Embedded Software of the KM3NeT Central Logic Board

International audienceThe KM3NeT Collaboration is building and operating two deep sea neutrino telescopes at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. The telescopes consist of latices of photomultiplier tubes housed in pressure-resistant glass spheres, called digital optical modules and arranged in vertical detection units. The two main scientific goals are the determination of the neutrino mass ordering and the discovery and observation of high-energy neutrino sources in the Universe. Neutrinos are detected via the Cherenkov light, which is induced by charged particles originated in neutrino interactions. The photomultiplier tubes convert the Cherenkov light into electrical signals that are acquired and timestamped by the acquisition electronics. Each optical module houses the acquisition electronics for collecting and timestamping the photomultiplier signals with one nanosecond accuracy. Once finished, the two telescopes will have installed more than six thousand optical acquisition nodes, completing one of the more complex networks in the world in terms of operation and synchronization. The embedded software running in the acquisition nodes has been designed to provide a framework that will operate with different hardware versions and functionalities. The hardware will not be accessible once in operation, which complicates the embedded software architecture. The embedded software provides a set of tools to facilitate remote manageability of the deployed hardware, including safe reconfiguration of the firmware. This paper presents the architecture and the techniques, methods and implementation of the embedded software running in the acquisition nodes of the KM3NeT neutrino telescopes

CEPC Technical Design Report -- Accelerator

International audienceThe Circular Electron Positron Collider (CEPC) is a large scientific project initiated and hosted by China, fostered through extensive collaboration with international partners. The complex comprises four accelerators: a 30 GeV Linac, a 1.1 GeV Damping Ring, a Booster capable of achieving energies up to 180 GeV, and a Collider operating at varying energy modes (Z, W, H, and ttbar). The Linac and Damping Ring are situated on the surface, while the Booster and Collider are housed in a 100 km circumference underground tunnel, strategically accommodating future expansion with provisions for a Super Proton Proton Collider (SPPC). The CEPC primarily serves as a Higgs factory. In its baseline design with synchrotron radiation (SR) power of 30 MW per beam, it can achieve a luminosity of 5e34 /cm^2/s^1, resulting in an integrated luminosity of 13 /ab for two interaction points over a decade, producing 2.6 million Higgs bosons. Increasing the SR power to 50 MW per beam expands the CEPC's capability to generate 4.3 million Higgs bosons, facilitating precise measurements of Higgs coupling at sub-percent levels, exceeding the precision expected from the HL-LHC by an order of magnitude. This Technical Design Report (TDR) follows the Preliminary Conceptual Design Report (Pre-CDR, 2015) and the Conceptual Design Report (CDR, 2018), comprehensively detailing the machine's layout and performance, physical design and analysis, technical systems design, R&D and prototyping efforts, and associated civil engineering aspects. Additionally, it includes a cost estimate and a preliminary construction timeline, establishing a framework for forthcoming engineering design phase and site selection procedures. Construction is anticipated to begin around 2027-2028, pending government approval, with an estimated duration of 8 years. The commencement of experiments could potentially initiate in the mid-2030s

From dome to duplex: Convergent gravitational collapse explains coeval intracratonic doming and nappe tectonics, central Australia

International audienceIn central Australia, an apparently coeval gneiss dome (Entia Dome) developed adjacent to a thrust belt (Arltunga Nappe Complex) within an intracratonic setting. Here we employ a combination of fieldwork, geochronology, and numerical modeling to investigate the structure and tectonic evolution of these features. We present a structural model linking an extensional domain comprising the Entia Dome, across a transitional zone containing the Bruna décollement zone and the Illogwa shear zone, into a contractional zone comprising thrusts and duplexes of the Arltunga Nappe Complex. Supported by numerical modeling, we propose a tectonic model in which the dome and nappe complex formed synchronously because of the convergent gravitational collapse of the 30−40-km-deep Paleozoic Harts Range rift

Identifying generic proxies for assessing ecosystem properties and conservation status of semi-natural grasslands

International audienceDespite the recommendations of the 1992 European Habitat Directive regarding the evaluation of the conser-vation status of ecosystems, information on ecosystem functioning is still poorly integrated in long-term moni-toring of European semi-natural grasslands. We investigated how to evaluate several ecosystem properties inrelation to services provided by grasslands - plant and litter biomass and chemical composition, soil C and Ncontent – by identifying non-destructive proxies involving little or no additional field sampling effort, orcalculated from vegetation species composition. These proxies need to be i) informative, i.e. that can be used toapproach one or more ecosystem properties based on linear or non-linear relationship models, and ii) generic, i.e.applicable across a wide range of semi-natural grassland habitats and environmental conditions. Based on a largeset of field data collected in a variety of semi-natural grasslands in France, we showed that good proxies forecosystem properties can be identified when the range of climate or soil moisture conditions was reduced. Thissuggests that these environmental factors influenced the functional pattern of semi-natural grassland ecosystems.The majority of proxies identified so far, including the community weighted mean of leaf dry matter content(LDMCCWM), the height of the herb layer, and litter thickness, are linked to ecosystem properties through non-linear relationships. They are generic in that they are applicable to several grassland habitat types. The heightof the herb layer reflects standing plant biomass relatively well, but different non-linear models have to be useddepending on climate and soil moisture conditions. Calculating LDMCCWM from species composition data pro-vides a good approximation of the digestibility and P content of plant biomass. Similarly, litter thickness can beused to approach the digestibility and K content of plant biomass in wet grasslands. No generic proxy was foundto approximate litter and soil characteristics across the wide range of grasslands habitats under study. Byidentifying generic and low-constraint proxies for several ecosystem properties, this work provides guidelines forassessing the functioning of semi-natural grasslands - a key criterion of their conservation status - with limitedadditional field effort and cost compared to plant community monitoring programs

Set estimation under dependence

In this paper, we survey and generalize results on the R-convex hull of the points of a random sample. We provide explicit convergence rates for the R-convex hull and its natural plug-ins, as estimators of the support S , its volume, perimeter, and level-sets of a multidimensional density , when the underlying sequence is strictly stationary and admits some kind of weak dependence condition. We obtain convergence rates that exceed those obtained in the i.i.d. case, depending on the dependence condition

Effect of salivary fluid characteristics on the physical features of in vitro bread bolus: from the absence of saliva to artificially simulated hypersalivation

International audienceSaliva facilitates food oral processing, bolus formation, swallowing, and sensory perception, in addition to contributing to oral health and phonation. Ageing, health affections, and polymedication are among many causes altering salivary production, modifying the mastication process, the food impregnation ratio, and in turn altering the characteristics of the bolus, swallowing, and digestion. In this in vitro work, using the AM2 masticator apparatus, which replicates the mechanical actions taking place while chewing solid foods and produces realistic food bolus in various oral conditions, we investigated the effect of salivary fluid characteristics, i.e., composition, quantity (from absence to hypersalivation), temperature, and enzymatic action, on the physical characteristics (i.e., particle size distribution (PSD), bolus mass, salivary fluid content) of in vitro boluses of Traditional French baguette.A ready-to-swallow bolus of baguette displayed on average a d50 value (median particle size by mass) of 4.1 ± 0.4 mm, with saliva fluid constituting ~35% of the final bolus mass. The absence of saliva in mouth led to a deficient oral processing, forming bread boluses constituted by extremely big particles (ca. 80% of particles had a size >7.1 mm) that likely cannot be swallowed safely. On the contrary, an excess of saliva favoured an excessive breaking down of bread, leading to bread boluses constituted by smaller particles than those formed under healthy salivary conditions (d50 decreased from 4.1 mm to 3.1 mm), having a higher salivary fluid content (+10%). On the other hand, the salivary fluid temperature did not affect PSD, d50, bolus mass, or salivary fluid content of in vitro bread boluses, however, the addition of human salivary α-amylase did, favouring particle size reduction (d50 decreased to 2.6 mm). Therefore, beyond the correlation between bolus hydration by saliva and food properties such as hardness and moisture content, our findings indicate that the quantity of salivary fluid present in the oral cavity and the enzymatic activity of salivary α-amylase during bread mastication significantly influence both the particle size distribution and the fluid content of bread boluses, ultimately determining the physical properties of the bolus and, therefore, potentially impacting the subsequent swallowing process

Marine biodegradation of tailor-made polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) influenced by the chemical structure and associated bacterial communities

International audienceOver recent years, biodegradable polymers have been proposed to reduce environmental impacts of plastics for specific applications. The production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) by using diverse carbon sources provides further benefits for the sustainable development of biodegradable plastics. Here, we present the first study evaluating the impact of physical, chemical and biological factors driving the biodegradability of various tailor-made PHAs in the marine environment. Our multidisciplinary approach demonstrated that the chemical structure of the polymer (i.e. the side chain size for short- vs. medium-chain PHA) which was intrinsically correlated to the physico-chemical properties, together with the specificity of the biofilm growing on plastic films (i.e. the associated ‘plastisphere’) were the main drivers of the PHA biodegradation in the marine environment

Conversations with Ben Okri

International audienceConversations with Ben Okri collects twenty-six interviews that range from 1986 to 2023 and reflect the international resonance of Nigerian writer Ben Okri's work. The reader is given access to the various phases of Okri’s life and career, beginning with his childhood (b. 1959) and upbringing in Nigeria and the publication of his early short stories and novels. The interviews also explore the tremendous success of The Famished Road (for which Okri became the first Black African writer to receive the Booker Prize in 1991) and the dazzling creativity of his subsequent work in a multiplicity of literary genres. The volume offers insight into the writer’s creative process and his unique views on literature, history, memory, politics, freedom, spirituality, and environmental issues. The conversations often veer into fascinating philosophical discussions about the nature of art and reality, the value of myth, and the dynamics of storytelling.Since the publication of his first novel in 1980, Okri has encouraged his readers to open their minds and eyes to new modes of perceiving reality. Convinced of the universality of art, he has been intent on redreaming the world from a variety of perspectives in poems, essays, short stories, novels, and plays written over a period of more than forty years. Throughout his career, Ben Okri has never stopped experimenting with new forms, creating the stoku (a mixture of short story and haiku), endowing his fictional and nonfictional creations with poetic undertones, and collaborating with visual artists, musicians, and dancers

Comprendre comment on traduit Homère en France, du XVIe au XXe siècle

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Dépôt de projet ERC Synergy Grant : HERODOTools (en cours d'évaluation)

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