Control in EPICS for Conditioning Test Stands for ESS

CEA Irfu Saclay is involved as partner in the ESS accelerator construction through different work-packages: controls for several RF test stands, for cryomodule demonstrators, for the RFQ coupler test and for the conditioning around 120 couplers and the tests of 8 cryomodules. Due to the high number of components it is really crucial to automatize the conditioning. This paper describes how the control of these test stands was done using the ESS EPICS Environment and homemade EPICS modules. These custom modules were designed to be as generic as possible for reuse in future similar platforms and developments. They rely on the IOxOS FMC ADC3111 acquisition card, Beckhoff EtherCAT modules and the MRF timing system.Comment: 16th International Conference on Accelerator and Large Experimental Physics Control Systems, Oct 2017, Barcelona, Spain. pp.TUPHA20

Le péage urbain de Stockholm : aujourd'hui accepté par la population malgré une implantation mouvementée ?

Le XXe siècle est sans conteste un tournant dans l’histoire des mobilités individuelles. L’explosion de l’utilisation de la voiture permit aux individus de se déplacer toujours plus loin et plus vite. Sa démocratisation débuta en 1903 avec la création de la Ford Motor Company qui avait pour ambition de fabriquer des automobiles à la chaîne, comprenant qu’ellesdeviendraient un produit de masse incontournable. Effectivement, elles le furent. Alors qu’on ne comptait que 25000 voitures en circulation en 1907, ce chiffre s’envola pour atteindre les 50 millions de véhicules en 1938, 300 millions en 1975 et 1 milliard en 2010. Cette hausse exponentielle est toutefois source de problématiques et d’enjeux du premier ordre en ce début du XXIe siècle. Tout d’abord, nous estimons que nous serons face à une pénurie de pétrole d’ici 2050. Les découvertes de nouveaux gisements se font rares et les anciens se tarissent toujours plus vite, dû à des méthodes d’extraction de plus en plus efficaces. De plus, au début du siècle, les compagnies de pétrole des pays industrialisés de l’OPEP ont revu leurs réserves à la baisse. Ces annonces n’augurent rien de bon, deviennent sources de conflits et engendrent une forte et continue hausse générale du prix du baril de pétrole. L’utilisation du pétrole est par ailleurs nocive pour l’environnement. Tout véhicule fonctionnant avec cette énergie fossile émet des gaz à effet de serre. Or, leur concentration dans l’atmosphère terrestre est à l’origine du réchauffement climatique. Ces émissions sont très élevées dans les grandes métropoles occidentales et leur agglomération. L’usage de la voiture est en effet très fréquent pour les trajets centre/périphérie. Cette sur-présence de l’automobile sur de tels territoires est pourtant génératrice de congestion, phénomène à endiguer. Le péage urbain apparaît alors comme un outil de régulation de la circulation pouvant influer sur la congestion, l’environnement, et qui pousse la population à utiliser des moyens de transports « verts ». La Suède est un pays qui attache beaucoup d’importance à l’efficacité de son réseau de transports routiers et ferrés, ainsi qu’au respect de l’environnement. Afin de combiner ces deux aspects et de combattre la congestion qui étouffe l’accès et la circulation dans le centre-ville, un péage urbain est mis en place en 2006, telle une sorte de bouclier protégeant la zone centrale de la capitale. Toutefois, son implantation ne fut pas évidente et engendra de vifs désaccords entre les politiciens, ainsi qu’entre la population qui était réticente et les politiciens qui n’avaient plus le choix. Les premiers résultats furent concluants mais, quelle est la place de la population dans la mise en place d’un tel dispositif ? Les médias, basés sur certaines études menées avant 2007, annoncent que la majeure partie de la population est favorable au péage. Cette conclusion est-elle toujours d’actualité en 2012 ? L’expérience personnelle qu’ont pu se forger les habitants du Comté de Stockholm n’aurait-elle pas pu faire flancher la majorité vers un avis défavorable ? Voici les hypothèses qui s’ouvrent à nous. Elles prennent en compte le fait que les individus sont rationnels, qu’ils peuvent construire leur opinion à plus long terme, grâce à l’acquisition d’une expérience personnelle et suivant les adaptations qu’ils peuvent trouver à la taxe. Dans un premier temps, nous allons nous arrêter sur l’implantation houleuse du péage stockholmois, sur ses caractéristiques ainsi que sur les moyens de rabattements envisagés à la voiture. Puis, à l’aide d’une enquête de terrain qualitative datant de 2012 et d’une étude quantitative de 2010, nous étudierons plus particulièrement l’acceptabilité de la population vis-à-vis du péage cinq ans après son implémentation

Towards a unified eco-evolutionary framework for fisheries management: Coupling advances in next-generation sequencing with species distribution modelling

The establishment of high-throughput sequencing technologies and subsequent large-scale genomic datasets has flourished across fields of fundamental biological sciences. The introduction of genomic resources in fisheries management has been proposed from multiple angles, ranging from an accurate re-definition of geographical limitations of stocks and connectivity, identification of fine-scale stock structure linked to locally adapted subpopulations, or even the integration with individual-based biophysical models to explore life history strategies. While those clearly enhance our perception of patterns at the light of a spatial scale, temporal depth and consequently forecasting ability might be compromised as an analytical trade-off. Here, we present a framework to reinforce our understanding of stock dynamics by adding also a temporal point of view. We propose to integrate genomic information on temporal projections of species distributions computed by Species Distribution Models (SDMs). SDMs have the potential to project the current and future distribution ranges of a given species from relevant environmental predictors. These projections serve as tools to inform about range expansions and contractions of fish stocks and suggest either suitable locations or local extirpations that may arise in the future. However, SDMs assume that the whole population respond homogenously to the range of environmental conditions. Here, we conceptualize a framework that leverages a conventional Bayesian joint-SDM approach with the incorporation of genomic data. We propose that introducing genomic information at the basis of a joint-SDM will explore the range of suitable habitats where stocks could thrive in the future as a function of their current evolutionary potential.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnollogia - FCT; ARNETinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Devobot: From Biological Morphogenesis to Morphogenetic Swarm Robotics

Complex systems are composed of a large number of relatively simple entities interacting with each other and their environment. From those entities and interactions emerge new and often unpredictable collective structures. Complex systems are widely present in nature, from cells and living organisms to human societies. A major biological process behind this emergence in natural complex systems is morphogenesis, which refers mainly, although not exclusively, to shape development in multicellular organisms. Inspired by morphogenesis, the field of Morphogenetic Engineering (ME) aims to design a system’s global architecture and behaviour in a bottom-up fashion from the self-organisation of a myriad of small components. In particular, Morphogenetic Robotics (MR) strives to apply ME to Swarm Robotics in order to create robot collectives exhibiting morphogenetic properties. While most MR works focus on small and cheap hardware, such as Kilobots, only few or them investigate swarms of mobile and more “intelligent” robot models. In this thesis, we present two original works involving higher-end MR swarms based on the PsiSwarm platform, a two-wheeled saucer-size robot running the Mbed operating system. First, we describe a novel distributed algorithm capable of growing a densely packed “multi-robot organism” out of a group of 40 PsiSwarms, based on ME principles. Then, in another study closer to Modular Robotics (MoR), and taking inspiration from “programmable network growth”, we demonstrate the self-organisation of (virtual) branched structures among a flock of robots. Both works use MORSE, a realistic simulation tool, while a path toward crossing the “reality gap” is shown by preliminary experiments conducted using real hardware

Treatment of old disused mine openings

International audienceAccording to French regulations, the main objectives for the treatment of old abandoned mines consist of : preventing collapses and dangerous subsidence, controlling mine gas emissions and closing old abandoned mine openings. In the Herault coal basin, underground exploitation started very early, in particular by the way of shallow adits dug in hillsides. Today more than 600 adits have been listed on old maps but a lot of them have not yet been precisely located. Charbonnages de France and INERIS have analyzed all risks generated by these old openings and have established a methodology able to determine the closure procedure which can guarantee the safety of the opening. This methodology can be adapted to an adit (size, state of...) and to the physical characteristics of the site (gas, water, location...). In order to limit the number of configurations, two of the above factors have been retained : the state and the location of the gallery. After analyzing all the possible configurations, closure principles have been determined for each of them. The paper : discusses geographical and historical background of the Herault basin exploitation, list the specific parameters which influence the choice of process able to secure the adits, present the general methodology used. Finally, the treatment of an adit located under inhabited areas is presented

Effects of fire frequency on savanna butterfly diversity and composition: A preliminary study

Fire plays a major role in many biomes, is widely used as a management tool and is likely to be affected by climate change. For effective conservation management, it is essential to understand how fire regimes affect different taxa, yet responses of invertebrates are particularly poorly documented. We tested how different fire frequencies influence savanna butterfly diversity and composition by using a long-term savanna fire experiment initiated in 1954 in the Kruger National Park (South Africa). We compared butterfly abundance, species richness and community composition across three fire frequencies: high (burnt annually), medium (burnt triennially) and low (burnt twice in 60 years). Plots with high fire frequency hosted higher abundance than medium- or low-frequency plots. Fire frequencies did not affect species richness, but they led to distinct communities of butterflies. Our findings suggest that, in view of the three fire frequencies tested, a spatial diversity of fire frequencies may increase butterfly diversity at the landscape level in wet savannas. Managers may need to promote a greater diversity of fire frequencies by increasing fire frequency in some areas to provide habitat for species requiring high fire frequency, and by decreasing fire frequency in a large proportion of the landscape to provide fire refuges. This study provides new insights for butterfly conservation in savannas and highlights several knowledge gaps, which further studies should address for insect responses to be given adequate consideration in fire management strategies.Conservation implications: A spatial diversity of fire frequencies may increase butterfly diversity. Managers may need to promote a greater diversity of fire frequencies by increasing fire frequency in some areas to provide habitat for species requiring high fire frequency, and by decreasing fire frequency in other areas to provide fire refuges

New insight into the RNA interference response against cathepsin-L gene in the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum: Molting or gut phenotypes specifically induced by injection or feeding treatments.

epub ahead of printInternational audience: RNA interference (RNAi) has been widely and successfully used for gene inactivation in insects, including aphids, where dsRNA administration can be performed either by feeding or microinjection. However, several aspects related to the aphid response to RNAi, as well as the influence of the administration method on tissue response, or the mixed success to observe phenotypes specific to the gene targeted, are still unclear in this insect group. In the present study, we made the first direct comparison of two administration methods (injection or feeding) for delivery of dsRNA targeting the cathepsin-L gene in the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum. In order to maximize the possibility of discovering specific phenotypes, the effect of the treatment was analyzed in single individual aphids at the level of five body compartments: the bacteriocytes, the gut, the embryonic chains, the head and the remaining body carcass. Our analysis revealed that gene expression knockdown effect in each single body compartment was dependent on the administration method used, and allowed us to discover new functions for the cathepsin-L gene in aphids. Injection of cathepsin-L dsRNA was much more effective on carcass and head, inducing body morphology alterations, and suggesting a novel role of this gene in the molting of these insects. Administration by feeding provoked cathepsin-L knockdown in the gut and specific gut epithelial cell alteration, therefore allowing a better characterization of tissue specific role of this gene in aphids

Does Mc Donald's properly manage its domain names ? Time managagement : proposal of the iceberg method for domain name categorization

Domain Names are intangible assets used by every Internet users since 1986. Their value, correlated to their importance for the communication field and the information system. But while we are in a period where we connect factories to the Internet, the domain name remains the link between the company and the Internet. It is thus a need for decision makers to have a tool ready to use

Towards a unified eco-evolutionary framework for fisheries management: Coupling advances in next-generation sequencing with species distribution modelling

The establishment of high-throughput sequencing technologies and subsequent large-scale genomic datasets has flourished across fields of fundamental biological sciences. The introduction of genomic resources in fisheries management has been proposed from multiple angles, ranging from an accurate re-definition of geographical limitations of stocks and connectivity, identification of fine-scale stock structure linked to locally adapted sub-populations, or even the integration with individual-based biophysical models to explore life history strategies. While those clearly enhance our perception of patterns at the light of a spatial scale, temporal depth and consequently forecasting ability might be compromised as an analytical trade-off. Here, we present a framework to reinforce our understanding of stock dynamics by adding also a temporal point of view. We propose to integrate genomic information on temporal projections of species distributions computed by Species Distribution Models (SDMs). SDMs have the potential to project the current and future distribution ranges of a given species from relevant environmental predictors. These projections serve as tools to inform about range expansions and contractions of fish stocks and suggest either suitable locations or local extirpations that may arise in the future. However, SDMs assume that the whole population respond homogenously to the range of environmental conditions. Here, we conceptualize a framework that leverages a conventional Bayesian joint-SDM approach with the incorporation of genomic data. We propose that introducing genomic information at the basis of a joint-SDM will explore the range of suitable habitats where stocks could thrive in the future as a function of their current evolutionary potential