New geological and tephrochronological data on the palaeontological site of the Senèze maar (Early Pleistocene, Massif Central, France)

The volcanic system of Senèze (Domeyrat, Haute-Loire) comprises a basanite flow, scoriae, a maar crater and phreatomagmatic products. New field research and detailed cartography clarify their geometry and geological relationships. The maar contains an important palaeontological site of the Early Pleistocene that yielded forty species of mammals attributed to the biozone MNQ 18 (of which it is the reference locality). The excavations undertaken between 2001 and 2006 recovered new fossils and documented their stratigraphic and geodynamic context. The fossiliferous site is located on the shore of the palaeolake and includes several lacustrine and slope deposits linked to the contemporaneous climatic changes which in turn produced a number of locally fossiliferous findspots which appear to be close in age. The discovery of ten tephras emitted by the Mont-Dore strato-volcano, situated 60 km to the NW allowed development of a remarkable tephrochronological framework. Because of the intense weathering of the tephras, their composition is determined by their mineralogical content (feldspars, brown amphiboles, brown and green diopside, titanite, apatite, zircon, biotite-phlogopite, Fe-Ti oxides) and the chemical composition of feldspars (anorthoclase, sodic sanidine and plagioclases). The study of these tephras reveals the importance of the contemporaneous (mainly trachytic) pyroclastic activity and confirms the polyphased deposition of the site. The 40Ar/39Ar laser dating of alkali feldspars from five tephras shows a relatively narrow range of age comprised between 2.09 and 2.21 \textpm 0.02 Ma (1σ, age relative to ACs-2 standard at 1.201 Ma). Senèze is thus confirmed as a key Early Pleistocene palaeontological site in Europe

Controlled Betatron X-Ray Radiation from Tunable Optically Injected Electrons

International audienceThe features of Betatron x-ray emission produced in a laser-plasma accelerator are closely linked to the properties of the relativistic electrons which are at the origin of the radiation. While in interaction regimes explored previously the source was by nature unstable, following the fluctuations of the electron beam, we demonstrate in this Letter the possibility to generate x-ray Betatron radiation with controlled and reproducible features, allowing fine studies of its properties. To do so, Betatron radiation is produced using monoenergetic electrons with tunable energies from a laser-plasma accelerator with colliding pulse injection [J. Faure et al., Nature (London) 444, 737 (2006)]. The presented study provides evidence of the correlations between electrons and x-rays, and the obtained results open significant perspectives toward the production of a stable and controlled femtosecond Betatron x-ray source in the keV range

Early liver transplantation for severe alcohol-related hepatitis not responding to medical treatment: a prospective controlled study

peer reviewedBackground: Early liver transplantation for severe alcohol-related hepatitis is an emerging treatment option. We aimed to assess the risk of alcohol relapse 2 years after early liver transplantation for alcohol-related hepatitis compared with liver transplantation for alcohol-related cirrhosis after at least 6 months of abstinence. Methods: We conducted a multicentre, non-randomised, non-inferiority, controlled study in 19 French and Belgian hospitals. All participants were aged 18 years or older. There were three groups of patients recruited prospectively: patients with severe alcohol-related hepatitis who did not respond to medical treatment and were eligible for early liver transplantation according to a new selection scoring system based on social and addiction items that can be quantified in points (early transplantation group); patients with alcohol-related cirrhosis listed for liver transplantation after at least 6 months of abstinence (standard transplantation group); patients with severe alcohol-related hepatitis not responding to medical treatment not eligible for early liver transplantation according to the selection score (not eligible for early transplantation group), this group did not enter any further liver transplantation processes. We also defined a historical control group of patients with severe alcohol-related hepatitis unresponsive to medical therapy and non-transplanted. The primary outcome was the non-inferiority of 2-year rate of alcohol relapse after transplantation in the early transplantation group compared with the standard transplantation group using the alcohol timeline follow back (TLFB) method and a prespecified non-inferiority margin of 10%. Secondary outcomes were the pattern of alcohol relapse, 2-year survival rate post-transplant in the early transplantation group compared with the standard transplantation group, and 2-year overall survival in the early transplantation group compared with patients in the not eligible for early transplantation group and historical controls. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01756794. Findings: Between Dec 5, 2012, and June 30, 2016, we included 149 patients with severe alcohol-related hepatitis: 102 in the early transplantation group and 47 in the not eligible for early transplantation group. 129 patients were included in the standard transplantation group. 68 patients in the early transplantation group and 93 patients in the standard transplantation group received a liver transplant. 23 (34%) patients relapsed in the early transplantation group, and 23 (25%) patients relapsed in the standard transplantation group; therefore, the non-inferiority of early transplantation versus standard transplantation was not demonstrated (absolute difference 9·1% [95% CI –∞ to 21·1]; p=0·45). The 2-year rate of high alcohol intake was greater in the early transplantation group than the standard transplantation group (absolute difference 16·7% [95% CI 5·8–27·6]) The time spent drinking alcohol was not different between the two groups (standardised difference 0·24 [95% CI −0·07 to 0·55]), but the time spent drinking a large quantity of alcohol was higher in the early transplantation group than the standard transplantation group (standardised difference 0·50 [95% CI 0·17–0·82]). 2-year post-transplant survival was similar between the early transplantation group and the standard transplantation group (hazard ratio [HR] 0·87 [95% CI 0·33–2·26]); 2-year overall survival was higher in the early transplantation group than the not eligible for early transplantation group and historical controls (HR 0·27 [95% CI 0·16–0·47] and 0·21 [0·13–0·32]). Interpretation: We cannot conclude non-inferiority in terms of rate of alcohol relapse post-transplant between early liver transplantation and standard transplantation. High alcohol intake is more frequent after early liver transplantation. This prospective controlled study confirms the important survival benefit related to early liver transplantation for severe alcohol-related hepatitis; and this study provides objective data on survival and alcohol relapse to tailor the management of patients with severe alcohol-related hepatitis. Funding: The present study has been granted by the French Ministry of Health—Programme Hospitalier de Recherche Clinique 2010

Innovation et développement dans les systèmes agricoles et alimentaires

L’innovation est souvent présentée comme l’un des principaux leviers pour promouvoir un développement plus durable et plus inclusif. Dans les domaines de l’agriculture et de l’alimentation, l’innovation est marquée par des spécificités liées à sa relation à la nature, mais aussi à la grande diversité d’acteurs concernés, depuis les agriculteurs jusqu’aux consommateurs, en passant par les services de recherche et de développement. L’innovation émerge des interactions entre ces acteurs, qui mobilisent des ressources et produisent des connaissances dans des dispositifs collaboratifs, afin de générer des changements. Elle recouvre des domaines aussi variés que les pratiques de production, l’organisation des marchés, ou les pratiques alimentaires. L’innovation est reliée aux grands enjeux de développement : innovation agro-écologique, innovation sociale, innovation territoriale, etc. Cet ouvrage porte un regard sur l’innovation dans les systèmes agricoles et alimentaires. Il met un accent particulier sur l’accompagnement de l’innovation, en interrogeant les méthodes et les organisations, et sur l’évaluation de l’innovation au regard de différents critères. Il s’appuie sur des réflexions portées par différentes disciplines scientifiques, sur des travaux de terrain conduits tant en France que dans de nombreux pays du Sud, et enfin sur les expériences acquises en accompagnant des acteurs qui innovent. Il combine des synthèses sur l’innovation et des études de cas emblématiques pour illustrer les propos. L’ouvrage est destiné aux enseignants, professionnels, étudiants et chercheurs

Optimasi Portofolio Resiko Menggunakan Model Markowitz MVO Dikaitkan dengan Keterbatasan Manusia dalam Memprediksi Masa Depan dalam Perspektif Al-Qur`an

Risk portfolio on modern finance has become increasingly technical, requiring the use of sophisticated mathematical tools in both research and practice. Since companies cannot insure themselves completely against risk, as human incompetence in predicting the future precisely that written in Al-Quran surah Luqman verse 34, they have to manage it to yield an optimal portfolio. The objective here is to minimize the variance among all portfolios, or alternatively, to maximize expected return among all portfolios that has at least a certain expected return. Furthermore, this study focuses on optimizing risk portfolio so called Markowitz MVO (Mean-Variance Optimization). Some theoretical frameworks for analysis are arithmetic mean, geometric mean, variance, covariance, linear programming, and quadratic programming. Moreover, finding a minimum variance portfolio produces a convex quadratic programming, that is minimizing the objective function ðð¥with constraintsð ð 𥠥 ðandð´ð¥ = ð. The outcome of this research is the solution of optimal risk portofolio in some investments that could be finished smoothly using MATLAB R2007b software together with its graphic analysis

Differential cross section measurements for the production of a W boson in association with jets in proton–proton collisions at √s = 7 TeV

Measurements are reported of differential cross sections for the production of a W boson, which decays into a muon and a neutrino, in association with jets, as a function of several variables, including the transverse momenta (pT) and pseudorapidities of the four leading jets, the scalar sum of jet transverse momenta (HT), and the difference in azimuthal angle between the directions of each jet and the muon. The data sample of pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV was collected with the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 fb[superscript −1]. The measured cross sections are compared to predictions from Monte Carlo generators, MadGraph + pythia and sherpa, and to next-to-leading-order calculations from BlackHat + sherpa. The differential cross sections are found to be in agreement with the predictions, apart from the pT distributions of the leading jets at high pT values, the distributions of the HT at high-HT and low jet multiplicity, and the distribution of the difference in azimuthal angle between the leading jet and the muon at low values.United States. Dept. of EnergyNational Science Foundation (U.S.)Alfred P. Sloan Foundatio

Penilaian Kinerja Keuangan Koperasi di Kabupaten Pelalawan

This paper describe development and financial performance of cooperative in District Pelalawan among 2007 - 2008. Studies on primary and secondary cooperative in 12 sub-districts. Method in this stady use performance measuring of productivity, efficiency, growth, liquidity, and solvability of cooperative. Productivity of cooperative in Pelalawan was highly but efficiency still low. Profit and income were highly, even liquidity of cooperative very high, and solvability was good

Juxtaposing BTE and ATE – on the role of the European insurance industry in funding civil litigation

One of the ways in which legal services are financed, and indeed shaped, is through private insurance arrangement. Two contrasting types of legal expenses insurance contracts (LEI) seem to dominate in Europe: before the event (BTE) and after the event (ATE) legal expenses insurance. Notwithstanding institutional differences between different legal systems, BTE and ATE insurance arrangements may be instrumental if government policy is geared towards strengthening a market-oriented system of financing access to justice for individuals and business. At the same time, emphasizing the role of a private industry as a keeper of the gates to justice raises issues of accountability and transparency, not readily reconcilable with demands of competition. Moreover, multiple actors (clients, lawyers, courts, insurers) are involved, causing behavioural dynamics which are not easily predicted or influenced. Against this background, this paper looks into BTE and ATE arrangements by analysing the particularities of BTE and ATE arrangements currently available in some European jurisdictions and by painting a picture of their respective markets and legal contexts. This allows for some reflection on the performance of BTE and ATE providers as both financiers and keepers. Two issues emerge from the analysis that are worthy of some further reflection. Firstly, there is the problematic long-term sustainability of some ATE products. Secondly, the challenges faced by policymakers that would like to nudge consumers into voluntarily taking out BTE LEI