Les dispositifs de professionnalisation des formations universitaires en communication

Dans cet article, nous développons une réflexion sur la professionnalisation de la formation universitaire en communication. Après avoir exposé les différentes significations possibles pour la notion de professionnalisation ainsi que les dispositifs pédagogiques s’y référant, nous faisons état de la situation en Belgique, en France ainsi qu’au Canada. Nous dégageons ensuite une série d’enjeux que nous abordons au travers du récit de notre propre dispositif d’enseignement. Le récit retrace la mise en place d’un séminaire de communication interne interactif dans lequel des étudiants canadiens, français et belges collaborent pour la résolution d’un audit de communication interne fictif. Au final, en prenant appui sur le cadre théorique de Wittorski (2012),  notre article se clôture par une discussion sur les plus-values et les limites d’un tel projet tant pour les étudiants que pour les enseignants. Nous concluons que notre dispositif de formation que nous qualifions de « pédagogie active » est en adéquation avec les attentes et recommandations des associations professionnelles. Parallèlement, il préserve chez eux le développement de compétences universitaires. Les étudiants sont notamment amenés à accroître leur savoir-faire tout en élaborant une réflexion critique sur leurs pratiques professionnelles

P16-37. HIV controllers with weak CD8+ T cell responses maintain a tight control of infection despite carrying infectious viruses

International audienc

Analysis of Farmland Abandonment and the Extent and Location of Agricultural Areas that are Actually Abandoned or are in Risk to be Abandoned

Farmland abandonment (FLA) can be defined as the cessation of agricultural activities on a given surface of land and not taken by another activity (such as urbanisation or afforestation). This process attracts the attention of policy-makers both at national and EU level, in particular within the context of the Rural Development Policy. And, considering its importance in environmental and socio-economic terms, it is necessary to better understand the geographic distribution and strength of farmland abandonment trends in the EU-27, and to develop indicators to identify the most important farmland abandonment tendencies. The first aim of this study was to establish the state of the art concerning farmland abandonment (definition, type) and methodologies for identifying/quantifying this phenomenon (dataset, period of analysis, scale). Then, it was about contributing to a new definition of Less Favoured Areas by assessing the driving forces of farmland abandonment and preparing the guidelines for agri-environmental indicator Nr 14 [COM2006 (508final)] by evaluating the state and risk of farmland abandonment. The proposed methodology was based on two main elements: the variation of the UAA and the definition of rural areas. After identifying clear definitions for each variable, the way to consider the main flows of land use changes was studied. Due to a lack of accurate data at the appropriate scale, farmland afforestation could not be separated from the flow of FLA and the flow from farmland to sealed soil was estimated based on the hypothesis that it was mainly located in urban areas where the population density is high or increases very fast. The methodology was tested in three of the main agricultural countries in the EU-27 in terms of surface (France, Spain and Poland). Then, five regions were chosen to cover different contexts where a high level of FLA was observed and interviews of experts and stakeholders completed the study. Based on the results on the main causes of FLA, indicators of risk were proposed and recommendations were formulated to improve the methodology and datasets.JRC.H.5-Rural, water and ecosystem resource

Shopping centre siting and modal choice in Belgium: a destination based analysis

Although modal split is only one of the elements considered in decision-making on new shopping malls, it remarkably often arises in arguments of both proponents and opponents. Today, this is also the case in the debate on the planned development of three major shopping malls in Belgium. Inspired by such debates, the present study focuses on the impact of the location of shopping centres on the travel mode choice of the customers. Our hypothesis is that destination-based variables such as embeddedness in the urban fabric, accessibility and mall size influence the travel mode choice of the visitors. Based on modal split data and location characteristics of seventeen existing shopping centres in Belgium, we develop a model for a more sustainable siting policy. The results show a major influence of the location of the shopping centre in relation to the urban form, and of the size of the mall. Shopping centres that are part of a dense urban fabric, measured through population density, are less car dependent. Smaller sites will attract more cyclists and pedestrians. Interestingly, our results deviate significantly from the figures that have been put forward in public debates on the shopping mall issue in Belgium

Reconstruire la ville sur la ville - Recyclage des espaces dégradés. Etat d'avancement

audience: researcher, professional, studentRapport intermédiaire de la subvention 2004-200

Comparison of two pore sizes of LAE442 scaffolds and their effect on degradation and osseointegration behavior in the rabbit model

The magnesium alloy LAE442 emerged as a possible bioresorbable bone substitute over a decade ago. In the present study, using the investment casting process, scaffolds of the Magnesium (Mg) alloy LAE442 with two different and defined pore sizes, which had on average a diameter of 400 μm (p400) and 500 μm (p500), were investigated to evaluate degradation and osseointegration in comparison to a ß‐TCP control group. Open‐pored scaffolds were implanted in both greater trochanter of rabbits. Ten scaffolds per time group (6, 12, 24, and 36 weeks) and type were analyzed by clinical, radiographic and μ‐CT examinations (2D and 3D). None of the scaffolds caused adverse reactions. LAE442 p400 and p500 developed moderate gas accumulation due to the Mg associated in vivo corrosion, which decreased from week 20 for both pore sizes. After 36 weeks, p400 and p500 showed volume decreases of 15.9 and 11.1%, respectively, with homogeneous degradation, whereas ß‐TCP lost 74.6% of its initial volume. Compared to p400, osseointegration for p500 was significantly better at week 2 postsurgery due to more frequent bone‐scaffold contacts, higher number of trabeculae and higher bone volume in the surrounding area. No further significant differences between the two pore sizes became apparent. However, p500 was close to the values of ß‐TCP in terms of bone volume and trabecular number in the scaffold environment, suggesting better osseointegration for the larger pore size

CD4 cell count and the risk of AIDS or death in HIV-Infected adults on combination antiretroviral therapy with a suppressed viral load: a longitudinal cohort study from COHERE.

BACKGROUND: Most adults infected with HIV achieve viral suppression within a year of starting combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). It is important to understand the risk of AIDS events or death for patients with a suppressed viral load. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Using data from the Collaboration of Observational HIV Epidemiological Research Europe (2010 merger), we assessed the risk of a new AIDS-defining event or death in successfully treated patients. We accumulated episodes of viral suppression for each patient while on cART, each episode beginning with the second of two consecutive plasma viral load measurements 500 copies/µl, the first of two consecutive measurements between 50-500 copies/µl, cART interruption or administrative censoring. We used stratified multivariate Cox models to estimate the association between time updated CD4 cell count and a new AIDS event or death or death alone. 75,336 patients contributed 104,265 suppression episodes and were suppressed while on cART for a median 2.7 years. The mortality rate was 4.8 per 1,000 years of viral suppression. A higher CD4 cell count was always associated with a reduced risk of a new AIDS event or death; with a hazard ratio per 100 cells/µl (95% CI) of: 0.35 (0.30-0.40) for counts <200 cells/µl, 0.81 (0.71-0.92) for counts 200 to <350 cells/µl, 0.74 (0.66-0.83) for counts 350 to <500 cells/µl, and 0.96 (0.92-0.99) for counts ≥500 cells/µl. A higher CD4 cell count became even more beneficial over time for patients with CD4 cell counts <200 cells/µl. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the low mortality rate, the risk of a new AIDS event or death follows a CD4 cell count gradient in patients with viral suppression. A higher CD4 cell count was associated with the greatest benefit for patients with a CD4 cell count <200 cells/µl but still some slight benefit for those with a CD4 cell count ≥500 cells/µl

Managing toxicities associated with immune checkpoint inhibitors: consensus recommendations from the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) Toxicity Management Working Group.

Cancer immunotherapy has transformed the treatment of cancer. However, increasing use of immune-based therapies, including the widely used class of agents known as immune checkpoint inhibitors, has exposed a discrete group of immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Many of these are driven by the same immunologic mechanisms responsible for the drugs\u27 therapeutic effects, namely blockade of inhibitory mechanisms that suppress the immune system and protect body tissues from an unconstrained acute or chronic immune response. Skin, gut, endocrine, lung and musculoskeletal irAEs are relatively common, whereas cardiovascular, hematologic, renal, neurologic and ophthalmologic irAEs occur much less frequently. The majority of irAEs are mild to moderate in severity; however, serious and occasionally life-threatening irAEs are reported in the literature, and treatment-related deaths occur in up to 2% of patients, varying by ICI. Immunotherapy-related irAEs typically have a delayed onset and prolonged duration compared to adverse events from chemotherapy, and effective management depends on early recognition and prompt intervention with immune suppression and/or immunomodulatory strategies. There is an urgent need for multidisciplinary guidance reflecting broad-based perspectives on how to recognize, report and manage organ-specific toxicities until evidence-based data are available to inform clinical decision-making. The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) established a multidisciplinary Toxicity Management Working Group, which met for a full-day workshop to develop recommendations to standardize management of irAEs. Here we present their consensus recommendations on managing toxicities associated with immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy