Large expert-curated database for benchmarking document similarity detection in biomedical literature search

Document recommendation systems for locating relevant literature have mostly relied on methods developed a decade ago. This is largely due to the lack of a large offline gold-standard benchmark of relevant documents that cover a variety of research fields such that newly developed literature search techniques can be compared, improved and translated into practice. To overcome this bottleneck, we have established the RElevant LIterature SearcH consortium consisting of more than 1500 scientists from 84 countries, who have collectively annotated the relevance of over 180 000 PubMed-listed articles with regard to their respective seed (input) article/s. The majority of annotations were contributed by highly experienced, original authors of the seed articles. The collected data cover 76% of all unique PubMed Medical Subject Headings descriptors. No systematic biases were observed across different experience levels, research fields or time spent on annotations. More importantly, annotations of the same document pairs contributed by different scientists were highly concordant. We further show that the three representative baseline methods used to generate recommended articles for evaluation (Okapi Best Matching 25, Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency and PubMed Related Articles) had similar overall performances. Additionally, we found that these methods each tend to produce distinct collections of recommended articles, suggesting that a hybrid method may be required to completely capture all relevant articles. The established database server located at https://relishdb.ict.griffith.edu.au is freely available for the downloading of annotation data and the blind testing of new methods. We expect that this benchmark will be useful for stimulating the development of new powerful techniques for title and title/abstract-based search engines for relevant articles in biomedical research.Peer reviewe

Évaluation de l’aléa glissements de terrain : état de l’art et perspectives pour la cartographie réglementaire en France

En France, dans le cadre de la cartographie réglementaire (type PPR – plans de prévention des risques), l’évaluation de l’aléa glissements de terrain suit généralement une approche empirique. Outre les données de base disponibles, les résultats sont donc étroitement dépendants de la qualité d’expertise réalisée. Depuis quelques années, dans un but opérationnel et afin de réduire les incertitudes de l’évaluation de l’aléa, des approches parallèles ou complémentaires ont été développées. Dans le cadre de cette article, un état de l’art sur l’approche cartographique actuelle est tracé, puis les perspectives et limites des approches en cours de développement sont décrites

Reconnaissance néotectonique d'un accident majeur en Provence (France). Utilisation de la comparaison des nivellements et de l'analyse morphostructurale.

This work attempts to improve the Provence neotectonics knowledges. It shows the results of a pluridisciplinary neotectonic approach applied to a segment of the middle Durance faults system, which is a great seismotectonic feature of this region. Besides a classical structural study, this approach implements two methodologies, more and more current in neotectonics: comparison of repeated accurate levellings and morphostructural analysis of surfaces. The vertical movements (deduced from levellings) and many anomalies of surface's contour lines are interpreted as indications of recent or present activity. Correlations between tectonic data and these indications are shown. In this context, this kind of investigations must be considered as essential complements to more usual tectonic studies.Ce travail a pour but d'améliorer le bilan néotectonique de la Provence. Il présente les résultats d'une approche néotectonique pluridisciplinaire concernant une portion de la. faille de la Moyenne Durance, trait sismotectonique majeur de cette région. Aux côtés d'une étude tectonique, deux techniques désormais classiques en néotectonique sont mises en œuvre : la comparaison des nivellements et l'analyse morphostructurale des surfaces. Les mouvements verticaux (nivellements) et plusieurs anomalies des isohypses des surfaces sont interprétés comme des indices d'activité. Il existe des corrélations entre les données tectoniques et ces indices. Ces deux techniques doivent être considérées en tant que compléments essentiels d'études tectoniques plus classiques.Terrier Monique, Lenotre Nicole. Reconnaissance néotectonique d'un accident majeur en Provence (France). Utilisation de la comparaison des nivellements et de l'analyse morphostructurale.. In: Bulletin de l'Association française pour l'étude du quaternaire, vol. 26, n°3, 1989. pp. 161-170

Improvement of national landslide inventory for Malawi: from visual remote sensing analyses to field evidences

International audienceIn the context of landslide risk reduction and management, landslide inventory maps provide the first information for assessing the susceptibility, hazard and risk of a given area. These inventories serve as a basis for the creation and the improvement of spatial and attribute databases, then, where appropriate, the use of more or less complex approaches to map susceptibility, hazards and risk. Obtaining a comprehensive landslide inventory map for a large territory at national scale (i.e. 1:250,000 scale), is difficult. Throughout the world, only few examples exist of such inventories. For most countries, these inventories are mainly the result of the compilation of work carried out individually, by different organizations for different projects and at different scales. In many cases, the information collected is scattered and does not correspond to each other. For some years, some automatic or semi-automatic methods based on the analysis of multi-temporal and multi-scale satellite images are available for extracting spatial and attribute information (landslide envelope, typology, morphometry, etc.). However, these methods are still exploratory, sometimes giving approximate and non-exhaustive results. Thus, in many cases, visual remote sensing analysis of phenomena (i.e. aerial photograph or satellite image interpretation) remains the commonly used means. The landslide module of GEMMAP* consists in improving the landslide inventory maps for Malawi. The method is based on (1) analysis of available landslide inventories (spatial databases); (2) visual analysis of satellite images, in particular through images under Google Earth Pro ® ; (3) integration of spatial and attribute information identified in the second step; (4) field control of new information; (5) analysis of new information and integration in a new spatialized database. The initial desktop study combines historical information with remote sensing analysis. Subsequent field control of the provisional landslide maps is essential for several reasons : (1) to define the types of phenomena;(2) to understand the relationships between different environmental factors and unstable phenomena;and (3) to take into account some changes due to anthropogenic factors in the context of susceptibility and hazard maps for these changing subtropical environments

L'évaluation du risque de tsunamis sur le littoral français

Pour mieux connaître le risque de tsunamis sur le territoire français, divers travaux sont aujourd'hui conduits. Ils concernent à la fois la recherche sur les événements historiques, la simulation numérique à partir de données vécues ou plausibles et enfin l'évaluation des préjudices potentiels pour les secteurs côtiers les plus exposés

Improvement of national landslide inventory for Malawi: from visual remote sensing analyses to field evidences

International audienceIn the context of landslide risk reduction and management, landslide inventory maps provide the first information for assessing the susceptibility, hazard and risk of a given area. These inventories serve as a basis for the creation and the improvement of spatial and attribute databases, then, where appropriate, the use of more or less complex approaches to map susceptibility, hazards and risk. Obtaining a comprehensive landslide inventory map for a large territory at national scale (i.e. 1:250,000 scale), is difficult. Throughout the world, only few examples exist of such inventories. For most countries, these inventories are mainly the result of the compilation of work carried out individually, by different organizations for different projects and at different scales. In many cases, the information collected is scattered and does not correspond to each other. For some years, some automatic or semi-automatic methods based on the analysis of multi-temporal and multi-scale satellite images are available for extracting spatial and attribute information (landslide envelope, typology, morphometry, etc.). However, these methods are still exploratory, sometimes giving approximate and non-exhaustive results. Thus, in many cases, visual remote sensing analysis of phenomena (i.e. aerial photograph or satellite image interpretation) remains the commonly used means. The landslide module of GEMMAP* consists in improving the landslide inventory maps for Malawi. The method is based on (1) analysis of available landslide inventories (spatial databases); (2) visual analysis of satellite images, in particular through images under Google Earth Pro ® ; (3) integration of spatial and attribute information identified in the second step; (4) field control of new information; (5) analysis of new information and integration in a new spatialized database. The initial desktop study combines historical information with remote sensing analysis. Subsequent field control of the provisional landslide maps is essential for several reasons : (1) to define the types of phenomena;(2) to understand the relationships between different environmental factors and unstable phenomena;and (3) to take into account some changes due to anthropogenic factors in the context of susceptibility and hazard maps for these changing subtropical environments

Thème 4. La mobilité des salariés de l'Etat. Discussion sur les communications de M. Méron, C. Agulhon et J. Pihan

Terrier Christophe, Meron Monique, Faidutti Anne-Marie, Laget Michel. Thème 4. La mobilité des salariés de l'Etat. Discussion sur les communications de M. Méron, C. Agulhon et J. Pihan . In: Espace, populations, sociétés, 1988-3. La population face à l'emploi - Population and work opportunities. p. 554

Simulations numériques de tsunamis sur la côte méditerranéenne française : le cas d'Antibes

Le projet ALDES a consisté à étudier, par des simulations numériques détaillées, le risque tsunami sur 3 sites pilotes de la côte méditerranéenne française, pour des scénarios sismiques et gravitaires. Malgré l'intensité modérée des tsunamis susceptibles d'affecter ces côtes, Antibes apparait particulièrement exposée, en particulier pour un scénario comme le glissement de terrain de l'aéroport de Nice de 1979. Cet événement, à l'origine de nombreux dommages sur Antibes, a été simulé en s'appuyant sur des caractérisations du glissement menées par l'IFREMER. L'utilisation de calculs emboités (codes GEOWAVE et SURF-WB) a permis d'affiner la simulation jusqu'à une résolution de 3,75 m en intégrant explicitement les éléments urbains (modèle numérique d'élévation intégrant le bâti). Les résultats s'avèrent cohérents avec les observations historiques, en termes de temps d'arrivée et de polarité de la vague sur la Baie des Anges et en termes d'inondation sur Antibes. La simulation montre que le quartier de la Salis est atteint au bout de 6 minutes par un tsunami dépassant les 3 m à la côte. Cette première vague, la plus importante, entraine une submersion conséquente avec des courants localement élevés et des run-up pouvant atteindre 4 m. Plusieurs tests de sensibilité ont été menés sur ce cas, permettant de mettre en évidence l'importance du choix des équations (Boussinesq - Saint-Venant) et de la description du glissement pour simuler un tsunami d'origine gravitaire. Enfin, ces résultats permettent de souligner l'intérêt d'une prise en compte explicite du bâti pour la représentativité des simulations de submersion en milieu urbain

Revision of the geological context of the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, Haiti: implications for slope failures and seismic hazard assessment

International audienceFollowing the earthquake of 12 January 2010 in the Port-au-Prince area, the Haitian government, in close cooperation with BRGM, the French geological Survey, decided to undertake a seismic microzonation study of the metropolitan area of the capital in order to take more fully into account the seismic risk in the urbanization and planning of the city under reconstruction. As the first step of the microzonation project, a geological study has been carried out. Deposits of Miocene and Pliocene formations in a marine environment have been identified. These deposits are affected by the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden N80° E fault system and N110° E faults. Tectonic observations and morphological analysis indicate Quaternary activity of several faults mapped in the area of Port-au-Prince. These faults have a N110° trend and show a reverse-sinistral strike-slip motion. Moreover, on the basis of these geological results and of new topographical data, a hazard assessment of ground movements has been made. Along with the map of active faults, the hazard map of ground movements is an integral component of the seismic microzonation study

Findings on the Earthquake Risk Preparedness of the City of La Paz, Bolivia

International audienceLocated on the Bolivian altiplano and built on the slopes of the canyon network eroded by the Choqueyapu river and its main tributaries, the city of La Paz is no stranger to natural disasters, having suffered catastrophic floods, hailstorms and landslides in recent memory, such as the hailstorm in 2002 that caused at least 69 deaths and 100 disappearances or the 2011 Pampahasi-Cayapa mega-landslide, which destroyed more than 800 homes. However, despite its location in the South American subduction context and evidence of paleoseismicity in local fault networks, historical and instrumental seismic activity has been relatively low and therefore not a priority in local settlement and construction practices. As part of an ongoing effort by local authorities to increase risk preparedness, a preliminary diagnosis of the earthquake risk preparedness of the city was commissioned by the Municipality of La Paz, with funding from the European Commission DIPECHO programme. This study, whose main findings are presented in this paper, is based on a review and analysis of seismic hazard literature as well as a series of interviews with local actors in the fields of catastrophe management, geological research, seismographic surveillance, land-use planning and structural design. An assessment of the seismogenic potential of local faults and a simple deterministic seismic hazard analysis are first carried out to give an idea of possible hazard. This information is then completed with an analysis of existing vulnerabilities from a legislative and urban planning point of view, as well as commentary on current risk management efforts. Finally, the earthquake hazard is analyzed in the context of a high landslide hazard, analyzing the interactions between risk management strategies for both types of hazards particularly with respect to earthquake-induced landslides