Artisanal mining in Africa. Green for Gold?

International audienceThe livelihoods of 130 to 270 million people depend on artisanal mining. Artisanal mining is a labour-intensive, often illegal, extractive activity. We combine geological knowledge and a source of exogenous temporal variation to construct the first proxy for artisanal gold mining in Africa—the main form of artisanal mining. We establish that an increase in the potential value of artisanal mining is a significant driver of deforestation. The historical increase in the gold price accounts for 8% of forest loss across the continent and, within the subset of gold-suitable areas, 28 %. In parallel, artisanal mining increases local economic wealth and may provide an alternative livelihood should a weather shock jeopardise agricultural output. Finally, mining-induced deforestation seems rooted more in the direct clearing of trees for the activity than in indirect deforestation triggered by increased local demand

Bridging Textual Data and Conceptual Models: A Model-Agnostic Structuring Approach

Awarded Best Paper Award from BDA 2025 committeeNational audienceWe introduce an automated method for structuring textual data into a model-agnostic schema, enabling alignment with any database model. It generates both a schema and its instance. Initially, textual data is represented as semantically enriched syntax trees, which are then refined through iterative tree rewriting and grammar extraction, guided by the attribute grammar meta-model \metaG. The applicability of this approach is demonstrated using clinical medical cases as a proof of concept

The Borrowing of Fictional Elements: An Easy Access to the Realms of SciFi and Fantasy?

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D’un anniversaire à l’autre. Que reste-t-il de ‘Mai 68’ chez les socialistes français ? (1978-2008)

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Vulnérabilité en situation

International audienceOriginally intended to protect people in fragile situations, the concept of vulnerability has become so prevalent in political, social and scientific discourse that it risks losing its operational value. It was thus necessary to clarify the social implications and linguistic issues involved, by conducting research in settings where people considered to be vulnerable are concentrated (prisons, hospitals, medical-social institutions, etc.).The contributions to this book study situations in which people encounter difficulties related to illness, dependence, exclusion, social invisibility or precariousness. The discursive modalities through which vulnerability is created, transformed or exacerbated in our social relations were examined, with the hope of contributing to the emergence of other forms of social ties or solidarity.Catégorie destinée à l’origine à protéger les personnes en situation de fragilité, la vulnérabilité a tellement investi les discours politiques, sociaux et scientifiques qu’elle court le risque de perdre sa valeur opératoire. Il était donc nécessaire d’en préciser les enjeux sociaux et langagiers, en enquêtant dans des lieux regroupant des publics considérés comme vulnérables (prison, hôpital, établissement médico-social…).Les contributions de cet ouvrage ont étudié les situations dans lesquelles des personnes rencontrent des difficultés liées à la maladie, la dépendance, l’exclusion, l’invisibilité sociale ou la précarité. Ont été scrutées les modalités discursives par lesquelles se crée, se transforme ou s’exacerbe la vulnérabilité dans nos relations sociales – en espérant ainsi contribuer à faire exister d’autres formes de lien social ou de solidarité

Development and characterization of a chicory extract fermented by Akkermansia muciniphila: An in vitro study on its potential to modulate obesity-related inflammation

International audienceObesity, the fifth leading cause of death globally and linked to chronic low-grade inflammation and development of numerous severe pathologies, is a major public health problem. Fermented foods, probiotics, and postbiotics emerge as promising avenues for combating obesity and inflammation. The aim of our study was to develop and characterize phyto-postbiotics corresponding to prebiotic compounds fermented by gut bacteria, which could act on obesity and related-inflammation. Chicory extract fermented by Akkermansia muciniphila (C-Akm) was selected as the most antioxidant of 20 fermented extracts. The identification of metabolites derived from C-Akm extract has enabled us to detect mostly amino acids, acids, and some polyphenols (daidzein and genistein). The anti-inflammatory and anti-obesity activities of C-Akm extract were studied by testing the extract (50 μg/mL) on the polarization of THP-1 into macrophages, the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines in LPS-stimulated PBMCs, and the secretion of leptin and adiponectin in adipospheroids derived from human adipose stem cells. Finally, the extract was examined in 3D co-culture model mimicking inflamed obese adipose tissue. We found that C-Akm extract decreased ROS generation, TNF-α and Il-6 gene expression in polarized macrophages, INFγ and IL-17A secretion in LPS-stimulated PBMCs stimulated with LPS. It also decreased leptin expression while increasing adiponectin and HSL expression levels in both adipocytes and co-cultures. In addition, C-Akm extract stimulated adiponectin secretion in the co-culture model. Finally, our in vitro investigations demonstrated the potential benefits of C-Akm extract in the prevention and treatment of obesity-related inflammation

Influence of the sequential purification of biomass-derived carbon dots on their colloidal and optical properties

International audienceThe purification of photoluminescent carbon dots has a strong impact on their applications, making rigorous protocols necessary to isolate them. In this work, a sequential filtration process was implemented on photoluminescent carbon dots synthesized by a microwave-assisted hydrothermal treatment of an agricultural waste, achieving good effectiveness and higher yields compared to chromatographic purification approaches. Filtration membranes of different cut-offs were carefully selected considering the by-products from the biomass decomposition. The synthetic route allowed the preparation of carbon dots with average particle sizes of 3.5 nm, composed of a graphitic-like core decorated with oxygen and nitrogen moieties. Dynamic light scattering measurements of the suspensions revealed higher aggregation of the nanoparticles in the least purified samples. This also influences the photoluminescence emission properties due to self-absorbing and quenching effects. The thermal characterization of the solids recovered after each filtration step has shown (for the least purified samples) the presence of fragments assigned to molecules arising from an incomplete hydrothermal transformation of the precursor. The aqueous suspension of the carbon dots recovered after the most purified protocol displayed a notorious emission upon excitation at 375 nm, confirming that the carbon dots are responsible for the observed optical features. These results highlight the importance of an adequate purification process of carbon dots obtained from complex precursors (such as biomass), to avoid bias interpretation of their photoluminescence properties.</div

Higher plasma concentrations of von Willebrand factor in women than in men during both the acute and chronic phases of HIV infection

International audienceObjectives: Chronic HIV infection is associated with increased cardiovascular risk, presumably due to the impact of chronic inflammation and immune activation on the vascular endothelium. We explored endothelial activation markers in chronically infected people with HIV (PWH) under antiretroviral therapy (ART) or with spontaneous viral control. Design: Studies on 50 samples collected from HIV controllers (HIC), 50 ART-treated participants (ART) (median duration of infection: 8 years) enrolled in cohort studies and 50 uninfected individuals. Forty-five additional samples collected during primary HIV infection (PHI) were also included. Method: The plasma levels of endothelial activation markers (vWF, sICAM-1, sVCAM-1, sE-Selectin, angiopoietin-1, angiopoietin-2) were determined by ELISA. Multivariate analyses were performed with adjustment for traditional confounding factors for cardiovascular diseases. Results: In univariate analysis, vWF and sICAM-1 concentrations were higher in PWH than in uninfected individuals. A sex-stratified analysis revealed higher vWF levels in ART-treated women than in HIC and uninfected women and ART-treated men. A sex-specific profile was also observed for sVCAM-1 that was higher in ART-treated women than in HIC and uninfected women, whereas no such pattern was observed in men. sICAM-1 levels were higher in male and female PWH, but this effect was essentially modulated by confounding factors. A sex-related impact on vWF and sVCAM-1 concentrations was also detected in PHI. Conclusion: vWF concentrations were higher in ART-treated women but not in men. This may reflect sex-differences in the sensitivity of the vascular endothelium during HIV infection. These results argue for closer cardiovascular monitoring in women living with HIV

The Age-at-death Profile of Burial Sites in Mainland Southeast Asia: A Funerary Perspective

International audienceAge-at-death profiles of individuals from cemeteries are commonly used to indirectly study health and demographic fluctuations in bioarchaeological studies. In this paper, we consider a large dataset, comprising 18 well-dated sites from Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar, spanning the Neolithic to the Iron Age, to investigate age-biased patterns. We challenge the assumption that such patterns are solely due to underlying demography, incomplete excavation or selective preservation of certain skeletons. We argue that age-related anomalies are linked at least in part to the funerary and social dimensions of these sites. By using age-at-death profiles, we demonstrate that age-based selection takes part in the overall funerary behaviour of a given culture, although other influences, such as demographic fluctuations and diseases, may play a determining role at given locales and at different time periods.Les profils d’âge au décès des individus dans les cimetières sont couramment utilisés pour étudier indirectement la santé et les fluctuations démographiques dans les études bioarchéologiques. Dans cet article, nous examinons un vaste ensemble de données comprenant 18 sites bien datés de Thaïlande, du Viêt Nam, du Cambodge et du Myanmar, allant du Néolithique à l’âge du Fer, afin d’étudier les tendances liées à l’âge. Nous remettons en question l’hypothèse selon laquelle ces schémas sont uniquement dus à la démographie sous-jacente, à des fouilles incomplètes ou à la préservation sélective de certains squelettes. Nous soutenons que les anomalies liées à l’âge sont liées, au moins en partie, aux dimensions funéraires et sociales de ces sites. En utilisant des profils d’âge au décès, nous démontrons que la sélection basée sur l’âge participe au comportement funéraire global d’une culture donnée, bien que d’autres influences, telles que les fluctuations démographiques et les maladies, puissent jouer un rôle déterminant dans des lieux donnés et à des périodes différentes

Comparison queries generation using mathematical programming for exploratory data analysis

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