Exchange Rate Regime, Real Exchange Rate, Trade Flows and Foreign Direct Investments: The case of Morocco

We study the behavior of the Real Effective Exchange Rate (REER) of the dirham against the European currencies (Europe of the 15), over the period 1960-2000 (annual data). We measure the volatility using standard deviation, and the misalignments as the difference between the actual REER and the equilibrium REER (NATREX model). We show that a rise of the volatility of the dirham reduces the trade flows (exports and imports). The misalignments affect also the trade flows: an overvaluation leads to a reduction in Morocco exports from, to a raise of Morocco imports, and globally to a deterioration of the trade balance with the European Union. On the other hand, neither the volatility nor the misalignments have an effect on the direct investments (FDI) in favor of Morocco

Une production d'amphores "carottes" à Beyrouth à l'époque romaine ?

National audienceLes fouilles du centre-ville de Beyrouth ont mis au jour, entre autres vestiges, un atelier d'amphores daté du 1er siècle ap. J.-C. L'étude du dépotoir de cet atelier a permis d'identifier deux types d'amphores ainsi que des céramiques communes produits sur place. Les analyses chimiques d'un échantillonnage de ce matériel constituent des données de référence pour les productions romaines de Beyrouth. Ces données ont été utilisées pour tester l'attribution à Beyrouth de plusieurs autres types d'amphores, dont des types présumés orientaux diffusés jusqu'en Méditerranée occidentale, amphores «carottes» et autres conteneurs de petit module. Les résultats obtenus permettent de reconsidérer le rôle de Beyrouth dans le grand commerce méditerranéen à l'époque romaine. Ces recherches s'inscrivent dans le cadre d'un programme de collaboration franco-libanais «C.E.D.R.E». Les analyses chimiques ont été effectuées par PIXE au Laboratoire d'Accélérateur Ionique de Beyrouth, qui réalisait ses premières analyses de matériaux archéologiques. Le programme a donné lieu à la mise au point de protocoles expérimentaux et pose les premiers jalons d'une base de données d'analyse au laboratoire de Beyrouth centrée sur les céramiques levantines

On the optimization of the PIXE technique for thickness uniformity control of ultra-thin chromium layers deposited onto large surface quartz substrate

CAS-BIASChromium is a good candidate for obtaining conductive ultra-thin layers on insulator substrates such as quartz. The resistivity of such layers is highly related to the quality of the deposited chromium film. In order to optimize the deposition process, there is a need for rapid and accurate monitoring of such films (film thickness, thickness uniformity over a big surface, etc.). In this paper, we demonstrate the ability of the LE-PIXE technique, using proton energies <1 MeV, for the monitoring of the thickness and the thickness uniformity of ultra-thin (0.5 nm < t < 20 nm) chromium layers deposited onto quartz substrates. The acquisition time needed to obtain results with less than 3–4% precision was not, vert, similar5 min for the thinnest layers. The validation for the use of the LE-PIXE technique was checked by means of conventional RBS technique

On the characterization of boron in BGaAs nano-films using IBA technique

International audienceIn this work, the capability of the proton Induced γ-ray Emission (PIGE) technique to monitor a rapid, nondestructive and quantification of Boron in ultra-thin films of BxGa1-xAs deposited on GaAs substrate using MOCVD is discussed. In order to improve the sensitivity for B detection, a systematic study was undertaken using proton induced beam at three different energies (from 1.7, 2.4 and 3 MeV) with different tilting angles (0, 60° and 80°). Best conditions were found to be at 1.7 MeV and at 80° for proton energy and tilting angle within ten minutes of acquisition time

On the characterization of the "Paris" meteorite using PIXE, RBS and micro-PIXE

"Paris" meteorite is a CM type carbonaceous chondrite, a primitive meteorite whose parent body has been formed in the early stage of the solar system and that has experienced low alterations (thermal and aqueous) since its formation. Proton induced X-ray emission (PIXE), Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS) and micro-PIXE techniques were used to characterize the elemental content and chemical composition of a "Paris" meteorite fragment from MNHN-France (Musée National d'Histoire Naturelle). As expected for a carbonaceous chondrite, macro-PIXE analysis revealed high overall concentrations in Fe, Si, Mg, while RBS showed 55 at.% of O and 7.7 at.% of C in average. Among the other elements, macro-PIXE analysis shows a relative enrichment of the fragment analyzed in Ca. Besides, a carbonaceous chondrite is a heterogeneous composite of different sized mineral and organic grains. Thus, we used a micro-beam to scan and analyze some micron-sized inclusions. By micro-PIXE analysis, it was possible to identify two types of crystals and an inclusion containing less than 0.1 wt.% of molybdenu

Clinical outcomes following advanced respiratory motion management (respiratory gating or dynamic tumor tracking) with stereotactic body radiation therapy for stage I non-small-cell lung cancer

Paul Aridgides,1 Tamara Nsouli,1 Rishabh Chaudhari,1 Russell Kincaid,1 Paula F Rosenbaum,2 Sean Tanny,1 Michael Mix,1 Jeffrey Bogart1 1Department of Radiation Oncology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA; 2Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA Purpose: To report the outcomes of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for stage I non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) according to respiratory motion management method. Methods: Patients with stage I NSCLC who received SBRT from 2007 to 2015 were reviewed. Computed tomography (CT) simulation with four-dimensional CT was performed for respiratory motion assessment. Tumor motion &gt;1 cm in the craniocaudal direction was selectively treated with advanced respiratory management: either respiratory gating to a pre-specified portion of the respiratory cycle or dynamic tracking of an implanted fiducial marker. Comparisons were made with internal target volume approach, which treated all phases of respiratory motion. Results: Of 297 patients treated with SBRT at our institution, 51 underwent advanced respiratory management (48 with respiratory gating and three with tumor tracking) and 246 underwent all-phase treatment. Groups were similarly balanced with regard to mean age (P=0.242), tumor size (P=0.315), and histology (P=0.715). Tumor location in the lower lung lobes, as compared to middle or upper lobes, was more common in those treated with advanced respiratory management (78.4%) compared to all-phase treatment (25.6%, P&lt;0.0001). There were 17 local recurrences in the treated lesions. Kaplan&ndash;Meier analyses showed that there were no differences with regard to mean time to local failure (91.5 vs 98.8 months, P=0.56), mean time to any failure (73.2 vs 78.7 months, P=0.73), or median overall survival (43.3 vs 45.5 months, P=0.56) between patients who underwent advanced respiratory motion management and all-phase treatment.Conclusion: SBRT with advanced respiratory management (the majority with respiratory gating) showed similar efficacy to all-phase treatment approach for stage I NSCLC. Keywords: SBRT, respiratory gating, lung cancer, radiation therapy, medically inoperable, stage

Determination of parameters for channeling of protons in SiC polytype crystals in the backscattering geometry

Energy spectra of protons channeling along the (0001) axis of several SiC polytype crystals (namely 4H, 6H, 15R, 21R) in the energy region E-p = 1.7-2.5 MeV, in the backscattering geometry, were taken and analyzed. Computer simulations based on the assumption that the dechanneling of protons follows an exponential law are in very good agreement with the measured spectra. The obtained results for the two crucial channeling parameters, gimel, the mean channeling distance, and, alpha, the ratio of the stopping powers in the aligned and random mode are compared for the different structures and an attempt is made to explain the occurring similarities as well as the differences, in order to evaluate the use of SiC polytypes as substrates in implantations and thin film depositions. An attempt is also made to correlate the results from the present work to the ones obtained in the past for simpler crystallographic structures, namely Si(100) and Si(111), as well as more complex ones, such as SiO2 (c-axis). (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved