A descriptive study of positive body image among female adolescent dancers

This study examined whether groups of adolescent girls, who society defines as having a positive body image, actually feel positive about their own body image and how they express it culturally. Cheerleaders and dancers were chosen as accessible groups that embodied the ideal body image as defined by popular Western teen culture. Qualitative analysis was conducted using interviews, observations, and focus groups to determine how these groups felt about their body image and how they defined a positive image. The influence of attitudes towards perfectionism, perceived control over the body, and the desire to follow healthy habits all contributed to how the participants defined a positive body image. All of the participants stated they felt positive about their bodies, but wished to change their perceived bodily flaws in order to feel better about themselves. Increased confidence and more revealing clothing were stated as cultural examples of a positive body image

Écrire à Pompéi : propositions pour une modernisation du CIL IV

Avec plus de 11.000 graffiti et inscriptions peintes, Pompéi constitue assurément un site privilégié pour l’analyse de la diffusion de l’alphabétisme dans les sociétés antiques. Pourtant, les critiques autrefois formulées à l’encontre du travail d’édition de M. Della Corte ont conduit certains chercheurs à postuler l’impossibilité d’exploiter le CIL IV comme source d’informations sur les usages de l’écriture dans les sociétés anciennes. Cet article propose donc les premiers linéaments d’un projet collectif qui ambitionne de reprendre le travail de M. Della Corte, en introduisant la documentation scripturaire de Pompéi dans une base de données (fonctionnant sous Filemaker), dont sont ici présentés les attendus théoriques, les présupposés techniques et le modèle relationnel. L’exploitation de cette base de données doit permettre d’aborder la literacy, non plus sous l’angle du nombre d’individus à même d’écrire, mais sous celui des modes de production et des différents types de rapports à l’écriture, afin de mieux cerner, in fine, le profil social, économique, professionnel, politique, culturel… des lisants-écrivants de la cité campanienne.Con più di 11.000 graffiti e iscrizioni parietali, Pompei costituisce sicuramente un sito privilegiato per l’analisi della diffusione dell’alfabetizzazione nell’Antichità. Tuttavia, le critiche formulate nel passato contro l’edizione di M. Della Corte hanno condotto taluni ricercatori a postulare l’impossibilità di usare il CIL IV comme fonte di informazioni sulle pratiche di scrittura nelle società antiche. Quest’articolo espone quindi i primi abbozzi di un progetto collettivo, il cui obiettivo è di riprendere il lavoro di M. Della Corte inserendo la documentazione scritta di Pompei in un database (funzionante mediante Filemaker), del quale sono qui presentati i fondamenti teorici, i presupposti tecnici e il modello relazionale. L’utilizzazione del database dovrà consentire di abbordare la literacy, non più dal punto di vista della quantità di persone in capace di scrivere, ma sotto l’aspetto dei diversi rapporti con la scrittura, per infine provare a individuare con maggior precisione il profilo sociale, economico, professionale, politico e culturale dei «lisants-écrivants» della città vesuviana

2. Réussir ses relations avec la presse écrite

Savoir communiquer avec la presse écrite, c’est d’abord savoir qui sont les journalistes, où et comment ils travaillent, et quels sont leurs besoins. Forte de ces informations, une bibliothèque peut élaborer une stratégie de relation presse et notamment émettre des communiqués, organiser des conférences et mesurer l’impact de sa communication. COMPRENDRE LES JOURNALISTES POUR MIEUX COMMUNIQUER UNE DÉMOGRAPHIE ET DES PROFILS D’ACTIVITÉ TRÈS LARGES Si l’on s’en tient à la définition du Code du ..

Couplage optimisation à convergence partielle et stratégie multiparamétrique en calcul de structures

Optimisation strategies on assembly design are often time expensive on industrial case. The main difficulties are due to the non-linearties of the calculation (contact, friction and gap between pieces). The computation cost can be too expensive to lead a global optimization with a large number of evaluation of the mechanical problem.In order to achieve this kind of optimization problems, this work purposes to use a two-levels models optimization strategy. THe first level is defined thanks to the construction of a metamodel which is used to lead a global optimization. On the second level, a local optimization is used on the real mechanical model thanks to the results got from the first level.Two main tools are used in this work. The first one is the multiparametric LaTIn method which enables to reduce drastically the computational time for solving several similar mechanical assembly design problems. The other tool is the one which is the most developped in this work is the constrcution of multi-fidelty surrogate models. Indeed, the LaTIn method in an iterative method, so it is possible to define an error indicator which can be used as a level of convergence of the calculation. The construction of multi-fidelity metamodels has for particularity to incorpore several kind of information which are named as "totally converged" if the calculation has been converged and "partially converged" if the calculation has been stopped premarturly.Different multi-fidélity methods have been investigated in this work on several mechnaical examples in the aim to define the most performant. Industrial case test are trated in this thesis.In order to achieve this kind of optimization problems with an acceptable computational time, this work propose to use a two-levels model optimization strategy based on two main tools: (1) the multiparametric strategy based on the LaTIn method that enables to reduce significantly the computational time for solving many similar mechanical assembly problems and (2) a cokriging metamodel built using responses and gradients computed by the mechanical solver on few sets of design parameters. The metamodel provides very inexpensive approximate responses of the objective function and it enables to achieve a global optimisation and to obtain the global optimum. The cokriging metamodel was reviewed in detail using analytical test functions and some mechanical benchmarks. The quality of the approximation and the building cost were compared with classical kriging approach. Moreover, a complete study of the multiparametric strategy was proposed using many mechanical benchmarks included many kinds and numbers of design parameters. The performance in term of computational time of the whole optimisation process was illustrated.Dans le cadre de calcul des assemblages de structures, les bureaux d'études sont à l'heure actuelle encore limités dans la possibilité de mener des travaux d'optimisation. En effet, la résolution numérique des assemblages nécessite la mise en œuvre de méthodes capables de prendre en compte différents types de non-linéarités (frottement, contact et jeux entre pièces). Le coût de calcul associé à ces méthodes est généralement trop important pour mener une optimisation globale nécessitant un trop grand nombre d'évaluations. Afin de pallier à ce problème, ce travail s'appuie sur une démarche d'optimisation à deux niveaux de modèles. Le premier niveau d'optimisation consiste à la création d'un métamodèle sur lequel est effectué une optimisation globale. Le second niveau d'optimisation consiste à mener à bien une optimisation locale sur le modèle mécanique réel. Cette optimisation locale s'appuie sur les résultats trouvés au premier niveau. Deux outils sont principalement utilisés au cours de cette thèse. Tout d'abord les simulations numériques sont réalisées à l'aide de la méthode LaTIn multiparamétrique qui assure la réduction des temps de calcul associés aux multiples résolutions du problème mécanique. L'autre outil plus largement développé au cours de ce travail s'appuie sur la construction de métamodèles multi-fidélité. En effet, la méthode LaTIn est une méthode de calcul itérative, il est alors possible d'avoir accès à un indicateur d'erreur servant de niveau de convergence pour les différents calculs numériques effectués. La construction de métamodèles multi-fidélité a pour particularité de pouvoir incorporé différentes sources d'informations qui sont dans ce travail dites "totalement convergé" lorsqu'un calcul est effectué à convergence et "partiellement convergé" lorsqu'un calcul est stoppé avant convergence. Différentes méthodes multi-fidélité sont testées dans ce travail sur plusieurs exemples mécaniques afin de déterminer les plus performantes. Deux cas industriels sont également traités

Modeling the pharmacodynamics of passive membrane permeability

Small molecule permeability through cellular membranes is critical to a better understanding of pharmacodynamics and the drug discovery endeavor. Such permeability may be estimated as a function of the free energy change of barrier crossing by invoking the barrier domain model, which posits that permeation is limited by passage through a single “barrier domain” and assumes diffusivity differences among compounds of similar structure are negligible. Inspired by the work of Rezai and co-workers (JACS 128:14073–14080, 2006), we estimate this free energy change as the difference in implicit solvation free energies in chloroform and water, but extend their model to include solute conformational affects. Using a set of eleven structurally diverse FDA approved compounds and a set of thirteen congeneric molecules, we show that the solvation free energies are dominated by the global minima, which allows solute conformational distributions to be effectively neglected. For the set of tested compounds, the best correlation with experiment is obtained when the implicit chloroform global minimum is used to evaluate the solvation free energy difference

Rapid translocation of nanoparticles from the lung airspaces to the body

Nano-size particles show promise for pulmonary drug delivery, yet their behavior after deposition in the lung remains poorly understood. In this study, a series of near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent nanoparticles were systematically varied in chemical composition, shape, size and surface charge, and their biodistribution and elimination were quantified in rat models after lung instillation. We demonstrate that nanoparticles with hydrodynamic diameter (HD) less than ≈34 nm and a noncationic surface charge translocate rapidly from the lung to mediastinal lymph nodes. Nanoparticles of HD < 6 nm can traffic rapidly from the lungs to lymph nodes and the bloodstream, and then be subsequently cleared by the kidneys. We discuss the importance of these findings for drug delivery, air pollution and carcinogenesis