Conceptualising 'precarious prosperity' - Empirical and Theoretical Elements for Debate

Empirical studies have recently pointed towards a socio-structural category largely overlooked in social inequality research: the dynamic positions of households adjacent to those of the poor and yet not representing those of the established, more prosperous positions in society. These results suggest that the population in this category fluctuates into and out of poverty more often than moving into and out of secure prosperity. This category - still lacking theoretical conceptualization - is characterized by both precariousness and a certain degree of prosperity; despite a restricted and uncertain living standard it holds a range of opportunities for action. We seek analytical elements to conceptualize 'precarious prosperity' for comparative empirical research by subjecting various concepts of social inequality research to critical scrutiny. We then operationally define 'precarious prosperity' to screen for this population in three countries. Based on qualitative interviews with households in precarious prosperity, we present first analyses of perceptions and household strategies that underline the relevance of the concept in different countries.

Dynamics of IS Adaptation in Multinational Corporations: A New Theoretical Lens

The specificities of multinational corporations (MNCs) have to date not been a focus area of IS research. Extant literature mostly proposes IS configurations for specific types of MNCs, following a static and prescriptive approach. Our research seeks to explain the dynamics of global IS design. It suggests a new theoretical lens for studying global IS design by applying the structural adjustment paradigm from organizational change theories. Relying on archetype theory, we conduct a longitudinal case study to theorize the dynamics of IS adaptation. We find that global IS design emerges as an organizational adaptation process to balance interpretative schemes (i.e. the organization's values and beliefs) and structural arrangements (i.e. strategic, organizational, and IS configurations). The resulting insights can be used as a basis to further explore alternative global IS designs and movements between them.

Unilateral cricothyroid contraction and glottic configuration.

It is frequently stated that unilateral cricothyroid muscle (CT) paralysis can be diagnosed by physical examination, noting rotation of the glottis, and shortening and vertical displacement of the ipsilateral vocal fold. These signs, however, are inconsistently observed, and there is considerable controversy regarding the direction of glottic rotation. To determine the effects of CT contraction on three-dimensional glottic configuration, we performed computerized tomography on cadaver larynges before and after simulated CT contraction. Radiopaque makers were used to compute distances. Unilateral CT contraction equally increased the length of both membranous vocal folds, and rotated the posterior glottis less than 1 mm. CT contraction neither adducted the vocal processes, nor significantly their altered vertical level. These results suggest that unilateral CT paralysis cannot be diagnosed on the basis of any clinically apparent change in glottal configuration.

Mobile or fixed bearing for total knee arthroplasty? Ambulatory gait analysis results

Background: Mobile-bearing knee replacements have some theoretical advantages over fixed-bearing devices. However, very few randomized controlled clinical trials have been published to date, and studies showed little clinical and subjective advantages for the mobile-bearing using traditional systems of scoring. The choice of the ideal outcome measure to assess total joint replacement remains a complex issue. However, gait analysis provides objective and quantifying evidences of treatment evaluation. Significant methodological advances are currently made in gait analysis laboratories and ambulatory gait devices are now available. The goal of this study was to provide gait parameters as a new objective method to assess total knee arthroplasty outcome between patients with fixed- and mobile-bearing, using an ambulatory device with minimal sensor configuration. This randomized controlled double-blind study included to date 14 patients: the gait signatures of four patients with mobile-bearing were compared to the gait signatures of nine patients with fixed-bearing pre-operatively and post-operatively at 6 weeks, 3 months and 6 months. Each participant was asked to perform two walking trials of 30m long at his/her preferred speed and to complete a EQ-5D questionnaire, a WOMAC and Knee Society Score (KSS). Lower limbs rotations were measured by four miniature angular rate sensors mounted respectively, on each shank and thigh. A new method for a portable system for gait analysis has been developed with very encouraging results regarding the objective outcome of total knee arthroplasty using mobile- and fixed-bearings.

Argumentation and education. Theoretical foundations and practices

During the last decade, argumentation has attracted growing attention as a means to elicit processes (linguistic, logical, dialogical, psychological, etc.) that can sustain or provoke reasoning and learning. Constituting an important dimension of daily life and of professional activities, argumentation plays a special role in democracies and is at the heart of philosophical reasoning and scientific inquiry. Argumentation, as such, requires specific intellectual and social skills. Hence, argumentation will have an increasing importance in education, both because it is a critical competence that has to be learned, and because argumentation can be used to foster learning in philosophy, history, sciences and in many other domains. Argumentation and Education answers these and other questions by providing both theoretical backgrounds, in psychology, education and theory of argumentation, and concrete examples of experiments and results in school contexts in a range of domains. It reports on existing innovative practices in education settings at various levels.

Signalling, mating success and paternal investment in sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus): A theoretical model

I present an optimisation model that links paternal investment, male display and female choice. Although deviced for sticklebacks, it readily applies to other fish with male guarding behaviour. It relies on a few basic assumptions on the ways hatching success depends on paternal investment and clutch size, and male survival on paternal investment and signaling. Paternal investment is here a state-dependent decision, and signal a condition-dependent handicap by which males inform females of how much they are willing to invest. Series of predictions are derived on female and male breeding strategies, including optimal levels of signaling and paternal investment as functions of clutch size, own condition, and residual reproductive value, as well as alternative strategies such as egg kleptoparasitism. Some predictions already have empirical support, for which the present model provides new interpretations. Other might readily be tested, e.g. by simple clutch-size manipulations.

Décubitus ventral et syndrome de détresse respiratoire aiguë de l'adulte: de la théorie à la pratique [Prone position mechanical ventilation in the Acute Respiratory Distress syndrome: theoretical and practical considerations].

Mortality of the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) remains extremely high and only few evidence-based specific treatments are currently available. Protective mechanical ventilation has emerged as the comer stone of the management of ARDS to avoid the occurrence of ventilation-induced lung injuries (VILI). Mechanical ventilation in the prone position has often been considered as a rescue therapy reserved to refractory hypoxemia. Since the publication of the PROSEVA study in 2013, early prone positioning for mechanical ventilation should be recommended to improve survival of patients with severe ARDS. In this article, both the theoretical and practical aspects of mechanical ventilation in prone position are reviewed.

Work motivation and pro-social behavior in the delivery of public services : theoretical and empirical insights

This Ph.D. dissertation seeks to study the work motivation of employees in the delivery of public services. The questioning on work motivation in public services in not new but it becomes central for governments which are now facing unprecedented public debts. The objective of this research is twofold : First, we want to see if the work motivation of employees in public services is a continuum (intrinsic and extrinsic motivations cannot coexist) or a bi-dimensional construct (intrinsic and extrinsic motivations coexist simultaneously). The research in public administration literature has focused on the concept of public service motivation, and considered motivation to be uni-dimensional (Perry and Hondeghem 2008). However, no study has yet tackled both types of motivation, the intrinsic and extrinsic ones, in the same time. This dissertation proposes, in Part I, a theoretical assessment and an empirical test of a global work motivational structure, by using a self-constructed Swiss dataset with employees from three public services, the education sector, the security sector and the public administrative services sector. Our findings suggest that work motivation in public services in not uni-dimensional but bi-dimensional, the intrinsic and extrinsic motivations coexist simultaneously and can be positively correlated (Amabile et al. 1994). Our findings show that intrinsic motivation is as important as extrinsic motivation, thus, the assumption that employees in public services are less attracted by extrinsic rewards is not confirmed for this sample. Other important finding concerns the public service motivation concept, which, as theoretically predicted, represents the major motivational dimension of employees in the delivery of public services. Second, the theory of public service motivation makes the assumption that employees in public services engage in activities that go beyond their self-interest, but never uses this construct as a determinant for their pro-social behavior. In the same time, several studies (Gregg et al. 2011 and Georgellis et al. 2011) bring evidence about the pro-social behavior of employees in public services. However, they do not identify which type of motivation is at the origin of this behavior, they only make the assumption of an intrinsically motivated behavior. We analyze the pro-social behavior of employees in public services and use the public service motivation as determinant of their pro-social behavior. We add other determinants highlighted by the theory of pro-social behavior (Bénabou and Tirole 2006), by Le Grand (2003) and by fit theories (Besley and Ghatak 2005). We test these determinants on Part II and identify for each sector of activity the positive or the negative impact on pro-social behavior of Swiss employees. Contrary to expectations, we find, for this sample, that both intrinsic and extrinsic factors have a positive impact on pro-social behavior, no crowding-out effect is identified in this sample. We confirm the hypothesis of Le Grand (2003) about the positive impact of the opportunity cost on pro-social behavior. Our results suggest a mix of action-oriented altruism and out-put oriented altruism of employees in public services. These results are relevant when designing incentives schemes for employees in the delivery of public services.

La pré-configuration des débats publics : apports d'une approche multimodale et longitudinale des dispositifs de catégorisation

Most linguistic and interactional studies on public and media debates focus on the way talk-in- interaction is locally managed by the moderator. For example, they analyze the extent to which the questions asked are both sequentially and categorically relevant. The present paper aims at enriching these studies by discussing the profitability of a multimodal and longitudinal approach to membership categorization practices. The approach is multimodal in the sense that it does not focus exclusively on verbal features. The approach is also longitudinal by considering the extent to which a debate is pre- configured. To this end, particular attention is paid to the posters promoting the encounters and to the way the participants are positioned in physical space.

Plant species richness and environmental heterogeneity in a mountain landscape: effects of variability and spatial configuration

The loss of biodiversity has become a matter of urgent concern and a better understanding of local drivers is crucial for conservation. Although environmental heterogeneity is recognized as an important determinant of biodiversity, this has rarely been tested using field data at management scale. We propose and provide evidence for the simple hypothesis that local species diversity is related to spatial environmental heterogeneity. Species partition the environment into habitats. Biodiversity is therefore expected to be influenced by two aspects of spatial heterogeneity: 1) the variability of environmental conditions, which will affect the number of types of habitat, and 2) the spatial configuration of habitats, which will affect the rates of ecological processes, such as dispersal or competition. Earlier, simulation experiments predicted that both aspects of heterogeneity will influence plant species richness at a particular site. For the first time, these predictions were tested for plant communities using field data, which we collected in a wooded pasture in the Swiss Jura mountains using a four-level hierarchical sampling design. Richness generally increased with increasing environmental variability and "roughness" (i.e. decreasing spatial aggregation). Effects occurred at all scales, but the nature of the effect changed with scale, suggesting a change in the underlying mechanisms, which will need to be taken into account if scaling up to larger landscapes. Although we found significant effects of environmental heterogeneity, other factors such as history could also be important determinants. If a relationship between environmental heterogeneity and species richness can be shown to be general, recently available high-resolution environmental data can be used to complement the assessment of patterns of local richness and improve the prediction of the effects of land use change based on mean site conditions or land use history.

Développement durable et urbanisme de projet : une nouvelle configuration de l'action publique

La notion de développement durable structure le débat contemporain sur les finalités et les instruments des politiques publiques. La montée en puissance des préoccupations environnementales et de qualité des cadres de vie déplace les enjeux traditionnels de l'aménagement. Cette refonte s'inscrit dans une prise de conscience de la transversalité des problèmes de développement territorial. Une attention accrue est aussi portée aux acteurs et à leur participation invitant à repenser les articulations entre les élus, l'administration et la société civile. L'aménagement du territoire est à un tournant. La complexité accrue du champ décisionnel liée à la multiplicité des objectifs à prendre en compte, à la diversification des acteurs concernés, mais aussi à l'interférence des échelles de gouvernance bouscule les pratiques professionnelles. Cette note vise à montrer les principaux changements observés au cours des dernières années. Elle met l'accent sur la redéfinition des objectifs et des instruments d'aménagement et l'émergence des nouvelles pratiques de conduite de projets.