Role-Playing Game and Learning for Young People About Sustainable Development Stakes: An Experiment in Transferring and Adapting Interdisciplinary Scientific Knowledge

The study refers to the interactions between socio-economic and natural dynamics in an island biosphere reserve by using companion modelling. This approach provides scientific results and involves interdisciplinarity. In the second phase of the study, we transferred knowledge by adapting the main research output, a role-playing game, to young people. Our goal was to introduce interactions between social and ecological systems, coastal dynamics and integrated management. Adapting the game required close collaboration between the scientists and educators in order to transform both its substance and form and to run it with an easy-to-handle ergonomic platform.Children Education, Multi-Agent Environment, Role-Playing Game

Velocity and confinement of edge plasmons in HgTe-based 2D topological insulators

High-frequency transport in the edge states of the quantum spin Hall (QSH) effect has to date rarely been explored, though it could cast light on the scattering mechanisms taking place therein. We here report on the measurement of the plasmon velocity in topological HgTe quantum wells both in the QSH and quantum Hall (QH) regimes, using harmonic GHz excitations and phase-resolved detection. We observe low plasmon velocities corresponding to large transverse widths, which we ascribe to the prominent influence of charge puddles forming in the vicinity of edge channels. Together with other recent works, it suggests that puddles play an essential role in the edge state physics and probably constitute a main hurdle on the way to clean and robust edge transport.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, + supplementary materia

OECD validation study to assess intra- and inter-laboratory reproducibility of the zebrafish embryo toxicity test for acute aquatic toxicity testing

The OECD validation study of the zebrafish embryo acute toxicity test (ZFET) for acute aquatic toxicity testing evaluated the ZFET reproducibility by testing 20 chemicals at 5 different concentrations in 3 independent runs in at least 3 laboratories. Stock solutions and test concentrations were analytically confirmed for 11 chemicals. Newly fertilised zebrafish eggs (20/concentration and control) were exposed for 96 h to chemicals. Four apical endpoints were recorded daily as indicators of acute lethality: coagulation of the embryo, lack of somite formation, non-detachment of the tail bud from the yolk sac and lack of heartbeat. Results (LC50 values for 48/96 h exposure) show that the ZFET is a robust method with a good intra- and inter-laboratory reproducibility (CV 30%) for some very toxic or volatile chemicals, and chemicals tested close to their limit of solubility. The ZFET is now available as OECD Test Guideline 236. Considering the high predictive capacity of the ZFET demonstrated by Belanger et al. (2013) in their retrospective analysis of acute fish toxicity and fish embryo acute toxicity data, the ZFET is ready to be considered for acute fish toxicity for regulatory purposes

Modélisation multi-agents et jeu de rôles : des outils de médiation et d'apprentissage au service du développement durable

rapport de fin d'étudeMEDIA a pour objectif d'élaborer avec des acteurs du "tiers-secteur scientifique" (gestionnaires d'espaces, enseignants) des outils opérationnels de gestion, de médiation et d'apprentissage sur le thème de l'environnement et du développement durable. Le projet a permis - de poursuivre une réflexion interdisciplinaire et finalisée engagée sur les interactions entre dynamiques naturelles et dynamiques sociales dans un territoire en mutation d'intérêt patrimonial (l'île d'Ouessant, réserve de biosphère) qui a conduit à l'élaboration d'un modèle conceptuel et d'un prototype informatique ; - d'adapter ces productions de la recherche à des contextes opérationnels différents (gestion, éducation) de manière à permettre leur appropriation par la société civile en tant qu'outils de gestion, de médiation et d'apprentissage ; - de porter un regard critique sur l'utilisation participative de ces outils hérités des technologies de l'information géographique par différents types d'acteur dans des contextes de gestion intégrée et de développement durable

Du SIG au jeu de rôle, histoire d'un transfert de connaissances des scientifiques aux scolaires

pas d'actes, www.rencontres-sig-la-lettre.co

Role playing game and learning for young people about sustainable development stakes: an experiment in transferring and adapting interdisciplinary scientific knowledge

International audienceA multi-agent model devoted to interactions between social dynamics and natural dynamics on the isle of Ouessant was used as the medium for a role-playing game adapted to the school curriculum of fifth-form classes on the theme of sustainable development and coastal areas (History-Geography, Life and Earth Sciences and Civics). Adapting it required close collaboration between the scientists behind the project, the educational service at Océanopolis and teachers. Transferring the game required transforming both its substance and form, piloting it with an easy-to-handle ergonomic platform, support from scientists in presenting the approach to teachers and a film to introduce the game

Role-playing game and learning for young people about sustainable development stakes: an experiment in transferring and adapting interdisciplinary scientific knowledge

http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/14/4/21.htmlInternational audienceThe study refers to the interactions between socio-economic and natural dynamics in an island biosphere reserve by using companion modelling. This approach provides scientific results and involves interdisciplinarity. In the second phase of the study, we transferred knowledge by adapting the main research output, a role-playing game, to young people. Our goal was to introduce interactions between social and ecological systems, coastal dynamics and integrated management. Adapting the game required close collaboration between the scientists and educators in order to transform both its substance and form and to run it with an easy-to-handle ergonomic platform

Microbial and chemical markers: runoff transfer in pig and cow manure-amended soils

1 p.Fecal pollution affects environmental waters through spreading of animal manure and runoff of agricultural soils. However, the indicator bacteria (E. coli and enterococci) do not identify the source of the contamination and the development of fecal source tracking tools is crucial for water management and remediation. The aim of our study was to evaluate the transfer of chemical and microbial fecal markers during a runoff simulation on an agricultural plot previously spread with bovine or pig manure. Four types of markers have been analysed: 15 fecal sterols and stanols quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, chemical fingerprint obtained by 3D-fluorescence excitation-matrix spectroscopy, F-specific RNA specific bacteriophages (FRNAPH) and bacterial markers belonging to the Bacteroidales (Rum-2bac and Pig-2-Bac) and to the species Lactobacillus amylovorus. The results show that animal FRNAPH genogroups, sitostanol/coprostanol and cholestanol/cholesterol steroids ratios and tryptophan/ fulvic-like fluorescence differentiated pig and bovine fecal contamination. Sitostanol/coprostanol > 1 and cholestanol / cholesterol 1 are characteristic of pig manure amended plot. L-amylovorus and Pig2-bac were only present in runoff water collected on pig manure amended plot whereas Rum2-bac was only detected in runoff water collected on bovine manure amended plot. Combined analyses of chemical and microbial markers provide relevant information on the determination of fecal contamination during runoff on agricultural soils. The next step is to test the applicability of these markers in watercourses submitted to nonpoint source fecal pollution

Microbial and chemical markers: runoff transfer in animal manure-amended soils

International audienceFecal contamination of water resources is evaluated by the enumeration of the fecal coliforms Escherichia coli and Enterococci. However, the enumeration of these indicators does not allow us to differentiate between the sources of fecal contamination. Therefore, it is important to use alternative indicators of fecal contamination to identify livestock contamination in surface waters. The concentration of fecal indicators (E. coli, enteroccoci, and F-specific bacteriophages), microbiological markers (Rum-2-bac, Pig-2-bac, and Lactobacillus amylovorus), and chemical fingerprints (sterols and stanols and other chemical compounds analyzed by 3D-fluorescence excitation-matrix spectroscopy) were determined in runoff waters generated by an artificial rainfall simulator. Three replicate plot experiments were conducted with swine slurry and cattle manure at agronomic nitrogen application rates. Low amounts of bacterial indicators (1.9-4.7%) are released in runoff water from swine-slurry-amended soils, whereas greater amounts (1.1-28.3%) of these indicators are released in runoff water from cattle-manure-amended soils. Microbial and chemical markers from animal manure were transferred to runoff water, allowing discrimination between swine and cattle fecal contamination in the environment via runoff after manure spreading. Host-specific bacterial and chemical markers were quantified for the first time in runoff waters samples after the experimental spreading of swine slurry or cattle manure