L’art de raconter une bonne histoire : une analyse de la couverture médiatique des gangs de rue au Québec

The media attribute a great significance to criminal events. However, those are not all reported in the same way. The media treatment of one generally depends of its sensationalism. The more impressive the event is, the more importance will be given by the media. Although street gangs have been very much present in the news content for several years, very few studies have assessed the extent to which the phenomenon is appealing to the media in relation to all criminal news. Considering the importance of media content and its impact on our society, the present study focuses on this question in order to determine whether the news about street gangs are treated differently. The sample of this study consists of 417 reports from Radio-Canada’s TV channel and Internet content, from that 210 are related to street gangs and 207 don’t bear on the phenomenon. The results suggest that the audiovisual and digital media present a more specific aspect of the phenomenon. Reports about street gangs are also more detailed and benefit from a greater mediatic treatment, regardless the medium of information used. Independently of the components that determine what make good news, the events involving street gangs and their members seem to receive a special media treatment.

Des jeunes contrevenants discutent de leur connaissance et perceptions des gangs, membres de gangs et activités de gangs

Ce mémoire s’inscrit dans une lignée de recherches ayant pour thème les gangs de rue. L’objectif de cette recherche est de préciser comment les jeunes contrevenants perçoivent l’univers des gangs de rue et ses composantes, à savoir le gang lui-même, un membre de gang, les activités de gang, qu’elles soient délinquantes ou autres, que veut dire être un ancien membre de gang et comment se dessine la vie après le gang. Pour se démarquer des autres recherches, réalisées le plus souvent à partir d’entrevues individuelles, nous avons réalisé des groupes de discussion impliquant 13 jeunes contrevenants hébergés dans les unités de réadaptation du Centre jeunesse de Montréal-Institut universitaire. Ces participants, appartenant ou non à un gang de rue, ont partagé leurs représentations et leurs perceptions de l’univers des gangs et de ses composantes. À la lumière de l’analyse du contenu des entrevues de groupe, une communauté d’idées s’en dégage. Les jeunes partagent des représentations et perceptions semblables quant aux gangs de rue et ses composantes. Les gangs de rue sont, selon eux, un groupe de jeunes qui commettent des délits, avec violence ou non, et qui s’identifient à leur gang par l’entremise d’un chiffre, d’une couleur, d’un quartier... Pour repérer un membre de gang de rue, il faut faire partie de ce milieu. De l’avis des répondants, ils sont, bien souvent, sur-identifiés par les instances policières et les autres intervenants en raison des critères utilisés. Bien que les activités criminelles fassent partie intégrante de leur mode de vie, il ne faut pas négliger les activités positives et agréables qui font partie de leur quotidien. Pour quitter cet univers, il suffit d’en informer son gang. Aucune démarche spécifique ne doit être faite et les menaces de représailles s’actualisent rarement. Toutefois, les membres de gangs ennemis et les policiers continuent souvent à identifier comme membre actif ces jeunes qui tentent de s’en sortir et de se refaire une vie, compromettant ainsi leur réinsertion sociale, qui ne se fait par ailleurs pas sans embûches et obstacles. Les jeunes ont mentionné avoir besoin de ressources qui peuvent les supporter et les épauler à travers ce processus de changement. D’où l’importance de mettre à jour nos connaissances et faire un portrait plus actuel sur le sujet avec la possibilité de les partager avec les différents intervenants, concernés par la problématique, pour qu’ils puissent en tenir compte dans leurs interventions auprès de cette clientèle, ceci notamment dans les centres de réadaptation où le besoin de s’exprimer librement sur le sujet et d’être écouté a été nommé haut et fort par les jeunes interviewés.

Mesurer l'apport unique de l'adhésion à la culture des gangs de rue à l'explication des conduites délinquantes chez les adolescents et les hommes contrevenants

L’apport disproportionné aux taux de criminalité des membres des gangs de rue est, nul doute, une proposition empirique robuste. De nombreuses études ont conclu que l’association aux gangs de rue est un facteur de risque supplémentaire à celui que constitue déjà la fréquentation de pairs délinquants au nombre des meilleurs prédicteurs de la délinquance avec les antécédents criminels et les traits antisociaux de la personnalité. Pourtant, la contribution spécifique de l’association aux gangs de rue à l’explication de la délinquance est largement méconnue. Au nombre des variables les plus souvent citées pour l’expliquer figure néanmoins le concept de l’adhésion à la culture de gang qui n’a toutefois jamais été spécifiquement opérationnalisé. Le but de la thèse est d’étudier la contribution spécifique de l’adhésion d’un contrevenant à la culture des gangs de rue à l’explication de la délinquance. Plus précisément, elle a comme objectifs de définir la culture des gangs de rue, d’opérationnaliser l’adhésion à la culture des gangs de rue, d’examiner la fidélité de la mesure de l’adhésion à la culture de gang et d’étudier sa relation avec la nature, la variété et la fréquence des conduites délinquantes de contrevenants placés sous la responsabilité des centres jeunesse et des services correctionnels du Québec. Trois articles scientifiques, auxquels un chapitre régulier est joint, ont servi la démonstration de la thèse. D’abord, le premier article présente les démarches relatives au développement de la première Mesure de l’adhésion à la culture de gang, la MACg. Plus précisément, l’article présente la recension des écrits qui a permis de proposer une première définition de la culture de gang et d’opérationnaliser le concept. Il fait aussi état de la démarche de la validation de la pertinence de son contenu et des données préliminaires qui révèlent la très bonne cohérence interne de la MACg. Cette première étude est suivie de la présentation, dans le cadre d’un chapitre régulier, des résultats de l’examen de la cotation des principaux indicateurs de la culture de gang. Cette démarche constitue un complément nécessaire à l’examen de la validité apparente de la MACg. Les résultats révèlent des degrés de concordance très satisfaisants entre les observations de divers professionnels des centres jeunesse et des services correctionnels du Québec qui ont été invités à coter les indicateurs de la culture de gang à partir de deux histoires fictives d’un contrevenant mineur et d’un second d’âge adulte. Puis, le deuxième article présente les résultats d’un premier examen de la fidélité de la MACg à l’aide du modèle de Rasch de la Théorie de la réponse aux items. Ses résultats soutiennent l’unidimensionnalité de la MACg et sa capacité à distinguer des groupes d’items et de personnes le long d’un continuum de gravité d’adhésion à la culture de gang. Par contre, le fonctionnement différentiel et le mauvais ajustement de certains items sont observés, ainsi que l’inadéquation de la structure de réponses aux items (de type Likert) privilégiée lors de l’élaboration de la MACg. Une version réaménagée de cette dernière est donc proposée. Enfin, le troisième et dernier article présente les résultats de l’examen de la relation entre la délinquance et l’adhésion d’un contrevenant à la culture de gang telle que mesurée par la MACg. Les résultats soutiennent l’apport unique de l’adhésion d’un contrevenant à la culture de gang à la diversité et à la fréquence des conduites délinquantes auto-rapportées par des contrevenants placés sous la responsabilité des centres jeunesse et des services correctionnels du Québec. Le score à l’échelle originale et réaménagée de la MACg s’avère, d’ailleurs, un facteur explicatif plus puissant que l’âge, la précocité criminelle, les pairs délinquants et la psychopathie au nombre des meilleurs prédicteurs de la délinquance. L’étude met aussi en lumière l’étroite relation entre une forte adhésion à la culture de gang et la présence marquée de traits psychopathiques annonciatrice de problèmes particulièrement sérieux. Malgré ses limites, la thèse contribuera significativement aux développements des bases d’un nouveau modèle explicatif de l’influence de l’association aux gangs de rue sur les conduites des personnes. La MACg pourra aussi servir à l’évaluation des risques des hommes contrevenants placés sous la responsabilité du système de justice pénale et à l’amélioration de la qualité des interventions qui leur sont dédiées.

Motorcycle accident risk could be inflated by a time to arrival illusion

Purpose. Drivers adopt smaller safety margins when pulling out in front of motorcycles compared with cars. This could partly account for why the most common motorcycle/car accident involves a car violating a motorcyclist's right of way. One possible explanation is the size-arrival effect in which smaller objects are perceived to arrive later than larger objects. That is, drivers may estimate the time to arrival of motorcycles to be later than cars because motorcycles are smaller. Methods. We investigated arrival time judgments using a temporal occlusion paradigm. Drivers recruited from the student population (n = 28 and n = 33) saw video footage of oncoming vehicles and had to press a response button when they judged that vehicles would reach them. Results. In experiment 1, the time to arrival of motorcycles was estimated to be significantly later than larger vehicles (a car and a van) for different approach speeds and viewing times. In experiment 2, we investigated an alternative explanation to the size-arrival effect: that the smaller size of motorcycles places them below the threshold needed for observers to make an accurate time to arrival judgment using tau. We found that the motorcycle/car difference in arrival time estimates was maintained for very short occlusion durations when tau could be estimated for both motorcycles and cars. Conclusions. Results are consistent with the size-arrival effect and are inconsistent with the tau threshold explanation. Drivers estimate motorcycles will reach them later than cars across a range of conditions. This could have safety implications.

Motorcycle ownership and injury in China

Background. China has made tremendous progress in its economic development in the past two decades. Accompanying this economic development has been an evident shift in the modes of transport, from walking and cycling to the use of motorcycles and, increasingly, four-wheel vehicles. Such changes are likely to have also produced changes in the patterns and numbers of road traffic injuries, including increases in motorcycle injuries. However, such changes have not been well documented. The work described in this paper sought, therefore, to document the changes in motorcycle ownership, motorcyclist mortality and injury rates in China since 1987.
Methods. National traffic ownership and injury data from 1987 to 2001 were obtained from the National Bureau for Traffic Administration. Additionally, traffic ownership and injury records from 1997 to 2001 were collected from local police offices from 20 counties in Guangxi Region. Population data were obtained from the national and county statistics bureaus. Motorcycle ownership, fatality and injury trends over time were calculated.
Results. Nationally, motorcycles accounted for 23.4% of all registered motor vehicles in 1987, increasing to 63.2% in 2001. Motorcyclist fatalities and injuries increased 5.5-fold and 9.3-fold, respectively, between 1987 and 2001. In 1987, 7.5% of all traffic fatalities and 8.8% of all traffic injuries were sustained by motorcyclists, with the corresponding proportions increasing to 18.9% and 22.8%, respectively, in 2001. The changing proportions of both traffic fatalities and injuries sustained by motorcyclists were positively correlated with the change in the proportion of motorcycles among all motor vehicles. In the 20 counties in Guangxi, motorcyclist fatality and injury rates also increased between 1997 and 2001. Moreover, these rates were considerably higher than the national rates.
Conclusions. Motorcyclist injury in China is a serious public health problem. Motorcyclist fatalities and injuries are likely to continue to increase unless appropriate intervention programmes are implemented.

Helmets for preventing injury in motorcycle riders

Background: Motorcycle crash victims form a high proportion of those killed or injured in road traffic accidents. Injuries to the head, following motorcycle crashes, are a common cause of severe morbidity and mortality. It seems intuitive that helmets should protect against head injuries but it has been argued that motorcycle helmet use decreases rider vision and increases neck injuries. This review will collate the 'current available evidence on helmets and their impact on mortality, and head, face and neck injuries following motorcycle crashes.

Objectives: To quantify the effectiveness of wearing a motorcycle helmet in reducing mortality and head and neck injury following motorcycle crashes.

Search strategy: Databases including the Cochrane Injuries Group Specialised Register, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (The Cochrane Library issue 1,2003), MEDLINE (January 1966 to February 2003), EMBASE (January 1985 to February 2003), CINAHL (January 1982 to February 2003), IRRD (International Road Research Documentation), TRANSDOC, TRIS (Transport Research Information Service), ATRI (Australian Transport Index) (1976 to Feb 2003), Science Citation Index were searched for relevant articles. Web sites of traffic and road accident research bodies including government agencies were also searched. Reference lists from topic reviews, identified studies and bibliographies were examined for relevant articles.

Selection criteria: We considered for inclusion studies that investigated a population of motorcycle riders who had crashed, examining helmet use as an intervention and with outcomes that included one or more of the following: death, head, neck or facial injury. Studies included any that compared an intervention and control group and, therefore, included any randomised controlled trials, non-randomised controlled trials, cohort, case-control and cross-sectional studies. Ecological and case series studies were excluded.

Data collection and analysis: Two reviewers independently screened reference lists for eligible articles. Two reviewers independently assessed articles for inclusion criteria. Data were abstracted by two independent reviewers using a standard abstraction form.

Main results: Fifty-three observational studies were identified of varying quality. Despite methodological differences there was a remarkable consistency in results, particularly for mortality and head injury outcomes. Motorcycle helmets appear to reduce the risk of mortality although, due to heterogeneity in study design, an overall estimate of effect was not calculated. There was some evidence that the effect of helmets on mortality is modified by speed. Motorcycle helmets were found to reduce the risk of head injury and from five well-conducted studies the risk reduction is estimated to be 72% (OR 0.28, 95%CI 0.23,0.35). Insufficient evidence was found to estimate the effect of motorcycle helmets compared with no helmet on facial or neck injuries. However, studies of poorer quality suggest that helmets have no effect on the risk of neck injuries and are protective for facial injury. There was insufficient evidence to demonstrate whether differences in helmet type confer more or less advantage in injury reduction.

Conclusions: Motorcycle helmets reduce the risk of mortality and head injury in motorcycle riders who crash, although the former effect may be modified by other crash factors such as speed. Further well-conducted research is required to determine the effects of helmets and different helmet types on mortalIty, head, neck and facial injuries. However, the findings suggest that global efforts to reduce road traffic injuries may be facilitated by increasing helmet use by motorcyclists.

Performance comparison of abrasion resistant textile motorcycle clothing

 Falling at speed onto a tarmac surface during cycling can cause abrasion and laceration of the skin and body tissue. Motorcycle clothing designed to reduce or avoid this type of injury has traditionally been made of animal leather as it has well known resistance to abrasion. In the last 20 years there has been an emergence of textile clothing reinforced with high performance/tenacity fibres such as those made from polyamides, aramids, ultra high molecular weight polyethylene and liquid crystal. Almost no comparative work has been undertaken to provide insight into the level of protection these clothing layers can provide.
This work has used a CE standard test method to evaluate a number of abrasion resistant textile pant products and compare them with a leather race product. It analysed the protective fabric layer structure for mass, thickness, construction method and resistance to abrasion.
Structures manufactured from high tenacity fibres performed better than those from lower tenacity ones. Fabric construction method and mass per unit area were the two key variables in providing an abrasion protective layer. Structures manufactured from knitted para-aramid fibres performed better than their woven counterparts due to the method of fabric failure. Several well designed protective layers performed at a similar level to that of leather; however, most garments tested failed to meet the lower level European standard of abrasion resistance (CE level 1), which may put their wearer at risk in the advent of a collision.

Influence of Helmet Use in Facial Trauma and Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury Victims of Motorcycle Accidents

Objective: The objective of this research was to study the influence of the use of helmet in facial trauma victims of motorcycle accidents with moderate traumatic brain injury. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the incidence of facial injuries in helmeted and nonhelmeted victims with moderate traumatic brain injury at a referral trauma hospital. Results: The sample consisted of 272 patients predominantly men (94.5%) and between 21 and 40 years old (62.9%). The majority of patients were using helmet (80.1%). The occurrence of facial fractures was most frequent for zygomatic bone (51.8%), followed by mandible (18.8%) and nasal bones (9.2%). Conclusions: Individuals in the most productive age group are most affected, which causes a great loss to financial and labor systems. It is important to take measures to alert the public regarding the severity of injuries likely to occur in motorcycle-related accidents and ways to prevent them.

Dynamic analysis of the motorcycle chattering behaviour by means of symbolic multibody modelling

Aim of this research is the development and validation of a comprehensive multibody motorcycle model featuring rigid-ring tires, taking into account both slope and roughness of road surfaces. A novel parametrization for the general kinematics of the motorcycle is proposed, using a mixed reference-point and relative-coordinates approach. The resulting description, developed in terms of dependent coordinates, makes it possible to efficiently include rigid-ring kinematics as well as road elevation and slope. The equations of motion for the multibody system are derived symbolically and the constraint equations arising from the dependent-coordinate formulation are handled using a projection technique. Therefore the resulting system of equations can be integrated in time domain using a standard ODE algorithm. The model is validated with respect to maneuvers experimentally measured on the race track, showing consistent results and excellent computational efficiency. More in detail, it is also capable of reproducing the chatter vibration of racing motorcycles. The chatter phenomenon, appearing during high speed cornering maneuvers, consists of a self-excited vertical oscillation of both the front and rear unsprung masses in the range of frequency between 17 and 22 Hz. A critical maneuver is numerically simulated, and a self-excited vibration appears, consistent with the experimentally measured chatter vibration. Finally, the driving mechanism for the self-excitation is highlighted and a physical interpretation is proposed.

Local Firms in Latecomer Developing Countries amidst China's Rise -The case of Vietnam's motorcycle industry-

This paper examines the impact of China's recent rise on the development of local firms in latecomer developing countries. Based on a detailed analysis of Vietnam's motorcycle industry, the paper argues that China's impact may go beyond what a trade analysis suggests. Indeed, China's rise induced a dynamic transformation in the structure of value chains within Vietnam's motorcycle industry, bringing about far-reaching consequences on the development and upgrading trajectories of local firms. The implications of the case study for the wider "global value chain" approach is also discussed.

Value Chain Dynamics and Growth of Local Firms:The Case of Motorcycle Industry in Vietnam

Vietnam’s burgeoning market for motorcycles has attracted global industry eaders,players from developing countries, and local firms. This has led to a dynamic evolution of value chains. This paper presents an explanation of the varieties of the growth patterns xperienced by the local suppliers, focusing on the roles of customer and local supplier strategies. Case studies showed that while the role of customers may be important, strategies of suppliers to improve the ompetitive edge in the production of otorcycle components and to diversify into other products account for important ariations of growth trajectories among local suppliers. Findings presented in this paper suggest the need to direct more attention to strategy that local firms use to boost their competitive edge in business.

Asian Industrial Development from the Perspective of the Motorcycle Industry

This paper discusses the diversity of industrial development among Asian countries that emerges through an investigation of the motorcycle industry despite its uniform industrial attributes. The paper then explores factors that generate diversity, focusing attention on the differences in knowledge-based assets accumulated in each country. It finds that diversity is brought about through the differences in domestic industrial resources and the capabilities of local firms. The analysis underscores each country’s intrinsic logic in industrial development, contrary to the current trend of stressing assimilation through the global production networks of multinational corporations.

Perfecting the Catching-up: The Case of Taiwan's Motorcycle Industry

The final stage of the catching-up process has formidable hurdles. This paper examines the case of Taiwan’s motorcycle industry and shows how latecomers overcame the hurdles. In the early 1990s, the two largest motorcycle makers in Taiwan, Sanyang and Kwang Yang, had completed the catching-up process and became independent from Honda, on which they had technologically depended since the early 1960s. The requisite for independence was acquiring the capacity for product innovation. The two assemblers could cultivate technological capacity by investing abundant resources, which they accumulated in the protected market. It should be noted that although the market was protected and highly concentrated, it was also very competitive. Another condition was the solid local suppliers of parts and components. The local suppliers had also grown under the government’s industrial policies. However, their development beyond imitators can be attributed to their own initiatives.