A Low-Cost, Built-In Self-Test Method for Resistive MEMS sensors

This paper illustrates the experimental application of the LIMBO method, an identification method based on binary observations dedicated to the (self-) test of integrated electronic and electromechanical systems, such as MEMS. The tested MEMS device is a micro-wire used as a heating resistor, inserted in a Wheatstone bridge. We show how the impulse response and the offset of the micro device are estimated only using binary inputs and outputs and straightforward calculations, which can easily be implemented on an FPGA. This approach only requires a 1-bit ADC and a 1-bit DAC, which makes it very amenable to integration and highlights its suitability for the test of systems based on resistive sensor and/or actuator

High Resolution Micro-Pirani Pressure Sensor with Transient Response Processing and Time-Constant Evaluation

International audienceA micro-Pirani pressure sensor, which consists of a pressure-dependent thermoresistance gauge, is traditionally exploited using a steady-state resistance measurement. Any signal variation occurs over an offset voltage due to the imperfection of the device, which affects the sensor's sensitivity. This paper presents, for the first time, an experimental investigation of a micro-Pirani gauge based on its dynamic behavior when heated by a current step. Such processing magnifies the pressure dependence of the gauge's signal by eliminating the constant offset influences on the measurement. Furthermore, a first-order low-pass filter step response identification of the experimental transient signal strongly reduces the noise influence on the measurement. Furthermore, such identification enables a direct calculation of the time constant. This paper investigates the pressure measurement based on the time-constant evaluation, which provides a range of measurement and a maximal sensitivity significantly shifted toward the atmospheric pressure compared to that of a traditionally processed Pirani gauge. The heating step, the recording of the transient response signal, and its digital postprocessing can be easily achieved by a small-sized controller. The proposed system provides a substantial performance enhancement of the micro-Pirani pressure sensor

Rethinking business models for innovation

One of the major challenges confronted by those in charge of technological innovation involves anticipating the value creation model sufficiently early on,in a highly uncertain context both as far as the technology itself is concerned and the potential market. Today, in many industrial sectors, the innovation boundaries have moved towards projects that are more and more exploratory and fuzzy. The simple optimisation of linear processes of the "stage-gate" type is no longer sufficient to build sustainable competitive advantages. The notion of Business Models, when applied to innovation, enables us to describe how a company creates value through innovation, generally within a business ecosystem, and how the value will be distributed between the actors involved. The authors of this book believe that the notions of Business Modelling and value creation are key to all the dimensions of successful innovation, whether technology, marketing, organisational or economically based. Rethinking Business Models for Innovation: this title describes the relationship between thinking, modelling, and also field-testing. The book is based on a series of nine recent cases of innovation involving company managers, often assisted by researchers (the co-authors of each chapter), and how they built and formalised their Business Models and then tested their strategies. After having discovered the variety of the cases, the reader will understand that every innovation situation generates specific questions about Business Models. However, we feel that we can identify three key issues that arise, more or less, in each of these projects. The chapters in this book build on these issues: the identification of sources of value and revenue models (the notion of value creation), the position of the company in the value-network or ecosystem (the sharing of value) and finally the evolution of Business MoDdels over time (the sustainability and the competitiveness of the company). The last chapter goes over all the contributions, exploring the notion of value in the Business Model approach.business model ; innovation ; value ; entrepreneurial project

Volume 98 Issue 5, pp. 899-1054

ECOLOGY-EPIDEMIOLOGY-BEHAVIOR Increased Surfacing Behavior in Longnose Killifish Infected by Brain-Encysting Trematode. B. L. FREDENSBORG and A. N. LONGORIA - 899 Spatial Structure of Helminth Communities in the Golden Grey Mullet, Liza aurata (Actinopterygii: Mugilidae), From the Western Mediterranean. RAUL MIGUEZ-LOZANO, TRINIDAD V. PARDO-CARRANZA, ISABEL BLASCO-COSTA, and JUAN ANTONIO BALBUENA - 904 Hepatozoon Infection Prevalence in Four Snake Genera: Influence of Diet, Prey Parasitemia Levels, or Parasite Type? BEATRIZ TOME, JOAD P. M. C. MAIA, and D. JAMES HARRIS - 913 ECTOPARASITOLOGY Molecular Identification and Description of the Female of Nothoaspis reddelli (Ixodida: Argasidae) From a Cave in Southeastern Mexico. CARMEN GUZMAN-CORNEJO, RICARDO PAREDES-LEON, MARCELO B. LABRUNA, SANTIAGO NAVA, and JOSE M. VENZAL - 918 Prevalence of Hemoproteus iwa in Galapagos Great Frigatebirds (Fregata minor) and Their Obligate Fly Ectoparasite (01- Jersia spiniJera). IRIS I. LEVIN and PATRICIA G. PARKER - 924 Variable Microsatellite Loci for Population Genetic Analysis of Old World Monkey Lice (Pedicinus sp.). KATLYN SCHOLL, JULIE M. ALLEN, FABIAN H. LEENDERTZ, COLIN A. CHAPMAN, and DAVID L. REED - 930 FUNCTIONAL MORPHOLOGY Ultrastructural Study of Vitellogenesis of Aphallus tubarium (Rudolphi, 1819) Poche, 1926 (Digenea: Cryptogonimidae), an Intestinal Parasite of Dentex dentex (Pisces: Teleostei). SAMUEL GREANI, YANN QUILICHINI, JOSEPHINE FOATA, and BERNARD MARCHAND - 938 IMMUNOLOGY Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Domestic Horses in Durango State, Mexico. C. ALVARADO-ESQUIVEL, S. RODRIGUEZ-PENA, I. VILLENA, and J. P. DUBEY - 944 INVERTEBRATE-PARASITE RELATIONSHIPS Excystation Signals Do Not Isolate Gregarine Gene Pools: Experimental Excystation of Blabericola migrator Among 11 Species of Cockroaches. SHELBY M. STEELE, DEBRA T. CLOPTON, and RICHARD E. CLOPTON - 946 LIFE CYCLES-SURVEY A New Sarcocystis Species (Apicomplexa: Sarcocystidae) From the Rock Gecko Bunopus tuberculatus in Saudi Arabi. A. S. ABDEL-BAKI, H. M. ABDEL-HALEEM, and S. AL-QURAISHY - 951 A Retrospective Study of Abattoir Condemnation Due to Parasitic Infections: Economic Importance in Ahwaz, Southwestern Iran. HASSAN BORJI, MOHAMMAD AZIZZADEH, and MEHRAB KAMELLI - 954 Prevalence of Eimeria Infection in Yaks on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of China. HUI DONG, CHUNHUA LI, QIPING ZHAO, JING LI, HONGYU HAN, LIANLIAN JIANG, SHUNHAI ZHU, TING LI, CHUNLIN KONG, BING HUANG, and JINZHONG CAI - 958 Prevalence of Coccidial Infection in Dairy Cattle in Shanghai, China. HUI DONG, QIPING ZHAO, HONGYU HAN, LIANLIAN JIANG, SHUNHAI ZHU, TING LI, CHUNLIN KONG, and BING HUANG - 963 Genetic Sequence Data Identifies the Cercaria of Drepanocephalus spathans (Digenea: Echinostomatidae), a Parasite of the Double-Crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus), with Notes on Its Pathology in Juvenile Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus). MATT J. GRIFFIN, LESTER H. KHOO, SYLVIE M. QUINIOU, MARY M. O\u27HEAR, LINDA M. POTE, TERRENCE E. GREENWAY, and DAVID J. WISE - 967 SYSTEMATICS-PHYLOGENETICS A New Species of Megalobatrachonema (Nematoda: Kathlaniidae) in Fojia bumui (Squamata: Scincidae) From Papua New Guinea. CHARLES R. BURSEY, STEPHEN R. GOLDBERG, and FRED KRAUS - 973 Two New Species of Schizorchis (Cestoda: Anoplocephalidae) From Leporids (Lagomorpha: Leporidae) in China. KUIZHENG CAI, JIALIN BAI, and SHIEN CHEN - 977 The Genus Guerrerostrongylus (Nematoda: Heligmonellidae) in Cricetid Rodents From the Atlantic Rain Forest of Misiones, Argentina: Emended Description of Guerrerostrongylus zetta (Travassos, 1937) and Description of a New Species. MARIA CELINA DIGIANI, JULIANA NOTARNICOLA, and GRACIELA T. NAVONE - 985 A New Microphallid (Digenea) Species From Lontra provocax (Mammalia: Mustelidae) From Freshwater Environments of Northwestern Patagonia (Argentina). VERONICA R. FLORES, NORMA L. BRUGNI, and CARLA M. POZZI - 992 Description of Riouxgolvania kapapkamui sp. n. (Nematoda: Muspiceoidea: Muspiceidae), a Peculiar Intradermal Parasite of Bats in Hokkaido, Japan. HIDEO HASEGAWA, MASAHIKO SATO, KISHIO MAEDA, and YOSHIKO MURAYAMA - 995 A New Species of Choleoeimeria (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) From Meller\u27s Chameleon, Trioceros melleri (Sauria: Chamaeleonidae). CHRIS T. McALLISTER - 1001 A New Species of Eimeria (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) From the Northern Myotis, Myotis septentrionalis (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae), in Oklahoma. CHRIS T. McALLISTER, R. SCOTT SEVILLE, and ZACHARY P. ROEHRS - 1003 A New Spirurid (Nematoda) Parasite From Mormoopid Bats in Mexico. JORGE LUIS PERALTA-RODRIGUEZ, JUAN MANUEL CASPETA-MANDUJANO, and JOSE ANTONIO GUERRERO - 1006 THERAPEUTICS-DIAGNOSTICS Resistance of Rhipicephalus microplus to Amitraz and Cypermethrin in Tropical Cattle Farms in Veracruz, Mexico. AGUSTIN FERNANDEZ-SALAS, ROGER IVAN RODRIGUEZ-VIVAS, and MIGUEL ANGEL ALONSO-DIAZ - 1010 RESEARCH NOTES Seroprevalence Study on Theileria equi and Babesia caballi Antibodies in Horses From Central Province of Saudi Arabia. A. D. ALANAZI, M. S. ALYOUSIF, and M. M. HASSIEB - 1015 Influence of Rangelia vitalii (Apicomplexa: Piroplasmorida) on Copper, Iron and Zinc Bloodstream Levels in Experimentally Infected Dogs, ALEKSANDRO S, DA SILVA, RAQUELI T. FRANC;:A, MARCIO M. COSTA, CARLOS B. V. PAIM, FRANCINE C. PAIM, CLARISSA M. M. SANTOS, ERICO M. M. FLORES, TIAGO L. EILERS, CINTHIA M. MAZZANTI, SILVIA G. MONTEIRO, CARLOS H. DO AMARAL, and SONIA T. A. LOPES - 1018 Plagiorchis elegans (Trematoda) Induces Immune Response in an Incompatible Snail Host Biomphalaria glabrata (Pulmonata: Planorbidae). S. P. DAOUST, M. E. RAU, and J. D. McLAUGHLIN - 1021 Prevalence and Intensity of Fish-Borne Zoonotic Trematodes in Cultured Freshwater Fish From Rural and Urban Areas of Northern Vietnam. NGUYEN VAN DE, THANH HOA LE, and K. D. MURRELL - 1023 Details of the Paranephridial System of a Species of Prohyptiasmus (Cyclocoelidae: Hyptiasminae) From an American Coot, Fulica americana (Rallidae) in Oklahoma. NORMAN O. DRONEN, F. AGUSTIN JIMENEZ, and SCOTT L. GARDNER - 1026 Surface Ultrastructure of the Eggs of Malacopsylla grossiventris and Phthiropsylla agenoris (Siphonaptera: Malacopsyllidae). M. C. EZQUIAGA and M. LARES CHI - 1029 Prevalence of Ancylostoma braziliense in Cats in Three Northern Counties of Florida, United States. JANICE L. LIOTTA, KHUANCHAI N. KOOMPAPONG, JOSEPH P. YAROS, JOSEPH PRULLAGE, and DWIGHT D. BOWMAN - 1032 Obtaining an Isolate of Ancylostoma braziliense From Dogs Without the Need for Necropsy. JANICE L. LIOTTA, ALICE C. Y. LEE, SARP AKSEL, IBRAHIM ALKHALIFE, ALEJANDRO CRUZ-REYES, HEEJEONG YOUN, STEPHEN E. BIENHOFF, and DWIGHT D. BOWMAN - 1034 Obtaining an Isolate of Ancylostoma braziliense From Cats Without the Need for Necropsy. JANICE L. LIOTTA, ALICE C. Y. LEE, KHUANCHAI N. KOOMPAPONG, JOSEPH P. YAROS, JOSEPH PRULLAGE, MICHAEL A. ULRICH, and DWIGHT D. BOWMAN - 1037 Prevalence of Ancylostoma braziliense in Dogs From Alachua and Marion Counties, Florida, United States. JANICE L. LIOTTA, HEEJEONG YOUN, SARP AKSEL, STEPHEN E. BIENHOFF, and DWIGHT D. BOWMAN - 1039 Morphological Differentiation of Eggs of Ancylostoma caninum, Ancylostoma tubaeforme, and Ancylostoma braziliense From Dogs and Cats in the United States. ARACELI LUCIO-FORSTER, JANICE L. LIOTTA, JOSEPH P. YAROS, KAITLYN R. BRIGGS, HUSSNI O. MOHAMMED, and DWIGHT D. BOWMAN - 1041 Molecular and Immunological Characterization of a Novel 32-kDa Secreted Protein of Babesia microti. HIDEO OOKA, MOHAMAD A. TERKAWI, SHINUO CAO, GABRIEL ABOGE, YO UN-KYOUNG GOO, YUZI LUO, YAN LI, YOSHIFUMI NISHIKAWA, IKUO IGARASHI, and XUENAN XUAN - 1045 DNA Barcoding of Schistosome Cercariae Reveals a Novel Sub-Lineage within Schistosoma rodhaini From Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary, Lake Victoria. C. J. STANDLEY and J. R. STOTHARD - 1049 Host Susceptibility Is Altered by Light Intensity After Exposure to Parasites. MICHELLE L. STEINAUER and KAITLIN M. BONNER - 1052 ANNOUNCEMENT: Change in Editorship - 903 ERRATUM - 91

: Lessons from entrepreneurial projects

International audienceOne of the major challenges confronted by those in charge of technological innovation involves anticipating the value creation model sufficiently early on,in a highly uncertain context both as far as the technology itself is concerned and the potential market. Today, in many industrial sectors, the innovation boundaries have moved towards projects that are more and more exploratory and fuzzy. The simple optimisation of linear processes of the "stage-gate" type is no longer sufficient to build sustainable competitive advantages. The notion of Business Models, when applied to innovation, enables us to describe how a company creates value through innovation, generally within a business ecosystem, and how the value will be distributed between the actors involved. The authors of this book believe that the notions of Business Modelling and value creation are key to all the dimensions of successful innovation, whether technology, marketing, organisational or economically based. Rethinking Business Models for Innovation: this title describes the relationship between thinking, modelling, and also field-testing. The book is based on a series of nine recent cases of innovation involving company managers, often assisted by researchers (the co-authors of each chapter), and how they built and formalised their Business Models and then tested their strategies. After having discovered the variety of the cases, the reader will understand that every innovation situation generates specific questions about Business Models. However, we feel that we can identify three key issues that arise, more or less, in each of these projects. The chapters in this book build on these issues: the identification of sources of value and revenue models (the notion of value creation), the position of the company in the value-network or ecosystem (the sharing of value) and finally the evolution of Business MoDdels over time (the sustainability and the competitiveness of the company). The last chapter goes over all the contributions, exploring the notion of value in the Business Model approach.L'innovation technologique, qu'elle soit conduite par des start-ups ou par de grandes entreprises, n'est plus une condition suffisante de la création de valeur. Créer de la valeur sur des marchés nouveaux nécessite le plus souvent de repenser l'organisation de l'entreprise, sa façon de faire des affaires, ses partenariats stratégiques, autrement dit, son business model. Cet ouvrage se veut un guide pour les porteurs de projets d'innovation en leur fournissant des outils de compréhension et d'analyse de la dimension stratégique de leur projet. Les études de cas présentées sont le fruit d'une collaboration étroite entre les porteurs de chacun des projets et des chercheurs en management de l'innovation reconnus. Au travers de ces cas, trois grandes problématiques sont abordées : l'identification des sources de valeur chez les clients potentiels, la position que l'entreprise pourra prendre dans son écosystème et enfin l'évolution des business models dans le temps. Sur chacun des cas, le lecteur aura accès à une compréhension fine des problèmes stratégiques posés par l'innovation ainsi que des outils de management mis en œuvre pour aider à réfléchir et à agir. (http://www.rethinkingbusinessmodel.net/

Efficacy of vinblastine in central nervous system Langerhans cell histiocytosis: a nationwide retrospective study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Vinblastine (VBL) is the standard treatment for systemic Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH), but little is known about its efficacy in central nervous system (CNS) mass lesions.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A retrospective chart review was conducted. Twenty patients from the French LCH Study Group register met the inclusion criteria. In brief, they had CNS mass lesions, had been treated with VBL, and were evaluable for radiologic response.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The median age at diagnosis of LCH was 11.5 years (range: 1-50). Intravenous VBL 6 mg/m²was given in a 6-week induction treatment, followed by a maintenance treatment. The median total duration was 12 months (range: 3-30). Eleven patients received steroids concomitantly. Fifteen patients achieved an objective response; five had a complete response (CR: 25%), ten had a partial response (PR: 50%), four had stable disease (SD: 20%) and one patient progressed (PD: 5%). Of interest, four out of the six patients who received VBL without concomitant steroids achieved an objective response. With a median follow-up of 6.8 years, the 5-year event-free and overall survival was 61% and 84%, respectively. VBL was well-tolerated and there were no patient withdrawals due to adverse events.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>VBL, with or without steroids, could potentially be a useful therapeutic option in LCH with CNS mass lesions, especially for those with inoperable lesions or multiple lesions. Prospective clinical trials are warranted for the evaluation of VBL in this indication.</p

Etude du procédé d'élaboration et caractérisation de microdispositifs en silicium poreux pour la mesure du taux d'humidité

Les performances des microsystèmes sont extrêmement liés à l environnement et doivent généralement dépendre le moins possible des perturbations extérieures, comme l humidité de l air. C est pourquoi ces microdispositifs sont généralement encapsulés dans un boitier hermétique qui permet à la fois de les connecter à une électronique, mais également de les protéger des variations du milieu extérieur. Mais ce type de boitiers qui représente plus de 80 % du coût du global d un composant, est aussi à l origine de près de 80 % des défaillances. Ainsi, il s avère intéressant de placer directement sur le capot de silicium de l encapsulation des capteurs environnementaux (pression, température, gaz) pour pouvoir caractériser in situ l atmosphère interne du boitier durant la phase d assemblage, mais également durant la phase d utilisation. Dans ce travail, nous avons choisi d utiliser du silicium poreux comme matériau sensible à l humidité, qui de par sa surface spécifique élevée, permet d augmenter la capacité d absorption de l humidité par rapport à un matériau massif et donc de réaliser des capteurs les plus sensibles possible, tout en restant compatible avec les spécificités induites par la technologie silicium. Pour cela, après avoir mis au point le procédé de fabrication des couches de silicium poreux par anodisation électrochimique et d avoir caractérisé leur morphologie (porosité, surface spécifique), nous avons développé deux types de micro capteurs d humidités susceptibles d être intégrés à une encapsulation sur tranche constituant le boitier : des dispositifs statiques (capteurs impédimétriques) et des structures mobiles résonnantes.The performance of Micro (Opto) Electromechanical systems are highly related to the environment and have to be less dependent on external contaminants, such as humidity. There fore, these microdevises are usually encapsulated in a sealed packaging that allows to connect to electronics, but also to protect them from changes in external environment. But this type of packaging, which represents over 80 % of the overall cost of a component, is also source of nearly 80 % of failures. Thus, it is interesting to integrate environmental sensors (pressures, temperature, gas) on the silicon cap in order to characterize in situ the internal atmosphere of M(O)EMS packaging from fabrication process to the lifetime of the components. In this work, we chose to use porous silicon as humidity sensitive material, which by its high specific surface increases the absorption capacity of moisture from a solid material, therefore the sensor is highly sensitive, while remaining compatible with the specificity induced by the silicon technology. For this after the development of manufacturing process of porous silicon layers by electrochemical anodization and the characterization of their morphology (porosity, specific surface), we have developed two types of micro humidity sensors, which may be incorporated into a wafer-level (WLP) : motionless devices (impedimetric sensors) and resonant structures.ORSAY-PARIS 11-BU Sciences (914712101) / SudocSudocFranceF

Customer reviews and restaurant profitability

We examine the effect of TripAdvisor ratings on the accounting performance of restaurants. We use data for a sample of 1,030 Parisian restaurants over the period January 2009 to December 2017 and find that a higher TripAdvisor rating is associated with a higher profitability. We also document a positive relationship between both variables accounting for rating dispersion and reviewer or rating quality

How does COVID-19 affect electoral participation? evidence from the French municipal elections

International audienceThis article investigates the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on electoral participation. We study the French municipal elections that took place at the very beginning of the ongoing pandemic and held in over 9,000 municipalities on March 15, 2020. In addition to the simple note that turnout rates decreased to a historically low level, we establish a robust relationship between the depressed turnout rate and the disease. Using various estimation strategies and employing a large number of potential confounding factors, we find that the participation rate decreases with city proximity to COVID-19 clusters. Furthermore, the proximity has conditioned impacts according to the proportion of elderly –who are the most threatened– within the city. Cities with higher population density, where the risk of infection is higher, and cities where only one list ran at the election, which dramatically reduces competitiveness, experienced differentiated effects of distance