Evaluation qualitative macroscopique et microscopique du grasset chez un modèle expérimental d'arthrose canine 90 jours après section du ligament croisé crânial

La transection du ligament croisé crânial (CCLT) est une méthode couramment admise d'induction expérimentale d'arthrose (OA) au niveau du grasset chez le chien. Le but principal de cette étude était d'évaluer qualitativement les lésions d'arthrose induites par la CCLT par macroscopie et histologie 90 jours après chez 21 jeunes femelles de race beagle. Les lèvres de la trochlée fémorale présentaient le plus haut score ostéophytique tandis que la patelle présentait le plus bas et celui du condyle fémoral médial était supérieur à celui du condyle latéral. Les lésions méniscales ont été observées uniquement sur le ménisque médial de 5 genoux opérés. Les lésions macroscopiques du cartilage (stade de fibrillation) ont été notées dans un ordre de fréquence décroissant sur les condyles tibiaux médial et latéral, le condyle fémoral latéral, la trochlée fémorale, le condyle fémoral médial et enfin la patelle. L'examen histologique a révélé que la couche superficielle du cartilage était fibrillée et discontinue. La plupart des cellules étaient rondes et disposées tangentiellement à la surface. Dans les zones transitionnelle et profonde, quelques chondrocytes étaient modérément hypertrophiques et des amas de chondrocytes ont été uniquement observés dans la couche profonde. Concernant la membrane synoviale, un épaississement du mésothélium et une importante densité de collagène ont été notés et le rapport des épaisseurs mésothélium/fibres était entre 1/0.15 et 1/0.10 sur les genoux opérés et 1/0.05 sur les genoux témoins. Les images fournies ici pourront servir de références pour des travaux ultérieurs portant notamment sur les thérapies contre l'arthrose

Representation and fusion of heterogeneous fuzzy information in the 3D space for model-based structural recognition—Application to 3D brain imaging

AbstractWe present a novel approach to model-based pattern recognition where structural information and spatial relationships have a most important role. It is illustrated in the domain of 3D brain structure recognition using an anatomical atlas. Our approach performs segmentation and recognition of the scene simultaneously. The solution of the recognition task is progressive, processing successively different objects, and using different pieces of knowledge about the object and about relationships between objects. Therefore, the core of the approach is the knowledge representation part, and constitutes the main contribution of this paper. We make use of a spatial representation of each piece of information, as a spatial fuzzy set representing a constraint to be satisfied by the searched object, thanks in particular to fuzzy mathematical morphology operations. Fusion of these constraints allows us to select, segment and recognize the desired object

Políticas públicas de habitação e financeirização: 20 anos de produção de habitação em Azambuja (1995/2014)

As posições e ações dos decisores e responsáveis políticos, relativamente às soluções a implementar relativamente aos diferentes problemas habitacionais em Portugal, têm alternado entre o ‘apoio à pedra’, nomeadamente em situações de carências graves de habitação de estratos sociais insolventes, até ao ‘apoio à pessoa’, por exemplo na concessão de benefícios fiscais à aquisição de casa própria. As opções de políticas portuguesas conduziram à reorientação do sector financeiro português para a expansão do crédito, tanto para o financiamento à atividade da construção de habitação privada, como para a concessão de crédito para a sua aquisição, moldando a própria política pública de habitação. A produção de habitação no aglomerado urbano de Azambuja constitui o objeto para a caracterização do processo de urbanização e construção, com a recolha, análise e tratamento das múltiplas variáveis envolvidas, caracterizando-se assim o quadro da financeirização da habitação em Azambuja entre 1995 e 2014. Esta avaliação foi realizada, com a informação relativa a 688 fogos nomeadamente a que diz respeito aos valores de transação do solo e da habitação e dos montantes de crédito e respetivas taxas de juro. O nosso estudo revelou que o recurso ao crédito, com hipoteca do imóvel, constituiu a forma privilegiada de acesso à habitação e que, independentemente do momento da transação, mesmo em clima de contração económica em Portugal, esta solução foi encorajada pelas instituições financeiras, dado que, maioritariamente, o montante do crédito concedido foi superior ao valor de aquisição do fogo. Podemos concluir igualmente no nosso estudo, que a localização e distância ao centro, da urbanização e, consequentemente, do fogo, não determinam absolutamente os valores do solo e da habitação. O nosso estudo revelou ainda que a crise provocou a redução do volume da urbanização e da habitação. O fogo tipo, transacionado na vila de Azambuja no intervalo de tempo do nosso estudo, foi construído em 2002 e localiza-se em edifício multifamiliar implantado num lote resultante de alvará de loteamento. A habitação é do tipo T3, com área bruta privativa de 91,92 m2, foi adquirido por 105.274,00€ (1.145,28€ por unidade de área bruta privativa), dos quais 20.002,06 € (19%) correspondem à quota parte do valor de aquisição do solo onde está implantado. O adquirente recorreu ao crédito, tendo-lhe sido concedido 110.537,70 € (105% do valor de aquisição) com taxa de juro de 6,85%.The actions and the stances adopted by decision-makers and politicians, when pondering solutions for a variety of housing problems in Portugal, have switched between ‘support for building’ – namely when addressing a deep gap in housing among insolvent social cohorts – and ‘support for individuals’ – when granting tax waivers to first home buyers, for instance. Portuguese policy-making has redirected the Portuguese financial sector towards expanding credit, either by financing private housing developers or by financing homebuyers, thus shaping the housing public policy. The production of housing in the urban area of Azambuja is the basis for a description of building and urbanization processes, while collecting, analysing and processing multiple variables, thus characterising the framework in which housing financialisation took place in Azambuja from 1995 to 2014. This assessment includes mortgage data for 688 homes, namely land and housing transaction values, loan values and interest rates. We find that mortgage credit is the most common means of home acquisition and that, regardless of the time of transaction, even at a period of economic downturn in Portugal, this solution was encouraged by financial institutions, considering most of the loan values granted exceeded home prices. We also conclude that location and distance to the centre of residential properties do not have an absolute correlation with land and housing prices. Furthermore, we find that the economic crisis led to a decrease in new units and slowdown in new residential property developments. The standard unit sold in Azambuja within our analysis period was built in 2002 and is located in an apartment building subject to a plot allocation permit. It is a 3-bedroom unit with a gross floor area of 91.92 square meters, costing 105,274.00€ (1,145.28€ for each unit of the gross floor area), of which 20,002.06€ (19%) represent a fraction of the land value. The buyer obtained mortgage financing of 110,537.70€ (105% of the home price) at an interest rate of 6.85%

Enhancing Magnetic Light Emission with All-Dielectric Optical Nanoantennas

Electric and magnetic optical fields carry the same amount of energy. Nevertheless, the efficiency with which matter interacts with electric optical fields is commonly accepted to be at least 4 orders of magnitude higher than with magnetic optical fields. Here, we experimentally demonstrate that properly designed photonic nanoantennas can selectively manipulate the magnetic versus electric emission of luminescent nanocrystals. In particular, we show selective enhancement of magnetic emission from trivalent europium-doped nanoparticles in the vicinity of a nanoantenna tailored to exhibit a magnetic resonance. Specifically, by controlling the spatial coupling between emitters and an individual nanoresonator located at the edge of a near field optical scanning tip, we record with nanoscale precision local distributions of both magnetic and electric radiative local densities of states (LDOS). The map of the radiative LDOS reveals the modification of both the magnetic and electric quantum environments induced by the presence of the nanoantenna. This manipulation and enhancement of magnetic light-matter interaction by means of nanoantennas opens up new possibilities for the research fields of opto-electronics, chiral optics, nonlinear&nano-optics, spintronics and metamaterials, amongst others.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Bell inequalities and entanglement in solid state devices

Bell-inequality checks constitute a probe of entanglement -- given a source of entangled particles, their violation are a signature of the non-local nature of quantum mechanics. Here, we study a solid state device producing pairs of entangled electrons, a superconductor emitting Cooper pairs properly split into the two arms of a normal-metallic fork with the help of appropriate filters. We formulate Bell-type inequalities in terms of current-current cross-correlators, the natural quantities measured in mesoscopic physics; their violation provides evidence that this device indeed is a source of entangled electrons.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur

Flow analysis inside a Pelton turbine bucket

International audienceThe aim of this work is to provide a detailed experimental and numerical analysis of the flow in a fixed bucket of a Pelton turbine. The head, jet incidence, and flow rate have been varied to cover a wide range of the turbine functioning points. The experimental analysis provides measurements of pressure and torque as well as flow visualization. The numerical analysis is performed with the FLUENT code using the two-phase flow volume of fluid method. The results present a good consistency with experimental data. In particular, the pressure distribution is very well predicted for the whole range of the studied parameters. A detailed analysis of torque and thrust allows evaluating the losses due to the edge and the cutout of the bucket. These results give insight into the benefit we can expect of steady flow calculations through the optimization process of the design of Pelton turbines

Largentière (Ardèche). Sous le château

L’étude des mines médiévales de Largentière a débuté par des opérations de prospections menées sur les communes de Largentière, Montréal, Chassiers et Tauriers. À partir de l’inventaire ainsi constitué, les opérations archéologiques se sont centrées, depuis trois campagnes, sur les sites immédiatement associés au château de Largentière. Au-dessus du château s’ouvre dans la falaise qui le surplombe, la Baume de Viviers, en partie étudiée en 1998. Il s’agit d’une exploitation par grandes chamb..