Information management under stigma: When protective silence complements willful ignorance

This article examines protective silence as a complementary strategy to willful ignorance, where individuals withhold information to protect themselves or their group from stigma. Drawing on evidence from intimate partner violence in LGBTQ+ and Black communities, we examine how social and structural pressures shape information management, preservation of bias and perpetuation of harm. By examining protective silence alongside willful ignorance, we aim to better understand how withholding information serves as a social defense, much like avoidance of information functions as an individual defense. We argue for an integrated theoretical framework that accounts for the relational and contextual roots of strategic ignorance, and outline implications for research, intervention, and policy

Knowledge Synthesis in the Cultural Evolution Literature

A recent survey of scholars from a wide variety of disciplines working on cultural evolution (Brewer et al. 2017) aimed to identify the largest “grand challenges” facing the development of increasingly sophisticated work on the evolution of culture. The challenge of “knowledge synthesis” was – to a striking degree – the most important one identified by this research. Whether and how knowledge is being “synthesized” in cultural evolution is a problem with a significant empirical component. What disciplines make up cultural evolution work? When do those disciplines collaborate, and when does that collaboration fail to take place? We can begin to chart these kinds of questions using tools of bibliometrics and digital humanities. In this talk, we present our efforts toward the mapping of (barriers to) knowledge synthesis in cultural evolution, drawn from several corpora of journal articles covering the various domains that have contributed to such studies. We hope that such a cartography of cultural evolution can aid workers in this area to test hypotheses about the success and failure of such synthesis over time

Big Data et IA dans la recherche : Enjeux épistémologiques

On entend assez souvent que le Big Data et l’IA vont « révolutionner » la recherche au sein des universités. Dans ce conférence, je tenterai d’examiner cette proposition, en explorant quelques aspects épistémologiques – pas seulement éthiques ou politiques, mais des changements qui peuvent avoir un impact réel sur la nature de la connaissance générée par de telle recherche

Imaginaries and Engagement in the Deaf Community

In the context of a perceived crisis in Deaf engagement, this proposition explores how the imaginary shapes commitment and disengagement of deaf people within their community. While previous studies highlight a decline in participation in mass-events organized by and for the deaf community (Foster et al., 2018), recent research suggests a broader retreat from collective advocacy centered on deaf identity (Rasquinet, 2024). This shift raises questions about how deaf individuals negotiate their visibility in the public sphere and whether their commitment has taken alternative forms. Building on the framework of Cultural Disability Studies (Waldschmidt, 2018), we examine this phenomenon through a critical lens, considering how dominant socio-political structures influence deaf imaginaries. Drawing on a corpus of nine semi-structured interviews conducted in 2023, our study includes sign language users and oralists, categorized based on their involvement in deaf spaces. Preliminary findings indicate that while traditional forms of deaf activism may be waning, commitment persists through intersectional advocacies (e.g. LGBTQIA+ rights, anti-racism, feminism), suggesting a reconfiguration rather than a disappearance of commitment. By interrogating the role of the imaginary as a collective consciousness (Grassi, 2005), we analyze whether this disengagement from deaf-centered spaces signifies a broader realignment of priorities within minority communities. We also explore whether this shift can be understood as a form of subjective commitment to an objective environment (see Durand, 1992). Through this analysis, we contribute to discussions on the interplay between discourse, representation, and the imaginaries of minority groups in contemporary societies

Study of [18F]MK-6240, a second-generation tau PET tracer, for the diagnosis and monitoring of Alzheimer’s disease and other tauopathies

This thesis evaluates [¹⁸F]MK-6240, a second-generation tau PET tracer, for its ability to detect and quantify tau pathology in Alzheimer’s disease and other tauopathies. It demonstrates that [¹⁸F]MK-6240 offers high specificity for AD-related tauopathy (3R/4R paired helical filaments), with limited off-target binding. A novel quantification method, the Extent of Tauopathy is developed and shown to correlate more strongly with cognitive impairment than traditional SUVr metrics. The study confirms that [¹⁸F]MK-6240 has great clinical potential in distinguishing AD from other neurodegenerative diseases and in tracking disease progression. These findings support its integration into diagnostic workflows and therapeutic trials targeting tau pathology.(BIFA - Sciences biomédicales et pharmaceutiques) -- UCL, 202

'We must fan the flame of hope' – Biblical origin of the Jubilee Year

Biblical origin of the Jubilee Yea

Influence of chloride and corrosion attack on the seismic resistance of reinforced concrete walls under alternative climate scenarios

Reinforced concrete (RC) constructions located in aggressive environments are subjected to premature structural problems due to corrosion phenomena. The corrosion can affect the structural response to ultimate limit states caused by extreme loadings and earthquakes. The role of climate change in potentially aggravating corrosion and hence the seismic performance of structures deserves further investigation. In this paper, advanced numerical analyses of RC walls have been carried out to estimate two-dimensional (2D) chloride diffusion in concrete by multifactor diffusivity to account for humidity and temperature variations corresponding to alternative climate scenarios. 2D pitting corrosion is then calculated for each reinforcing steel bar. Subsequently, finite element model (FEM) nonlinear pushover analyses are carried out to investigate the force–displacement capacity of two RC wall case studies, a bridge pier and a peripheral building wall. The reduction of the strength and displacement capacities for these two wall structures is investigated for different degrees of corrosion. Results indicate that a reduction of the in-plane lateral strength of wall structures can be well estimated by coupling climate and corrosion. Walls in buildings were found to be more susceptible to reductions in strength, and sometimes displacement capacity, due to the type of reinforcement detailing typically employed, namely lumped reinforcement in the boundary ends of building walls

Multipath TCP with longer DSS mappings

This document proposes an extension to improve Multipath TCP based on operational experience by allowing Multipath TCP to use DSS mappings that are longer than 64 KBytes

Lymphatic-derived oxysterols promote anti-tumor immunity and response to immunotherapy in melanoma

In melanoma, lymphangiogenesis correlates with metastasis and poor prognosis and promotes immunosuppression. However, it also potentiates immunotherapy by supporting immune cell trafficking. We show in a lymphangiogenic murine melanoma that lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) upregulate the enzyme Ch25h, which catalyzes the formation of 25-hydroxycholesterol (25-HC) from cholesterol and plays important roles in lipid metabolism, gene regulation, and immune activation. We identify a role for LECs as a source of extracellular 25-HC in tumors inhibiting PPAR-γ in intra-tumoral macrophages and monocytes, preventing their immunosuppressive function and instead promoting their conversion into proinflammatory myeloid cells that support effector T cell functions. In human melanoma, LECs also upregulate Ch25h, and its expression correlates with the lymphatic vessel signature, infiltration of pro-inflammatory macrophages, better patient survival, and better response to immunotherapy. We identify here in mechanistic detail an important LEC function that supports anti-tumor immunity, which can be therapeutically exploited in combination with immunotherapy