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Does perceived labor market competition increase prejudice between refugees and their local hosts?: Evidence from Uganda and Ethiopia
No full textWe study whether perceptions of labor market competition negatively influence out-group attitudes between refugees and their local hosts using a survey vignette experiment conducted in urban and rural Ethiopia and Uganda. Our vignette consists of a short story about a fictional job-seeker in which we randomize the citizenship (refugee/national) and occupation (same as/different from respondent). Our estimates suggest that host attitudes are significantly more negative when the vignette character is a refugee in the same occupation. Such prejudice against the out-group is not confirmed among refugees. Exploring the context-dependency of our results, evidence suggests that negative attitudes toward refugees that are tied to perceived labor market competition largely manifest in contexts of limited refugee worker presence. Hence, perceived labor market competition contributes to prejudicial attitudes, but results suggest that these perceived threats do not necessarily coincide with experienced labor market competition between refugees and their hosts. Additional heterogeneity analysis based on prior contact and ethno-linguistic proximity provides suggestive evidence that cross-group interactions reduce the salience of perceived labor market competition as a driver of out-group prejudice in refugee settings
Intégrer des éléments de réemploi dans la construction neuve : agir pour demain
No full textRésumé. Amandine Bodenghien est nominée aux HERA Awards 2024 – Foundation for Future Generations – dans la catégorie Sustainable Architecture pour son travail de fin d'études intitulé Intégrer des éléments de réemploi dans la construction neuve : agir pour demain. Sa recherche, encadrée par Dorothée Stiernon et le Professeur André Stephan, poursuit l'objectif d’analyser jusqu'où il est possible de pousser l’utilisation de matériaux de réemploi dans la construction neuve, ainsi que de quantifier le bénéfice environnemental qui lui est associé. Cet article en fait l’écho. En se basant sur un cas d'étude intégrant des éléments de réemploi, ce travail établit une méthodologie comparative de cinq scénarios, chacun présentant un taux de réemploi différent, allant de 0 % à 100 % (utopique). Ces scénarios ont été modélisés avec l'outil Totem afin d’évaluer leur bénéfice environnemental respectif. Cette recherche démontre la possibilité d’améliorer de manière considérable l’impact environnemental grâce à l’intégration d’éléments de réemploi, et ce, malgré les différents freins qui peuvent être rencontrés. Abstract. Amandine Bodenghien has been nominated for the HERA Awards 2024 – Foundation for Future Generations – in the Sustainable Architecture category for her master’s thesis entitled Integrating reused elements into new construction: acting for tomorrow. She was supervised by Dorothée Stiernon and Professor André Stephan. The objective of this research is to analyze how far the use of reclaimed materials can be pushed in new construction and to quantify the associated environmental benefits. This article reflects that. Based on a case study that integrates reclaimed elements, this work establishes a comparative methodology of five scenarios, each presenting a different rate of reuse, ranging from 0% to 100% (utopian). These scenarios have been modeled using the Totem tool to assess their environmental benefit. This research demonstrates the significant potential for improving environmental impact through the integration of reclaimed materials, despite the various obstacles that may be encountered
Les responsabilités complexes : entre consolidation des acquis et changement de paradigme
No full textEtat des lieux des modifications apportées par la réforme du droit de la responsabilité civile extracontractuelle aux différents régimes de responsabilité du fait d'autrui, des choses et des animaux
Qualification du dirigeant de sociétés en entreprise : état des lieux à l'aune de la jurisprudence récente de la Cour de Justice
No full textLow-frequency noise in polysilicon Source-Gated Thin-Film transistors
No full textThe low-frequency noise (LFN) of thin-film polysilicon source-gated transistors (SGTs) is investigated. DC characteristics were firstly measured and typical behaviors of SGT were observed. Then, TCAD simulations were performed with different doping concentrations. Current density distribution shows that the variation of the conduction channel position in the thin film induces a second plateau in the (gm/ID)2 curves for bias points in subthreshold region. LFN was measured for both SGTs and thin-film field-effect transistor (TFTs) configurations. 1/f noise is confirmed as the main component of LFN in all our measurements. Carrier mobility fluctuation (CMF) is found to dominate the origin of LFN in TFT configuration and the low-current region of SGT. In the high-current region of SGT measurements, 1/f noise is mainly attributed to carrier number fluctuation (CNF)
Gas-promoted in situ bioadhesive foam platform for efficient macromolecule delivery in the treatment if inflammatory bowel disease
No full textLes maladies inflammatoires de l'intestin (MII) sont des affections chroniques, récurrentes et rémittentes, qui posent un problème de santé mondial important. Les macromolécules, telles que les anticorps et les peptides, sont largement utilisées comme traitements injectables pour les MICI. Ces dernières années, diverses approches thérapeutiques locales ont été explorées, mais le maintien de niveaux systémiques de produits biologiques reste essentiel pour obtenir une rémission de la colite. Il est donc essentiel de trouver un équilibre entre les concentrations systémiques et locales de produits biologiques pour que le traitement soit efficace. Cependant, les formulations actuelles ont souvent du mal à optimiser la distribution du médicament entre le plasma et la paroi colique. Pour relever ce défi, nous avons mis au point une mousse in situ administrée par voie rectale qui génère du CO2 par une réaction entre le bicarbonate de potassium (PB) et l'acide citrique (CA), éliminant ainsi la nécessité de recourir à des dispositifs externes. La mousse a été utilisée pour administrer un fragment d'anticorps anti-TNF-α (Fab), un anticorps monoclonal anti-TNF-α (infliximab) et divers analogues de peptides de type glucagon. Cette approche innovante a favorisé une rétention prolongée dans le côlon et une meilleure distribution des macromolécules, atteignant le côlon proximal après administration rectale chez la souris. En outre, les souris recevant la mousse rectale présentaient des concentrations plasmatiques de macromolécules plus élevées que celles traitées avec une solution de type lavement. Dans un modèle ex vivo d'intestin de rat non ouvert, une seule exposition à la mousse contenant du CO2 a décuplé le flux transépithélial des macromolécules à travers le tissu colique, ce qui indique que le CO2 pourrait servir d'amplificateur de perméation potentiel pour faciliter l'absorption. En conclusion, cette formulation de mousse non invasive offre un double effet thérapeutique local et systémique pour les macromolécules en utilisant le gaz comme amplificateur de perméation. Cette nouvelle plateforme est très prometteuse pour surmonter les difficultés actuelles liées à l'administration de macromolécules dans les tissus coliques enflammés.(BIFA - Sciences biomédicales et pharmaceutiques) -- UCL, 202
Estimating Nonparametric Conditional Frontiers and Efficiencies: A New Approach
No full textIn production theory, conditional frontiers and conditional efficiency measures are flexible and appealing tools to investigate the role of environmental variables on the production process. Direct approaches estimate non-parametrically conditional distribution functions requiring smoothing techniques and the use of bandwidths. Traditional methods for selecting bandwidths provide bandwidths with order that may not be optimal when estimating the boundary of the distribution function. In this paper we suggest an approach that avoids this problem, by eliminating in a first step, with flexible control functions, the influence of the environmental factors on the inputs and the outputs. By doing this we produce “pure” inputs and outputs which allow to estimate a “pure” measure of efficiency, more reliable for ranking the firms, since the influence of the external factors have been eliminated. We are also able to recover the frontier and efficiencies in original units. This can be viewed as an extension of location-scale models for whitening the variables, avoiding often inappropriate restrictions. We describe the method, its statistical properties and we show in some Monte-Carlo simulations, how our new method dominates both the traditional direct and the location-scale approaches. We illustrate the usefulness of the approach with a real data set on banks
GARP-expressing Tregs as a source of immunosuppressive TGF-β1 in human tumors
No full textTGF-β1 is produced as a latent cytokine that requires activation to exert its pleiotropic activities. All cells produce latent TGF-β1 but only very few can activate the cytokine via cell type-specific mechanisms. In cancer, TGF-β1 favors disease progression by suppressing anti-tumor T cell responses. Which cells produce immunosuppressive TGF-β1 in human tumors is not known. Putative sources include GARP-expressing cells, which comprise mostly activated Tregs and blood endothelial cells. GARP is a transmembrane protein that forms a covalent complex with latent TGF- β1 (GARP:TGF-β1) on the cell surface and which enables activation of TGF-β1 by integrins. Our laboratory developed monoclonal antibodies that block the activation of TGF-β1 on the surface of GARP-expressing Tregs and, when combined with anti-PD-1 therapy, restore anti-tumor responses in mouse tumor models that were otherwise resistant to anti-PD-1 monotherapy. Phase 1 and 2 trials currently assess the clinical impact of one of these anti-GARP:TGF-β1 antibodies in patients suffering from various solid tumors. However, the prevalence of GARP-expressing Tregs in human tumors is still unclear. While GARP-expressing Tregs have been shown to activate TGF-β1 in mouse models, it remains uncertain whether the same applies to human tumors. Moreover, the role of GARP expressed on blood endothelial cells is poorly understood. We developed an experimental approach combining multiplexed immunofluorescence and computerized image analysis to study the spatial relationships between sources and targets of TGF-β1 signaling in human tissues. We used this approach in the analysis of more than 100 tumor samples from 5 cancer types (colorectal, urothelial, lung and breast primary carcinomas and cutaneous melanoma metastases), compared to patient-matched adjacent non-cancerous tissues and tonsils. We conclude that, in human tumors, GARP-expressing Tregs rather than blood endothelial cells appear to represent a source of TGF-β1 acting on nearby tumor-infiltrating T cells. This might contribute to a form of local immunosuppression that could be reversed with anti-GARP antibodies. Our approach could help distinguish patients with tumors heavily or poorly infiltrated by GARP-expressing Tregs in order to select those that are more likely to respond.(BIFA - Sciences biomédicales et pharmaceutiques) -- UCL, 202
Direct measurement of the local electrocaloric effect in 2D ferroelectric In 2 Se 3 by Scanning Electrocaloric Thermometry
No full textThe electrocaloric effect refers to the temperature change in a material when an electric field is applied or removed. Significant breakthroughs revealed its potential for solid-state cooling technologies in past decades. These devices offer a sustainable alternative to traditional vapor compression refrigeration, with advantages such as compactness, silent operation, and the absence of moving parts or refrigerants. Electrocaloric effects are typically studied using indirect methods using polarization data, and which suffer from inaccuracies related to assumptions about heat capacity. Direct methods, although more precise, require device fabrication and face challenges in studying meso- or nanoscale systems, like 2D materials, and materials with non-uniform polarization textures where high spatial resolution is required. In this study, a novel technique, Scanning Electrocaloric Thermometry, is introduced for characterizing the local electrocaloric effect in nanomaterials. This approach achieves high spatial resolution by locally applying electric fields and by simultaneously measuring the resulting temperature change. By employing AC excitation, the measurement sensitivity is further enhanced and the electrocaloric effect is disentangled from other heating mechanisms such as Joule heating and dielectric losses. The effectiveness of the method is demonstrated by examining electrocaloric and heat dissipation phenomena in two-dimensional In2Se3micrometer-sized flakes