Correlation crises in insurance and finance, and the need for dynamic risk maps in ORSA

We explain why correlation crises may occur in insurance and finance. These phenomena are not taken into account in Solvency II standard formula. We show the importance of taking them into account in internal models or partial internal models. Given the variety of scenarios that could lead to correlation crises and their different potential impacts, we support the idea that ORSA (Own Risk and Solvency Assessment) reports of insurance companies should include dynamic and causal correlation crises analyzes.

Entre gouvernance et leadership : la palabre et le chef

URL des Cahiers : https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/CAHIERS-MSECahiers de la MSE 2005.43 - Série Rouge - ISSN : 1624-0340The question concerning the domain covered by entreprise governance has not been definitely settled and neither has the question of the dividing line between governance and leadership. Thus, the real issue is the interpretation of governance to-day. Does it have to be confronted with that other mode of management which is leadership? Actually, the dividing line does not seem to be definitive. This remark appears to be all the more realistic as the decisions taken daily by entreprise refer simultaneously to social and societal dimensions. Furthermore, embedded in those two logics, the government of material objects is frequently opposed to the government of people. Thus, it seems adequate to juxtapose the "law of the market" and a possible responsibility of leading employees. Finally, it appears that confidence plays the part of mediator between governance and leadership, which explains the emergence of a certain number of instruments of ethical codifications, codes of conduct and norms.La question du champ couvert par la gouvernance d'entreprise n'est pas définitivement tranchée pas plus que ne l'est celle de la limite entre gouvernance et leadership. La question se pose donc bien de savoir ce que l'on entend par gouvernance aujourd'hui. Serait-elle à opposer à cet autre mode de gestion qu'est le leadership ? La frontière ne semble pas si claire en définitive. Cette observation semble d'autant plus réaliste que les décisions prises quotidiennement par les entreprises impliquent simultanément des dimensions sociales et sociétales. Par ailleurs, au sein de ces deux logiques, le gouvernement des choses est volontiers opposé au gouvernement des personnes. Il paraît alors judicieux de confronter la "loi du marché" à une possible responsabilité sociale des cadres. Enfin, il apparaît qu'entre gouvernance et leadership, la confiance joue un rôle médiateur, d'où l'émergence d'un certain nombre d'outils de codification de l'éthique, de codes de conduite et de normes

Entre gouvernance et leadership : la palabre et le chef

La question du champ couvert par la gouvernance d'entreprise n'est pas définitivement tranchée pas plus que ne l'est celle de la limite entre gouvernance et leadership. La question se pose donc bien de savoir ce que l'on entend par gouvernance aujourd'hui. Serait-elle à opposer à cet autre mode de gestion qu'est le leadership ? La frontière ne semble pas si claire en définitive. Cette observation semble d'autant plus réaliste que les décisions prises quotidiennement par les entreprises impliquent simultanément des dimensions sociales et sociétales. Par ailleurs, au sein de ces deux logiques, le gouvernement des choses est volontiers opposé au gouvernement des personnes. Il paraît alors judicieux de confronter la "loi du marché" à une possible responsabilité sociale des cadres. Enfin, il apparaît qu'entre gouvernance et leadership, la confiance joue un rôle médiateur, d'où l'émergence d'un certain nombre d'outils de codification de l'éthique, de codes de conduite et de normes.Economic ethics, governance, leadership, social and societal responsibility, enterprise citizenship, confidence, codes, deontology.

Impact reduction during running: efficiency of simple acute interventions in recreational runners

International audienceRunning-related stress fractures have been associated with the overall impact intensity, which has recently been described through the loading rate (LR). Our purpose was to evaluate the effects of four acute interventions with specific focus on LR: wearing racing shoes (RACE), increasing step frequency by 10 % (FREQ), adopting a midfoot strike pattern (MIDFOOT) and combining these three interventions (COMBI). Nine rearfoot-strike subjects performed five 5-min trials during which running kinetics, kinematics and spring-mass behavior were measured for ten consecutive steps on an instrumented treadmill. Electromyographic activity of gastrocnemius lateralis, tibialis anterior, biceps femoris and vastus lateralis muscles was quantified over different phases of the stride cycle. LR was significantly and similarly reduced in MIDFOOT (37.4 ± 7.20 BW s(-1), -56.9 ± 50.0 %) and COMBI (36.8 ± 7.15 BW s(-1), -55.6 ± 29.2 %) conditions compared to NORM (56.3 ± 11.5 BW s(-1), both P<0.001). RACE (51.1 ± 9.81 BW s(-1)) and FREQ (52.7 ± 11.0 BW s(-1)) conditions had no significant effects on LR. Running with a midfoot strike pattern resulted in a significant increase in gastrocnemius lateralis pre-activation (208 ± 97.4 %, P<0.05) and in a significant decrease in tibialis anterior EMG activity (56.2 ± 15.5 %, P<0.05) averaged over the entire stride cycle. The acute attenuation of foot-ground impact seems to be mostly related to the use of a midfoot strike pattern and to a higher pre-activation of the gastrocnemius lateralis. Further studies are needed to test these results in prolonged running exercises and in the long term

High Genetic Differentiation Among French Populations of the Orsini's Viper (Vipera ursinii ursinii) Based on Mitochondrial and Microsatellite Data: Implications for Conservation Management

The Orsini's viper (Vipera ursinii) is one of the most threatened snakes in Europe due to its highly fragmented distribution and specific open environment (steppic habitat) requirement. French populations are isolated on top of mountain massifs of the southern Prealps/Alps. Mitochondrial sequences (cytochrome b) and 6 microsatellite loci have been used to estimate the levels of genetic diversity and isolation within and among 11 French fragmented populations (a total of 157 individuals). Eleven cytochrome b haplotypes with a limited divergence were observed (mean divergence between haplotypes: 0.31%). However, we detected considerable genetic differentiation among populations (global FST = 0.76 and 0.26 for mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, respectively). Results indicate that 3 populations possibly went through a bottleneck and 1 population showed low genetic diversity compared with the others. Although a significant isolation by distance was detected for both markers, strong differentiation was also observed between geographically close populations, probably due to the ragged landscape that constitutes a serious barrier to gene flow owing to the limited dispersal capability of the viper. Despite some discrepancies between the 2 markers, 8 Management Units have been identified and should be considered for future management project

Effect of the Fatigue Induced by a 110-km Ultramarathon on Tibial Impact Acceleration and Lower Leg Kinematics

Ultramarathon runners are exposed to a high number of impact shocks and to severe neuromuscular fatigue. Runners may manage mechanical stress and muscle fatigue by changing their running kinematics. Our purposes were to study (i) the effects of a 110-km mountain ultramarathon (MUM) on tibial shock acceleration and lower limb kinematics, and (ii) whether kinematic changes are modulated according to the severity of neuromuscular fatigue. Twenty-three runners participated in the study. Pre- and post-MUM, neuromuscular tests were performed to assess knee extensor (KE) and plantar flexor (PF) central and peripheral fatigue, and a treadmill running bouts was completed during which step frequency, peak acceleration, median frequency and impact frequency content were measured from tibial acceleration, as well as foot-to-treadmill, tibia-to-treadmill, and ankle flexion angles at initial contact, and ankle range of motion using video analysis. Large neuromuscular fatigue, including peripheral changes and deficits in voluntary activation, was observed in KE and PF. MVC decrements of ~35% for KE and of ~28% for PF were noted. Among biomechanical variables, step frequency increased by ~2.7% and the ankle range of motion decreased by ~4.1% post-MUM. Runners adopting a non rearfoot strike pre-MUM adopted a less plantarflexed foot strike pattern post-MUM while those adopting a rearfoot strike pre-MUM tended to adopt a less dorsiflexed foot strike pattern post-MUM. Positive correlations were observed between percent changes in peripheral PF fatigue and the ankle range of motion. Peripheral PF fatigue was also significantly correlated to both percent changes in step frequency and the ankle angle at contact. This study suggests that in a fatigued state, ultratrail runners use compensatory/protective adjustments leading to a flatter foot landing and this is done in a fatigue dose-dependent manner. This strategy may aim at minimizing the overall load applied to the musculoskeletal system, including impact shock and muscle stretch

Brazo robotizado controlado mediante sensores de visión integrado sobre un robot móvil

En este proyecto se ha realizado todo el proceso para construir, controlar e integrar un brazo robotizado sobre un robot móvil estándar, en particular la plataforma TurtleBot,construido sobre la aspiradora autónoma Roomba. Así, el robot adquiere la capacidad para apartar o recoger objetos que pudieran molestarle en el cumplimiento de su tarea de limpieza. La detección e identificación se ha realizado mediante un sensor RGB-d (visión y profundidad), en particular el sensor Kinect de Microsoft. En resumen, se ha realizado un completo desarrollo, tanto software como hardware, de un brazo-robot y los elementos de percepción y control necesarios para su integración en la plataforma robótica móvil existente. El brazo robotizado a construir es de tipo RRR (es decir, con 3 articulaciones de rotación), con una muñeca de un grado de libertad y terminado en una pinza. La detección de objetos y guiado sencillo del brazo se realiza mediante el procesado de información capturada por el sensor RGB-d utilizado (Kinect). A partir de la nube de puntos en 3D que se obtiene de este sensor, se detectan objetos que aparezcan a lo largo de la trayectoria del robot y se calcula el punto de agarre donde sedirigirá el brazo. En más detalle, las tareas realizadas en este proyecto han sido las siguientes: A. Diseño y construcción del brazo robotizado: - Estudio de alternativas para su construcción, realización de planos 3D, solicitud depresupuestos para las piezas necesarias para construirlo. - Cálculo del modelo cinemático para el brazo robotizado. - Estudio, y puesta en marcha de un microcontrolador (Arduino Uno). - Montaje y programación del control del brazo robotizado desde Arduino. B. Estudio, instalación y familiarización con el entorno ROS (pseudo-sistema operativo utilizado para gestión de plataformas robóticas) y sensores relacionados, incluyendo:drivers OpenNI para comunicación con sensores Kinect; librerías PCL y OpenCV para facilitar las operaciones con imágenes 3D y 2D respectivamente; librerías para interacción entre ROS y Arduino C. Estudio e implementación del módulo de visión por computador con el sensor Kinect. Se han trabajado técnicas de segmentación de planos y agrupación en clusters para una detección sencilla de objetos/obstáculos sobre el suelo. D. Integración del control del brazo y el módulo de visión sobre el robot móvil: - Estudio del funcionamiento del robot-aspiradora y realización de un programa básico de control de movimiento del robot. - Implementación del programa principal que transmite la información obtenida por el sistema de visión al robot-aspiradora y al brazo-robot

Metrology in medicine: from measurements to decision, with specific reference to anesthesia and intensive care.

Metrology is the science of measurements. Although of critical importance in medicine and especially in critical care, frequent confusion in terms and definitions impact either interphysician communications or understanding of manufacturers' and engineers' instructions and limitations when using devices. In this review, we first list the terms defined by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures regarding quantities and units, measurements, devices for measurement, properties of measuring devices, and measurement standards. The traditional tools for assessing the most important measurement quality criteria are also reviewed with clinical examples for diagnosis, alarm, and titration purposes, as well as for assessing the uncertainty of reference methods

Negative regulation of EB1 turnover at microtubule plus ends by interaction with microtubule-associated protein ATIP3

International audienceThe regulation of microtubule dynamics is critical to ensure essential cell functions. End binding protein 1 (EB1) is a master regulator of microtubule dynamics that autonomously binds an extended GTP/GDP-Pi structure at growing microtubule ends and recruits regulatory proteins at this location. However, negative regulation of EB1 association with growing microtubule ends remains poorly understood. We show here that microtubule-associated tumor suppressor ATIP3 interacts with EB1 through direct binding of a non-canonical proline-rich motif. Results indicate that ATIP3 does not localize at growing microtubule ends and that in situ ATIP3-EB1 molecular complexes are mostly detected in the cytosol. We present evidence that a minimal EB1-interacting sequence of ATIP3 is both necessary and sufficient to prevent EB1 accumulation at growing microtubule ends in living cells and that EB1-interaction is involved in reducing cell polarity. By fluorescence recovery of EB1-GFP after photobleaching, we show that ATIP3 silencing accelerates EB1 turnover at microtubule ends with no modification of EB1 diffusion in the cytosol. We propose a novel mechanism by which ATIP3-EB1 interaction indirectly reduces the kinetics of EB1 exchange on its recognition site, thereby accounting for negative regulation of microtubule dynamic instability. Our findings provide a unique example of decreased EB1 turnover at growing microtubule ends by cytosolic interaction with a tumor suppressor. INTRODUCTION Microtubules (MTs) are polarized structures that continuously switch between periods of polymerization and depolymerization at their growing (plus) ends. This process, termed MT dynamic instability, allows rapid reorganization of the MT cytoskeleton during essential cell functions such as cell polarity and migration, mitosi

National critical incident reporting systems relevant to anaesthesia: a European survey

Background Critical incident reporting is a key tool in the promotion of patient safety in anaesthesia. Methods We surveyed representatives of national incident reporting systems in six European countries, inviting information on scope and organization, and intelligence on factors determining success and failure. Results Some systems are government-run and nationally conceived; others started out as small, specialty-focused initiatives, which have since acquired a national reach. However, both national co-ordination and specialty enthusiasts seem to be necessary for an optimally functioning system. The role of reporting culture, definitional issues, and dissemination is discussed. Conclusions We make recommendations for others intending to start new systems and speculate on the prospects for sharing patient safety lessons relevant to anaesthesia at European leve