Documents found
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171.More information
AbstractThe author discusses different office-automation software intended for translation offices and departments. She deals with many uses of office automation: translation management, various technical problems (keyboard, formal, etc.), oral and written office automation, oral and written office-communication systems, and document archiving.
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172.More information
Each year, several rivers in Quebec are responsible for severe flooding and these events generate major socio-economic impacts. The frequency and magnitude of these episodes highlight the existence of a real flood risk. Using global information concerning level and extent of flood risk, authorities would be more likely to make appropriate decisions in the management of flood risk. This article results from a three year project aimed at developing a methodology for the analysis, forecasting and control of flood risk in Quebec. It suggests a concrete approach for the evaluation of the potential impact of floods in order to obtain a better knowledge of local risk in inhabited areas and exploits there results to evaluate the acceptability of the calculated risk and to plan appropriate risk minimisation interventions.Risk is defined as the product of the mathematical expectation of a specified occurrence with the expected consequences of the event. In floodplain studies, flood risk is the probability of the occurrence at a given flood multiplied by the expected consequences resulting from this event. Different types of consequences may be observed, clearly the easiest to evaluate being direct or material damages and potential loss of life. The risk calculated using the proposed definition is attributable in variable proportions to the frequency of the floods and the amount of damages. A given calculated global risk on a site could be the result of frequent floods, each causing moderate damage or of a single (or more) extreme event, with very low probability of occurrence, but causing severe damage. Risk associated with rare events could be considered as an acceptable risk, a risk we decide to live with, since the resources available to prevent flood damage are often limited and a decision is taken to optimise the allocation of these resources. The flood level corresponding to the limit between acceptable and unacceptable risk must be determined by the population concerned and be based on a good knowledge of the risk situation.The proposed methodology to evaluate and minimise flood risk for a site localised in a river flood plain involves six steps:1. the realisation of a hydrologic frequency analysis to determine the amplitude of the floods associated with the flood frequency,2. the hydraulic simulation of floods to predict water level and velocity in the stream for each scenario, 3. the assessment of direct damage and potential loss of life for each flood simulated, 4. the calculation of risk, 5. the risk analysis considering the limit of acceptable risk and 6. the choice and planning of appropriate intervention to eliminate unacceptable risk.This approach has been applied to the study of a site along the Châteauguay River, a tributary of the St Laurence River, a river that experiences flood events every two years or so. Seven flood scenarios (the 2, 3, 10, 20, 100, 1 000, and 10 000 year flood) are used to evaluate the risk for a site localised in the village of Huntingdon. Hydraulic characteristics, water level and velocity, associated with each flood scenario are determined using the DAMBRK model, a one-dimensional unsteady flow model. The results are incorporated in DOMINO, a geo-referenced software calculating flood impacts. This software allows the user to create a three-dimensional numerical model of the site based on topographic information. The superposition of hydraulic results provides the flow depth at any point within the site. Damage is evaluated by integrating the municipal roll number of Huntingdon, which provide the site location and value of each building, and gives an estimate of the population threatened by each flood event at the site. These results of direct damages are used to calculate the risk related to each flood event simulated on the Huntingdon site. For this application, the unacceptable risk has generally been agreed to be the risk resulting from the 20 year flood, or more frequent floods, for the material damages and to the number of potential losses of life associated with the 100 year flood or more frequent flood. The analysis indicates that an unacceptable risk of 23 993 $ per year for material damages and potential loss of life of 50 persons exist. Different site scale interventions to eliminate this risk have been simulated and proven to be efficient only if complemented with a few local modifications to the more exposed buildings.This approach may be extended to the study of any river because it takes into consideration local hydrologic and hydraulic conditions. It has the advantage of being based on existing information and to be automated, which limits the time and resources required to obtain the base data and perform the necessary simulations.
Keywords: Inondations, risque, dommages, crues, décision, Risk, floods, decision making, damages, flood plains
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173.More information
Our study proposes to understand the determinants of the ethical judgment of buyers confronted with dilemma situations. Using the theoretical framework of Jones (1991) and Fritzsche and Becker (1984), the research carried out analyzes the judgments of 172 buyers. The new methodology coupling 3 methods of qualitative analysis (lexical, semantic and structural) allows to generate results which show that ethical judgment is based on 8 key elements: confrontation, consequences, valuation, commitment, qualities of the individual, lack of emotion, speed of judgment and contingency factors. Judgments are based on an assessment of the economic, commercial and then social consequences. The ethical dilemmas do not shock the respondents.
Keywords: Éthique, acheteurs, jugement, analyse structurale, scénarios, prise de décision, Ethics, buyers, judgment, structural analysis, scenarios, decision making, Ética, compradores, juicio, análisis estructural, escenarios, toma de decisiones
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174.More information
Understanding socio-cultural implications of videogames implies apprehending this domain as an industrial sector producing specific social representations of ludic activity associated with economic globalization. It also implies bringing into play theories enabling the analysis of the messages and of the emotions conveyed by this media, their specificities and the way they engage the gamers. Therefore, this article defines videogames by outlining their evolution and possible analytical frameworks.
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175.More information
The Chinese government has chosen several great cities for the development of concentrated structures in software use. The goal is a growing participation in the world competition in the field of IT. The basis is the creation of new hightech parks devoted to information and communication technologies, spreading all around from the local development to the world extension in wide nets. Within a few years,, China wants to become free from international standards, following a policy which is mixing the development of ties with the worldwide accepted standards and the creation of news and purely Chinese ones.
Keywords: Dalian, software hubs, IT and ICT, hightech parks, standards, informatique, logiciels, hubs, standards, Dalian
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179.More information
In recent decades, some authors have proposed rejecting Cronbach's alpha (α) coefficient (1951) to adopt McDonald's omega (ω) coefficient (1985, 1999) which is based on a factor analysis model. After presenting some inherent limits of the α, this article follows two aims : (i) understanding the theoretical logic behind omega coefficients and (ii) presenting ω coefficients' specificities regarding their computation method. To this end, we identify conditions for the use of the different forms of ω (total or hierarchical, with an EFA or CFA). An example of analysis and recommendations are suggested to better argue the score reliability.
Keywords: oméga, fidélité des scores, modèle d'analyse factorielle, adéquation des données, omega, reliability of scores, factor analysis model, model fit, ómega, fidelidade das pontuações, modelo de análise fatorial, adequação dos dados
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180.More information
When the Bibliographie d'études comparées des littératures canadienne, québécoise et étrangères / Bibliography of Comparative Studies in Canadian, Québec and Foreign Literatures (CCL Bibliography) was first published on-line in 1995 at the Université de Sherbrooke, the researchers were unable to handle the necessary technology. Consequently, the first on-line attempts fell short of the target. This state of affairs changed however in 2002 when the CCL Bibliography enabled access to its data using the PHP-MySQL script and the Apache Web server, using a research model based on open source code and a new approach to the on-line publication of a bibliography about literature.Even though the research has stayed the same, since 2002 the work process and publication methods have changed. The researchers at CCL currently develop the electronic bibliography using phpMyAdmin, an on-line MySQL interface, thereby eliminating considerable technological requirements. The electronic publication allows for the publication of paper formats using MySQL. This article constitutes a preliminary report and is an example of the amplification of Open Source in the transition from hard copy to the electronic format for the CCL project.