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Surgical site infections (SSI) are significant postoperative complications and a leading cause of healthcare-associated infections (HAI) worldwide. They are associated with excess morbidity and mortality, and lead to decreased quality of life, prolonged hospital length of stay, and increased costs. Surveillance of HAI, including SSI, is a cornerstone of effective infection prevention and control (IPC) programmes. Surveillance activities can guide the implementation, and assess the effectiveness of preventive programmes aimed at reducing SSI incidence. In this Privat-Docent thesis we include four publications that contribute a unique perspective to SSI surveillance. The first publication addresses the intrinsic effect of surveillance. We performed a large international cohort study of SSI surveillance networks in 15 countries, and were able to determine that a hospital’s duration of participation in a surveillance network was associated with a decrease in its SSI incidence. This study confirms the existence of the “surveillance effect”, implying that awareness and monitoring can drive improvements in clinical practice and outcomes. The second publication examines the temporal trends and epidemiology of SSI due to Staphylococcus aureus in Switzerland, using data from the Swiss SSI surveillance network (Swissnoso), and showed that there were decreasing trends in incidence. We also examined risk factors associated with both methicillin-susceptible and methicillin-resistant S. aureus, helping to inform targeted prevention approaches, and to identify high-risk populations for further studies. The third publication used data from SSI surveillance networks in England, France, and Switzerland to externally validate risk predictions scores for SSI in colorectal surgery, where the burden is the highest, and to develop a novel score. The study highlighted the limitations of current models and underscores the need for more accurate prediction tools, which rely on data that is beyond what is routinely collected for the purposes of surveillance. The fourth publication charts a strategic roadmap, developed by a multidisciplinary group of European experts in surveillance, for the transition to automated HAI surveillance across Europe, including SSI. It emphasises benefits for surveillance practices that are brought about by digitalisation and automation in terms of efficiency and standardization, but also discusses common challenges and key questions such as surveillance targets. It is intended to accompany individuals or institutions that wish to implement an automated HAI surveillance programme.

Citoyenne canadienne née dans une petite ville relativement rurale du nord du Canada. Au cours de sa vie d'adulte, elle a beaucoup voyagé à travers le monde. Elle a vécu à Pau à deux reprises et s'y est rendue à chaque fois pour suivre son mari qui travaille dans l'industrie pétrolière. Elle pense avoir eu une vie très différente de celle de ses enfants, principalement en raison des voyages qu'ils ont effectués dès leur plus jeune âge. Elle évoque toutefois les inconvénients de cette situation et la notion d'appartenance. Elle parle également de l'apprentissage d'une langue étrangère et de la façon dont cela affecte les traits de personnalité, en raison de l'incapacité à s'exprimer correctement en français. Elle note qu'il y a eu des moments difficiles dans sa vie en raison des déménagements et du fait qu'elle n'avait pas d'amis sur lesquels compter, ni de famille autour d'elle. Pour y faire face, elle a créé une entreprise florissante qui fournit de l'aide et des opportunités aux femmes qui sont dans la même situation qu'elle. Elle parle également des problèmes de santé mentale et de la manière dont elle les a surmontés grâce à la thérapie. Female Canadian citizen born in a relatively rural small northern town in Canada. She has travelled extensively during her adult life around the world. She has lived in Pau on two different occasions, and each time travelled to follow her husband her works in the petrol industry. She believes that she had a very different life to that of her children, mainly due to the travelling that they have experienced from an early age. However, she speaks of the downside of that and the notion of belonging. She also speaks of learning a foreign language and how this affects personality traits, due to inability to express herself correctly in French. She notes that there have been hard times in her life due to moving around, and not having friends to count on, or family around her. In order to deal with this, she set up a thriving business that provides assistance and opportunities to women who are in the same position as her. She also speaks about mental health issues and how she overcame these through therapy. Migratory trajectory and oral history of English-speakers in the city of Pau Temporal: 20th and 21st century Temporal: 1980-2023

This paper describes the work done to track the supply chains of sur-veillance technologies from the global North to African governments for illegal surveillance of their citizens. We conducted desk research to analyse the supply side of surveillance technology exported to African countries. Our preliminary findings show nine key exporting states-actors for surveillance technologies to Africa. These are China; European Union agencies, and member states France, Germany, Italy; Israel, United Kingdom, Russia, and the United States of Amer-ica. Regarding the specific surveillance technologies being transferred, each export-ing state tends to have a focus area, both in geographic area and within the five surveillance technology categories covered by this study. The paper identified six motives for state surveillance, including the suppliers' perspective. These are: 1) surveillance as legitimacy for state security, 2) surveillance for political gain, 3) surveillance as diplomacy, 4) surveillance as a tool for development, 5) Surveil-lance as neocolonialism, and 6) surveillance as business opportunity. Further re-search is needed to deepen the analysis of surveillance technologies exports to the African continent and the human rights violations.

Aspidosperma quebracho-blanco Schltdl. is a tree that at maturity can reach up to 25 m in height with a straight trunk that can reach 0.8-1 m in diameter. It is commonly known as quebracho blanco and widely used in the Chaco region as medicine to treat fever, malaria, swellings, stomach upsets, cough, headaches, syphilis, impotence, benign prostatic hypertrophy and asthma related dyspnea. The stem bark is the part of A. quebracho-blanco most often used in medicinal preparations. Terpenoid indole alkaloids are the main principles associated to the medicinal properties of the tree. The bark is rich in aspidospermine, yohimbine, deacetylaspidospermine and quebrachamine. Other alkaloids are piryfolidine, 1,2-dehydroaspidospermidine, N-methyl-deacetylaspidospermine, aspidospermidine, deacetylpiryfolidine, condilocarpine, N-methylaspidospermidine, N-Methyl-desacetyldesmethoxyaspidospermine, des-O-methylaspidolimidine, fendlerine, acuamicine, condilocarpine, aspidospermatidine, N-methylaspidospermatidine, acetylaspidospermatidine, aspidospermatine, 14,19-dihydroaspidospermatine, 14,19-dihydroaspidosperatine, (?)-β-yohimbine, 3α,15α,16α,17β,20α-quebrachine, eburnamenine, eburnamine, β-hydroxyeburnamonine, eburnamonine, rhazidin, aspidoquibine, rhazinilam and 3-oxo-14,15-dehydrorhazinilam. Several of these terpenoid indole alkaloids showed in vitro and sometimes in vivo pharmacological activities that support medicinal effects traditionally attributed to A. quebracho-blanco. Aspidospermine showed in vitro antiplasmoldial activity. Aspidospermine, yohimbine and quebrachime had adrenergic blocking activities on a variety of urogenital tissues. Rhanizilam showed mild analgesic activity in mice. The high tannin levels found in the bark, leaves and woods are believed to contribute to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Recent research suggests that bark preparations have potential for the development of antiviral and larvicidal agents. However, further investigations are needed with especial emphasis in the in vivo effects, in order to understand the real therapeutic significance of the alkaloids and other compounds of A. quebracho-blanco. Fil: Catalan, Cesar Atilio Nazareno. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Bioquímica, Química y Farmacia; Argentina Fil: Sampietro, Diego Alejandro. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Bioquímica, Química y Farmacia; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán; Argentina Fil: Vattuone, Marta Amelia. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Bioquímica, Química y Farmacia; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán; Argentina Fil: Sanchez, Matías Ariel Antonio. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán; Argentina

The consequences of overuse of the planet´s water supplies are the subject of emerging concern. This chapter aims to critically discuss the effects of different regulatory approaches to water security, comparing the European Union (EU) and the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) and paying close attention to industrial activity. Water security can be understood as the adequate availability of water to meet the needs of society, the economy and the ecosystem. In this sense, the study intends to: (i) question the legal base, its coercive power and extent; (ii) explore effects of agreements on internal water regulation, focusing especially on the industrial sector; (iii) identify hydro-sustainable policies adopted by governments to control industrial activity taking into consideration domestic and international laws. The chapter employs the critical hermeneutics methodology, examining publications of governments, international organizations, NGOs, academic articles, and international newspapers and magazines. The chapter notes that the most effective treaties with regard to water security are those that have economic coercion clauses, such as the Basel and Stockholm Conventions. It concludes that current regulation and policies, especially in MERCOSUR, need to be urgently revised to ensure the quantity, quality and accessibility of water reserves are to be maintained for present and future generations. Fil: Minaverry, Clara María. Universidad Nacional de Luján. Instituto de Ecología y Desarrollo Sustentable. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Ecología y Desarrollo Sustentable; Argentina Fil: Melo de Carvalho, Kleverton. Universidade Federal de Sergipe; Brasil

In 1939, due to WWII and the Nuremberg Laws, the revolutionary Czech structural engineer Jaroslav J. Polívka arrived in the United States. After his arrival, he started a research job at UC Berkeley, renewed his engineering practice, and offered his services to the US military as many businesspersons did during this era. Polívka worked for Henry Kaiser who turned Richmond, CA, into a vibrant, fast developing workers city. New residential districts, hospitals, hangars, docks, and warehouses were built there. Henry Kaiser approached the structural development of the city in the same way he revolutionized the construction of battleships: from prefabricated, standardized parts. He supported research and development of new technologies. Mobile, round-shaped hospitals from prefabricated aluminum frames were one of the results of that research. In 1946, Jaroslav J. Polívka introduced himself to the “starchitect” Frank Lloyd Wright. A productive mutual co-operation that lasted 13 years and resulted in eight spectacular projects had started and Polívka, who had been working on extensive research both at UC Berkeley and Stanford University, came up with many technological, structural, and material innovations over the period. In 1957, Henry Kaiser funded the construction of one of the two geodesic domes designed by Richard Buckminster Fuller in Hawaii and in the process he invited Frank Lloyd Wright to consult the project. Jaroslav J. Polívka was probably in direct contact with Fuller, since he wanted to include him in his unfinished project of an encyclopedia of the world-famous structural engineers. On this particular story and a social matrix evolving around Henry Kaiser and Frank Lloyd Wright, the lecture seeks to rethink architectural global modernism as a cooperative project rather than a series of individual innovations manifested by isolated genius figures.

Une retraitée de nationalité américaine vivant à Pau. Son père américain travaillait dans le service diplomatique et sa mère était française. Elle a eu l'occasion de vivre dans de nombreux endroits différents, et la famille restait généralement quelques années dans chaque pays (Yougoslavie, France, Inde, Turquie, Viêt Nam, Philippines). Elle a étudié les sciences politiques à l'université en Floride et son père l'a dissuadée d'entrer dans le service diplomatique, qu'il considérait comme n'étant pas fait pour les femmes. Elle a fait un Master et a étudié le français. Au moment de l'obtention de son diplôme, elle a trouvé un emploi chez Pan Am Airlines. Elle a voyagé dans le monde entier. Elle parle de l'ouverture d'esprit que lui ont apportée ces voyages et des contacts qu'elle a eus avec de nombreuses personnes de religions différentes. Elle évoque l'attentat à la bombe de Lockerbie en 1988 et la façon dont elle a ensuite quitté Pan Am et s'est lancée dans l'enseignement de l'anglais en tant que seconde langue, après avoir fait un Master en médias et la communication. Elle a travaillé dans diverses universités (Oklahoma et Californie). Elle parle de ses mariages, et en particulier de la façon dont elle a rencontré son mari actuel, qui était en fait un ami d'enfance qui vivait en face de chez elle lorsqu'elle avait 6 ans et que sa famille résidait à Maisons-Laffitte. Le couple vit aujourd'hui à Pau. Female retired American citizen living in Pau. Her American father was in the diplomatic service and her mother was French. She had the opportunity of living in many different places, and the family would generally stay a few years in each country (Yugoslavia, France, India, Turkey, Vietnam, Philippines). She majored in Political Sciences at university in Florida and was dissuaded by her father from going into the diplomatic service, which he deemed not to be for women. She went to graduate school and studied French and at the time of graduating she got a job with Pan Am Airlines. She travelled all over the world. She speaks of her openness coming from these travels and the contact that she had with many different people from different religions. She speaks of the Lockerbie Bombing of 1988 and how she subsequently left Pan Am, and got into teaching English as second language, after taking returning to graduate school to study Mass Media and Communication. She worked in various universities (Oklahoma, and California. She speaks of her marriages, and in particular how she met her present husband, who in fact was a childhood friend who lived across the street from her when she was aged 6 and living in Maisons-Lafitte. They now live in Pau. Migratory trajectory and oral history of English-speakers in the city of Pau Temporal: 20th and 21st century Temporal: 1960-2023

Abstract: Physionet, web-based archive of biomedical and physiological signals, and Computing in cardiology conferense have organized annual cardiological origin data analysis challanges for more than 20 years. The aim of the challanges is to encourage participants to develop algorithmic approaches tackling clinically interesting questions that remain unsolved. Challenge 2022 was focused on heart murmur (an extra, unusual sound in heartbeat caused by abnormal blood flow over heart valves) detection from phonocardiogram recordings. Participants were asked to design and implement a working, open-source algorithm that, based only on the provided recordings and routine demographic data, can determine whether any murmurs are audible from a patient’s recordings. The lack of early diagnoses of these conditions represents a major public health problem, especially in underprivileged countries with high birth rates. Our approach to the problem consisted of continuous wavelet transform (CWT) technique to form features from the given data set and convolutional neural network (CNN) to classify patients to “murmur-absent” or “murmur-present”. A total of 87 teams submitted 779 algorithms during the course of the Challenge, including 81 teams with 167 successful entries during the unofficial phase and 63 teams with 306 successful entries during the official phase. Only 40 teams had a successful entry for the murmur detection task on the test set for the murmur detection task and met the other Challenge criteria for ranking. Our teams proposed algorithm was evaluated on the hidden test set and received a weighted accuracy score of 0.671 (ranked 23th out of 40 teams). The highest weighted accuracy metric score was received by team “HearHeart” 0.780. Proposed algorithms can lower healthcare costs and increase the accessibility of cardiac screening and care for patients with abnormal cardiac function in low-resourced environments.

Citoyenne britannique et canadienne qui vit à Pau depuis plus de quarante ans. Elle est née au Québec, mais a déménagé à l'âge de 4 ans à Atlanta, en raison de l'emploi de son père. Sa mère était norvégienne. Son père est né en Angleterre, mais sa mère à lui était française. La mère de la personne interrogée était norvégienne, mais son grand-père maternel était né norvégien à Cuba. Sa grand-mère maternelle était également anglaise, mais elle est née aux îles Canaries. La personne interrogée explique qu'elle est originaire de plusieurs endroits et qu'elle a de nombreux liens avec différentes nationalités, mais qu'en même temps, elle n'en a aucun véritablement. Elle vit en France depuis l'âge de 10 ans, mais n'a pas la nationalité française. Ses parents vivent toujours à Lyon, où ils ont déménagé à l'époque pour des raisons professionnelles. L'interviewée décrit comment elle a grandi dans une famille multinationale, ses voyages, ses loisirs et sa scolarité. Elle raconte comment elle est arrivée à Pau, comment elle a rencontré son premier mari et comment elle s'y est installée. Elle parle de son grand intérêt pour l'histoire et de son travail actuel de guide touristique. Elle parle avec passion de son amour de la ville et de son attirance pour l’endroit. Female British and Canadian citizen who has lived in Pau now for more than forty years. She was originally born in Quebec, but was moved at the age of 4 to Atlanta, for her father’s employment. Her mother was Norwegian. Her father was born in England, but his own mother was French. The interviewees mother was Norwegian, but her maternal grandfather was actually born Norwegian in Cuba. Her maternal grandmother was also English, but she was born in the Canary Islands. The interviewee describes how she is from multiple places, and has multiple connections with different nationalities, but, at the same time, none, really. She has lived in France since the age of 10, but she does not hold French nationality. Her parents still live in Lyon, where they moved at that time, for employment. The interviewee describes what it was like growing up in such a multi-national family, travelling, leisure and schooling. She describes how she first came to Pau and how she met her first husband, and setting up home. She talks about her great interest in history and her current job as a tour guide. She speaks passionately about her love of the city and her attraction to it. Migratory trajectory and oral history of English-speakers in the city of Pau Temporal: 20th and 21st centuries Temporal: 1970-2023