Retirement provision for New Zealand women: The relative role of demographic influence

This research contributes to our knowledge of retirement provision by clarifying the obstacles that women face in relation to old age provision. By using multivariate analysis and therefore by controlling for confounding effects, this study has isolated the particular influence of important socio-economic factors. Through continued participation in the labour market, despite their childbearing roles, and the goal of enhancing the quality of their employment, women have an opportunity to strengthen their ability to provide sufficiently themselves for their own old age but this is still even today not a certainty or a source of unlimited support

Auto-similarity in rational base number systems

This work is a contribution to the study of set of the representations of integers in a rational base number system. This prefix-closed subset of the free monoid is naturally represented as a highly non regular tree whose nodes are the integers and whose subtrees are all distinct. With every node of that tree is then associated a minimal infinite word. The main result is that a sequential transducer which computes for all n the minimal word associated with n+1 from the one associated with n, has essentially the same underlying graph as the tree itself. These infinite words are then interpreted as representations of real numbers; the difference between the numbers represented by these two consecutive minimal words is the called the span of a node of the tree. The preceding construction allows to characterise the topological closure of the set of spans

On subtrees of the representation tree in rational base numeration systems

International audienc

Stochastic precession of the polarization in a polariton laser

Microcavity polaritons in the lasing regime undergo a spontaneous symmetry breaking transition resulting in coherent emission with a well defined polarization. The order parameter is thus a vector describing both the laser global phase and polarization. Using an ultrafast single-shot detection technique we show that polariton lasing in GaAs-based microcavities presents a high degree of second order coherence ($g^{(2)}(\tau=0) \approx 1$) above threshold, and that the initial polarization is stochastic, taking any possible direction in the Poincar\'e sphere (linear, elliptical or circular). Once the polarization direction is established, subsequent oscillations of the emission probability witness the presence of an intrinsic polarization splitting. Our results show the negligible role of polariton interactions in the total emission statistics and in the establishment of the initial polarization.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure

Un modèle de lubrification en régime mixte du laminage : Frottement et lubrification en mise en forme = A mixed lubrication model of the cold strip rolling process

Free access articleInternational audienceLe régime de lubrification mixte est le plus fréquemment rencontré en laminage à froid. Sa modélisation est le but de cet article. La lubrification, phénomène interfacial, est fortement couplée à la mécanique de l'opération de laminage. C'est pourquoi le modèle présenté assemble un modèle macroscopique de laminage (méthode des tranches élasto-plastique) et un modèle microscopique de lubrification en régime mixte, lui-même composé d'une équation de Reynolds entre surfaces rugueuses (formation du film lubrifiant) et d'une équation d'évolution de la rugosité, par conformation de la tôle au cylindre. Les principes du modèle sont présentés, comparés à ceux de la bibliographie, ses hypothèses et ses résultats sont discutés, et quelques applications sont évoquées = The mixed regime of lubrication is most frequently encountered in cold strip rolling processes. A model is presented hereafter. The lubrication at the interface is closely coupled with the mechanics of the rolling process. Therefore, the proposed model combines a macroscopic model of rolling (elastic-plastic slab method) with a microscopic mixed lubrication model, consisting of a Reynolds equation for rough surfaces (describing the formation of the lubricant film) and an equation for the evolution of roughness, describing the conformation of the strip surface to the roll. The bases of the model are presented and compared to models in the literature; its hypotheses and results are discussed, a few applications are given

Realization of an all optical exciton-polariton router

We report on the experimental realization of an all optical router for exciton-polaritons. This device is based on the design proposed by H. Flayac and I.G. Savenko [APL 103, 201105 (2013)], in which a zero-dimensional island is connected through tunnel barriers to two periodically modulated wires of different periods. Selective transmission of polaritons injected in the island, into either of the two wires, is achieved by tuning the energy of the island state across the band structure of the modulated wires. We show such polariton routing using an optical control beam which blueshifts the island quantum states thanks to polariton-exciton interactions. Operation of the device is demonstrated both under cw and pulsed operation.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figure

Matriptase regulates c-Met mediated proliferation and invasion in inflammatory breast cancer.

The poor prognosis for patients with inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) compared to patients with other types of breast cancers emphasizes the need to better understand the molecular underpinnings of this disease with the goal of developing effective targeted therapeutics. Dysregulation of matriptase expression, an epithelial-specific member of the type II transmembrane serine protease family, has been demonstrated in many different cancer types. To date, no studies have assessed the expression and potential pro-oncogenic role of matriptase in IBC. We examined the functional relationship between matriptase and the HGF/c-MET signaling pathway in the IBC cell lines SUM149 and SUM190, and in IBC patient samples. Matriptase and c-Met proteins are localized on the surface membrane of IBC cells and their expression is strongly correlated in infiltrating cancer cells and in the cancer cells of lymphatic emboli in patient samples. Abrogation of matriptase expression by silencing with RNAi or inhibition of matriptase proteolytic activity with a synthetic inhibitor impairs the conversion of inactive pro-HGF to active HGF and subsequent c-Met-mediated signaling, leading to efficient impairment of proliferation and invasion of IBC cells. These data show the potential of matriptase inhibitors as a novel targeted therapy for IBC, and lay the groundwork for the development and testing of such drugs