Les analyses de la durabilité en économie : fondements théoriques et implications normatives

Dans cette communication, nous construisons une typologie pour aider à s'orienter dans le maquis des analyses "scientifiques" du développement durable et de la décroissance soutenable développées en économie, en nous interrogeant sur les présupposés et les implications "politiques" de chacune d'elles. Nous identifions sept approches distinctes, ce qui fait plus que les trois grandes positions politiques repérées préalablement. Le constat d'une juxtaposition d'écoles ne partant pas des mêmes présupposés et dont les conclusions normatives se rejoignent parfois invite à approfondir l'analyse dans une prochaine étape.développement durable ; décroissance ; théorie économique ; typologie ; analyse économique

L'économie, à la recherche de lois de la nature, ne rencontre finalement que les lois des hommes

Ce que cherche l'économie dominante sous le terme de loi, c'est la formulation de lois déterministes qui lui confèreraient un statut de science. En prenant en compte le renouvellement qui s'est produit en science dans la façon de concevoir les lois de la nature, notre propos est de montrer en quoi la discipline économie se trompe ainsi d'objectif et comment il est possible de mener une démarche scientifique en économie en s'intéressant aux lois établies par les hommes. Les "lois économiques" sont alors définies comme les régularités observées dans le temps et l'espace que l'on peut rapporter à des règles de droit, ce qui rend compte de leur caractère contingent.science économique ; loi ; sciences exactes ; économie ; règle

Novel inhibition of archaeal family-D DNA polymerase by uracil.

International audienceArchaeal family-D DNA polymerase is inhibited by the presence of uracil in DNA template strands. When the enzyme encounters uracil, following three parameters change: DNA binding increases roughly 2-fold, the rate of polymerization slows by a factor of ≈ 5 and 3'-5' proof-reading exonuclease activity is stimulated by a factor of ≈ 2. Together these changes result in a significant decrease in polymerization activity and a reduction in net DNA synthesis. Pol D appears to interact with template strand uracil irrespective of its distance ahead of the replication fork. Polymerization does not stop at a defined location relative to uracil, rather a general decrease in DNA synthesis is observed. 'Trans' inhibition, the slowing of Pol D by uracil on a DNA strand not being replicated is also observed. It is proposed that Pol D is able to interact with uracil by looping out the single-stranded template, allowing simultaneous contact of both the base and the primer-template junction to give a polymerase-DNA complex with diminished extension ability

Unusual use of objects after unilateral brain damage. The technical reasoning model.

International audienceIt has been suggested that gesture engrams, conceptual knowledge and/or the ability to infer function from structure can support object use. The present paper proposes an alternative view which is based upon the idea that object use requires solely the ability to reason about technical means provided by objects. Technical means are abstract principles which are not linked with any object representation (e.g., cutting involves the opposition between dense and permeable material). The technical reasoning model predicts that the inability to perform technical reasoning should impair performance in any situation requiring the use of objects (in a conventional way or not). Twenty left brain-damaged (LBD) patients, 11 right brain-damaged (RBD) patients and 41 healthy controls were examined on experimental tests assessing the conventional use of objects (e.g., screwing a screw with a screwdriver), conceptual knowledge about object function, pantomime of object use and recognition of object utilization gestures. We also designed the Unusual Use of Objects test, which demands unusual applications of objects to achieve a purpose for which the usually applied object is not provided (e.g., screwing a screw with a knife). The key findings are that only LBD patients have more difficulties on the Unusual Use of Objects Test than controls or RBD patients, and that the severity of their impairment is correlated with that on conventional use of objects. Correlations with tests assessing conceptual knowledge as well as with tests of pantomime of object use and recognition of object utilization gestures were weaker. These results support the technical reasoning model and question the role of conceptual knowledge and gesture engrams in object use. Since the technical reasoning model also predicts two distinct technical disorders, the discussion focuses on the existence of these disorders in regard to individual performance profiles obtained in the Unusual Use of Objects test

Des identités professionnelles en construction

Le métier de chef d’établissement en France est abordé par cinq experts issus de la recherche et de l’encadrement à différents niveaux. Tiraillés entre les héritages du passé et des modèles de management largement inspirés du monde de l’entreprise, les chefs d’établissements doivent se construire une identité nouvelle dans un contexte marqué par l’influence des comparaisons internationales, la diversité des contextes d’exercice et l’obligation croissante d’améliorer les résultats des élèves. Les débats explorent des aspects stratégiques de cette évolution, notamment en matière de développement d’une gestion autonome et responsable de l’établissement, ainsi que de pilotage pédagogique. Les pratiques professionnelles des chefs d’établissement français doivent évoluer pour s’adapter aux profondes transformations d’une école qui veut se moderniser tout en respectant les valeurs fondatrices de la République.The position of school head in France is discussed by five experts from research and education policy makers at different levels. Torn between past traditions and the largely business-inspired management models, school heads must forge a new identity for themselves under the influence of international comparisons, in a context of diverse working environments and in view of the mounting pressure for ever better academic results. Their debates explore the strategic aspects of this change, particularly in terms of developing an independent and responsible school management method and of education management. The professional practices of French school heads must adapt to the profound changes taking place in schools that are endeavouring to keep up with the times whilst staying true to the founding values of the French Republic.Se aborda aquí el oficio de jefe de establecimiento en Francia a través del punto de vista de cinco expertos, tanto investigadores como directivos de distintos niveles. A la vez fieles a las herencias del pasado y atraidos por unos modelos de management muy inspirados por el mundo de la empresa, los jefes de establecimiento deben construirse una identidad nueva en un contexto marcado por la influencia de las comparaciones internacionales, la diversidad de los contextos de ejercicio y la obligación creciente de mejorar los resultados de los alumnos. Los debates exploran aspectos estratégicos de esta evolución, sobre todo en materia de desarrollo de una gestión autónoma y responsable del establecimiento así como de pilotaje pedagógico. Las prácticas profesionales de los jefes de establecimiento franceses deben evolucionar para adaptarse a los profundas mutaciones de una escuela que quiere modernizarse respectando los valores fundamentales de la República

Increased Programmed Death-1 Molecule Expression in Cytomegalovirus Disease and Acute Graft-versus-Host Disease after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation

To study the role of the programmed death-1 molecule (PD-1) in cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and disease after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), 206 subjects were followed prospectively for immune response to CMV and assigned to 3 groups based on CMV outcome. The subjects were analyzed retrospectively for PD-1 expression in cryopreserved CD4+ and CD8+T cells collected at days 40, 90, 120, 150, 180, and 360 posttransplantation. HCT recipients with CMV disease (n=14) were compared with recipients with prolonged CMV infection, but no CMV disease (median duration of infection, 3 months; n=14) and with controls with no CMV infection who received similar transplants (n=22). The CMV disease group had a significantly higher mean fluorescein intensity of PD-1 in CD4+ (P < .05) and CD8+ (P < .05) lymphocytes at all time points studied. PD-1 expression also was significantly elevated in those with severe acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD), including the no-viremia group. The data suggest that PD-1 is induced by aGVHD even in the absence of CMV infection. This enhanced PD-1 expression during severe aGVHD and with CMV reactivation could explain the known role of aGVHD as a risk factor for CMV disease

Indexation des ressources pédagogiques numériques : un partenariat à créer entre les SCD et les services TICE au sein des universités (L\u27)

Actes de la journée d\u27étude organisée par l\u27ENSSIB le 16 novembre 2004. Au sein des établissements d\u27enseignement supérieur, tous les acteurs impliqués dans les TICE et l\u27enseignement à distance sont en train de prendre conscience de la nécessité d\u27indexer les ressources pédagogiques numériques pour pouvoir les échanger. Mais les normes et standards pédagogiques sont difficiles à appréhender, tant par les acteurs des TICE qui ne sont pas des spécialistes de l\u27indexation que par les bibliothécaires qui ont du mal à se repérer dans l\u27utilisation de ces différents standards, dont le processus de normalisation est en cours. Différents acteurs étudient les possibilités de partenariats sur cette question

Establishment and analysis of a reference transcriptome for Spodoptera frugiperda

International audienceBackground Spodoptera frugiperda (Noctuidae) is a major agricultural pest throughout the American continent. The highly polyphagous larvae are frequently devastating crops of importance such as corn, sorghum, cotton and grass. In addition, the Sf9 cell line, widely used in biochemistry for in vitro protein production, is derived from S. frugiperda tissues. Many research groups are using S. frugiperda as a model organism to investigate questions such as plant adaptation, pest behavior or resistance to pesticides.ResultsIn this study, we constructed a reference transcriptome assembly (Sf_TR2012b) of RNA sequences obtained from more than 35 S. frugiperda developmental time-points and tissue samples. We assessed the quality of this reference transcriptome by annotating a ubiquitous gene family - ribosomal proteins - as well as gene families that have a more constrained spatio-temporal expression and are involved in development, immunity and olfaction. We also provide a time-course of expression that we used to characterize the transcriptional regulation of the gene families studied.ConclusionWe conclude that the Sf_TR2012b transcriptome is a valid reference transcriptome. While its reliability decreases for the detection and annotation of genes under strong transcriptional constraint we still recover a fair percentage of tissue-specific transcripts. That allowed us to explore the spatial and temporal expression of genes and to observe that some olfactory receptors are expressed in antennae and palps but also in other non related tissues such as fat bodies. Similarly, we observed an interesting interplay of gene families involved in immunity between fat bodies and antennae

The SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics' resources: focus on curated databases

The SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (www.isb-sib.ch) provides world-class bioinformatics databases, software tools, services and training to the international life science community in academia and industry. These solutions allow life scientists to turn the exponentially growing amount of data into knowledge. Here, we provide an overview of SIB's resources and competence areas, with a strong focus on curated databases and SIB's most popular and widely used resources. In particular, SIB's Bioinformatics resource portal ExPASy features over 150 resources, including UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot, ENZYME, PROSITE, neXtProt, STRING, UniCarbKB, SugarBindDB, SwissRegulon, EPD, arrayMap, Bgee, SWISS-MODEL Repository, OMA, OrthoDB and other databases, which are briefly described in this article