Une visite à l’atelier de José Evangelista

Cet article présente une vue d’ensemble des outils et des méthodes de travail du compositeur José Evangelista. Après avoir discuté de la relation qu’entretient le compositeur avec le piano et l’ordinateur en tant qu’outils compositionnels, on examine le rôle des notes textuelles et des esquisses dans ses habitudes de travail. À l’aide d’exemples tirés des esquisses d’Alap et Gat (1998) et de Viola Song (2002), on découvre une méthode de travail où notes textuelles et esquisses musicales s’enchevêtrent et se fertilisent mutuellement. On constate également que le travail assidu du compositeur sur les procédés hétérophoniques a permis à sa méthode de travail de se développer de façon continue, sans grandes ruptures, au cours des 25 dernières années. On conclut de cet examen que, chez Evangelista, méthode de travail et esthétique constituent un tout organique à l’intérieur duquel la subjectivité du compositeur s’exprime sans entraves.This article presents an overview of the tools and working methods of composer José Evangelista. After discussing his relationship with the piano and the computer as compositional tools, we examine the role of textual notes and drafts in his working habits. On the basis of examples drawn from the drafts of Alap et Gat (1998) and Viola Song (2002), we discover a working method in which written text and musical drafts cohabitate and fertilize each other. We also note that the composer’s assiduous work on heterophonic processes allowed for a continuous evolution of his working method over the last 25 years. We conclude this examination by stating that in Evangelista’s work, working method and aesthetics constitute an organic whole within which the composer’s subjectivity expresses itself freely

Improving surveillance of emerging infectious diseases: ecological modelling of the spatial distribution of wild waterbirds to identify main areas of avian influenza viruses circulation in the Inner Niger Delta, Mali

Predicting areas of emergence when no epidemiological data is yet available is essential to implement efficient surveillance programs. The Inner Niger Delta (IND) in Mali is a major African wetlands where >1 million Palearctic and African waterbirds congregate. Our objective was to model the spatial distribution of these birds recognised as the main reservoir of Avian Influenza Viruses (AIV), in order to predict where these viruses would be more likely to circulate in the IND. We developed five generalized models and a boosted regression trees model (BRTs) based on total aerial bird counts over six years and high temporal resolution (10 days) remotely sensed environmental variables to predict the spatial distribution of four waterbirds groups. The predicted waterbirds abundances were weighted with an epidemiological indicator based on the prevalence of low pathogenic AIV reported in the literature. BRTs model had the best predictive power and allowed predicting the high variability of the IND. Years with a low flood level showed areas with higher risk of circulation and had better spatial distribution predictions. The model identified for each year few areas with a higher risk of avian influenza circulation. This model can be applied every 10 days to evaluate the risk of AIV emergence in wild waterbirds. By taking into account the variability of the IND, it allows better targeting of areas considered for surveillance. Applications of this methodology could enhance the control of emerging diseases at a local and regional scale, especially when scarce resources are available for surveillance programs. (Texte intégral

Chute/Parachute de Michel Gonneville : pensée sérielle, écriture postmoderne (ou l’inverse)

Cet article est un texte analytique sur l’oeuvre Chute/Parachute du compositeur québécois Michel Gonneville. Après une brève introduction concernant les sources extramusicales de l’oeuvre, on expose ses enjeux généraux ainsi que ses principaux matériaux. On donne ensuite une vue d’ensemble de la structure formelle avant de passer à un examen plus poussé de la question du contrepoint dans l’oeuvre. Le texte se termine sur quelques remarques concernant le rapport entre la structure et la perception dans le travail de Gonneville.This paper is an analytical text about Quebec composer Michel Gonneville’s work Chute/Parachute. After a short discussion of the work’s extra-musical sources, we outline its main materials. We then give an overview of the formal structure before discussing the use of counterpoint in the work. The text is concluded by a few remarks about the relationship between structure and perception in Gonneville’s works

Analyzing and Visualizing State Sequences in R with TraMineR

This article describes the many capabilities offered by the TraMineR toolbox for categorical sequence data. It focuses more specifically on the analysis and rendering of state sequences. Addressed features include the description of sets of sequences by means of transversal aggregated views, the computation of longitudinal characteristics of individual sequences and the measure of pairwise dissimilarities. Special emphasis is put on the multiple ways of visualizing sequences. The core element of the package is the state se- quence object in which we store the set of sequences together with attributes such as the alphabet, state labels and the color palette. The functions can then easily retrieve this information to ensure presentation homogeneity across all printed and graphical displays. The article also demonstrates how TraMineRâÂÂs outcomes give access to advanced analyses such as clustering and statistical modeling of sequence data.

Production factor returns : the role of factor utilisation

Short-term increasing returns to production factors are usually found in empirical studies. We argue they can be due to omitted variables, particularly the intensity of factor utilisation. Thanks to original French firm-level data (1992-2008), we show how increasing returns to scale disappear when working time, capacity utilisation rate and mainly capital operating time are introduced in the production functionProduction function, productivity, factor returns.

The Determinants Behind Employees Attitudes to the Shorter Working Week

The question of factors of employee satisfaction and dissatisfaction with a shorter working week policy, the effects of which employees have experienced directly, is studied in more detail here with an analysis of the answers to the 2001 RTT et Modes de Vie (Shorter Working Week and Lifestyles) survey. Certain characteristics always appear to have an influence on the employees assessment of the shorter working week and help enhance satisfaction. For example, women with a child under twelve years old appear, other things being equal, to be more satisfied with the shorter working week than the other employees interviewed. The factors that significantly influence satisfaction are identified. Conversely, satisfaction is found to be negatively affected by the variability of hours, the atypical nature of the hours in general and the intensification of this aspect, the stepping-up of goals and the negative effect of the shorter working week on remuneration.Shorter Working-Time, Employees Opinion Assessment, Logit Models

Production factor returns : the role of factor utilisation

URL des Documents de travail : http://centredeconomiesorbonne.univ-paris1.fr/bandeau-haut/documents-de-travail Classification JEL : D22.Documents de travail du Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne 2011.34 - ISSN : 1955-611XShort-term increasing returns to production factors are usually found in empirical studies. We argue they can be due to omitted variables, particularly the intensity of factor utilisation. Thanks to original French firm-level data (1992-2008), we show how increasing returns to scale disappear when working time, capacity utilisation rate and mainly capital operating time are introduced in the production functionDes rendements d'échelle croissants à court terme sont en général mis en évidence par les études empiriques. Ceci pourrait provenir de variables omises, en particulier l'intensité d'utilisation des facteurs de production. Grâce à une base de données d'entreprises (1992-2008) originale, nous montrons que les rendements croissants disparaissent quand le temps de travail, les capacités d'utilisation et surtout la durée d'utilisation des équipements sont introduites dans la fonction de production

Credit constraints and the cyclicality of R&D investment: Evidence from France

We use a French firm-level data set containing 13,000 firms over the period 1993-2004 to analyze the relationship between credit constraints and firms' R&D behavior over the business cycle. Our main results can be summarized as follows: (i) the share of R&D investment over total investment is countercyclical without credit constraints, but it becomes less countercyclical as firms face tighter credit constraints; (ii) this result is magnified for firms in sectors that depend more heavily upon external finance, or that are characterized by a low degree of asset tangibility ; (iii) in more credit constrained firms, R&D investment share plummets during recessions but does not increase proportionally during upturns; (iv) average R&D investment and productivity growth are more negatively correlated with sales volatility in more credit constrained firms.business cycles ; R&D ; credit constraints ; volatility