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In Krisenzeiten wenden sich die Burger*innen, wie Mathieu Klein (Burgermeister von Nancy und Prasident der Metropole du Grand Nancy) in seinem Beitrag darstellt, in besonderer Weise an ihren Burgermeister, den gewahlten Vertreter, der den Franzos*innen am nachsten steht, um Antworten auf ihre Fragen und ihre Belange zu erhalten. Gerade zu Beginn der COVID-19-Pandemie, als noch wenige gesicherte Informationen zu dem neuartigen Virus vorlagen, bestanden fur die Stadt vielfaltige Herausforderungen, mit denen Umgangsformen gefunden werden mussten. Die gewachsene Partnerschaft und der enge Austausch zwischen Nancy und der deutschen Partnerstadt Karlsruhe im Verlauf der Krise werden im Artikel eindrucklich herausgestellt. In standigem Kontakt konnten Erfahrungen und gute Verfahrensweisen im Krisenmanagement, in der Unterstutzung von Kultur-, Wirtschafts-, Krankenhaus- und Bildungsakteuren ausgetauscht werden. So gelang es auch, ein neues Kapitel der deutsch-franzosischen Zusammenarbeit zu schreiben. Mathieu Klein verdeutlicht, dass jeder Erfahrungsaustausch bereichert, ermutigt und Energie schafft, um kunftige Projekte aufzubauen, innovativ zu sein und den Burger*innen in herausfordernden Situationen besondere Aufmerksamkeit zu schenken. Zur zentralen Aufgabe wird es, den grenzuberschreitenden Austausch langfristig mitzugestalten und gemeinsame Grundlagen zu etablieren, sei es im Gesundheitsbereich, in der Wirtschaft oder zugunsten des sozialen Zusammenhalts. Nancy hat fruh begonnen, sich der Welt gegenuber zu offnen. Stadtepartnerschaften zeugen davon, darunter die mit Karlsruhe seit 1955. Die sich standig weiterentwickelnden deutsch-franzosischen Beziehungen dienen letztlich, so Mathieu Klein, der weiteren innovativen Gestaltung Europas. Gerade die COVID-19-Krise hat gezeigt, wie eng die gemeinschaftlichen Bestrebungen ausfallen und dass so auch in einer Gesundheitskrise Chancen liegen konnen.

International audience; Thales new generation digital multi-missions radars, fully-digital and software-defined, like the Sea Fire and Ground Fire radars, benefit from a considerable increase of accessible degrees of freedoms to optimally design their operational modes. To effectively leverage these design choices and turn them into operational capabilities, it is necessary to develop new engineering tools, using artificial intelligence. Innovative optimization algorithms in the discrete and continuous domains, coupled with a radar Digital Twins, allowed construction of a generic tool for "search" mode design (beam synthesis, waveform and volume grid) compliant with the available radar time budget. The high computation speeds of these algorithms suggest tool application in a "Proactive Radar" configuration, which would dynamically propose to the operator, operational modes better adapted to environment, threats and the equipment failure conditions.

International audience; Measuring water self-diffusion in the oriented structure of stretched Nafion represents an effective way of studying the correlations between the stress-induced order and the transport properties of the membrane. In this work, we performed pulsed-field gradient NMR experiments to investigate water self-diffusion in a single membrane under traction. The data were collected with a high signal-to-noise ratio and small draw ratio steps using a specially design NMR probe together with a mini traction apparatus. The results demonstrate that the anisotropy of diffusion is much larger in a membrane under traction than in a stack of membranes that were uniaxiafly stretched at high temperature before the measurements. Arguments based on the mechanical properties of Nafion can explain qualitatively the observed differences by highlighting the important role of both applied stress and temperature in the stress-induced order. We used a simple, but realistic, deformation model to analyze the experimental data by extracting the evolution of the diffusion anisotropy as a function of the orientational order parameter of the water conducting channels. Finally, we made analogies between the self-diffusion of water in the anisotropic structure of stretched Nafion and the Brownian dynamics of elongated particles.

Surface NMR probes are appropriate for the study of water properties in thin films as they offer a high signal to noise ratio. Using a new methodology that combines the use of a surface probe and a mini traction machine we performed water self-diffusion measurements in a unique Nafion membrane under traction. We observe that the diffusion anisotropy, correlated to the imposed order in the membrane, is much higher than in a stack of stretched / released samples hydrated at similar water content. The same approach can be used to study membranes under compression.

International audience; The hydration conditions of the membrane can vary widely over short timescales during the operation of a PEMFC. To better understand the factors limiting water transport through the PEM membrane exposed to different boundary conditions we implemented a 1D NMR imaging method using a surface probe. This methodology offers a high temporal resolution, allowing the detailed monitoring of fast transient phenomena.

The good behaviour of the elevation measurement, using a 2D-DVB receiving array, has been experimentally validated in terms of accuracy and low sensitivity against multiple paths between the target and the receiver. The 2D planar array used could now be optimised, as several constraints considered during that validation phase seem to be no longer justified.

International audience; This paper deals with the selection of some waveforms family sets for use in Active Multi-Static Primary Surveillance Radar (MSPSR). The selection takes into account the correlation properties, the ambiguity function properties, the Peak to Average Power Ratio (PAPR) reduction, the cardinality and the diversity of each set. According to these criteria, the application of spreading codes in the MSPSR context is investigated.

At airports, runway operation is the limiting factor for the overall throughput; specifically the fixed and overly conservative ICAO wake turbulence separation minima. The wake turbulence hazardous flows can dissipate quicker because of decay due to air turbulence or be transported out of the way on oncoming traffic by cross-wind, yet wake turbulence separation minima do not take into account wind conditions. Indeed, for safety reasons, most airports assume a worst-case scenario and use conservative separations. However, with the aid of accurate EDR (Eddy Dissipation Rate) retrieval by Ultra-Fast High-Range Resolution X-band Electronic-Scanning radar sensors, more efficient intervals can be set, particularly when atmosphere is unstable and turbulent, accelerating Wake-Vortex decay. Depending on traffic volume, these adjustments can generate capacity gains, which have major commercial benefits. This paper presents Electronic scanning radar trials at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport for UFO (Ultra-Fast wind sensOrs for wake-vortex hazards mitigation) project, funded by European FP7 program, on Radar EDR retrieval & Calibration.

International audience; Water transport during sorption and desorption in Nafion® 117 samples is studied by means of dynamic model and experiments as a response of relative humidity step. The model takes into account a transfer resistance at the interface between the membrane and the surrounding medium, and considers that the water content of the membrane remains uniform at all times during sorption and desorption, which was confirmed using NMR imaging. Thus, its main hypothesis is that the membrane is in equilibrium with the humid gas located at the interface whose relative humidity is different than in the bulk. The calculated time-variations in the water content of a membrane sample (in acid form) during sorption and desorption show that desorption is faster than sorption due to the variations in the slope of the water uptake isotherm. The theoretical results and the experimental data show a good agreement which allows the determination of the mass transfer coefficient. The influence of diffusion and thermal effects are also discussed.

Thales has been working on passive radar for more than 20 years. Several demonstrators have been developed to test and demonstrate the capabilities of passive radar for air surveillance. Latest Thales demonstrators exploit Frequency Modulation (FM) radio and Digital Video Broadcasting - Terrestrial (DVB-T) opportunity transmitters. Experiments have been conducted in many different countries with a wide variety of aircrafts and flight patterns. Variety is very important since radar performances usually vary with the environment (mountains, flat lands, weather…), the kind of target (liner, ultra-light…) and its position. This aspect is even more important for passive radars which also rely on available opportunity transmitters whose characteristics are unique for each location. Those numerous experiments allow showing the good performances of passive radar in many different conditions. They also prove the robustness of the developed hardware and algorithms, since they have been run in real-time.

At airports, runway operation is the limiting factor for the overall throughput; specifically the fixed and overly conservative ICAO wake turbulence separation minima. The wake turbulence hazardous flows can dissipate quicker because of decay due to air turbulence or be transported out of the way on oncoming traffic by cross-wind, yet wake turbulence separation minima do not take into account wind conditions. Indeed, for safety reasons, most airports assume a worst-case scenario and use conservative separations; the interval between aircraft taking off or landing therefore often amounts to several minutes. However, with the aid of accurate wind data and precise measurements of wake vortex by radar sensors, more efficient intervals can be set, particularly when weather conditions are stable. Depending on traffic volume, these adjustments can generate capacity gains, which have major commercial benefits. This paper presents Electronic scanning radar trials as Safety Net of a wake turbulence system supporting increased throughput as part of the European ATM research program SESAR, and complementary study UFO (Ultra-Fast wind sensOrs for wake-vortex hazards mitigation) funded by European FP7 program, on Radar EDR retrieval & Calibration.

Capacity gains in the terminal area and on the airport surface can be achieved by integrating wake vortex hazard management more dynamically in the setting of separation minima. To define these more efficient intervals, smart planning techniques are integrated into a wake vortex decision support system. The system performs prediction, detection and monitoring of wake vortices based on wake vortex sensor suite and sensor simulations, wake predictor, weather sensors and weather nowcasting and forecasting. The architecture and system performance has been verified and validated during several trials. The results and recommendations have been used to define the trials to come and subsequent technology improvements.

Summary StubSNF1 is a potato cDNA that encodes a protein kinase similar to the yeast SNF1 gene involved in transcriptional regulation of glucose-repressible genes. The yeast SNF1 functions in a complex with GAL83/SIP1/SIP2 and SNF4 proteins. We have used StubSNF1 as bait in a yeast two-hybrid system to screen for potato cDNAs encoding proteins that bind to StubSNF1. Three overlapping cDNAs, two different in size, were isolated. DNA sequence analysis revealed that they were orthologues of the yeast GAL83/ SIP1/SIP2 genes and their mammalian counterparts, AMPK b-subunits. The direct interaction between the potato proteins StubGAL83 and StubSNF1 was shown by an in vitro binding assay. Southern and Northern hybridisations revealed that StubGAL83 exists in a low copy number in the potato genome and is highly (but organ-specifically) expressed in potato. In contrast, StubSNF1 possesses low transcript levels in each organ, except in flowers where high amounts of StubSNF1 mRNA could be detected. We demonstrate here that StubGAL83 can also interact with yeast SNF4 in a yeast two-hybrid system suggesting that plant SNF1 kinases may function in complexes similar to those detected in yeast and mammals.

At airports, surface operation on the runway is the limiting factor for the overall throughput; specifically the fixed and overly conservative ICAO wake turbulence separation minima. The wake turbulence hazardous flows can dissipate quicker because of decay due to air turbulence or be transported out of the way on oncoming traffic by cross-wind, yet wake turbulence separation minima do not take into account wind conditions. Indeed, for safety reasons, most airports assume a worst-case scenario and use conservative separations; the interval between aircraft taking off or landing therefore often amounts to several minutes. However, with the aid of accurate wind data and precise measurements of wake vortex by radar sensors, more efficient intervals can be set, particularly when weather conditions are stable. Depending on traffic volume, these adjustments can generate capacity gains, which have major commercial benefits. This paper presents the developments of a wake turbulence system supporting increased throughput as part of the European ATM research program SESAR. This wake turbulence system is designed to, punctually or permanently, reduce landing and departure wake turbulence separations, thus increasing the runway throughput in such a way that arrival demand peaks and departure delays are safety absorbed. This global objective is by deploying radar sensors to deliver real-time position and strength information of the wake vortices and to assess wind conditions including ambient air turbulence via Eddy Dissipation Rate (EDR). To further address the optimization of throughput, two extensions for the use of wake turbulence system are considered for the terminal area and the runway rollout. These extensions connect the ground system with the aircraft to maximize benefits. The first application is the optimization of aircraft sequence via point-merge procedure, which is part of interval management operational improvement. The second application relates to the optimization of runway exit based on assessment of runway condition and aircraft-based braking capability to select the best runway exit for both the aircraft objectives and the runway throughput.

Using a fruit-specific cDNA as a probe we isolated and sequenced the two corresponding homologous genes (Sn-1 and Sn-2) of the bell pepper (Capsicum annuum) genome. Both genes have a single intron and numerous unusual long inverted repeat sequences. The introns share 87% homology and Sn-2 contains one 450 bp additional sequence with structural features of a transposable element, which is highly repetitive in the bell pepper genome. Surprisingly, analysis in data banks showed that genes encoding the potato starch phosphorylase (EC 2.4.1.1) and patatin contain a similar element, named Alien, in their 5'-upstream region. Alien elements are characterized by a conserved 28 bp terminal inverted repeat (TIR), small size, high AT content, potential to form stable DNA secondary structures and they have probably been inserted in TA target sites. Interestingly, the TIR of the Alien elements shares high homology with sequences existing in the TIR of extrachromosomal linear pSKL DNA plasmid of Saccharomyces kluyveri. Northern blot analyses detected Sn-1 transcripts principally in the red fruit whereas no Sn-2 transcripts were detected in neither of the samples monitored. Western blot analyses detected a 16.8 kDa Sn protein principally in the ripe red fruit and wounded areas of green unripe fruit. A comparison of the deduced amino acid sequence of Sn-1 with protein sequences in data banks revealed a significant homology with proteins likely involved in the plant's disease resistance response. Analyses at the subcellular level showed that Sn-1 is localized in the membrane of vacuoles.

The paper addresses important problems related to improvement of probability or equivalently an improvement of range of the detection of targets. The probability of detection of targets can be improved by fusion of noncoherent signals and/or plots from a few independents radars (channels) working in different bands. As an example multiband passive-active radar system working simultaneously in four bands is considered. The paper describes the concept of signal processing in this radar, similar to the MIMO method described in [1]. The fusion of signals is called centralised fusion (detection) and the fusion of plots is called decentralised fusion (detection). The signal processing algorithms described in the paper are based on the original concept that for the fusion of signals (i.e., the centralized fusion) the cueing method is used. It means that signals reflected from targets in multi bands are summed only if the targets have been detected by the decentralised fusion and are being tracked. Thus the centralised fusion takes place around the predicted target positions. The probability of detection versus range curves were calculated by a simulation process for the centralised and decentralised detection (fusion). Quantitative results of these simulations show the possibility for substantial improvement of the target detection probability or equivalently range and compared to singleband radar. (6 pages)

As part of the worldwide efforts at molecular analysis of Arabidopsis thaliana as a model plant the complete structure of the mitochondrial genome has been determined. The mitochondrial DNA molecules were mapped by restriction fragment analysis of more than 300 cosmid clones and purified mitochondrial DNA. The entire genome of 372 kb is contained in three different configurations of circular molecules and is split into two additional subgenomic molecules of 234 kb and 138 kb, respectively. These arrangements result from recombinations of the two sets of repeats present in combinations of inverted and/or direct orientation. Alignment of YAC clones confirms the in vivo presence of continuous DNA molecules of more than 300 kb in A. thaliana mitochondria. The presence of this comparatively large mitochondrial genome in a plant with one of the smallest nuclear genomes shows that different size constraints act upon the different genomes in plant cells.

In mammals, body temperature can be raised by the action of uncoupling proteins (UCPs), which dissipate the proton electrochemical gradient across the inner mitochondrial membrane to produce heat rather than synthesize ATP1. Any similar mechanism of thermogenesis in plants is not so well understood. We have now identifiedcomplementary DNA from potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) that encodes a plant uncoupling protein, named StUCP, which is induced by cold treatment and so may be involved in thermoregulation in plants.

International audience; We used NMR techniques to probe the anisotropic properties of stretched Nafion® 115 membranes. The alignment of the polymeric structure under a uniaxial load is at the origin of a strong anisotropy of both the water self-diffusion coefficient and the proton conductivity. The determination of these two important membrane properties may lead to new fundamental information on the nature of the proton transport mechanisms in such oriented weakly-charged systems.