La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 suspended microbridges for uncooled bolometers made using reactive ion etching of the silicon substrates

International audienceSuspended La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO) microbridges were fabricated using standard silicon micromachining techniques. First epitaxial LSMO thin films were deposited on SrTiO3 (STO) buffered Si (001) substrates by molecular-beam epitaxy. A simple two photolithography step process using the reactive ion etching of the silicon substrate to release the suspended microbridges was developed. The electrical resistivity as a function of temperature of 4 lm wide 50-200 lm long and 75 nm thick LSMO/STO fully processed suspended microbridges was very close to the characteristics of the initial LSMO thin films, demonstrating that the fabrication process did not degrade the quality of the LSMO. The thermal conductance of the processed bolometers was very low (of the order of 10 7WK 1) at 300 K. These structures are promising for uncooled bolometer applications and other micro-electromechanical systems based on LSMO or other epitaxial functional oxides

A rare coding mutation in the MAST2 gene causes venous thrombosis in a French family with unexplained thrombophilia: The Breizh MAST2 Arg89Gln variant.

Rare variants outside the classical coagulation cascade might cause inherited thrombosis. We aimed to identify the variant(s) causing venous thromboembolism (VTE) in a family with multiple relatives affected with unprovoked VTE and no thrombophilia defects. We identified by whole exome sequencing an extremely rare Arg to Gln variant (Arg89Gln) in the Microtubule Associated Serine/Threonine Kinase 2 (MAST2) gene that segregates with VTE in the family. Free-tissue factor pathway inhibitor (f-TFPI) plasma levels were significantly decreased in affected family members compared to healthy relatives. Conversely, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) levels were significantly higher in affected members than in healthy relatives. RNA sequencing analysis of RNA interference experimental data conducted in endothelial cells revealed that, of the 13,387 detected expressed genes, 2,354 have their level of expression modified by MAST2 knockdown, including SERPINE1 coding for PAI-1 and TFPI. In HEK293 cells overexpressing the MAST2 Gln89 variant, TFPI and SERPINE1 promoter activities were respectively lower and higher than in cells overexpressing the MAST2 wild type. This study identifies a novel thrombophilia-causing Arg89Gln variant in the MAST2 gene that is here proposed as a new molecular player in the etiology of VTE by interfering with hemostatic balance of endothelial cells

How to Test Mandatory Text Templates: The European Patient Information Leaflet

The structure of patient information leaflets (PILs) supplied with medicines in the European Union is largely determined by a regulatory template, requiring a fixed sequence of pre-formulated headings and sub-headings. The template has been criticized on various occasions, but it has never been tested with users. This paper proposes an alternative template, informed by templates used in the USA and Australia, and by previous user testing.The main research question is whether the revision better enables users to find relevant information. Besides, the paper proposes a methodology for testing templates. Testing document templates is complex, as they are “empty”. For both the current and the alternative template, we produced a document with bogus text and real headings (reflecting the empty template) and a real-life document with readable text (reflecting the “filled” template). The documents were tested both in Dutch and in English, with 64 British and 64 Dutch users. The test used a set of scenario questions that covers the full range of template (sub)topics; users needed to indicate the text locations where they expected each question to be answered. The revised template improved findability of information; this effect was strongest for the “filled” template with readable text. When participants were shown both filled templates, there was a clear preference for the revised template. A closer analysis of the findability data revealed question-specific effects of topic grouping, topic ordering, subtopic granularity and wording of headings. Most of these favoured the revised template, but our revision led to adverse effects as well, for instance in the new heading Check with your doctor. Language-specific effects showed that the wording of the headings is a delicate task. Generally, we conclude that document template designs can be analyzed in terms of the four parameters grouping, ordering, granularity and wording. Furthermore, they need to be tested on their effects on information findability, with template translations requiring separate testing. The methodology used in this study seems an appropriate one for such tests. More specifically, we find that the new patient information leaflet template proposed here provides better information findability

Application de la démarche ergonomique à l'étude des documents et des activités documentaires au travail

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Le retour du bien-être au travail à son point de consigne : un test international en France et au Japon

L’ambition de cette recherche est de tester, dans le contexte du travail, la validité externe de la théorie de l’adaptation hédonique qui stipule un retour progressif du niveau de bien-être à son point de consigne en dépit des évènements traversés. Jusqu’à présent, elle avait surtout reçu un fort soutien empirique dans la vie en général au sein des pays anglo-saxons. Les résultats empiriques des deux études montrent que cette théorie peut être étendue aux salariés qui changent d’emploi en France mais pas au Japon. Deux contributions originales en ressortent : elle est asymétrique et pour partie au moins contingente.The ambition of this research is to test, in the context of work, the external validity of the theory of hedonic adaptation which stipulates a gradual return of the level of well-being to its set point despite the events experienced. Until now, it had mainly received strong empirical support in life in general within Anglo-Saxon countries. The empirical results of the two studies show that this theory can be extended to employees who change jobs in France but not in Japan. Two original contributions emerge: it is asymmetrical and partly at least contingent.El objetivo de este estudio es probar, en el contexto del trabajo, la validez externa de la teoría de la adaptación hedónica que muestra un regreso progresivo del nivel de bienestar a su punto inicial a pesar de los hechos vividos. Hasta ahora, había recibido sobre todo un fuerte apoyo empírico en la vida en general dentro de los países anglosajones. Los resultados empíricos de los dos estudios muestran que esta teoría puede aplicarse a los empleados que cambian de trabajo en Francia, pero no en Japón. Surgen dos aportes generales: es asimétrica y al menos parcialmente contingente

Cartes conceptuelles pour la formation : rôle des connaissances antérieures et de la consigne

ISBN : 979-10-92329-02‐5National audienceL'étude présentée vise à déterminer le rôle des connaissances antérieures dans la construction de cartes conceptuelles, dans la mémorisation et l'apprentissage de connaissances issues d'un domaine de connaissances précis (l'effet de serre pour notre étude), en fonction de la consigne donnée (orienté la base de textes vs vers la construction d'un modèle de situation). Des étudiants de psychologie (avec peu de connaissances sur l'effet de serre) et des étudiants de biologie (avec un niveau élevé de connaissances sur l'effet de serre) ont participé à l'étude. Après avoir construit des cartes conceptuelles, les participants devaient répondre à des questions et évaluer leur charge cognitive. Les principaux résultats ne mettent pas en évidence de différence significative entre les groupes concernant les actions de construction des cartes conceptuelles. Toutefois, cette construction favorise l'activité d'apprentissage des participants disposant d'un niveau élevé de connaissances antérieures, quelle que soit la consigne attribuée. La consigne a eu un effet sur les scores obtenus aux items portant sur la macrostructure des textes et de façon surprenante c'est la consigne qui oriente les participants vers la focalisation sur les éléments de la base de texte qui engendre les meilleures performances

Learning from Concept Mapping and Hypertext: An Eye Tracking Study

International audienceThis study examined the effects of prior domain knowledge and learning sequences on learning with concept mapping and hypertext. Participants either made a concept map in a first step and then read the hypertext's contents combined with concept mapping (high activating condition), or they read the hypertext's contents first and then made a concept map and re-read the hypertext's contents (low activating condition). It was hypothesized that the low activating condition would support better learning of relations between concepts for low prior knowledge participants who would need information from hypertext first to efficiently build a map next. For high prior knowledge participants, it was expected that the high activating condition would increase prior knowledge activation that would improve learning by promoting germane cognitive load, or at least would help participants to cope with the cognitive demands of the learning task by reducing extraneous cognitive load. The results confirmed that the low activating condition fostered better learning of relations between the concepts than the high activating condition, regardless of the level of prior knowledge. However, concept mapping behaviors and eye movement data showed that prior knowledge reduced disorientation, improved navigation coherence, and supported better elaboration of semantic relations between the concepts before reading the texts

Effects of building vs. studying a concept map on hypertext comprehension

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Some Recent Developments around the CROCO Initiative for Complex Regional to Coastal Modeling

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Investigating multimedia effects on concept map building: impact on map quality, information processing and learning outcome

International audienceTwo experimental studies were carried out to investigate whether adding multimedia features in a concept mapping task would improve the quality of the map built by students and promote more effective learning with expository hypertexts. Ninety-Nine undergraduates built a concept map to learn about a topic (water cycle or nitrogen cycle) either with a text-based or with a multimedia presentation of concepts (i.e. concepts were presented as textual labels illustrated with relevant pictures). Multimedia presentation of concepts was expected to foster the construction of a more elaborate concept map, to increase information processing and to improve learning outcome. Results of the two experiments were consistent by showing that multimedia presentation led learners to spend more time building the concept map and to build more coherent maps (i.e. text-based inter-connected concepts). In addition, experiment 2 showed that the multimedia presentation of concepts in concept mapping could also foster deeper exploration of the hypertext. However, learning outcomes were not affected by the learning conditions