Message from MultiCom-2012 workshop chairs

Welcome to the Second International Workshop on Multimedia Communications and Networking held in conjunction with IUCC-2012 during 25 June – 27 June 2012 in Liverpool, UK. MultiCom-2012 is dedicated to address the challenges in the areas of elivering multimedia content using modern communication and networking techniques. The multimedia & networking computing domain emerges from the integration of multimedia content such as audio and video with content distribution technologies. This workshop aims to cover contributions in both design and analysis aspects in the context of multimedia, wired/wireless/heterogeneous networks, and quality evaluation. It also intends to bring together researchers and practitioners from academia and industry to share their latest achievements in this field with others and establish new collaborations for future developments. All papers received are peer reviewed by three members of the Technical Programme Committee. The papers are assessed by their originality, technical quality, presentation and relevance to the theme of the workshop. Based on the criteria set, four papers have been accepted for presentation at the workshop and will appear in the IUCC conference proceedings. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the IUCC-2012 Organizing Committee, the TPC members of MultiCom-2012 and the authors for their s upport, dedicated work and contributions. Finally, we look forward to meeting you at the workshop in Liverpool.

La collaboration médecin-pharmacien en soins de première ligne pour la gestion des dyslipidémies : un essai clinique contrôlé et randomisé en grappe (étude TEAM)

L’hypothèse de cette thèse est qu’une pratique collaborative médecins de famille-pharmaciens communautaires (PCMP) où le pharmacien fournit des soins pharmaceutiques avancés avec ajustement posologique d’une statine permettrait aux patients avec une dyslipidémie une réduction plus importante de leur LDL et augmenterait le nombre de patients atteignant leurs cibles lipidiques. Dans une étude clinique contrôlée et randomisée en grappe visant à évaluer une PCMP pour des patients ayant une dyslipidémie (l’étude TEAM), une journée de formation basée sur un protocole de traitement et des outils cliniques a été offerte aux pharmaciens PCMP pour les préparer à fournir des soins pharmaceutiques avancés. Les connaissances des pharmaciens sur les dyslipidémies étaient faibles avant la formation mais se sont améliorées après (moyenne de 45,8% à 88,2%; p < 0,0001). Après la formation, les pharmaciens avaient un haut niveau d’habiletés cliniques théoriques et pratiques. Bref, une journée de formation basée sur un protocole de traitement et des outils cliniques était nécessaire et adéquate pour préparer les pharmaciens à fournir des soins pharmaceutiques avancés à des patients ayant une dyslipidémie dans le contexte d’une étude clinique. Dans l’étude TEAM, 15 grappes de médecins et de pharmaciens (PCMP : 8; soins habituels (SH) : 7) ont suivi pendant un an, 225 patients (PCMP : 108; SH : 117) à risque modéré ou élevé de maladie coronarienne qui débutaient ou étaient déjà traités par une monothérapie avec une statine mais qui n’avaient pas atteint les cibles lipidiques. Au départ, par rapport aux patients SH, les patients PCMP avaient un niveau de LDL plus élevé (3,5 mmol/L vs 3,2 mmol/L) et recevaient moins de statine à puissance élevée (11,1 % vs 39,7 %). Après 12 mois, la différence moyenne du changement de LDL entre les groupes était égale à -0,2 mmol/L (IC95%: -0,3 à -0,1) et -0,04 (IC95%: -0,3 à 0,2), sans ajustement et avec ajustement, respectivement. Le risque relatif d’atteindre les cibles lipidiques était 1,10 (IC95%: 0,95 à 1,26) et 1,16 (1,01 à 1,32), sans ajustement et avec ajustement, respectivement. Les patients PCMP ont eu plus de visites avec un professionnel de la santé et d’analyses de laboratoire et étaient plus enclins à rapporter des changements de style de vie. La PCMP a amélioré l’adhésion aux lignes directrices en augmentant la proportion de patients aux cibles lipidiques. Les données intérimaires de l’étude TEAM (PCMP : 100 patients; SH : 67 patients) ont permis d’évaluer les coûts directs annuels du suivi du pharmacien du groupe PCMP (formation, visites, laboratoire), du médecin (visites, laboratoire) et du traitement hypolipémiant. Le suivi du pharmacien a coûté 404,07$/patient, incluant 320,67$ pour former les pharmaciens. Le coût global incrémental était 421,01$/patient. Une pratique collaborative pour des patients ayant une dyslipidémie engendre un coût raisonnable.

Développement et validation d'un modèle de simulation numérique personnalisé à une athlète de plongeon

Les entraîneurs en sports acrobatiques disposent de peu d’outils permettant d’améliorer leur compréhension des saltos vrillés et la performance des athlètes. L’objectif de ce mémoire était de développer un environnement graphique de simulation numérique réaliste et utile des acrobaties aériennes. Un modèle composé de 17 segments et de 42 degrés de liberté a été développé et personnalisé à une athlète de plongeon. Un système optoélectronique échantillonné à 300 Hz a permis l’acquisition de huit plongeons en situation réelle d’entraînement. La cinématique articulaire reconstruite avec un filtre de Kalman étendu a été utilisée comme entrée du modèle. Des erreurs quadratiques moyennes de 20° (salto) et de 9° (vrille) entre les performances simulées et réelles ont permis de valider le modèle. Enfin, une formation basée sur le simulateur a été offerte à 14 entraîneurs en sports acrobatiques. Une augmentation moyenne de 11 % des résultats aux questionnaires post-test a permis de constater le potentiel pédagogique de l’outil pour la formation.

Agroecosystem resilience and farmers’ perceptions of climate change impacts on cocoa farms in Alto Beni, Bolivia

Cocoa-based small-scale agriculture is the most important source of income for most farming families in the region of Alto Beni in the sub-humid foothills of the Andes. Cocoa is grown in cultivation systems of varying ecological complexity. The plantations are highly susceptible to climate change impacts. Local cocoa producers mention heat waves, droughts, floods and plant diseases as the main impacts affecting plants and working conditions, and they associate these impacts with global climate change. From a sustainable regional development point of view, cocoa farms need to become more resilient in order to cope with the climate change related effects that are putting cocoa-based livelihoods at risk. This study assesses agroecosystem resilience under three different cocoa cultivation systems (successional agroforestry, simple agroforestry and common practice monocultures). In a first step, farmers’ perceptions of climate change impacts were assessed and eight indicators of agroecological resilience were derived in a transdisciplinary process (focus groups and workshop) based on farmers’ and scientists’ knowledge. These indicators (soil organic matter, depth of Ah horizon, soil bulk density, tree species diversity, crop varieties diversity, ant species diversity, cocoa yields and infestation of cocoa trees with Moniliophthora perniciosa) were then surveyed on 15 cocoa farms and compared for the three different cultivation systems. Parts of the socio-economic aspects of resilience were covered by evaluating the role of cocoa cooperatives and organic certification in transitioning to more resilient cocoa farms (interviews with 15 cocoa farmers combined with five expert interviews). Agroecosystem resilience was higher under the two agroforestry systems than under common practice monoculture, especially under successional agroforestry. Both agroforestry systems achieved higher cocoa yields than common practice monoculture due to agroforestry farmers’ enhanced knowledge regarding cocoa cultivation. Knowledge sharing was promoted by local organizations facilitating organic certification. These organizations were thus found to enhance the social process of farmers’ integration into cooperatives and their reorientation toward organic principles and diversified agroforestry.

Presentations eBook: according to 1st Workshop with focus on experimental testing of cement-based materials

COST TU 1404

Research posters’ eBook: according to 1st WORKSHOP with “Focus on experimental testing of cement based materials”

COST Action TU 1404

Institutional posters’ eBook: according to 1st Workshop with “Focus on experimental testing of cement based materials”

COST TU 1404

Open Access Button Workshop

Workshop at Open Repositories 2014, Helsinki, Finland, June 9-13, 2014

Workshop 1 p15 Towards a values-based curriculum

Animation

Different approaches for dealing with rare variants in family-based genetic studies: application of a Genetic Analysis Workshop 17 problem

Rare variants are becoming the new candidates in the search for genetic variants that predispose individuals to a phenotype of interest. Their low prevalence in a population requires the development of dedicated detection and analytical methods. A family-based approach could greatly enhance their detection and interpretation because rare variants are nearly family specific. In this report, we test several distinct approaches for analyzing the information provided by rare and common variants and how they can be effectively used to pinpoint putative candidate genes for follow-up studies. The analyses were performed on the mini-exome data set provided by Genetic Analysis Workshop 17. Eight approaches were tested, four using the trait’s heritability estimates and four using QTDT models. These methods had their sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values compared in light of the simulation parameters. Our results highlight important limitations of current methods to deal with rare and common variants, all methods presented a reduced specificity and, consequently, prone to false positive associations. Methods analyzing common variants information showed an enhanced sensibility when compared to rare variants methods. Furthermore, our limited knowledge of the use of biological databases for gene annotations, possibly for use as covariates in regression models, imposes a barrier to further research.

ENVISIONING QUEER THROUGH DIGITAL MEDIA: DEVELOPING A COMMUNITY-BASED WORKSHOP IN MEDIA ANALYSIS FOR LGBTQIA+ YOUTH

This project consists of a proposed curriculum for a semester-long, community-based workshop for LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans*, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual or ally, "+" indicating other identifications that deviate from heterosexual) youth ages 16-18. The workshop focuses on an exploration of LGBTQIA+ identity and community through discussion and collaborative rhetorical analysis of visual and social media. Informed by queer theory and history, studies on youth work, and visual media studies and incorporating rhetorical criticism as well as liberatory pedagogy and community literacy practices, the participation-based design of the workshop seeks to involve participants in selection of media texts, active analytical viewership, and multimodal response. The workshop is designed to engage participants in reflection on questions of individual and collective responsibility and agency as members and allies of various communities. The goal of the workshop is to strengthen participants' abilities to analyze the complex ways in which television, film, and social media influence their own and others’ perceptions of issues surrounding queer identities. As part of the reflective process, participants are challenged to consider how they can in turn actively and collaboratively respond to and potentially help to shape these perceptions. My project report details the theoretical framework, pedagogical rationale, methods of text selection and critical analysis, and guidelines for conduct that inform and structure the workshop.