Ethnologue à marier : La « neutralisation » des attributs sexués en entreprise

Dans le cadre d’une recherche dans une fonderie en Roumanie sur la transition économique et politique du pays dans l’après-Ceausescu, menée en occupant un poste de travail, l’auteure montre comment une intégration fondée sur les représentations de genre et de parenté symbolique peut nuire au bon déroulement de l’enquête. L’ethnographe choisit alors de « neutraliser » son genre afin de déplacer son rôle et les attentes des informateurs pour construire son objet et mener sa recherche. En adoptant les signes extérieurs de la masculinité, l’auteure a inversé les perceptions sexuées de son sexe biologique. À la fin de son séjour, elle n’était plus qu’« un » ethnologue, c’est-à-dire une personne sans genre bien défini. C’est ainsi que l’auteure a pu déplacer les enjeux périphériques et perturbateurs de sa présence sur le terrain et se consacrer pleinement à l’étude du fonctionnement réel de l’entreprise. L’article propose donc un exemple concret de « neutralisation » de genre par l’ethnologue lui-même et il évoque également les effets de cette transformation sur le cadre d’enquête.Within the context of research in a foundry in Romania and the nation’s economic and political transformation after Ceausescu, which was conducted by being an employee, the author shows how an approach based upon concepts of gender and symbolic kinship can hinder the course of the investigation. The ethnographer then chooses to “neutralise” her gender in order to displace her role and her informants’ expectations about the construction of her object and the undertaking of her research. By adopting external signifiers of masculinity, the author reversed the gendered perceptions of her sex. By the end of her stay, she was no more than a “neutered” ethnologist, a person without a well-defined gender. In this manner the author could displace the peripheral and disruptive consequences of her presence in the field and devote herself fully to the study of the real operation of the company. The article thus proposes a concrete example of the “neutralisation” of gender by the ethnologist herself and draws attention to the effects of this transformation on the context of inquiry

L’empathie inversée au cœur de la relation ethnographique

En cherchant à répondre à la question en quoi l’occupation d’un poste de travail est-elle heuristique pour le champ de l’ethnologie de l’entreprise, l’auteure développe le concept d’empathie inversée en décalant son regard de la dialectique ethnologue‑informateur pour adopter celui de la relation inverse informateur‑ethnologue. Elle montre par là‑même que cette notion est non seulement généralisable à la pratique de terrain mais inscrite au cœur de la relation ethnographique.By questioning the issue whether occupying a working position is granted a heuristic dimension in the field of anthropology of firms, the author develops a new concept of « reversed empathy ». She does so by re-orienteering the traditional way of the anthropologist – the informant relation and by focusing her analysis upon the informant-anthropologist relation. She thereby demonstrates that nonetheless this notion is endowed with generalizing features to fieldwork practice but that it also is embedded at the core of the ethnographical relation

Elements of Reflexive Anthropology in Three Fieldwork Studies of the Workplace

Focusing on the ‘fictions’ between the ethnographer and her informants, this article deals with the delicate chemistry of fieldwork through an account of three field studies. The first explores power struggles in a bank in Marseilles; the second looks at issues related to political and economic transition in Romania through as seen through the lens of a metalwork factory; the last analyses ‘modernisation’ in the public sector in Marseilles. These studies highlight some major questions raised in the field of reflexive anthropology, including the nature of the ethnographer/informant relationship, validation, gender issues, and the exploitation of the researcher. They reveal some of the difficulties surrounding the social construction of the ethnographer in the workplace and the negotiation of roles undergone whilst in the workplace. In these three cases the ethnologist was excluded from the field, forgotten about, and caught up in a conflict

Determination of the soluble form of the P2X7 receptor in aqueous humour, vitreous humour and serum under normal and pathological conditions: sP2X7R as an indicator of ocular inflammatory status.

Background:P2X7R is a nucleotide receptor, located on the cytoplasmic membrane of all inflammatory and immune cells, that binds extracellular ATP. P2X7R plays a key role in inflammation, mediating activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and release of cytokines (IL1β), and in regulating several cell death mechanisms. Espression of P2X7R was found in both eye bulb and ocular adnexa. On the ocular surface P2X7R is activated by chemical or mechanical sources of exogenous stress, leading to inflammation, apoptosis and cell proliferation. In the retinal, abnormalities in P2X7R functions have been linked to neuronal loss in glaucoma and neuroinflammatory processes in age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. Based on a careful analysis of the recent literature on P2X7R involvement in the pathogenesis of various ocular diseases, this observational interventional study was conducted, aiming to: asses the presence of the soluble form of the purinergic P2X7 receptor (sP2X7R) in aqueous humour and vitreous humour; compare sP2X7R levels in healthy conditions and in the presence of various ocular or systemic pathological conditions with ocular involvement, underlying an inflammatory pathogenesis, such as: glaucoma, Fuchs endothelial dystrophy, pseudoexfoliatio, age-related macular degeneration, diabetes and retinal detachment; compare sP2X7R levels in aqueous humour and vitreous humour with those in serum. Methods:The patients enrolled are represented by subjects undergoing eye surgery at the Ophthalmic Clinic Unit of the Sant'Anna Hospital of Ferrara. In the group of pathological subjects there are aqueous humour and serum samples taken from patients with different ocular pathologies who underwent planned cataract extraction surgery and vitreous humour and serum samples from patients with retinal detachment who underwent vitrectomy surgery. The control group included aqueous humour and serum samples from patients undergoing cataract extraction surgery in the absence of other eye disease and vitreous and serum samples taken from patients undergoing vitrectomy for macular hole or macular pucker. Results:The presence of sP2X7R was assessed, which was found to be detectable in aqueous humour and vitreous humour using a specific ELISA kit. The range concentrations of sP2X7R in aqueous humour control group is 3.89 to 93.87 pg/ml; in pathologic group is 3.55-277.4 pg/ml. In vitreous humour range is 4.21-76.92 pg/ml in the control group, whilst in pathological condition is 28.52 to 284.57 pg/ml. The Kruskal-Wallis Test on the equality of the medians of both control and pathology groups of the acqueous samples, estimates a p-value slightly above the test reliability limit (p-value: 0.05082), confirming that the median value of the sP2X7R concentration measured in the pathology groups is significantly different, if all the data are considered together. Despite this finding, analysing each pathology group compared to the control group, using Dunn's Test to perform the pairwise comparison with the Bonferroni's correction factor, failed to confirm a statistically significant difference. The Kruskal-Wallis Test on the equality of the median of both control and pathology groups of the vitreous samples, does not allow the initial hypothesis to be rejected with probability (p value:0.1999). The test result therefore does not allow the assertion that there is a significant difference between the sP2X7R content in the vitreous of healthy patients and patients with the studied eye diseases. Conclusion:In this study the presence of sP2X7R in aqueous humour and vitreous humour was tested for the first time, and the ELISA kit used proved to be a reliable tool. By examining comprehensively the pathologic groups it can be stated that sP2X7R is a marker of ocular inflammatory status, but the stratification analysis failed to prove a significant correlation with the single pathology. Those data could lay the groundwork for further investigationBackground: P2X7R è un recettore nucleotidico, situato sulla membrana citoplasmatica delle cellule infiammatorie e immunitarie, che lega l'ATP extracellulare. P2X7R svolge un ruolo chiave nell'infiammazione, attivando l'inflammasoma NLRP3 e il rilascio di citochine (IL1β), e nella regolazione di diversi meccanismi di morte cellulare. L'espressione di P2X7R è stata riscontrata sia nel bulbo oculare che negli annessi. Sulla superficie oculare, P2X7R è attivato da stress chimici o meccanici, determinando infiammazione, apoptosi e proliferazione cellulare. A livello retinico, anomalie nelle sue funzioni sono state collegate alla perdita neuronale nel glaucoma e ai processi neuroinfiammatori nella degenerazione maculare legata all'età (DMLE) e nella retinopatia diabetica (RD). Dopo attenta analisi della recente letteratura, è stato condotto questo studio osservazionale interventistico con l'obiettivo di: valutare la presenza della forma solubile del recettore purinergico P2X7 (sP2X7R) nell'umor acqueo e nell'umor vitreo; confrontarne i livelli in condizioni normali e in presenza di differenti patologie oculari o sistemiche con coinvolgimento oculare, con patogenesi infiammatoria: glaucoma, distrofia endoteliale di Fuchs, pseudoesfoliazione, DMLE, diabete e distacco di retina; confrontare i livelli di sP2X7R nell'umor acqueo e vitreo con quelli del siero. Metodi:I pazienti arruolati sono soggetti sottoposti a intervento chirurgico programmato presso la Clinica Oculistica dell'Ospedale Sant'Anna di Ferrara. Il gruppo patoligico comprende campioni di umore acqueo e siero prelevati da pazienti con diverse patologie oculari sottoposti a intervento di estrazione della cataratta e campioni di umore vitreo e siero prelevati da pazienti con distacco di retina sottoposti a intervento di vitrectomia. Il gruppo di controllo comprende campioni di umore acqueo e siero di pazienti sottoposti a intervento di estrazione della cataratta in assenza di altre patologie oculari e campioni di vitreo e siero prelevati da pazienti sottoposti a vitrectomia per foro o pucker maculare. Risultati:La presenza di sP2X7R è stata confermata e rilevata nell'umor acqueo e nell'umor vitreo utilizzando uno specifico kit ELISA. L'intervallo di concentrazioni di sP2X7R nel gruppo di controllo dell'umor acqueo è 3,89-93,87 pg/ml; nel gruppo patologico è 3,55-27,4 pg/ml. Nell'umor vitreo il range è 4,21-76,92 pg/ml nel gruppo di controllo, mentre nel gruppo patologico è 28,52-284,57 pg/ml. Il test di Kruskal-Wallis sull'uguaglianza delle mediane dei gruppi di controllo e patologici dell’umor acqueo stima un valore p leggermente superiore al limite di affidabilità del test (p: 0,05082), confermando che il valore mediano della concentrazione di sP2X7R misurato nei gruppi patologici è significativamente diverso, se si considerano tutti i dati insieme. Nonostante questo risultato, l'analisi di ciascun gruppo patologico rispetto al gruppo di controllo, utilizzando il test di Dunn per il confronto a coppie, applicando il fattore di correzione di Bonferroni, non ha confermato una differenza statisticamente significativa. Il test di Kruskal-Wallis sull'uguaglianza della mediana dei campioni di vitreo tra gruppi di controllo e patologici stima un valore p: 0,1999. Il risultato del test non permette quindi di affermare che esista una differenza significativa tra il contenuto di sP2X7R nel vitreo di pazienti sani e di pazienti con le patologie oculari studiate. Conclusioni: In questo studio è stata testata per la prima volta la presenza di sP2X7R nell'umor acqueo e nell'umor vitreo e il kit ELISA utilizzato si è dimostrato uno strumento affidabile. Esaminando complessivamente i gruppi patologici si può affermare che sP2X7R è un marcatore dello stato infiammatorio oculare, ma l'analisi stratificata non è riuscita a dimostrare una correlazione significativa con la singola patologia. Questi dati potrebbero gettare le basi per ulteriori indagini

The Anthropology of Business Ethics: Worth Thinking about!

This article deals with epistemological thoughts about business ethics. My intention is to consider business ethics as a research subject in anthropology and not to judge the relevance of the morality or ethics: in other words, the integration of activities in a “common good” category. The article examines the philosophical ground of this notion and explores whether business ethics is related to this philosophical background. While, from an anthropological point of view, it is better to draw a value judgment from the notion of “business ethics” (applicability, truthfulness, intentionality, and so on), the argument presented here is that it is better to consider “business ethics” as a category of work management at the meeting point between theory and practice, and to observe in situ how this notion is used, articulated and circulated in the daily life of a workplace

Observer la transition énergétique « par le bas »: L’exemple des acteurs du bassin minier de Provence

Cette contribution a également mobilisé Hubert Amarillo (LEST, Aix-Marseille Université-CNRS), Nassim Amrouche (IDEMEC, Aix-Marseille université-CNRS) et Yaya Bassène (TELEMME, Aix-Marseille Université-CNRS).International audienceS’appuyant sur une recherche menée dans l’ancien bassin minier de Provence, une équipe de chercheurs aborde l’enjeu de la transition énergétique par le prisme des acteurs ordinaires. Ils montrent le rôle joué dans ce processus par les PME et les ménages, mais aussi par les collectivités locales et les travailleurs du secteur de l’énergie

A New Pharmacological Approach Based on Remdesivir Aerosolized Administration on SARS-CoV-2 Pulmonary Inflammation: A Possible and Rational Therapeutic Application

The new zoonotic coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) responsible for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a new strain of coronavirus not previously seen in humans and which appears to come from bat species. It originated in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, and spread rapidly throughout the world, causing over 5,569,679 global cases and 351,866 deaths in almost every country in the world, including Europe, particularly Italy. In general, based on existing data published to date, 80.9% of patients infected with the virus develop mild infection; 13.8% severe pneumonia; 4.7% respiratory failure, septic shock or multi-organ failure; 3% of these cases are fatal. Critical patients have been shown to develop acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and hospitalization in intensive care units. The average age of patients admitted to hospital is 57–79 years, with one third half with an un- derlying disease. Asymptomatic infections have also been described, but their frequency is not known. SARS- CoV-2 transmission is mainly airborne from one person to another via droplets. The data available so far seem to indicate that SARS-CoV-2 is capable of producing an excessive immune reaction in the host. The virus attacks type II pneumocytes in the lower bronchi through the binding of the Spike protein (S protein) to viral receptors, of which the angiotensin 2 conversion enzyme (ACE2) receptor is the most important. ACE2 receptor is widely expressed in numerous tissues, including the oropharynx and conjunctiva, but mostly distributed in ciliated bronchial epithelial cells and type II pneumocytes in the lower bronchi. The arrival of SARS-CoV-2 in the lungs causes severe primary interstitial viral pneumonia that can lead to the “cytokine storm syndrome”, a deadly uncontrolled systemic inflammatory response triggered by the activation of interleukin 6 (IL-6), whose effect is extensive lung tissue damage and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), that are life-threatening for patients with COVID-19. In the absence of a therapy of proven efficacy, current management consists of off-label or compassionate use therapies based on antivirals, antiparasitic agents in both oral and parenteral formulation, anti-inflammatory drugs, oxygen therapy and heparin support and convalescent plasma. Like most respiratory viruses can function and replicate at low temperatures (i.e. 34–35 °C) and assuming viral thermolability of SARS- CoV-2, local instillation or aerosol of antiviral (i.e. remdesivir) in humid heat vaporization (40°–41 °C) in the first phase of infection (phenotype I, before admission), both in asymptomatic but nasopharyngeal swab positive patients, together with antiseptic-antiviral oral gargles and povidone-iodine eye drops for conjunctiva (0,8–5% conjunctival congestion), would attack the virus directly through the receptors to which it binds, significantly decreasing viral replication, risk of evolution to phenotypes IV and V, reducing hospitalization and therefore death

Macrophage Activation in Follicular Conjunctivitis during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Among the symptoms of SARS-CoV-2, follicular conjunctivitis has become relevant. The conjunctiva acts as an open lymph node, reacting to the viral antigen that binds the epithelial cells, forming follicles of B cells with activated T cells and NK cells on its surface, which, in turn, talk to monocyte-derived inflammatory infected macrophages. Here, the NLRP3 inflammasome is a major driver in releasing pro-inflammatory factors such as IL-6 and caspase-1, leading to follicular conjunctivitis and bulbar congestion, even as isolated signs in the ‘asymptomatic’ patient