Scientific Publications of the University of Toulouse II Le Mirail
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Un « marché noir » de la publication scientifique?: Le cas des Paper-Mills
No full textDoctoralAprès une brève présentation de ce que sont les paper mills et de leur impact dans la production scientifique (Introduction), nous nous attarderons dans un premier temps à décrire le fonctionnement d’une de ces manufacture d’articles scientifiques: comment génèrent-elles des papiers ? A qui s’adressent-elles ? Comment s’assurent-elles de la publication de leurs faux articles? Quels services offrent-elles ? Autant de questions qui visent à mieux cerner le process, le parcours d’un pape-mill. Cela nous amènera à réfléchir, dans un second temps, sur les dangers que font peser sur le système d’évaluation de la science de telles plateformes de services (transition) au-delà des questions de contamination de la science, notamment parce que de telles pratiques détournent et corrompent le « jeu » attendu de la compétition scientifique
MS-Net: Multi-Similarity based network annotation for untargeted metabolomics
No full textConfident metabolite annotation remains a critical bottleneck in untargeted LC-MS metabolomics, with experimental spectral libraries covering only 5-20% of detected features. While in silico tools generate extensive candidate lists per feature, top-ranked predictions frequently fail to reflect true molecular identities, leading to high-false annotation rates. We present MS-Net (Multi-Similarity Network-based annotation), an accessible workflow that integrates mass spectral similarity networks, molecular structure similarity (Tanimoto metrics), and taxonomic knowledge to prioritize annotations within vast candidate spaces. High-confidence annotations from authentic standards, spectral libraries, and taxonomically filtered candidates seed iterative propagation throughout mass spectral similarity networks. The workflow employs a composite Link Score combining structural, spectral, and computational evidence to rescue correct annotations from lower-ranked positions. Applied to Cannabis sativa extracts (2,595 features to 1,297 after filtering), MS-Net confidently assigned 1,275 compounds from an initial candidate space of over 118,000 structures. Notably, 53% of final annotations were rescued from ranks 2-50, demonstrating correction of initial in silico ranking. The workflow successfully reconstructed known cannabinoid biosynthetic pathways, validating biological coherence. MS-Net is freely available as a KNIME workflow with complete documentation at https://forge.inrae.fr/metatoul/equipe-agromix/ms-net, enabling reproducible, offline annotation suitable for systems biology integration
Mycénologues et Mycéniens. Tracer, écrire, lire et inventer le linéaire B
No full textInternational audienc
The Christoffel function: Applications, connections and extensions
No full textInternational audienceWe provide an introduction to the Christoffel function (CF), a well-known (and old) tool from the theory of approximation and orthogonal polynomials. We then describe how it provides a simple and easy-to-use tool to address some problems in data analysis and mining, and in approximation and interpolation of discontinuous functions. Finally we also reveal some surpris- ing links of the CF with seemingly different disciplines, including polynomial optimization, positivity certificates, and equilibrium measures of compact set
Entropic Fluctuation Theorems for the Spin-Fermion Model
No full textInternational audienceWe study entropic fluctuations in the Spin–Fermion model describing an N -level quantum system coupled to several independent thermal free Fermi gas reservoirs. We establish the quantum Evans–Searlesand Gallavotti–Cohen fluctuation theorems and identify their link with entropic ancilla state tomography and quantum phase space contraction of non-equilibrium steady state. The method of proof involves the spectral resonance theory of quantum transfer operators developed by the authors in previous works
Algorithme de Branch and Price pour la planification des tâches d'une flotte de robots mobiles autonomes pour la logistique interne de systèmes de production
No full textInternational audienceAlgorithme de Branch and Price pour la planification des tâches d'une flotte de robots mobiles autonomes pour la logistique interne de systèmes de productio
Les sites de la Peyzie (Lisle, Dordogne). Une histoire en construction
No full textInternational audienceThe Dordogne department and, in particular theVézère valley, played a key role in the developmentof prehistoric archaeology and the recognition of theauthenticity of its artistic productions. Many of thesites in the area have been the focus of sustainedand regular research for over 150 years, polarisingscientific and economic interests. But other parts ofthe department, rich in prehistoric sites, appear tohave been neglected. Located in the north-west ofthe Dordogne department, the mid-Dronne valleyis one of these little-known areas, even though anumber of sites excavated during the 20th centuryreveal recurrent settlement during the Upper andLate Palaeolithic periods.Located in the present-day commune of Lisle, La Peyzie is a steepslope with several small south-facing caves opening onto a small,flat valley, which may have functioned seasonally as a fluvio-polje.The site is a limestone ledge on the right bank of the Donzelle river,300 m long and around ten meters high. It is a little-known site, bothto the non-specialist public and to prehistorians themselves. Rarelymentioned in scientific literature, the site is best known for havingyielded a number of singular objects that have now disappeared.This lack of knowledge of the site is due as much to a gap in thedocumentation surrounding the first excavations carried out inPeyzie I under the direction of Paul-Émile Jude in the 1930s, as to thedispersal of the artefacts unearthed. Nearly 90 years later, throughthe compilation of unpublished archives and a return to the field,we propose to redefine the geomorphological and historiographicalframework of the Peyzie sites in order to see what contributions(and limitations) they have made to the construction of regionalprehistoric archaeology.The archives relating to the early excavations at Peyzie I include anumber of previously unpublished documents, such as manuscriptsand letters from the main protagonists at the time, various illus-trations, as well as some of the archaeological material recovered.They enable us to reconstruct some of the events that took placeon the site nearly a century ago, and to link them to the historyof local prehistoric archaeology, which was still in its infancy atthe time. First of all, they reveal that emblematic names in Frenchprehistory, such as Henri Begouën and Denis Peyrony, visited the siteand encouraged its excavation. But despite the support and adviceof his contemporaries, Jude left behind very little usable data fromhis excavations at Peyzie I. The difficult excavation conditions in thecave (in particular the rising water table) probably partly explainthis finding, at a time when the search for beautiful objects (rare atPeyzie I) was still a widespread practice.In addition, the compilation and revision of this data mean that,if not confirming the archaeo-sequence established by Jude(centered on the Upper Magdalenian and Azilian periods), we canat least complete it by recognising both earlier (during the earlymiddle Magdalenian) and more recent passages (during the earlyLaborian). It is also surprising to note that Peyzie I is better knowntoday for its contribution to the characterisation of the (beginningof the) MM – which P.-É. Jude did not recognise on excavation – thanto that of the upper Magdalenian or Azilian. Finally, these archivesconfirm the paucity of usable data left by these early excavations.This deprives us today of a sequence that could have contributedto characterising the evolution of human societies during thePleistocene/Holocene transition in the north-east of the AquitaineBasin, and in particular to the debates surrounding the azilianisationprocess. It is on the strength of this desire to find and reconstruct thePeyzie I archaeosequence that we have begun a research program inthe Donzelle valley in 2019.The aim of this return to the field was (1) to find the site excavated inthe 1930s by P.-É. Jude and check whether any archaeological levelswere still present and usable, (2) to test the archaeological potentialof the rest of the calcareous escarpment, and (3) to characterisethe geomorphological formation of the valley and its sedimentaryevolution. The two excavation campaigns we carried out at Peyzie Icall into question the archaeological potential of the site. Althoughthe bone industry describes a possible Magdalenian level at thebase of the fill, several elements argue in favour of sorted andmixed assemblages. Firstly, the absence of clearly individualisedarchaeo-stratigraphic units in the pit, the inconsistent stratigraphicposition of the only dated faunal remain and the lack of "beautifulobjects". This is also the case with the intrusion of elements fromthe modern period throughout the sequence (i.e. glass, plastic,wood, iron elements, etc.), as well as from the Ice Age in the first(supposedly Azilian) strippings. Lastly, this is supported by thearchival documents to which we have had access, which describethe Jude excavations as having extended over the entire cave andreaching the rocky floor in places. In short, there is every reasonto believe that the survey we began in 2019 intersects a series ofbackfills from the Jude excavations and flood deposits that wouldhave redeposited in the cavity. Given the difficult excavation condi-tions (cramped conditions and rising water table), these elementsno longer reassure us of the value of excavating this site, whichdoes not present the conditions of archaeological integrity requiredas part of our research project. But if these initial results appearnegative, they will at least have had the merit of drawing attentionto this limestone ledge, whose archaeological potential is far fromexhausted.Indeed, the discovery of Peyzie IV in 2019, a small cave about70 metres northeast of Peyzie I, opens up new avenues of researchin this sector. The excavations we have carried out over 12.5 m2 onthe entrance porch have revealed not only surface levels disturbedby various taphonomic processes, but also a homogeneous deeperlevel attributed to a period of the recent Palaeolithic that is stilllittle known in the region (the late Middle Magdalenian). Continuedresearch in this area will enable us to check the homogeneity andextent of this level and to study its various components. Ultimately,this will enable us to reconstruct environmental variations in thenortheastern Aquitaine Basin during the Heinrich stadial 1, a par-ticularly cold and dry episode during the last deglaciation whoseeffects on landscapes, animal and human communities have yetto be described. So, in addition to the sites of Rochereil and Pontd'Ambon, which represent the upper Magdalenian/Azilian/Laboriansequence (Célérier 1998; Paillet, Paillet 2022), this sector now offers,over an area of less than a square kilometer, unrivalled potentialfor documenting the adaptations and evolutions of human groupsin Northern Aquitaine during the early Dryas (terrestrial equivalentof the Heinrich 1 event).Bien qu’aujourd’hui largement méconnue, la cor-niche rocheuse de la Peyzie s’inscrit pourtant dansl’histoire de l’archéologie préhistorique locale.Localisée dans la moyenne vallée de la Dronne(Dordogne), à proximité de sites de renom commePont d’Ambon ou le Fourneau du Diable, elle a livréplusieurs grottes dont l’une (Peyzie I) fut fouilléedès les années 1930 par Paul-Émile Jude alors enquête d’une première expérience de fouille. Menéesdans des conditions difficiles (liées aux remontées de la nappephréatique), ces fouilles n’ont laissé que peu de données exploi-tables, parmi lesquelles figurent plusieurs objets remarquables,d’origine douteuse ou aujourd’hui disparus. À travers la compilationd’archives inédites, assortie d’un retour sur le terrain à des fins géo-morphologique et archéologique, cette contribution fait le point surles apports et les limites des grottes de la Peyzie à la constructionde l’archéologie préhistorique régionale. Si cette reprise d’étudeinvalide le potentiel archéologique de Peyzie I (dont l’archéo-séquence est plus étendue que ce que P.-É. Jude avait initialementperçu), la campagne de sondages à laquelle nous avons procédéle long de la corniche a permis de mettre au jour un nouveau sitemagdalénien, Peyzie IV, dont l’étude (en cours) s’avère prometteusepour éclairer l’évolution des sociétés humaines au cours du Dryasancien (équivalent terrestre de l’évènement d’Heinrich 1)
L’émergence du Paléolithique récent en Europe occidentale : rupture, continuité ou discontinuité ?
No full textInternational audienceThis paper discusses some of the key concepts that have shaped the historiography of prehistoric studies regarding the transition from the Middle to the Late Palaeolithic. Drawing on archaeological evidence from south-western France, we then reassess the current state of the data, exploring how it can be interpreted today in terms of discontinuity or continuity, particularly in relation to the enduring question of the replacement of the last Neanderthals by the first modern humans.Quelques grandes conceptions du passage du Paléolithique moyen au Paléolithique récent ayant rythmé l’histoire de la discipline préhistorienne sont évoquées. Puis, en partant de la situation archéologique connue pour le sud-ouest de la France, nous revenons sur l’état des données actuelles et cherchons à appréhender comment elles peuvent aujourd’hui être interprétées en termes de rupture ou de continuité, mais aussi au regard de la question classique du remplacement des derniers néandertaliens par les premiers humains modernes
« Is Sex Good or Bad for Health? Controversies over the Usefulness of Intercourse in Caelius Aurelianus »
No full textInternational audienceThe way sexual intercourse is treated in the work of Caelius Aurelianus is paradoxical. On the one hand, Caelius makes an unprecedented number of references to sexual activity, introducing a remarkable variety of expressions to refer to it found nowhere else in medical literature of antiquity. On the other hand, each of these references, far from testifying to a particular interest in human sexuality, or even a concern for the healthy use of involvement with sexual behaviors is without exception an affirmation of the pathogenic nature of coitus and the benefits of staying away from it. These frequent references throughout his work allow Caelius to present coitus as an activity linked to pathology at every level. First, at the physiological level, the effects of coitus on the body are presented as being like those of an illness. Furthermore, in the field of symptomatology, the desire to have sexual intercourse is considered the main symptom of the diseases of satyriasis and priapism. In terms of aetiology, coitus is found to be at the root of many pathologies. Finally, at the therapeutical level, Caelius categorically rejects the effectiveness of sexual intercourse in curing diseases. Clearly, then, unlike any other physician before him, Caelius aims to emphasise the dangerous and pathogenic nature of coitus. But why such a firm stance?This essay will examine Caelius’ position and show that it forms part of a debate with other medical authors to whom Caelius is opposed. It will alsostudy the elements of said debate and the arguments put forward by Caelius to invalidate the theory supporting the therapeutic effectiveness of coitus. Finally, it will question the reasons behind such a positioning. Could the cultural context of Soranus and later of Caelius, both Methodist doctors, reinforce traditional Roman morality, expand Christian thought in Africa, and explain such an opposition to the medical evaluation of sexual practice
On the defocusing stationary nonlinear Schrödinger equation on metric graphs
No full textWe study the defocusing nonlinear Schrödinger equation on noncompact metric graphs under general self-adjoint vertex conditions ensuring the existence of a negative eigenvalue of the Hamiltonian operator. First, we focus on the existence of energy ground states with prescribed mass. We show that existence and stability always hold for small masses and fail for large masses in the -subcritical regime. For -type vertex conditions, we provide more precise results: ground states exist for all masses in the -critical and supercritical cases, while in the subcritical case, for one vertex graphs, there exists a sharp mass threshold such that ground states exist below it and do not exist above it. Moreover, we show that the ground state bifurcates from the vanishing solution at the bottom of the Hamiltonian spectrum. Finally, we present multiplicity results for stationary solutions, both in the fixed-frequency and fixed-mass settings