Of housing and politics : mapping political opportunities for mobilising in Bangalore, India

Quelles sont les conditions pour l'émergence d'une mobilisation sociale en faveur du logement convenable dans la métropole de Bangalore (Inde)? Cette question, qui est au coeur de cette thèse, est particulièrement pertinente dans le contexte d'une ville où 1,7 million de personnes, soit un cinquième de la population, vit dans des bidonvilles. L'absence d'un mouvement mettant en cause l'échec des politiques publiques du logement est intéressante dans la mesure où l'Inde a hérité un système de gouvernance colonial et d'une tradition de mouvements sociaux. Pour répondre à ce questionnement, un cadre théorique issu de la littérature sur les mouvements sociaux est développé. Il s'articule autour des liens entre les opportunités politiques au niveau macro et les répertoires d'action des organisations de mouvement social (OMS) au niveau méso, de la tension entre la formalité de la loi et des politiques publiques et l'informalité des circuits d'échange, de la corruption et du clientélisme, et enfin, se focalise sur les systèmes de discours de caste et de la citoyenneté et de leur concrétisation dans des systèmes d'organisations et de réseaux sociaux. Ce cadre théorique permet d'étudier empiriquement la question à travers quatre OMS dans la ville de Bangalore. Les résultats mettent en avant l'existence de mécanismes complexes. Les opportunités politiques formelles n'étant ouvertes que sur le plan rhétorique, elles ne peuvent être véritablement utilisées que par des moyens légaux ou contentieux, ce qui nécessite des compétences sociales dont la plupart des habitants des bidonvilles sont dépourvus. L'inadéquation entre les ressources à disposition pour les logements sociaux et les besoins très importants des pauvres, donne un poids politique considérable aux acteurs en charge de l'attribution de ces ressources rares. Cet état de fait a des répercussions sur la politique électorale. Les habitants des bidonvilles représentant un poids électoral important, ils sont mobilisés à travers de pratiques clientélistes. La corruption et le clientélisme se nourrissent mutuellement pour maintenir une certaine dépendance des habitants. Les OMS qui développent un répertoire discursif remettant en cause le système de caste et qui encouragent une conscience citoyenne, se sont avérées les plus durables pour résister à la cooptation des forces politiques. Cette recherche empirique met en lumière l'inadéquation entre les prescriptions formelles dans le domaine de la gouvernance des besoins humains, tels que le logement, et les pratiques réelles sur le terrain. Cette recherche appelle à réfléchir au-delà de la diffusion du discours sur la « bonne gouvernance » vers des formes de « gouvernance vernaculaire » qui prendrait au sérieux l'informalité en développant une compréhension des avantages à court terme pour les personnes marginalisées dans la ville et les effets à long terme sur la pratique démocratique. - What are the conditions for the emergence of a social movement on the issue of adequate housing in the metropolitan city of Bangalore (India)? This question is at the heart of this dissertation and is particularly pertinent against the background that an estimated 1.7 million or about 20% of the city's population lives in slums. The absence of a movement addressing the failure of public housing policy despite India having inherited colonial systems of governance and traditions of movement is noteworthy. Answers are sought within a theoretical framework stemming from social movement theories that incorporates three linkages articulating around: Macro-level political opportunities and meso-level action repertoires of social movement organisations (SMOs), tensions between the formality of law, policy and the informality of exchange circuits of corruption and clientelism and finally around systems of discourses of caste and citizenship and their instantiation in concrete systems of social organisations and networks. This thesis is empirically investigated through a qualitative case study research design involving four sampled social movement organisations. The results bring complex mechanisms to the fore. Formal political opportunities are only rhetorically open and have to be cracked through legal weaponry or contentious escalation, which requires considerable social skills that slum-dwellers often lack. The inadequacy between the few housing resources and the vast number of slum-dwellers transform housing benefits and urban service provisions into political currency. Such a state of affairs has serious repercussions on conditions for mobilisation. They become imbricated with electoral logic, in which slum-dwellers represent large vote-banks and where corruption and clientelism feed each other to maintain a certain dependency of the poor. SMOs deploying a discursive repertoire that questioned the caste system and encouraged a pursuit of citizenship proved to be the most sustainable to resist co-option from political forces. This empirical investigation brings to light the mismatch between the formal prescriptions in the domain of the governance of basic human needs such as housing and the real practices on the ground. This research calls to reflect beyond the inadequacy of the diffused « good governance » discourse towards forms of « vernacular governance » that take informality seriously in understanding the short-term benefits for the marginalised in the city and the long-term effects on democratic practice.

A novel device for reducing hemolysis provoked by cardiotomy suction during open heart cardiopulmonary bypass surgery: a randomized prospective study.

Since the inception of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), little progress has been made concerning the design of cardiotomy suction (CS). Because this is a major source of hemolysis, we decided to test a novel device (Smartsuction [SS]) specifically aimed at minimizing hemolysis during CPB in a clinical setting. Block randomization was carried out on a treated group (SS, n=28) and a control group (CTRL, n=26). Biochemical parameters were taken pre-, peri-, and post CPB and were compared between the two groups using the Student's t-test with statistical significance when P<0.05. No significant differences in patient demographics were observed between the two groups. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and plasma free hemoglobin (PFH) pre-CPB were comparable for the CTRL and SS groups, respectively. LDH peri-CPB was 275+/-100 U/L versus 207+/-83 U/L for the CTRL and SS groups, respectively (P<0.05). PFH was 486+/-204 mg/L versus 351+/-176 mg/L for the CTRL and SS groups, respectively (P<0.05). LDH post CPB was 354+/-116 U/L versus 275+/-89 U/L for the CTRL and SS groups, respectively (P<0.05). PFH was 549+/-271 mg/L versus 460+/-254 mg/L for the CTRL and SS groups, respectively (P<0.05). Preoperative hematocrit (Hct) of 43+/-5% (CTRL) versus 37+/-5% (SS), and hemoglobin (Hb) of 141+/-16 g/L (CTRL) versus 122+/-17 g/L (SS) were significantly lower in the SS group. However, when normalized (N), the SS was capable of conserving Hct, Hb, and erythrocyte count perioperatively. Erythrocytes (N) were 59+/-5% (CTRL) versus 67+/-9% (SS); Hct (N) was 59+/-6% (CTRL) versus 68+/-9% (SS), and Hb (N) was 61+/-6% (CTRL) versus 70+/-10% (SS) (all P<0.05). This novel SS device evokes significantly lowered blood PFH and LDH values peri- and post CPB compared with the CTRL blood using a CS system. The SS may be a valuable alternative compared to traditional CS techniques.

Faire la ville juste : une analyse "in itinere" de la maîtrise publique d'ouvrage du projet urbain Carré de Soie (métropole lyonnaise)

Dans certaines portions des agglomérations (poches de pauvreté de centre-ville, couronnes suburbaines dégradées, espaces périurbains sans aménité), un cumul entre des inégalités sociales (pauvreté, chômage, etc.) et environnementales (exposition au bruit, aux risques industriels, etc.) peut être observé. La persistance de ces inégalités croisées dans le temps indique une tendance de fond : la capacité d'accéder à un cadre de vie de qualité n'est pas équitablement partagée parmi les individus. Ce constat interroge : comment se créent ces inégalités ? Comment infléchir cette tendance et faire la ville plus juste ?¦Apporter des réponses à cette problématique nécessite d'identifier les facteurs de causalités qui entrent en jeu dans le système de (re)production des inégalités urbaines. Le fonctionnement des marchés foncier et immobilier, la « tyrannie des petites décisions » et les politiques publiques à incidence spatiale sont principalement impliqués. Ces dernières, agissant sur tous les éléments du système, sont placées au coeur de ce travail. On va ainsi s'intéresser précisément à la manière dont les collectivités publiques pilotent la production de la ville contemporaine, en portant l'attention sur la maîtrise publique d'ouvrage (MPO) des grands projets urbains.¦Poser la question de la justice dans la fabrique de la ville implique également de questionner les référentiels normatifs de l'action publique : à quelle conception de la justice celle-ci doit- elle obéir? Quatre perspectives (radicale, substantialiste, procédurale et intégrative) sont caractérisées, chacune se traduisant par des principes d'action différenciés. Une méthodologie hybride - empruntant à la sociologie des organisations et à l'analyse des politiques publiques - vient clore le volet théorique, proposant par un détour métaphorique d'appréhender le projet urbain comme une pièce de théâtre dont le déroulement dépend du jeu d'acteurs.¦Cette méthodologie est utilisée dans le volet empirique de la recherche, qui consiste en une analyse de la MPO d'un projet urbain en cours dans la première couronne de l'agglomération lyonnaise : le Carré de Soie. Trois grands objectifs sont poursuivis : descriptif (reconstruire le scénario), analytique (évaluer la nature de la pièce : conte de fée, tragédie ou match d'improvisation ?) et prescriptif (tirer la morale de l'histoire). La description de la MPO montre le déploiement successif de quatre stratégies de pilotage, dont les implications sur les temporalités, le contenu du projet (programmes, morphologies) et les financements publics vont être déterminantes. Sur la base de l'analyse, plusieurs recommandations peuvent être formulées - importance de l'anticipation et de l'articulation entre planification et stratégie foncière notamment - pour permettre à la sphère publique de dominer le jeu et d'assurer la production de justice par le projet urbain (réalisation puis entretien des équipements et espaces publics, financement de logements de qualité à destination d'un large éventail de populations, etc.). Plus généralement, un décalage problématique peut être souligné entre les territoires stratégiques pour le développement de l'agglomération et les capacités de portage limitées des communes concernées. Ce déficit plaide pour le renforcement des capacités d'investissement de la structure intercommunale.¦La seule logique du marché (foncier, immobilier) mène à la polarisation sociale et à la production d'inégalités urbaines. Faire la ville juste nécessite une forte volonté des collectivités publiques, laquelle doit se traduire aussi bien dans l'ambition affichée - une juste hiérarchisation des priorités dans le développement urbain - que dans son opérationnalisation - une juste maîtrise publique d'ouvrage des projets urbains.¦Inner-city neighborhoods, poor outskirts, and peri-urban spaces with no amenities usually suffer from social and environmental inequalities, such as poverty, unemployment, and exposure to noise and industrial hazards. The observed persistence of these inequalities over time points to an underlying trend - namely, that access to proper living conditions is fundamentally unequal, thus eliciting the question of how such inequalities are effected and how this trend can be reversed so as to build a more equitable city.¦Providing answers to such questions requires that the causal factors at play within the system of (re)production of urban inequalities be identified. Real estate markets, "micromotives and macrobehavior", and public policies that bear on space are mostly involved. The latter are central in that they act on all the elements of the system. This thesis therefore focuses on the way public authorities shape the production of contemporary cities, by studying the public project ownership of major urban projects.¦The study of justice within the urban fabric also implies that the normative frames of reference of public action be questioned: what conception of justice should public action refer to? This thesis examines four perspectives (radical, substantialist, procedural, and integrative) each of which results in different principles of action. This theoretical part is concluded by a hybrid methodology that draws from sociology of organizations and public policy analysis and that suggests that the urban project may be understood as a play, whose outcome hinges on the actors' acting.¦This methodology is applied to the empirical analysis of the public project ownership of an ongoing urban project in the Lyon first-ring suburbs: the Carré de Soie. Three main objectives are pursued: descriptive (reconstructing the scenario), analytical (assessing the nature of the play - fairy tale, tragedy or improvisation match), and prescriptive (drawing the moral of the story). The description of the public project ownership shows the successive deployment of four control strategies, whose implications on deadlines, project content (programs, morphologies), and public funding are significant. Building on the analysis, several recommendations can be made to allow the public sphere to control the process and ensure the urban project produces equity (most notably, anticipation and articulation of planning and real- estate strategy, as well as provision and maintenance of equipment and public spaces, funding of quality housing for a wide range of populations, etc.). More generally, a gap can be highlighted between those territories that are strategic to the development of the agglomeration and the limited resources of the municipalities involved. This deficit calls for strengthening the investment abilities of the intermunicipal structure.¦By itself, the real-estate market logic brings about social polarization and urban inequalities. Building an equitable city requires a strong will on the part of public authorities, a will that must be reflected both in the stated ambition - setting priorities of urban development equitably - and in its implementation managing urban public projects fairly.

Progesterone down-regulates the open probability of the amiloride-sensitive epithelial sodium channel via a Nedd4-2-dependent mechanism.

Activation of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase cascade by progesterone in Xenopus oocytes leads to a marked down-regulation of activity of the amiloride-sensitive epithelial sodium channel (ENaC). Here we have studied the signaling pathways involved in progesterone effect on ENaC activity. We demonstrate that: (i) the truncation of the C termini of the alphabetagammaENaC subunits results in the loss of the progesterone effect on ENaC; (ii) the effect of progesterone was also suppressed by mutating conserved tyrosine residues in the Pro-X-X-Tyr (PY) motif of the C termini of the beta and gamma ENaC subunits (beta(Y618A) and gamma(Y628A)); (iii) the down-regulation of ENaC activity by progesterone was also suppressed by co-expression ENaC subunits with a catalytically inactive mutant of Nedd4-2, a ubiquitin ligase that has been previously demonstrated to decrease ENaC cell-surface expression via a ubiquitin-dependent internalization/degradation mechanism; (iv) the effect of progesterone was significantly reduced by suppression of consensus sites (beta(T613A) and gamma(T623A)) for ENaC phosphorylation by the extracellular-regulated kinase (ERK), a MAP kinase previously shown to facilitate the binding of Nedd4 ubiquitin ligases to ENaC; (v) the quantification of cell-surface-expressed ENaC subunits revealed that progesterone decreases ENaC open probability (whole cell P(o), wcP(o)) and not its cell-surface expression. Collectively, these results demonstrate that the binding of active Nedd4-2 to ENaC is a crucial step in the mechanism of ENaC inhibition by progesterone. Upon activation of ERK, the effect of Nedd4-2 on ENaC open probability can become more important than its effect on ENaC cell-surface expression.

Tight open knots.

The tightest open conformations of a few prime knots (3(1), 4(1), 5(1), 5(2), and 6(3)) found with the use of the SONO algorithm are presented and discussed. The conformations are obtained from the tightest closed conformations of the knots by cutting and opening them at different locations. The length of the rope engaged in each of the open conformations is calculated. The curvature and torsion profiles of the unique tightest conformations of the 3(1) and 4(1) open knots are presented and discussed. In particular, symmetry properties of the knots reflected within their curvature and torsion profiles are analysed. Connections with the physics of polymers are discussed.

Arrested kinetic Li isotope fractionation at the margin of the llimaussaq complex, South Greenland: Evidence for open-system processes during final cooling of peralkaline igneous rocks

Li contents [Li] and isotopic composition (delta Li-7) of mafic minerals (mainly amphibole and clinopyroxene) from the alkaline to peralkaline Ilimaussaq plutonic complex, South Greenland, track the behavior of Li and its isotopes during magmatic differentiation and final cooling of an alkaline igneous system. [Li] in amphibole increase from < 10 ppm in Caamphiboles of the least differentiated unit to >3000 ppm in Na-amphiboles of the highly evolved units. In contrast, [Li] in clinopyroxene are comparatively low (<85 ppm) and do not vary systematically with differentiation. The distribution of Li between amphibole and pyroxene is controlled by the major element composition of the minerals (Ca-rich and Na-rich, respectively) and changes in oxygen fugacity (due to Li incorporation via coupled substitution with ferric iron) during magmatic differentiation. delta(7) Li values of all minerals span a wide range from + 17 to - 8 parts per thousand, with the different intrusive units of the complex having distinct Li isotopic systematics. Amphiboles, which dominate the Li budget of whole-rocks from the inner part of the complex, have constant delta Li-7 of + 1.8 +/- 2.2 parts per thousand (2 sigma, n = 15). This value reflects a homogeneous melt reservoir and is consistent with their mantle derivation, in agreement with published O and Nd isotopic data. Clinopyroxenes of these samples are consistently lighter, with Delta Li-7(amph-cpx). as large as 8 parts per thousand and are thus not in Li isotope equilibrium. These low values probably reflect late-stage diffusion of Li into clinopyroxene during final cooling of the rocks, thus enriching the clinopyroxene in 6 Li. At the margin of the complex delta(7) Li in the syenites increases systematically, from +2 to high values of + 14 parts per thousand. This, coupled with the observed Li isotope systematics of the granitic country rocks, reflects post-magmatic open-system processes occurring during final cooling of the intrusion. Although the shape and magnitude of the Li isotope and elemental profiles through syenite and country rock are suggestive of diffusion-driven isotope fractionation, they cannot be modeled by one-dimensional diffusive transport and point to circulation of a fluid having a high 67 Li value (possibly seawater) along the chilled contact. In all, this study demonstrates that Li isotopes can be used to identify complex fluid- and diffusion-governed processes taking place during the final cooling of such rocks. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V All rights reserved.

A prospective, randomized, open label, phase iii clinical trial of novottf-100a vs best standard of care chemotherapy in patients with recurrent glioblastoma

BACKGROUND: Glioblastoma, the most common adult primary malignant brain tumor, confers poor prognosis (median survival of 15 months) notwithstanding aggressive treatment. Combination chemotherapy including carmustine (BCNU) or temozolomide (TMZ) with the MGMT inhibitor O6-benzylguanine (O6BG) has been used, but has been associated with dose-limiting hematopoietic toxicity. OBJECTIVE: To assess safety and efficacy of a retroviral vector encoding the O6BG-resistant MGMTP140K gene for transduction and autologous transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in MGMT unmethylated, newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients in an attempt to chemoprotect bone marrowduring combination O6BG/TMZ therapy. METHODS: Three patients have been enrolled in the first cohort. Patients underwent standard radiation therapy without TMZ followed by G-CSF mobilization, apheresis, and conditioning with 600 mg/m2 BCNU prior to infusion of gene-modified cells. Posttransplant, patients were treated with 28-day cycles of single doseTMZ (472 mg/m2) with 48-hour intravenous O6BG (120 mg/m2 bolus, then 30 mg/m2/d). RESULTS: The BCNU dose was nonmyeloablative with ANC ,500/mL for ≤3 d and nadir thrombocytopenia of 28,000/mL. Gene marking in pre-infusion colony forming units (CFUs) was 70.6%, 79.0%, and 74.0% in Patients 1, 2, and 3, respectively, by CFU-PCR. Following engraftment, gene marking in white blood cells and sorted granulocytes ranged between 0.37-0.84 and 0.33-0.83 provirus copies, respectively, by real-time PCR. Posttransplant gene marking in CFUs from CD34-selected cells ranged from 28.5% to 47.4%. Patients have received 4, 3, and 2 cycles of O6BG/TMZ, respectively, with evidence for selection of gene-modified cells. One patient has received a single dose-escalated cycle at 590 mg/m2 TMZ. No additional extra-hematopoietic toxicity has been observed thus far and all three patients exhibit stable disease at 7-8 months since diagnosis CONCLUSIONS: We believe that these data demonstrate the feasibility of achieving significant engraftment of MGMTP140K-modified cells with a well-tolerated dose of BCNU. Further follow-up will determine whether this approach will allow for further dose escalation of TMZ and improved survival.

Ostéogénèse atypique après séquestrectomies multiples pour fracture ouverte infectée du fémur: un cas [Atypical osteogenesis following multiple sequestrectomies for infected open fracture of the femur: a case]

The authors present the case of an open fracture of femur Cauchoix type II with an infection due to Escherichia coli, Clostridium perfringens, Enterococcus and Aspergillus fumigatus. After several sequestrectomies and five hyperbaric sessions, apyrexia was attained at the end of the third month, the femur having been stabilised with an external fixator. The 15 cm gap due to loss of bone substance, filled at each dressing with an antiseptic iodine based ointment, closed itself finishing as continuous bone five months after the accident, the granulation tissue having been recovered by thin skin grafts. A repeated fracture occurring forty-eight hours after the removal of the Hoffmann frame was treated by fitting an Ilizarov fixator arriving at consolidation in seven months. The authors examine different possibilities of accelerating osteogenesis and highlight the potential role of iodine ointment as inductive to osteogenesis stemming from a periosteal layer seemingly held in place.