University of the Littoral Opal Coast

About: University of the Littoral Opal Coast is a education organization based out in Dunkirk, France. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Catalysis & Dielectric. The organization has 1242 authors who have published 2383 publications receiving 46230 citations. The organization is also known as: ULCO.

Banning of methyl bromide for seed treatment: could Ditylenchus dipsaci again become a major threat to alfalfa production in Europe?

Abstract: In Europe, the stem and bulb nematode Ditylenchus dipsaci has been listed as a quarantine pest by EPPO: without any control, it may cause complete failure of alfalfa crops. Movement of nematodes associated with seeds is considered to be the highest-risk pathway for the spread of this pest. Since the 2010 official withdrawal of methyl bromide in Europe, and in the absence of any alternative chemical, fumigation of contaminated seed batches is no longer possible, which makes the production of nematode-free alfalfa seeds difficult to achieve and leads to unmarketable seed batches. Thermotherapy is being considered as a realistic alternative strategy, but its efficiency still remains to be validated. The combination of the currently available methods (i.e. use of resistant cultivars, seed production according to a certification scheme, mechanical sieving, seed batch inspection) could significantly reduce the likelihood of seed contamination. However, it does not guarantee a total eradication of the nematode. Although it is already widely distributed all over Europe, reclassification of D. dipsaci as a regulated non-quarantine pest to reduce the possibility of further introductions and the rate of spread of this pest appears to be a risky strategy because of the lack of up-to-date documented data to evaluate damage thresholds and determine acceptable tolerance levels.

Multicriteria Optimisation and Simulation: An Industrial Application

Abstract: This paper deals with multicriteria discrete-continuous problems of scheduling nonpreemptable jobs. The need for reusability and modularity leads us to build a "generic" optimisation and simulation framework, while the need to quickly generate good compromises between conflicting objectives requires the implementation of multicriteria scheduling models. This paper describes the practical possibilities of three hybrid models within this framework. The validation of the framework is presented in terms of its application to a real, highly constrained, discrete-continuous problem. The optimisation model is based on the hybridisation of a classical hill-climber meta-heuristic with the Promethee II multicriteria method.

The Hopf algebra of finite topologies and mould composition

Abstract: We exhibit an internal coproduct on the Hopf algebra of finite topologies recently defined by the second author, C. Malvenuto and F. Patras, dual to the composition of "quasi-ormoulds", which are the natural version of J. Ecalle's moulds in this setting. All these results are displayed in the linear species formalism.