Étude numérique de l'interaction des ondes de surface avec les cavités souterraines

L’effondrement des remblais routiers causé par le développement de cavités souterraines autour des ponceaux pose un risque majeur pour la sécurité des usagers et les installations à proximité. La détection de vides peu profonds est devenue l'une des missions récurrentes difficiles en génie civil à cause de la complexité de la réponse sismique d’un remblai routier en présence d’un ponceau et d’éventuelles cavités. Bien que les méthodes non intrusives basées sur les ondes de surface permettent d’estimer efficacement la vitesse des ondes de cisaillement des dépôts de sol, de nombreux défis sont rencontrés lorsqu'il s'agit de juger de la présence d'une inhomogénéité latérale locale en raison de la résolution limitée des approches géophysiques appliquées. Par conséquent, une étude numérique a été entreprise pour étudier la sensibilité des deux composantes des ondes de Rayleigh (la composante horizontale et la composante verticale désignées X et Z respectivement dans cette étude) et la seule composante des ondes de Love (désignée Y dans cette étude) à un contraste de rigidité (vide) dans différents contextes géologiques. Les accélérations des trois composants sont simulées au moyen du programme de modélisation numérique par éléments finis FLAC3D (Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua in 3 Dimensions) pour différentes configurations de modèles en présence et en absence de cavité. Les données sismiques sont traitées avec la transformée de Stockwell généralisée (GST) dans le domaine temps-fréquence. Les résultats sont présentés sous forme des tomographies des courbes de dispersion des vitesses de groupe et de phase pour évaluer l'effet de la cavité et la localiser par rapport à la source. La signature de la cavité a également été étudiée à deux différentes profondeurs à partir du modèle parfaitement homogène. Les distributions de vitesse des trois composants ont révélé des changements négligeables après la création de la plus profonde cavité. Les observations numériques ont démontré que les vitesses de phase sont plus sensibles que la vitesse de groupe aux variations latérales de densité. De plus, on peut conclure que les trois composants ont révélé des distributions de vitesse de phase perceptibles et distinctes en présence d’un vide. La composante X s'est également avérée plus efficace pour localiser la cavité. Les résultats de cette étude numérique suggèrent l’acquisition des trois composantes lors des relevés sismiques sur terrain et d’intégrer simultanément ses trois composantes lors de l’analyse pour une plus grande fiabilité.Abstract : A road collapse caused by the development of near-surface cavities surrounding buried culverts poses a major hazard to road users’ safety and nearby facilities. The complexity of the road embankment seismic response has made it a challenging recurring mission in civil engineering to detect shallow voids. Although non-intrusive surface wave methods afford reliable shear wave velocity estimates of the subsurface materials, many challenges are encountered when judging the presence of a local lateral heterogeneity due to the limited resolution of the applied geophysical approaches. Therefore, a numerical study was conducted to investigate the sensitivity of the two Rayleigh waves components (the horizontal and vertical components, designed as X-component and Z-components, respectively in this study) and the only Love waves component (designed as Y-component in this study) to a contrast of rigidity (void) in different geological contexts. The accelerations of the three components are computed using a finite element commercial code FLAC3D (Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua in 3 Dimensions) for different model configurations both with and without a cavity. The seismic data are processed using the Generalized Stockwell transform (GST) in the time-frequency domain. To evaluate the effect of the cavity and locate it with respect to the source offset, the results are presented in the form of tomography maps and the group and phase velocity dispersion curve variations along the inspected array. The cavity signature was also studied at two depths relying on a perfectly homogeneous model. The velocity distribution change of the three components revealed minor changes after creating the deeper cavity. Moreover, the numerical observations demonstrated that the phase velocity is considerably more susceptible to lateral density variations than the group velocity. It was concluded that the three components revealed perceptible and distinct phase velocity changes in the presence of the void. The X-component was also found to be more effective in localizing the near and far boundaries of the cavity. The results of this numerical study suggest acquiring the three components during field seismic surveys and integrating the three components simultaneously during the analysis procedure for better efficiency

Modular Optical Wireless Elements

Optical wireless has gained attention in recent years as an e cient and secure way to provide broadband connectivity to mobile platforms, isolated communities, and crowded public events. Companies like NASA, Google, Facebook, and others have demonstrated its potential. However, current optical wireless technology remains mostly heavy, bulky, and expensive, making it impractical for many scenarios and inaccessible to most students/researchers. This work presents the concept of Modular Optical Wireless Elements (MOWE), a novel system composed of multiple electrically interconnected optical modules (i.e., elements) forming a at or curved terminal that is inexpensive, lightweight, and easy-to-assemble. The technology enables cost-eff ective access to wide eld-of-view optical communication for last-mile broadband connectivity. Smart modules provide recon gurability, as well as local and central processing capabilities. The modules enable innovative short- and medium-range applications for free-space optics (FSO) in indoor communication and navigation, MIMO, and optical sensing, among others. This dissertation introduces the MOWE concept and provides in-depth information about modeling, analysis, hardware, and rmware, along with proof-of-concept examples and demonstrations. The notions of software-de ned optics and cognitive optics are introduced and analyzed in a MOWE context. Several experiments and case studies covering a wide spectrum of applications-from intelligent power control to passive beam steering-are presented in detail. This dissertation also discusses the future of MOWE technology and suggests possible improvements for high performance systems

HARASSMENT AND BULLYING (A STUDY IN THE LEBANESE AND EGYPTIAN PENAL CODE)

This research paper solves a new and very serious problem which is the possibility of considering the punitive penalty, that was selected by the Lebanese penal code and the Egyptian penal law for harassment crime and the bullying action, capable of achieving the criminal deterrence function and the deterrence function in a public figure. The problem was solved using a unique technique referred to the importance of cooperation between the humanitarian sciences to achieve an effective criminal policy that we can combat these crimes and actions through. On a specific level referred to the harassment and the bullying action, we have analyzed the legal concept of it, showing the reasons behind these actions by referring to criminal psychology theories and showing the results of these action; and according to this analysis we have listed the main conclusions talking about the base of these actions which is violence and how we can take steps of some effective preventive methods that can help in reducing this phenomenon. Also we listed some recommendations, between these comes the importance of community awareness of the danger behind these actions and the possibility of applying the alternative penalties , also working on creating treatment centers for the victims of these actions also establishing specific national committees that works on combating these crimes and actions

Web-based patient-reported outcome measures for personalized treatment and care (PROMPT-Care) : multicenter pragmatic nonrandomized trial

Background: Despite the acceptability and efficacy of e–patient-reported outcome (ePRO) systems, implementation in routine clinical care remains challenging. Objective: This pragmatic trial implemented the PROMPT-Care (Patient Reported Outcome Measures for Personalized Treatment and Care) web-based system into existing clinical workflows and evaluated its effectiveness among a diverse population of patients with cancer. Methods: Adult patients with solid tumors receiving active treatment or follow-up care in four cancer centers were enrolled. The PROMPT-Care intervention supported patient management through (1) monthly off-site electronic PRO physical symptom and psychosocial well-being assessments, (2) automated electronic clinical alerts notifying the care team of unresolved clinical issues following two consecutive assessments, and (3) tailored online patient self-management resources. Propensity score matching was used to match controls with intervention patients in a 4:1 ratio for patient age, sex, and treatment status. The primary outcome was a reduction in emergency department presentations. Secondary outcomes were time spent on chemotherapy and the number of allied health service referrals. Results: From April 2016 to October 2018, 328 patients from four public hospitals received the intervention. Matched controls (n=1312) comprised the general population of patients with cancer, seen at the participating hospitals during the study period. Emergency department visits were significantly reduced by 33% (P=.02) among patients receiving the intervention compared with patients in the matched controls. No significant associations were found in allied health referrals or time to end of chemotherapy. At baseline, the most common patient reported outcomes (above-threshold) were fatigue (39%), tiredness (38.4%), worry (32.9%), general wellbeing (32.9%), and sleep (24.1%), aligning with the most frequently accessed self-management domain pages of physical well-being (36%) and emotional well-being (23%). The majority of clinical feedback reports were reviewed by nursing staff (729/893, 82%), largely in response to the automated clinical alerts (n=877). Conclusions: Algorithm-supported web-based systems utilizing patient reported outcomes in clinical practice reduced emergency department presentations among a diverse population of patients with cancer. This study also highlighted the importance of (1) automated triggers for reviewing above-threshold results in patient reports, rather than passive manual review of patient records; (2) the instrumental role nurses play in managing alerts; and (3) providing patients with resources to support guided self-management, where appropriate. Together, these factors will inform the integration of web-based PRO systems into future models of routine cancer care

Experiences of stigma in healthcare settings among adults living with HIV in the Islamic Republic of Iran

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>People living with HIV (PLHIV) sometimes experience discrimination. There is little understanding of the causes, forms and consequences of this stigma in Islamic countries. This qualitative study explored perceptions and experiences of PLHIV regarding both the quality of healthcare and the attitudes and behaviours of their healthcare providers in the Islamic Republic of Iran.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In-depth, semi-structured interviews were held with a purposively selected group of 69 PLHIV recruited from two HIV care clinics in Tehran. Data were analyzed using the content analysis approach.</p> <p>Results and discussion</p> <p>Nearly all participants reported experiencing stigma and discrimination by their healthcare providers in a variety of contexts. Participants perceived that their healthcare providers' fear of being infected with HIV, coupled with religious and negative value-based assumptions about PLHIV, led to high levels of stigma. Participants mentioned at least four major forms of stigma: (1) refusal of care; (2) sub-optimal care; (3) excessive precautions and physical distancing; and (4) humiliation and blaming. The participants' healthcare-seeking behavioural reactions to perceived stigma and discrimination included avoiding or delaying seeking care, not disclosing HIV status when seeking healthcare, and using spiritual healing. In addition, emotional responses to perceived acts of stigma included feeling undeserving of care, diminished motivation to stay healthy, feeling angry and vengeful, and experiencing emotional stress.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>While previous studies demonstrate that most Iranian healthcare providers report fairly positive attitudes towards PLHIV, our participants' experiences tell a different story. Therefore, it is imperative to engage both healthcare providers and PLHIV in designing interventions targeting stigma in healthcare settings. Additionally, specialized training programmes in universal precautions for health providers will lead to stigma reduction. National policies to strengthen medical training and to provide funding for stigma-reduction programming are strongly recommended. Investigating Islamic literature and instruction, as well as requesting official public statements from religious leaders regarding stigma and discrimination in healthcare settings, should be used in educational intervention programmes targeting healthcare providers. Finally, further studies are needed to investigate the role of the physician and religion in the local context.</p

Benoist (Joseph-Roger de) : L 'Afrique occidentale française de la Conférence de (1944) à l'Indépendance (1960)

Kaadan Sabah. Benoist (Joseph-Roger de) : L 'Afrique occidentale française de la Conférence de (1944) à l'Indépendance (1960). In: Revue française d'histoire d'outre-mer, tome 72, n°268, 3e trimestre 1985. La péninsule indochinoise et les Européens de la seconde moitié du XVIIIe siècle à 1954 (2e Partie) pp. 362-363

Untold Narratives: Realizing Personal Design Identities

This thesis introduces alternative possibilities for structuring design education to emancipate designers’ personal creative identities. It was motivated by personal experiences and a series of observations and case studies recorded and conducted at MIT’s graduate and undergraduate architecture and design studios. My study examines a crucial set of dialectics: subjectivity and objectivity, agency and structure, and political and personal narratives. The hypothesis is that the structures embodying students’ relationships — the self and society, the self and others, and the self and self — are all essential to how design identities develop, yet these relationships are often unintentionally unrealized due to the inherent challenge of developing personal design intentions. Examination of this hypothesis led me to instrumentalize students’ personal narratives as a design tool to emancipate their agency through worldmaking exercises, and thus promoting students’ agency in a process of developing a personal design language, geometries, and visual imagination. The study herein offers a pedagogical framework — experimental case studies part of a larger aspired transformative reform — the first running in tandem with core studios, and the second a workshop that followed. Both case studies utilized introspective and performative design practices to help students harness a personal sense of narrative, methods of representation, design language and their embodying social and cultural identity. Through this framework, students cultivate their own personal “worlds,” in awareness of the embedded structures. This framework is a step towards a pedagogically transformative and socially solidaristic project of decolonizing personal narratives – a tale of designers’ voice realization.S.M