Using multimedia to teach French language and culture

textIn order for the study of French to survive in American higher education, it will be necessary to adopt a pedagogy that motivates learners as well as teaches them both language and culture. I argue that the judicious use of visual materials (film, video and graphic novels) is ideal for this undertaking. I further assert--based upon numerous sources from fields such as Second Language Acquisition, cognitive psychology, anthropology and sociolinguistics--that language and culture are inseparable, and that visual materials provide the necessary context to facilitate the teaching of both. Visual materials present both problems and opportunities. I discuss such difficulties as cognitive overload (i.e., students’ being overwhelmed by too much information in too short a period of time) and suggest practical solutions. I also present criteria for the selection of films, such as appropriateness, learning goals and appeal to US university students. I also show how authentic media such as video can be adapted for all proficiency levels (e.g., assigning beginners’ simple word recognition tasks). In considering graphic novels, I suggest a familiar comic strip, Tintin, which is appropriate for beginning to advanced students, and which is likely to appeal to all students, given its American film adaptation. In the appendices, I include applications of the points presented in this report. In the conclusion, I argue that, regardless of the length formal instruction in French, this pedagogy can support practical skills (for example, dealing with people from other cultures) and lifelong learning (for example, staying involved with French culture through the aforementioned media).Curriculum and Instructio

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome associated with COVID-19: An Emulated Target Trial Analysis.

RATIONALE: Whether COVID patients may benefit from extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) compared with conventional invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) remains unknown. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the effect of ECMO on 90-Day mortality vs IMV only Methods: Among 4,244 critically ill adult patients with COVID-19 included in a multicenter cohort study, we emulated a target trial comparing the treatment strategies of initiating ECMO vs. no ECMO within 7 days of IMV in patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (PaO2/FiO2 <80 or PaCO2 ≥60 mmHg). We controlled for confounding using a multivariable Cox model based on predefined variables. MAIN RESULTS: 1,235 patients met the full eligibility criteria for the emulated trial, among whom 164 patients initiated ECMO. The ECMO strategy had a higher survival probability at Day-7 from the onset of eligibility criteria (87% vs 83%, risk difference: 4%, 95% CI 0;9%) which decreased during follow-up (survival at Day-90: 63% vs 65%, risk difference: -2%, 95% CI -10;5%). However, ECMO was associated with higher survival when performed in high-volume ECMO centers or in regions where a specific ECMO network organization was set up to handle high demand, and when initiated within the first 4 days of MV and in profoundly hypoxemic patients. CONCLUSIONS: In an emulated trial based on a nationwide COVID-19 cohort, we found differential survival over time of an ECMO compared with a no-ECMO strategy. However, ECMO was consistently associated with better outcomes when performed in high-volume centers and in regions with ECMO capacities specifically organized to handle high demand. This article is open access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives License 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

The impact of perceptual treatments on lateral control : A study using fixed-base and motion-base driving simulators

This research was carried out as part of the French national multidisciplinary research project, PREDITSARI. Using a driving simulator, it aimed to test the effectiveness of road treatments intended to inform drivers about the risk of losing control on rural roads with crest vertical curves (Landis et al., 2004). [Rosey, F., Auberlet, J.M., Bertrand, J., Plainchault, P., 2008. Impact of perceptual treatments on lateral control during driving on crest vertical curves: a driving simulator study. Accid. Anal. Prev. 40, 15151523, Scopus.] used a fixed-base driving simulator to test four perceptual treatments intended to help drivers maintain lateral control when driving on crest vertical curves and found that two of them, rumble strips on both sides of the centerline and sealed shoulders, were more effective than the others. This first study prompted us to ask if non-visual sensory cues (e.g., vestibular or proprioceptive perceptions) could influence driver perception and consequently lateral control.We therefore conducted a second study on a motion-base driving simulator, using the same virtual 3D database. The results showed that: (1) drivers drive closer to the center of their lanewhenthere are rumble strips on both sides of the centerline, orwhen there are sealed shoulders, than they do with the current marking system (i.e., continuous lines), and (2) the impact of the two tested perceptual treatments was replicated on both types of driving simulator

Impact of perceptual treatments on driver's behavior : From the driving simulators studies to the field tests, first results

The present research was done in the context of the French national multidisciplinary research project, PREDIT-SARI. Our study focused on the risk related to crest vertical curves (CVC) on rural roads, using a field site proposed by a local operator of the French road network (Conseil Général de Maine-et-Loire, 49). The final goal was to test one road treatment on the real road. A first step, by using driving simulators, has determined the two most effective perceptual treatments (i.e., rumble strips on both sides of the centerline and sealed shoulders) in order to help drivers to maintain lateral control when driving on CVCs. The second step consisted to collected data on the drivers' trajectories on the field site during two periods: before the setting-up of the centerline rumble strips (CRS), and the second one after the setting-up. The aim was to evaluate the impact of the CRS on the driver's behavior, and we have compared the results obtained in the field study with those of the driving simulators' studies. This comparison has highlighted that the trends observed both on driving simulators and on the real site are similar

From technological acceptability to appropriation by users : Methodological steps for device assessment in road safety

[IF=1.964]International audienceThis article presents the methodology developed within the framework of the research project SARI(Automated Road Surveillance for Driver and Administrator Information). This methodology is based onthe logic of action research. The article presents the different stages in the development of technological innovation addressing vehicle control loss when driving on a curve. The results observed in speed reduction illustrate that no matter how optimal an innovation may be technologically speaking, it isonly as effective as it is acceptable from a user standpoint. This acceptability can only be obtained if thetechnology is developed by engineers in liaison with social science specialists

Accuracy of GFR estimation in obese patients

International audienceBACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Adequate estimation of renal function in obese patients is essential for the classification of patients in CKD category as well as the dose adjustment of drugs. However, the body size descriptor for GFR indexation is still debatable, and formulas are not validated in patients with extreme variations of weight. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: This study included 209 stages 1-5 CKD obese patients referred to the Department of Renal Function Study at the University Hospital in Lyon between 2010 and 2013 because of suspected renal dysfunction. GFR was estimated with the Chronic Kidney Disease and Epidemiology equation (CKD-EPI) and measured with a gold standard method (inulin or iohexol) not indexed (mGFR) or indexed to body surface area determined by the Dubois and Dubois formula with either real (mGFRr) or ideal (mGFRi) body weight. Mean bias (eGFR-mGFR), precision, and accuracy of mGFR were compared with the results obtained for nonobese participants (body mass index between 18.5 and 24.9) who had a GFR measurement during the same period of time. RESULTS: Mean mGFRr (51.6 +/- 24.2 ml/min per 1.73 m(2)) was significantly lower than mGFR, mGFRi, and eGFRCKD-EPI. eGFRCKD-EPI had less bias with mGFR (0.29; -1.7 to 2.3) and mGFRi (-1.62; -3.1 to 0.45) compared with mGFRr (8.7; 7 to 10). This result was confirmed with better accuracy for the whole cohort (78% for mGFR, 84% for mGFRi, and 72% for mGFRr) and participants with CKD stages 3-5. Moreover, the Bland Altman plot showed better agreement between mGFR and eGFRCKD-EPI. The bias between eGFRCKD-EPI and mGFRr was greater in obese than nonobese participants (8.7 versus 0.58, P\textless0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that, in obese CKD patients, the performance of eGFRCKD-EPI is good for GFR \textless/= 60 ml/min per 1.73 m(2). Indexation of mGFR with body surface area using ideal body weight gives less bias than mGFR scaled with body surface area using real body weight

Les Villes normandes au Moyen Âge

Les villes normandes sont nées pour la plupart au Moyen Âge. Une dizaine de cités avaient été créées à l’époque romaine. Seules quelques-unes d’entre elles subsistent réellement durant le haut Moyen Âge : Rouen, Bayeux, Évreux et Lisieux. Au IXe siècle ces agglomérations sont durement frappées par les invasions scandinaves et par leurs conséquences économiques. C’est alors qu’on assiste, au cours du XIe siècle, à un extraordinaire mouvement de renaissance urbaine. De nombreuses villes apparaissent alors, dont la plus importante est celle de Caen. Le mouvement se poursuit au XIIe siècle et aboutit, au cours du XIIIe, à la constitution d’un véritable réseau urbain. La Normandie est évidemment touchée par la crise des XIVe et XVe siècles, et en premier lieu par la guerre de Cent Ans. Cependant les villes se fortifient et résistent. La plupart d’entre elles sortent grandies de l’épreuve et réussissent à compléter leur parure architecturale. Le colloque s’est particulièrement intéressé à la topographie, à l’urbanisme, au monde du travail et aux conditions de vie, en se fondant sur les apports les plus récents de la recherche en histoire et en archéologie. Il s’est mis enfin à l’écoute des clercs, des poètes et des artistes, pour se demander quelle représentation ceux-ci avaient de leur ville : nouvelle Babylone, lieu de toutes les perditions, ou Jérusalem céleste, figure du paradis