Introduction. L’objet mérovingien de sa fabrication à son exposition. Les 43e Journées internationales de l’AFAM en Wallonie

Introduction aux Actes des 43e Journées internationales de l’Association française d'archéologie mérovingienne en Wallonie

Tactile Stimuli on the Fingers are coded on Canonical Hand Maps

An unexpected touch on the shoulder immediately triggers an orienting response towards the touched location. Although this reaction seems automatic, localizing touch is more complex than we might think. In the somatosensory cortex, tactile stimuli are initially coded independently of body posture. According to a well-established view, stimuli are further coded on an on-line representation of the body in its current posture, using external coordinates, a process called tactile remapping. However, recently, an alternative account emerged, according to which stimuli are rather coded on a stored representation of the body in its default posture. To uncover the representation used to localize stimuli, we recorded the spontaneous gaze behavior of participants receiving tactile stimuli on the fingers of their right hand placed in different configurationspostures. When comparing the gaze pattern in palms-down and palms-up postures, the gaze direction was determined by the external position of stimuli, supporting the tactile remapping account. However, when the hand was in a neutral posture, the gaze pattern revealed a palm-down representation, and crossing the hand to the left of the body shifted the gaze rightward, clearly supporting the default posture account. Furthermore, when the five fingers were stimulated, the representation reflected in gaze behavior was centered on the middle finger, whereas it was centered on the ring finger when only the last three fingers were stimulated. Taken together, our results show that tactile stimuli activate canonical representations of the body in its usual positions, and these representations are centered on the stimulated area

Energy Planning Toward Absolute Environmental Sustainability: Key Decisions and Actionable Insights Through Interpretable Machine Learning

Energy planning models traditionally support the energy transition by focusing on cost-optimized solutions that limit greenhouse gas emissions. However, this narrow focus risks burden-shifting, where reducing emissions increases other environmental pressures, such as freshwater use, solv-ing one problem while creating others. Therefore, we integrated Planetary Boundary-based Life Cycle Assessment (PB-LCA) into energy planning to identify solutions that respect absolute envi-ronmental sustainability limits. However, integrating PB-LCA into energy planning introduces chal-lenges, such as adopting distributive justice principles, interpreting trade-offs across PB indicator impacts, and managing subjective weighting in the objective function. To address these, we em-ployed weight screening and interpretable machine learning to extract key decisions and action-able insights from the numerous quantitative solutions generated. Preliminary results for a single weighting scenario show that the transition scenario exceeds several PB thresholds, particularly for ecosystem quality and mineral resource depletion, underscoring the need for a balanced weighting scheme. Next, we will apply screening and machine learning to pinpoint key decisions and provide actionable insights for achieving absolute environmental sustainability

What agronomic and environmental factors drive coffee yield in Burundi? A country-wide study.

Arabica coffee accounts for 70 % of Burundi's trade income. However, production has been steadily declining. The objective of this study was therefore to identify the agronomic and environmental factors driving coffee yield on smallholder farms across Burundi. For this purpose, a diagnostic survey was conducted on 155 coffee plantations across three key agroecological zones: Mumirwa, the Humid Central Plateau, and the Dry Central Plateau. Data collection included plot and management characteristics, soil fertility variables, and yield. Yield surveys were conducted over two successive years to account for production cyclicity. Principal component analysis, random forest and boundary line analysis were used for data analysis. Average yields of washed merchant coffee were 887 kg ha−1 for Mumirwa, 1115 kg ha−1 for the Humid Central Plateau, and 1268 kg ha−1 for the Dry Central Plateau, with maximum yields reaching 1891, 2533, and 2262 kg ha−1, respectively. Based on the random forest analysis, soil organic carbon, mulch thickness and soil magnesium content were the most important variables for explaining yield. On average, Burundi’s coffee plantations experience a 59 % yield deficit. The most yield-limiting factors included inadequate weeding and mulching, aging plantations, soil acidity, as well as phosphorus, exchangeable bases and soil organic carbon content. These factors varied across regions. Renewal of plantations, better management practices, and addressing specific soil fertility issues are key to improve yields, for which the study proposes revised norms. The study also highlighted the importance of considering coffee yield cyclicity to avoid misidentifying yield-limiting factors

Introducing Card Games in Ludii

This thesis presents the design and implementation of card game support within the Ludii General Game System. Ludii is a digital platform designed for modeling, analyzing, and playing a wide variety of traditional and modern games. While the system has demonstrated remarkable success in handling board games, tile games, and other spatial game formats, the integration of card games presents unique challenges due to their distinct mechanics, hidden information requirements, and complex rule structures. This work addresses the fundamental question of how to extend Ludii’s game description language and underlying architecture to accommodate the specific needs of card games. We propose a comprehensive framework that handles card-specific concepts such as hands, decks, shuffling, dealing, and information asymmetry while maintaining compatibility with Ludii’s existing game modeling paradigms. The research methodology involved analyzing existing card game implementations, identifying common patterns and mechanics across different card game families, and developing a unified representation that can express these concepts within Ludii’s rule-based framework. We implemented support for various card game types, from simple trick-taking games to complex collectible card games, demonstrating the flexibility and expressiveness of our approach. The results show that our implementation successfully integrates card games into Ludii while preserving the system’s core strengths: automated game analysis, AI player generation, and cross-platform compatibility. This extension significantly broadens Ludii’s applicability and opens new avenues for digital game research and development

Analysis of treatment benefits and prognostic factors for posttransplant HCC recurrence in a large Euro-American-Asian cohort.

Posttransplant HCC recurrence significantly impacts survival, yet its management is challenging due to limited evidence. With recent advancements in HCC treatment, updated data on managing recurrent diseases are needed. In this retrospective study across 6 centers (2000-2022), we employed Cox proportional-hazards regression and log-rank tests to assess survival differences. A prognostic score model was developed to categorize patient survival. The efficacy of tyrosine kinase inhibitors was evaluated through propensity score matching. In our study, 431 of 3349 (14%) patients with HCC who underwent transplantation developed recurrence within a median interval of 18 (IQR: 9-32) months. One hundred forty-seven (34%) underwent curative-intent treatments, 207 (48%) received palliative treatments, and 77 (18%) were given best-supportive care. Patients undergoing curative-intent treatments had better survival from the time of recurrence with a median survival of 45 (95% CI: 36-63) months and 1/3/5-year survival of 90%/56%/43% compared to those receiving noncurative treatments (median: 11 [95% CI: 10-13] mo, 1/3/5-y survival of 46%/10%/7%, log-rank p < 0.001). Patients with recurrence diagnosed in the era 2018-2022 showed improved survival over the previous era (HR 0.64 [95% CI: 0.47-0.86]). Multivariable analysis identified 5 prognostic factors: ineligibility for curative-intent treatment (HR: 3.5 [95% CI: 2.7-4.6]), recurrence within 1 year (HR: 1.7 [95% CI: 1.3-2.1]), poor tumor differentiation (HR: 1.5 [95% CI: 1.1-1.9]), RETREAT score ≥3 (HR: 1.4 [95% CI: 1.1-1.8]), and alpha-fetoprotein at recurrence ≥400 ng/mL (HR: 1.4 [95% CI: 1.1-1.9]). These factors contributed to a prognostic scoring system (0-9) that stratified patients into 3 prognosis groups. Both propensity score-matched analysis and multivariable regression indicated that lenvatinib was not statistically superior to sorafenib in terms of efficacy. Curative-intent treatments should be advocated for patients with posttransplant recurrence whenever possible. Prognostic factors linked to aggressive tumor biology significantly influence survival. Advancements in HCC management have improved survival outcomes over the past 5 years

Four Replications of a User-Defined Gesture Study with Smart Rings

Empirical findings in gesture-based interaction often stem from highly controlled experimental settings, which raises concerns about their generalizability. To explore how variations in such settings influence discoveries on user-defined gestures, we selected an end-user elicitation study involving smart rings that had been replicated at least once. By reusing the same stimuli, equipment, and data collection method, we conducted four new replications of the original study, involving a total of 120 participants across four different research teams. Our results show that smart ring gestures elicited in these replications overlap only partially, with differences in agreement rate, thinking time, and goodness of fit with corresponding system functions. We argue that systematic replication of gesture elicitation studies is essential for generalizable gesture sets

Positron Emission Tomography Imaging in Vasculitis.

Systemic vasculitides comprise a group of autoimmune diseases affecting blood vessels. [18F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) plays an important role in the diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring of vasculitides affecting large-sized and medium-sized vessels. FDG-PET/CT also provides complementary information to other vascular imaging tools. The resolution and sensitivity of newer generation scanners continues to increase, hereby improving the ability of FDG-PET/CT to accurately assess the full disease extent in patients with vasculitis. Novel tracers targeting specific immune cells will allow for more detailed detection of vascular infiltrates

Summary: EANM/SNMMI Release Joint Guideline/Procedure Standard for [F]FDG Hybrid PET Use in Infection and Inflammation in Adults, Version 2.0.

A joint task force of subject-matter experts from the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) and the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) recently released a revised and updated guideline/procedure standard for indications and protocols for hybrid [18F]FDG imaging in infection and inflammation in the adult population. The complete document was posted to the SNMMI website on June 7 and published on October 10 ahead of print in the European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging. [..