Modelling the risk of ecosystem disruption in Europe with a dynamic vegetation model

Conference (2012, April)

What will be the European ecosystem responses to future climate? With unprecedented speed and extent, the projected climate change might lead to a disruption of terrestrial plants functioning in many ... [more ▼]

What will be the European ecosystem responses to future climate? With unprecedented speed and extent, the projected climate change might lead to a disruption of terrestrial plants functioning in many regions. In the framework of the EcoChange project, transient projections over the 1901-2100 period have been performed with a process-based dynamic vegetation model, CARAIB DVM (Dury et al., 2011, iForest 4: 82, 99). The vegetation model was driven by the outputs of four climate models under the SRES A1B scenario: the ARPEGE/Climate model and three regional climate models (KNMI-RACMO2 , DMI-HIRHAM5 and HC-HadRM3Q0 RCMs) from the European Union project ENSEMBLES. DVMs are appropriate tools to apprehend potential climate change impacts on ecosystems and identify threatened regions over Europe. CARAIB outputs (soil moisture, runoff, net primary productivity, fire, etc.) were used to characterize the ecosystem evolution. To assess consequences on biodiversity, the evolution of 100 natural common European species (47 herbs, 12 shrubs and 41 trees) has been studied year-to-year over the 1901-2100 period. Under the combined effects of projected changes particularly in temperature and precipitations, CARAIB simulates important reductions in the annual soil water content. The species productivities vary strongly from year to year reaching during the driest years values much lower than present-day average productivity. According to CARAIB, a lot of species might go beyond their water tolerance very frequently, particularly after 2050, due to more intense summer droughts. In the northern part of Europe and in the Alps, with reduced temperature variability and positive soil water anomalies, NPP variability tends to decrease. Regions with more severe droughts might also be affected by an increase of the frequency and intensity of wildfires. With this background, the species distributions might be strongly modified. 15% of tree species and 30% of herb and shrub species (respectively 30% and 60% if the CO2 fertilization effect on species is not taken into account) might experience a loss of 30% or more of their current distribution. Proportions of new species appearance at the end of the century were also studied. Southern Europe might suffer important species extinction while the more suitable climate conditions in northern Europe might lead to a gain in species diversity. [less ▲]

Have STS Fallen Into a Political Void? Depoliticisation and Engagement in the Case of Nanotechnologies

in Política & Sociedade (2012), 11(20), 205-226

In this paper we trace some of the key points in the history of Science and Technology Studies (STS). In particular we outline the inherently political dynamics of the field. Against We underline two ... [more ▼]

In this paper we trace some of the key points in the history of Science and Technology Studies (STS). In particular we outline the inherently political dynamics of the field. Against We underline two emerging patterns in the curse of STS: the one of “depoliticisation” and the one of increasing “engagement”. We address the case study nanotechnologies and discuss their intertwined history with the STS. This allows us to point at the risk that the increasing institutionalisation of STS and the political mandate that frames and stabilizes the field’s relationship to the technological developments would create a political void. We conclude that STS research is at a crossroads. It is facing an important empirical turn, which may deprive it from its political significance, and constantly redefine its institutional constraints. STS has to continuously question its underlying political assumptions (as it occurs more and more regarding public participation) and to make it explicit. [less ▲]

L'économie sociale et solidaire

in Blanchet, Vivien; Carimentrand, Aurélie (Eds.) Dictionnaire du commerce équitable (2012)

Définit l'économie sociale et solidaire et positionne le commerce équitable par rapport à cette notion

Présentation des résultats de la recherche SAFE

Conference given outside the academic context (2012)

Présentation des résultats de la recherche SAFE et d'un outil interactif permettant à différentes catégories d'utilisateurs d'estimer les consommations d'énergie relatives à leur logement et à leur ... [more ▼]

Présentation des résultats de la recherche SAFE et d'un outil interactif permettant à différentes catégories d'utilisateurs d'estimer les consommations d'énergie relatives à leur logement et à leur déplacements, à les comparer et à trouver des pistes concrètes d'amélioration. [less ▲]

Expansion of the main auroral oval at Jupiter : evidence for Io’s control over the Jovian magnetosphere

Poster (2012, April)

In spring 2007, New Horizons' Jupiter fly-by provided a unique opportunity for the largest observation campaign dedicated to the Jovian aurora ever carried out by the Hubble Space Telescope. UV images of ... [more ▼]

In spring 2007, New Horizons' Jupiter fly-by provided a unique opportunity for the largest observation campaign dedicated to the Jovian aurora ever carried out by the Hubble Space Telescope. UV images of the aurora have been acquired on a quasi-daily basis from mid-February to mid-June 2007. Polar projection of the auroral emissions clearly show a continuous long-term expansion of main oval additionally to day by day variations. The main oval moved so much that the Ganymede footprint, which is usually located equatorward of the main emissions, has even been observed inside of it. Simultaneously, the occurrence rate of large equatorward isolated auroral features increased over the season. These emission patches are generally attributed to injections of depleted flux tubes. On 6th June, one of these features exceptionally moved down to the Io footpath. The Io footprint seemed to disappear while the footprint moved through this patch of emission. This disappearance is a unique case among all the UV images of the aurora acquired during the last 12 years. We suggest that all these changes seen in the Jovian aurora are evidence for a major reconfiguration of the magnetosphere induced by increased volcanic activity on Io. Indeed, New Horizons observed particularly intense activity from the Tvashtar volcano in late February 2007. Moreover, sodium cloud brightening caused by volcanic outbursts have also been seen in late May 2007. According to our interpretation, repeated volcanic outbursts beefed up the plasma torus density and its mass outflow rate. This caused the corotation breakdown boundary to migrate closer to Jupiter. Consequently, the main auroral oval moved equatorward. As heavy flux tubes move outward, sparsely filled ones should be injected into the inner magnetosphere in order to conserve the magnetic flux in this region. This phenomenon could explain the large number of injection signatures observed in May-June 2007. Such a cloud of depleted flux tubes probably disrupted the Io-magnetosphere interaction, leading to an abnormally faint Io footprint. [less ▲]

Natural Killer cells - role in local tumor growth and metastasis

in Biologics: Targets and Therapy (2012)

Historically, the name of Natural Killer (NK) cells came from their natural ability to kill tumor cells in vitro. From the seventies to date, accumulating data highlighted the importance of NK cells in ... [more ▼]

Historically, the name of Natural Killer (NK) cells came from their natural ability to kill tumor cells in vitro. From the seventies to date, accumulating data highlighted the importance of NK cells in host immune response against cancer and in therapy-induced anti-tumor response. The recognition and the lysis of tumor cells by NK cells are regulated by a complex balance of inhibitory and activating signals. This review summarizes NK cell mechanisms to kill cancer cells, their role in host immune responses against tumor growth or metastasis and their implications in anti-tumor immunotherapies via cytokines, antibodies or in combination with other therapies. The regulatory role of NK cells in autoimmunity is also discussed. [less ▲]

Levels of PCDD/Fs, DL-PCBs, and NDL-PCBs in a South African Cohort

Scientific conference (2012, April)

Do Identities Matter More than Party Interests in Ethno-Territorial Politics? Conceptual and Empirical Insights from Multilevel and Deeply Divided Belgium

Conference (2012, April)

In territorial politics, identities are a chief variable of the political life. By definition, the ethno-linguistic identities play(ed) an important role in the political dynamics of several highly ... [more ▼]

In territorial politics, identities are a chief variable of the political life. By definition, the ethno-linguistic identities play(ed) an important role in the political dynamics of several highly divided societies. In most cases, the institutional design is in fact adapted or has been adapted to the ethno-linguistic divisions of the country. According to quite a few scholars, it is especially true for political elites who are not only shaped by this variable but also use this variable to legitimate their attitudes and actions. Therefore political elites of each ethno-linguistic group appeared to behave as monolithic blocks, standing against each other along ethno-linguistic lines. Nonetheless, this view neglects the role of party interests in explaining the behaviors of political elites. An important question for ethno-territorial politics should be raised: do identities matter more that party interests? The current reform of the – multilevel and deeply-divided – Belgian state provides a fertile ground to test this hypothesis. To what extent, party interests can account for political elites’ position in the debate about the 6th Belgian constitutional reform? To explore these questions, we surveyed every representative of Belgium’s seven legislative assemblies with a standardized questionnaire (Summer 2011). This research will help us apprehend the rationale behind political elites’ attitudes – be it identities, party interests or a mix of them – negotiating the new boundaries of the state and above all shed light on territorial politics in Europe. So doing, this paper aims at contributing to the debate that explores the possibility of a unified analytical approach bridging ethno-territorial politics and party politics. [less ▲]

La culturalisation du politique

Article for general public (2012)

Les valeurs que nous croyons enracinées dans une partie du champ idéologique deviennent de plus en plus nomade. On examine brièvement pourquoi la laïcité, valeur historiquement portée par la gauche, est ... [more ▼]

Les valeurs que nous croyons enracinées dans une partie du champ idéologique deviennent de plus en plus nomade. On examine brièvement pourquoi la laïcité, valeur historiquement portée par la gauche, est aujourd'hui intégréee au dispositif idéologique de la droite la plus radicale. On examine brièvement le cas de la laïcité. [less ▲]

L'impact de la divulgation d'informations sur la liquidité du marché français

in Finance et Stratégies de Développement (2012)

This paper examines the relationship between the quality of financial disclosure and the French stock-market liquidity. Based on a sample of 196 firms over a period from 2004 to 2007, we find that there ... [more ▼]

This paper examines the relationship between the quality of financial disclosure and the French stock-market liquidity. Based on a sample of 196 firms over a period from 2004 to 2007, we find that there is a positive and statistically significant relationship between the quality of Annual Reports and market liquidity. This result should encourage French authorities to develop the informational environment as an indispensable means to prevent the risk of illiquidity. [less ▲]