The use of residual biomass from forest harvesting for energy production is viewed as a means to reduce fossil-fuel consumption. However, the impact of wood energy harvesting on soil and future site productivity remains a major concern. During this fellowship, we analysed why forest biomass harvesting of whole trees in Quebec reduced soil organic carbon (C) and total nitrogen (N) reserves in certain sites. We also estimated soil C and N labile and stable fractions in the Centre-Val de Loire region in France, and its relationship with current soil sensitivity indices to residual biomass harvesting. This research shed new insights on soil properties that could explain their sensitivity or resilience to forest biomass harvesting. We believe that this fellowship made a significant contribution to scientific knowledge and address pressing societal challenges.

In this project, we investigated the pharmacological effects of steroid hormones on gonadotropin receptors, FSHR and LHR, transiently expressed in HEK293 cells. For this, we used BRET technology to assess receptor-G protein activation as well as -arrestin recruitment upon treatment of cells with gonadotropins, FSH or hCG, in the absence or presence of increasing doses of 3 different steroid hormones (SH), estradiol, testosterone, and progesterone. We observed that SH to different extent significantly modulate FSH/hCG-promoted BRET signals between receptor/G protein as well as receptor/-arrestin pairs. Tis indicate an allosteric mode of action of SH on FSHR and LHR. Moreover, we observed differential effects of SH on receptor/-arrestin pair when comparing FSHR and LHR by decreasing (for FSHR) or increasing (for LHR) the BRET responses. Interestingly, we also observed significant BRET increase with vasopressin (V2R) and angiotensin II (AT1R) receptors. This suggests a more general feature of SH allosterically targeting GPCRs with potential implications in physiology and pathophysiology.

The activity was mainly addressed to study the scientific production of Leonardo da Vinci by means of an integrated approach that combines exact and human sciences. A huge interest was focused on dynamics, topic of great interest for Leonardo as it emerges in several points of his notebooks where he discussed relevant aspects of this physics branch and developed conceptions that evolved over the time. Within this general goal, the following specific issues have been also taken into account: i) recognition and comparative source analysis of the network of scholars, artisans and texts for a reconstruction of the cultural, scientific and technical framework in which Leonardo elaborated his concepts; ii) impact of the Leonardo’s work on the present research fields; iii) impact of the Leonardo’s work on the present educational field; iv) evaluation of the Leonardo’s work as an innovative tool for the “third culture” promotion. In this framework, the analysis of the Leonardo’s studies followed two driving lines: i) to place his findings in his time context and
ii)  to establish connections with the current cultural approaches.
The activity has been carried out at the Centre d’Etudes Supérieures de la Renaissance (CESR) of Tours. The performed study has a great relevance for the valorisation of the Centre-Val de Loire region where Leonardo spent the last three years of his life.
 

Housing problems of youth are rarely considered in the context of youth health, although housing problems can be seen as a source of worry and stress, which, as evidenced by past studies, is negatively associated with health. Thus, the main aim of the present study was to examine whether and how housing stability, quality, and perception of having a housing problem were related to stress and assessment of health among Slovenian youth. Additionally, the study explored the effect of youth's economic background, as differences in health outcomes are often attributed to differences in socioeconomic status. The results indicated significant direct and indirect relationships between the financial situation of the family, housing status, living conditions, and fear of having a housing problem. Latter was statistically significantly associated with the feeling of stress, which in turn was significantly related to the health assessment among youth. The results also indicated that poor living conditions directly affected the youth’s health assessment. Implications for future work are suggested.

The Calculus of Constructions is one of the most powerful systems of constructive logic. It consists of three logical levels: proofs, propo-sitions, kinds. The kinds are the types of operations, i.e., construc-tions of propositions. Both, the level of propositions and the level of kinds, are closed under general rules of quantification. A model construction involves giving meaning to the objects of each of the three levels in such a way that the quantification rules are satisfied. The aim is to give a construction that uses ordered structures, known as domains. In the present work domain constructions used for the interpretation of the quantification constructs are presented in a general way and computability issues are discussed.

A theoretical prediction of favorable ion exchange between PEDOT:PSS and hard-cation-soft-anion ionic liquids (IL) is confirmed experimentally and computationally by treating PEDOT:PSS with a new IL composed of an extremely hard protic cation MIM+ and an extremely soft anion TCB–. This protic IL significantly improves both conductivity and stretchability of PEDOT:PSS, outperforming its aprotic counterpart, EMIM :TCB, which has been the best IL employed for this purpose so far. This electrical and mechanical enhancement is speculated as a result of the aromatic and protic cation MIM+ which does not only provide efficient ion exchange with PEDOT:PSS but also serves as a molecular glue holding together multiple PEDOT domains by strong ionic as well as hydrogen bonds, because washing MIM+ out of the film degrades the stretchability while keeping the morphology. Our results offer molecular-level insights on the morphological, electrical, and mechanical properties of PEDOT:PSS and a molecular-interaction-based enhancement strategy for intrinsically stretchable conductive polymers.

The Poultry Red Mite is considered the number one arthropod enemy of the poultry industry; despite this, this pest is hardly studied in terms of alternative control. The enormous economic loss they caused worldwide and the inefficacy of its control urge for solid solutions. One of the reasons why Dermanyssus gallinae is so challenging to manage is its hiding nature. Indeed, no treatment can reach them efficiently in their hiding spots. The idea of this project is to study the chemical ecology of the mite to attract it out of its hideouts. Le Studium Foundation has been instrumental in bringing together Prof Patricia Golo, an entomopathogenic-fungi specialist, and Dr. Fotini Koutroumpa, a specialist on arthropod chemosensation. Here, we would like to report preliminary results for optimizing the mite olfactory behavior tests in the laboratory and the first attempt to study one chemosensory gene expression of the mite. Comparison of these assays between fungus-treated and untreated mites was the goal of the project to understand if the entomopathogenic fungi could change the mite chemosensation and, therefore, negatively impact the fungus treatment. Further, we aimed to understand if a generally considered attractive molecule could enhance mite control with the fungus by masking the fungus's eventually repulsive molecules or/and attracting the mite to the fungus source. This collaboration set the base for further exchange to attend to these goals.

This paper explores the significance of photogrammetry as an accessible and innovative imaging technique for preserving and studying written cultural heritage. Focusing on the challenges of traditional digitization methods in capturing the materiality and craftsmanship of manuscripts and books, we present a cost-effective photogrammetry workflow using the 3DF Zephyr software. Demonstrating its potential, we discuss the generation of detailed 3D models and the integration with other software tools. The research findings were presented at the 19th International Seminar on the Care and Conservation of Manuscripts, and the paper is planned for publication in the conference proceedings. This work contributes to the broader discourse on Digital Codicology and encourages interdisciplinary collaboration in cultural heritage studies.

The primary aim of this Le Studium project was a thorough physico-chemical analysis and structural characterization of key phases and compounds of high-temperature fluoride melt/solid interphases. This knowledge is then used for a targeted synthesis and preparation of different compounds and materials (including their physicochemical characterization), based on oxo-fluoro-aluminates of alkali metals.