Impact of Convective Organization on the Response of Tropical Precipitation Extremes to Warming

International audienceIn this study the response of tropical precipitation extremes to warming in organized convection is examined using a cloud-resolving model. Vertical shear is imposed to organize the convection into squall lines. Earlier studies show that in disorganized convection, the fractional increase of precipitation extremes is similar to that of surface water vapor, which is substantially smaller than the increase in column water vapor. It has been suggested that organized convection could lead to stronger amplifications. Regardless of the strength of the shear, amplifications of precipitation extremes in the cloud-resolving simulations are comparable to those of surface water vapor and are substantially less than increases in column water vapor. The results without shear and with critical shear, for which the squall lines are perpendicular to the shear, are surprisingly similar with a fractional rate of increase of precipitation extremes slightly smaller than that of surface water vapor. Interestingly, the dependence on shear is nonmonotonic, and stronger supercritical shear yields larger rates, close to or slightly larger than surface humidity. A scaling is used to evaluate the thermodynamic and dynamic contributions to precipitation extreme changes. To first order, they are dominated by the thermodynamic component, which has the same magnitude for all shears, close to the change in surface water vapor. The dynamic contribution plays a secondary role and tends to weaken extremes without shear and with critical shear, while it strengthens extremes with supercritical shear. These different dynamic contributions for different shears are due to different responses of convective mass fluxes in individual updrafts to warming

La correspondance de direction de conscience : écrire pour contester les rôles de genre ? L’exemple d'Henriette de Lestrange (1908-1931)

International audienceLe parcours d'Henriette de Lestrange par le biais de sa correspondance avec son directeur de conscience : comment la correspondance avec le directeur permet de contester les normes de genre et les rapports de force qui existent au sein du couple, et la place de l'écrit dans ce processus

High-efficiency base editing for Stargardt disease in mice, non-human primates, and human retina tissue

Stargardt disease is a currently untreatable, inherited neurodegenerative disease that leads to macular degeneration and blindness due to loss-of-function mutations in the ABCA4 gene. We have designed a dual adeno-associated viral vector split-intein adenine base-editing strategy to correct the most common mutation in ABCA4 (c.5882G>A, p.G1961E). We optimized ABCA4 base editing in human models, including retinal organoids, iPSC-derived retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells, as well as adult human retinal- and RPE/choroid explants in vitro. The resulting gene therapy vectors achieved high levels of gene correction in mutation-carrying mice and in non-human primates, with an average editing of 37% of photoreceptors and 73% of RPE cells in vivo. The high editing rates in primates make way for precise and efficient gene editing in other neurodegenerative ocular diseases

Do birds of a feather flock together? Proximities and inter-clusters network

The present contribution develops on the analysis of clusters in terms of proximities by exploring the issue of distant inter-cluster collaborations. We mobilize different forms of proximity (geographic, cognitive, social) discussed in the literature in order to identify their respective influence on intercluster collaboration by taking the example of French Pôles de Compétitivité. Our results echo previous results applied to intra-cluster collaborations since inter-cluster collaboration mostly relies on a form of social capital due to the key roles played by relational and cognitive proximity. Finally, our results exhibit a negative influence of geographic distance on collaboration. JEL: C45, R12, R58 Keywords: clusters, network analysis, proximities, intercluster collaboration

Genre et autorités religieuses, France, XIXe-XXe siècles

Ce document devait initialement être publié dans l'Encyclopédie pour une Histoire Nouvelle de l'Europe mais le champ traité était trop restreint (France)Notice de synthèse (non publiée) traitant du lien entre genre et autorités religieuses en France, XIXe-XXe sièclesAu sein des sociétés européennes, les religions ont un rôle historique important dans la fabrique des identités de genre. C’est pourquoi il est intéressant d’étudier la façon dont elles répondent à la démocratisation et la sécularisation qui surgissent à partir des révolutions libérales. Si les autorités catholiques ont pu conforter au 19ème siècle des rapports de genre traditionnels, les modèles proposés peuvent être en tension avec leurs homologues laïcs, comme, par exemple, dans la masculinité sacerdotale. Le catholicisme constitue également un espace paradoxal et relatif de subversion, en offrant notamment aux femmes un lieu de réalisation et d’accès l’autonomie alors qu’on les maintient à l’écart de l’espace civique. Le 20ème siècle est plutôt marqué par un repli des normes de genre religieuse et, conséquemment, un certain durcissement sur les positions traditionnelles, ce qui conditionne, dans le très contemporain notamment, l’évolution des rapports au politique comme en 2013 autour des débats autour du mariage pour tous

What favors convective aggregation and why?

International audienceThe organization of convection is ubiquitous, but its physical understanding remains limited. One particular type of organization is the spatial self-aggregation of convection, taking the form of cloud clusters, or tropical cyclones in the presence of rotation. We show that several physical processes can give rise to self-aggregation and highlight the key features responsible for it, using idealized simulations. Longwave radiative feedbacks yield a radiative aggregation. In that case, sufficient spatial variability of radiative cooling rates yields a low-level circulation, which induces the upgradient energy transport and radiative-convective instability. Not only do vertically integrated radiative budgets matter but the vertical profile of cooling is also crucial. Convective aggregation is facilitated when downdrafts below clouds are weak (moisture-memory aggregation), and this is sufficient to trigger aggregation in the absence of longwave radiative feedbacks. These results shed some light on the sensitivity of self-aggregation to various parameters, including resolution or domain size

Dynamics and Scaling of Internally Cooled Convection

Our goal is to investigate fundamental properties of the system of internally cooled convection. The system consists of an upward thermal flux at the lower boundary, a mean temperature lapse-rate and a constant cooling term in the bulk with the bulk cooling in thermal equilibrium with the input heat flux. This simple model represents idealised dry convection in the atmospheric boundary layer, where the cooling mimics the radiative cooling to space notably through longwave radiation. We perform linear stability analysis of the model for different values of the mean stratification to derive the critical forcing above which the fluid is convectively unstable to small perturbations. The dynamic behaviour of the fluid system is described and the scaling of various important measured quantities such as the total vertical convective heat flux and the upward mass flux is measured. We introduce a lapse-rate dependent dimensionless Rayleigh-number $Ra_\gamma$ that determines the behaviour of the system, finding that the convective heat-flux and mass-flux scale scale approximately as $Ra_\gamma^{0.5}$ and $Ra_\gamma^{0.7}$ respectively. The area-fraction of the domain that is occupied by upward and downward moving fluid and the skewness of the vertical velocity are studied to understand the asymmetry inherent in the system. We conclude with a short discussion on the relevance to atmospheric convection and the scope for further investigations of atmospheric convection using similar simplified approaches

Abyssal hill roughness impact on internal tide generation: linear theory

Internal tide driven mixing plays a key role in sustaining the deep ocean stratification and meridional overturning circulation. Internal tides can be generated by topographic horizontal scales ranging from hundreds of meters to tens of kilometers. State of the art topographic products hardly resolve scales smaller than ~10 km in the deep ocean, over which abyssal hills are the dominant ocean floor roughness fabric. An evaluation of the impact of abyssal hill roughness on internal-tide generation is presented in this study

Safety and efficacy of belimumab after B cell depletion therapy in systemic LUPUS erythematosus (BEAT-LUPUS) trial: statistical analysis plan.

BACKGROUND: There is limited evidence that rituximab, a B cell depletion therapy, is an effective treatment for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Data on the mechanisms of B cell depletion in SLE indicate that the combination of rituximab and belimumab may be more effective than rituximab alone. The safety and efficacy of belimumab after B cell depletion therapy in systemic LUPUS erythematosus (BEAT-LUPUS) trial aims to determine whether belimumab is superior to placebo, when given 4-8 weeks after treatment with rituximab. This article describes the statistical analysis plan for this trial as an update to the published protocol. It is written prior to the end of patient follow-up, while the outcome of the trial is still unknown. DESIGN AND METHODS: BEAT-LUPUS is a randomised, double-blind, phase II trial of 52 weeks of belimumab versus placebo, initiated 4-8 weeks after rituximab treatment. The primary outcome is anti-dsDNA antibodies at 52 weeks post randomisation. Secondary outcomes include lupus flares and damage, adverse events, doses of concomitant medications, quality of life, and clinical biomarkers. We describe the trial's clinical context, outcome measures, sample size calculation, and statistical modelling strategy, and the supportive analyses planned to evaluate for mediation of the treatment effect through changes in concomitant medication doses and bias from missing data. DISCUSSION: The analysis will provide detailed information on the safety and effectiveness of belimumab. It will be implemented from July 2020 when patient follow-up and data collection is complete. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN: 47873003 . Registered on 28 November 2016. EudracT: 2015-005543-14 . Registered on 19 November 2018