Obituary- Guy Levavasseur (1951-2024)

International audienc

Value Components in Equestrian Self-Organization

International audienceAim: Self-organization in sport and leisure activities has increased in recent years but remains relatively unknown. This trend is also evident in equestrian activities, generating economic and societal challenges for institutions and professionals of the sector. Self-organization refers to the independent management of one or more tasks that could otherwise be subcontracted. For some practitioners, it is the result of a mismatch between their demand and the supply of available services. To better understand the determinants of equestrian self-organization, this article examines the consumer value associated with this choice.Question: The sports service, unlike material goods, involves an immaterial exchange contract requiring consumer participation. In this context, this article analyses the value components of sports self-organization, in the case of equestrian activities. Additionally, this exploratory research aims to understand which value components influence the overall value of self-organization and whether this overall value is also influenced by attachment to the animal and self-efficacy. Methodology: The methodology is based on a quantitative survey conducted online via social networks (Facebook, X - Twitter and Instagram) over six months in 2021, in France with 615 respondents. Structural equation models are used in the analysis. Results: The results reveal that attachment to the animal, self-efficacy, economic value, hedonic value, and ethical value associated with well-being are pivotal elements in the value of equestrian self-organization. Additionally, a novel component, transmission value, has been identified. This study also explores the influence of the perceived risk of error in equestrian self-organization. Originality: These findings offer insights for developing new managerial strategies for self-organized users, both in equestrian activities and the broader sports sector. This involves considering the consumers’ expectations of a practice that can be shared with loved ones and that is consistent with each parties' ethical concerns.Objectifs : L'auto-organisation dans les activités sportives et de loisirs a récemment augmenté mais reste peu connue. Cette tendance est la même dans les activités équestres, générant des enjeux économiques et sociétaux pour les institutions et les professionnels du secteur. L'autoorganisation consiste en l'organisation quotidienne, en autonomie, d'une ou plusieurs tâches qui pourraient être sous-traitées. Elle est la conséquence, pour certains pratiquants, d'une inadéquation entre leur demande et l'offre de services disponible. Afin de mieux comprendre les déterminants de l'auto-organisation équestre, cet article étudie la valeur de consommation associée à ce choix organisationnel. Problématique : Le service sportif, dissocié du bien matériel, est un contrat d'échange immatériel qui requiert la participation du consommateur. Dans ce contexte, cet article analyse les composantes de la valeur de l'auto-organisation sportive. En outre, cette recherche exploratoire vise à comprendre quelles composantes de la valeur influencent la valeur globale de l'auto-organisation, dans le cas des activités équestres, et si cette valeur globale est aussi influencée par l'attachement à l'animal et l'auto-efficacité. Méthodologie : La méthodologie repose sur une enquête quantitative réalisée en ligne via les réseaux sociaux (Facebook, X -Twitter et Instagram) pendant six mois en 2021, en France auprès de 615 répondants. L'analyse effectuée mobilise des modèles d'équations structurelles.Résultats : Les résultats montrent que l'attachement à l'animal, l'auto-efficacité, la valeur économique, la valeur hédonique, la valeur éthique liée au bien-être sont des composantes clés de la valeur de l'auto-organisation équestre. De plus, une nouvelle composante est mise en évidence par la valeur de transmission. Cette étude explore aussi l'effet des risques d'erreur perçus dans l'auto-organisation équestre.Originalité : Ces résultats ouvrent des perspectives pour de nouvelles stratégies managériales à destination des usagers auto-organisés, dans les activités équestres et plus généralement dans le domaine du sport, impliquant notamment une prise en compte des souhaits pour une pratique permettant une transmission à ses proches et un alignement avec ses préoccupations éthiques.</p

Identification of Toxoplasma gondii antigenic proteins using an in vivo approach and in silico investigation of their polymorphism

International audienceABSTRACT Toxoplasma gondii is a pathogen characterized by a large variety of strains whose virulence and clinical severity are likely linked to their genotype. Currently, the strains are genotyped using restriction fragment length polymorphism, multilocus sequence typing, and microsatellite markers. This typing requires the strain’s DNA, which is difficult to obtain. A serotyping test could overcome the constraints of genotyping, the challenge being to identify type-specific proteins. We identified immunogenic T. gondii proteins from co-immunoprecipitations for three tachyzoite strains (strain FOU from Africa 1 type, ME49 from Type II, and VEG from Type III) with hyperimmune murine sera and conducted an in silico polymorphism search for the identified proteins. A variant calling analysis was conducted on the next-generation sequencing sequences of 117 T. gondii isolates with the objective of identifying mutations present in the genes encoding the antigenic proteins previously identified. A total of 727 immunogenic proteins were identified, including 16% dense granule protein (GRA), rhoptry protein (ROP/RON), and surface antigen protein (SAG). Genetic analysis revealed the presence of 36 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in over 70% of isolates belonging to the same type, while less than 30% of isolates belonging to the other types exhibited these polymorphisms. Of these, only 15 are located on coding DNA sequence regions, while four are located on genes encoding apicomplexan proteins: two SNPs on the ROP5 gene and two on the ROP7 gene. The results of this study indicate that a significant number of T. gondii immunogenic proteins can be identified using an in vivo approach. The in silico study identified SNPs that could be genotype-specific. IMPORTANCE Toxoplasma gondii is a unique species that exhibits genotype diversity related to clinical virulence. Currently, genotyping is restricted, which limits epidemiological knowledge of the strains. To overcome this limitation, we aimed to develop serotyping tests. First, we used a murine in vivo , non-targeted experimental approach based on proteomics techniques through which we were able to identify a panel of more than 700 antigenic proteins from T. gondii . Then, we analyzed the polymorphism of these proteins using a whole-genome sequencing database containing the genomes of 117 genotyped strains. We showed that none of the 986 non-silent SNPs detected is specific to the strain type. The in vivo approach is the first that allowed the identification of such a large panel of antigenic proteins. Moreover, the polymorphism analysis, the first based on a large next-generation sequencing database, showed the limits that currently restrict the development of a serotyping technique

Misidentification of Raoultella spp. (R. terrigena, R. planticola) and Klebsiella spp. (K. variicola, K. grimontii) as Klebsiella pneumoniae: Retrospective study of a necropsy-associated bacterial collection from horses

International audienceMisidentifications as Klebsiella pneumoniae were observed during a French retrospective study of a necropsy-associated K. pneumoniae bacterial collection from horses. Accordingly, the present study aimed to further characterise the 12 Raoultella spp. and Klebsiella spp. strains involved in these misidentifications. The strains were identified and characterised using the Api 20E system, K. pneumoniae PCR detection, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectroscopy and whole-genome sequencing. Antimicrobial susceptibilities were tested by the disc diffusion method with a panel of 40 antibiotics. Thus, misidentifications as K. pneumoniae mainly concerned Raoultella spp. (R. terrigena, R. planticola) rather than Klebsiella spp. (K. variicola, K. grimontii), with a dominance of R. terrigena. Among the 12 strains, only K. grimontii was multi-drug resistant and none were considered hypervirulent. MALDI-TOF was sufficient to avoid misidentification but commercial spectra databases should be expanded with K. grimontii and R. terrigena reference spectra to improve identification accuracy. This is probably (i) the first report of K. grimontii and R. planticola isolations from horses and (ii) the second report of R. terrigena and K. variicola isolations from horses

First identification of Cryptosporidium parvum virus 1 (CSpV1) in various subtypes of Cryptosporidium parvum from humans and diarrheic calves, lambs and goat kids in France

International audienceCryptosporidium spp. remain a major cause of waterborne diarrhea and illness in developing countries and represent a significant burden to farmers worldwide. Cryptosporidium parvum virus 1 (CSpV1), of the genus Cryspovirus, was first reported to be present in the cytoplasm of C. parvum in 1997. Full-length genome sequences have been obtained from C. parvum from Iowa (Iowa), Kansas (KSU) and China. We aimed at characterizing the genome of CSpV1 from France and used sequence analysis from Cryptosporidium isolates to explore whether CSpV1 genome diversity varies over time, with geographical sampling location, with C. parvum genetic diversity, or with ruminant host species. A total of 123 fecal samples of cattle, sheep and goats were collected from 17 different French departments (57 diseased animal fecal samples and 66 healthy animal fecal samples). Subtyping analysis of the C. parvum isolates revealed the presence of two zoonotic subtypes families IIa and IId. Sequence analysis of CSpV1 revealed that all CSpV1 from France, regardless of the subtype of C. parvum (IIaA15G2R1, IIaA17G2R1 and IIdA18G1R1) are more closely related to CSpV1 from Turkey, and cluster on a distinct branch from CSpV1 collected from C. parvum subtype IIaA15G2R1 from Asia and North America. We also found that samples collected on a given year or successive years in given location are more likely to host the same subtype of C. parvum and the same CSpV1 strain. Yet, there is no distinct clustering of CSpV1 per French department or ruminants, probably due to trade, and transmission of C. parvum among host species. All together, these results provide insightful information regarding CSpV1 evolution and suggest the virus might be used as an epidemiological tracer for C. parvum. Future studies need to investigate CSpV1 role in C. parvum virulence and on subtype ability to infect different species

Modalités de contestation d’une prorogation du délai de péremption du commandement de payer valant saisie immobilière obtenue par requête

International audienc

Elaboration of p-type Ge doped MnSiy_y (1.73 &lt; y &lt; 1.77) thermoelectric legs with complex shapes by binder jetting additive manufacturing technique

International audienceThermoelectric legs with complex geometries exhibit high potential interest for fatal heat conversion into electricity due to higher thermal dissipation. Additive manufacturing (AM)is a solution of choice to decrease the manufacturing cost of thermoelectric legs that are historically requiring lengthy and costly fabrication processes and it gives the possibility of custom legs geometry. Nevertheless, microcracks and high porosity are commonly present by using this kind of process for thermoelectric materials leading to by limited performances. This work reports the possibility to manufacture n type Ge doped MnSi y (1.73 &lt; y &lt; 1.77) thermoelectric legs with various shapes without microcracks and with low porosity using the binder jetting AM technique followed by a Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) step. The Mn$_{15}$Si$_{26}$ phase in the samples is systematically present, the samples density can reach 98 %. A power factor of 1130 µW.m$^{-1}$K$^{-2}$ was reached at 350° C which is within the range of those obtained by the conventional technique of elaboration, proving that the material is not degraded using this novel route. It is mainly due to the good density and the absence of microcracks. Elaboration of legs with various geometry (cuboid and layered) was done to demonstrate the interest of this innovation manufacturing route. The benefit impact of the geometry was evaluated in term of voltages by a comparison measurement between a cuboid and a layered sample for which a remarkable gain of 16.5 % (at an applied temperature of 74.7° C) was obtained for the layered sample due to a better thermal dissipation

GenAI’s Impact on Global IT Management: A Multi-Expert Perspective and Research Agenda

International audienceGenerative AI (GenAI) is disrupting global IT management and challenging established practice. The increasing use of GenAI technology is redefining localization, transforming existing workforce roles, outsourcing strategy, and team dynamics. Simultaneously, GenAI’s security complexities have prompted the rethinking of existing risk frameworks to meet a new set of challenges from GenAI enhanced cyber threats. This article explores these complex and converging factors, providing a roadmap to address GenAI’s significant impact on global IT management. We advocate the responsible adoption of GenAI and importance of building resilient, value-driven, globally consistent IT ecosystems able to adapt to the significant challenges and opportunities from the use of GenAI

Leveraging Capital Networks for Entrepreneurial Success

International audienceThis study analyzes Iran's entrepreneurial ecosystem to identify key actors and collaborative networks that facilitate entrepreneurial performance and economic development. By employing social network analysis (SNA), we examined interactions among 1941 actors—comprising 1665 entrepreneurial businesses and 276 investors—and calculated 11 network analysis criteria for each. Using the Correlation Coefficient and Standard Deviation (CCSD) method to determine the significance of these criteria, the Additive Ratio Assessment (ARAS) method was applied to rank actors by their performance. Findings highlight closeness centrality as a pivotal factor, with early‐stage investors such as accelerators and incubators emerging as key enablers of entrepreneurial success, whereas venture capitalists and late‐stage investors played a less prominent role, reflecting potential weaknesses in exit strategies. Broader implications underscore the critical need to strengthen ties between universities, industries, and investors to foster a more resilient entrepreneurial ecosystem, with actionable insights for policymakers, entrepreneurs, and ecosystem stakeholders to optimize cooperation and innovation