent paper on the uptake of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among men who have sex with men (MSM) in France. The authors address concerns raised by Tassi et al. about the use of unadjusted regional data on new HIV infections and the limitations of self-reported survey-based data. They acknowledge the limitations of their approach and caution against interpreting the results as potential underestimations. The authors also discuss the potential for future research using clinical and insurance data to improve data quality. [Extracted from the article]

France is one of the countries that have made commendable progress towards accomplishing sustainable development goals but still struggles with combating environmental challenges. Decarbonizing the energy sector by deploying clean energy and reducing fossil fuels in the energy mix are essential steps. The study uses annual time series data from 1980 to 2021 and employs the ridge regression estimation technique to estimate a twice-differentiable transcendental production function, which approximates the second-order Taylor series to explore the potential for such decarbonization for France. The study finds that substitution possibilities exist between clean energy and fossil fuels, with substantial substitution possibilities coming from nuclear energy. Nuclear energy and renewables are found to be complements that can be deployed concurrently, but since nuclear energy already constitutes a significant proportion of clean energy for France, the study recommends increasing the proportion of renewable energy in the overall energy mix as the most plausible path to decarbonization. Other complementary sustainable energy policies are recommended in the body of the paper. • The substitution elasticities between clean energy and fossil fuels were estimated. • A second-order Taylor series trans-log production function was specified. • Substitutability is found between clean energy and fossil fuels. • Nuclear energy currently dominates France's clean energy mix. • Increasing renewables in the clean energy mix is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transmasculine people (TM) constitute an invisibilized group within the transgender population. Little is known about their relationship to sexuality in transgender medicine. Their presence and needs are still unacknowledged within HIV prevention research and services. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (or PrEP) is an oral medication that prevents HIV in HIV-negative individuals at risk of infection with the virus. This paper proposes to bring TM back into the focus of PrEP research by questioning how they navigate and situate themselves in relation to existing PrEP categorization and services, and how they think about and (re)shape the meanings of PrEP. It is based on the "interpretative descriptive" method and a transfeminist theoretical framework applied to the analysis of ten semi-structured interviews with TM conducted in France between 2019 and 2023. Findings show that PrEP is gendered. We identify specific barriers to getting PrEP as well as to access healthcare and we show that a cisnormative and homonormative approach to prevention generates them. PrEP use and PrEP disclosure are embedded in structural and symbolic power relations between cisgender and transgender MSM that are reflected in the intimate sphere. TM use PrEP to prevent sexual assault and to alleviate the difficulty of condom negotiation. PrEP comes into play following major changes in TM's sexualities and is integrated post-exposure. • Transgender men are excluded from the MSM populations targeted by PrEP. • The uses and non-uses of PrEP by transgender men reveal that PrEP is gendered. • PrEP for HIV reveals unequal power relations between trans and cisgender MSM. • PrEP is embedded in unique temporalities inherent in transgender men's transitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a context of massive renovation of residential buildings, stakeholders need decision-support models based on knowledge of the current building stock and accurate simulation of energy demand. This paper presents a new strategy for reducing energy consumption in the building sector, a key factor in combating climate change and promoting sustainability. We introduce an approach to (1) plan retrofits at community level, with a building resolution, for different years of an optimization period and (2) assist local authorities in selecting effective measures to improve the environmental performance of their building stock. The focus is on creating trajectory retrofit plans creation for a building stock with three main retrofit options: improving insulation, heating systems and hot water systems. We adapt a complex but linear approach, a type of problem-solving structure known as a multidimensional multiple-choice knapsack problem, which manages to handle a large number of possible retrofit combinations without becoming unwieldy. The planning process is streamlined as a single-objective optimization task that aims to reduce the total cost of retrofits by reducing their net present value. The efficiency of the model is demonstrated by simulating retrofit scenarios for 4,000 buildings in a French region to prove its ability to tackle large problems. France's targets for decarbonizing the residential sector are taken into account, with a target of reducing GHG emissions by a factor of 10 and a building stock consuming 80kWhEP/m2/year. The results show that these plans are feasible, but that they will require 50% of all buildings to undergo major renovation with abatement costs of around €200/tGES. Our practical application to an actual community demonstrates the model's ability to identify appropriate retrofitting measures and compile building data. • Development of an energy optimization framework integrating a linear simulation model. • Multi-stage optimization generalizing the knapsack problem for building renovation dynamics. • Bridging the gap in energy retrofit strategies by comparing decision-maker and model proposals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the value that households place on very high-speed internet access, explicitly focusing on the impact of eligibility for Fiber to the Home (FTTH) technology on property prices. Using a Spatial Discontinuity Design based on the border of fiber eligibility zones which have significantly expanded under France's Très Haut-Débit plan, I find that FTTH eligibility is a significant determinant of property prices, with an average increase of 0.9 percent. I also consider heterogeneities in FTTH valuation, accounting for socioeconomic characteristics, local factors, and the performance of legacy copper networks. These findings highlight the growing importance of fast and reliable broadband access for households and have important implications for policymakers and Internet service providers. • Analysis of household valuation of very high-speed broadband in France. • A spatial RDD shows that FTTH eligibility boosts property prices by 0.9 percent. • FTTH's higher value in rural areas calls for policy shifts to address digital divide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Evaluation of local void effect with deterministic calculation is very challenging. • An original 2-steps deterministic scheme is proposed using APOLLO3® code. • The subgroup selfshielding method gives the most accurate void effect estimation. • A combination of finestructure and Tone's selfshielding methods is calibrated. • A Local Flux Volume normalization of SPH equivalence coefficients is proposed. In some countries, as France, plutonium is used in industrial Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs), using Mixed Oxides (MOX) fuels. To avoid a reactivity increase during a loss of coolant accident, the plutonium content in a PWR is limited at 12 wt%. This limit, that have been determined in the early 1990 s using a very conservative approach, is a strong constraint on the possibility to stabilize the plutonium inventory. Thus, further studies are now conducted to refine the plutonium limit content in the fuel. One interesting case is the local moderator voiding, which could for instance occurs at the beginning of a core depressurization accident. To study this phenomenon, a 2-steps neutronic deterministic scheme is proposed in this paper, using the APOLLO3® code. It is shown that the choice of the selfshielding method to use at the lattice step has a strong influence on the precision of the calculation. It is shown that, as expected, the subgroup formalism is the more precise to cope with both nominal and voided configurations. However, methods relying on this formalism are numerically costly. The use of a method relying on the finestructure formalism allow to conserve a satisfying estimation of the void effect on the reactivity or the spatial distribution of energy-integrated reaction rates. Unfortunately, we show that those good results are due to compensation of large energetic biases in the nominal case. A combination of Tone's and finestructure selfshielding methods is presented. This method permit to strongly improve per-energetic-groups precision in the voided configuration compared to the method solely relying on the finestructure formalism, while drastically decreasing the numerical cost and duration compared to the subgroup method. The necessity to perform environed lattice calculation is demonstrated in the case of the voiding of a single assembly. A Local Flux Volume normalization of SPH coefficients is proposed to run equivalence calculation on this heterogeneous geometry. A method of characteristic solver is used for the flux calculation at the lattice step, while a S 8 transport calculation is performed at the core level, using pin-by-pin discretization and a 26-groups energy mesh. Finally, the precision of the calculation scheme is assessed by comparison to Monte Carlo calculation ran with TRIPOLI–4® on a two-dimensional clusters of assemblies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the development of bio-based thermal insulation panels from sunflower pith particles, which are an agricultural by-product, in the view to compete with the current petroleum-based counterparts. Sunflower pith is glued to a native starch, then moulded and dried. Three different starchy binders were tested: potato starch, wheat starch and pea starch. The results showed that the pea starch blocks were more resistant to water than the others. Formula optimisation showed that the right balance between efficiency and savings was achieved with a 7.5% (w/w) binder dilution in water, and a 10% (w/w) binder in the block. To further protect the bio-based material from liquid water and ensure its natural breathing, a waterproof coating was also investigated by selecting an alcoholic pine resin solution at 100 g/L and a bio-based commercial aqueous solution at 170 g/L, which did not adversely affect the water vapour diffusion properties of the pith blocks. The pith block now has very good thermal, mechanical and waterproof properties, close to those of a commercial expanded polystyrene panel. [Display omitted] • Sunflower stalk is an agricultural by-product largely available in France. • Honeycomb structure of pith from stalk makes it promising for thermal insulation. • Pith-based thermal insulation blocks glued with pea starch are the most resistant to water. • Waterproof coating of pith-based blocks protects them more from liquid water. • Optimal thermal insulation block from sunflower pith competes with expanded polystyrene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a pressing need for a fast and efficient satellite remote sensing tool to estimate coastal bathymetry for any coastline in the world. To date, satellite methods for deriving bathymetry have mainly focused on linking the radiometric response to a known water depth, as with SPOT, Landsat and Sentinel. Here, wave properties (static and dynamic) are approximated using the small time delay between the different color bands of Sentinel-2 to then calculate a depth using wave linear dispersion theory. In this paper, we present a spatial correlation method within the S2Shores (Satellites to Shores) Python toolbox: a processing chain/toolbox of coastal observations using methods applied to optical satellites. The resulting individual bathymetries are finally qualified according to the standards of the International Hydrographic Organization, anticipating their operational use. • S2Shores spatial-correlation method for optical satellite coastal observations. • Bathymetry qualified with the International Hydrographic Organization standards. • Wave characteristics from the time delay between spectral bands of Sentinel-2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]