French labor market and the labor policies. Franco-German Conference: Frankreich - ein Vorbild für Deutschland? Allemagne - un exemple pour la France? IKM/OFCE Conference, Berlin, June 19-20 2008.

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Distributed agent-based traffic simulations

Modeling and simulation play an important role in transportation networks analysis. With the widespread of personalized real-time information sources, it is relevant for the simulation model to be individual-centered. The agent-based simulation is the most promising paradigm in this context. However, representing the movements of realistic numbers of travelers within reasonable execution times requires significant computational resources. It also requires relevant methods, architectures and algorithms that respect the characteristics of transportation networks. In this paper, we tackle the problem of using high-performance computing for agent-based traffic simulations. To do so, we define two generic agent-based simulation models, representing the existing sequential agent-based traffic simulations. The first model is macroscopic, in which travelers do not interact directly and use a fundamental diagram of traffic flow to continuously compute their speeds. The second model is microscopic, in which travelers interact with their neighbors to adapt their speeds to their surrounding environment. We define patterns to distribute these simulations in a high-performance environment. The first distributes agents equally between available computation units. The second pattern splits the environment over the different units. We finally propose a diffusive method to dynamically balance the load between units during execution. The results show that agent-based distribution is more efficient with macroscopic simulations, with a speedup of 6 compared to the sequential version, while environmentbased distribution is more efficient with microscopic simulations, with a speedup of 14. Our diffusive load-balancing algorithm improves further the performance of the environment based approach by 150%

Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy-enhanced drill for bone boundary detection

Intramedullary nailing is a routine orthopedic procedure used for treating fractures of femoral or tibial shafts. A critical part of this procedure involves the drilling of pilot holes in both ends of the bone for the placement of the screws that will secure the IM rod to sections of the fractured bone. This step introduces a risk of soft tissue damage because the drill bit, if not stopped in time, can transverse the bone-tissue boundary into the overlying muscle, causing unnecessary injury and prolonging healing time due to periosteum damage. In this respect, detecting the bone-tissue boundary before break-through can reduce the risks and complications associated with intramedullary nailing. Hence, in the present study, a two-wavelength diffuse reflectance spectroscopy technique was integrated into a surgical drill to optically detect bone-tissue boundary and automatically trigger the drill to stop. Furthermore, Monte-Carlo simulations were used to estimate the maximum distance from within the bone at which the bone-tissue boundary could be detected using DRS. The simulation results estimated that the detection distance, termed the “look-ahead-distance” was ∼1.5 mm for 1.3 mm source-detector fiber separation. Experimental measurements with 1.3 mm source-detector fiber separation showed that the look-ahead-distance was in the order of 250 µm in experiments with set drill rate and in the range of 1 mm in experiments where the holes were drilled by hand. Despite this difference, the automated DRS enhanced drill successfully detected the approaching bone tissue boundary when tested on samples of bovine femur and muscle tissue

Human gut metatranscriptome changes induced by a fermented milk product are associated with improved tolerance to a flatulogenic diet

Fermented milk product; Intestinal gas; MetatranscriptomicsProducto lácteo fermentado; Gas intestinal; MetatranscriptómicaProducte lacti fermentat; Gas intestinal; MetatranscriptòmicaHealthy plant-based diets rich in fermentable residues may induce gas-related symptoms, possibly mediated by the gut microbiota. We previously showed that consumption of a fermented milk product (FMP) containing Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis CNCM I-2494 and lactic acid bacteria improved gastrointestinal (GI) comfort in response to a flatulogenic dietary challenge in healthy individuals. To study the effects of the FMP on gut microbiota activity from those participants, we conducted a metatranscriptomic analysis of fecal samples (n = 262), which were collected during the ingestion of a habitual diet and two series of a 3-day high-residue challenge diet, before and following 28-days of FMP consumption. Most of the FMP species were detected or found enriched upon consumption of the product. FMP mitigated the effect of a flatulogenic diet on gas-related symptoms in several ways. First, FMP consumption was associated with the depletion of gas-producing bacteria and increased hydrogen to methane conversion. It also led to the upregulation of activities such as replication and downregulation of functions related to motility and chemotaxis. Furthermore, upon FMP intake, metabolic activities such as carbohydrate metabolism, attributed to B. animalis and S. thermophilus, were enriched; these activities were coincidentally found to be negatively associated with several GI symptoms. Finally, a more connected microbial ecosystem or mutualistic relationship among microbes was found in responders to the FMP intervention. Taken together, these findings suggest that consumption of the FMP improved the tolerance of a flatulogenic diet through active interactions with the resident gut microbiota.This research was supported by a grant from Danone Nutricia Research. Danone Nutricia Research authors participated in the study design, interpretation of the data and in the writing of the report. Francisca Yáñez was supported by a fellowship from ANID, BECAS Chile, No. 72190278. Zixuan Xie received a fellowship from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Action, Innovative Training Network: FunHoMic; grant number 812969. CIBERHED is funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III

Human gut metatranscriptome changes induced by a fermented milk product are associated with improved tolerance to a flatulogenic diet

Healthy plant-based diets rich in fermentable residues may induce gas-related symptoms, possibly mediated by the gut microbiota. We previously showed that consumption of a fermented milk product (FMP) containing Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis CNCM I-2494 and lactic acid bacteria improved gastrointestinal (GI) comfort in response to a flatulogenic dietary challenge in healthy individuals. To study the effects of the FMP on gut microbiota activity from those participants, we conducted a metatranscriptomic analysis of fecal samples (n = 262), which were collected during the ingestion of a habitual diet and two series of a 3-day high-residue challenge diet, before and following 28-days of FMP consumption. Most of the FMP species were detected or found enriched upon consumption of the product. FMP mitigated the effect of a flatulogenic diet on gas-related symptoms in several ways. First, FMP consumption was associated with the depletion of gas-producing bacteria and increased hydrogen to methane conversion. It also led to the upregulation of activities such as replication and downregulation of functions related to motility and chemotaxis. Furthermore, upon FMP intake, metabolic activities such as carbohydrate metabolism, attributed to B. animalis and S. thermophilus, were enriched; these activities were coincidentally found to be negatively associated with several GI symptoms. Finally, a more connected microbial ecosystem or mutualistic relationship among microbes was found in responders to the FMP intervention. Taken together, these findings suggest that consumption of the FMP improved the tolerance of a flatulogenic diet through active interactions with the resident gut microbiota.This research was supported by a grant from Danone Nutricia Research. Danone Nutricia Research authors participated in the study design, interpretation of the data and in the writing of the report. Francisca Yáñez was supported by a fellowship from ANID, BECAS Chile, No. 72190278. Zixuan Xie received a fellowship from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Action, Innovative Training Network: FunHoMic; grant number 812969. CIBERHED is funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III

Optimal sample size and composition for crop classification with Sen2-Agri’s random forest classifier

Sen2-Agri is a software system that was developed to facilitate the use of multi-temporal satellite data for crop classification with a random forest (RF) classifier in an operational setting. It automatically ingests and processes Sentinel-2 and LandSat 8 images. Our goal was to provide practitioners with recommendations for the best sample size and composition. The study area was located in the Yaqui Valley in Mexico. Using polygons of more than 6000 labeled crop fields, we prepared data sets for training, in which the nine crops had an equal or proportional representation, called Equal or Ratio, respectively. Increasing the size of the training set improved the overall accuracy (OA). Gains became marginal once the total number of fields approximated 500 or 40 to 45 fields per crop type. Equal achieved slightly higher OAs than Ratio for a given number of fields. However, recall and F-scores of the individual crops tended to be higher for Ratio than for Equal. The high number of wheat fields in the Ratio scenarios, ranging from 275 to 2128, produced a more accurate classification of wheat than the maximal 80 fields of Equal. This resulted in a higher recall for wheat in the Ratio than in the Equal scenarios, which in turn limited the errors of commission of the non-wheat crops. Thus, a proportional representation of the crops in the training data is preferable and yields better accuracies, even for the minority crops

Tracking seabird migration in the tropical Indian Ocean reveals basin-scale conservation need

Summary Understanding marine predator distributions is an essential component of arresting their catastrophic declines.1,2,3,4 In temperate, polar, and upwelling seas, predictable oceanographic features can aggregate migratory predators, which benefit from site-based protection.5,6,7,8 In more oligotrophic tropical waters, however, it is unclear whether environmental conditions create similar multi-species hotspots. We track the non-breeding movements and habitat preferences of a tropical seabird assemblage (n = 348 individuals, 9 species, and 10 colonies in the western Indian Ocean), which supports globally important biodiversity.9,10,11,12 We mapped species richness from tracked populations and then predicted the same diversity measure for all known Indian Ocean colonies. Most species had large non-breeding ranges, low or variable residency patterns, and specific habitat preferences. This in turn revealed that maximum species richness covered >3.9 million km2, with no focused aggregations, in stark contrast to large-scale tracking studies in all other ocean basins.5,6,7,13,14 High species richness was captured by existing marine protected areas (MPAs) in the region; however, most occurred in the unprotected high seas beyond national jurisdictions. Seabirds experience cumulative anthropogenic impacts13 and high mortality15,16 during non-breeding. Therefore, our results suggest that seabird conservation in the tropical Indian Ocean requires an ocean-wide perspective, including high seas legislation.17 As restoration actions improve the outlook for tropical seabirds on land18,19,20,21,22 and environmental change reshapes the habitats that support them at sea,15,16 appropriate marine conservation will be crucial for their long-term recovery and whole ecosystem restoration

Pathogenic variants in the DEAH-box RNA helicase DHX37 are a frequent cause of 46,XY gonadal dysgenesis and 46,XY testicular regression syndrome

XY individuals with disorders/differences of sex development (DSD) are characterized by reduced androgenization caused, in some children, by gonadal dysgenesis or testis regression during fetal development. The genetic etiology for most patients with 46,XY gonadal dysgenesis and for all patients with testicular regression syndrome (TRS) is unknown

Meta-analysis of epigenome-wide association studies in neonates reveals widespread differential DNA methylation associated with birthweight

Birthweight is associated with health outcomes across the life course, DNA methylation may be an underlying mechanism. In this meta-analysis of epigenome-wide association studies of 8,825 neonates from 24 birth cohorts in the Pregnancy And Childhood Epigenetics Consortium, we find that DNA methylation in neonatal blood is associated with birthweight at 914 sites, with a difference in birthweight ranging from -183 to 178 grams per 10% increase in methylation (P-Bonferroni <1.06 x 10(-7)). In additional analyses in 7,278 participants,Peer reviewe