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Surgery remains the only curative treatment for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Therefore, a predictive score for resectability on diagnosis is needed. A total of 814 patients were included between 2014 and 2017 from 15 centers included in the BACAP (the national Anatomo-Clinical Database on Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma) prospective cohort. Three groups were defined: resectable (Res), locally advanced (LA), and metastatic (Met). Variables were analyzed and a predictive score was devised. Of the 814 patients included, 703 could be evaluated: 164 Res, 266 LA, and 273 Met. The median ages of the patients were 69, 71, and 69, respectively. The median survival times were 21, 15, and nine months, respectively. Six criteria were significantly associated with a lower probability of resectability in multivariate analysis: venous/arterial thrombosis (p = 0.017), performance status 1 (p = 0.032) or ≥ 2 (p = 0.010), pain (p = 0.003), weight loss ≥ 8% (p = 0.019), topography of the tumor (body/tail) (p = 0.005), and maximal tumor size 20–33 mm (p < 0.013) or >33 mm (p < 0.001). The BACAP score was devised using these criteria with an accuracy of 81.17% and an area under the receive operating characteristic (ROC) curve of 0.82 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.78; 0.86). The presence of pejorative criteria or a BACAP score < 50% indicates that further investigations and even neoadjuvant treatment might be warranted. Trial registration: NCT02818829.

After an intercomparison age experiment carried out in the framework of the first MODIS (MOrtar Dating Inter-comparison Study) project, the results showed general agreement both between optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating laboratories and with radiocarbon (14C) dating results. As the needs for the selection of samples convenient for an inter-comparison are not the same between 14C and OSL, for the second running, it has been decided to choose two different sample sets, one to share between the radiocarbon labs and one for the OSL dating ones. The results obtained by applying different experimental protocols (multigrain and single grain techniques) and different statistical models (weighted mean, central age mode, average dose model, minimum age model and exponential exposure dose) are discussed in this work.

Dating lime mortar shows great potential for establishing the chronology of a construction. The basic premise of mortar dating by optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) is that quartz in the sand used for making mortar has been optically zeroed during the preparation process (optical bleaching). The moment to be dated is the last exposure of sand grains to light, before being embedded within the masonry and hidden from light. However, the main problem is the frequent partial and heterogeneous bleaching of grains, and this led us to use the single grain technique (SG-OSL) systematically. Some theoretical and experimental aspects of a new statistical treatment (the EED model, as exponential exposure distribution) are detailed and discussed. Our experience shows that SG-OSL dating of mortars is successful in a majority of situations. In a minority of cases (around 15%) difficulties originate when there is inappropriate OSL behavior of grains, and thus OSL dating is not possible. In the other cases, good agreement was obtained between OSL ages and the reference ones for a series of samples from a variety of ages and situations, even in the case of poorly bleached material. Anyway, the present situation of OSL dating methodology justifies the systematic use of SG-OSL in the dating of masonry today.

Deployed on the mountainous island of Corsica for thunderstorm monitoring purposes in the Mediterranean Basin, SAETTA is a network of 12 LMA (Lightning Mapping Array, designed by New Mexico Tech, USA) stations that allows the 3-D mapping of very high-frequency (VHF) radiation emitted by cloud discharges in the 60–66 MHz band. It works at high temporal (∼40 ns in each 80 µs time window) and spatial (tens of meters at best) resolution within a range of about 350 km. Originally deployed in May 2014, SAETTA was commissioned during the summer and autumn seasons and has now been permanently operational since April 2016 until at least the end of 2020. We first evaluate the performances of SAETTA through the radial, azimuthal, and altitude errors of VHF source localization with the theoretical model of Thomas et al. (2004). We also compute on a 240 km × 240 km domain the minimum altitude at which a VHF source can be detected by at least six stations by taking into account the masking effect of the relief. We then report the 3-year observations on the same domain in terms of number of lightning days per square kilometer (i.e., total number of days during which lightning has been detected in a given 1 km square pixel) and in terms of lightning days integrated across the domain. The lightning activity is first maximum in June because of daytime convection driven by solar energy input, but concentrates on a specific hot spot in July just above the intersection of the three main valleys. This hot spot is probably due to the low-level convergence of moist air fluxes from sea breezes channeled by the three valleys. Lightning activity increases again in September due to numerous small thunderstorms above the sea and to some high-precipitation events. Finally we report lightning observations of unusual high-altitude discharges associated with the mesoscale convective system of 8 June 2015. Most of them are small discharges on top of an intense convective core during convective surges. They are considered in the flash classification of Thomas et al. (2003) to be small–isolated and short–isolated flashes. The other high-altitude discharges, much less numerous, are long-range flashes that develop through the stratiform region and suddenly undergo upward propagations towards an uppermost thin layer of charge. This latter observation is apparently consistent with the recent conceptual model of Dye and Bansemer (2019) that explains such an upper-level layer of charge in the stratiform region by the development of a non-riming ice collisional charging in a mesoscale updraft.

[...]most presentations focused on established and new methodologies aimed at identifying and removing the numerous contaminants that affect radiocarbon measurement, and at overcoming the contribution of residual geologic signals in insufficiently light-exposed materials for luminescence dating. [...]we wish to thank our sponsors, which made possible the meeting and its publication: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Bordeaux Montaigne (UBM), Fédération des Sciences Archéologiques de Bordeaux (FSAB), Région Nouvelle Aquitaine, LaScArBx (Bordeaux Cluster of Excellence in Archaeological Science) and Kimmel Center for Archaeological Science-The Exilarch’s Foundation for the Dangoor Research Accelerator Mass Spectrometer (D-REAMS) Laboratory.

Seven radiocarbon laboratories: Åbo/Aarhus, CIRCE, CIRCe, ETHZ, Poznań, RICH, and Milano-Bicocca performed separation of carbonaceous fractions suitable for 14C dating of four mortar samples selected for the MOrtar Dating Inter-comparison Study (MODIS). In addition, optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) analyses were completed by Milano-Bicocca and IRAMAT-CRP2A Bordeaux. Each laboratory performed separation according to laboratory protocol. Results of this first intercomparison show that even though consistent 14C ages were obtained by different laboratories, two mortars yielded ages different than expected from the archaeological context.

There is a lack of prospective data about second-line treatments for metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma patients. This is partially due to recent changes in first-line chemotherapy treatments. Despite this dearth of information, 50.0% of the patients who experience failure with first-line folinic acid, 5-fluorouracil, irinotecan and oxaliplatin (folfirinox) treatment are eligible for additional chemotherapy. In this setting, gemcitabine is widely used without any standard recommendations available. The present study evaluated 42 patients who received gemcitabine subsequent to a first-line treatment of folfirinox between January 2008 and December 2012 at the Centre Léon Bérard (Lyon, France). Clinical data, biological data and tumor characteristics were retrospectively analyzed to identify prognostic factors for successful treatment with gemcitabine. In total, 11 patients (26.2%) experienced control of their cancer with gemcitabine treatment. However, there was no predictive marker for their response to the drug. The median overall survival was 3.6 months from gemcitabine initiation [95% confidence interval (CI), 2.1-5.1]. The median length of gemcitabine treatment was 1.5 months (95% CI, 0.3-13.3). Among the 11 patients who were successfully treated with gemcitabine, 6 were resistant to first-line folfirinox treatment. Patients who were non responsive to folfirinox had a higher probability of success with gemcitabine compared with patients that responded to folfirinox (54.5 vs. 21.4%, respectively; P=0.061). The present study did not identify any clinical or biological marker with a predictive value for successful gemcitabine treatment. Furthermore, successful gemcitabine treatment was not correlated with patients' response to first-line folfirinox treatment. This suggests an absence of cross-resistance in the chemotherapy protocols and provides evidence for effective cancer treatment with the second-line gemcitabine therapy.

The mosque of Mila is considered as the oldest mosque in Algeria, certain historical sources attribute the construction of the latter to Abou Mouhadjir Dinar in 674 AD by the re-use of materials from construction of earlier eras. The architectural stratigraphic study carried out on the mosque revealed that the current plan of the prayer hall of this mosque is organized in six naves and eight spans and seems to be the result of an extension of a previous plan which included four naves and seven spans. The stratigraphic study always gives a relative chronology in which the stratigraphic units are linked together by a relation of Anteriority and posteriority. In order to have an absolute dating and to confirm the hypotheses of construction and structural modification of this mosque, we proceeded to a dating on two samples of architectural bricks coming from the two parts by the optically stimulated luminescence method OSL in Fine grain technical Quartz. The results obtained made it possible to confirm the two hypotheses, the first relating to the construction of the mosque or the measurements display a date of 616±78AD while the second relating to the extension or the measurements display a date of 1007±80 AD. After a comparison with historical and archaeological data we were able to reduce the interval of the construction of the mosque which is located between [665-694] AD during the reign of the Umayyads and the extension Between [1019-1087] AD, under the reign of the Hammadids.

Absolute dating of mortars is crucial when trying to pin down construction phases of archaeological sites and historic stone buildings to a certain point in time or to confirm, but possibly also challenge, existing chronologies. To evaluate various sample preparation methods for radiocarbon (14C) dating of mortars as well as to compare different dating methods, i.e. 14C and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), a mortar dating intercomparison study (MODIS) was set up, exploring existing limits and needs for further research. Four mortar samples were selected and distributed among the participating laboratories: one of which was expected not to present any problem related to the sample preparation methodologies for anthropogenic lime extraction, whereas all others addressed specific known sample preparation issues. Data obtained from the various mortar dating approaches are evaluated relative to the historical framework of the mortar samples and any deviation observed is contextualized to the composition and specific mineralogy of the sampled material.

The Grotte Chauvet is world renowned for the quality and diversity of its Palaeolithic art. Fire was particularly important to the occupants, providing light and producing charcoal for use in motifs. Charcoal samples were taken systematically from features associated with the two main occupation phases (Aurignacian and Gravettian). Analysis showed it to be composed almost entirely of pine (Pinus sp.), indicating the harsh climatic conditions at this period. No distinction in wood species was found between either the two occupation episodes or the various depositional contexts. The results throw new light on the cultural and palaeoenvironmental factors that influenced choices underlying the collection of wood for charcoal production.