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Considerations on the process of target selection for the Comet Interceptor mission
No full textpeer reviewedComet Interceptor is an ESA science mission with payload contributions from ESA Member States and with an international participation by JAXA. It is the first mission that is being designed, built, and potentially launched before its target is known. This approach will enable the spacecraft to perform the first mission to a Long Period Comet from the Oort Cloud, as these comets have fleeting visits to the inner Solar System lasting only months to years from first discovery, too short for the usual process of mission development to be followed. In this paper we describe a number of factors that need to be considered in selecting a target for the mission, including scientific, orbital, spacecraft and instrument constraints, and discussion of different prioritisation strategies. We find that, in the case where we have a choice of targets, our decisions will mostly be driven by orbital information, which we will have relatively early on, with information on the activity level of the comet an important but secondary consideration. As cometary activity levels are notoriously hard to predict based on early observations alone, this prioritisation / decision approach based more on orbits gives us confidence that a good comet that is compatible with the spacecraft constraints will be selectable with sufficient warning time to allow the mission to intercept it
The nature of serial order coding in verbal working memory
Full text linkThis PhD thesis investigates how serial order is coded in verbal working memory (WM) from linguistic, spatial, and temporal perspectives. Three experimental studies employed the immediate serial recall task to test the contribution of syntactic legality (Study 1), spatial manipulation (Study 2), and temporal regularity (Study 3) to serial order performance. Results indicate a robust effect of syntactic knowledge, a context-dependent effect of spatial factors, and no reliable effect of temporal regularity under the conditions tested. Overall, the findings support accounts of WM as a dynamic, attention-shaped system grounded in long-term memory, and point to serial order as a flexible, multi-source representation rather than a fixed code or a dedicated buffer
Contribution à la valorisation de la bagasse de pomme de cajou: Identification et caractérisation structure–fonction d’un complexe protéine–polysaccharide natif inédit
No full textCôte d’Ivoire, the world’s leading producer of cashew nuts with an estimated output of 1.5 million tons in 2025, aims to strengthen its local processing capacity and enhance the value of this strategic agro-resource. While cashew nuts receive significant industrial attention, the cashew apple remains largely underexploited despite its considerable nutritional, functional, and nutraceutical potential, and a biomass nearly ten times greater than that of the nut. The solid residue generated from cashew apple juice extraction known as cashew apple bagasse (CAB) is one of the most abundant by-products of the cashew industry, particularly in tropical regions. This makes CAB a promising raw material for the development of high-value natural ingredients.
The general objective of this thesis is to develop an innovative valorization strategy for CAB through the fractionation of its natural constituents, with a particular emphasis on the protein-rich fraction and its interactions with polysaccharides. This approach aims to uncover the techno-functional potential of these components while elucidating their structure–function relationships within complex natural extracts. The research was structured around four aims: (i) optimizing protein extraction, (ii) identifying and understanding a native protein–polysaccharide complex (PPC), (iii) establishing the impact of process on a novel native PPCs and (iiii) characterizing its structural, physicochemical, and techno-functional properties using a multi-analytical approach.
The first part of this study led to a major discovery: the identification, for the first time, of a native arabinogalactan–protein (AGP)-type complex in CAB. Converging evidence from monosaccharide profiling, FTIR spectra, ¹H NMR signals, as well as HPSEC coupled to RI and UV detection, collectively demonstrated the systematic co-extraction of proteins and polysaccharides and confirmed the existence of an intimately associated molecular complex. This fundamental finding redirected the research toward an in-depth structural and functional characterization of this natural PPC because of its scientific originality and potential industrial relevance.
The second part investigates process intensification using ultrasound. This green extraction technology significantly increased extraction yield while inducing controlled structural modifications within the PPC. Ultrasound treatment promoted disaggregation, exposure of functional groups, and molecular rearrangements, which together enhanced key functional properties, particularly long-term emulsion stability.The final part of the thesis examines the combined effect of temperature and ultrasound. A comparative analysis of PPCs extracted at 40 °C and 55 °C, with or without ultrasound, revealed a clear shift in dominant mechanisms. At 40 °C, ultrasound induced moderate physical rearrangements, leading to partial protein unfolding and increased exposure of reactive hydrophobic groups, resulting in a flexible and amphiphilic PPC with excellent emulsifying performance. At 55 °C, however, the combination of heat and ultrasound intensified hydrophobic and covalent interactions such as polyphenol oxidation and cross-linking producing a more rigid and reticulated network with thermo-resistant gel-like behavior. These contrasting structures highlight the ability to fine-tune PPC functionality through process conditions.
Overall, this thesis provides four major contributions: (i) the first identification of a natural, functionally active protein–polysaccharide complex from CAB; (ii) the demonstration that moderate ultrasound optimizes the balance between extraction yield, structural integrity, and interfacial performance; (iii) the mapping of synergistic or antagonistic thermo-sonication effects on PPC composition, structure, and functional properties; and (iv) the establishment of a “process–structure–function” conceptual framework to guide the integrated valorization of CAB into high-value multifunctional natural ingredients.
Beyond its original scientific contribution, these findings open promising perspectives for the development of sustainable bio-based ingredients and contribute to strengthening a circular bioeconomy within the cashew value chain in West Africa.9. Industry, innovation and infrastructur
Green Synthesis, Characterization and Photocatalytic Activity of New Photocatalyst SrCo2O4 Under Visible Light Irradiation
Full text linkpeer reviewedIn order to reduce the enormous costs of photocatalytic processes, the development of new photocatalysts sensitive to visible light constitutes a promising strategy to boost the efficiency of this method in water treatment. In this paper, strontium cobaltite nanoparticles (SrCo2O4 NPs) was shaped by simple, ecological and economical method using cobalt and strontium nitrates as precursor and freshly isolated chicken egg white as capping agents. The crystalline product SrCo2O4 NPs was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and ultraviolet-visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy studies. The SrCo2O4-catalyzed Congo red (RC) degradation under visible light is investigated. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the sample was indeed crystallized in the cubic spinel structure (space group Fd3m). The average size of the nanoparticles was estimated to be ~28 nm. The FT-IR spectrum shows two bands at 620 cm−1 and 573 cm−1, which are characteristic of the spinel strontium cobaltite crystalline structure. The two optical band gap energy of synthesised photocatalyst estimated from UV-Visible spectrum are 2.07 and 3,48 eV. The developed photocatalyst exhibits significant photocatalytic degradation of congo red in acidic medium with 97% of the dye mineralized after 5 h
Baudelaire's clarities
Full text linkpeer reviewedBaudelaire, l’ange du bizarre, est aussi le poète des évidences et des clichés, qu’il perfore autant qu’il les performe. Cartes sur tables, tel est son jeu, à travers une poétique clairement gouvernée par une réflexivité ayant divers points d'accroche et d'embrayage : la progression discursive, tant en prose qu'en poésie (où discours et méta-discours se superposent) ; l'univocité érotique et rhétorique (fétichiste et métonymique) ; l'objectivation pré-sociologique de l'expérience littéraire et une théorie du lieu commun dans laquelle poncif et inventivité s'alimentent réciproquement. Cette réflexivité, qui n’est pas sans point aveugle, est mise en évidence à travers quelques poésies emblématiques (dont « A une passante ») et quelques proses de combat (dont « Conseils aux jeunes littérateurs »).Baudelaire’s poetics is clearly reflexive in many ways: a discursive process constantly biased by a meta-discourse; an erotic and rhetorical balance; a pre-sociological objectivation of literary experiment and a theory of the “lieu commun” in which cliché is given as a path to invention
Une poésie qui frappe au creux des yeux. Contre-visualité et sousveillance chez Manuel Joseph
No full texteditorial reviewe
Latino da Conegliano. Une carrière dans l'hôtel du duc de Bourgogne (1412-1460)
No full textpeer reviewedSociété de cour, élites et finances : de l’Hôtel des princes de Savoie à l’État modern
Concurrence, packaging effects, and risks of short- and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins in commercial dairy products
No full textpeer reviewedShort- and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs and MCCPs) are persistent organic pollutants that have potential adverse effects on the environment and human health. Animal-derived foodstuffs are generally considered the primary source of chlorinated paraffins (CPs) for human exposure. However, information on the levels of CPs in different categories of dairy products is lacking. Here, we present a comprehensive study on SCCPs and MCCPs in butter, cheese, milk tablets, modified milk, modified milk powder, sterilized milk, whole milk powder, and yogurt of cow milk origin sold in China. Lower CP concentrations were observed in high-moisture dairy products (e.g., sterilized milk, yogurt, and modified milk) compared with the other categories. CP concentrations in cheese were the lowest among the three categories of imported dairy products (butter, cheese, and modified milk powder). CPs in imported modified milk powder and cheese were higher than in the corresponding domestic products. Trace levels of CPs may migrate from packaging materials under prolonged storage conditions, although actual dietary contributions from packaging migration are minimal. Risk assessment indicated that the health threat posed by exposure to CPs through dairy product intake was low for the general population in China
Integrating climate-driven hydropower variability into long-term energy planning: A Bolivian case study under El Niño and La Niña scenarios
Full text linkpeer reviewedAs climate change effects become more evident worldwide, particularly regarding the variation in hydro resources availability, quantifying their potential impacts is critical to enable adequate adaptation strategies and facilitate planning efforts. In this sense, countries heavily reliant on hydropower must assess and integrate the implications of this variability to ensure a reliable electricity supply. Considering Bolivia as a case study, the impact of alternative hydro availability scenarios is evaluated through the analysis of extreme weather conditions associated with El Niño and La Niña events. To this end, a modeling framework is presented that combines global precipitation projections downscaled to a local level, with which three scenarios (Control, El Niño, and La Niña) are developed for 2030, 2040, and 2050. These scenarios are later analyzed using a cost-optimization energy model tailored to Bolivia, developed with PyPSA-Earth, which allows the representation of region-specific conditions with hourly resolution, both for hydro resources availability and electrical components. Results indicate that both El Niño and La Niña events can reduce hydropower availability significantly, by up to 37 % compared to average years, with neither of them being strictly linked to a higher reduction in hydropower generation. Regarding the operation of the system, it is seen that Bolivia’s legacy power plants can handle hydrological variability until 2040. However, the decommissioning of fossil capacity by 2050 significantly increases system vulnerability. As a result, deployment of flexible technologies and battery storage will play a key role in addressing both long-term capacity adequacy and short-term flexibility
Integrating Corporate Entrepreneurship and Intrapreneurship. A strategic framework for innovation.
No full texteditorial reviewedThe terms corporate entrepreneurship (CE) and intrapreneurship are often used interchangeably, creating confusion in both academic and managerial contexts. While their distinctions are well documented, it is equally important to understand how they complement one another within an organization’s entrepreneurial orientation (EO).
Although CE and intrapreneurship describe different but related dynamics, they
are fundamentally interdependent in driving innovation and strategic renewal. Recent literature emphasizes that these concepts should be viewed not as opposing approaches but as mutually reinforcing. Building on this insight, this chapter introduces an integrative framework based on Ramoglou and McMullen’s (2024) ABC model. It highlights the essential interplay between CE, which establishes strategic and structural support, and intrapreneurship, which transforms ideas into action. The core idea is that CE must enable individual entrepreneurial intiatives, while intrapreneurs need supportive environments that connect their innovations to broader strategic goals.
This dual perspective strengthens both theory and practice by helping organizations
cultivate innovation through the coordination of top-down intent and bottom-up initiative