Generating a 3D Simulation of a Car Accident from a Written Description in Natural Language: the CarSim System

This paper describes a prototype system to visualize and animate 3D scenes from car accident reports, written in French. The problem of generating such a 3D simulation can be divided into two subtasks: the linguistic analysis and the virtual scene generation. As a means of communication between these two modules, we first designed a template formalism to represent a written accident report. The CarSim system first processes written reports, gathers relevant information, and converts it into a formal description. Then, it creates the corresponding 3D scene and animates the vehicles.Comment: 8 pages, ACL 2001, Workshop on Temporal and Spatial Information Processin

Autocorrélation spatiale et déplacement de la criminalité

This research examines spatial autocorrelation and crime displacement as facts and concepts. The objective of the study concerns both the methodological theory and the practice of applied research in criminology. The two expressions used in the title can be considered a fragmentation of the concept of turbulence. The authors examine the influence of the presence of spatial autocorrelation in the data on tests of the significance of statistics. They attempt to detect it in a part of central Montreal by examining the distribution and evolution of the two types of crime: armed robbery and burglary. Three methods are used: the known coefficients and correlograms, spatial grouping with forces contiguity, and trend surface analysis. The last two methods lead to convincing results. On the other hand, the displacement could not be observed during the time studied. In conclusion, they consider the implications for the methodological practices and usual research strategies in criminology

Comparison of two plant functional approaches to evaluate natural restoration along an old-field-deciduous forest chronosequence

Question: Are direct and indirect trait-based approaches similar in their usefulness to synthesize species responses to successional stages?\ud Location: Northern hardwood forests, Que´bec, Canada\ud (451010–451080N; 731580–741210W).\ud Methods: Two different trait-based approaches were used to relate plant functional traits to succession on an old-field – deciduous forest chronosequence: (i) a frequently used approach based on co-occurrence of traits (emergent groups), and (ii) a new version of a direct functional approach at the trait level (the fourth-corner method). Additionally, we selected two different cut-off levels for the herb subset of the emergent group classification in order to test its robustness and ecological relevance.\ud Results: Clear patterns of trait associations with stand developmental stages emerged from both the emergent group and the direct approach at the trait level. However, the emergent group classification was found to hide some trait-level differences such as a shift in seed size, light requirement and plant form along the chronosequence. Contrasting results were obtained for the seven or nine group classification of the herbaceous subset, illustrating how critical is the number of groups for emergent group classification.\ud Conclusion: The simultaneous use of two different traitbased\ud approaches provided a robust and comprehensive characterization of vegetation responses in the old-field -deciduous forest chronosequence. It also underlines the different goals as well as the limitations and benefits of these two approaches. Both approaches indicated that abandoned pastures of the northern hardwood biome have good potential for natural recovery. Conversion of these lands to other functions may lead to irremediable loss of biodiversity

Ornex – Hameau de Maconnex

Pour faire suite à la délivrance d’un permis de construire dans le hameau de Maconnex (commune d’Ornex), le service régional de l’archéologie a été prévenu par M. Olivier Guichard d’un possible impact du projet sur les vestiges de la chapelle de la maison des Templiers, installés sur ce site dès le xiie s. Un plan du début du xviiie s. semblait en effet indiquer à cet endroit une construction quadrangulaire au lieu-dit « Aux Champ (sic) de la Chapelle ». Des sondages de diagnostic, réalisés g..

Mousson – Rue de la Chapelle

Identifiant de l'opération archéologique : F1354200100036 Date de l'opération : 2001 (EV) Les sondages de diagnostic réalisés par le service régional de l'Archéologie sur un terrain de 2 699 m² devant faire l'objet d'un projet de construction, à proximité d'une des portes des remparts du bourg castral médiéval, n'ont pas révélé la présence de vestige archéologique. LEGENDRE Jean-Pierr

Montigny – Ferme du Moulin

Identifiant de l'opération archéologique : F1354200100034 Date de l'opération : 2001 (EV) La découverte d'une sépulture à inhumation lors de travaux de mises aux normes d'une ferme ayant été signalée par Alain Béné, une fouille préventive a été menée par le service régional de l'Archéologie à cet endroit. Un décapage de l'ensemble de la surface concernée par le projet d'aménagement (150 m²) a été réalisé. La sépulture s'est révélée être isolée : il s'agit d'un individu en décubitus dorsal, sa..

Mousson

Identifiant de l'opération archéologique : F1354200100036 Date de l'opération : 2001 (EV) Les sondages de diagnostic réalisés par le service régional de l'Archéologie sur un terrain de 2 699 m² devant faire l'objet d'un projet de construction, à proximité d'une des portes des remparts du bourg castral médiéval, n'ont pas révélé la présence de vestige archéologique. LEGENDRE Jean-Pierr

Éloge d’un homme libre

Je reprends mes propos tenus, peu de temps après la mort de Michel Cartry, pour honorer la mémoire du savant qui, avec d'autres anciens compagnons de l'École Pratique des Hautes Études, avait accepté de conseiller l'Institut d'Études Avancées nouvellement créé par Alain Supiot à Nantes. Dans cette ville marquée par le fameux commerce triangulaire -Europe, Afrique, Amérique-, la recherche de premier rang a rencontré en notre ami défunt non seulement le questionnement méticuleux, mais la consci..

Spatial organisation of fish communities in the St. Lawrence River: a test for longitudinal gradients and spatial heterogeneities in a large river system

Typified by heterogeneous habitats, large rivers host diversified communities throughout their course. As the spatial organisation of fish communities within these ecosystems remains little studied, longitudinal gradients and spatial heterogeneities of fish diversity were analysed in the large temperate St. Lawrence River, Canada. We used two distinct datasets obtained from either seine nets or gillnets from governmental standardised fish surveys (1995–2012) consisting of a total of 299,662 individuals from 76 fish species captured in 1,051 sites. Results from diversity indices and multivariate analysis revealed a gradual downstream increase in taxonomic diversity, and a gradual change of the community structure along the river. In addition, we observed different fish communities within fluvial lakes and corridors and found significant differences in fish community structure between opposite shores. The fish communities described along the river using seine nets are spatially more heterogeneous than when described using gillnets. This discrepancy is likely resulting both from the more mobile species targeted by gillnets and sampling sites located farther from the shallower shoreline habitat targeted by seine nets. The organisation of fish communities stresses the need to implement science-based policies and actions to preserve biodiversity and restore communities distributed over large heterogeneous ecosystems

Poteries de terre et boutons de nacre: Artisanat et pluriactivité ouverte dans le village de Favières (Meurthe-et-Moselle), de la fin du XVIIIe au début du XXe siècle

The village of Favières shows an interesting variant of the proto-industriali- sation process and of its consequences. Located on poor agricultural land, it owed its development only to the growth of a craft industry turned towards export. In the 18th century, this was based on local resources (wood, stone, clay, hemp) and essentially supplied the surrounding countryside, sometimes quite far away. In the 19th century, new productions were introduced as part of the putting-out system. They went through contracts with urban entrepreneurs and were partly intended for a more urban clien- tele (embroidery, passementerie, mother-of-pearl buttons). This change was accompa- nied by a greater permeability between the worlds of agriculture and crafts, but also by mediocre salaries which penalised women in particular. This situation accelerated the departure of young adults to the industrial area of Nancy and led to a demographic decline.Le village de Favières montre une intéressante variante du processus de proto-industrialisation et de ses conséquences. Situé sur des terres agricoles médiocres, il ne doit son développement qu’à l’essor d’un artisanat tourné vers l’exportation. Au XVIIIe siècle, celui-ci exploite les ressources locales (bois, pierre, argile, chanvre) et fournit essentiellement les campagnes environnantes, parfois assez éloignées. Au XIXe siècle, de nouvelles fabrications se mettent en place dans le cadre du Verlagssystem. Elles passent désormais par des entrepreneurs urbains et sont en partie destinées à une clientèle plus citadine (broderie, passementerie, boutons de nacre). Ce changement de production s’accompagne d’une plus grande perméabilité entre les mondes de l’agricul- ture et de l’artisanat, mais aussi de faibles salaires pénalisant tout particulièrement les femmes, situation qui va accélérer le départ des jeunes adultes vers le bassin industriel de Nancy et entraîner un déclin démographique