Towards an EDSL to enhance good modelling practice for non-linear stochastic discrete dynamical models Application to plant growth models

International audienceA computational formalism is presented that structures a C++ library which aims at the modelling, simulation and statistical analysis of stochastic non-linear discrete dynamical system models. Applications concern the development and analysis of general plant growth models

Anti-Endothelial Cell Antibodies are not frequently elevated in hospitalized patients with COVID-19

COVID-19 is now established to be associated with a thrombotic phenomenon, now called COVID-19 associated coagulopathy (CAC). Anti-Endothelial Cell Antibodies (AECA) are a heterogenous group of autoantibodies targeting various endothelial cell antigens or antigens adhering to endothelial cells, They are commonly observed in a variety of auto-immune and rheumatologic conditions, and were observed in patients with the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2005. We aimed to assess AECA status in patients with COVID-19 and their potential contributing role to endothelial injury and CAC. AECA identification was a relatively infrequent finding in COVID-19 patients on admission, and their presence, albeit in only 2/33 patients, was not associated with disease severity. However, as the autoantibodies were only measured at admission, we cannot exclude the possibility of pathogenic AECA developing later in the course of diseaseFurther studies using additional methods are needed to evaluate the presence and potential pathogenic role of AECA in later stages of COVID-19

Determination of flow directions combining AMS and thin section analyses : implications for the Oligocene volcanism in the Kerguelen Archipelago (southern Indian Ocean)

We report an Anisotropy of Magnetic Susceptibility (AMS) study carried out on seven Oligocene volcanic sections widely distributed on the surface of the Kerguelen Archipelago. The statistical results at flow scale and at section scale were checked with AMS density diagrams and thin section analysis. Because of axes permutations frequently observed for lava flows, two possible flow directions were nicely defined for the majority of the sections. We then used two alternative approaches (imbrication of the minimum axis and symmetry of the AMS distribution) to infer a flow direction for each section. These two methods and thin section analyses not being decisive for choosing between the two solutions, geological and geomorphological observations were finally used for confident interpretations. The results of this study helped to more precisely locate the supposed eruptive centers of the Kerguelen archipelago

Introducing the Smart City to Children:Lessons Learned from Hands-On Workshops in Classes

Smart cities are receiving a lot of attention from researchers and practitioners as they are considered potential solutions to challenges (e.g., traffic congestion and waste management) faced by cities. As a result, the term “smart city” is recurring in political discourses and the news. Moreover, smart cities are transitioning from strong and technological orientations toward inclusive and participative orientations, and citizens are expected to take an active part in their design. However, the smart city concept remains obscure to the majority of the public; although many participation methods exist for adults, few have been implemented for children, who remain on the sidelines. Our objective is to address the lack of research on innovative initiatives to (1) educate children on the smart city concept and (2) include them in citizen participation dynamics. To achieve this, we propose a novel hands-on workshop where children learn about the smart city concept, are challenged with a collective urban planning exercise and develop a digital citizen participation method. This paper describes the workshop conducted and reports on lessons learned from its evaluation; the workshop involved 299 children from the ages of 12 to 14. It showed success in improving the children’s understanding of the smart city concept. We then propose future inclusive smart city research directions grounded in the evaluation results and the feedback received from multiple practitioners

A stochastic growth model of grapevine with full interaction between environment, trophic competition and plant development.

International audienceGrapevine development is mainly determined by environmental factors whose effects are modulated by its complex topological structure. The trophic relationships between all the organs of the different axes appear to be the main underlying process which drive axis organogenesis in fluctuating environment. A new modelling approach is proposed based on GreenLab formalism in which axis organogenesis is controlled by stochastic processes according to trophic competition between the different axes. In this model, a water budget was also implemented to account for the effects of water depletion. The model was validated at organ and axis scales on a large range of environmental conditions in terms of photosynthetic active radiation, temperature and soil water supply. The efficiency of the model to simulate plant development at a detailed scale proved its ability to further analyse of the retroactions between plant development and the different environmental variables in order to improve crop management

Red Blood Cell Distribution Width (RDW) Predicts COVID-19 Severity: A Prospective, Observational Study from the Cincinnati SARS-CoV-2 Emergency Department Cohort

Since previous evidence has demonstrated that red blood cell distribution width (RDW) may be a useful prognostic parameter in many critical illnesses and infectious diseases, we investigated the utility of RDW for monitoring patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The study population consisted of 49 COVID-19 patients, including 16 (32.6%) with severe illness, 12 (24.5%) with severe acute kidney injury (AKI), and 8 (16.3%) requiring renal replacement therapy (RRT). The predictive value of blood tests, performed during emergency department evaluation, was then addressed. A progressive increase of RDW was observed with advancing COVID-19 severity. The area under the curve (AUC) of RDW was 0.73 for predicting severe illness, 0.80 for severe AKI, and 0.83 for RRT, respectively. In multivariate analysis, elevated RDW was associated with 9-fold and 16-fold increased odds of severe COVID-19 and AKI, respectively. The results of this study suggest that RDW should be part of routine laboratory assessment and monitoring of COVID-19

Investing to cooperate: theory and experiment

We study theoretically and in a lab-experiment investment decisions in environments where property rights are absent. In our setting a player chooses an investment level before interacting repeatedly with a given set of agents. The investment stochastically affects the payoffs of the game in every subsequent period. We show that more volatile returns make investment more difficult in the absence of legal protection, and might force the investor to invest more to guarantee cooperation. Experimental results are broadly consistent with the theoretical findings

Responses of Sunda clouded leopard population density to anthropogenic disturbance and refining estimates of their conservation status in Sabah

Extensive areas of tropical forests have been, and continue to be, disturbed as a result of selective timber extraction. Although such anthropogenic disturbance typically results in the loss of biodiversity, many species persist, and their conservation in production landscapes could be enhanced by a greater understanding of how biodiversity responds to forest management practices. We conducted intensive camera-trap surveys of eight protected forest areas in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, and developed estimates of Sunda clouded leopard Neofelis diardi population density from spatially explicit capture–recapture analyses of detection data to investigate how the species’ abundance varies across the landscape and in response to anthropogenic disturbance. Estimates of population density from six forest areas were 1.39–3.10 individuals per 100 km2. Our study provides the first evidence that the population density of the Sunda clouded leopard is negatively affected by hunting pressure and forest fragmentation, and that among selectively logged forests, time since logging is positively associated with abundance. We argue that these negative anthropogenic impacts could be mitigated with improved logging practices, such as reducing the access of poachers by effective gating and destruction of road access points, and by the deployment of anti-poaching patrols. By calculating a weighted mean population density estimate from estimates developed here and from the literature, and by extrapolating this value to an estimate of current available habitat, we estimate there are 754 (95% posterior interval 325–1,337) Sunda clouded leopards in Sabah