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In a vaccination game, individuals respond to an epidemic by engaging in preventive behaviors that, in turn, influence the course of the epidemic. Such feedback loops need to be considered in the cost effectiveness evaluations of public health policies. We elaborate on the example of mandatory measles vaccination and the role of its anticipation. Our framework is a SIR compartmental model with fully rational forward looking agents who can therefore anticipate on the effects of the mandatory vaccination policy. Before vaccination becomes mandatory, parents decide altruistically and freely whether to vaccinate their children. We model eager and reluctant vaccinationist parents. We provide numerical evidence suggesting that individual anticipatory behavior may lead to a transient increase in measles prevalence before steady state eradication. This would cause non negligible welfare transfers between generations. Ironically, in our scenario, reluctant vaccinationists are among those who benefit the most from mandatory vaccination.

Background Although oversedation has been associated with increased morbidity in ventilated critically ill patients, it is unclear whether prevention of oversedation improves mortality. We aimed to assess 90-day mortality in patients receiving a bundle of interventions to prevent oversedation as compared to usual care. Methods In this randomized multicentre trial, all adult patients requiring mechanical ventilation for more than 48 h were included. Two groups were compared: patients managed according to usual sedation practices (control), and patients receiving sedation according to an algorithm which provided a gradual multilevel response to pain, agitation, and ventilator dyssynchrony with no specific target to alter consciousness and no use of sedation scale and promoted the use of alternatives to continuous infusion of midazolam or propofol (intervention). Results Inclusions were stopped before reaching the planned enrolment. Between 2012 and 2014, 584 patients were included in the intervention group and 590 in the control group. Baseline characteristics were well balanced between groups. Although the use of midazolam and propofol was significantly lower in the intervention group, 90-day mortality was not significantly lower (39.4 vs. 44.2% in the control group, p = 0.09). There were no significant differences in 1-year mortality between the two groups. The time to first spontaneous breathing trial and time to successful extubation were significantly shorter in the intervention group than in the control group. These last results should be interpreted with precaution regarding the several limitations of the trial including the early termination. Conclusions This underpowered study of severely ill patients was unable to show that a strategy to prevent oversedation could significantly reduce mortality. Trial registration NCT01617265

The authors acknowledge the contribution of the technical staff from the authors' institutes, more particularly Richard Poncet and Hervé Perier-Camby (INSA) for field sampling, and Anthony Anchisi (ISA) for isotopic analyses.; International audience; The design of French VFCWs leads to the formation of a sludge layer at the surface of the first filters due to the retention of suspended solids from the percolation of unsettled wastewater. This layer plays a major role in the system but still little is known on its characteristics and evolutions. In this study, suspended solids and sludge deposits sampled from two French VFCW plants were analyzed by different methods in the objective to assess the evolution of particulate organic matter (POM) along the treatment chain and within the sludge layer, and identify relevant analytical indicators of these phenomena. The treatment chain included an aerobic trickling filter followed by FeCl3 injection and two successive stages of filters.Thermal analyses showed that OM contents of suspended solids decreased along the treatment chain. POM in inflow suspended solids was predominantly composed of reactive, biodegradable compounds which were partly hydrolyzed and mineralized notably at the trickling filter stage. 3D fluorescence spectra collected from aqueous POM extracts confirmed the evolution of organic matter from low-molecular reactive compounds to more complex and stable structures such as humic-like substances. FTIR confirmed the mineralization of POM's reactive constituents along the treatment chain by the decrease in the intensities of the characteristics bands of aliphatic compounds or proteins, and its humification in the sludge deposits through the relative increase of the bands at 1634 cm− 1 (vC = O) and 1238 cm− 1 (δC = O and/or δOH). Isotopic ratios δ2H/1H and δ15N/14N were found to be good indicators of POM evolutions. The higher values of δ2H/1H and δ15N/14N ratios measured in sludge deposits as compared to inflow suspended solids were related to POM humification and to microbial processes of POM hydrolysis and mineralization, respectively.

Even if polymers are used for decades in electronics and microelectronics, one of the primary drawbacks is their susceptibility to moisture uptake. Moisture penetrating into polymers reduces their mechanical and electrical performances and consequently, moisture becomes a reliability issue for the RDL level. This paper presents results which highlight the need of choosing the right integration scheme in addition to the right polymer to ensure steady electrical performances of the Cu RDL level. The reliability studies using high temperature storages demonstrate that the main moisture diffusion path is through the polymer itself and the use of a bilayer (inorganic/organic) as passivation layer seems to be the best choice to minimize the moisture permeation. In addition, we have identify the failure modes, due to the electromigration phenomenon in the Cu RDL level, as being the grain boundaries and the Cu/SiN interface.

International audience; For multi-material applications in automotive industry, a cast aluminium (upper layer) and dual-phase steel (lower layer) superposition joined with High-Speed Nailing process is investigated through an experimental vs numerical framework. Using FORGE® finite-element software, results from joining simulations have been inserted into models in charge of nailed-joint mechanical testings. Numerical Shear and Cross-tensile tests are compared to experimental ones to discuss discrepancy and possible improvements.

For the last forty years, patients have been encouraged to take part in their care and to participate in improving the quality and safety of care. This phenomenon requires reflection on the conditions of emergence of this new role and its public health implications, particularly in the field of patient safety.A narrative review of the international literature was conducted by searching Medline, Cairn and Persée databases.The database query identified 2,206 documents, 106 of which were included in the analysis. The emergence of the patient-actor is linked to sanitary crises and promoted by patient associations in the field of patient safety such as le Lien. This movement induces a transformation of the patient's role beyond the theme of patient safety: it revolutionizes the patient's contribution to the health system.This narrative review of the literature highlights the way in which health crises have encouraged the emergence of a new actor: the patient-actor, accompanied by new semantics concerning the power of the patient. The patient occupies a specific place in the field of safety of care. In collaboration with healthcare professionals, the patient must constitute a resource to improve patient safety. The various contributions of patients are described and an analysis of the acceptability of patient participation is proposed.

INTRODUCTION Patient misidentification continues to be an issue in everyday clinical practice and may be particularly harmful. Incident reporting systems (IRS) are thought to be cornerstones to enhance patient safety by promoting learning from failures and finding common root causes that can be corrected. The aim of this study was to describe common patient misidentification incidents and contributory factors related to perioperative care. DESIGN AND SETTINGS We retrospectively analyzed IRS data reported by healthcare workers from a large academic hospital federation from 2011 to 2014. All patient misidentification incidents that occurred during perioperative care were reviewed and classified using the international classification for patient safety taxonomy. Incident type, contributory factor, error type, and consequences for the patient and for the organization were extracted for each incident report. RESULTS Among the 293 reported incidents, the most frequent errors were missing wristbands (34%), wrong charts or notes in files (20%), administrative issues (19%), and wrong labeling (14%). The main contributory factors included the absence of patient identity control (30%), patient transfer (30%), and emergency context (8%). Data on patient and institutional consequences were scarce. Events of missing and wrong identities on wristbands were rarely detected when patients were transferred from the admission ward to the operating room or the radiology department. CONCLUSION These results illustrate that misidentification errors are still common in France. This work contributes to enhancing interest in IRS data analysis to define or refine patient safety improvement strategies related to misidentification errors in healthcare institutions.

Energy consumption has been increasing a lot recently because of the intensive use of energy in manufacturing processes and due to the modern lifestyle in our society. In this context, Brazilian energy sources are pretty diversified and they are mainly composed by renewable energy. A technical and economical assessment of solar, wind and biomass power generation was carried out in this work. With this aim, capital costs and generation capacities for each energy source were taken into account. Specific costs of solar generation resulted in R$0.98/kW?h, wind power were equal to R$0.12/kW?h and biomass power, obtained in a cogeneration process with sugarcane bagasse, resulted in R$0.27/kW?h. These data suggest that renewable energy is quite interesting from an economical point of view. O consumo de energia vem aumentando muito nos últimos anos, principalmente por conta do uso intensivo nas indústrias e também pelo aumento do padrão de vida. Nesse cenário, a matriz energética brasileira é bem diversificada e conta com importante uso de fontes renováveis. No presente trabalho, fez-se uma avaliação técnica e econômica do aproveitamento de energia solar, eólica e daquela proveniente da queima de bagaço de cana, num processo de cogeração. Para isso, foram levados em conta os investimentos necessários e as capacidades de geração de cada uma dessas fontes. O custo específico de geração da energia solar foi de R$0,98/kW?h, o da eólica igual a R$0,12/kW?h e aquele da biomassa foi de R$0,27/kW?h. Esses números sugerem que a geração de energia a partir de fontes renováveis é interessante do ponto de vista econômico.Energy consumption has been increasing a lot recently because of the intensive use of energy in manufacturing processes and due to the modern lifestyle in our society. In this context, Brazilian energy sources are pretty diversified and they are mainly composed by renewable energy. A technical and economical assessment of solar, wind and biomass power generation was carried out in this work. With this aim, capital costs and generation capacities for each energy source were taken into account. Specific costs of solar generation resulted in R$0.98/kW?h, wind power were equal to R$0.12/kW?h and biomass power, obtained in a cogeneration process with sugarcane bagasse, resulted in R$0.27/kW?h. These data suggest that renewable energy is quite interesting from an economical point of view.

The objective of this study was to elucidate the conditions of emergence of patient safety issues in the public debate and the limits to implementation of patient safety in the current health system.A narrative review of the international literature was conducted by searching PubMed, Cairn and Persée databases.The database search retrieved 2,206 documents, 48 of which were included in the study. The theme of patient safety has spread worldwide, but emerged late in France. The delayed emergence of patient safety in France is essentially related to the euphemistic approach to the problem of patient safety, the difficulty of adopting systematic reasoning, the lack of human resources management levers and the ambiguous position of patients in relation to patient safety.

The Tempiette cave, on the south side of Granier in the Chartreuse mountains, is a small horizontal gallery, 7 m long, after the end of which is opened a vertical well, around 3 m in diameter and deep 32 m. This cave functioned as a natural trap where accidentally fell many animals, thus constituting a significant bone accumulation. Currently, 15 274 bone remains have been analyzed. Ibex (NISP = 36) and chamois (NISP = 16) are the most abundant. Three brown bears, two martens, four weasels, three stoats, one mountain hare, several red squirrels, one golden eagle, and many rodents and bats have also been identified. Ibex and chamois seem to have been misled by salt formation at the end of the gallery, directly above the well. This site was mainly frequented during the good season in the Late Glacial and early Holocene. Among all the bones found in the Tempiette cave, none has traces resulting from Carnivores or human activities. This site functioned strictly as a natural trap. However, almost half of the long bones are broken. They have spiral fractures, sometimes with percussion marks (crushing, punctures, notches) or striations and grooves. These traces look like what can be observed for animal bones in anthropogenic sites where there are exploitations of carcasses. Consequently, Tempiette cave constitutes a paleontological site that functioned as a natural trap, allowing significant bone accumulation. It was formed in environmental conditions similar to those of nearby archaeological sites. It could be an excellent taphonomic referential of natural accumulation that’s completely unique in karst mountain environment and would allow better understand of bone accumulations in alpine anthropogenic sites., La grotte Tempiette, située sur le versant sud du Granier, en Chartreuse, correspond à une petite galerie horizontale longue de 7 m, au bout de laquelle s’ouvre un puits aux parois verticales, d’environ 3 m de diamètre et profond de 32 m. Cette grotte a fonctionné comme un piège naturel où sont tombés accidentellement de nombreux animaux, constituant ainsi un véritable ossuaire. Actuellement, 15 274 vestiges osseux ont été analysés. Les bouquetins (36 individus) et les chamois (16 individus) sont les plus abondants. Ont également été identifiés trois ours bruns, deux fouines, quatre belettes, trois hermines, un lièvre variable, plusieurs écureuils, un aigle royal, ainsi que de nombreux rongeurs et chauves-souris. Les bouquetins et les chamois semblent avoir été attirés dans la grotte par la présence de sel qui se formait au fond de la galerie, juste à l’aplomb du puits. Ce site a été fréquenté principalement pendant la bonne saison. Parmi tous les ossements recueillis dans la grotte Tempiette, aucun ne présente de traces résultant d’une activité anthropique ou de Carnivores. Sur le plan taphonomique, il s’agit d’un site qui a fonctionné strictement comme un aven-piège. Cependant près de la moitié des os longs sont brisés. Ils présentent des cassures en spirale, avec parfois des impacts de percussion (points d’écrasement, enfoncements, encoches) ou des stries. Ces stigmates rappellent beaucoup ceux que l’on peut observer sur des os animaux provenant de sites archéologiques en relation avec une exploitation des carcasses. La grotte Tempiette constitue un site paléontologique avec une importante accumulation d’ossements d’Ongulés de montagne. Il s’est formé dans des conditions environnementales comparables à celles des sites archéologiques proches. Il constitue un excellent référentiel taphonomique d’accumulation naturelle, en contexte de karst de montagne, qui permettra de mieux comprendre les accumulations osseuses dans les sites archéologiques alpins., Griggo Christophe,Gay Ingrid,Fabbro Éva,Hobléa Fabien,Argant Alain,Argant Jacqueline,Dodelin Christian,Philippe Michel. Un aven piège naturel à bouquetin et chamois servant de référentiel taphonomique : la grotte Tempiette à Entremont-le-Vieux (Savoie). In: Collection EDYTEM. Cahiers de géographie, numéro 20, 2018. L’Homme dans les Alpes, de la pierre au métal. pp. 51-72.

The brown bear from the Holocene site of Réseau du Muguet, Samoëns (Haute-Savoie). During the excavations realized in 2007 in the palaeontological site of Réseau du Muguet (Samoëns, Haute-Savoie), a skull and various bone remains belonging to a brown bear (Ursus arctos) have been found associated to the numerous cave bear (Ursus spelaeus). The skull and the other specimens are related to a single individual. According to the radiocarbon datings, this brown bear lived during the Holocene and more precisely during the Early-Late Atlantique Transition. The present paper is dedicated to the detailed analysis of the bone remains of this brown bear. This animal seems to be a young adult. Comparing this bear to other know brown bears from the area, it is probably a male according to its size. A hypothesis of the bone deposit process is discussed here., Lors des fouilles organisées dans le réseau du Muguet, à Samoëns (Haute-Savoie) en 2007, indépendamment des nombreux vestiges osseux d’ours des cavernes (Ursus spelaeus), un crâne et des ossements d’ours brun (Ursus arctos) ont également été mis au jour. Ce crâne et ces ossements sont ceux d’un même animal ayant vécu, d’après la datation par le radiocarbone, à l’Holocène et plus précisément au passage Atlantique ancien/ Atlantique récent. La présente note est consacrée à l’étude approfondie des éléments squelettiques de cet ours brun. Il s’agit d’un animal adulte mais encore jeune, sans doute un mâle, de grande taille comparé aux ours bruns régionaux actuellement connus. Une hypothèse de la mise en place de l’amas osseux est proposée., Ballesio Roland,Philippe Michel. L’ours brun holocène du réseau du Muguet à Samoëns (Haute-Savoie). In: Bulletin de la société linnéenne de Lyon, tome 87, fascicule 1-2, Janvier-février 2018. pp. 3-29.

Vaccination is one of humanity's main tools to fight epidemics. In most countries and for most diseases, vaccination is offered on a voluntary basis. Hence, the spread of a disease can be described as two interacting opposite dynamic systems: contagion is determined by past vaccination, while individuals decide whether to vaccinate based on beliefs regarding future disease prevalence. In this study, we show how the interplay between such anticipating behavior and the otherwise biological dynamics of a disease may lead to the emergence of recurrent patterns. We provide simulation results for (i) a Measles-like outbreak, (ii) canonical fully rational and far-sighted individuals, (iii) waning vaccine efficacy and vital dynamics, and (iv) long periods of time, i.e. long enough to observe several vaccination peaks. For comparison, we conducted a similar analysis for individuals with adaptive behavior. As an extension, we investigated the case where part of the population has an anti-vaccination stance.

International audience; Amphiphilic triblock (Atri) copolymers made of perfluorinated alkyl chain linked to hydrocarbon chain and methoxy-poly(ethylene glycol) of three different molecular weights were synthesized. In vitro evaluation demonstrated that these new compounds were noncytotoxic. Characterization and interaction of each triblock copolymer with a branched polyamine myristoyl lipid (2-{3[bis-(3-amino-propyl)-amino]-propylamino}-N-ditetradecyl carbamoyl methyl-acetamide, DMAPAP) were studied by the Langmuir film method and thermal analysis. The triblock copolymer/cationic lipids (1:10, w/w) were mixed with perfluorobutane gas to form microbubbles (MBs). The latter were characterized by optical microscopy to get the microbubble size and concentration by densimetry to determine the amount of encapsulated gas and by ultrasound to assess oscillation properties. Atri with the lowest and intermediate weights were shown to interact with the cationic lipid DMAPAP and stabilize the Langmuir film. In that case, monodisperse microbubbles ranging from 2.3 ± 0.1 to 2.8 ± 0.1 μm were obtained. The proportion of encapsulated gas within the MB shell increased up to 3 times after the incorporation of the copolymer with the lowest and intermediate weights. Moreover, the acoustic response of the microbubbles was maintained in the presence of the copolymers.

In the so-called "classical French system" of constructed wetlands, the percolation through the filter medium of untreated raw wastewater results in the accumulation of sludge deposits which gradually forms a sludge layer mainly on the surface of the first filter stage. The structure, composition and organization of the particulate matter of the deposits are determining factors of the macroscopic properties of the sludge layer, such as permeability, oxygen transfer, etc. In this study, representative samples of surface deposits were collected from 12 French vertical flow constructed wetlands (VFCW) in operation. The results of analyzes showed a remarkable similarity of their particle size distribution, and a relatively moderate but significant aggregation. The differences in operational conditions between the 12 selected treatment plants (age, implementation of additional treatments), did not have any observable effect on the particle size distribution in the sludge deposits. It was also observed that particle size and agregation were not related to the content of microbial exocellular polymeric substances (EPS). These substances were analyzed in surface deposits at much lower levels than in activated sludges for example, in which their role in the formation of microbial flocs is well documented in the scientific literature. On the other hand, humic substances were analyzed at much higher levels in sludge deposits, suggesting that the contribution of humic substances to the aggregation processes was greater than that of the analyzed EPSs. The environmental conditions of surface deposits on filters planted with reeds thus induce aging processes similar to those observed in neosols., Dans le système dit « classique français » de filtres plantés de roseaux (FPR) à écoulement vertical, la percolation à travers le milieu filtrant des eaux usées brutes non décantées entraine la rétention physique de dépôts de surface provenant des matières en suspension apportées par les eaux usées. L'accumulation de ces dépôts au cours du fonctionnement de la station provoque la formation d'une couche de boue principalement à la surface du premier étage de filtre. Les propriétés macroscopiques de cette couche de boue de surface, notamment vis-à-vis de l'écoulement des eaux usées et des transferts d'oxygène, sont déterminées entre autres facteurs par la structure, la composition et l'organisation de la matière particulaire des dépôts. Dans le but de mieux décrire ces phénomènes, des échantillons représentatifs de dépôts de surface ont été prélevés sur 12 stations de filtres plantés de roseaux à écoulement vertical en fonctionnement. Cet article présente les résultats de leur caractérisation physique (granulométrie et agrégation) et discute du rôle des constituants organiques dans ces caractéristiques. Les résultats obtenus ont montré une remarquable similarité de la distribution granulométrique des dépôts des 12 stations et une agrégation relativement modérée mais significative. Les différences de conditions opératoires entre les 12 stations sélectionnées n'ont donc pas d'effet observable sur la distribution granulométrique des dépôts de surface. L'analyse des fractions organiques a montré en outre que la granulométrie et l'agrégation ne peuvent pas être directement liées à la teneur en substances polymériques exocellulaires microbiennes (EPS). Pourtant comparées aux boues activées, dans lesquelles ces substances sont connues pour leur rôle dans la floculation, les dépôts de surface des filtres plantés verticaux ont des taux en EPS totaux du même ordre de grandeur. Les substances dites humiques en revanche ont été analysées dans les dépôts à des teneurs largement plus élevées que les EPS, et leur contribution à l'agrégation des particules dans les dépôts a pu être observée. Ce résultat peut s'expliquer par les conditions d'environnement des dépôts de surface sur les filtres plantés de roseaux, proches de celles que peuvent connaître certains type de sols, qui induisent donc des processus de vieillissement plutôt similaires à ceux observés dans les néosols (rôle des substances humiques).

Since 2002 the OURSALP Programme aims to record the fossil or subfossil bears, to obtain a rigorous chronological frame based on 14C-AMS datings of bears’ bones, to precise the palaeoenvironments and the ecological demands of each species, to look for interactions between Man and bears, and finally to establish a close co-operation between the speleologists and the scientists. The present results show that the cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) was present at least since 45000 BP and well before. It became extinct in the Chartreuse at the end of the Tardiglacial period, during the cold phase of the Ancient Dryas, apparently later than in the Alpine Arch. The Chartreuse massif has been therefore used as a refuge. The prehistoric Man is not responsible for the extinction of Ursus spelaeus, the climatic conditions were the determining cause. The brown bear of the Scialet de la Décroissance at Corrençon-en-Vercors (Isère), was lying at the bottom of a pothole 30 meters deep. In spite of some disturbances, this complete skeleton enables us to study a single individual in detail : sex, size, taphonomy, 14C-AMS dating, ancient mt-DNA, that is rare enough to be emphasized. The brown bear, Ursus arctos, lived through the end of the Tardigalcial period and the warming of the Holocene. It is more carnivorous than the cave bear and more adaptable to warm conditions. Its extinction during historical times in the Jura and the French Alps is obviously due to human action, hunting pressure linked to the use of guns and disappearance of favorable biotopes. The Grande Rivoire rock shelter gives the example of a tamed brown bear mixed with Castelnovian people, 7700 years ago, kept with a bit into the mouth by the bear keepers’ technique., Le Programme OURSALP existe depuis 2002 avec comme objectifs de constituer un inventaire des ours fossiles ou subfossiles, de constituer un cadre chronologique rigoureux de datations 14C-AMS sur vestiges d’ours, de préciser les paléoenvironnements et les exigences écologiques des différentes espèces, de rechercher les interactions homme -ours, enfin d’instaurer une collaboration étroite entre spéléologues et scientifiques. Le bilan actuel montre que l’ours des cavernes (Ursus spelaeus) est présent au moins depuis 45 000 ans BP et sans doute bien avant. Il s’éteint en Chartreuse à la fin du Tardiglaciaire, au cours de la période froide du Dryas ancien, plus tard apparemment que dans le reste de l’arc alpin. Le Massif de Chartreuse a donc joué le rôle d’un refuge. L’homme préhistorique n’est pas la cause de l’extinction d’Ursus spelaeus, les conditions climatiques ont joué un rôle déterminant. L’ours brun du Scialet de la Décroissance à Corrençon-en-Vercors (Isère), gisait au fond d’un puits de 30 m. Ce squelette complet, à quelques perturbations près, permet une étude détaillée d’un même individu : sexe, taille, taphonomie, datation 14 C-AMS, ADN-mt ancien, c’est assez rare pour être souligné. L’ours brun, Ursus arctos, traverse la fin du Tardiglaciaire et l’amélioration climatique holocène. Il est plus carnivore que l’ours des cavernes et mieux adapté à la chaleur. Sa disparition du Jura et des Alpes françaises aux temps historiques est évidemment liée à l’action humaine, pression de chasse liée au développement des armes à feu et disparition des biotopes favorables. Le site de la Grande Rivoire apporte l’indication de l’apprivoisement d’un ours brun ayant vécu au contact des Castelnoviens, il y a 7700 ans, muni d’un mors selon la technique des montreurs d’ours., Argant Alain,Griggo Christophe,Ersmark Erik,Philippe Michel,Bintz Pierre,Picavet Régis,Fourgous Barnabé,Tillet Thierry,Argant Jacqueline. Bilan du programme OURSALP. Exemple de l’ours fossile du scialet de la décroissance à Corrençon-en-Vercors (Isère, France). In: Collection EDYTEM. Cahiers de géographie, numéro 20, 2018. L’Homme dans les Alpes, de la pierre au métal. pp. 31-49.

Background The European bison (Bison bonasus), now found in Europe and the Caucasus, has been proposed to originate either from the extinct steppe/extant American bison lineage or from the extinct Bison schoetensacki lineage. Bison schoetensacki remains are documented in Eurasian Middle Pleistocene sites, but their presence in Upper Pleistocene sites has been questioned. Despite extensive genetic studies carried out on the steppe and European bison, no remains from the fossil record morphologically identified as Bison schoetensacki has been analyzed up to now. Results In this paper, we analyzed a 36,000-year-old Bison schoetensaki bone sample from the Siréjol cave (France) and a cave hyena coprolite (fossilized feces) found in a nearby cave and containing large amounts of Bovinae DNA. We show that the Bovinae mitochondrial DNA sequences from both samples, including a complete mitochondrial genome sequence, belong to a clade recently reported in the literature. This clade only includes ancient bison specimens without taxonomic identification and displays a sister relationship with the extant European bison. The genetic proximity of Bison schoetensacki with specimens from this clade is corroborated by the analysis of nuclear DNA single nucleotide polymorphisms. Conclusions This work provides genetic evidence supporting the continuing presence of Bison schoetensacki up to the Upper Pleistocene. Bison schoetensacki turns out to be a sister species of Bison bonasus, excluding the steppe bison Bison priscus as a direct ancestor of the European bison. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12862-017-0894-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

International audience; The aim of the study was to determine the effects on treatment efficiency of oxidation-reduction (redox) conditions that are caused by different water saturation levels within vertical-flow constructed wetlands (VFCW), with specific attention to phosphorus (P) retention. The study was conducted by monitoring over 18 weeks a pilot-scale system consisting of a biological aerobic trickling filter as a biological pre-treatment step, followed by ferric chloride (FeCl3) addition for phosphate removal and a stage of VFCW. By adjusting the water saturation level, the VFCW was operated successively under fully unsaturated, partly saturated, completely saturated (flooded), and then again unsaturated conditions. Redox potentials (Eh) were measured at three different levels within the VFCW. Results revealed that Eh was logically affected by the water-saturation level and the feeding-resting periods. Treatment efficiency was very good under fully unsaturated and partly saturated conditions. Under flooded conditions, the performance of the filter declined when the flood was maintained for around one week. However, VFCW regained its previous efficiency after the effluent was drained out and aerobic conditions were restored, indicating that the system was resistant and robust enough that periodical flooding did nott affect its performance afterwards.

Long-term degradation of MOS devices has to be avoided in different harsh irradiated environments, especially for aerospace or military applications. In this paper, an overview of the irradiation experiments recently performed on 4H-SiC MOSFETs having an oxynitrided gate oxide is given, with a special focus on the threshold voltage and the effective channel mobility drifts. The general mechanisms taking place during irradiation and post-annealing treatments are described. Finally, new open issues recently observed by performing the temperature measurement on irradiated MOSFETs will be introduced and discussed.

Automotive manufacturers work on the vehicle weight reduction to respect the new regulation laws about CO2 emissions. The composite material can be introduced in replacement of some metallic parts to optimize the body structure in terms of weight reduction and performance. But how to join the new composite parts with the traditional metallic parts in accordance with the body in white process requirements? The self-piercing riveting (SPR) can be an innovative method to join thermoplastic composite with metal. The SPR is easy and convenient to implement because it does not require a pre-drilled hole. Fatigue tests were carried out to validate the fatigue performance of a Glass Fibre reinforced Polyamide 6.6 (PA6.6-GF) /Aluminium joint by SPR. The influence of process parameters and environmental factors on the fatigue joint performances were investigated. This study shows that the rivet shape have less influence on the joint fatigue strength than the parameters that impact the composite resistance such as the composite type and the test temperature.

To improve denitrification and phosphorus removal in VFCWs, the French company SCIRPE has developed a patented process called Azoe® which comprises biological pre-treatment on a trickling filter followed by two stages of partially saturated vertical flow filters planted with reeds. Phosphorus removal is carried out by addition of FeCl3 at the outlet of the biological trickling filter. Phosphorus thus precipitated accumulates mainly on the surface of the first filter in the form of a sludge layer. After several years of operation, this surface layer represents a stock of phosphorus potentially mobilizable as a function of the biophysicochemical conditions of the environment. However the fate of organic and mineral micropollutants, (pharmaceutical residues, pesticides, metals, etc.) in the system is poorly known. In the present study, the performance of these systems was studied by monitoring an Azoe® plant in operation. The results confirmed the very good efficiency in carbon and nitrogen treatment, the good stability of phosphorus retention, and a high rate of removal or retention of most micropollutants analyzed.

This paper presents capacitors, inductors and lumped element filters fabricated with screen printing techniques and a silver nanoparticle ink. The inductors present the highest density (5.1 nH/mm2) reported for printed inductors with a maximum quality factor frequency and a self-resonance frequency above 1 GHz. The designed filters are 5-pole low pass filters with cutoff frequencies at 850 MHz and 1.9 GHz. The mid-band insertion loss is 0.45 dB for the 850 MHz filter and 0.9 dB for the 1.9 GHz filter and their respective return loss is below 13 dB and 14 dB in the bandwidth. The attenuation at twice the cutoff frequency is better than 40 dB for both filters. The printed components annealing temperature is kept below 250°C and is compatible with most back-end technologies.

Let B be a positive quaternion algebra, and let O subset of B be an Eichler order. There is associated, in a natural way, a variety X = X(O) the connected components of which are indexed by the ideal classes of O and are isomorphic to spheres. This variety is naturally equipped with a Laplace operator and a large family of Hecke operators. For a joint eigenfunction phi of the Hecke algebra and of the Laplace operator with eigenvalue lambda, the hybrid sup norm bound parallel to phi parallel to(infinity) << (tV)(-delta)t(1/2)parallel to phi parallel to(2) for any delta < 1/60 is shown, where t = (1 + lambda)(1/2) and V = vol(X(O)).

In view of their large saturation magnetization (e.g. ∼0.8–2 T) and low hysteresis loss, soft magnetic layers based on nanocrystalline and amorphous alloys integrated with silicon complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (Si CMOS) technology, e.g. NiFe, FeCoB and CoTaZr, currently receive great attention for their potential for GHz frequencies applications, such as on-chip power management for multi-core processors, RF circuits for mobile devices, and low power magnetic sensors [1–4].

Objective To assess the impact of a vignette-based analysis of adverse events (AEs) on the safety climate (SC) of care units. Design Prospective, open, cluster (a unit) randomised controlled trial. Setting Eighteen acute care units of seven hospitals in France. Participants Healthcare providers who worked in the units. Intervention Vignette-based analyses of AEs were conducted with unit's providers once per month for six consecutive months. The AEs were real cases that occurred in other hospitals. The hospital risk manager conducted each analysis as follows: analysis of the immediate and root causes of the AE; assessment of the care unit's vulnerabilities and existing barriers in the occurrence of an identical AE and search for solutions. Main outcome measure SC was measured using the French version of the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture questionnaire. The primary outcome was the difference in the 'Organisational learning and continuous improvement' dimension score, from before to after the analyses. Results Median participation rate in the analyses was 20% (range: 7-45%). Before intervention, the response rate to the SC survey was 80% (n = 210) in the intervention group and 73% (n = 191) in the control group. After intervention, it was 59% (n = 141) and 63% (n = 148), respectively. The dimension score evolved differently for the groups from before to after intervention (intervention: +10.2 points ±8.8; control: -3.0 points ±8.5, P = 0.04). Side effects were not measured. Conclusions Vignette-based analysis was associated with the improvement of the perception of participants regarding their institution's capacity for organisational learning and continuous improvement.

La autora dominicano-americana Julia Álvarez se ha convertido en un pilar fundamental de la literatura hispana en Estados Unidos. Desde su primera colección de poemas titulada Homecoming en 1984, ha logrado alcanzar un público cada vez más numeroso. Publicó más de veinte libros que han sido traducidos en una decena de idiomas incluyendo el turco y el hebreo. Algunos de estos libros fueron también adaptados para el teatro y el cine. Julia Álvarez permitió indudablemente reforzar la visibilidad de los dominicanos y de los hispanos en Estados Unidos. Hoy es considerada junto con la autora chicana Sandra Cisneros como una de las pioneras de la “Latina Literature” en Estados Unidos, una literatura de lengua inglesa escrita por mujeres de origen latinoamericano. La presente investigación parte de este rol fundamental ocupado por Julia Álvarez dentro de la literatura hispana en Estados Unidos y más aún dentro de la “Latina Literature”. Se basa sobre un análisis estructural y temático de sus cinco novelas de ficción para un público adulto: How the García Girls Lost Their Accents (1991), In the Time of the Butterflies (1994), ¡Yo! (1997), In the Name of Salomé (2000) y Saving the World (2006). Está enfocada sobre aspectos comunes entre las novelas en la manera de abordar los roles de género y de representar a la mujer latina y se basa sobre la hipótesis de trabajo siguiente: “La modernidad de las mujeres latinas en las novelas de Julia Álvarez conllevaba un distanciamiento con la tradición. Este distanciamiento las hace más libres a la vez que genera problemas identitarios”. Se valoró la validez de esta hipótesis a través de cuatro grandes ejes de trabajo. En la primera parte se destacó una dimensión femenina en las novelas de Julia Álvarez, tanto a través de la omnipresencia y de la centralidad de personajes femeninos como a través de la estructura narrativa elegida. En la segunda parte, el estudio de los roles de género en las novelas reveló, por un lado, cómo muchos de estos personajes femeninos reflejaban el rol tradicional de la mujer en la cultura latina y, por otro lado, cómo el machismo de los hombres se veía muy a menudo reforzado por una actitud sometida de la mujer definida como marianista. La tercera parte permitió contrastar los resultados encontrados en la segunda parte al mostrar que las latinas representadas por Álvarez en sus novelas aparecían también como mujeres modernas que se distanciaban de la tradición. En este mismo apartado, se observó entre otros ejemplos cómo el exilio, el cuestionamiento de autoridad masculina, la educación y la militancia política permitían liberar a la mujer latina. En la cuarta y última parte de este trabajo, se constató que las heroínas de las novelas de Julia Álvarez sufrían todas algún tipo de crisis identitaria. Los resultados encontrados permitieron validar parcialmente la hipótesis de trabajo inicial. En How the García Girls Lost Their Accents y ¡Yo!, se pudo comprobar que la crisis identitaria de las protagonistas estaba vinculada a un distanciamiento con la tradición mientras que en In the Time of the Butterflies e In the Name of Salomé se debía más bien a una conexión estrecha de las heroínas con la familia y con el pasado. En Saving the World, se observó que la heroína estaba en crisis por verse atrapada en una vida tradicional y que aspiraba a sentirse más libre.

We revisit a recent bound of I. Shparlinski and T. P. Zhang on bilinear forms with Kloosterman sums, and prove an extension for correlation sums of Kloosterman sums against Fourier coefficients of modular forms. We use these bounds to improve on earlier results on sums of Kloosterman sums along the primes and on the error term of the fourth moment of Dirichlet $L$-functions., Comment: final version; to appear in the special issue of the Proceedings of the Steklov Institute of Mathematics dedicated to the 125th anniversary of I. M. Vinogradov