LE STUDIUM Multidisciplinary Journal

Suspended sediment concentration (SSC) is a key indicator of river morphodynamics and water quality, yet long-term spatial monitoring remains constrained by sparse in-situ measurements. This study develops a satellite-based framework to estimate SSC along the Loire River (France) over 2005–2025 by combining Landsat 5/7/8/9 imagery processed in Google Earth Engine (GEE) with field SSC observations. A feed-forward neural network (R² = 0.94, RMSE = 3.65 mg/l) was trained on five spectral bands across three turbidity regimes and approximated by a compact surrogate model (R² = 0.89) suitable for operational GEE deployment. SSC maps reveal contrasting morphodynamic behaviour along the reach, with secondary-channel connectivity upstream and channel deepening downstream. River discharge emerged as the dominant SSC control, while rainfall has secondary importance. The approach demonstrates the scalability of combining machine learning and satellite imagery for long-term sediment monitoring in large rivers.

An important paradigm guiding the exploration of granite-hosted critical metal deposits is the association between highly evolved rock compositions (i.e., aplites and pegmatites) and critical metal enrichment. To better understand this association, we have conducted melt extraction experiments at 400 and 1000 MPa and 750-900oC to assess models of critical metal enrichment by extreme crystal fractionation.  Two-stage experiments involved first melting a natural granodiorite starting material, then extracting the melt in the second stage using porous vitreous carbon.  Results demonstrate crystal-melt separation, and therefore the feasibility of the method. Experiment glass compositions show significant chemical fractionation, and reveal insights into the origin of the compositional variation in natural granites.    

Together, these studies improved biological understanding of fertility and provided practical applications for livestock breeding, semen evaluation and veterinary training. The work demonstrates how imaging can move reproductive biology beyond indirect or subjective assessment toward more precise, mechanistic and educationally valuable interpretation

Oxyfluorides containing up to 75 wt% of recycled glass from end-of-life solar panels have been investigated. Reduced processing temperature and high transparency have shown that the material has potential for optical applications. In this work, Raman demonstrated that cerium affects the glass network by promoting polymerization. In turn, thermal analysis indicated some changes in the crystallization events between 500-800 ºC, which were confirmed by in situ X-ray powder diffraction measurements. Crystallization of fluorite, xonotlite, and combeite was confirmed, while other phases give minor contributions to the XRD patterns. Cerium addition reduced the formation of xonotlite, mainly above 700 ºC. The potential applications of the material and the further studies required are discussed.

This study explores the interactions between bone health, feed efficiency, and environmental conditions in slow-growing broiler chickens reared under contrasting production systems, namely indoor housing and
outdoor access. Emphasis is placed on summer production periods characterized by heat stress, a major challenge for poultry welfare and productivity under changing climatic conditions. Through an integrated
approach combining morphometric, densitometric, mechanical, and genetic analyses, the research evaluates how rearing environment influences skeletal integrity and production performance. The results reveal significant relationships between bone quality traits, adaptive responses to environmental stressors, and feed efficiency, highlighting the complex biological mechanisms linking animal robustness and productive efficiency. By providing new insights into the effects of production systems and climatic stress on skeletal development, this work contributes to the advancement of sustainable and welfare-oriented poultry farming strategies, while supporting the development of climate-resilient livestock systems.

This report summarizes work conducted during a six‑month sabbatical completed in two three‑month periods during Summer 2023 and Summer 2024 as a guest fellow at Le Studium in Orléans, France. The fellowship supported an established international collaboration focused on the development of luminescent metal‑based imaging agents for infectious disease diagnostics. The primary emphasis was on fungal and mycobacterial infections, where delays in diagnosis are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The fellow contributed clinical infectious diseases expertise, regulatory perspective, and translational guidance to ensure alignment with potential clinical application. The fellowship enabled continued research progress, international dissemination of results, and strengthening of long‑term collaborative partnerships.

The ongoing acceleration of climatic change makes it even more urgent to understand how tree seed sources (provenances) respond when growing in climates different from those they are naturally adapted to, either when planted on warmer or on colder sites than the climate that occur at their native distribution site. We evaluated four years of growth, bud phenology and survival of a Larix decidua clonal elevational reciprocal transplant trial in the French Alps, at Villard-St-Pancrace, close to Briançon (LN 44.9°; LE 6.65°). The experiment has four experimental sites, distributed along a north-faced Alpine steep-slope, at contrasting elevations: 2,400, 2,000, 1,700 and 1,350 m a.s.l. On each site, 4 sets of 30 clones were reciprocally planted, with each set originating from adult trees selected in natural forest plots at nearly the same elevations (2,300, 2,000, 1,700 and 1,350 m a.s.l). Results indicate that: (a) Plot populations have lower survival rates when relocated to environmental extremes within the mountain range, whether to colder sites at higher elevations or to warmer sites at lower elevations. (b) Growth also decreases when they are moved to colder (higher elevation) sites, although in general it increases when they are moved to warmer (lower elevation) sites. (c) Such growth pattern might be in part explained by the phenology of the leader bud elongation: by the end of spring, leader buds have already started to elongate at lower elevations, meanwhile they are still in full dormancy at the highest elevational site.