Experimental observation of a traveling plasma grating formed by two crossing filaments in gases

International audienceThe spatial motion and effective duration of a traveling plasma grating formed by two interfering femtosecond laser filaments in gases is characterized by its Doppler effect imparted on a probe pulse. The shift velocity determined experimentally agrees with the theoretical calculations

Semi-Deterministic vs. Genetic Algorithms for Global Optimization of Multichannel Optical Filters

A new global optimization algorithm is presented and applied to the design of high-channel-count multichannel filters based on sampled Fiber Bragg Gratings. We focus on the realization of particular designs corresponding to multichannel filters that consist of 16 and 38 totally reflective identical channels spaced 100 GHz. The results are compared with those obtained by a hybrid genetic algorithm and by the classical sinc method

Can shared decision making reduce medical malpractice litigation? : A systematic review

© 2015 Durand et al.; licensee BioMed Central. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise statedTo explore the likely influence and impact of shared decision-making on medical malpractice litigation and patients’ intentions to initiate litigation. We included all observational, interventional and qualitative studies published in all languages, which assessed the effect or likely influence of shared decision-making or shared decision-making interventions on medical malpractice litigation or on patients’ intentions to litigate. The following databases were searched from inception until January 2014: CINAHL, Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, EMBASE, HMIC, Lexis library, MEDLINE, NHS Economic Evaluation Database, Open SIGLE, PsycINFO and Web of Knowledge. We also hand searched reference lists of included studies and contacted experts in the field. Downs & Black quality assessment checklist, the Critical Appraisal Skill Programme qualitative tool, and the Critical Appraisal Guidelines for single case study research were used to assess the quality of included studiePeer reviewedFinal Published versio

Stratégies d'amélioration génétique du palmier à huile

La sélection du palmier à huile est conduite selon un schéma de sélection récurrente réciproque qui exploite l'hétérosis existant entre deux groupes de populations (A et B). En raison de la faible héritabilité des caractères de production, la sélection est réalisée après des tests sur descendances (A x B). S'agissant d'une plante à cycle long, les phases de recombinaisons intra-groupe ne comportent qu'une ou deux générations. Est-il utile d'ajouter encore une génération en autofécondation ? La discussion prend en compte l'effet de l'autofécondation sur la structure de la variance, la complémentarité des géniteurs recombinés, la gestion du temps, la nécessité d'assurer une sortie variétale régulière. Une stratégie d'ensemble est proposée pour l'amélioration génétique du palmier à huile. (Résumé d'auteur

Efficient generation of third harmonic radiation in air filaments: A revisit

International audienceIn this paper we revisit the third harmonic generation from a femtosecond laser filament in air and its significant enhancement (~ 100 times) with a intercepting pump pulse, which has been reported very recently. The enhanced third harmonic is studied as a function of the pulse polarization, time delay between the pump and signal pulses, laser pulse energy, etc. We provide an explanation for the enhancement of third harmonic based on a quenching of interference effects present near filamentation threshold. Simulations based on a two-color propagation code reproduce well the experimental observations and confirm our interpretation

Intérêts des semences commerciales améliorées de palmier à huile (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.)

Breeders market oil palm seeds that are intended to provide users with high-yielding, quality planting material. They alone can spare growers some cruel disappointments. Given particular biological and genetic characteristics, they are able to overcome problems associated with the heredity of shelf thickness and with inbreeding depression, and to take advantage of heterosis in their varietal creation and propose seeds tolerant of diseases, etc. Compared to "unselected" seeds, marketed seeds produce 2 1/2 times more, simply by taking into account the heredity of shell thickness and inbreeding depression. Moreover, breeders have regularly increased the productivity of their materials. Under conditions in Côte d'lvoire, yields have increased from 2 to 3.6 tons of oil per hectare per year in the lost 40 years. Breeders are also attempting to find solutions to diseases (vascular wilt, Ganoderma) which destroy up to 50% of plantings. For instance, in the case of vascular wilt in Africa, the impact of the disease has been considerably reduced (to 1%). Lastly, reducing vertical growth facilitates harvesting or the decision to replant. Only seeds marketed by breeders can secure the initial investment involved in setting up or renewing an oil palm plantation. (Résumé d'auteur

Disponibilité de pollen performant pour la production de semences améliorées de palmier à huile (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.)

Les semences de palmier à huile sont des hybrides dont le fruit à coque mince est obtenu en croisant des arbres à coque épaisse avec des arbres sans coque. Ces derniers, femelle stérile, sont improductifs et utilisés comme parents mâles. Or la sexualisation mâle est induite, entre autres, par un stress lié à la production. L'obtention de pollen en quantité suffisante est donc un problème majeur, qui limite la diffusion des meilleures variétés. Une méthode d'élagage très sévère des palmiers sans coque, pisifera, a permis une meilleure compréhension de la sexualisation des inflorescences. Avec une production de pollen multipliée par quatre, le matériel vulgarisé est plus productif et plus résistant à la fusariose. (Résumé d'auteur