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Increasingly often, the surgeon operates remotely. More and more, he/she does neither see nor touch the patient directly but acts with miniaturized systems, such as catheters and robotic instruments. This reduces intervention time and accelerates the patient’s recovery. This paper reports the ergonomic contribution to the design of a device for the resection of stenosed aortic valves and the implantation of a new aortic bioprosthesis. In high-risk contexts as in cardiac surgery, high fidelity prototypes are necessary to allow clinical trials. An association between engineers and ergonomists becomes essential, because the prototype becomes a key stage of the design process. We suggest a triangulation of methods (heuristic inspection, task analysis and usability testing) to produce a high-fidelity prototype reliable for clinical trials. The clinical trials themselves then constitute a preliminary step for further improving the device.

Aortic stenosis is the most important acquired heart disease, with a prevalence of 4.8% in patients aged more than 75 years and represent more than 60% of the indications for cardiac surgery in elderly patients. Regardless of the good results reported with conventional aortic valve replacements (AVRs) in elderly patients, still many patients are denied surgery by the high operative risk. In this frail population, Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) can be a good compromise to achieve good results and minimize morbidity and mortality. This technique allows implanting a balloon-expandable bioprosthesis, without resecting the native aortic valve. Several complications are described as consequence of the residual, highly calcified valve squeezed between the aortic wall and the stent of the implant. In this perspective, the concept of endovascular resection of the aortic valve, before TAVI, was developed and enhanced by Astarci, Glineur, Elkhoury, and Raucent.

Om het potentieel gevaarlijk aanbod van oude en nieuwe drugs te kunnen opsporen en daarop snel te reageren, werken de lidstaten van de Europese Unie tegenwoordig met een ‘early warning system’. Zo’n systeem moet goed kunnen communiceren. Wij onderzochten de communicatieve prestaties van het Belgische systeem. Het kan beter, zowel wat algemene persberichten betreft als de interactie met specifieke doelgroepen.

We bring different theories together to develop a theoretical framework that helps to understand how early warning messages about (new) dangerous drugs can influence the public's perception of substance use. We bring together the agenda setting theory, framing theory, dual processing theory, social learning theory, health belief model, theory of planned behavior, and cultivation theory in order to explain how warning messages diffused through the mass media can have an impact on the receivers' perceptions. Based on these insights we construct the Integrated Media Effect Framework (IMFE) that takes into account the role of cultural and structural contexts in the realm of early warning systems (EWS). Ultimately, this framework provides valuable guidelines for conceptualizing EWS and for developing applications by governments. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

This research forms a part of the design of a system for the resection and implantation of an aortic valve. Four transapical endovalve implantations are analyzed with a view to characterizing the exceptional criticality of this surgical procedure. We demonstrate that the surgeon’s activity is largely cognitive, operational and social and requires mastery of a critical task, i.e. the performance and supervision of a risky, deliberately initiated procedure with an uncertain outcome. The concept of “critical task” is used to describe tasks combining potentially extreme seriousness and potential success, risk-taking with cure. The task is critical as its criticality is intentionally generated by the surgical team. In short, this paper defines the concept of critical task according to ten characteristics: Deliberate, Uniqueness, Learning restriction, Planning, Expertise, Preparation, Collective, Hazardous, Rigidity and Uncertain outcome; and supplies a number of ergonomic recommendations with a view to improvement.

The article analyses how the evolution of news ICT has an impact on the transformation of editorials projects of news-webzines. The appropriation by journalists of digital space reveals an exploitation of collective imagination thinking that the Internet is giving to “everybody” the opportunity of expressing oneself and creating social links. The article presents a comparative analysis of these news formats of writing the news which give priority to interactivity. It examines how - in the digital writing of several news-webzines (Agoravox.fr, Rue89.com, LePost.fr, Mediapart.fr, Slate.fr, Owni.fr and Atlantico.fr) - enunciative identity is defined through expression territories (areas of identification) and interaction territories (areas of interaction), transforming the relationship between journalists and their audiences., L’article étudie en quoi les évolutions des nouvelles TIC ont un impact sur les mutations des logiques éditoriales des webzines d’actualité. L’appropriation de l’espace numérique par les journalistes permet de constater une exploitation de l’imaginaire collectif d’Internet donnant à « tous » la possibilité de s’exprimer et de créer du lien social. L’article propose une analyse comparée de ces nouveaux formats d’écritures de l’actualité qui privilégient à différents degrés l’interactivité. Il observe comment - dans les aires scripturales numériques de plusieurs webzines d’actualité (Agoravox.fr, Rue89.com, LePost.fr, Mediapart.fr, Slate.fr, Owni.fr et Atlantico.fr) - l’identité énonciative se définit à travers des territoires d'expression (zones d’indentification) et d’interaction (zones d’interaction), transformant les relations entre les journalistes et leurs publics.

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