Microscopic analysis of multipole susceptibility of actinide dioxides: A scenario of multipole ordering in AmO2_2

By evaluating multipole susceptibility of a seven-orbital impurity Anderson model with the use of a numerical renormalization group method, we discuss possible multipole states of actinide dioxides at low temperatures. In particular, here we point out a possible scenario for multipole ordering in americium dioxide. For Am$^{4+}$ ion with five $5f$ electrons, it is considered that the ground state is $\Gamma_7^{-}$ doublet and the first excited state is $\Gamma_8^{-}$ quartet, but we remark that the $f^5$ ground state is easily converted due to the competition between spin-orbit coupling and Coulomb interactions. Then, we find that the $\Gamma_8^-$ quartet can be the ground state of AmO$_2$ even for the same crystalline electric field potential. In the case of $\Gamma_8^-$ quartet ground state, the numerical results suggest that high-order multipoles such as quadrupole and octupole can be relevant to AmO$_2$.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures. To appear in Phys. Rev.

Les jardins collectifs constitutifs de réseaux alternatifs au service des urbains. Étude de cas de l’Île-de-France et de Kazan (Russie)

La notion de réseau est aujourd’hui de plus en plus utilisée en géographie pour décrire les nouvelles relations entre la ville et la campagne. Les jardins collectifs sont une forme ancienne d’agriculture urbaine qui illustre les nouvelles évolutions à l’œuvre dans le périurbain. De fait, ces espaces de jardinage produisent des réseaux économiques, sociaux et spatiaux complexes qui font le lien entre les centres urbains et les périphéries rurales. Les jardins sont alors aux cœurs de dynamiques territoriales multiples et, autrefois considérés comme de simples espaces périphériques, deviennent de véritables centralités

Integrated Photonics and Application-Specific Design on a Massive Open Online Course Platform

Silicon-based photonics is mobilizing into a manufacturing industry with specialized integrated circuit design requirements for applications in low power cloud computing, high speed wireless, smart sensing, and augmented imaging. The AIM Photonics Manufacturing USA Institute, which operates the world’s most advanced 300mm semiconductor research fab, has co-developed a Process Design Kit (PDK) in fabless circuit design for these expanding digital and analog applications; however, there currently isn’t available an in-depth curriculum to train engineers (academia, industry) in the AIM PDK process and Electronic Photonic Design Automation (EPDA) software. AIM Photonics Academy, an education initiative of AIM Photonics based at MIT, has collaborated with faculty to create three online MOOC edX courses that (1) introduce integrated photonics devices, and applications performance needs and metrics; and (2) train into the AIM PDK and specialized EPDA tools in a six week design project to lay out an application-specific photonic transceiver. The courses are structured around asynchronous video lectures and exploratory design problems that involve Python and Matlab-based first-principles calculations (systems modeling) or advanced EPDA tools (circuit design and layout). The online MOOC courses can optionally form a tandem blended learning component with two AIM Photonics Academy on-site training programs: the annual AIM Summer Academy one-week intensive program (held every July at MIT), or a photonic integrated circuit testing workshop (the first workshop is planned for fall 2019). These courses are a cornerstone effort at AIM to found and support a specialized cohort community of future integrated photonics designers

Peace Warriors (1994-2004) : entretien avec Patrick Bœuf

L’expérience du fanzine comme écriture d’une écoute Matthieu Saladin : Peace Warriors  a été fondé en 1994 par Théo Jarrier et se proposait de traiter l’ensemble des musiques issues, pour l’essentiel, des différentes expériences sonores ayant parcouru les années 1960 et 1970. Peux-tu nous expliquer de quelles manières est venue l’idée de faire ce fanzine ? Patrick Bœuf : Théo — comme tout jeune homme — est rentré à une époque en révolte contre la musique paternelle et s’est mis à écouter du P..

Peace Warriors (1994-2004) : entretien avec Patrick Bœuf

L’expérience du fanzine comme écriture d’une écoute Matthieu Saladin : Peace Warriors  a été fondé en 1994 par Théo Jarrier et se proposait de traiter l’ensemble des musiques issues, pour l’essentiel, des différentes expériences sonores ayant parcouru les années 1960 et 1970. Peux-tu nous expliquer de quelles manières est venue l’idée de faire ce fanzine ? Patrick Bœuf : Théo — comme tout jeune homme — est rentré à une époque en révolte contre la musique paternelle et s’est mis à écouter du P..

Regarder, représenter, comprendre

Dans le cadre de notre pratique professionnelle de paysagistes, nous sommes amenés à produire des images. Nous cherchons l’inspiration en amont des projets. Comme le botaniste collectionne les herbes et les plantes qu’il trouve, nous collectionnons les paysages parcourus, traversés ou analysés.Cette collecte donne lieu a des « herbiers de paysage » mêlant données prises sur le vif (photos, croquis, feuilles) et images recomposées. C’est ce travail sur les données brutes et données transformées structurant notre part d’invention dans le projet que nous souhaitons commenter ici.Entre la prolifération des images, les nouveaux outils de l’informatique, la facilité des montages et photomontages, le brouillage des idées est là tout autour de nous. Nous avons besoin de cette recherche patiente en amont des projets pour renouveler notre inspiration et alimenter nos points de vue. C’est ce travail des images qui donne à voir et révèle les invisibles. C’est ce travail d’images qui incite à revenir sur le terrain. C’est également ce travail sur le flou des images fabriquées qui alimente le débat dans la fabrique partagée de nos projets de paysage.In our professional practice as landscape architects, we produce images. and seek inspiration before starting projects. As the botanist collects the herbs and plants he finds, we collect the landscapes we have visited, travelled through and studied. These collections which combine materials taken directly from the field (photos, sketches, leaves) and recomposed images constitute as many "landscape herbaria". In this article we comment on this work we carry out on the raw and transformed data which gives form to our creative input in landscape projects. The proliferation of images, the availability of new computer tools, and the ease with which it is possible to edit images and produce photomontages results in a blurring of ideas. Before embarking on projects, we need to conduct patient research to find new inspiration and fresh insights. This work on images enables us to perceive and represent elements which are invisible and motivates us to go back into the field. It is also this work on the blurred nature of fabricated images that fuels the debate in the shared production of our landscape projects

L’arbre au cœur du paysage urbain : symbole ou action militante ?

Ces dernières années, la nature en ville est devenue une des grandes thématiques traitées au sein de la communauté scientifique. L’arbre est alors devenu le symbole du paysage urbain naturel, car c’est un élément visible, remarqué et fortement symbolique. Il est aujourd’hui de plus en plus placé au cœur des projets d’aménagement urbain. L’arbre cristalliserait tous les questionnements posés au paysage urbain par les aménageurs de la ville. De fait, par la suppression ou la conservation de plantations existantes, le projet d’aménagement peut radicalement changer et marquer le paysage de la ville.À partir de notre expérience professionnelle en tant qu’architectes-paysagistes, nous analysons la place effective de l’arbre dans le paysage urbain, au-delà des discours officiels, des pratiques habituelles qui ne sont pas toujours compatibles, voire même parfois contradictoires, avec les injonctions écologiques. Il s’agit de mettre en évidence les jeux d’acteurs complexes au sein de l’aménagement et de la construction de ce paysage, et, à partir de trois exemples, nous analysons comment le paysage « naturel » en ville est un espace fabriqué par les projets d’aménagement, l’arbre en étant une clé de lecture. Ce propos est l’occasion de remettre en question la vision de l’arbre comme patrimoine et symbole du paysage urbain ; cette vision est souvent sublimée (par les acteurs associatifs notamment) ou à l’inverse négligée (par les aménageurs). Notre position d’acteurs nous permet d’exposer les différents leviers d’action existants, et de mettre en avant la question du temps, fondamental pour le monde du vivant.In recent years, nature in cities has become a major research topic. The tree has become a widely acknowledged and potent symbol of the natural urban landscape. It is increasingly placed at the heart of urban development plans. It seems the tree is the focus of urban landscape questions raised by town planners. By suppressing or preserving existing plantations, urban development projects can radically change and mark the urban landscape.Based on our professional experience as landscape architects, we examine the true role of the tree in the urban landscape over and beyond official policies and established practises which are sometimes incompatible or even in contradiction with environmental regulations. The aim of the article is to reveal the complex interactions between stakeholders and, based on three examples, to analyse how the “natural” landscape in the city is produced by urban planning projects for which the tree provides a key to their understanding. This provides an opportunity to challenge the perception of the tree as a heritage and symbol of the urban landscape ; this vision is often sublimated (by civil society) or on the contrary neglected (by urban planners). Our position as actors makes it possible for us to reveal the different levers for action, and to address the question of time, which is fundamental in the living world

Three LIF-dependent signatures and gene clusters with atypical expression profiles, identified by transcriptome studies in mouse ES cells and early derivatives

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells remain pluripotent <it>in vitro </it>when grown in the presence of the cytokine Leukaemia Inhibitory Factor (LIF). Identification of LIF targets and of genes regulating the transition between pluripotent and early differentiated cells is a critical step for understanding the control of ES cell pluripotency.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>By gene profiling studies carried out with mRNAs from ES cells and their early derivatives treated or not with LIF, we have identified i) LIF-dependent genes, highly expressed in pluripotent cells, whose expression level decreases sharply upon LIF withdrawal [<it>Pluri </it>genes], ii) LIF induced genes [<it>Lifind </it>genes] whose expression is differentially regulated depending upon cell context and iii) genes specific to the reversible or irreversible committed states. In addition, by hierarchical gene clustering, we have identified, among eight independent gene clusters, two atypical groups of genes, whose expression level was highly modulated in committed cells only. Computer based analyses led to the characterization of different sub-types of <it>Pluri </it>and <it>Lifind </it>genes, and revealed their differential modulation by <it>Oct4 </it>or <it>Nanog </it>master genes. Individual knock down of a selection of <it>Pluri </it>and <it>Lifind </it>genes leads to weak changes in the expression of early differentiation markers, in cell growth conditions in which these master genes are still expressed.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We have identified different sets of LIF-regulated genes depending upon the cell state (reversible or irreversible commitment), which allowed us to present a novel global view of LIF responses. We are also reporting on the identification of genes whose expression is strictly regulated during the commitment step. Furthermore, our studies identify sub-networks of genes with a restricted expression in pluripotent ES cells, whose down regulation occurs while the master knot (composed of OCT4, SOX2 and NANOG) is still expressed and which might be down-regulated together for driving cells towards differentiation.</p

PLoS ONE

Lyme disease is a multisystemic disorder caused by B. burgdorferi sl. The molecular basis for specific organ involvement is poorly understood. The skin plays a central role in the development of Lyme disease as the entry site of B. burgdorferi in which specific clones are selected before dissemination. We compared the skin inflammatory response (antimicrobial peptides, cytokines and chemokines) elicited by spirochete populations recovered from patients presenting different clinical manifestations. Remarkably, these spirochete populations induced different inflammatory profiles in the skin of C3H/HeN mice. As spirochete population transmitted into the host skin is heterogeneous, we isolated one bacterial clone from a population recovered from a patient with neuroborreliosis and compared its virulence to the parental population. This clone elicited a strong cutaneous inflammatory response characterized by MCP-1, IL-6 and antimicrobial peptides induction. Mass spectrometry of this clone revealed 110 overexpressed proteins when compared with the parental population. We further focused on the expression of nine bacterial surface proteins. bb0347 coding for a protein that interacts with host fibronectin, allowing bacterial adhesion to vascular endothelium and extracellular matrix, was found to be induced in host skin with another gene bb0213 coding for a hypothetical protein. These findings demonstrate the heterogeneity of the B. burgdorferi ss population and the complexity of the interaction involved early in the skin