New contenders in the large commercial aircraft manufacturing industry

The incumbent firms in the large commercial aircraft industry (LCA) oligopoly are faced with many short to medium term challenges that will shape their future competitiveness. The financial crisis has accelerated the market dynamics that are driving these challenges. Among them, the sustainable growth of air travel, the increasing costs of new programs and the threat of the new contenders entering the LCA top the list. For all the players and potential players, innovation and internationalization of the supply chain are key determinants of their future competitiveness. The main objective of the thesis is to assess the capacity of emerging countries to turn into innovation powerhouses and become leaders in the large commercial aviation business. The research integrates the supply (technology, structure of the firm, internationalization, strategy, government policy) and the demand side (effect of the airlines market and business strategy on the LCA manufacturers’s strategy). Most of the research in this field have concentrated on the supply side. The thesis focuses on understanding the reasons for the strategic importance of civil aviation in government policy, defining the key determinants of competitveness in the LCA industry, and analyzing the market entry of incumbent firms. More importantly, the research proposes a metric and a cluster analysis to determine whether or not China has the ability to be innovative and to become a leader in the commercial aircraft business

Le secteur atelier pluridisciplinaire (SAP), un observatoire de l'environnement urbain : Présentation des premiers résultats du suivi hydrologique et microclimatique du bassin du Pin Sec (Nantes)

Un suivi à long terme d'un petit bassin versant séparatif urbain a démarré en janvier 2006 à Nantes (France) dans le cadre d'un réseau fédératif de recherche regroupant plusieurs laboratoires (IRSTV). L'objectif de cette étude est d'établir un bilan des flux d'eau, de polluants et d'énergie de ce bassin versant sur plusieurs années pour contribuer à l'évaluation de modèles hydrométéorologiques intégrés en milieu urbain, intégrant les compartiments sol et atmosphère. Les différents dispositifs expérimentaux mis en place sont présentés, ils incluent un suivi en continu, du débit et de la qualité à l'exutoire des deux réseaux d'assainissement, un suivi détaillé de paramètres météorologiques, ainsi qu'un suivi de la nappe. Les premiers résultats montrent que l'établissement du bilan hydrologique du bassin versant du Pin Sec nécessite de faire un certain nombre d'hypothèses qui génèrent des incertitudes non négligeables. Des expérimentations futures permettront d'affiner ce bilan. Concernant le suivi de la qualité, il apparait que les principaux polluants véhiculés par les eaux de ruissellement sont les matières en suspension, le zinc, le cuivre, le plomb et le glyphosate ; un traitement des eaux avant rejet au milieu naturel pourrait s'avérer nécessaire. L'analyse des flux turbulents intervenant dans les bilans énergétique et hydrique reste délicate à cause de l'hétérogénéité du site ; ces flux résultent de surfaces sources, variables en localisation et en taille selon la hauteur du capteur et les conditions météorologiques. Une documentation détaillée de l'occupation des sols est nécessaire pour bien évaluer la contribution de ces sources locales

Compounds Triggering ER Stress Exert Anti-Melanoma Effects and Overcome BRAF Inhibitor Resistance

International audienceWe have discovered and developed a series of molecules (thiazole benzenesulfonamides). HA15, the lead compound of this series, displayed anti-cancerous activity on all melanoma cells tested, including cells isolated from patients and cells that developed resistance to BRAF inhibitors. Our molecule displayed activity against other liquid and solid tumors. HA15 also exhibited strong efficacy in xenograft mouse models with melanoma cells either sensitive or resistant to BRAF inhibitors. Transcriptomic, proteomic, and biochemical studies identified the chaperone BiP/GRP78/HSPA5 as the specific target of HA15 and demonstrated that the interaction increases ER stress, leading to melanoma cell death by concomitant induction of autophagic and apoptotic mechanisms

Electrophysiological features of Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy associated with IgG4 antibodies targeting Neurofascin 155 or Contactin1 glycoproteins

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Electrophysiological features of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy associated with IgG4 antibodies targeting neurofascin 155 or contactin 1 glycoproteins

OBJECTIVE: Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathies (CIDP) with antibodies against neurofascin 155 (Nfasc155) or contactin-1 (CNTN1) have distinctive clinical features. Knowledge on their electrophysiological characteristics is still scarce. In this study, we are investigating whether these patients have specific electrophysiological characteristics. METHODS: The electrophysiological data from 13 patients with anti-Nfasc155 IgG4 antibodies, 9 with anti-CNTN1 IgG4 antibodies were compared with those of 40 consecutive CIDP patients without antibodies. RESULTS: All the patients with antibodies against Nfasc155 or CNTN1 fulfilled the EFNS/PNS electrodiagnostic criteria for definite CIDP. There was no electrophysiological difference between patients with anti-CNTN1 and anti-Nfasc155 antibodies. Nerve conduction abnormalities were heterogeneously distributed along nerves trunks and roots. They were more pronounced than in CIDP without antibodies. Motor conduction velocity on median nerve <24 m/s or motor velocity on ulnar nerve <26 m/s or motor distal latency on ulnar nerve >7.4 ms were predictive of positive antibodies against the node of Ranvier with a sensitivity of 59% and a specificity of 93%. CONCLUSIONS: Marked conduction abnormalities may suggest the presence of positive antibodies against the node of Ranvier. SIGNIFICANCE: Anti-Nfasc155 and anti-CNTN1 antibodies target the the paranodal axo-glial domain but are associated with nerve conduction abnormalities mimicking a "demyelinating" neuropathy

Motivational and cognitive predictors of apathy after subthalamic nucleus stimulation in Parkinson’s disease

International audiencePostoperative apathy is a frequent symptom in Parkinson’s disease patients who have undergone bilateral deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus. Two main hypotheses for postoperative apathy have been suggested: i) dopaminergic withdrawal syndrome relative to postoperative dopaminergic drug tapering and ii) direct effect of chronic stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus. The primary objective of our study was to describe preoperative and one-year postoperative apathy in Parkinson’s disease patients who underwent chronic bilateral deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus. We also aimed to identify factors associated with one-year postoperative apathy considering: i) preoperative clinical phenotype, ii) dopaminergic drug management and iii) volume of tissue activated within the subthalamic nucleus and the surrounding structures. We investigated a prospective clinical cohort of 367 patients before and one year after chronic bilateral deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus. We assessed apathy using the Lille Apathy Rating Scale and carried out a systematic evaluation of motor, cognitive, and behavioral signs. We modelled the volume of tissue activated in 161 patients using Lead DBS toolbox and analyzed overlaps within motor, cognitive and limbic parts of the subthalamic nucleus. Of the 367 patients, 94 (25.6%) exhibited one-year postoperative apathy: 67 (18.2%) with “de novo apathy” and 27 (7.4%) with “sustained apathy”. We observed disappearance of preoperative apathy in 22 (6.0%) patients, who were classified as having “reversed apathy”. Lastly, 251 (68.4%) patients had neither preoperative nor postoperative apathy and were classified as having “no apathy”. We identified preoperative apathy score (OR 1.16, IC95% [1.10 ; 1.22], p<0.001), preoperative episodic memory free recall score (OR 0.93, IC95% [0.88 ; 0.97], p=0.003), and one-year postoperative motor responsiveness (OR 0.98, IC95% [0.96 ; 0.99], p=0.009) as the main factors associated with postoperative apathy. We showed that neither dopaminergic dose reduction nor subthalamic stimulation were associated with postoperative apathy. Patients with “sustained apathy” had poorer preoperative fronto-striatal cognitive status and higher preoperative action initiation apathy subscore. In these patients, apathy score and cognitive status worsened postoperatively despite significantly lower reduction in dopamine agonists (p=0.023), suggesting cognitive dopa-resistant apathy. Patients with “reversed apathy” benefited from the psychostimulant effect of chronic stimulation of the limbic part of the left STN (p=0.043), suggesting motivational apathy. Our results highlight the need for careful preoperative assessment of motivational and cognitive components of apathy as well as executive functions in order to better prevent or manage post-operative apathy

Les unités de gériatrie au début de l’épidémie du Covid-19 de 2020 en France

International audienceThe COVID-19 epidemic that started in November in China became a national epidemic from March 16, 2020 with the declaration of population containment in order to reduce the spread of the virus in France. From March 17 to March 27, 2020, the monitoring unit of the French society of geriatrics and gerontology decided to conduct a survey to analyze the implementation of the mobilization of geriatric units, given that this epidemic had shown that it resulted in excess mortality mainly among the elderly. The survey was able to bring together the response of 34 services, nine of which were located in a high epidemic cluster zone. Dedicated acute geriatric units for patients infected with COVID-19 were present in eight facilities, only outside the cluster zones. Nine geriatric follow-up and rehabilitation services were dedicated, an additional telemedicine activity concerned 35% of the facilities, and family listening and tablet communication facilities concerned 36% of the facilities. This survey is a snapshot of an initial moment in the epidemic. It provides an opportunity to describe the context in which this epidemic occurred in terms of geriatric policy, and to assess the responsiveness and inventiveness of these services in meeting the needs of the elderly.L’épidémie de Covid-19 qui avait débuté en novembre en Chine est devenue une épidémie en France à partir du 16 mars 2020 avec la déclaration du confinement de la population afin de diminuer la propagation du virus. Dès le 17 mars et jusqu’au 27 mars 2020, la cellule de veille de la Société française de gériatrie et gérontologie décide de mener une enquête pour analyser la mise en place de la mobilisation des structures de gériatrie, étant donné que cette épidémie avait montré qu’elle entraînait une surmortalité majoritairement chez les personnes âgées. L’enquête a pu réunir la réponse de 34 structures, dont neuf étaient situées en zone cluster de forte épidémie. Des services de court séjour gériatriques dédiés pour les patients infectés par le Covid-19 étaient présents dans huit établissements, uniquement hors des zones clusters. Neuf soins de suite et de rééducation gériatriques ont été dédiés, une activité supplémentaire de télémédecine concernait 35 % des établissements, et des moyens d’écoute des familles, d’animation et de communication par tablettes concernaient 36 % des établissements. Cette enquête est une photographie d’un moment initial de l’épidémie. Elle donne l’occasion de décrire le contexte dans lequel cette épidémie est survenue en ce qui concerne la politique gériatrique, et d’apprécier la réactivité et l’inventivité de ces services pour répondre aux besoins des personnes âgées

The FluxSAP 2010 hydroclimatological experimental campaign over an heterogeneous urban area

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FluxSAP 2010 experimental campaign over an heterogeneous urban zone, Part 1: heat and vapour flux assessment

International audienceThe FluxSAP 2010 is the first of two experimental campaigns aiming at quantitatively assessing the contribution of urban vegetation in the sensible heat and water vapour fluxes, over an heterogeneous area including buildings, semi-impervious surfaces, low and high vegetation. The 2010 experiment objective was primarily the feasibility of measurements with five different methods, and their analysis with respect to the surface cover mode variability of their footprints

Artificial Neural Networks Help to Better Understand the Interplay Between Cognition, Mediterranean Diet, and Physical Performance: Clues from TRELONG Study

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