Institut National des Sciences Appliquées Centre Val de Loire

This paper addresses the problem of estimating the set of least-cost firing sequences, in terms of energy consumed, consistent with a given observation. Indeed, in the setting considered in this work, the plant will be modeled as a P-time labeled Petri net (P-TLPN) where the set of transitions (events) is partitioned within observable and unobservable ones. Furthermore, each observable transition will be associated with a symbol taken from a given alphabet, while the unobservable ones will be associated with the empty symbol. Thus, given an observation (a time-label sequence—TLS), the goal of the proposed method is to assess the set of firing sequences consistent with the considered TLS and consuming the least energy. To this aim, two cost functions associated, respectively, with the set of transitions and the set of places of the P-TLPN model are also provided, allowing an energy expenditure modeling consistent with what happens in reality.

Forest biodiversity is essential for ecosystem health and provides critical services to humanity. However, threats from pollution and climate change underscore the urgent need for more accurate assessment methods. Monitoring and inventorying biodiversity are vital for informed decision-making in forest management, and Mixed Reality (MR) technology offers a promising solution to enhance traditional visual assessment methods. By overlaying 3D virtual information, such as text and holograms, in forest environments, MR can improve the contextualisation of biodiversity data. Here, we developed HoloFlora, the first interactive MR application designed to visualise biodiversity indicators on digital tree stems. With a geometric accuracy of 1.4 cm, HoloFlora sets a benchmark for future methods, demonstrating MR’s potential to deliver precise spatial information in complex forest settings. Expert evaluations validated the application’s intuitive design and functionality, and further refinements were made based on their feedback. The strong acceptance of MR technology among experts highlights its transformative potential in forestry, suggesting it could facilitate integration into existing management practices. Our findings establish a foundation for using MR in forest environments to enhance biodiversity monitoring and raise public awareness about biodiversity loss.

In this paper, a wave finite element (WFE) approach is proposed for the modeling of bladed disks subjected to an engine order excitation. Such structures are cyclic symmetric with identical substructures in the circumferential direction. The proposed approach involves (i) expressing the displacements and forces at the interfaces between the substructures in terms of wave modes, (ii) expressing the external forces in terms of wave modes, and (iii) solving a local/substructure equation for expressing wave amplitudes. Besides, a model reduction strategy is proposed to improve the efficiency of the WFE method for bladed disks containing substructures with many internal and interface DOFs, where the key idea is to express the displacement vectors at the substructure interfaces with a small number of boundary modes. With this strategy, the wave modes can be efficiently computed by solving a small eigenproblem. Also in this paper, the proposed approach is extended to the analysis of bladed disks with a few perturbed substructures (mistuning). To control the accuracy of the WFE approach, an error indicator that considers a force balance equation at the substructure interfaces is proposed. Numerical simulations are carried out on a 3D industrial bladed disk.

In previous studies, the synthesis of conductive PEDOT particles was carried out to incorporate them into thermoplastic matrices without relying on commercial PEDOT:PSS solutions or carbon- or metal-based additives. While promising conductivities were achieved, a high filler content was required to reach the percolation threshold. To reduce this filler content, the particle form factor appears to play a crucial role. To investigate this effect, rod-like particles were synthesized via supported polymerization of EDOT. Subsequently, thermoplastic composites were produced through melt-extrusion, blending PEO as the thermoplastic matrix with PEDOT-based fillers, resulting in a conductive thermoplastic material strip. The present study focuses on the synthesis of silica nanoparticles using the Stöber method, followed by the supported polymerization of EDOT to obtain electrically conductive silica@PEDOT nanoparticles. A comparison of percolation curves and percolation thresholds for three different fillers, exhibiting low to high form factors, was performed. Additionally, relationships between processing conditions, morphology, and material properties were analysed using SEM, TEM, TGA, and four-probe resistivity measurements.

Since its invention, piezoelectric transformers (PTs) have been extensively studied and its performances have been continuously improved. Nowadays, such devices are designed in sophisticated architectures with associated models describing their behavior quite accurately. However, the different studies usually carried out on such devices mainly focus on their electrical characteristics induced by direct piezoelectric effect such as voltage gain and efficiency. In this work, a particular interest is given to the characterization of mechanical displacements induced by inverse piezoelectric effect, in a PT in vibration. For this purpose, a detailed 3D finite element analysis is proposed to examine the mechanical behavior of a Rosen type transformer made of a single bar of soft PZT (P191). At the first three modes of vibration, output voltage and mechanical displacements along the length, the width and the thickness are calculated. The amplitude of displacements varies in a range from a few nanometers to a few hundred nanometers. The validity of the simulations is successfully confirmed by experiments carried out on a prototype using a laser interferometer. A good match is observed between simulation and experimental results despite some differences observed locally at the scanned sections. Such 3D‐simulations thus appear as a helpful tool for a better understanding of mechanical phenomena in Rosen‐type PT.

The Two-Dimensional Digital Image Correlation (2D-DIC) method is widely used as a non-contact full-field kinematic measurement, but it presents significant errors related to temperature effects including the image con- trast and heat waves. Consequently, results of mechanical displacement or strain measured by the 2D-DIC method, especially strains in the elastic domain of materials, is significantly dispersed. The aim of this study is to propose a very simple 2D-DIC method, using commercial DIC software with no need of additional storage to accurately measure strain and displacements at high temperatures, typically at the hot metal forming temperatures, from 400 ◦C to 750 ◦C. This study demonstrates the influence of temperature effects (radiation and heat waves) on strain measurements obtained with the 2D-DIC method in the elastic regime (ε < 0.05) of the TA6V titanium alloy material at high temperatures. Furthermore, the strain measurement errors at different temperatures were characterized by the Background Oriented Schlieren technique (BOS). Correction methods using temperature-dependent low-pass filters for strain measurement errors are suggested. The correction methods allow separating mechanical strain fields and strain measurement errors caused by temperature effects. The efficiency of the correction methods is demonstrated by identifying the Young’s modulus (E) and the Thermal Expansion Coefficient (TEC) of the TA6V. After corrections, E and the TEC of the TA6V are close to the reference values found in the literature. Conclusion: The coefficient R2 from the linear regression method to determine the Young’s modulus from tensile test at 600 ◦C increases from 0.783 to 0.989, revealing the great potential of using the improved-2D-DIC method for full-field kinematic measurements of mechanical tests at high temperatures.

Background Fasting shows promise for public health, but concerns about muscle loss hinder its acceptance, particularly among the elderly. We explored the impact of long‐term fasting (12 days, 250 kcal/day) on muscle structure, metabolism and performance. Methods We prospectively assessed muscle volume, composition, relaxometry data and lipid metabolism in 32 subjects (16 men; 50% over 50 years old) before fasting, at the end of fasting and 1 month post‐fasting. Techniques included high‐resolution 3D Dixon MR imaging, multiecho CSE and single‐voxel MR spectroscopy. Dynamic ³¹P‐MRS, quantitative MRI, maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) measurements and exercise testing (VO2peak) were repeated throughout the protocol. Results Although the average body weight loss was 5.9 kg (7.4%, p < 0.001), the skeletal muscle volume change measured on the right calf muscle was 271 mL (5.4%, p < 0.001). This closely aligns with expected losses of glycogen (1%–2%) and bound water (3%–4%), estimated to total 404–505 mL. MVC (anaerobic lactic metabolism) remained preserved in both thighs and calf muscles, regardless of sex or age. Unchanged T2 showed that fasting did not induce structural or inflammatory changes. MRI/MRS revealed fat redistribution among tissues, with subcutaneous fat decrease (by 417.2 cm³, p < 0.01) and total fat fraction increase (by 0.2%, p < 0.05) in muscle. The intramyocellular lipid pool increased by 2.2 times (p < 0.05), whereas the extracellular lipid pool decreased to 1.4 times (p < 0.05), revealing rapid lipid trafficking and adaptation. During fasting, the T2* value increased by 1.2 ms (p < 0.001), likely because of changes in the configuration of intracellular lipid droplets, with an increased proportion of lipid droplets of smaller size, optimizing accessibility of lipid fuels and mitochondrial FA. Exercise testing (VO2peak) showed no change in maximal oxygen uptake, but fat oxidation improved with a 10% decrease in the exercise respiratory exchange ratio (p < 0.001). Mitochondrial oxidative capacity and PCr resynthesis rates in muscle were maintained. Females improved their mitochondrial function by D + 12, with τPCr decreasing to 29.61 s (p < 0.01), surpassing males and demonstrating better fat oxidation capabilities. Conclusions Long‐term fasting did not alter muscle metabolism or performance, nor induced structural or inflammatory changes. The decrease in muscle volume is minor when accounting for glycogen and water depletion during fasting. Fat is relocated to the intracellular compartment of myocytes. Both anaerobic and aerobic metabolic pathways remain unchanged after 12 days of fasting in both sexes and older subjects. This suggests that human muscles, like those in animals, have evolved to withstand seasonal food shortages and endure long fasting periods.

Distribution is often necessary for large-scale systems because it makes monitoring and diagnosis more manageable from both computational and communication costs perspectives. Decomposing the system into subsystems may also be required to satisfy geographic, functional, or privacy constraints. The selection of diagnosis tests guaranteeing some level of diagnosability must adhere to this decomposition by remaining as local as possible in terms of the required sensor variables. This helps minimize communication costs. In practical terms, this means that the number of interconnections between subsystems should be minimized while keeping diagnosability, i.e., fault isolation capability, at its maximum. This paper differentiates itself from existing literature by leveraging flexibility in forming the subsystems. Through structural analysis and graph partitioning, we address the combined challenges of constrained decomposition of a large-scale system into subsystems and the selection of diagnosis tests that achieve maximal diagnosability with minimal subsystem interconnection. The proposed solution is implemented through an iterative algorithm, which is proven to converge. Its efficiency is demonstrated using a case study in the domain of water networks.

Accessing difluorinated organic molecules via selective C−F bond activation in CF3‐containing substrates has become a valuable synthetic pathway. The combination of lanthanide metals (lanthanum, dysprosium) with Lewis acids (AlCl3, LaI3) allows the efficient regio‐ and stereoselective transformation of CF3‐benzofulvenes into a range of versatile difluoroalkenes proceeding via ϵ,ϵ‐difluoropentadienyl lanthanide or aluminium species. The reaction of these organometallic intermediates towards ketones and nitroalkenes is herein reported and analyzed in relation to previous studies on aldehydes. The influence of steric and electronic factors of the organic substrates but also of the lanthanide metals and Lewis acids on the regio and stereoselective reaction is highlighted and corroborated by in‐depth DFT studies. The resulting difluorinated homoallylic alcohols and nitroalkanes were further functionalized to new benzofulvenes and their reactivity explored.

Phasing biological and physiological processes to periodic light–dark cycles is crucial for the life of most organisms. Marine diatoms, as many phytoplanktonic species, exhibit biological rhythms, yet their molecular timekeepers remain largely uncharacterized. Recently, the bHLH‐PAS protein RITMO1 has been proposed to act as a regulator of diatom circadian rhythms. In this study, we first determined the physiological conditions to monitor circadian clock activity and its perturbation in the diatom model species Phaeodactylum tricornutum by using cell fluorescence as a circadian output. Employing ectopic overexpression, targeted gene mutagenesis, and functional complementation, we then investigated the role of RITMO1 in various circadian processes. Our data reveal that RITMO1 significantly influences the P. tricornutum circadian rhythms not only of cellular fluorescence, but also of photosynthesis and of the expression of clock‐controlled genes, including transcription factors and putative clock input/output components. RITMO1 effects on rhythmicity are unambiguously detectable under free‐running conditions. By uncovering the complex regulation of biological rhythms in P. tricornutum, these findings advance our understanding of the endogenous factors controlling diatom physiological responses to environmental changes. They also offer initial insights into the mechanistic principles of oscillator functions in a major group of phytoplankton, which remain largely unexplored in chronobiology.

Anthropogenic biodiversity decline threatens the functioning of ecosystems and the many benefits they provide to humanity¹. As well as causing species losses in directly affected locations, human influence might also reduce biodiversity in relatively unmodified vegetation if far-reaching anthropogenic effects trigger local extinctions and hinder recolonization. Here we show that local plant diversity is globally negatively related to the level of anthropogenic activity in the surrounding region. Impoverishment of natural vegetation was evident only when we considered community completeness: the proportion of all suitable species in the region that are present at a site. To estimate community completeness, we compared the number of recorded species with the dark diversity—ecologically suitable species that are absent from a site but present in the surrounding region². In the sampled regions with a minimal human footprint index, an average of 35% of suitable plant species were present locally, compared with less than 20% in highly affected regions. Besides having the potential to uncover overlooked threats to biodiversity, dark diversity also provides guidance for nature conservation. Species in the dark diversity remain regionally present, and their local populations might be restored through measures that improve connectivity between natural vegetation fragments and reduce threats to population persistence.

Background/Objectives: Anticancer research is a constantly evolving field due to cancer’s complexity and adaptability. This study aims to evaluate the hemolytic behavior and cytotoxic properties of ten 3,3-dichlorolactams against A431 tumor and 3T3 fibroblast cells, with a particular focus on their selective toxicity. Methods: To achieve this, we assessed the hemocompatibility and cytotoxic effects of the lactams, determining their impact on cell viability through MTT and NRU assays. Additionally, AO/EtBr double staining was used to confirm apoptosis as a mechanism of cell death. To complement the in vitro findings, in vivo experiments were conducted using Zebrafish embryos to evaluate acute, developmental, and neurotoxic effects. Results: The results demonstrated that all lactams were hemocompatible, with the cytotoxicity influenced mainly by their structure and the tested concentration. β-Lactam 1 was the most efficient in inducing selective toxicity against A431 cells, showing the lowest IC50 values (71 μg/mL and 210 μg/mL (MTT) and 35 μg/mL and >250 μg/mL (NRU) for A431 and 3T3 cell lines, respectively), with SI values close to 3 and >7. Moreover, cell death induction through apoptosis was confirmed by AO/EtBr double staining. Finally, despite its lower acute toxicity compared to other anticancer agents, the in vivo experiments revealed that 1 induced developmental toxicity and neurotoxic effects in Zebrafish embryos at concentrations lower than those affecting A431 cancer cells. Conclusions: the study highlights the potential of β-lactam derivatives as promising anticancer agents while emphasizing the need for comprehensive safety assessments. Future research should further explore structural modifications to enhance efficacy and specificity while minimizing adverse effects.

Integrating stimuli-responsive molecular switches into organic electronic devices opens interesting perspectives to achieve unprecedented functionalities. However, significant challenges arise in maintaining device functionalities and ensuring synergy with the molecular properties. Here, we described three different ways of incorporating thin films of the molecular spin crossover (SCO) complex [Fe(HB(1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)3)2] into an organic field-effect transistor (OFET) device. The fabrication of high-quality films was enabled by the use of vacuum thermal evaporation, which permitted the deposition of the SCO compound either on the surface of the organic semiconductor or at the semiconductor/dielectric interface. In device configurations where the SCO layer was not in contact with the conduction channel, changes in the drain-source current were observed near the spin crossover temperature, suggesting a potential synergistic effect. These results provide valuable guidance for the design and integration of bistable-material-based functional devices.

With growing environmental concerns, the management of energy consumption has become a key focus for production firms. Consequently, increased attention has been directed by decision-makers and academic researchers toward modeling and forecasting energy consumption. However, only a limited number of studies have specifically examined electricity consumption modeling for industrial cases. To address this gap, an analysis was conducted to identify the factors influencing electricity consumption in a specific case from the confectionery industry in France. Multiple linear regression and multiple exponential regression techniques were utilized to establish an equation correlating consumption with various influencing factors. By examining a comprehensive set of factors, including production volume, operating hours, ambient temperature, and water flow of air handling units, a thorough understanding of the relationship between these factors and electricity consumption in significant energy uses was achieved. The analysis of data collected from a representative confectionery plant revealed significant correlations between the influencing factors and electricity consumption. Based on the derived equation, a model was proposed to estimate electricity consumption using the values of these influencing factors. Additionally, a user-friendly interface was designed, enabling plant operators to apply the model with ease. The findings of this study motivated the company to explore decarbonization initiatives, leading to notable energy savings and a positive financial impact. These insights contribute to a deeper understanding of the drivers of electricity consumption in the confectionery industry and offer valuable guidance for developing strategies to optimize energy usage and enhance sustainability in this sector.

Edge termination techniques play a crucial role in enhancing the breakdown voltage (BV) and managing electric field distribution in GaN-based power devices. This review explores six key termination methods—field plate (FP), mesa, bevel, trench, ion implantation, and guard ring (GR)—with a focus on their performance, fabrication complexity, and insights derived from TCAD simulations. FP and trench terminations excel in high-voltage applications due to their superior electric field control but are accompanied by significant fabrication challenges. Mesa and bevel terminations, while simpler and cost-effective, are more suited for medium-voltage applications. Ion implantation and GR techniques strike a balance, offering customizable parameters for improved BV performance. TCAD simulations provide a robust framework for analyzing these techniques, highlighting optimal configurations and performance trade-offs. The choice of edge termination depends on the specific application, balancing BV requirements with manufacturing feasibility. This review offers a comprehensive comparison, emphasizing the critical role of simulations in guiding the selection and design of edge termination techniques for GaN power devices.