Solvent free method for intense vaporization of solid molecular and inorganic compounds

New tools have been developed for vaporization of solid precursors to meet the demands of high feed rate for CVD, ALD and other deposition processes

Les dirigeants français du CAC 40 : entre élitisme scolaire et passage par l'État

International audienceCet article étudie les dirigeants français des entreprises du CAC 40 à la fin de 2007 en s'intéressant particulièrement aux filières de formation supérieure qu'ils ont suivies. Les anciens élèves des grandes écoles les plus élitistes (Ecole polytechnique, HEC, ENA) continuent de dominer et il existe toujours une tendance à recruter dans les grands corps de l'Etat

Efficiency of purchasing and selling agents in markets with quality uncertainty: The case of illicit drug transactions

illicit drug markets, quality uncertainty, efficient transactions

Redéfinir le problème climatique par l'écoute du local : éléments de propédeutique

International audienceThe disappointing outcomes of international negotiations on climate change are frequently associated with inaction and the consequences of a perceived disconnection between science and politics. However, our experiences and empirical findings based on research carried out in France in highly diverse situations and among very different operators invalidate this thesis. By analysing climate change from the standpoint of territories and local adaptation and mitigation strategies, our article contends that the problem stems instead from a still insufficient fit between local and global levels of expertise and action frameworks. Moreover, we also need to analyse climate change from a new angle and recognise its dual nature in material and objective terms as well as in its cultural, symbolic and subjective components.Assimilés à de l'inaction, les résultats décevants du processus international de négociation sur les changements climatiques sont régulièrement interprétés comme la conséquence d'un découplage caractérisé entre science et politique. Les observations concrètes et les analyses que nous avons effectuées en France, dans des situations diverses et auprès d'opérateurs extrêmement variés, invalident cette thèse. Envisageant le changement climatique depuis les territoires et les stratégies locales d'atténuation et d'adaptation, l'article suggère que le problème procède plutôt d'une articulation encore insuffisante entre niveau global et niveau local-territorial d'expertise et de cadrage de l'action. Aussi convient-il de considérer à nouveaux frais le problème climatique, d'en reconnaître et d'en approfondir la double nature ou le double visage, en l'appréhendant dans ses données matérielles et objectives comme dans ses composantes culturelles, symboliques et subjectives. Abstract – Reframing climate issue by listening to local actors: elements of propaedeutic. The disappointing outcomes of international negotiations on climate change are frequently associated with inaction and the consequences of a perceived disconnection between science and politics. However, our experiences and empirical findings based on research carried out in France in highly diverse situations and among very different operators invalidate this thesis. By analysing climate change from the standpoint of territories and local adaptation and mitigation strategies, our article contends that the problem stems instead from a still insufficient fit between local and global levels of expertise and action frameworks. Moreover, we also need to analyse climate change from a new angle and recognise its dual nature in material and objective terms as well as in its cultural, symbolic and subjective components

Role of knowledge and cultural variations in public perception of riverscapes with and without wood

During the First International Conference on Wood in World Rivers, held in Oregon (U.S.A.) in October 2000, participants indicated that strong regional contrasts appear in the appraisal of riverscape quality, particularly in the perception of woody debris (WD) deposited in the channels. Over the last three decades, there has been an increasing scientific interest in WD and researchers have recognised the hydraulic, geomorphic, and biological role of wood in temperate river systems. Although WD re-establishment has been promoted in different areas, such as in North America, Australia or Germany, such measures are not accepted by managers and users in other countries. To understand why some spatial variations in WD public perception exist in these environments, we have analysed the social, cultural, and historical context of the question. One of the aims, described in this contribution, was to evaluate the visual and emotional impact of riverscape on the motivation to improve stream and river. The survey is based on a questionnaire and a set of 20 photographs, which represent watercourses running through various physical and humanised environments. Half of the scenes are characterised by river sections obstructed by wood when the 10 others are free-flowing, without WD. To evaluate the overall scenic attractiveness of each picture, respondents rated four perceived values of the 20 colour photographs (namely aesthetics, naturalness, danger, and need for improvement) on Visual Analog Scales ranging from 0 to 10. The questionnaire included also two qualitative variables for characterizing the perception of the danger and the motivation for improving riverscape. The study was performed using the same protocol in eleven geographical areas (France, Poland, Sweden, India, Russia, Germany, Italy, Spain, China, Oregon (U.S.), Texas (U.S.)), which have been selected because they reflect a diversity of socio-cultural environments. With a low variability in age classes, the student community is a very interesting experimental population for international comparisons and the student responses were presumed to represent knowledge of non expert groups. Similar disciplines were surveyed in each of the areas concerned.The results show that the presence of in-channel WD modifies students' perceptions, affecting not only the beauty and the naturalness of scenes, but also the feeling of danger, and their motivation to improve them. The students characterized differently the risk and the improvement measures to be done whether the scene has wood or not. The comparative cultural analysis demonstrates some differences amongst the geographic areas, notably the specific behaviour of the Germans. Respondents were more concerned by what it is dangerous for the individual in his day to day life rather than by what it concerns the community. The underestimation of erosion and flooding risks associated with the wood underlines a lack of anticipation and the distinction between popular and technical knowledge. The relation with nature seem to vary according to the history of land uses, the intensity of river frequentation, or the leisure activities which are practiced along rivers. These elements are discussed as explaining factors of the geographic variability. Moreover, some universal archetypes which affect the valorisation of scenes, making clean water the vital fluid, the nurturer of life, and the pre-eminently pure element but the laying wood, the human death, an intolerable body polluting the maternal and divine element, are also analysed. Such results open discussions on how knowledge, socio-cultural environment, and public education must be considered for river restoration purposes