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This paper presents an empirical analysis that examines the factors influencing service prices and frequencies of conventional high-speed trains (HSTs) in France. The study utilizes original data spanning from September 2019 to March 2020, focusing on the level of intermodal competition and the diversification strategy employed by the primary rail operator. The primary findings of the econometric analysis reveal that the determinants of the price per kilometer for both first and second-class conventional HST services exhibit some shared factors, particularly in relation to the technical characteristics of the routes and alternative options available. However, certain factors are specific to each category, such as the competitive environment, economic conditions, and demographic factors. The frequency of HST services is primarily influenced by travel time. In cases where conventional HSTs do not offer satisfactory service quality in terms of frequency and/or price, there is an auxiliary alternative option available to compensate for the limited frequency of conventional HST services. • Alternative modes compensate for the insufficient service quality of conventional HSTs. • Low-cost flights are emerging when round trips within a day are not feasible via HST. • The incumbent rail operator adopts a multi-product strategy to address the competitive pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Extracellular vesicles (EV) are emergent therapeutic effectors that have reached clinical trial investigation. To translate EV-based therapeutic to clinic, the challenge is to demonstrate quality, safety, and efficacy, as required for any medicinal product. EV research translation into medicinal products is an exciting and challenging perspective. Recent papers, provide important guidance on regulatory aspects of pharmaceutical development, defining EVs for therapeutic applications and critical considerations for the development of potency tests. In addition, the ISEV Task Force on Regulatory Affairs and Clinical Use of EV-based Therapeutics as well as the Exosomes Committee from the ISCT are expected to contribute in an active way to the development of EV-based medicinal products by providing update on the scientific progress in EVs field, information to patients and expert resource network for regulatory bodies. The contribution of our work group "Extracellular Vesicle translatiOn to clinicaL perspectiVEs – EVOLVE France", created in 2020, can be positioned in complement to all these important initiatives. Based on complementary scientific, technical, and medical expertise, we provide EV-specific recommendations for manufacturing, quality control, analytics, non-clinical development, and clinical trials, according to current European legislation. We especially focus on early phase clinical trials concerning immediate needs in the field. The main contents of the investigational medicinal product dossier, marketing authorization applications, and critical guideline information are outlined for the transition from research to clinical development and ultimate market authorization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The 80 km/h speed limit is associated with a significant reduction in fatalities. • Estimated benefits are between 300 and 350 lives saved. • Estimated effects vary between counties, illustrating the potential impact depending on the local context. • The dynamics of the measure evolve over time. Introduction : Speeding is considered to be a major contributor to road fatalities and injuries worldwide. Inappropriate speeding behavior is associated with a high casualty burden. It could be responsible for at least 30% of road accidents. Method : In 2018, the French authorities decided to introduce a new speed limit. They lowered the speed limit to 80 km/h on the unseparated interurban network. The aim was to reduce the number of fatalities and injuries and to implement some measures in line with international commitments. This paper uses different econometric models applied to time series for different groups of counties. Results : The results show a significant positive contribution of the new speed limit. The estimated number of lives saved is between 300 and 350. The overall reduction in the number of fatalities is 10%. The results also show a differentiated impact according to the local context and the different dynamics at play. Conclusions and Practical Applications : The results of this paper are in line with the scientific literature on speed limit reductions. They represent a validation of a debated public decision, while at the same time consolidating the body of knowledge on the subject, helping the decision-maker to adopt an appropriate measure to improve road safety performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vaccine coverage against human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination remains low in France. The objective of this study was to study adolescent perceptions by comparing boys and girls, in order to build effective school-based interventions. This paper presents a cross-sectional study in French middle school pupils. They completed online questionnaires on their knowledge and attitudes toward the HPV vaccine, HPV vaccination status, their intention, reasons to vaccinate or not to vaccinate, and psychological antecedents of vaccination. A structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis was used to test the hypothesized model. The participants are 818 pupils aged from 12 to 16 years (M age = 13.78). Most pupils were in the pre-contemplative stage (62.7 % of boys and 40.8 % of girls). SEM analysis indicated that the relationship between the level of HPV knowledge, the representations of vaccines in general, and vaccine intention was mediated by attitudes towards the HPV vaccine among both boys and girls. These findings reveal a high percentage of boys who do not feel concerned by the HPV vaccine and highlight the need to consider the psychological antecedents of vaccination in general in addition to the specific attitudes to the HPV vaccine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Lipids are an important source of energy for young children and play a major role in the development and functioning of nervous tissue. Essential fatty acids and their long-chain derivatives also fulfill multiple metabolic functions and play a role in the regulation of numerous genes. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l’alimentation, de l’environnement et du travail [ANSES]) have recently recommended a minimum daily intake in preformed long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs): arachidonic acid (ARA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Mother's milk remains the only reference, but the large variability in its DHA content does not guarantee that breastfed children receive an optimal DHA intake if the mother's intake is insufficient. For children fed with infant formulas, ARA and DHA intake is often below the recommended intake because only one-third of infant formulas available on the market in France are enriched in LC-PUFAs. For all children, linoleic acid (LA) intake is on average higher than the minimal recommended values. The consequences of these differences between intake and recommended values are uncertain. A cautious attitude is to come close to the current recommendations and to advise sufficient consumption of DHA in breastfeeding women. For bottle-fed children, infant formulas enriched in LC-PUFAs and with moderate levels of LA should be preferred. LC-PUFA-rich fish should be consumed during breastfeeding, and adapted vegetable oils when complementary foods are introduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Résumé: Les aliments industriels destinés aux nourrissons (4–12 mois) et enfants en bas âge (1–3ans) (en dehors des laits infantiles et des céréales), dénommés aussi aliments pour bébés, se distinguent des aliments industriels non spécifiques conçus pour les adultes et des aliments courants par des critères stricts de composition et de sécurité sanitaire définis par la réglementation française et européenne. Évaluée en France à 89 666 tonnes en 2011 l’offre commerciale pour ces denrées vise à répondre à tous les besoins alimentaires des jeunes enfants : produits laitiers, denrées salées et sucrées, adaptés à l’âge (composition, texture, portions). Les aliments pour bébés ne représentent qu’une part modérée des apports alimentaires des 4–36 mois. Exprimés en pourcentage de l’apport énergétique total, ils constituent en moyenne 7 % de la consommation à 4–5 mois, 28 % à 6–7 mois, 27 % à 8–11 mois, 17 % à 12–17 mois, 11 % à 18–24 mois. Vingt-quatre pour cent des parents n’en donnent jamais à leur enfant, 13 % 1 à 3j/semaine et 63 % 4 à 7j/semaine. Même chez les gros consommateurs, les aliments pour bébés ont peu d’effets sur la qualité nutritionnelle du régime. Cependant, leur emploi retarde et diminue l’utilisation des aliments industriels non spécifiques, ce qui peut contribuer à réduire les risques nutritionnels et toxicologiques liés à la consommation de ces denrées chez les jeunes enfants. Si ces produits sont bien adaptés aux nourrissons et enfants en bas âge, ils doivent rester des aliments de sevrage et de complément à l’alimentation familiale ű faite maison Ƈ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Paris-Lyon line is the busiest High-Speed Line in Europe and has been open to competition in open access since December 18, 2021. The main objective of the paper is to explore the effects for users with respect to price and frequency compare with the existing literature. The analysis is based on a large database (n = 1243) collected by web scraping from September 2019 to October 2022. The method relies on a descriptive analysis with a similar route without competition (Paris-Bordeaux) in the comparison group. The results highlight an increase of frequency by 15% and a decrease in price by 23%. The prices charged by the newcomer are lower than those of the incumbent (−30% to −50%). The comparison with the control route suggests a positive effect on price that moderates the economic catch-up effect following the COVID-19 pandemic in an inflationary context. More specifically, SNCF appears to take a wait and see attitude to competitive pressure from Trenitalia. It has moderated its prices since the new offer was introduced and has maintained its trains. • Competition have a positive effect on user welfare. • Barriers to competition underscore the importance of public regulation for success. • Incumbent adopts a wait and see attitude in response to competitive pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enteric fermentation from dairy cows is a major source of methane. Significantly and rapidly reducing those emissions would be a powerful lever to mitigate climate change. For a given productivity level, introducing fodder with high sources of n-3 content, such as grass or linseed, in the feed ration of dairy cows both improves the milk nutritional profile and reduces enteric methane emissions per liter. Changing cows' diet may represent additional costs for dairy farmers and calls for the implementation of payments for environmental services to support the transition. This paper analyzes 2 design elements influencing the effectiveness of a payment conditioned toward the reduction of enteric methane emissions: (1) the choice of emission indicator capturing the effect of farmers' practices, and (2) the payment amount relative to the additional milk production costs incurred. Using representative farm-level economic data from the French farm accountancy data network, we compare enteric methane emissions per liter of milk calculated with an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Tier 2 method, to baseline emissions from a Tier 3 method accounting for diet effects. We also quantify the additional milk production costs of integrating more grass in the fodder systems by estimating variable cost functions for different dairy systems in France. Our results show the relevance of using an emission indicator sensitive to diet effects, and that the significance and direction of the additional costs for producing milk with a diet containing more grass differ according to the production basin and the current share of grasslands in the fodder crop rotation. We emphasize the importance of developing payments for environmental services with well-defined environmental indicators accounting for the technical problems addressed, and the need to better characterize heterogeneous funding requirements for supporting a large-scale adoption of more environment-friendly practices by farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photographic negative images on paper are certainly the earliest types of photographs ever produced, giving access to multiple photographic prints using a unique matrix. As early as 1841 in France, many variants of the paper negatives processes have been developed by skilled chemists and photographers covering a wide spectrum of practical and aesthetic concerns. Nowadays, due to their inherent historical and esthetical values, those negatives are getting an increasing interest from the art and museum community. However, their materiality has been poorly studied despite a large variety of processes involving many different chemicals and organic coatings; limiting our possibilities of identification, attribution or even preservation. The aim of this work was to develop a methodology to better assess the way those images were produced based on physical and chemical characteristics. A non-invasive approach combining optical, vibrational and X-ray spectroscopies was implemented on a collection of 138 historical images between 1841 and 1856 from French collections. A survey was carried out on these negatives to provide a series of relevant physical data (dimensions, thickness, weight, etc). Non-invasive reflectance FTIR showed great potentiality in revealing the presence of organic sizing (gelatin) or impregnation (wax). Multivariate analysis was applied on XRF data to help clustering negatives that have similar elemental composition and highlight relationships between makers. Finally, the morphological, physical and chemical results were all combined to answer historical questioning on the paper negative process. • A multi-analytical study of 138 historical paper negatives was undertaken. • A survey was carried out on these negatives to provide a series of relevant physical data. • The results provided new insights into the photographers' processes and materials. • Non-invasive reflexion FTIR revealed the presence of organic substances such as gelatin and wax. • Multivariate analysis of XRF data helped to highlight relationships between makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Philipp Bozzini, a German army surgeon, in 1807 invented the Lichtleiter, the predecessor of the modern cystoscope. By the mid-1800s, several new instruments were created including one, a variation on Bozzini's instrument by Antoine Desormeaux in Paris. The William P. Didusch Museum of Urologic History acquired the Wales endoscope, a rare and unique cystoscope that was invented around the same time in the United States.Methods: We researched the life of Philip Wales and the description of his cystoscope as well as Horatio Kern, the instrument maker that produced Wales' instrument. We examined the Wales cystoscope acquired by the William P. Didusch Museum.Results: Philip Skinner Wales (1837-1906) was a surgeon who entered the United States Navy in 1856 and served throughout the Civil War. He organized and held charge of the Naval Hospital at New Orleans during the operations of Admiral Farragut's fleet in the Mississippi River. He was one of the first surgeons to attend President Garfield when he was shot. He was Surgeon General of the Navy (1879-1884) and founded the Museum of Naval Hygiene in Washington D.C. which later, combined with the naval laboratory and Department of Instruction, became the prototype of the Naval Medical School. In 1868 he published a series of papers in the Philadelphia Medical and Surgical Reporter on "Instrumental Diagnosis," with a paper entitled "Description of a New Endoscope." The instrument contained a metal shaft with an acute beak and used an ophthalmologic mirror to reflect light down the channel. The surgeon peered through the center hole to look into the bladder. Wales used his instrument multiple times in his private practice. Wales writes that the advantages of his cystoscope were that it was simple to produce and cheap compared to Desormeaux's endoscope. Furthermore it was light, weighing approximately 2 pounds. The main drawbacks of Wales' cystoscope were the inadequate illumination, as the light source was external and projected from the outside through a narrow channel into the bladder, and that without an optical system the image appeared relatively small. Horatio Kern, a well-known instrument maker in Philadelphia, that also supplied surgical sets and instruments for the U.S. Army during the Civil War, produced Wales' cystoscope. While he was Chief of the Bureau of Medicine, a subordinate embezzled Navy funds and Dr, Wales was court-martialed. Though he was eventually exonerated, he lived the rest of his life in disgrace in France.Conclusion: The Wales endoscope is unique in that it had an American inventor, was simple in design and cheap to produce. It is an important historical artifact and is one of the earliest and rarest cystoscopes developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increased usage of alternative transportation modes during public transportation disruptions has been well documented in the literature. While many papers discuss the resilience of the disrupted mode or measure changes in the usage of various alternative modes, little research has addressed the capacity flexibility and the price fluctuations of the alternative modes—two important components of the quality of an alternative. This paper documents the capacity and price changes of BlaBlaCar during the nationwide French railway strike in 2018. We collected more than 1 million trip offers from the BlaBlaCar's API from April to July 2018, covering 82 representative intercity routes in France. Our empirical analysis shows that, on an average strike day, the number of offered seats increased by approximately 6 %, while the number of booked seats rose by 33 %. Despite the spikes in demand, prices remained stable during the strike. We argue that the price recommendation mechanism helped maintain the price stability on the platform during the strike. The mechanism is in fact an effective enforcement of the policy laid down by the French government to uphold the cost-sharing principle on ridesharing platforms. This paper presents a case of voluntary compliance by a private company to put in place a price recommendation mechanism that in effect stabilizes prices and contributes to the resilience of the whole transportation system against abnormal market conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complex behavior of tritium and the probability of increasing tritium concentrations released in the environment were the promotors for the research and development of laboratory methods that enable to accurately determine the various forms of tritium including organically-bound tritium (OBT) for public and regulatory assurance. The measurement of tritium is a key step for dose and risk assessment. The Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in Romania improved preparation methods and tested environmental matrices for OBT analysis through intercomparison exercises. This paper describes the international Organically-Bound Tritium (OBT) intercomparison exercise, organized by the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in 2019–2020, using fruit sample (quince) from Cernavoda town. Evaluation of the results from the participating laboratories was performed using both robust analysis (Algorithm A) method described in the ISO 13528:2015 standard and ANOVA method. The results obtained are encouraging as an increased number of participating laboratories did not change the observed dispersion of the results for activity concentration level around 50 Bq/L of combustion water. The stability of the remaining sample will be checked in time to investigate its use as a reference material for OBT analysis at the environmental levels. • The paper details the international intercomparison exercise for Organically-Bound Tritium (OBT), conducted by the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) during 2019–2020, utilizing a quince fruit sample from the town of Cernavoda. • The results from the participating laboratories were evaluated in collaboration with colleagues from CEA/IBFJ/IRCM/SREIT/LRT in France, utilizing both the robust analysis (Algorithm A) method outlined in the ISO 13528:2015 standard and the ANOVA method. • The outcomes of the 6th OBT intercomparison exercise, which utilized quince samples, are promising. A significant number of participating laboratories maintained the observed dispersion of results for the activity concentration level at approximately 50 Bq/L of combustion water. • Additional tests will be conducted on the remaining sample to assess the temporal stability of the matrix during the development of a reference material for organically bound tritium (OBT) analysis at environmental levels. • The discussions and publication of results for this study have been delayed due to the pandemic, which has impacted research activities in numerous laboratories worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In bioarchaeology, the biometry of archaeozoological remains is an important component of studies on domestic species and size has been used for multiple purposes from identifying domestication, to track environmental changes or evolution of husbandry practices. The establishment of the Roman Empire has been accompanied by social, political and economic transformations that also reflect in farming practices and animal husbandry. In southern France, biometric variation has already been partially perceived during Roman times, particularly for cattle, but lack chronological accuracy and statistical validation. This paper presents a diachronic analysis of linear measurements of post-cranial bones belonging to the domestic triad (sheep, goat, cattle and suids) in western Gallia Narbonensis (France), between the Roman conquest and Late Antiquity, i.e. from 200 BCE to 400 AD. Biometric data from 64 archaeological sites, excavated and studied over more than 30 years of preventive archaeology, were analysed using a Log Size Index (LSI) approach using time as a continuous variable. The analysis of 5533 measurements first analysed per bone and variable, then separating length, breadth and depth dimensions, revealed different trends, highly influenced by the number of measurements, reflecting allometric differences but also cases of asynchronous evolution. However, these allometries within species are small when compared to interspecies differences. Overall, the size of the four taxa increased from the 2nd century BC to the 2nd century AD. Cattle and pig sizes then decreased from the 2nd century AD and only from the 4th century onwards for goats, while sheep size tends to increase during the 3rd-4th centuries. If the Roman conquest influences the size of the domestic animals, this does not affect the four species in the same way. This potentially reflects differentiated agropastoral strategies for each of the species in the western part of Gallia Narbonensis during the Roman period. This study, which provides a diachronic and cross-species study framework, should be seen as a first step for a more in-depth understanding of micro-regional and socio-economic variation in domestic species morphologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Static gas wave refrigerator (SGWR) realizes gas refrigeration through pulsed shock waves and expansion waves generated by pressure energy. • Full feedback jet oscillator as the pulsed jet trigger. Its switching mechanism is illustrated, and the structure is optimized. • The oscillation frequency can be well estimated through the jet switching frequency simplified equation derived. • The jet frequency control method can make the gas wave tube operate at the refrigeration's peak frequency, thus improving SGWR refrigeration efficiency. Static gas wave refrigeration (SGWR) is a mechanic equipment with no moving parts which realize refrigeration by working on gas through pressure energy. This paper introduces full feedback jet oscillator as the jet distributor of the gas wave refrigerator and shows the switching mechanism of the oscillator in detail through dynamics description. The range of influence of wedge distance (distance between wedge tip and the nozzle) on the pressure retention rate and frequency at the oscillator outlet is discussed, and a SGWR experiment platform is set up to make comparison of the pressure waveform as well as cooling efficiency of the impulse jet from two oscillators with different wedge distance in the gas wave tube. The result shows that jet oscillator performance varies along with the wedge distance, thus influencing the cooling efficiency. To expand the efficient operation range, the principle of jet frequency changing and the impact of narrowing the oscillator structure on jet frequency are discussed in detail, the variation rule equation of the jet switching frequency is derived. Matching experiments of jet oscillator and size of gas wave tube have been conducted under conditions of specific frequency and variable frequency. It is concluded that there exists fluctuation value in gas wave tube refrigeration efficiency versus gas injection frequency curve, which can be up to 15% or more. Based on the present results, the jet frequency control method can make the gas wave tube operate at the refrigeration's peak frequency, thus improving SGWR refrigeration efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• I estimate a partially linear logit demand model for an e-commerce platform. • I find that the demand of buyers is not monotonically increasing in the number of sellers, contrary to what has been assumed in the theoretical literature. • I show the implications of my findings via a counterfactual simulation. This paper examines the effect of the number of sellers of a good on buyers' demand, using an extensive dataset from an e-commerce platform (PriceMinister.com) in France. Accounting for seller and product characteristics constitutes variety amongst the same product. Although buyers may prefer a wide variety, it can introduce a search cost. Using a flexible semiparametric specification, I find that the demand of buyers does not monotonically increase in relation to the number of sellers (variety), contrary to assumptions in the literature. I illustrate the consequences of misspecification of these network effects through a counterfactual simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Thermal infrared (TIR) remote sensing provides a diagnostic of surface energy balance. • The Two-Source Energy Balance (TSEB) model uses TIR to map evapotranspiration. • This paper describes the development and applications of TSEB from field to globe. • Applications include drought monitoring, yield prediction, and water management. Thermal infrared (TIR) remote sensing of the land-surface temperature (LST) provides an invaluable diagnostic of surface fluxes and vegetation state, from plant and sub-field scales up to regional and global coverage. However, without proper consideration of the nuances of the remotely sensed LST signal, TIR imaging can give poor results for estimating sensible and latent heating. For example, sensor view angle, atmospheric impacts, and differential coupling of soil and canopy sub-pixel elements with the overlying atmosphere can affect the use of satellite-based LST retrievals in land-surface modeling systems. A concerted effort to address the value and perceived shortcomings of TIR-based modeling culminated in the Workshop on Thermal Remote Sensing of the Energy and Water Balance, held in La Londe les Maures, France in September of 1993. One of the outcomes of this workshop was the Two-Source Energy Balance (TSEB) model, which has fueled research and applications over a range of spatial scales. In this paper we provide some historical context for the development of TSEB and TSEB-based multi-scale modeling systems (ALEXI/DisALEXI) aimed at providing physically based, diagnostic estimates of latent heating (evapotranspiration, or ET, in mass units) and other surface energy fluxes. Applications for TSEB-based ET retrievals are discussed: in drought monitoring and yield estimation, water and forest management, and data assimilation into – and assessment of – prognostic modeling systems. New research focuses on augmenting temporal sampling afforded in the thermal bands by integrating cloud-tolerant, microwave-based LST information, as well as evaluating the capabilities of TSEB for separating ET estimates into evaporation and transpiration components. While the TSEB has demonstrated promise in supplying water use and water stress information down to sub-field scales, improved operational capabilities may be best realized in conjunction with ensemble modeling systems such as OpenET, which can effectively combine strengths of multiple ET retrieval approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic inequality, in terms of income or wealth, is one of the most complex and perplexing challenges of our current capitalist economic system. While the dynamic relationship between income inequality and economic growth has been extensively investigated (since the beginning of the last century), the dynamic link between wealth inequality (or wealth concentration) and economic growth has been largely ignored in the literature, taking more attention in recent years. This paper asserts that the accumulation of non-productive assets/luxury goods is an important determinant of wealth inequality, as well as a determinant of the relationship between wealth inequality and economic growth. In this paper our aim is to show that an increase in wealth inequality is associated with a slowdown in economic growth. In particular, the paper shows that there is a negative relationship between wealth inequality and economic growth in France because poor households own a relatively large fraction of non-productive luxury goods. Nevertheless, this is not the case in the US, which is what explains that such negative relationship is not observed there. We conclude that a redistribution of wealth (from the rich to the poor) is important for attaining a sustained economic growth performance. • This paper contributes to the analysis of economic growth and wealth inequality in France and the United States. • We propose a macroeconomic model that includes both productive and non-productive assets. • Economic growth slows as the aggregate stock of non-productive assets increases as wealth inequality increases. • Redistribution will enrich the poorest households and therefore decrease their propensity to own unproductive assets. • Wealth inequality and economic growth may have a non-linear relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study a delivery strategy for last-mile deliveries in urban areas which combines freight transportation with mass mobility systems with the goal of creating synergies contrasting negative externalities caused by transportation. The idea is to use the residual capacity on public transport means for moving freight within the city. In particular, the system is such that parcels are first transported from origins (central distribution centers) to drop-in stations, which are stop locations on public vehicle itineraries. Then, they are transported on public vehicles to drop-out stations, from where they are delivered to destination by green vehicles (such as bikes, drones, porters, etc.). The system is known as Freight-On-Transit (FOT). In this paper, we focus on the strategic decisions related to defining the public transportation network that will take part in the delivery system, i.e., which public vehicle lines and stop locations will be included (and thus equipped for the service). We propose different formulations for the problem and effective heuristic solution approaches based on column generation. We perform exhaustive tests aimed at providing managerial insights on the performance and the efficiency of the system. • Freight on Transit (FOT) is a novel logistics concept integrating goods and passengers in public transport. • We propose three MIP formulations for finding exact solutions of the problem. • We design an effective MIP heuristic based on a column generation approach. • Managerial insights are drawn from real-world PTS data (from Orleans in France). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate estimation of wind power curves using field data is instrumental to several wind farm operations including productivity assessment, power output estimation, operations and maintenance, among others. Existing methods for estimating wind power curves mainly rely on environmental variables (e.g., wind speed, direction, density) as inputs to construct the wind-to-power relationship. This paper attempts to integrate yaw misalignment as an additional input to power curve models, constructing what is referred to hereinafter as "yaw-adjusted wind power curves." Our analysis shows that integrating yaw misalignment into power curves is non-trivial, largely due to the overwhelming impact of environmental variables (mainly wind speed) on a turbine's power output, which obscures the secondary effect of yaw errors on power production. In response, we propose a local-regression-based method which reconstructs the yaw-to-power relationship conditional on an effective neighborhood of environmental variables. Tested on operational data from two onshore wind turbines in France, our proposed approach achieves significant improvements, in terms of power estimation accuracy, relative to a set of prevalent statistical- and machine-learning-based power curve models. • A local regression approach is proposed for yaw-adjusted wind power curve modeling. • Yaw-to-power relation is locally learnt conditional on a set of environmental factors. • Tested on actual data, large gains in power curve estimation accuracy are achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

En janvier 1940, le premier bulletin de l'année de la revue Annales Médico-psychologiques (Ann Med Psychol 1940 ; 98) [11] , publie le compte rendu de la séance du 2 décembre 1939 de la Société Médico-Psychologique, et notamment une communication du Docteur Gaston Ferdière, sur un cas de lobotomie (« Résultats immédiats de la leucotomie préfrontale dans un cas de stupeur catatonique », p. 111-119), intervention réalisée à l'hôpital d'Issoudun (sous-préfecture du département de l'Indre, 36) le 2 décembre 1939, et rapporte aussi la vive discussion qui suivit, avec, en particulier, les critiques du Professeur Henri Baruk. C'est la première communication relative à l'utilisation de cette technique en France, et si, aujourd'hui, son intérêt scientifique et thérapeutique n'est plus qu'historique, cette méthode de leucotomie, pourtant considérée à l'époque comme novatrice, ayant été abandonnée, la communication pose des questions éthiques qui restent très actuelles. Après avoir résumé la communication et la discussion, et décrit, pour mémoire, la méthode, nous évoquerons ces questionnements, puis la personne même de l'auteur de la communication : le Dr Gaston Ferdière, qui reste connu pour avoir été le psychiatre d'Antonin Artaud, et dont la carrière professionnelle, et l'image qu'il a laissée, paradoxales, sont en soi une véritable tragédie éthique. In January 1940, the first bulletin of the year of the journal «Annales Médico-Psychologiques» (Ann. Med.-Psych., 15th series, 98th year, T.I, January 1940, 522 p.) [11] , published the report of the session of December 2, 1939 of the Société Médico-Psychologique, and in particular a communication by Doctor Gaston Ferdière, on a case of lobotomy (immediate results of prefrontal leucotomy in a case of catatonic stupor, pp 111-119), intervention performed at the hospital of Issoudun (Sub-prefecture of the department of Indre; 36) on December 2, 1939, and also reports the lively discussion that followed, with, in particular, the criticisms of Professor Henri Baruk. This is the first communication relating to the use of this technique in France, and if today its scientific and therapeutic interest is only historical, this method of leucotomy, however considered at the time as innovative, having been deleted, these paper poses ethical questions that remain very topical. After having summarized the communication and the discussion, and described, for the record, the method, we will evoke these questions, then the author's life of the paper: Doctor Gaston Ferdière, who remains known for having been the psychiatrist of Antonin Artaud, and whose professional career, and the image he left, paradoxical, are in themselves a true ethical tragedy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban areas face important challenges linked to contradictory trends of concentration, urban sprawl and segregation. More and more people choose to buy a residence in the suburbs taking advantage of the accessibility increase. At the same time, young households choose to rent in central areas. In this paper, distinguishing between renters and owners, we investigate the evolution of the households' location choice determinants over time with a special focus on accessibility to employment. Our case study is the Lyon urban area. We rely on discrete choice models using the disaggregated census data of the location choices of households from 1999, 2008 and 2013 and we calculate elasticities. The results confirm our initial intuition. Owners become less sensitive to accessibility to employment over time whereas it is the opposite for renters. Our results suggest the importance of incorporating these temporal evolutions into models for a better land-use transport integration and policy. • The paper investigates the evolution of the households' location choice determinants. • The trade-off "Accessibility to employment-Housing price" is different depending on the housing tenure status. • Accessibility matters differently: Owners become less sensitive when choosing their location, whereas renters become more. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to quantify the relation between real GDP, CO2 emissions, renewable and nonrenewable energy consumption, tourism development and labor force for France and Germany as these two countries are pioneer countries pushing Paris agreement within and outside the European Union. The time spans have been used for the period of 1995–2015 according to data availability. In the presence of cross-sectional dependency, several first and second-generation unit root tests confirm the unit root problem while Pedroni and Westernlund confirm the cointegration. Results reveal an inverted U-shape relation between CO2 emissions and real GDP in long run confirming the validity of environmental Kuznets curve for the group of France and Germany. Results declare that renewable energy significantly reduces carbon emissions while nonrenewable energy consumption adds to carbon emissions. Tourism sector was found helpful in carbon reduction that appeals to attract more tourists for the development of sustainable tourism industry by taking energy conservation and emissions reduction in relevant industries in the full consideration. • This paper explores the determinants of carbon emissions for France and Germany. • An inverted U-shape relation was found between carbon emissions and real GDP in long run. • Results reveal renewable energy helps in carbon emissions reduction. • Nonrenewable energy consumption was adding in CO2 emissions. • Tourism sector was found supportive in carbon reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present paper, the problem of the determination of yearly maximum energy producibility in terms of optimum tilt angle for solar surfaces is addressed with reference to 216 locations in France and Italy. Original correlations are proposed to calculate the optimal surface slope as a correction parameter to be applied to the local latitude angle. The correction factor formulas are based on local climate conditions and have been inferred from local monthly insolation data (12-year global and diffuse irradiance, PV-GIS-SARAH platform). An optimization problem is solved aimed at maximizing the yearly collectable energy by a sloped surface, in a range of azimuth values (from South Facing to East Facing), for all the selected locations. Different equation forms have been investigated and compact and accurate formulas have been developed able to provide the optimal tilt as a function of latitude, surface azimuth and clearness parameters. The accuracy of the proposed formulas resulted in a correlation coefficient with respect to the "exact" tilt angles higher than 0.93 for azimuth angles till 60°. Proposed formulas allow up to a 4% increase in collectable solar energy, corresponding, as an example, to a virtual increase in PV module efficiency from 21% to 21.8%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper investigates the influence of transaction mode on fish prices • Data includes 40 million transactions achieved in France between 2010 and 2018 • The average price gap is 1.7 euro per kilo between auctions and OTC sales • Once heterogeneity is controlled for, the price differential is very low (-1.7%) • The two sale methods co-exist for fish markets because of the low price gap While information technology has led to increased market integration, in many markets there are still significant heterogeneity associated with factors such as product characteristics, market location, market lots, transaction mode and buyer and seller characteristics. Using a data set of 40 million observations of up-streams fish sales in Atlantic France, we use the rich attribute information to investigate the extent to which the price differences in a highly heterogenous market can be explained, with a particular focus on the importance of transaction mode. While 78% of the quantity is sold at auctions, the remainder are over-the-counter transactions and this share is increasing. Estimation of hedonic price regressions controlling for fish attributes, local market, buyer and seller heterogeneity show that there is a price differential of 1.7% between the two transaction modes. This result remains robust when taking into account the endogeneity of the sale method through an exact matching of auction and over-the-counter transactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kaplan turbines are nowadays used to provide Frequency Containment Reserve (FCR) to the grid due to their fast capacity to regulate their power maintaining high efficiency. However, this continuous power regulation increases the wear and tear of the regulation system considerably. To reduce the amount of movements in the regulation servomotors, and thus their wear and tear, a new technology is being investigated within the frame of the European project XFLEX Hydro. This new technology is based on hybridizing the hydro unit with a small size battery in parallel, this one being in charge of compensating the small frequency fluctuations in the grid by providing or absorbing power. In this paper, the benefits of the implementation of this new technology are evaluated. A Kaplan turbine prototype located in Vogelgrun, France, has been hybridized and different parameters have been monitored while the unit was working in hybrid mode and in normal standalone hydro mode. Wear and tear of the regulation system have been compared for both hybrid and standalone hydro modes. A reduction of about 25% in servomotors mileage and of 50% in fatigue damage have been obtained by hybridizing the unit. • Benefits of hybridizing hydro units with a battery are studied. • A small size battery is installed in parallel with a prototype Kaplan unit. • The battery helps to provide primary frequency control reducing the wear and tear of the hydro unit. • A reduction of wear and tear in the hydro unit regulating systems is obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sedimentary sequence of La Narce du Béage Basin is one of the few natural archives covering the last 18 ka cal. BP in the French Massif Central. This paper focuses on the palaeoecological reconstruction of environmental and climatic changes affecting this shallow periglacial lake from the Late-Glacial to the Early Holocene. After field surveys and geophysical mapping, two cores (cores A and D) were extracted and dated. Plant macrofossils, pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs (NPPs) and diatom assemblages were compared within the cores to study vegetation, temperature, pH, water level and ice cover changes through time. During the Oldest Dryas (18–14.75 ka cal. BP), climatic conditions were the coldest with a short ice-free season allowing the development of periphytic diatoms only (ecologically comparable to Arctic ones). A cold and dry steppe landscape – exposed to severe erosion – comprised an herbaceous and shrub flora (e.g. Artemisia , Chenopodiaceae, Helianthemum, Ephedra, Hippophaë, Juniperus). Animal presence is suggested by coprophilous fungi. Periphytic diatoms and allochtonous pollen (Cedrus) underline windy conditions, and the possible erosion of neo-formed soils. Then, during the Bølling-Allerød interstadial (14.75–12.7 ka cal. BP), the ice-free season increased and some trees/shrubs (Salix, Betula and Juniperus) established locally within open grasslands. During the Younger Dryas (12.7–11.7 ka cal. BP) cooler conditions favoured steppe taxa again (Helianthemum, Achillea, Artemisia , Caryophyllaceae, Ranunculaceae) and erosion increased. The ice cover on the lake prevailed even if the conditions were not as cold as during the Oldest Dryas. During the Preboreal (11.7–10 ka cal. BP) Isoëtes echinospora and I. lacustris developed in the eulittoral zone of the lake, which was surrounded by a swamp forest (with Betula nana and B. pubescens). Pinus sylvestris, Betula pendula, Corylus avellana and trees from the Quercetum mixtum rapidly established in the uplands. Occurrences of Gaeumannomyces and Xylomyces fungi – both phytopathogens on broadleaved trees – and decreasing herb values indirectly hint at a close forest canopy. At the beginning of the Boreal (10 ka cal. BP), aquatic and semi-aquatic taxa developed on open water due to longer ice-free seasons (diatoms, micro-algae, Alisma plantago-aquatica, Potamogeton, Typha). The final terrestrialization towards a mire occurred as a consequence of the Holocene warming and related to water chemistry changes (acidification, eutrophication). • During the last deglaciation, a very shallow lake established as demonstrated by palaeoecological data, such as epiphytic diatoms, living on rocks. • Late-Glacial steppe landscape with severe erosion, open grassland and possible mega-herbivore presence. Arctic-like conditions. • Development of shrubs or trees during the Bølling-Allerød interstadial and reduced ice-free season. • Dry and cold conditions persisted from the Younger Dryas to the Early Preboreal. Oligotrophic flora (Isoetids) established in the eulittoral zone. • During the post-glacial warming, the lake tended to acidify. Peat flora and organic matter accumulated and led to the terrestrialization of the lake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a first step to assess the financial risks associated with biodiversity loss, this paper develops a method to evaluate the exposure of the financial system to biodiversity-related - physical or transition - shocks. We apply it to the security portfolio held by French financial institutions at the end of 2019. Employing the ENCORE database, we assess physical risks by examining how the firms that issued the securities in the portfolio depend on ecosystem services to produce. Our results indicate that they significantly depend on water-related ecosystem services and that 42% of the value of securities held by French financial institutions were issued by firms highly or very highly dependent on at least one ecosystem service. Using the Global Biodiversity Score tool, we assess transition risks by quantifying the biodiversity footprint of the security portfolio and of the firms that issued the securities. We find that the portfolio footprint is equivalent to the loss of 130,000km2 of pristine nature and that 38.5% of the portfolio value comes from firms belonging to sectors in the top 10% of biodiversity footprints. This offers new methodological tools to address the relationship between finance and biodiversity from a financial stability perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using cross-sectional data from a representative sample of the French population (the 2008 Disability Health survey), this paper examines whether the SF-6D, a widely used preference-based measure of health-related quality of life in economic evaluations, fully captures the variation in subjective well-being (SWB) due to chronic illnesses. We conduct a mediation analysis to disentangle the direct and indirect, through the SF-6D, effects of various chronic conditions on SWB (happiness). Our results show that the SF-6D reflects changes in happiness due to most illnesses except mental illness. Changes in SWB mediated by the SF-6D account for 74% of the total effect. The variation unexplained by the SF-6D is significant and increases substantially in the presence of multimorbidity when a chronic illness is combined with anxiety or depression. Overall, our results suggest that the SF-6D incompletely captures the subjective experience of chronically ill patients, especially those with comorbid conditions. • 74% of the effect of chronic illness on happiness is captured by the SF-6D. • The SF-6D does not fully capture the effect of mental illness on happiness. • The effect not captured by the SF-6D increases significantly with multimorbidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of gender-fair language remains rather controversial in France. Although some recent changes have taken place at institutional level, forms associated with inclusive writing are still discouraged in numerous legal settings. Inspired by the broader research framework of the Eurolect Observatory Project, 1 which focuses on the cross-language contact that derives from the multilingual drafting and translation of EU legislation, this paper investigates the possible dialogue between supranational and national legal varieties and the way(s) in which the topical issue of gender is addressed in French legal provisions. Based on qualitative and quantitative analysis of a corpus consisting of (i) EU directives, (ii) their implementing measures in the French national legal system, and (iii) French national laws, the study investigates different linguistic strategies for expressing gender, which can be categorised under the tripartite division of masculine, binary, or neutral forms. This contribution joins an existing body of recent literature on the discursive articulation of gender in legislative languages (Cavagnoli and Mori, 2019) and narrows down the focus to gender-related provisions in the French language. The analysis is guided by the following research questions: Can a potential intralinguistic dialogue be observed between supranational and national varieties in French legal discourse? And if so, can such a potential dialogue be said to be moving towards (more) gender-fair representation in the law? • Masculine forms in the law are a case of pragmatic indeterminacy. • The strategies used to represent gender in French legal discourse still lack convergence. • The inconsistent use of gender-fair strategies may result in male-biased inferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the Weibull distribution analysis for an accuracy global solar irradiance assessment considering period measurements based on several and grouping years. The problem study in this paper is to find a global solar irradiance model in order to provide accurate estimation of PV energy output allowing better sizing of PV installation. The aim is to select the best Weibull fit procedure for obtaining reliable global solar irradiance from sun that incident in a place during time periods to estimate its yearly energy generation from PV plant. Comparisons are carried out between Graphic, Moments and Maximum Likelihood methods with two different databases (real data on-site measurements and SODA website database). These comparisons are made on global solar irradiance frequency distributions and annual solar irradiance assessment for different French locations. The originality of the paper is that the obtained results prove that the Maximum Likelihood method fits better with the global solar irradiance distribution while the Moment method provides an annual solar irradiance prediction. Thereby, we exploit the obtained results from the Moment method to achieve a more accurate solar energy forecasting model. This resulting model can be implemented for providing one solar energy estimation tool for PV plant sites. • Weibull parameters determination methods fit global solar irradiance distributions. • Maximum Likelihood method fits better with the global solar irradiance distribution. • Moment Method gives a better annual solar irradiance prediction compared to others. • Low scale parameter values characterize the global solar irradiance variability. • Proposed Weibull-based model gives an accurate estimation of PV energy output. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we describe and apply a method probing into linguistic (in)directness in complaint tweets. The sample analyzed consists of French-language Twitter complaint interactions, half of which are between the SNCF (the French National Railway company) and its customers and half between the SNCB (the Belgian National Railway company) and its customers. The aim of this paper is two-fold: first, we present and test a methodology that measures the explicitness (or linguistic (in)directness) of complaints, which, we argue, in line with Decock and Depraetere (2018), must be differentiated from perceived (im)politeness or perceived face-threat. Linguistic (in)directness is analyzed in the complete complaint situation, that is, in the first tweet as well as in the ensuing interaction. Secondly, as the sample shows differences in the realization of complaints in two linguistically close communities, we put forward some hypotheses concerning the relative impact of cultural differences and the companies' response strategy. • We analyze complaint components and how they are linguistically realized. • We differentiate complaint (in)directness and perceived (im)politeness. • Twitter complaints vary in their degree of linguistic (in)directness. • We explore the impact of response strategy on Twitter complaint interaction. • Twitter complaint realizations in French are different in Belgium and France. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global COVID-19 pandemic has led to the implementation of health measures of varying degrees and scales. The lockdowns that took place in 2020, especially, have had a major impact on cities, transforming urban lifestyles, economic activities and mobility. Logistics became a priority activity. Faced with changed levels and types of consumption, freight and logistics operators in cities had to adapt, while logistics real estate developers had to face challenges related to building sites closed and regulatory and licensing processes delayed. Our main research in this paper is to characterize the way the urban freight and logistics system coped with the new situation. We focused on French cities, with Paris and the Paris metropolitan area as the main case. We implemented three surveys during and after the first lockdown in France (March–May 2020), with the views of identifying challenges while characterizing stakeholders' response to the challenges. The three surveys took different and complementary forms, covering various categories of stakeholders: freight carriers (from small to large); third party logistics providers; on-demand delivery platforms; policy-makers; and logistics real-estate developers. We found out that operators adapted quickly and overall successfully, one major difference being between delivery operators and property developers. The first group experienced higher levels of financial and economic challenges; the second group experienced difficult relationships with administrations and regulations, while enjoying a rather high level of activity. The ability of local governments to deal with urban logistics challenges during the lockdowns was diverse and took several unexpected forms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a new multi-directional two-dimensional continuous model for urban traffic. It is called the NEWS model, since it represents a system of four partial differential equations (PDEs) that describe propagation of vehicle density in cardinal direction layers: North, South, West and East. The NEWS model can be applied to predict traffic evolution on a general urban network of arbitrary size by knowing only its boundary flows, as well as its topology and infrastructure parameters such as roads speed limits, number of lanes and capacities. The flux direction is retrieved from turning ratios at intersections, which is then aggregated in four direction layers using geometrical projection matrices. We show its formal derivation step-by-step from the classical Cell Transmission Model at one intersection. We then show that the NEWS model is a hyperbolic PDE system that corresponds to a conservation law with bounded densities. The model prediction performance is validated using synthetic data from the microsimulator Aimsun. Finally, the model is also validated using real data collected from a network of sensors installed in Grenoble (a city in France). • Scalable large scale traffic model. • Continuous traffic model formally derived using demand and supply concept. • Multi-directional traffic represented by a single model. • Traffic model validation using real data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate estimation of extreme wind and wave conditions is critical for ocean engineering activities and applications. Various renewable energy offshore structures, particularly floating wind turbines are designed to sustain extreme wind and wave induced loads. Statistics of wind speeds and wave heights is the key input for structural safety and reliability study. Consequently, development of novel robust methods, able to predict extreme wind-wave conditions is essential. This paper discusses criteria for selecting design point by applying recently developed method for estimating extreme wave statistics, based on the hourly wave height and wind speed maxima at the location of interest. Wave and wind data, analyzed in this paper, was obtained from the hindcast model applied to the SEM-REV offshore sea location, near the coast of France, during years 2001–2010. The ECMWF (European Centre for Medium range Weather Forecasting) framework along with the atmospheric model SKIRON were employed to generate accurate hindcast wind-wave hourly data at the location of interest. Note that the SEM-REV site was built within the framework of the CPER (Contrat de Projet Etat-Région) 2007–2013 for the Pays de la Loire region, therefore it is important to note that 2001–2010 data studied in this paper was obtained by hindcast into the time period before SEM-REV began operations. Structural design values are often based on univariate statistical analysis, while actually multivariate statistics is more appropriate for modelling the whole structure. The bivariate analysis of extremes is often poorly understood and generally not adequately considered in most practical measurements/situations, therefore it is important to utilize recently developed bivariate average conditional exceedance rate (ACER2D) method. This paper studies extreme wind speeds and wave heights, that are simultaneously obtained at the same location. Due to less than full correlation between wind speed and wave height, application of the multivariate, or bivariate in the simplest case, extreme value theory is of practical importance. This paper focuses on application of the bivariate ACER2D method for prediction of bivariate extreme value statistics. Finally, this paper suggests how the design point should be chosed based on bivariate analysis. The latter is of particular engineering importance as it presents first application of bivariate wind-wave statistics to a raw SEM-REV site data. • First application of extreme wind-wave statistics to a raw SEM-REV site data. • Predictions of extreme in situ wave heights and wind speeds are obtained. • Engineering advantages of the proposed method are discussed. • The novel technique of improving correlated extreme wind speed and wave height predictions has been presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper adopts a dynamic general nesting spatial panel data model with common factors to explore the effect of population density, real household income per capita, car fleet per capita, and real price of gasoline on departmental traffic per light vehicle in France over the period 1990–2009. Spatial heterogeneity is modeled by a translog function in the first three explanatory variables, which are dominated by variation in the cross-sectional domain, while the real price of gasoline, which is dominated by variation in the time domain, is treated as an observable common factor. Additional unobservable common factors are controlled for by principal components with heterogenous coefficients, building on previous work of Shi and Lee (2017a), thereby, generalizing the dynamic spatial panel data model with spatial and time period fixed applied in recent studies. It is found that the spatial lag in the dependent variable becomes insignificant due to these extensions. This paper explains the wider implications of this finding for spatial econometric modeling of cross-sectional dependence. In addition, the elasticities of the first three explanatory variables are shown to vary across space and time and to follow a plausible structure. Among other, an important result is that the long run income elasticity of car traffic diminished from 1.0 in 1990 to 0.4 in 2003, and then remained almost constant until the end of our sample period in 2009, i.e., during the peak-car traffic period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the relationship between competition and innovation at the firm level. Recent papers (Aghion et al., 2005; Askenazy et al., 2013; Rafique Hashmi, 2013) advocate a non-linear relationship, conciliating the Schumpeterian and Arrowian views. In this paper, the effect of competition on innovation is studied at the firm level using a large dataset for France coming from the annual surveys on R&D, covering the period 2000–2013, where a dummy variable is available for product or process innovation. The econometric results do not confirm the inverted-U shape relationship between the Lerner index and innovation, found by Aghion et al. (2005). This may be due to the use of firm-level data rather than industry-level data. However, for most firms, there is a negative effect of competition on innovation, meaning that more competition in the industry or a small market share has a negative effect on the propensity to innovate, either in products or processes, and the effect seems to be slightly stronger for product than for process innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

France is one of the countries that have made commendable progress towards accomplishing sustainable development goals but still struggles with combating environmental challenges. Decarbonizing the energy sector by deploying clean energy and reducing fossil fuels in the energy mix are essential steps. The study uses annual time series data from 1980 to 2021 and employs the ridge regression estimation technique to estimate a twice-differentiable transcendental production function, which approximates the second-order Taylor series to explore the potential for such decarbonization for France. The study finds that substitution possibilities exist between clean energy and fossil fuels, with substantial substitution possibilities coming from nuclear energy. Nuclear energy and renewables are found to be complements that can be deployed concurrently, but since nuclear energy already constitutes a significant proportion of clean energy for France, the study recommends increasing the proportion of renewable energy in the overall energy mix as the most plausible path to decarbonization. Other complementary sustainable energy policies are recommended in the body of the paper. • The substitution elasticities between clean energy and fossil fuels were estimated. • A second-order Taylor series trans-log production function was specified. • Substitutability is found between clean energy and fossil fuels. • Nuclear energy currently dominates France's clean energy mix. • Increasing renewables in the clean energy mix is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a context of massive renovation of residential buildings, stakeholders need decision-support models based on knowledge of the current building stock and accurate simulation of energy demand. This paper presents a new strategy for reducing energy consumption in the building sector, a key factor in combating climate change and promoting sustainability. We introduce an approach to (1) plan retrofits at community level, with a building resolution, for different years of an optimization period and (2) assist local authorities in selecting effective measures to improve the environmental performance of their building stock. The focus is on creating trajectory retrofit plans creation for a building stock with three main retrofit options: improving insulation, heating systems and hot water systems. We adapt a complex but linear approach, a type of problem-solving structure known as a multidimensional multiple-choice knapsack problem, which manages to handle a large number of possible retrofit combinations without becoming unwieldy. The planning process is streamlined as a single-objective optimization task that aims to reduce the total cost of retrofits by reducing their net present value. The efficiency of the model is demonstrated by simulating retrofit scenarios for 4,000 buildings in a French region to prove its ability to tackle large problems. France's targets for decarbonizing the residential sector are taken into account, with a target of reducing GHG emissions by a factor of 10 and a building stock consuming 80kWhEP/m2/year. The results show that these plans are feasible, but that they will require 50% of all buildings to undergo major renovation with abatement costs of around €200/tGES. Our practical application to an actual community demonstrates the model's ability to identify appropriate retrofitting measures and compile building data. • Development of an energy optimization framework integrating a linear simulation model. • Multi-stage optimization generalizing the knapsack problem for building renovation dynamics. • Bridging the gap in energy retrofit strategies by comparing decision-maker and model proposals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the value that households place on very high-speed internet access, explicitly focusing on the impact of eligibility for Fiber to the Home (FTTH) technology on property prices. Using a Spatial Discontinuity Design based on the border of fiber eligibility zones which have significantly expanded under France's Très Haut-Débit plan, I find that FTTH eligibility is a significant determinant of property prices, with an average increase of 0.9 percent. I also consider heterogeneities in FTTH valuation, accounting for socioeconomic characteristics, local factors, and the performance of legacy copper networks. These findings highlight the growing importance of fast and reliable broadband access for households and have important implications for policymakers and Internet service providers. • Analysis of household valuation of very high-speed broadband in France. • A spatial RDD shows that FTTH eligibility boosts property prices by 0.9 percent. • FTTH's higher value in rural areas calls for policy shifts to address digital divide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transmasculine people (TM) constitute an invisibilized group within the transgender population. Little is known about their relationship to sexuality in transgender medicine. Their presence and needs are still unacknowledged within HIV prevention research and services. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (or PrEP) is an oral medication that prevents HIV in HIV-negative individuals at risk of infection with the virus. This paper proposes to bring TM back into the focus of PrEP research by questioning how they navigate and situate themselves in relation to existing PrEP categorization and services, and how they think about and (re)shape the meanings of PrEP. It is based on the "interpretative descriptive" method and a transfeminist theoretical framework applied to the analysis of ten semi-structured interviews with TM conducted in France between 2019 and 2023. Findings show that PrEP is gendered. We identify specific barriers to getting PrEP as well as to access healthcare and we show that a cisnormative and homonormative approach to prevention generates them. PrEP use and PrEP disclosure are embedded in structural and symbolic power relations between cisgender and transgender MSM that are reflected in the intimate sphere. TM use PrEP to prevent sexual assault and to alleviate the difficulty of condom negotiation. PrEP comes into play following major changes in TM's sexualities and is integrated post-exposure. • Transgender men are excluded from the MSM populations targeted by PrEP. • The uses and non-uses of PrEP by transgender men reveal that PrEP is gendered. • PrEP for HIV reveals unequal power relations between trans and cisgender MSM. • PrEP is embedded in unique temporalities inherent in transgender men's transitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the development of bio-based thermal insulation panels from sunflower pith particles, which are an agricultural by-product, in the view to compete with the current petroleum-based counterparts. Sunflower pith is glued to a native starch, then moulded and dried. Three different starchy binders were tested: potato starch, wheat starch and pea starch. The results showed that the pea starch blocks were more resistant to water than the others. Formula optimisation showed that the right balance between efficiency and savings was achieved with a 7.5% (w/w) binder dilution in water, and a 10% (w/w) binder in the block. To further protect the bio-based material from liquid water and ensure its natural breathing, a waterproof coating was also investigated by selecting an alcoholic pine resin solution at 100 g/L and a bio-based commercial aqueous solution at 170 g/L, which did not adversely affect the water vapour diffusion properties of the pith blocks. The pith block now has very good thermal, mechanical and waterproof properties, close to those of a commercial expanded polystyrene panel. [Display omitted] • Sunflower stalk is an agricultural by-product largely available in France. • Honeycomb structure of pith from stalk makes it promising for thermal insulation. • Pith-based thermal insulation blocks glued with pea starch are the most resistant to water. • Waterproof coating of pith-based blocks protects them more from liquid water. • Optimal thermal insulation block from sunflower pith competes with expanded polystyrene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Evaluation of local void effect with deterministic calculation is very challenging. • An original 2-steps deterministic scheme is proposed using APOLLO3® code. • The subgroup selfshielding method gives the most accurate void effect estimation. • A combination of finestructure and Tone's selfshielding methods is calibrated. • A Local Flux Volume normalization of SPH equivalence coefficients is proposed. In some countries, as France, plutonium is used in industrial Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs), using Mixed Oxides (MOX) fuels. To avoid a reactivity increase during a loss of coolant accident, the plutonium content in a PWR is limited at 12 wt%. This limit, that have been determined in the early 1990 s using a very conservative approach, is a strong constraint on the possibility to stabilize the plutonium inventory. Thus, further studies are now conducted to refine the plutonium limit content in the fuel. One interesting case is the local moderator voiding, which could for instance occurs at the beginning of a core depressurization accident. To study this phenomenon, a 2-steps neutronic deterministic scheme is proposed in this paper, using the APOLLO3® code. It is shown that the choice of the selfshielding method to use at the lattice step has a strong influence on the precision of the calculation. It is shown that, as expected, the subgroup formalism is the more precise to cope with both nominal and voided configurations. However, methods relying on this formalism are numerically costly. The use of a method relying on the finestructure formalism allow to conserve a satisfying estimation of the void effect on the reactivity or the spatial distribution of energy-integrated reaction rates. Unfortunately, we show that those good results are due to compensation of large energetic biases in the nominal case. A combination of Tone's and finestructure selfshielding methods is presented. This method permit to strongly improve per-energetic-groups precision in the voided configuration compared to the method solely relying on the finestructure formalism, while drastically decreasing the numerical cost and duration compared to the subgroup method. The necessity to perform environed lattice calculation is demonstrated in the case of the voiding of a single assembly. A Local Flux Volume normalization of SPH coefficients is proposed to run equivalence calculation on this heterogeneous geometry. A method of characteristic solver is used for the flux calculation at the lattice step, while a S 8 transport calculation is performed at the core level, using pin-by-pin discretization and a 26-groups energy mesh. Finally, the precision of the calculation scheme is assessed by comparison to Monte Carlo calculation ran with TRIPOLI–4® on a two-dimensional clusters of assemblies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a pressing need for a fast and efficient satellite remote sensing tool to estimate coastal bathymetry for any coastline in the world. To date, satellite methods for deriving bathymetry have mainly focused on linking the radiometric response to a known water depth, as with SPOT, Landsat and Sentinel. Here, wave properties (static and dynamic) are approximated using the small time delay between the different color bands of Sentinel-2 to then calculate a depth using wave linear dispersion theory. In this paper, we present a spatial correlation method within the S2Shores (Satellites to Shores) Python toolbox: a processing chain/toolbox of coastal observations using methods applied to optical satellites. The resulting individual bathymetries are finally qualified according to the standards of the International Hydrographic Organization, anticipating their operational use. • S2Shores spatial-correlation method for optical satellite coastal observations. • Bathymetry qualified with the International Hydrographic Organization standards. • Wave characteristics from the time delay between spectral bands of Sentinel-2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main drivers of Europe's climate during the Holocene result from the coupling and interplay of external and internal radiative processes with the shifting patterns of many dynamic components (e.g. glaciers, ocean currents, wind fields, vegetation cover). Those driving forces were expressed across a range of geographical scales, from local to global, in a diverse set of records forming a patchwork of evidence as to the fundamental pacing effect of climate on past ecosystems. Various sedimentary deposits resulting from those complex forcing contexts bear climatic signatures that it is not always easy to disentangle especially with respect to local factors. The present paper focuses on a coastal archaeological site on the Medoc peninsula (the Lède du Gurp site in south-western France) that records Holocene palaeoenvironmental changes, decoded here century after century and integrated with ongoing events on a pan-North-Atlantic scale. Based on updated geoarchaeological approaches, thanks to new applications of proxies, especially X-ray fluorescence (XRF) core scanning methods for this article, continuous sedimentary records have been analysed in order to reconstruct a regional framework for past ecosystem events, including events potentially related to human activity. Our work identifies signals on various scales in the record under study, with both long- and short-term trends and local and global imprints, but all closely bound up with proximal North Atlantic Ocean dynamics. It highlights how western European environments (and so populations) were dependent upon the linearity of climate evolution at the key Northgrippian/Meghalayan transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Waste captured by a recovery system in an urban river were characterized. • 83% of the 3147 anthropogenic items characterized were made of plastic. • Plastic fluxes are 1.1–5.7 mt/yr, equivalent to a leakage of 2.1–11.1 g/cap/yr. • 65% are returned to the waste management system and 35% bypassed to the sea. • This residual leakage calls for regulations of the plastic production at its source. Small urban rivers are thought to be major sources of riverine litter, especially macroplastics, into the ocean. In well-developed countries, waste management infrastructures and recovery systems are sometimes implemented to prevent their emission into the sea meeting environmental and economic goals. The Huveaune River in Marseille, South of France, is a typical case study showing a non-negligible and uncontrolled leakage of riverine litter remains, despite all recovery systems implemented. Giant bar screens are settled over the river to collect riverine litter from the whole water column before water is released into the Sea. In this paper, screened material was characterized during a dry, wet and heavy rainfall period and annual macroplastic mass flows were estimated. The plastic fraction represented 83% by count of the 3147 items sorted and counted. Mass flow of plastic debris ranged between 1.1 and 5.8 mt/yr (equivalent to 2.1–11.4 g/cap/yr), in which 0.4–2.1 mt/yr (equivalent to 0.8–4.1 g/cap/yr) are bypassed to the sea during heavy rainfall periods. Giant bar screens across the Huveaune River prevent 65% of the mass flow to reach the sea annually, but 35% remain uncontrolled. When compared to the Seine River and other European Rivers, macroplastic leakage into the ocean per capita may range between 1 and 10 g/cap/yr. This suggests that end-of-pipe solutions are not enough and further supports urgent regulations of the plastic production on local to global scales to tackle the plastic pollution at its source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The French people are among the most reluctant to be vaccinated against Covid_19. • The crisis management is partly responsible for this hesitancy. • We identified the mechanisms allowing to overcome this hesitancy. • Four strategies triggering these mechanisms are presented in a model. France is one of the most vaccine-hesitant countries in the world, including for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). After 10 months of restrictive measures and media coverage of the dangers of COVID-19, French attitudes towards a vaccine continue to deteriorate. The communication strategies of the government have not helped; in fact, they have made the situation worse. Empirical studies on the national strategy for management of the COVID-19 pandemic in France have shed light on the reasons for vaccine hesitancy. These studies have identified four pillars for the vaccination strategy: i) Communication regarding the importance of herd immunity, ii) making healthcare workers the focus of the vaccination campaign, iii) citizen mobilization and guaranteed consultations, and iv) access to free vaccines without delay. This paper discusses the evidence supporting this strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The climate impacts of deep enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) have been understudied in the academic literature. Using life-cycle analysis (LCA) conducted in accordance with ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 standards, this paper explores the climate change impacts of two deep EGS. The first study was in Reykjanes, Iceland, where a single well, IDDP-2/DEEPEGS, was drilled to a depth of 4.6 km for the purposes of additional electricity production from an existing power plant. The second study involved two wells with side-tracks (depth > 5000 m), drilled to serve a new heat and power co-generation plant located on an old oil field site in Vendenheim, France. Climate change impacts for the sites were estimated in the range 1.6–17.4 gCO2e/kWh and 6.9–13.9 gCO2e/kWh for Reykjanes and Vendenheim, respectively. Although the EGS projects are very different, both outcomes are low when compared to non-renewable alternatives and akin to best-in-class renewable alternatives. The main impact at the Reykjanes demonstration site were the greenhouse gas emissions released from the borehole, an effect that could be avoided by carbon capture and storage/mineralisation/utilisation. In the case of Vendenheim, further reductions in emissions could be achieved via more extensive adoption of circular economy principles in design and procurement. • First two life-cycle assessments of deep enhanced geothermal systems (EGS). • Climate change impacts for Reykjanes estimated in the range 1.6–17.4 gCO2e/kWh. • Climate change impacts for Vendenheim estimated in the range 6.9–13.9 gCO2e/kWh. • Emissions reductions at Reykjanes achievable through carbon capture and storage. • Circular economy design/procurement principles could reduce emissions at Vendenheim. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]