Novel nanostructured transparent Na2O–Al2O3–SiO2 carnegieite-based glass ceramics with high crystallinity

International audienceDeveloping next-generation cover glasses with high crystallinity and transmittance, such as transparent nanocrystalline Na2O–Al2O3–SiO2 (NAS) glass, has proved highly challenging. Herein, we propose a novel nanostructured transparent NAS glass–ceramic with high crystallinity (65 %) and transmittance (91 %) owing to the involved separation of crystallization peaks and the diffusion barrier properties of ZrO2. Compared with untreated glass, this glass-ceramic shows a considerable increase in hardness (from 5.18 to 7.15 GPa, i.e. >38 %). With the increased crystallinity, no substantial reduction in transmission is detected and the crystal type and size can be effectively controlled by the limitation of ZrO2. Hence, the findings project a novel method for creating high crystallinity and transmittance, providing new directions for transparent NAS glass–ceramic

Le blues au-delà des émotions : philosophie de l'expression musicale

International audienceWhen we talk about the blues, music and emotions are presented as two sides of the same coin: rarely perceived as a simple sound form, the blues is above all apprehended as an emotional expression, putting the individual's suffering and sorrow at the center. Nevertheless, this way of conceiving the music, centered on emotion and sensitivity, is stereotypical to say the least: the expressiveness of the blues actually goes far beyond subjective phenomena and private experiences. The aim of this book is to give pride of place to the rational mechanisms and intellectual benefits that this music can bring. On the one hand, the expressiveness of the blues depends less on felt emotions than on classificatory skills and reflective categorization processes emanating from the listener. On the other hand, the blues is not just an object of pleasure: it is also a tool for understanding the world, a language for illuminating certain aspects of reality - in short, a form of thought that can provide us with truths about existence.Lorsqu’on parle du blues, musique et émotions sont présentées comme les deux faces d’une même pièce : rarement perçu comme simple forme sonore, le blues est surtout appréhendé comme expression émotionnelle, mettant au centre les souffrances et les peines de l’individu. Néanmoins, cette manière de concevoir la musique, centrée sur l’émotion et la sensibilité, est pour le moins stéréotypée : l’expressivité du blues va, en réalité, bien au-delà de phénomènes subjectifs et d’expériences privés. Le but de ce livre est de faire la part belle aux mécanismes rationnels et aux bénéfices intellectuels que cette musique peut apporter. D’une part, l’expressivité du blues dépend moins d’émotions ressenties que de compétences classificatoires et de processus de catégorisation réfléchis qui émanent de l’auditeur. D’autre part, le blues n’est pas seulement un objet de plaisir : il est également un outil de compréhension du monde, un langage permettant d’éclairer certains aspects de la réalité – bref, une forme de pensée pouvant nous apporter des vérités sur l’existence

Ultrafast Structural Dynamics of a Photoexcited Mn‐Fe Charge‐Transfer Material in the Polaronic and Phase Transition regimes

International audienceThe Rb0.94Mn0.94Co0.06[Fe(CN)6]0.98 material was designed to exhibit a 75 K wide thermal hysteresis around room temperature, associated with a bistability between the low temperature MnIIIFeII tetragonal phase and the high temperature MnIIFeIII cubic phase. We have recently shown that a single laser pulse can be used to drive, at room temperature, the photoinduced phase transition from the MnIIIFeII tetragonal phase to the MnIIFeIII cubic phase. By using a specific powder sample streaming technique, we could monitor by time‐resolved X‐ray diffraction how the ultrafast out‐of‐equilibrium dynamics, imposed by the structural relaxation around the local photoinduced charge transfer, changes with the fluence of the laser pulse. In this paper we present a detailed structural analysis of the crystalline reorganizations associated with the charge‐transfer in different regimes of photoexcitation. In the low excitation polaronic regime, the photoinduced charge transfer is local and accompanied by anisotropic distortion of the Mn coordination sphere and of the tetragonal lattice. In the high excitation regime, a macroscopic and cooperative charge‐transfer phase transition occurs towards the cubic lattice, where the coordination around the Mn reaches octahedral symmetry

RIS-Enabled NLoS Near-Field Joint Position and Velocity Estimation under User Mobility

International audienceIn the context of single-base station (BS) non-line-of-sight (NLoS) single-epoch localization with the aid of a reflective reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS), this paper introduces a novel three-step algorithm that jointly estimates the position and velocity of a mobile user equipment (UE), while compensating for the Doppler effects observed in near-field (NF) at the RIS elements over the short transmission duration of a sequence of downlink (DL) pilot symbols. First, a low-complexity initialization procedure is proposed, relying in part on far-field (FF) approximation and a static user assumption. Then, an alternating optimization procedure is designed to iteratively refine the velocity and position estimates, as well as the channel gain. The refinement routines leverage small angle approximations and the linearization of the RIS response, accounting for both NF and mobility effects. We evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm through extensive simulations under diverse operating conditions with regard to signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), UE mobility, uncontrolled multipath and RIS-UE distance. Our results reveal remarkable performance improvements over the state-of-the-art (SoTA) mobility-agnostic benchmark algorithm, while indicating convergence of the proposed algorithm to respective theoretical bounds on position and velocity estimation

Comparison of the effect of different types of looming visual stimuli on crayfish Procambarus alleni : Creation of a new behavioural test

International audienceIn the wild, predator detection is crucial for survival and triggers antipredator behaviours such as freezing, fleeing or fighting, which require an operant locomotor system under the control of the sensorimotor functions. Also, Emotional states are known to affect the antipredator responses and its intensity. On various taxa, virtual looming visual stimuli elicit defensive behavioural responses. The looming test thus appears to be a promising tool for investigating the link between emotional-like states and antipredator behaviours in crayfish Procambarus alleni. In this study, we tested different shape, size and speed of stimuli to measure the intensity of crayfish antipredator behavioural responses. As a result, we report which stimulus is the more efficient to elicit antipredator behaviour. Within the project DepIn we aim to shed light on emotional state changes and particularly the depression in invertebrate. Thus to understand, describe and, later, validate depression-like states in crayfish, it is necessary to develop behavioural tests indicative of emotional states, such as the looming test. As chronic stress exposure can induce depression-like states, we compared the behavioural responses induced by looming stimuli in crayfish after chronic stress exposure

L’ensemble monumental du Pâtis à Vieillevigne (Loire-Atlantique) : un nouvel exemple de complexe sur cour laténien en Gaule

International audienceA preventive excavation carried out in 2020 prior to a quarry extension project at Vieillevigne (Loire-Atlantique) enabled us to study almost the entirety of a Gallic monumental complex. It consists of a square enclosure measuring 83 m along each side, inside which a large building comprising four galleries around a courtyard was identified. This remarkable discovery is one of a small number of similar courtyard complexes uncovered in Gaul over the past thirty years. The scarcity of artifacts and our lack of knowledge about the complex’s immediate environment preclude any definite statements about the activities that took place there. It can nevertheless be considered a rare example of La Tène public architecture, at least for communal or community use. After a period of reoccupation, of an unknown nature, in the 1st century AD, a road was probably laid there towards the end of that century. It may have led to a roman sanctuary, subsequent to a Gallic settlement identified a few dozen metres west of the excavation site.Une fouille préventive menée en 2020 en préalable à un projet d’extension de carrière à Vieillevigne (Loire-Atlantique) a permis d’étudier la presque totalité d’un ensemble monumental gaulois. Celui-ci est constitué d’un enclos carré de 83 m de côté, à l’intérieur duquel un vaste bâtiment sur cour avec galeries périphériques a été identifié. Cette découverte remarquable s’insère dans une série restreinte d’ensembles sur cour similaires mis au jour en Gaule depuis une trentaine d’années. L’indigence du mobilier et la méconnaissance de l’environnement immédiat du complexe empêchent de s’avancer sur les activités qui y étaient pratiquées. Il constitue cependant un exemple rare d’architecture publique laténienne, du moins à usage collectif ou communautaire. Après une réoccupation de nature indéterminée au Ier s. apr. J.-C., une voie est implantée probablement vers la fin de ce siècle. Son débouché pourrait être un sanctuaire antique, succédant à une occupation laténienne, identifié à quelques dizaines de mètres à l’ouest de l’emprise de fouille

Finite Budget Allocation Improvement in Ranking and Selection

International audienceThis paper introduces a new perspective on the problem of finite sample Ranking and Selection. An asymptotically equivalent approximation to the probability of correct selection in terms of power series is derived beyond the classic large deviations principle that has been widely adopted for the design and measurement of allocation policies. The novel approximation method provides more information on the finite sample performance of allocation policies, based on which a new finite computing budget allocation policy is proposed. The asymptotically equivalent approximation may also serve as an estimate of policy performance after allocating the samples. We develop a simple finite computing budget allocation policy based on our approximation and carry out experiments in various settings to show its superiority

Les relations humain-animal : éthologie animale et humaine. Dans Ethologie Animale 3nde édition

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Treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis in adults: An expert consensus statement using a Delphi method to produce a decision-making algorithm

International audienceBackground: New highly effective drugs for moderate-to-severe cutaneous psoriasis are regularly marketed, and the hierarchy of treatments thus requires frequent review.Objectives: A Delphi method was used to enable a structured expert consensus on the use of systemic treatments and phototherapy among adults with moderate-to-severe psoriasis.Methods: The Delphi method consists in achieving a convergence of opinions among a panel of experts using several rounds of questionnaires with controlled feedback between rounds. A two-part Delphi questionnaire was administered online to French psoriasis experts. In the first part, 180 items related to the prescription of systemic treatments and phototherapy for adult patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis were grouped into 21 sections covering different lines of treatment and different forms of cutaneous psoriasis. The experts voted on each proposal using an ordinal 7-point Likert scale. The second part comprised 11 open-ended questions about special indications for each therapeutic class. These were converted into 101 questions for subsequent rounds. Consensus was deemed to have been reached if more than 80% of the experts agreed with a given proposal.Results: Three rounds of questionnaires were sequentially sent to 35 participants between November 2021 and March 2022. Thirty-three (94%) completed all three rounds. For plaque psoriasis, only methotrexate was recommended by the experts as first-line systemic treatment (89% of votes). Cyclosporin was advocated in pustular and erythrodermic psoriasis, and acitretin was suggested for hyperkeratotic and palmoplantar psoriasis. In the event of failure of or intolerance to non-biological systemic treatments, guselkumab, risankizumab, ixekizumab or secukinumab were recommended by more than 80% of the experts. Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) inhibitors remain useful for patients with cardiovascular risk factors. Special indications were provided for each therapeutic class (methotrexate/narrowband ultraviolet B phototherapy, psoralen/ultraviolet A phototherapy, cyclosporin, acitretin, apremilast, TNF inhibitors, interleukin (IL)-12/23 inhibitors, IL-17(R)A inhibitors, and IL-23 inhibitors).Conclusions: This expert consensus statement indicate that newly available IL-17 and IL-23 inhibitors may be favored over TNF and IL-12/23 inhibitors as first-line biologics. The Centre of Evidence of the French Society of Dermatology has drawn up a decision-making algorithm to guide clinicians in the therapeutic management of moderate-to-severe psoriasis

Polymères de coordination hétérolanthanides luminescents - Caractéristiques et applications

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