Éthique professionnelle et éthique en ingénierie

Le présent article vise à présenter, d’une part, les éléments contextuels d’une réflexion en éthique professionnelle, puis en éthique de l’ingénierie et, d’autre part, les résultats d’une étude qualitative réalisée auprès d’ingénieurs conseils oeuvrant dans divers domaines de l’ingénierie. Dans l’optique où peu de recherches ont été effectuées sur ce sujet jusqu’à présent, alors que l’éthique constitue un enjeu de plus en plus important de la sphère organisationnelle, cette étude se veut le point de départ d’une réflexion à fois théorique et empirique quant aux problèmes liés à l’éthique professionnelle. Le but de cette étude est d’explorer les relations mises en évidence entre le type de dilemme éthique vécu et le sexe, l’âge et le nombre d’années d’expérience des participants.Very old but nevertheless current, the understanding of the upsurge of ethical concerns connected to the professional practice first transcends the understanding of the interaction between several social dynamics. The development of technoscience and of its corollary the economy of knowledge, the professionalization, the institutionalization of ethics through law and other modes of regulation, as well as the emancipation of globalization in all the productive spheres only represent some of the underlying stakes of this problem. Besides, it is important to remember that these social dynamics are combined to several factors, such as the workplace transformation, the irreversible degradation of the environment, the disintegration of the traditional family, etc. (Giroux, 2000: 79). In brief, the synergy ensuing from the reproduction of these various factors has allowed to bring to light the disuse of the usual rules of conduct for the control of behaviour, while giving priority to the importance of collectively adopting new means of regulation (Bourgeault and Caron, 2000: 110).Based on this recently acknowledged context from which emanates some uncertainty, the ethic appears as a completely innovative means which makes it possible to exercise some control on human behaviour and to take into account its impunity and transparency. The profession of engineer did not escape this current trend in the business world. A review of the literature on the subject shows a marked evolution in the number of events which have contributed, sometimes slowly sometimes drastically, to the implant of ethics in engineering.These concerns have led to the realization of a study involving engineering consultants who work within diverse domains of engineering. Since the subject of ethics has not been researched extensively up to now even though it is considered increasingly important in the organizational sphere, the present study establishes itself as the onset of a theoretical as well as empirical reflection on the problems linked to professional ethics. This study was neither aimed at the extension of its results nor at suggesting any causality. Its purpose was to explore the relationship between the type of ethical dilemma experienced (classified through the typology of Langlois, 2005) as well as the gender, age and work experience of the participants. More specifically, this study aimed to verify three main hypothesis: (1) the existence of a link between the gender of the participant and the type of ethical dilemma experienced; (2) the existence of a link between the age of the participant and the type of ethical dilemma experienced; and (3) the existence of a link between work experience and the type of ethical dilemma experienced.Sixteen engineers from Québec (eight men and eight women) working in diverse domains of engineering have been selected for the data collection which was realized through semi-structured interviews. The guide for these interviews was produced by Langlois (2003) and inspired by Brown’s research in moral theory (1988). The qualitative approach was chosen for the analysis. More specifically, the analysis of the interviews made with the participants has enabled us to identify the determining factors in the choice of ethical decision by the engineer himself when subjected to a situation of ethical dilemma. This allowed us to classify the dilemmas experienced by the professionals who had been interrogated, based on Langlois’s typology (2005) which is essentially a model which reviews three ethical dimensions: the ethics of justice, the ethics of care and the ethics of criticism. These dimensions are the results of developments in moral theories as well as developments in philosophy and psychology. Each one of these dimensions is associated with the characteristics and values guiding the action of the individual. Finally, the classification of these various dilemmas into either dimension of the typology was taking into account the gender, age and work experience of the participants.Although the results confirm the diverse hypothesis, they must be restricted to the limits of this study. They are nonetheless discussed, as are the limits implied by the methodology chosen for the research. It would be unwise to take for granted or to validate the results of this study for all the engineers associated with the criteria of this research. However, these results should interest the scientific community in the advent of future researches on professional ethics. More research will have to be done in order to confirm these results and to reinforce the conclusions which could be drawn on the ethics in the world of engineering.Este artículo se propone, de un lado, estructurar el comienzo de una reflexión en ética profesional, luego en ética de la ingeniería y de otro lado, presentar los resultados de un estudio cualitativo realizado con el caso de ingenieros consultantes que trabajan en varios campos de la ingeniería. Teniendo en mira que, a pesar que la ética constituye un punto crucial cada vez más importante de la esfera organizacional, hasta el presente muy pocas investigaciones se han efectuado sobre este sujeto, este estudio se presenta como el inicio de una reflexión a la vez teórica y empírica en cuanto a los problemas relacionados a la ética profesional. El objetivo de este estudio es explorar las relaciones puestas en evidencia entre el tipo de dilema ético vivido y el género, la edad y la cantidad de años de experiencia de los participantes

Evaluation of the plasmid copy number in B. cereus spores, during germination, bacterial growth and sporulation using real-time PCR

Only a small number of studies have measured the plasmid copy number (PCN) variation during bacterial growth. Besides, information about the PCN in spores is still rare. In this work, we utilized a real-time PCR assay to evaluate the PCN of four different plasmids in Bacillus cereus. The PCN was measured in spores as well as during germination, active bacterial growth, and sporulation. Plasmid stability was also evaluated to ensure that plasmid loss does not affect the accuracy of the PCN measurement. We demonstrated that the PCN of low and high copy number plasmids varies with growth phase as well as culture media over B. cereus life cycle. The PCN was minimum during the germination and maximum during the stationary growth phase for all plasmids tested. We also demonstrated that the use of antibiotic in the culture media is not enough to ensure stable inheritance in spores of plasmids carrying antibiotic resistance genes. Moreover, we revealed that the PCN in spores is related to the PCN during endospores formation. Therefore, the plasmid partitioning during sporulation is not influenced by the unequal-size of the forespores and the mother cells, even for a plasmid distributed randomly

Elaboration of an electroporation protocol for Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579

An electro-transformation procedure was established for Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579. Using early growth-stage culture and high electric field, the ectroporation efficiency was up to 2 x 10(9) cfu microg(-1) ml(-1) with pC194 plasmid DNA. The procedure was tested with three other plasmids, of various sizes, replication mechanisms and selection markers, and the transformation efficiencies ranged between 2 x 10(6) and 1 x 10(8) cfu microg(-1) ml(-)(1). The effects of two wall-weakening agents on electroporation rates were also evaluated. The transformation rate that was reached with our procedure is 10(3) times higher than that previously obtained with members of the Bacillus genus with similar plasmids, and 10(6) times superior than that achieved with available protocols for B. cereus. The proposed method is quick, simple, efficient with small rolling circle plasmids and large theta replicating plasmids with low copy number per cell, and suitable for many genetic manipulations that are not possible without high-efficiency transformation protocols

mCSF-Induced Microglial Activation Prevents Myelin Loss and Promotes Its Repair in a Mouse Model of Multiple Sclerosis

A pathological hallmark of multiple sclerosis (MS) is myelin loss in brain white matter accompanied by compromised remyelination. Demyelinated lesions are deeply associated with oligodendrocyte apoptosis and a robust inflammatory response. Although various studies point towards a noxious role of inflammation in MS, others emphasize a positive role for the innate immune cells in disease progression. A cytokine well-known to stimulate cell survival, proliferation and differentiation of myeloid cells, macrophage colony-stimulating factor (mCSF), was administered to mice during a 5 week-long cuprizone diet. Treated mice exhibited reduced myelin loss during the demyelination phase, together with an increased number of microglia and oligodendrocyte precursor cells in lesion sites. Tamoxifen-induced conditional deletion of the mCSF receptor in microglia from cuprizone-fed mice caused aberrant myelin debris accumulation in the corpus callosum and reduced microglial phagocytic response. mCSF therefore plays a key role in stimulating myelin clearance by the brain innate immune cells, which is a prerequisite for proper remyelination and myelin repair processes

Génétique moléculaire humaine: des maladies monogéniques aux maladies complexes

La génétique moléculaire, après s’être attaqué avec succès aux maladies héréditaires monogéniques, s’est donnée pour objectif d’identifier les déterminants génétiques des maladies fréquentes à composante héréditaire importante. Cela constitue un défi de taille. Nous discuterons les différents aspects méthodologiques et pratiques de l’identification de ces gènes, ainsi que les défis qui attendent la médecine pour utiliser efficacement les nouveaux outils diagnostiques issus de ces travaux.Human molecular genetics has successfully identified the genes involved in several monogenic disorders. It now aims at pinpointing the genetic determinants of polygenic or complex traits with a strong genetic component. This constitutes a new challenge. We discuss the methodological and practical aspects of identifying such genes as well as the challenges facing physicians that will have to use efficiently these new diagnostic tools

The fecal immunochemical test (fit): Selected aspects regarding its effectiveness for colorectal cancer screening in Quebec City

Background and aims: FIT's value has been ascertained across Canada and worldwide, but still needs to be assessed within the province of Quebec. There also remains a gap between formal indications for FIT, and its actual use in clinical practice. This research aims to evaluate some aspects of FIT's effectiveness in our setting, and its application by prescribers. Methods: We retrospectively identified and reviewed all the colonoscopies conducted for a positive FIT in 2014 at 2 hospitals located in Quebec City. Results: Five hundred and fifty-nine (559) colonoscopies were reviewed. We obtained PPVs of 6.8% and 46.9% for the detection of CRC and AA, respectively. The PPV for the detection of SCL was higher in men compared to women (OR 1.56, 95%CI 1.11–2.20) and among justified FITs compared to unwarranted ones (OR 1.88, 95%CI 1.34–2.63). The PPV for CRC detection was 25.0% in the presence of unexplained iron deficiency anemia and 6.5% when anemia was absent (p = 0.0058). In 49.9% of cases, the prescription of a FIT was inappropriate. Conclusion: The FIT holds a better PPV for detecting SCL among men and when it is indicated. Anemia is associated with a higher CRC detection rate. Half of the FITs were not initially indicated. Keywords: Colorectal neoplasms, Mass screening, Gastroenterology, Occult blood, Colonoscop

Investigating a New Project Center: Cuenca, Ecuador

This study, prepared for Worcester Polytechnic - Institute (WPI), details how Cuenca, Ecuador could serve the university as an international center for students to complete their Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP). We used preferences of faculty and students derived from survey results and interviews, guidelines provided by the university, and information about existing centers to identify qualities appropriate for a new IQP project center. Through a literature review and an on-site investigation, we assessed Cuenca's suitability and recommended specific housing, sponsors, and projects