Le gouvernement égyptien a lancé en 1997, sous la pression des bailleurs de fonds, dans un contexte dediffusion du New Public Management une réforme visant à améliorer la qualité dans les hôpitaux publics.Cette réforme a été globalement un échec, à tel point qu’une nouvelle réforme a été mise en œuvre en 2007.L’échec de ces deux réformes a été largement documenté dans la presse.Nous montrons que les approches qualité retenues par ces réformes sont essentiellement d’inspiration nord-américaine.Leur transplantation dans un contexte culturel différent, celui de l’Egypte, pose un problème demanagement interculturel, mais aussi, plus globalement, de prise en compte du contexte économique etsocial. Les méthodes de travail, le style de communication, les conceptions du temps ou de l’autorité sontdifférentes et engendrent des malentendus. Nos enquêtes de terrain ont montré à quel point il existe undécalage entre les textes sur la qualité, conçus dans un contexte nord-américain, et leur application enEgypte.Cependant, malgré la différence entre des normes conçues dans un contexte qui est essentiellement celui del’Amérique du Nord et le contexte culturel égyptien, le succès a occasionnellement été au rendez-vous. Cecinous a amenée à analyser la manière dont la transposition des outils de management de la qualité s’étaitopérée dans les rares cas de succès. Nous mettons en évidence le rôle des acteurs.Nous mobilisons donc dans notre recherche la théorie néo-institutionnelle et la théorie de la structuration, eten particulier le concept d’interaction action/structure. / In 1997, the Egyptian government launched a reform aimed at improving quality in public hospitals. Thisreform has largely been a failure, to the point that a new reform was implemented in 2007. The failure ofthese two reforms has been widely documented. Our masters’ degree research shows what gap there isbetween texts on quality, probably imported without thinking, from other countries, and their application.Working methods, styles of communication, conceptions of time and authority are different and causemisunderstandings. It appears difficult to make systems and people with different cultures and norms ofbehaviors work together.Our research focuses on the confrontation between two cultures through the implementation of qualityprocedures in public hospitals in Egypt. We show that these approaches are essentially of North Americaninspiration. However, despite the difference between standards developed in a context different from theEgyptian one, success has occasionally been achieved. This leads us to formulate the following question:How is, in a case of success, the transposition of management tools performed from the North Americancontext to an Egyptian context?In order to answer this question we are using the concept of interaction between action / structure, borrowedfrom the neo-institutional theory and from structuration theory.

Cette thèse traite, d’un point de vue interculturel, de la construction de l’identité à l’adolescence dans une Afrique en mutation. À partir d’une enquête sur le rapport psychisme/culture et l’étude des effets de l’intrication des cultures africaine et occidentale, nous avons dans ce travail démontré que la représentation de soi de l’adolescent Camerounais se trouve modifiée, car désormais coupée du référent fondateur. Par l’enculturation, la famille africaine élargie avait entre autres pour fonction d’accompagner l’adolescent à l’âge adulte en lui conférant une place, une identité. La culture, dans ce rôle de tiers, régulatrice de l’attachement, de la séparation et de la jouissance dans l’interaction fantasmatique entre l’adolescent et sa famille, et même entre l’adolescent et son environnement est sous-tendu par le référent fondateur ; c’est-à-dire par la croyance en un père imaginaire, le père ancêtre. L’ignorance, le refus ou l’oubli du référent fondateur (rupture de transmission, auto engendrement) fait obstacle à la construction identitaire, laissant ainsi l’adolescent Camerounais dans l’impasse. Dans une perspective de culture humaine, nous avons conclu que la façon dont les mélanges de cultures prennent place dans une société en constante évolution, est à entendre comme une atteinte à l’identité subjective, dans la mesure où elle entrave la fonction du père ancêtre, produisant ainsi, à la fois des effets de rupture, d’impasse, mais aussi d’ouverture dans la structuration du sujet. Ces effets, inévitablement, impliquent l’émergence de nouvelles pathologies et donc de nouveaux modes de prise en charge dans la clinique des adolescents. / This thesis deals, from an intercultural point of view, with the construction of identity in adolescence in a changing Cameroon. Based on an investigation on the relationship between psyche and culture and the study of the effects of the entanglement of traditional African and Western cultures, we have demonstrated in this work that the self-representation of the adolescent Cameroonian is modified, because it is now disconnected from the founding referent. Through enculturation, the extended African family had among other functions, to guide the adolescent towards adulthood, by providing him shelter and an identity. Culture, acting as a third party role that controls attachment, separation and joy in the fantasmatic interaction between the adolescent and his family, and even between the adolescent and his environment, is underpinned by the founding referent, meaning by the belief in an imaginary father, the ancestral father. Ignoring, refusing to accept or forgetting the founding referent (due to a failure in transmission or self-generation) is an obstacle to the construction of identity, thus leading the Cameroonian adolescent to a dead end. From a human culture perspective, we have concluded that the way in which a cultural mix occurs within a constantly evolving society is to be understood as an attack on subjective identity, insofar as it hinders the function of the ancestral father thus producing both the effects of separation and deadlock, which also allows a new perspective on the structuring of the subject. These effects, inevitably, imply the emergence of new pathologies and thus new modes of management in the adolescent clinic.

Les polyuréthanes segmentés thermoplastiques (TPUs) sont des matériaux élastomères thermoplastiques qui couvrent une large gamme d’applications. Ces matériaux possèdent intrinsèquement une aptitude à la nano-structuration car ils présentent dans leur structure macromoléculaire une alternance de segments rigides et de segments souples thermodynamiquement immiscibles en dessous d’une certaine température (température de micro-mélange). Ainsi, en refroidissant à partir de l’état fondu, une micro-séparation de phase, dont la cinétique dépend de la température, se produit. De plus, l’application d’une déformation avant cette structuration modifie sa cinétique. Ainsi, en vue d’appréhender l’effet de la mise en oeuvre sur certaines propriétés de ces matériaux, il s’avère intéressant d’étudier l’influence de l’histoire thermomécanique sur la structuration. Cette étude repose sur l’observation du comportement de cristallisation et/ou de séparation de phase de cinq polyuréthanes commerciaux de nature chimique différente, en fonction de différentes conditions thermiques et mécaniques appliquées en milieu modèle ou en conditions de mise en oeuvre réelles. Les techniques utilisées sont principalement rhéologiques, rhéo-optiques et par diffusion de rayons X aux petits angles (SAXS). Ces différentes analyses permettent d’affirmer que les contraintes appliquées dans le fondu des matériaux avant leur solidification modifient de façon drastique la cinétique de structuration mais aussi leur morphologie résultante. En effet, une orientation particulière des entités structurées au sein des matériaux peut être engendrée par des contraintes appliquées en fonction de leur intensité. Cette morphologie résultante particulière joue également un rôle sur les propriétés mécaniques finales des matériaux. / Thermoplastic segmented polyurethanes are an important class of thermoplastic elastomers which cover a wide range of applications. These materials are multi-block copolymers composed of alternating “hard” and “soft” segments which are respectively below and above their glass transition temperature under ambient conditions. TPUs exhibit a twophase microstructure which arises from the thermodynamic incompatibility between the hard and soft segments. This microphase separation is often combined with the crystallization of either or both segments. The mechanical properties of these polymers will depend upon the overall multiblock length and the hard block sequence length and how they affect the material morphology. Our goal is to understand how the polyurethane final properties can be affected by the processing stresses (extrusion, injection…). In this scope, experiments were performed using a rheometer or an optical microscope coupled with a shearing hot stage. A preshear controlled treatment was applied and its effect on the material structuration was followed. These characterizations highlighted the enhancement of phase separation kinetics by the shear. For instance, for presheared samples, phase separation and/or crystallization of the hard segments occur ten times faster than for non-sheared ones. Moreover, SAXS experiments carried out on samples structured from several conditions illustrated perpendicular arrangements of crystalline domains perpendicularly to the flow direction. Finally, this particular morphology induced by shear modifies the materials final mechanical properties

International migration flows and patterns shaped by the determinants, processes and outcomes of social, political, and economic conditions have led to important transformation of society and human geographies. As Canada continues to effectively manage its immigration system and uphold its commitment to international refugee protection and resettlement, it is critical for Canada to do so with an understanding of the changing context of immigration, which are reinforced by shifting policies and their impact, in our contemporary society. In this thesis, the migration trajectory of three groups of newcomers to Canada; international students, Syrian refugees, and refugee youth, are explored by examining policies and conditions that can create group risks and vulnerabilities in immigration, settlement, and integration as groups transition to life in Canada after arrival. As suggested by Castle (2010) migration researchers can advance the field by embedding their work in broader theories of social change to facilitate understanding of the complexity, interconnectedness, variability, contextuality, and multi-mediation of migratory process in the context of rapid change. This thesis employs a geographical lens of place to deepen understanding of processes and outcomes in our contemporary society, while responding to these evolving contexts in one mid-size, post-industrial Canadian city. In three separate research, this thesis examines: 1) economic immigration flow under Express Entry in 2015 and 2016; 2) the role of the voluntary sector during the Syrian Refugee Resettlement Initiative in Hamilton, Ontario in 2016; and 3) the place of school-based settlement in bridging and brokering school-based mental health for newcomer youth. / Thesis / Doctor of Science (PhD) / As Canada continues to effectively manage its immigration system and uphold its commitment to international refugee protection and resettlement, it is critical for Canada to do so with an understanding of the changing context of immigration in our contemporary society. In this thesis, I examine the migration trajectory of three groups of newcomers to Canada; international students, Syrian refugees, and refugee youth, by asking two overarching research questions that explores policies and conditions that can create group risks and vulnerabilities in immigration, settlement, and integration. This thesis seeks to understand how policies could be addressed to improve successful outcome for newcomers. This thesis employs a geographical lens of place to deepen understanding of processes and outcomes in our contemporary society, while responding to these evolving contexts in one mid-size, post-industrial Canadian city.

No description available.

Yes / This paper reports on a case study involving a strategic and innovative approach to creation of an in-house multifaceted digital engineering platform (the DEP) in overcoming a number of organisational problems at a multinational engineering company. The DEP was to be used strategically for simplifying the operational complexity and to create and appropriate new work-related mind-set and new organisational discourse to achieve homogenous working across the organisation, which is a huge challenge. The need for this system emerged from the need to resolve many organisational services related problems that carried phenomenal amount of processes, health and safety risks and to regulate, and, control the running of engineering project. Research data were collected using a longitudinal case study approach over a period of six months. In order to make sense of how the DEP helped the organisation, the study used certain elements of Extended Structuration Theory as a lens to assess the case study. This research discovered that the DEP succeeded in creating and appropriating work-related mind-set and organisational discourse. It also had real influence on working processes and employees at all levels while encouraging transparency, responsiveness, agility and accountability. It continues to help the organisation to govern, manage and maintain good standard of service but many barriers still remain.

This thesis focuses on the adaptation of formal education to people’s technology- use patterns, theirtechnology-in-practice, where the ubiquitous use of mobile technologies is central. The research question is: How can language learning practices occuring in informal learning environments be effectively integrated with formal education through the use of mobile technology? The study investigates the technical, pedagogical, social and cultural challenges involved in a design science approach. The thesis consists of four studies. The first study systematises MALL (mobile-assisted language learning) research. The second investigates Swedish and Chinese students’ attitudes towards the use of mobile technology in education. The third examines students’ use of technology in an online language course, with a specific focus on their learning practices in informal learning contexts and their understanding of how this use guides their learning. Based on the findings, a specifically designed MALL application was built and used in two courses. Study four analyses the app use in terms of students’ perceived level of self-regulation and structuration. The studies show that technology itself plays a very important role in reshaping peoples’ attitudes and that new learning methods are coconstructed in a sociotechnical system. Technology’s influence on student practices is equally strong across borders. Students’ established technologies-in-practice guide the ways they approach learning. Hence, designing effective online distance education involves three interrelated elements: technology, information, and social arrangements. This thesis contributes to mobile learning research by offering empirically and theoretically grounded insights that shift the focus from technology design to design of information systems.

India experienced huge media coverage from all over the world associated with the Nirbhaya-case in 2012, when a young middleclass girl was brutally raped in a bus by five men in Delhi. After this horrifying incident a lot of demonstrations followed all over India. Women in the urban areas was arguing for the same rights as men and was standing up for a more equal society where everybody is able to live as freely as someone else, no matter what gender you was born with. This study aim to examine what experiences, perceptions and opinions Indian journalists in English written press have of their reality from a gender perspective. We wanted to know how and when Indian journalist represent women and if there is a certain way of thinking about representation of women in the media content. In interviews with a total of eleven journalists and ethnographic observations in two of India’s largest cities we tried to examine the structures and perceptions that influenced the journalist’s worldview and thus also the messages that appears in the news. By using the theory of structuration, agenda setting, performativity and intersectionality we examined what structures that the journalists live and operates within and how this is affecting the media content.

Le développement des technologies optiques dans le domaine de la communication engendre un intérêt pour les matériaux présentant des propriétés non linéaires. Le matériau idéal doit combiner un coefficient non linéaire élevé, de bonnes propriétés optiques et un faible coût de fabrication. Les matériaux vitreux restent de bons candidats pour ce type d'application. La polarisation thermique permet de générer ce genre de propriétés dans les verres. En effet, à des températures de l'ordre de 300°C, l'application d'un champ électrique provoque la migration d'ions mobiles dans le matériau depuis l'anode vers la cathode. Une zone de déplétion en surface est ainsi créée donnant naissance à un champ électrique enterré. En combinant une technique de dépôt métallique, une irradiation laser et l'application d'un champ électrique (poling), il devient possible de réaliser des architectures complexes de migration et d'obtenir ainsi des propriétés optiques non linéaires structurées.

La description synthétique du contenu d'une image ou d'une vidéo est à l'heure actuelle une problématique majeure. Nous nous intéressons aux objets qui les composent pour leur pouvoir de représentativité. Après un état de l'art, ce document présente une méthode de segmentation locale par pyramide de graphes irrégulière permettant d'extraire, à partir de critères bas niveaux, des régions d'intérêt assimilables à des objets sémantiques. Cette méthode est utilisée pour détourer avec précision des objets dans des images fixes, dans un environnement interactif puis totalement automatique. Une estimation de mouvement permet d'étendre le procédé aux vidéos en extrayant dans chaque image les entités mobiles. Un filtrage et une classification de ces entités permet de ne retenir que les plus représentatives de chaque objet réel du plan. Ces représentants sont appelés objet-clé et vues-clés. La qualité des résultats expérimentaux permet de proposer de nombreuses applications en aval.