Agents that look at one another

International audienceDespite the fact that epistemic connectives are sometimes interpreted in concrete structures defined by means of runs and clock time functions, one of the things that strikes one when studying multiagent logics is how abstract their semantics are. Contrasting this fact is the fact that real agents like robots in everyday life and virtual characters in video games have strong links with their spatial environment. In this article, we introduce multiagent logics which semantics can be defined by means of purely geometrical notions: possible states are defined by means of the positions in ℝn occupied by agents and the sections of ℝn seen by agents whereas accessibility relations are defined by means of the ability of agents to imagine possible states compatible with what they currently see

Dynamiques temporelles de la pandémie de grippe A/H1N1 dans la presse écrite francophone

National audienceLe projet cherche à étudier les représentations et les politiques sanitaires associées aux épidémies contemporaines dans une perspective d'interprétation croisée : sociale, psychologique, spatiale et historique. Ainsi, il propose de développer une approche pluridisciplinaire en combinant des méthodes et des orientations épistémologiques complémentaires à partir de l'épisode de grippe A (H1N1) de 2009-2010. Cet épisode de crise constitue une entrée particulièrement intéressante pour étudier le risque épidémique dans la mesure où il est associé à la mise en place de politiques sanitaires particulières et fait circuler des représentations spécifiques de la maladie. Il permet en outre d'interroger les différentes échelles d'action impliquées dans la construction sociale et spatiale des deux épidémies. Son analyse peut par ailleurs permettre une dimension comparative en cherchant à appréhender les pratiques des différents acteurs et les modèles de prévention et de lutte qu'elles ont pu diffuser

Politiques et représentations des épidémies. Analyse comparée de la construction d’un problème de santé global: La pandémie de grippe A/ H1N1 et les campagnes de vaccination à travers les presses écrites francophones et anglophones

Politiques et représentations des épidémies. Analyse comparée de la construction d’un problème de santé globalA partir d'un corpus en langue française généré via l'agrégateur de presse Factiva, nous développons deux types d'analyse textuelle à l'aide des logiciels Alceste et Tropes. L'objectif de ce rapport est d'étudier la dynamique temporelle du discours de la presse sur la pandémie de grippe A/H1N1 et la campagne de vaccination associée (2009‐2010). Interroger la temporalité du discours nous donne la possibilité de mieux appréhender la cohérence temporelle des espaces de débat associé à la crise de la grippe A/H1N1. Cette perspective nécessite de mieux appréhender les dimensions globales et locales de la description du discours.A partir d'un corpus en langue française généré via l'agrégateur de presse Factiva, nous développons deux types d'analyse textuelle à l'aide des logiciels Alceste et Tropes. L'objectif de ce rapport est d'étudier la dynamique temporelle du discours de la presse sur la pandémie de grippe A/H1N1 et la campagne de vaccination associée (2009‐2010). Interroger la temporalité du discours nous donne la possibilité de mieux appréhender la cohérence temporelle des espaces de débat associé à la crise de la grippe A/H1N1. Cette perspective nécessite de mieux appréhender les dimensions globales et locales de la description du discours

Construction of a questionnaire measuring outpatients' opinion of quality of hospital consultation departments

BACKGROUND: Few questionnaires on outpatients' satisfaction with hospital exist. All have been constructed without giving enough room for the patient's point of view in the validation procedure. The main objective was to develop, according to psychometric standards, a self-administered generic outpatient questionnaire exploring opinion on quality of hospital care. METHOD: First, a qualitative phase was conducted to generate items and identify domains using critical analysis incident technique and literature review. A list of easily comprehensible non-redundant items was defined using Delphi technique and a pilot study on outpatients. This phase involved outpatients, patient association representatives and experts. The second step was a quantitative validation phase comprised a multicenter study in 3 hospitals, 10 departments and 1007 outpatients. It was designed to select items, identify dimensions, measure reliability, internal and concurrent validity. Patients were randomized according to the place of questionnaire completion (hospital v. home) (participation rate = 65%). Third, a mail-back study on 2 departments and 248 outpatients was conducted to replicate the validation (participation rate = 57%). RESULTS: A 27-item questionnaire comprising 4 subscales (appointment making, reception facilities, waiting time and consultation with the doctor). The factorial structure was satisfactory (loading >0.50 on each subscale for all items, except one item). Interscale correlations ranged from 0.42 to 0.59, Cronbach α coefficients ranged from 0.79 to 0.94. All Item-scale correlations were higher than 0.40. Test-retest intraclass coefficients ranged from 0.69 to 0.85. A unidimensional 9-item version was produced by selection of one third of the items within each subscale with the strongest loading on the principal component and the best item-scale correlation corrected for overlap. Factors related to satisfaction level independent from departments were age, previous consultations in the department and satisfaction with life. Completion at hospital immediately after consultation led to an overestimation of satisfaction. No satisfaction score differences existed between spontaneous respondents and patients responding after reminder(s). CONCLUSION: Good estimation of patient opinion on hospital consultation performance was obtained with these questionnaires. When comparing performances between departments or the same department over time scores need to be adjusted on 3 variables that influence satisfaction independently from department. Completion of the questionnaire at home is preferable to completion in the consultation facility and reminders are not necessary to produce non-biased data

Development of an Evaluation Framework Suitable for Assessing Humanitarian Workforce Competencies During Crisis Simulation Exercises

The need to provide a professionalization process for the humanitarian workforce is well established. Current competency-based curricula provided by existing academically affiliated training centers in North America, the United Kingdom, and the European Union provide a route toward certification. Simulation exercises followed by timely evaluation is one way to mimic the field deployment process, test knowledge of core competences, and ensure that a competent workforce can manage the inevitable emergencies and crises they will face. Through a 2011 field-based exercise that simulated a humanitarian crisis, delivered under the auspices of the World Health Organization (WHO), a competency-based framework and evaluation tool is demonstrated as a model for future training and evaluation of humanitarian providers. CranmerH, ChanJ, KaydenS, MusaniA, GasquetP, WalkerP, BurkleF, JohnsonK. Development of an evaluation framework suitable for assessing humanitarian workforce competencies during crisis simulation exercises. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2014;29(1):1-

Isotopic and geochemical constraints on lead and fluid sources of the Pb-Zn-Ag mineralization in the polymetallic Tighza-Jbel Aouam district (central Morocco), and relationships with the geodynamic context

International audienceThe Wsingle bondAu, Pbsingle bondZnsingle bondAg, and Sbsingle bondBa mineralizations of the polymetallic Tighza-Jbel Aouam district (central Meseta, Morocco), are hosted in Paleozoic rocks surrounding late-Carboniferous granitic stocks. The Pbsingle bondZnsingle bondAg Tighza deposit formed at 254 ± 16 Ma, and is clearly disconnected from the late-Variscan Wsingle bondAu deposit (295-280 Ma). The Pbsingle bondZnsingle bondAg mineralization precipitated from a complex hydrothermal fluid. It displays air-normalized 3He/4He ratio (0.018–0.103) typical of the upper crust. This crustal component is confirmed by the oxygen and carbon isotope compositions (δ18O = +19 to +25‰; δ13C = −3.6 to −11.2‰) and the ɛNd values (−4.84 to −9.01) of gangue carbonates, which show mixing of (i) fluids that have interacted with late-Carboniferous magmatic rocks, and (ii) fluids in equilibrium with the Paleozoic metasediments. In addition, the Pbsingle bondZnsingle bondAg mineralization has 40Ar/36Ar values in the range 284–315 typical of a meteoric fluid. The radiogenic Pb isotopic compositions (207Pb/204Pb = 15.70–15.80 and 206Pb/204Pb = 18.30–18.50) suggest leaching of Pb from the surrounding Paleozoic metasediments and late-Variscan granites, whereas the low radiogenic signatures (207Pb/204Pb = 15.40 and 206Pb/204Pb = 18.05) provide evidence of a deeper source attributed to the lower crust.Crustal thinning related to extensional tectonics in late-Permian and Early-Triassic lead to high-K calc-alkaline to alkaline magmatic activity, which is evidenced by a dense SW-NE-trending dike network that pre-dated the Atlantic Ocean opening (early Liassic times). This magmatic event induced a regional heat flux increase that triggered the circulation of a complex hydrothermal fluid, which has a strong crustal component, but also a meteoric and a lower crustal components. The polymetallic district of Tighza-Jbel Aouam thus results from superposition of an intrusion related porphyry-gold mineralization (Wsingle bondAu, 286 Ma) followed by a Pbsingle bondZnsingle bondAg epithermal mineralization (254 Ma), during two distinct magmatic-hydrothermal events.The proposed metallogenic model for the Pbsingle bondZnsingle bondAg Tighza-Jbel Aouam deposit provides new constraints for the Pbsingle bondZnsingle bondAg exploration in the Moroccan Meseta. Exploration targets must take into account the following geological features: (i) Permo-triassic high-K calk-alkaline to alkaline dikes, (ii) extensional tectonics and reactivation of ancient crust-scale faults and shear zones, and (iii) Paleozoic series containing organic matter (e.g., black shales) subjected to low grade metamorphism (e.g., greenschist facies)

Magnetohydrodynamics measurements in the von Karman sodium experiment

International audienceWe study the magnetic induction in a confined swirling flow of liquid sodium, at integral magnetic Reynolds numbers up to 50. More precisely, we measure in situ the magnetic field induced by the flow motion in the presence of a weak external field. Because of the very small value of the magnetic Prandtl number of all liquid metals, flows with even modest R-m are strongly turbulent. Large mean induction effects are observed over a fluctuating background. As expected from the von Karman flow geometry, the induction is strongly anisotropic. The main contributions are the generation of an azimuthal induced field when the applied field is in the axial direction (an Omega effect) and the generation of axial induced field when the applied field is the transverse direction (as in a large scale alpha effect). Strong fluctuations of the induced field, due to the flow nonstationarity, occur over time scales slower than the flow forcing frequency. In the spectral domain, they display a f(-1) spectral slope. At smaller scales (and larger frequencies) the turbulent fluctuations are in agreement with a Kolmogorov modeling of passive vector dynamics

MHD measurements in the von Kármán sodium experiment

We study the magnetic induction in a confined swirling flow of liquid sodium, at integral magnetic Reynolds numbers up to 50. More precisely, we measure in situ the magnetic field induced by the flow motion in the presence of a weak external field. Because of the very small value of the magnetic Prandtl number of all liquid metals, flows with even modest Rm are strongly turbulent. Large mean induction effects are observed over a fluctuating background. As expected from the von Kármán flow geometry, the induction is strongly anisotropic. The main contributions are the generation of an azimuthal induced field when the applied field is in the axial direction ~an V effect! and the generation of axial induced field when the applied field is the transverse direction ~as in a large scale a effect!. Strong fluctuations of the induced field, due to the flow nonstationarity, occur over time scales slower than the flow forcing frequency. In the spectral domain, they display a f21 spectral slope. At smaller scales ~and larger frequencies! the turbulent fluctuations are in agreement with a Kolmogorov modeling of passive vector dynamics

Carte géologique du Maroc (1/50 000), feuille Alougoum

Notice explicative par BLEIN O., RAZIN Ph., CHÈVREMONT Ph., BAUDIN T., GASQUET D., SOULAIMANI A., ADMOU H., YOUBI N., BOUABDELLI M., ANZAR Consei

Carte géologiques du Maroc (1/50 000), feuille Bou Azer

Notice explicative par CHÈVREMONT Ph., BLEIN O., RAZIN Ph., BAUDIN T., BARBANSON L., GASQUET D., SOULAIMANI A., ADMOU H., YOUBI N., BOUABDELLI M, ANZAR-Consei