A geometrical model is proposed that describes the emergence of a primordium at the shoot apex in Dicotyledons. It is based on recent fundamental results on plant morphogenesis, viz.: – the emergence is preceded by the reorganization of the microtubules of the cortical cytoskeleton, leading to a new orientation of the synthesis of the cell wall microfibrils; – the resulting global stress is related to the general orientation of the cell growth.

Plant morphogenesis exhibits numerous bifurcations with particular angle values such as 41°, 53°, which, in lower plants, can be measured in the thallus, and, in higher plants, in the ribs of the leaves. An interpretation of these angles is attempted. Since they characterize the functioning of a morphogenetic field, a formalism was constructed suitable for the study of living systems. The mathematical tool devised here, named the Arithmetical Relator, combines Geometry and Arithmetic, and assumes that a general system results from (...) the interaction between an internal cyclic structure and an environment to which this structure is adapted. The formalism described therefore takes into account partial self-reference and changes in the level of organization. Within this framework, the particular values of the ramification angles are extreme for slight shifts in the internal structure. A pattern of the relations between the genome, the cell and the organ is suggested. (shrink)

A geometrical model of the emergence of a primordium at the shoot apex in dicotyledons is proposed. It is based on recent fundamental results on plant morphogenesis, i.e.:- the emergence is preceded by the reorganization of the microtubules of the cortical cytoskeleton, leading to a new orientation of the synthesis of the cell wall microfibrils; - the resulting global stress is related to the general orientation of the cell growth. So the model sums up the continuous interactions linking the microtubules, (...) the microfibrils and the cell growth axis. (shrink)

Understanding the mechanisms and the time and spatial evolution of penumbra following an ischemic stroke is crucially important for developing therapeutics aimed at preventing this area from evolving towards infarction. To help in integrating the available data, we decided to build a formal model. We first collected and categorised the major available evidence from animal models and human observations and summarized this knowledge in a flow-chart with the potential key components of an evolving stroke. Components were grouped in ten sub-models (...) that could be modelled and tested independently: the sub-models of tissue reactions, ionic movements, oedema development, glutamate excitotoxicity, spreading depression, NO synthesis, inflammation, necrosis, apoptosis, and reperfusion. Then, we figured out markers, identified mediators and chose the level of complexity to model these sub-models. We first applied this integrative approach to build a model based on cytotoxic oedema development following a stroke. Although this model includes only three sub-models and would need to integrate more mechanisms in each of these sub-models, the characteristics and the time and spatial evolution of penumbra obtained by simulation are qualitatively and, to some extent, quantitatively consistent with those observed using medical imaging after a permanent occlusion or after an occlusion followed by a reperfusion. (shrink)

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 1 is a genetic neuromuscular disease in children that leads to degeneration of spinal cord motor neurons. This sometimes results in severe muscular paralysis requiring mechanical ventilation to sustain the child’s life. The onset of SMA type 1, the most severe form of the disease, is during the first year of life. These children become severely paralysed, but retain their intellectual capacity. Ethical concerns arise when mechanical ventilation becomes necessary for survival. When professionals assess the (...) resulting life for the child and family, they sometimes fear it will result in unreasonably excessive care. The aim of this article is to present an analysis of ethical arguments that could support or oppose the provision of invasive ventilation in this population. This examination is particularly relevant as France is one of the few countries performing tracheotomies and mechanical ventilation for this condition. (shrink)

Role distribution is a central issue for parents in the transition to parenthood, but little is known about the motivations in fathers to assume a specific role. Differences in work-family balance in each parent may be motivated by an individual choice mutually shared by both partners; however, in many couples, the parents may feel forced to adopt a traditional role distribution, either for financial reasons, or to comply with social expectations about what men and women should do when they are (...) parents. This feeling of being socially constrained to adopt a role distribution that is not congruent with intrinsic motivations can generate dissatisfaction and may jeopardize the development of the interparental relationship. Coparenting refers to the emotional and instrumental support parents bring to each other in their parental tasks. It has been shown to be central in family functioning and a powerful predictor of children’s emotional and cognitive development. In this study, we aimed to assess the extent to which different motivations for role distribution in fathers are predictive of the quality of the coparental relationship. A convenience sample of 144 fathers from the French-speaking part of Switzerland completed online questionnaires about their motivations, coparental relationship, and sociodemographic characteristics. Results showed that the reasons for role distribution were mainly economical, practical, and in order to meet personal expectations. Multivariate general linear modeling showed that role distribution that is constrained to meet social expectations and age were predictive of a less cohesive coparental relationship, whereas a deliberate choice in role distribution was linked to a more cohesive coparental relationship. (shrink)

La médecine personnalisée expérimente dans le cadre du cancer, ou thérapies ciblées, ou encore médecine prédictive, voire médecine de précision. toutes ces appellations sous-entendent un domaine qui s'ébauche tant au niveau de la recherche qu'à celui de la clinique. Ce domaine se constitue de pratiques, de normes qui s'élaborent et de règles qui établissent de véritables limites. Ce volume présente ce que les disciplines du droit, de la biologie, de la médecine et de la philosophie ont à dire conjointement sur (...) ce nouvel objet qui déjà intéresse au-delà du cancer toutes les maladies chroniques. Ce volume rassemble ainsi les réflexions de tous les pionniers de ce domaine sous la coordination de Michèle Jean-Stanton du Centre de Recherche de Droit Public (CRDP) de l'Université de Montréal et de Christian Hervé de l'Université Sorbonne Paris Cité. Leurs expressions, ainsi exposées à la suite d'un séminaire qu'ils ont tous suivi consciencieusement, affirment ainsi une certaine idée, une éthique même de ces nouvelles pratiques non encore totalement réglementées. (shrink)

English summary: Nicolas Cusanus' position on Islam is not easily discerned. While in De Pace Fidei he seems to present an Irenic vision of the different religions and the dialog that could be established amongst them, in the Cribratio Alkorani, according to numerous interpretations, he seems more rigid, precluding any constructive dialog between Christianity and Islam. However, as this volume shows, matters are not quite that black and white: the contributions allow us to form a better idea of the coherence (...) of Cusanus' position on dialog and the relationship between the Cribratio Alkorani and his general theological views. French description: La position de Nicolas de Cues sur l'islam n'est pas facile... cerner. Dans le De Pace Fidei, il semble presenter une vision irenique des differentes religions et du dialogue qui pourrait s'etablir entre elles et ce discours general vaut en particulier pour l'islam, tandis que dans la Cribratio Alkorani, Nicolas, aux dire de nombreux interpretes, se montrerait beaucoup plus incisif, au point que ce livre ne pourrait absolument pas constituer le fondement d'un dialogue constructif entre le christianisme et l'islam. Mais un certain nombre de travaux du present volume, montre que les choses ne sont pas si tranchees. Certes, Nicolas de Cues ignorait pas mal de choses sur l'Islam et les documents qu'il utilise l'induisent dans un certain nombre de cas en erreur. Mais, par de l... la lettre, il ressort qu'il a remarquablement compris l'esprit coranique et que ces textes meritent... cet egard plus d'attention qu'ils n'en ont generalement recue. Le present recueil permet de se faire une idee plus precise de la coherence de la position de Nicolas de Cues sur le dialogue entre christianisme et islam et des liens entre les theses de la Cribatio Alkorani et la pensee globale du grand cardinal. Le livre est issu d'un Colloque tenu sur ce theme... l'Universite de Rennes le 9 avril et rassemble des contributions de Walter Andreas Euler, Tom Kerger, Genevieve Gobillot (deux textes), Susan Gottlober, Graziella Federici Vescovini Herve Pasqua.et Jean-Michel Counet. (shrink)

Le présent ouvrage vise à présenter des approches non-duales de la réalité issues d'aires géographiques et d'horizons disciplinaires différents: Advaita Vedanta, bouddhisme Chan et Dzogchen, soufisme, philosophie occidentale, sciences, arts et spiritualités contemporaines. Si le thème de la non-dualité est fréquent aujourd'hui dans divers types d'approches spirituelles, force est de constater qu'il n'a été que peu traité à un niveau académique. Les différents chapitres s'efforcent de cerner avec rigueur ces approches dans leur spécificité, préalable à toute véritable recherche transdisciplinaire. Ce (...) volume est le fruit d'un séminaire de métaphysique organisé à l'Université de Louvain au cours de l'année académique 2017-2018. Contributions de Michel Hulin, Viktoria Lyssenko, Philippe Cornu, Dylan Esler, Grégory Vandamme, Daniel Proulx, Hervé Pasqua, Jean-Michel Counet, Marc Maesschalck, Manoé Reynaerts, Alexis Filippucci, Bertrand Hespel, Olivier Sartenaer, Philippe Filliot, José Le Roy et Christophe Vielle. (shrink)

This essay attempts to reconfigure our understanding of the relationship between Michel Foucault and the French photographer and writer Hervé Guibert. It contends that this relationship has been mi...

Testimony to Muzil: Hervé Guibert, Michel Foucault, and the “Medical Gaze” examines the fictional/autobiographical AIDS writings of the French writer Hervé Guibert. Locating Guibert's writings alongside the work of his friend Michel Foucault, the article explores how they echo Foucault's evolving notions of the “medical gaze.” The article also explores how Guilbert's narrators and Guibert himself resist and challenge the medical gaze; a gaze which particularly in the era of AIDS has subjected, objectified, and even sometimes (...) punished the body of the gay man. It is argued that these resistances to the gaze offer a literary extension to Foucault's later work on power and resistance strategies. (shrink)

This book addresses central issues in the philosophy and metaphysics of science, namely the nature of scientific theories, their partial truth, and the necessity of scientific laws within a moderate realist and empiricist perspective. Accordingly, good arguments in favour of the existence of unobservable entities postulated by our best theories, such as electrons, must be inductively grounded on perceptual experience and not their explanatory power as most defenders of scientific realism claim. Similarly, belief in the reality of dispositions such as (...) causal powers which ground the natural necessity of scientific laws must be based on experience. Hence, this book offers a synthetic presentation of an original metaphysics of science, namely a metaphysics of properties, both categorical and dispositional, while at the same time opposing strong versions of necessitarism according to which laws are true in all possible worlds. The main theses and arguments are clearly presented in a non-technical way. Thus, on top of being of interest to the specialists of the topics discussed, it is also useful as a textbook in courses for third year and more advanced university students. (shrink)

Ce premier volume de La Nuit des Olympica. Essai sur le national cartésianisme (deux livres en quatre tomes) inaugure l'une des plus saines entreprises de la pensée contemporaine : que cesse le mythe Descartes! Finissons-en avec l'imagerie nationale. Suivons René Descartes dans les moments clés de sa vie, ancrons-le dans son époque de reconquête catholique et de consolidation de l'absolutisme. Traquons en ses feintes le premier de ces hommes en qui Nietzsche dénonçait un " prêtre masqué ", le philosophe. Multipliant (...) points de vue et rapprochements, enrichissant le texte de très abondantes notes, souvent surprenantes, l'auteur instruit le procès de cette source vive de la tradition française, rationaliste et spiritualiste, tant avec insolence et humour que dans une écriture aux antipodes de tout académisme. (shrink)

Means–ends decoupling, the institutionally induced implementation of ineffective practices, has become increasingly common. Extant theory suggests that means–ends decoupling has real consequences, which makes it unstable and difficult for organizations to sustain. Yet little is known of how, and with what outcomes, firms organize such means–ends decoupling. We examine organizing via multiple qualitative and longitudinal case studies of how Swedish fast fashion retailers implement and manage the collection of used garments. We find that firms combine two organizational arrangements: structural and (...) temporal core–compartment separations, which mitigate consequences of means–ends decoupling by obscuring and justifying efficiency gaps. Thereby we provide a theoretical explanation for how means–ends decoupling can persist over time. (shrink)

"Next to Sartre's Search for a Method and in direct opposition to it, Foucault's work is the most noteworthy effort at a theory of history in the last 50 years." -- Library Journal.

L'oeuvre de Pascal livre un problème majeur : l'homme se sauvera-t-il à l'aide de ses seules forces, ou son salut se réalisera-t-il avec le secours de Dieu, à savoir la grâce? Dans ses ¤¤Ecrits sur la grâce¤¤, il se révèle être le penseur de la grâce qui, face au défi de la modernité, opppose à la conception anthropocentrique de l'homme la vision christocentrique, héritée de saint Augustin.

The problem of measurement is often considered an inconsistency inside the quantum formalism. Many attempts to solve it have been made since the inception of quantum mechanics. The form of these attempts depends on the philosophical position that their authors endorse. I will review some of them and analyze their relevance. The phenomenon of decoherence is often presented as a solution lying inside the pure quantum formalism and not demanding any particular philosophical assumption. Nevertheless, a widely debated question is to (...) decide between two different interpretations. The first one is to consider that the decoherence process has the effect to actually project a superposed state into one of its classically interpretable component, hence doing the same job as the reduction postulate. For the second one, decoherence is only a way to show why no macroscopic superposed state can be observed, so explaining the classical appearance of the macroscopic world, while the quantum entanglement between the system, the apparatus and the environment never disappears. In this case, explaining why only one single definite outcome is observed remains to do. In this paper, I examine the arguments that have been given for and against both interpretations and defend a new position, the “Convivial Solipsism”, according to which the outcome that is observed is relative to the observer, different but in close parallel to the Everett’s interpretation and sharing also some similarities with Rovelli’s relational interpretation and Quantum Bayesianism. I also show how “Convivial Solipsism” can help getting a new standpoint about the EPR paradox providing a way out of the seemingly unavoidable non-locality of quantum mechanics. (shrink)

L’article examine la ąuestion de concept cousain de relations trinitaires exprimées par catégories d’unitrinité et triunité. Le fond des analyses est la tradition pythagoricienne et néo-platonicienne à laąuelle Nicolas de Cues se rattache, selon l’Auteur, comme l’un des représentants de la vision hénologiąue de la réalité. La specificite de l’approche presente de la philosophie de Nicolas de Cues est de l’envisager à la lumière du rapport entre l’Un et l’Être, fortement marąué par de nombreuses références à la philosophie de Martin (...) Heidegger. (shrink)

Eigenfeatures are created by the principal component approach (PCA) used on objects described by a low-level code (i.e., pixels, Gabor jets). We suggest that eigenfeatures act like the flexible features described by Schyns et al. They are particularly suited for face processing and give rise to class-specific effects such as the other-race effect. The PCA approach can be modified to accommodate top-down constraints.

Restituer la pensée d'Aristote c'est retrouver les problèmes qu'il s'était lui-même posés, sans avoir le souci de ce que la postérité pourrait y trouver par la suite pour éclairer ses propres problèmes. Le Corpus de l'œuvre d'Aristote est constitué de notes de cours inédits, qui furent probablement corrigées et augmentées tout au long d'une carrière d'un enseignant chercheur. Elles n'étaient pas destinées à la publication. Quand on les étudie aujourd'hui, il faut donc s'armer de la conviction qu'Aristote, même s'il a (...) dépassé son temps, puisque son œuvre a été exhumée presque trois siècles après sa mort, appartient néanmoins à son époque, à la fois par sa formation et par les auditeurs ou lecteurs qu'il pouvait y trouver. Son œuvre, élaborée dans un climat platonicien qu'elle critique, propose une réforme de la pensée, qui est intéressante en elle-même, même si elle s'est trouvée reprise ou, au contraire, rejetée au cours des âges qui l'ont suivie. Pour l'apprécier vraiment, il faut se garder de tout anachronisme, c'est-à-dire de la projection des problèmes d'un temps sur un temps antérieur, où ces problèmes n'étaient pas apparus. Si un auteur est grand, c'est sans doute parce que la postérité peut s'y instruire, mais on se ferait une fausse idée de cette grandeur si on la réduisait à l'usage qu'on a pu déjà en faire ou qu'on peut en faire aujourd'hui. La vraie grandeur réside dans les pas que cet auteur a accomplis en son temps, et qui ne dispensent pas d'en fournir d'autres, même si l'exemple ancien est digne d'être retenu. (shrink)

Examinant la pertinence des travaux d’Edgar Morin dans la gestion des organisations productives et, plus particulièrement pour l’accroissement de l’efficacité collective, cet article propose des outils de réflexion opérationnels aux responsables d’organisations, s’appuyant sur six notions de la pensée complexe exposée dans La Méthode : les principes hologrammatique, d’auto-organisation, de la variété requise, de co-évolution, dialogique et de récursivité.Examining the relevance of the work of Edgar Morin in the management of productive organizations, and in particular for increasing collective efficacy, this (...) article proposes tools for reflection operational managers of organizations, based on six concepts complex thinking outlined in Method: hologrammatic principles, self-organization, requisite variety, co-evolution, dialogic and recursion. (shrink)

Avec la mondialisation des communications, la responsabilité de chaque journaliste se trouve décuplée, sachant qu'il a pour lecteur le monde entier. Cela confère au journaliste francophone, en particulier, une vocation singulière, dans un monde où les courants d'information convergent: il doit être le défenseur de la diversité des sources d'information. L'information est devenue l'une des armes les plus redoutables. Les journalistes francophones ont donc une mission propre: celle de faire prévaloir l'objectivité, de conserver la distance critique nécessaire pour constater ce (...) qui doit l'être, contre l'exclusion et l'intolérance.With the globalization of communication, journalists have wider responsibilities because they have the whole world as their readership. This situation particularly confers a singular vocation on French-speaking journalists in a world where information flows converge. They must broadcast the diversity of information sources. Information has become one of the most frightening weapons. Therefore French-speaking journalists have a particular mission which is to promote objectivity, keep the critical distance necessary to observe efficiently and to fight exclusion and intolerance. (shrink)

The moral philosophy of Levinas offers a stark prospectus of impossibility for corporate ethics. It differs from most traditional ethical theories in that, for Levinas, the ethical develops in a personal meeting of one with the Other, rather than residing in some internal deliberation of the moral subject. Levinasian ethics emphasises an infinite personal responsibility arising for each of us in the face of the Other and in the presence of the Third. It stresses the imperious demand we experience to (...) be open to, prepared for and impassioned with that which we may not know, or recognise, about ourselves or about the Other. Such a demand transcends our intellectual and/or rational potential; it involves us in a carnal and somatic bodily experience of otherness. If we are to speak of Levinasian ethics in a business context, it cannot be a matter of corporate ethics but only a matter of individual managerial ethics. What such an ethics would be like is yet to be outlined. This paper proposes a series of questions and suggestions that will explicate some key terms of a practice organised around a Levinasian vocabulary of otherness, responsibility, proximity, diachrony and justice. (shrink)

La contribution de Michel Troper à la théorie générale du droit et à la théorie constitutionnelle est aujourd'hui reconnue et célébrée un peu partout dans le monde. Un talent d'architecte se tient à l'origine de cette audience rarement égalée dans la sphère francophone : celui qu'il faut pour accommoder toutes les exigences, quel que soit l'ordre de valeur dans lequel on les trouve : originalité, rigueur, souci de la fonction, esthétisme, solidité, adaptation, intelligence, inquiétude, esprit critique, renoncement, réalisme... A (...) ces mérites, on ajoutera une curiosité insatiable, un goût prononcé pour l'échange et le débat, un refus distingué de l'académisme, un sens exigeant de l'amitié et une méfiance profônde pour les adjectifs... C'est cet édifice de qualités que les élèves, collègues et amis de Michel Troper sont heureux de célébrer en lui offrant ces Mélanges. (shrink)

Parce qu’elle s’est élaborée à partir d’un héritage antique, l’avocature dispose d’une culture commune dès la fin du Moyen Âge. Dans la France des XVII e et XVIII e siècles, ces caractères partagés se renforcent par la professionnalisation, l’harmonisation institutionnelle des ordres et le renforcement d’un droit commun du barreau, qui n’est pas le fruit du seul travail des avocats et de leurs structures professionnelles ; l’émergence d’un « barreau français » a également été favorisée par l’État et les tribunaux. (...) Avec l’Empire et la Restauration, la construction nationale du barreau connaît un deuxième temps fort ; dans un premier temps, c’est l’État qui s’impose comme son acteur essentiel. (shrink)

BackgroundAt the start of 2021, oncologists lacked the necessary scientific knowledge to adapt their clinical practices optimally when faced with cancer patients refusing or reluctant to be vaccinated against COVID-19, despite the marked vulnerability of these patients to severe, and even fatal forms of this new viral infectious disease. Oncologists at Foch Hospital were confronted with this phenomenon, which was observed worldwide, in both the general population and the population of cancer patients.MethodsBetween April and November 2021, the Ethics and Oncology (...) Departments of Foch Hospital decided to investigate this subject, through an empirical and interdisciplinary study in bioethics. Our scientific objective was to try to identify and resolve the principal bio-ethical issues, with a view to improving clinical practices in oncology during future major pandemics of this kind, from a highly specific bio-ethical standpoint. We used a mainly qualitative methodological approach based on questionnaires and interviews.ResultsIn April 2021, 29 cancer patients refused or were reluctant to be vaccinated. Seventeen of these patients said that making vaccination mandatory would have helped them to accept vaccination. In October 2021, only 10 cancer patients continued to maintain their refusal. One of the main reasons for the decrease in refusals was probably the introduction of the “pass sanitaire” in July 2021, which rendered vaccination indispensable for many activities. However, even this was not sufficient to convince these 10 cancer patients.ConclusionWe identified a key bio-ethical issue, which we then tried to resolve: vaccination policy. We characterized a major tension between “the recommendation of anti-COVID-19 vaccination” and “free will”, and the duty to “protect each other”. Mandatory vaccination, at least in France, could resolve this tension, with positive effects on quality of life, or survival, in cancer patients initially refusing or reluctant to be vaccinated, but only if collective and individual scales are clearly distinguished. (shrink)

This paper examines two influential theoretical frameworks, set forth by Russell Barkley (1997) and Thomas Brown (2005), and argues that important headway in understanding attention deficit hyperactivity disorder can be made if we acknowledge the way in which human cognition and action are essentially embodied and enactive. The way in which we actively make sense of the world is structured by our bodily dynamics and our sensorimotor engagement with our surroundings. These bodily dynamics are linked to an individual's concerns and (...) felt needs, so that what she attends to in perception, decision-making, and action is partially constituted by her cares and concerns. What I call ?affective framing? engages the whole living body, and ordinarily contributes to attentional focusing, working memory, goal-formulation, and action-monitoring. However, due to affective framing deficits, subjects with ADHD find it difficult to focus their attention, kindle their motivation, and systematically simplify cognitive procedures according to considerations of relevance, salience, and context. Thus, what is impaired in ADHD is not simply a set of executive brain functions, but rather a range of bodily dynamics through which subjects engage with their world. For this reason, intensive behavioral intervention that engages the whole living body may be the most effective, lasting treatment for ADHD. (shrink)