pinecone/core-2020-05-10-deduplication huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Meso-NH and WRF/CHEM simulated gas and aerosol chemistry over Europe based on hourly observations

International audienceGas and aerosol chemistry of 10 km -resolution mesoscale models Meso-NH and WRF/CHEM were evaluated on three cases over Europe. These one-day duration cases were selected from Freney et al. (2011) and occurred on contrasted meteorological conditions and at different seasons: a cyclonic circulation with a well-marked frontal zone on winter, an anti-cyclonic situation with local storm precipitations on summer and a cold front in the northwest of Europe associated to a convergence of air masses over eastern Europe and conflicting air masses over Spain and France on autumn. To assess the performance of the two models, surface hourly databases from observation stations over Europe were used, together with airborne measurements. For both models, the meteorological fields were in good agreement with the measurements for the three days. Winds presented the largest normalized mean bias integrated over all European stations for both models. Daily gas chemistry was reproduced with normalized mean biases between -14 and 11 %, a level of accuracy that is acceptable for policy support. The two models performances were degraded during night-time quite likely due to the constant primary species emissions. The PM2.5 bulk mass concentration was overestimated by Meso-NH over Europe and slightly underestimated by WRF/CHEM. The absence of wet deposition in the models partly explains the local discrepancies with the observations. More locally, the systematic low mixing ratio of volatile organic compounds in the gas phase simulated by WRF/CHEM at three stations was correlated with the underestimation of OM (Organic Matter) mass in the aerosol phase. Moreover, this mass of OM was mainly composed of anthropogenic POA (Primary Organic Aerosols) in WRF/CHEM, suggesting a missing source for SOA (Secondary Organic Aerosols) mass in WRF/CHEM aerosol parameterization. The contribution of OM was well simulated by Meso-NH, with a higher contribution for the summer case. For Meso-NH, SOA made the major contribution to the OM mass. The simulation of the mass of SO42- in particles by both models was often overestimated and correlated with an underestimation of the SO2 mixing ratio. The simulated masses of NO3- and NH4+ in particles were always higher for Meso-NH than for WRF/CHEM, which was linked to a difference in NOX mixing ratio between the models. Finally, computations of model performance criterion and model performance goals show that both models can be considered acceptable for standard modelling applications. In particular, Meso-NH model, using a gaseous chemical mechanism designed to compute the organic precursors of aerosols, shows comparable simulated amounts of SOA to observations at local sites
Numerical quantification of sources and phase partitioning of chemical species in cloud: Application to wintertime anthropogenic air masses at the Puy de Dôme station

International audienceThe Model of Multiphase Cloud Chemistry M2C2 has recently been extended to account for nucleation scavenging of aerosol particles in the cloud water chemical composition. This extended version has been applied to multiphase measurements available at the Puy de Dôme station for typical wintertime anthropogenic air masses. The simulated ion concentrations in cloud water are in reasonable agreement with the experimental data. The analysis of the sources of the chemical species in cloud water shows an important contribution from nucleation scavenging of particles which prevails for nitrate, sulphate and ammonium. Moreover, the simulation shows that iron, which comes only from the dissolution of aerosol particles in cloud water, has a significant contribution in the hydroxyl radical production. Finally, the simulated phase partitioning of chemical species in cloud are compared with measurements. Numerical results show an underestimation of interstitial particulate phase fraction with respect to the measurements, which could be due to an overestimation of activated mass by the model. However, the simulated number scavenging efficiency of particles agrees well with the measured value of 40% of total number of aerosol particles activated in cloud droplets. Concerning the origin of chemical species in cloud water, the model reproduces quite well the contribution of gas and aerosol scavenging estimated from measurements. In addition, the simulation provides the contribution of in-cloud chemical reactivity to cloud water concentrations
Processes controlling a volcaniclastic turbiditic system during the last climatic cycle: Example of the Cilaos deep-sea fan, offshore La Réunion Island

International audienceThe present study focused on turbidite sedimentation in the Cilaos turbidite system, a volcaniclastic deep-sea fan recently recognized offshore La Réunion Island. A set of piston cores was collected in order to establish the stratigraphy of this fan and to examine the processes controlling the turbidite sedimentation off the Cilaos cirque (Piton des Neiges volcanic massif) over the last climatic cycle. Two main phases of turbidite activity were identified, during the ca 140-127 ka and 30-0 ka periods, coinciding with the two last glacial-interglacial transitions (i.e., Terminations II and I). In addition to changes in climate and eustatic sea-level, these periods coincide with a low effusive volcanic activity of the Piton des Neiges volcano. The high erosional rates identified in the Cilaos cirque during these intervals of both low effusive volcanic activity and enhanced rainfall level are probably the main driver of sediment supply to the deep‐sea depositional system. These new findings also highlight the important capacity of volcaniclastic turbidite systems to record rapid paleoenvironmental changes
Time fluctuations in a population model of adaptive dynamics

International audienceWe study the dynamics of phenotypically structured populations in environments with fluctuations. In particular, using novel arguments from the theories of Hamilton-Jacobi equations with constraints and homogenization, we obtain results about the evolution of populations in environments with time oscillations, the development of concentrations in the form of Dirac masses, the location of the dominant traits and their evolution in time. Such questions have already been studied in time homogeneous environments. More precisely we consider the dynamics of a phenotypically structured population in a changing environment under mutations and competition for a single resource. The mathematical model is a non-local parabolic equation with a periodic in time reaction term. We study the asymptotic behavior of the solutions in the limit of small diffusion and fast reaction. Under concavity assumptions on the reaction term, we prove that the solution converges to a Dirac mass whose evolution in time is driven by a Hamilton-Jacobi equation with constraint and an effective growth/death rate which is derived as a homogenization limit. We also prove that, after long-time, the population concentrates on a trait where the maximum of an effective growth rate is attained. Finally we provide an example showing that the time oscillations may lead to a strict increase of the asymptotic population size
Geometric and elastostatic calibration of robotic manipulator using partial pose measurements

International audienceThe paper deals with geometric and elastostatic calibration of robotic manipulator using partial pose measurements, which do not provide the end-effector orientation. The main attention is paid to the efficiency improvement of identification procedure. In contrast to previous works, the developed calibration technique is based on the direct measurements only. To improve the identification accuracy, it is proposed to use several reference points for each manipulator configuration. This allows avoiding the problem of non-homogeneity of the least-square objective, which arises in the classical identification technique with the full-pose information (position and orientation). Its efficiency is confirmed by the comparison analysis, which deals with the accuracy evaluation of different identification strategies. The obtained theoretical results have been successfully applied to the geometric and elastostatic calibration of serial industrial robot employed in a machining work-cell for aerospace industry
Novel phosphate–phosphonate hybrid nanomaterials applied to biology

International audienceA new process for preparing oligonucleotide arrays is described that uses surface grafting chemistry which is fundamentally different from the electrostatic adsorption and organic covalent binding methods normally employed. Solid supports are modified with a mixed organic/inorganic zirconium phosphonate monolayer film providing a stable, well-defined interface. Oligonucleotide probes terminated with phosphate are spotted directly to the zirconated surface forming a covalent linkage. Specific binding of terminal phosphate groups with minimal binding of the internal phosphate diesters has been demonstrated. On the other hand, the reaction of a bisphosphonate bone resorption inhibitor (Zoledronate) with calcium deficient apatites (CDAs) was studied as a potential route to local drug delivery systems active against bone resorption disorders. A simple mathematical model of the Zoledronate/CDA interaction was designed that correctly described the adsorption of Zoledronate onto CDAs. The resulting Zoledronate-loaded materials were found to release the drug in different phosphate-containing media, with a satisfactory agreement between experimental data and the values predicted from the model
Efficient RNA Isoform Identification and Quantification from RNA-Seq Data with Network Flows

published online, to appear in printInternational audienceSeveral state-of-the-art methods for isoform identification and quantification are based on l1- regularized regression, such as the Lasso. However, explicitly listing the--possibly exponentially-- large set of candidate transcripts is intractable for genes with many exons. For this reason, existing approaches using the l1-penalty are either restricted to genes with few exons, or only run the regression algorithm on a small set of pre-selected isoforms. We introduce a new technique called FlipFlop which can efficiently tackle the sparse estimation problem on the full set of candidate isoforms by using network flow optimization. Our technique removes the need of a preselection step, leading to better isoform identification while keeping a low computational cost. Experiments with synthetic and real RNA-Seq data confirm that our approach is more accurate than alternative methods and one of the fastest available. Source code is freely available as an R package from the Bioconductor web site (http://www.bioconductor.org/) and more information is available at http://cbio.ensmp.fr/flipflop
Polymer Microstructures. Modification and Characterisation by Fluid Sorption

International audiencePolymer micro-organisation can be modified by combination of the three constraints, thermal, hydrostatic and fluid sorption. In selecting the fluid's nature, chemically active or inert, and its physical state, liquid or supercritical, new “materials” can be generated. In addition, the interplay of temperature and pressure allows tailoring the obtained material structure for specific applications. Several complementary techniques have been developed to modify, analyze and characterize the end products: scanning transitiometry, vibrating wire (VW)-PVT coupling, thermoporosimetry, temperature modulated DSC (TMDSC), sorptometry. The great variety of possible applications in materials science is illustrated with different polymers which can produce materials from soft gel to rigid foams when submitted to fluid sorption, typical fluids being methane, or a simple gas (CO2 or N2). Absorption of an appropriate fluid in a cross linked polymer leads to a swelling phenomenon. Thermoporosimetry is a calorimetric technique developed to measure the shift by confinement of thermal transition temperatures of the swelling fluids, which can be currently used solvents or mercury. Application of thermoporosimetry to a swollen cross linked polymer allows to calculate the mesh size distribution and to evaluate the degree of reticulation of the polymer. The same technique can be applied to characterise the pore size distribution in a foamed polymer
Revisiting the North Chile seismic gap segmentation using GPS-derived interseismic coupling

International audienceNo major earthquake occurred in North Chile since the 1877 M w 8.6 subduction earthquake that produced a huge tsunami. However, geodetic measurements conducted over the last decade in this area show that the upper plate is actually deforming, which reveals some degree of locking on the subduction interface. This accumulation of elastic deformation is likely to be released in a future earthquake. Because of the long elapsed time since 1877 and the rapid accumulation of deformation (thought to be 6–7 cm/yr), many consider this area is a mature seismic gap where a major earthquake is due and seismic hazard is high. We present a new Global Positioning System (GPS) velocity field, acquired between 2008 and 2012, that describes in some detail the interseismic deformation between 18°S and 24°S. We invert for coupling distribution on the Nazca-South America subduction interface using elastic modelling. Our measurements require that, at these latitudes, 10 to 12 mm yr−1 (i.e. 15 per cent of the whole convergence rate) are accommodated by the clockwise rotation of an Andean block bounded to the East by the subandean fold-and-thrust belt. This reduces the accumulation rate on the subduction interface to 56 mm yr−1 in this area. Coupling variations on the subduction interface both along-strike and along-dip are described. We find that the North Chile seismic gap is segmented in at least two highly locked segments bounded by narrow areas of weak coupling. This coupling segmentation is consistent with our knowledge of the historical ruptures and of the instrumental seismicity of the region. Intersegment zones (Iquique, Mejillones) correlate with high background seismic rate and local tectonic complexities on the upper or downgoing plates. The rupture of either the Paranal or the Loa segment alone could easily produce a Mw 8.0–8.3 rupture, and we propose that the Loa segment (from 22.5◦S to 20.8◦S) may be the one that ruptured in 1877
EEG extended source localization: Tensor-based vs. conventional methods.

International audienceThe localization of brain sources based on EEG measurements is a topic that has attracted a lot of attention in the last decades and many different source localization algorithms have been proposed. However, their performance is limited in the case of several simultaneously active brain regions and low signal-to-noise ratios. To overcome these problems, tensor-based preprocessing can be applied, which consists in constructing a space-time-frequency (STF) or space-time-wave-vector (STWV) tensor and decomposing it using the Canonical Polyadic (CP) decomposition. In this paper, we present a new algorithm for the accurate localization of extended sources based on the results of the tensor decomposition. Furthermore, we conduct a detailed study of the tensor-based preprocessing methods, including an analysis of their theoretical foundation, their computational complexity, and their performance for realistic simulated data in comparison to conventional source localization algorithms such as sLORETA, cortical LORETA (cLORETA), and 4-ExSo-MUSIC. Our objective consists, on the one hand, in demonstrating the gain in performance that can be achieved by tensor-based preprocessing, and, on the other hand, in pointing out the limits and drawbacks of this method. Finally, we validate the STF and STWV techniques on real measurements to demonstrate their usefulness for practical applications
Anatomical and functional alterations in semantic dementia: a voxel-based MRI and PET study.

International audienceRare studies have used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to assess atrophy, and only two positron emission tomography (PET) studies used SPM to examine functional changes in semantic dementia (SD). Our aim was to highlight both morphological and functional abnormalities in a same group of 10 SD patients, in the entire brain, using a "state of the art" methodology (optimized VBM procedure, PET data corrected for partial volume effects and voxel-based analyses). We also used an extensive neuropsychological battery. We showed that main alterations concerned the left temporal lobe, in accordance with the striking impairment of semantic memory in SD patients, as well as the hippocampal region, which may partly explain their moderate episodic memory deficits. Hypometabolism was more extensive than grey matter loss in both temporal lobes, and specifically concerned the orbitofrontal areas, consistent with the moderate impairment of executive functions and behavioural changes. While PET is more sensitive than MRI, there is striking concordance between morphological and functional abnormalities, which contrasts with the discordance observed in Alzheimer's disease and might be a typical feature of SD
Dynamic Decision Making when Risk Perception Depends on Past Experience

International audienceThe aim of the paper is to propose a preferences representation model under risk where risk perception can be past experience dependent. A first step consists in considering a one period decision problem where individual preferences are no more defined only on decisions but on pairs (decision, past experience). The obtained criterion is used in the construction of a dynamic choice model under risk. The paper ends with an illustrative example concerning insurance demand. It<br />appears that our model allows to explain modifications in the insurance demand behavior over time observed on the insurance markets for catastrophic risk and difficult to justify with standard models
Seismic response and anisotropy of a model hcp iron inner core

International audienceWe present a framework for simulating the measurement of seismic anisotropy in a model inner core by computing travel time residuals of synthetic seismic rays propagated through the model. The method is first tested on simple inner core structural models consisting of layers with distinct anisotropy, as often proposed in the literature. Those models are not consistent with geodynamics. Hence, we extend the method to a numerically grown inner core composed of ε-Fe with flow generated from an excess of crystallization in the equatorial belt, inducing polycrystalline textures. The global inner core anisotropy is 7 times smaller than that of the single crystal. Compositional stratification amplifies the global anisotropy by 15% while the addition of solidification textures reduces it by a factor of 2. As such, and within the tested geodynamical models, no published elastic model of ε-Fe at inner core conditions allows for reproducing the 3% cylindrical anisotropy reported in seismology publications. In addition, our models demonstrate that additional information such as the depth dependence and the spread of the observed anisotropy is a key for revealing the dynamics and history of the inner core
Symmetry and couplings in stationary von Kármán Sodium dynamos

International audienceWe study different types of stationary dynamos observed in the Von Karman sodium (VKS) experiment when varying the electromagneticboundary conditions on (and in) the impellers. The flow is driven with two impellers made of soft iron (Monchaux et al 2007 Phys Rev. Lett. 98 044502)or using one soft-iron impeller and one stainless steel impeller. The magnetic field is mapped using 40 three-dimensional probes distributed within the flow and its surroundings. Symmetry and coupling properties are then retrieved from direct probe measurements and/or from the field structure as reconstructed using the inversion procedure described by Boisson and Dubrulle (2011 New J. Phys. 13 023037). Several salient results are obtained: (i) dynamo action is not achieved unless at least one iron impeller is rotating, at a frequency larger than 15 Hz; (ii) the resulting dynamo is a dipolar, mostly axisymmetric structure; and (iii) the self-sustained magnetic field properties depend on the sodium flow structure between the two impellers. We propose to interpret the stationary dynamos generation as the (constructive or destructive) superposition of two one-impeller fluid dynamos generated close to the soft-iron impellers, nonlinearly coupled through the turbulent flow, as suggested by Verhille et al (2010 New J. Phys. 12 033006). The normal form equation describing this coupling is similar to the one obtained in a theoretical model (Petrelis et al 2009 Phys. Rev. Lett. 102 144503)
Search for pentaquark states in Z decays

LAL 04-99Exotic hadrons made of five quarks (pentaquarks) are searched for in hadronic Z decays collected by the ALEPH detector at LEP. No significant signal is observed. At 95% C.L., upper limits are set on the production rates N of such particles and their charge-conjugate state per Z decay: N Theta(1535)+ . BR(Theta(1535)^+ -> pK0s < 6.2 x 10^-4, N Xi(1862)-- . BR(Xi(1862)^-- -> xi^- pi^-) < 4.5 x 10^-4, N Xi(1862)^0 . BR(Xi(1862)^0 -> Xi^-pi^+ < 8.9 x 10^-4, N Theta_c(3100)^0 . BR(Theta_c(3100)^0 -> D*-p) < 6.3 x 10^-4, N Theta_c(3100)^0 . BR(Theta_c(3100)^0 -> D^-p) < 31 x 10^-4
Effect-directed analysis for estrogenic compounds in a fluvial sediment sample using transgenic cyp19a1b-GFP zebrafish embryos.

International audienceXenoestrogens may persist in the environment by binding to sediments or suspended particulate matter serving as long-term reservoir and source of exposure, particularly for organisms living in or in contact with sediments. In this study, we present for the first time an effect-directed analysis (EDA) for identifying estrogenic compounds in a sediment sample using embryos of a transgenic reporter fish strain. In the tg(cyp19a1b-GFP) transgenic zebrafish strain, the expression of GFP (green fluorescent protein) in the brain is driven by an oestrogen responsive element in the promoter of the cyp19a1b (aromatase) gene. The selected sediment sample of the Czech river Bilina had already been analysed in a previous EDA using the yeast oestrogen screening assay and had revealed fractions containing estrogenic compounds. When normal phase HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography) fractionation was used for the separation of the sediment sample, the biotest with transgenic fish embryos revealed two estrogenic fractions. Chemical analysis of candidate compounds in these sediment fractions suggested alkylphenols and estrone as candidate compounds responsible for the observed estrogenic effect. Alkylphenol concentrations could partially explain the estrogenicity of the fractions. However, xenoestrogens below the analytical detection limit or non-targeted estrogenic compounds have probably also contributed to the sample's estrogenic potency. The results indicated the suitability of the tg(cyp19a1b-GFP) fish embryo for an integrated chemical-biological analysis of estrogenic effects