pinecone/core-2020-05-10-deduplication huggingface dataset:
Offshore Oligo-Miocene volcanic fields within the Corsica-Liguria Basin: Magmatic diversity and slab evolution in the western Mediterranean Sea

International audienceThe European and Corsica-Sardinia margins of the Ligurian Sea (western Mediterranean) have been affected by a geochemically diverse igneous activity, offshore and onshore, since the Eocene. This magmatism occurred in a global subduction-related framework. On the European side, the oldest Tertiary magmatism dated at ca. 35 Ma was mainly calc-alkaline. It included the emplacement of plutonic bodies of adakitic affinity, such as the quartz microdiorite laccolith locally referred to as "esterellite". Younger magmatic events on-land within the whole Ligurian domain were mostly medium-K or K-rich calc-alkaline. Miocene volcanic activity was important in Sardinia, where andesites and ignimbrites were erupted during several magmatic cycles. In Corsica, it was minor although it emplaced lamprophyres near Sisco at 15 Ma. Dredging and diving cruises conducted in the Ligurian Sea during the last thirty years allowed us to collect a number of submarine samples. We discuss here their geochemistry (major and trace elements) and their whole-rock K-Ar ages and mineral 40Ar-39Ar plateau ages. Around 15 Ma, minor amounts of adakitic lavas were emplaced off southwestern Corsica, in the deepest part of the Liguria-Corsica Basin. They rested over the thinnest southwestern Corsica Hercynian continental crust. Closer to the coast, contemporaneous calc-alkaline rocks erupted on a less thinned crust. The adakitic events could be indicative of either the final stages of active subduction, or alternatively of a slab tearing linked to the southeastern retreat and steepening of the slab. The latter event could be connected with the end of the Corsica-Sardinia block drifting and its correlative eastern collision. Younger volcanic effusions, dated at 14-6 Ma, occurred mostly northwest and north of Corsica. K-rich calc-alkaline basalts, shoshonites and K-rich trachytes were emplaced during this period, and alkali basalts erupted as early as 12 Ma in Sardinia. In the Toulon area, alkali basalts dated at 7-6 Ma represent the last onshore activity just before the Messinian crisis, and the Pliocene alkali basaltic outpouring in Sardinia. We propose to link these latter volcanic events to the development of a slab window in a post-collisional tectonic framework
Conformational changes in the catalytically inactive nucleotide-binding site of CFTR.

A central step in the gating of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) chloride channel is the association of its two cytosolic nucleotide-binding domains (NBDs) into a head-to-tail dimer, with two nucleotides bound at the interface. Channel opening and closing, respectively, are coupled to formation and disruption of this tight NBD dimer. CFTR is an asymmetric adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-binding cassette protein in which the two interfacial-binding sites (composite sites 1 and 2) are functionally different. During gating, the canonical, catalytically active nucleotide-binding site (site 2) cycles between dimerized prehydrolytic (state O1), dimerized post-hydrolytic (state O2), and dissociated (state C) forms in a preferential C-->O1-->O2-->C sequence. In contrast, the catalytically inactive nucleotide-binding site (site 1) is believed to remain associated, ATP-bound, for several gating cycles. Here, we have examined the possibility of conformational changes in site 1 during gating, by studying gating effects of perturbations in site 1.Previous work showed that channel closure is slowed, both under hydrolytic and nonhydrolytic conditions, by occupancy of site 1 by N6-(2-phenylethyl)-ATP (P-ATP) as well as by the site-1 mutation H1348A (NBD2 signature sequence). Here, we found that P-ATP prolongs wild-type (WT) CFTR burst durations by selectively slowing (>2x) transition O1-->O2 and decreases the nonhydrolytic closing rate (transition O1-->C) of CFTR mutants K1250A ( approximately 4x) and E1371S ( approximately 3x). Mutation H1348A also slowed ( approximately 3x) the O1-->O2 transition in the WT background and decreased the nonhydrolytic closing rate of both K1250A ( approximately 3x) and E1371S ( approximately 3x) background mutants. Neither P-ATP nor the H1348A mutation affected the 1:1 stoichiometry between ATP occlusion and channel burst events characteristic to WT CFTR gating in ATP. The marked effect that different structural perturbations at site 1 have on both steps O1-->C and O1-->O2 suggests that the overall conformational changes that CFTR undergoes upon opening and coincident with hydrolysis at the active site 2 include significant structural rearrangement at site 1
Exchange integrals and magnetization distribution in BaCu2X2O7 (X=Ge,Si)

Estimating the intrachain and interchain exchange constants in BaCu2X2O7 (X=Ge,Si) by means of density-functional calculations within the local spin-density approximation (LSDA) we find the Ge compound to be a more ideal realization of a one-dimensional spin chain with Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction than its Si counterpart. Both compounds have a comparable magnitude of interchain couplings in the range of 5-10 K , but the nearest neighbor intrachain exchange of the Ge compound is nearly twice as large as for the Si one. Using the LSDA+U method we predict the detailed magnetization density distribution and especially remarkable magnetic moments at the oxygen sites
Mechanical characterization of aortic valve tissues using an inverse analysis approach

International audienceThe use of numerical simulation to investigate heart and valvular mechanics is becoming increasingly popular. In particular, finite element analysis is often used to support the operation planning procedure as well as the design of new prostheses with mechanical properties as close as possible to those of natural tissues and an even better biocompatibility. With one of the highest prevalence of cardiovascular degenerative diseases [1], aortic valves (AV) have been widely studied during the last decades.The elastic [2] and time-dependent [3] behaviors of the AV leaflets under physiological biaxial loading states have been previously investigated in the literature over a wide range of loading conditions.. As most soft tissues, AV has an oriented network of collagen fibers embedded in an elastin matrix, which is responsible for their hyperelastic and anisotropic behaviors. Accordingly, non-linear transverse isotropic constitutive equations are often used assuming a macroscopically-identifiable preferred fiber direction.In this study a new method is proposed in order to estimate relevant material and structural properties of AV while reducing at the same time the number of complex and time-consuming experiments. An inverse analysis procedure based on the finite element computation of planar biaxial tensile tests was used to set-up a reduced protocol. This protocol was then experimentally reproduced to identify real material parameters. The obtained material parameters will be later used to model heart valve tissues
Energy saving obligations—cutting the Gordian Knot of leverage?

International audienceBetter leverage of public funding is essential in order to trigger the invest-ment needed for energy efficiency. In times of austerity governments in-creasingly look at policy instruments not funded by public expenditure and Energy Savings Obligations represent one option. Because Energy Savings Obligations are paid for by all energy customers, the degree to which they are able to raise additional private capital for energy efficiency invest-ments is crucial with regard to the financial burden on consumers. In this paper, we systematically assess how successful Energy Savings Obliga-tions were in levering capital from parties other than the obligated entities including private investors and other public bodies. We analyse three countries with substantial experience with Energy Savings Obligations, identify the main design differences and the effect this has on the degree of leverage. We conclude that the design of Energy Savings Obligations largely determines the degree of leverage and that that there appears to be a trade-off between high leverage and additionality
Prices vs Quantities in a Second-best Setting

International audienceThe choice between taxes and tradable permits has been independently analysed by two distinct research traditions. The first proceeds from Weitzman's partial equilibrium stochastic model and concludes that a tax should be preferred if the marginal abatement cost curve is steeper than the marginal environmental benefit curve. The second utilises deterministic general equilibrium models with pre-existing distortionary taxes. It concludes that non-revenue-raising instruments (e.g., grandfathered tradable permits) are costlier than revenue-raising ones (e.g., a tax on every unit of pollution or auctioned permits). <br />To build a bridge between these two traditions, we introduce in Weitzman's model a positive cost of public funds due to pre-existing distortionary taxes. The tax admits a greater comparative advantage over the permits, as compared to Weitzman's classical result. Then, we assume that the regulated industry blocks any proposal that poses it too high an expected burden. This may require a transfer to firms, in the form of freely-allocated permits or lump-sum tax rebate. It turns out that if this acceptability constraint is binding, then the comparative advantage of taxes over permits is still reinforced. Quantitatively, even if the marginal benefit function is 50% more steeply sloped than the marginal cost function, the price instrument should be preferred.<br />We also compare the expected net benefit of these two instruments to a contingent instrument which leads to the ex post optimum. The superiority of the contingent instrument over the quantity one is higher than in first-best
The impact of within-party and between-party ideological dispersion on fiscal outcomes: evidence from Swiss cantonal parliaments

International audienceThe impact of the fragmentation of executive and legislative bodies on the level and composition of government expenditure is a political feature that attracted considerable attention from economists. However, previous authors have abstracted from two important concepts : ideology and intra-party politics. In this paper, we explicitly account for these two phenomenons, and make two main contributions. First, we show that both intra-party and interparty ideological dispersion matters in the level of public spending. Therefore, it is incorrect to consider parties as monolithic entities. We also show that ideological dispersion matters especially for current expenditures, and not so much for investment expenditures. To do so, we construct a panel database (2003 to 2011) including data from a survey that quantifies the policy preferences of individual party members that were candidates to federal elections in Switzerland
A map of D/H on Mars in the thermal infrared using EXES aboard SOFIA

International audienceOn a planetary scale, the D/H ratio on Mars is a key diagnostic for understanding the past history of water on the planet; locally, it can help to constrain the sources and sinks of water vapor through the monitoring of condensation and sublimation processes. To obtain simultaneous measurements of H2O and HDO lines, we have used the Echelle Cross Echelle Spectrograph (EXES) instrument aboard the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) facility to map the abundances of these two species over the Martian disk. High-resolution spectra (R = 6 × 104) were recorded in the 1383−1390 cm-1 range (7.2 μm) on April 08, 2014. Mars was very close to opposition and near northern summer solstice (Ls = 113°). Maps of the H2O and HDO mixing ratios were retrieved from the line depth ratios of weak H2O and HDO transitions divided by a weak CO2 line. As expected for this season, the H2O and HDO maps show a distinct enhancement toward polar regions, and their mixing ratios are consistent with previous measurements and with predictions by the global climate models, except at the north pole where the EXES values are weaker. We derive a disk-integrated D/H ratio of 6.8 (+1.6, −1.0) × 10-4. It is higher than the value in Earth’s oceans by a factor 4.4 (+1.0, −0.6). The D/H map also shows an enhancement from southern to northern latitudes, with values ranging from about 3.5 times to 6.0 times the VSMOW (Vienna standard mean ocean water) value. The D/H distribution shows a depletion over the Tharsis mountains and is consistent with observed latitudinal variations. The variations in D/H with latitude and altitude agree with the models and with the isotope fractionation expected from condensation and sublimation processes
An optimized correlation function estimator for galaxy          surveys

International audienceMeasuring the two-point correlation function of the galaxies in the Universe gives access          to the underlying dark matter distribution, which is related to cosmological parameters          and to the physics of the primordial Universe. The estimation of the correlation function          for current galaxy surveys makes use of the Landy-Szalay estimator, which is supposed to          reach minimal variance. This is only true, however, for a vanishing correlation function.          We study the Landy-Szalay estimator when these conditions are not fulfilled and propose a          new estimator that provides the smallest variance for a given survey geometry. Our          estimator is a linear combination of ratios between pair counts of data and/or random          catalogues (DD, RR, and DR). The optimal combination for a given geometry is determined by          using lognormal mock catalogues. The resulting estimator is biased in a model-dependent          way, but we propose a simple iterative procedure for obtaining an unbiased          model-independent estimator. Our method can be easily applied to any dataset and requires          few extra mock catalogues compared to the standard Landy-Szalay analysis. Using various          sets of simulated data (lognormal, second-order LPT, and N-body), we          obtain a 20–25% gain on the error bars on the two-point correlation function for the SDSS          geometry and ΛCDM correlation function. When applied to SDSS data (DR7 and DR9), we          achieve a similar gain on the correlation functions, which translates into a 10–15%          improvement over the estimation of the densities of matter Ωm and dark energy            ΩΛ in an open ΛCDM model. The constraints derived from DR7 data with our          estimator are similar to those obtained with the DR9 data and the Landy-Szalay estimator,          which covers a volume twice as large and has a density that is three times higher
Phosphorus-based chromophores: Emitters for OLEDs

International audienceIn this paper, we present the development of white OLEDs (WOLEDs) using organophosphorus derivatives as fluorescent emitters. The structural changes that we have performed on and around the phosphole ring (functionalization of the phosphorus atom, nature of the substituents at the 2 and 5 position) allow the ability to tune the emission wavelengths and the color emitted by the OLEDs. Using this concept, we developed organophosphorus dopants emitting orange light, which can be mixed with a blue emitting matrix for the development of WOLEDs. The OLEDs structure allows the development of flexible OLEDs with good performance and CIE coordinates which are independent from the current density
Randomized parcellation based inference.

International audienceNeuroimaging group analyses are used to relate inter-subject signal differences observed in brain imaging with behavioral or genetic variables and to assess risks factors of brain diseases. The lack of stability and of sensitivity of current voxel-based analysis schemes may however lead to non-reproducible results. We introduce a new approach to overcome the limitations of standard methods, in which active voxels are detected according to a consensus on several random parcellations of the brain images, while a permutation test controls the false positive risk. Both on synthetic and real data, this approach shows higher sensitivity, better accuracy and higher reproducibility than state-of-the-art methods. In a neuroimaging-genetic application, we find that it succeeds in detecting a significant association between a genetic variant next to the COMT gene and the BOLD signal in the left thalamus for a functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging contrast associated with incorrect responses of the subjects from a Stop Signal Task protocol
Modeling and experimentation of a passive low frequency nanoforce sensor based on diamagnetic levitation.

International audienceThis paper is focused on the study of a new low frequency micro and nanoforce sensor based on diamagnetic levitation. The force sensitive part is a tencentimeter long macroscopic capillary tube used as a levitating seismic mass. This tube presents a naturally stable equilibrium state with six degrees of freedom thanks to the combination of diamagnetic repulsive and magnetic attractive forces. It is only used as a one-direction force sensing device along its longitudinal axis. This force sensor is passive. The force measurement is based on the displacement of the capillary tube and in steady-state this displacement is proportional to the force. This sensor is characterized by an under-damped second-order linear force-displacement dynamic which remains linear on several hundred micrometers and can thus measure a wide range of microforces. Because of the magnetic springs con guration used, the capillary tube presents a horizontal mechanical sti ness that can be adjusted between 0.01 and 0.03 N/m (similar to the sti ness of a thin AFM cantilever). The measurement range typically varies between 50 N. Bandwidth is 4 Hz. The resolution depends on the sensor used to measure the capillary tube displacement and on noises induced by environmental conditions (ground and air vibrations). The resolution typically reached with a STIL confocal chromatic sensor is 5 nN inside a test chamber located on a anti-vibration table. This study is illustrated by a pull-off force measurement
First spectroscopy of $^{66}$Se and $^{65}$As: Investigating shape coexistence beyond the N = Z line

The experiment was performed at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL), at Michigan State University (USA).We report on the first γ spectroscopy of 66Se and 65As from two-neutron removal at intermediate beam energies. The deduced excitation energies for the first-excited states in 66Se and 65As are compared to mean-field-based predictions within a collective Hamiltonian formalism using the Gogny D1S effective interaction and to state-of-the-art shell-model calculations restricted to the pf5/2 g9/2 valence space. The obtained Coulomb-energy differences for the first excited states in 66Se and 65As are discussed within the shell-model formalism to assess the shape-coexistence picture for both nuclei. Our results support a favored oblate ground-state deformation in 66Se and 65As. A shape transition for the ground state of even-odd As isotopes from oblate in 65As to prolate in 67,69,71As is suggested
Thermal recovery of colour centres induced in cubic yttria-stabilized zirconia by charged particle irradiations

We have used electron paramagnetic resonance to study the thermal annealing of colour centres induced in cubic yttria-stabilized zirconia by swift electron and heavy ion-irradiations. Single crystals were irradiated with 1 or 2-MeV electrons, and 200-MeV 127I, or 200-MeV 197Au ions. Electron and ion beams produce the same colour centres: namely i) an F+-like centre, ii) the so-called T-centre (Zr3+ in a trigonal oxygen local environment), and iii) a hole center. Isochronal annealing was performed up to 973 K. Isothermal annealing was performed at various temperatures on samples irradiated with 2-MeV electrons. The stability of paramagnetic centres increases with fluence and with a TCR treatment at 1373 K under vacuum prior to the irradiations. Two distinct recovery processes are observed depending on fluence and/or thermal treatment. The single-stage type I process occurs for F+-like centres at low fluences in as-received samples, and is probably linked to electron-hole recombination. T-centres are also annealed according to a single-stage process regardless of fluence. The annealing curves allow one to obtain activation energies for recovery. The two-stage type II process is observed only for the F+-like centres in as-received samples, at higher fluences, or in reduced samples. These centres are first annealed in a first stage below 550 K, like in type I, then transform into new paramagnetic centres in a second stage above 550 K. A simple kinetics model is proposed for this process. Complete colour centre bleaching is achieved at about 1000 K
The Roussillon Basin (S. France): A case-study to distinguish local and regional events between 6 and 3 Ma

International audienceThe Roussillon Basin is a non-silled Miocene sedimentary basin filling a late Oligocene–early Miocene graben. The basin was intensively impacted by the 2 Messinian fluvial erosion, as evidenced in exposed sections, in seismic profiles and in deep boreholes drilled for hydrocarbon exploration. As the basin was open to the Mediterranean Sea, the huge drop in sea level at the peak of the Messinian Salinity Crisis is clearly recorded, along with the subsequent sudden marine reflooding and the resulting prograding sedimentary filling, particularly in Gilbert-type fan deltas. Here, the Messinian Erosional Surface (MES) is accurately mapped in a high-resolution document, which corrects the confusion resulting from the set of 1:50,000 scale regional maps. Aim of the 3D reconstruction of the MES is to modernize geological mapping, a crucial challenge for Mediterranean and peripheral areas. Thanks to a reliable chronostratigraphy provided by planktonic foraminifers, calcareous nannofossils, micro-and macro-mammal remains, paleomagnetism and a 10 Be cosmogenic nuclide-derived study, our reconstruction is one of the most comprehensive models of changes in sea level from 6 to 3 Ma. After the marine reflooding of the Mediterranean Basin at 5.46 Ma, the fluctuations in sea level recorded in the Roussillon Basin were forced by global changes. Following reflooding, the Prades large olistostrome collapsed prepared by the previous exhumation along the Canigou fault. The olistostrome is a good example of a local accident resulting from Messinian events. The exceptional changes in sea level at the peak of the Messinian Salinity Crisis deeply marked the Roussillon Basin, momentarily overprinting the Pyrenean orogenesis. Key words: Roussillon Basin – Messinian subaerial erosion –Zanclean sedimentary filling –Prades olistostrome
The extreme physical properties of the CoRoT-7b super-Earth

International audience► Here, we discuss the extreme physical properties possible for the first characterized rocky super-Earth, CoRoT-7b ( = 1.58 , = 5.7 ). ► We make the working hypothesis that the planet is rocky with no volatiles in its atmosphere, and derive the physical properties that result. ► The dayside is very hot (2500 K at the sub-stellar point) while the nightside is very cold (∼ 50 K). The sub-stellar point is as hot as the tungsten filament of an incandescent bulb, resulting in the melting and distillation of silicate rocks and the formation of a lava ocean. ► These possible features of CoRoT-7b should be common to many small and hot planets, including Kepler-10b. They define a new class of objects that we propose to name ''Lava-ocean planets''