Multi Site Coordination using a Multi-Agent System

A new approach of coordination of decisions in a multi site system is proposed. It is based this approach on a multi-agent concept and on the principle of distributed network of enterprises. For this purpose, each enterprise is defined as autonomous and performs simultaneously at the local and global levels. The basic component of our approach is a so-called Virtual Enterprise Node (VEN), where the enterprise network is represented as a set of tiers (like in a product breakdown structure). Within the network, each partner constitutes a VEN, which is in contact with several customers and suppliers. Exchanges between the VENs ensure the autonomy of decision, and guarantiee the consistency of information and material flows. Only two complementary VEN agents are necessary: one for external interactions, the Negotiator Agent (NA) and one for the planning of internal decisions, the Planner Agent (PA). If supply problems occur in the network, two other agents are defined: the Tier Negotiator Agent (TNA) working at the tier level only and the Supply Chain Mediator Agent (SCMA) working at the level of the enterprise network. These two agents are only active when the perturbation occurs. Otherwise, the VENs process the flow of information alone. With this new approach, managing enterprise network becomes much more transparent and looks like managing a simple enterprise in the network. The use of a Multi-Agent System (MAS) allows physical distribution of the decisional system, and procures a heterarchical organization structure with a decentralized control that guaranties the autonomy of each entity and the flexibility of the network

The homology of odontodes in gnathostomes: insights from Dlx gene expression in the dogfish, Scyliorhinus canicula

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Teeth and tooth-like structures, together named odontodes, are repeated organs thought to share a common evolutionary origin. These structures can be found in gnathostomes at different locations along the body: oral teeth in the jaws, teeth and denticles in the oral-pharyngeal cavity, and dermal denticles on elasmobranch skin. We, and other colleagues, had previously shown that teeth in any location were serially homologous because: i) pharyngeal and oral teeth develop through a common developmental module; and ii) the expression patterns of the <it>Dlx </it>genes during odontogenesis were highly divergent between species but almost identical between oral and pharyngeal dentitions within the same species. Here we examine <it>Dlx </it>gene expression in oral teeth and dermal denticles in order to test the hypothesis of serial homology between these odontodes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We present a detailed comparison of the first developing teeth and dermal denticles (caudal primary scales) of the dogfish (<it>Scyliorhinus canicula</it>) and show that both odontodes develop through identical stages that correspond to the common stages of oral and pharyngeal odontogenesis. We identified six <it>Dlx </it>paralogs in the dogfish and found that three showed strong transcription in teeth and dermal denticles (<it>Dlx3</it>, <it>Dlx4 </it>and <it>Dlx5</it>) whereas a weak expression was detected for <it>Dlx1 </it>in dermal denticles and teeth, and for <it>Dlx2 </it>in dermal denticles. Very few differences in <it>Dlx </it>expression patterns could be detected between tooth and dermal denticle development, except for the absence of <it>Dlx2 </it>expression in teeth.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Taken together, our histological and expression data strongly suggest that teeth and dermal denticles develop from the same developmental module and under the control of the same set of <it>Dlx </it>genes. Teeth and dermal denticles should therefore be considered as serial homologs developing through the initiation of a common gene regulatory network (GRN) at several body locations. This mechanism of heterotopy supports the 'inside and out' model that has been recently proposed for odontode evolution.</p

A prospective assessment of the inter-laboratory variability of biochemical markers of fibrosis (FibroTest) and activity (ActiTest) in patients with chronic liver disease

BACKGROUND: Biochemical markers for liver fibrosis (FibroTest) and necroinflammatory features (ActiTest) are an alternative to liver biopsy in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Our aim was to assess the inter-laboratory variability of these tests, and their 6 components (γ-glutamyl transpeptidase, alanine aminotransferase, α(2)-macroglobulin, haptoglobin, apolipoprotein A1, and total bilirubin) and to identify factors associated with this variability. RESULTS: Serum of 24 patients with chronic hepatitis C or severe alcoholic liver disease were prospectively recorded and analyzed in one reference center and in 8 additional laboratories. When γ-glutamyl transpeptidase and alanine aminotransferase were expressed in international units, there was no significant difference between laboratories in the results of FibroTest or ActiTest; kappa statistics were greater than 0.50 with only 0.8% of cases (3/384) with a discordance of more than one stage. The main factor significantly associated with variability was the expression of γ-glutamyl transpeptidase and alanine aminotransferase, as multiples of upper limit of reference values. The use of standardized method with pyridoxal phosphate reduced the variability of alanine aminotransferase expression, and standardized original Szasz method reduced the variability of γ-glutamyl transpeptidase expression. CONCLUSIONS: The variability of FibroTest and ActiTest was acceptable without clinical consequences for the prediction of the stage of liver fibrosis and grade of activity. Standardized methods and assay calibration should be used and expression of alanine aminotransferase and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase in multiples of the upper limit of reference values should not be employed

Community-associated Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Switzerland

Two case-control studies evaluated the prevalence of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) carriage at hospital admission and characteristics of patients with CA-MRSA. Among 14,253 patients, CA-MRSA prevalence was 0.9/1,000 admissions. Although 5 CA-MRSA isolates contained Panton-Valentine leukocidin, only 1 patient had a previous skin infection. No easily modifiable risk factor for CA-MRSA was identified

Mendelian randomization implies no direct causal association between leukocyte telomere length and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Funder: QingLan Research Project of Jiangsu for Outstanding Young TeachersFunder: Project funded by Postdoctoral Science Foundation of Xuzhou Medical UniversityFunder: Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD) for Xuzhou Medical UniversityAbstract: We employed Mendelian randomization (MR) to evaluate the causal relationship between leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) with summary statistics from genome-wide association studies (n = ~ 38,000 for LTL and ~ 81,000 for ALS in the European population; n = ~ 23,000 for LTL and ~ 4,100 for ALS in the Asian population). We further evaluated mediation roles of lipids in the pathway from LTL to ALS. The odds ratio per standard deviation decrease of LTL on ALS was 1.10 (95% CI 0.93–1.31, p = 0.274) in the European population and 0.75 (95% CI 0.53–1.07, p = 0.116) in the Asian population. This null association was also detected between LTL and frontotemporal dementia in the European population. However, we found that an indirect effect of LTL on ALS might be mediated by low density lipoprotein (LDL) or total cholesterol (TC) in the European population. These results were robust against extensive sensitivity analyses. Overall, our MR study did not support the direct causal association between LTL and the ALS risk in neither population, but provided suggestive evidence for the mediation role of LDL or TC on the influence of LTL and ALS in the European population

La résistance aux insecticides de Heliccoverpa armigera (Hübner) en Afrique de l'Ouest (du mécanisme à la gestions)

TOULOUSE3-BU Sciences (315552104) / SudocSudocFranceF

A comparative neurological approach to emotional expressions in primate vocalizations

Different approaches from different research domains have crystallized debate over primate emotional processing and vocalizations in recent decades. On one side, researchers disagree about whether emotional states or processes in animals truly compare to those in humans. On the other, a long-held assumption is that primate vocalizations are innate communicative signals over which nonhuman primates have limited control and a mirror of the emotional state of the individuals producing them, despite growing evidence of intentional production for some vocalizations. Our goal is to connect both sides of the discussion in deciphering how the emotional content of primate calls compares with emotional vocal signals in humans. We focus particularly on neural bases of primate emotions and vocalizations to identify cerebral structures underlying emotion, vocal production, and comprehension in primates, and discuss whether particular structures or neuronal networks solely evolved for specific functions in the human brain. Finally, we propose a model to classify emotional vocalizations in primates according to four dimensions (learning, control, emotional, meaning) to allow comparing calls across species

Supply-Chain Management Based on Cost

International audienc

Les nouveaux modes de déplacement individuel doux basés sur l’électrique. Attractivité et insertion modale

National audienceThis paper is part of a research program funded by the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA) region that focuses on mobility practices for the 2030 and 2050 horizons. Transport is a sector in constant evolution. Recently, we observed the rise of the new individual electric vehicles (NIEV) in our cities. These vehicles are part of today’s mobility, and certainly tomorrow’s, due to the use of electric energy. This makes them attractive in the context of reducing carbon emissions in urban centers.In the spring of 2020, France experienced a lockdown related to the Covid-19 health crisis. The unlock, considered "risky", obliged politicians to urgently set up temporary cycling paths that are also used by NIEV. These vehicles appear to be the most advantageous in terms of social distancing, unlike public transport. This sudden increase in temporary infrastructures, some of which will become permanent, suggests that it will reinforce the growth of NIEV in urban areas.In order to better understand the growth of NIEV, an online survey was shared during April and May 2020. The objective of this survey is to better understand the users and uses of these vehicles. The survey is also intended for non-users who are in direct contact with NIEV users. The survey questions the opinion on the preservation of the environment, the necessary arrangements concerning these vehicles, etc. At the end of May 2020, the survey gets 250 responses, including 120 NIEV users. In addition, interviews were conducted to obtain qualitative data.The results of the survey identified several environmental and urban planning issues. For example, 68.3% of users are convinced that NIEV are environmentally friendly. In addition, 84.2% of users consider them to be practical and useful in urban areas. The open-ended questions and interviews shed light on ideas for improvements to these new transports. Indeed, many users and non-users report difficulties for NIEV to circulate in urban areas. These vehicles have not yet found a suitable place to circulate and are often circulating on sidewalks, cycling paths, or even on the road.Cet article fait suite à un travail de recherche en collaboration avec le projet de la région Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA) qui porte sur l’étude des pratiques de mobilités aux horizons 2030 et 2050. La région PACA veut préparer l’avenir en prenant le temps de réflexion nécessaire pour comprendre les besoins de mobilités et de transports pour 2030 et 2050. Le transport est un secteur en évolution permanente. L’essor des nouveaux véhicules électriques individuels (NVEI) depuis quelques années en est l’exemple. Ces engins s’inscrivent dans la mobilité d’aujourd’hui, et sûrement de demain, de par leurs caractéristiques électriques. Cela en fait des modes de déplacement attractifs dans un contexte de réduction de l’émission carbone dans les centres urbains.Au printemps 2020 la France a connu un confinement lié à la crise sanitaire de la Covid-19. Le déconfinement considéré « à risque » face à la Covid-19 a obligé les politiques à aménager en urgence des pistes provisoires pour les vélos. Elles sont également utilisées par les NVEI. Ces modes semblent être les plus avantageux en termes de distanciation physique, à l’inverse des transports collectifs. Cette augmentation soudaine des aménagements provisoires, dont certains seront pérennisés, laisse à penser qu’elle va renforcer l’essor des NVEI en milieu urbain.Afin de mieux cerner l’essor des NVEI une enquête en ligne a été partagée durant les mois d’avril et mai 2020. L’objectif de cette enquête est de permettre de mieux connaître les usagers et les usages de ces engins. L’enquête est également à destination des non usagers qui sont en contact direct avec les utilisateurs des NVEI. Parmi les questions, l’enquête interroge l’opinion sur des thèmes comme la préservation de l’environnement et les aménagements nécessaires au sujet de ces engins. Fin mai 2020 l’enquête possède 250 réponses dont 120 usagers de NVEI. En complément, des entretiens permettent d’obtenir de la donnée qualitative.Les résultats de l’enquête permettent de dégager plusieurs enjeux en matière d’environnement et d’aménagement urbain. Par exemple, 68,3 % des usagers considèrent les NVEI comme écologiques. De plus, ils sont 84,2 % à les considérer comme pratiques en milieu urbain. Les questions ouvertes et les entretiens éclairent sur les pistes d’amélioration à apporter à ces nouveaux modes. En effet, de nombreux usagers et non usagers rapportent des difficultés pour les NVEI à circuler en milieu urbain. Ces engins ne trouvent pas encore un lieu de circulation approprié et se retrouvent à circuler sur les trottoirs, sur les pistes cyclables ou encore sur la voirie