Folie, douleur et sagesse dans "L'Étranger" d'Albert Camus pour une lecture stoïcienne du bonheur de Meursault

L'Étranger (1942) d'Albert Camus raconte l'histoire d'un homme qui, face à sa condamnation à mort, se découvre heureux. Si la première moitié du roman illustre un bonheur premier, c'est-à-dire une vie simple empreinte de petits plaisirs et d'amitiés sincères, la seconde donne à voir la longue quête du héros-narrateur qui tente, à la suite du meurtre de l'Arabe -- moment fatidique où est"détruit l'équilibre du jour" --, de retrouver ce bonheur perdu. À la lumière de la pensée et de la tragédie antique, d'aucuns ont vu avec raison dansL'Étranger le récit d'un cheminement philosophique. La perte d'un"bonheur païen", composé essentiellement d'éclats de rires et de silences contemplatifs, de mer et de morceaux de ciel, amène le protagoniste, bon gré mal gré, à se forger à même les expériences du mal (la mort donnée) et du malheur (la mort reçue) un nouveau bonheur : un"bonheur tragique". Dans ce mémoire, une lecture stoïcienne du roman permet de saisir les subtilités du parcours du proficiens , ce sujet en marche vers lui-même. Par la mise en oeuvre romanesque des techniques d'exposition tragique, Camus rend compte avec brio de la progression d'un sujet qui transite de l'état de nature à l'état de conscience, celui de l'homme moral. Du point de vue privilégié par l'analyse, les crises de folie ainsi que les épreuves de la souffrance physique sont autant d'étapes de l'ascèse qui conduisent à un difficile apprentissage de la sagesse. Au bout du chemin, on retrouve chez Meursault ce"vivre en accord avec la Nature" que prisent les stoïciens.L'Étranger,"mythe incarné, mais très enraciné dans la chair et la chaleur des jours" (Camus), apparaît au terme de cette étude comme une fresque mythique aux accents stoïciens qui illustre un retour à l'équilibre. Il s'agit en somme d'opposer aux maux de l'humanité souffrante, de manière créative, tensive et perpétuelle, un bonheur lucide et consentant, un bonheur"sans lendemain"

Définitions, conditions et défis de l'alliance parent-intervenant en contexte d'aide contrainte : points de vue des parents et des professionnels en centre jeunesse

La présente étude expose la manière dont les parents et les professionnels définissent le type de relation d'aide à privilégier dans le contexte particulier de la protection de la jeunesse. De nature qualitative, l'étude analyse une partie des données recueillies auprès de vingt parents concernés par l'intervention, vingt intervenants sociaux et dix membres du personnel encadrant dans le cadre d'une vaste recherche portant sur l'analyse des rapports de pouvoir au sein des pratiques axées sur l'empowerment des parents dont les enfants reçoivent des services d'un centre jeunesse pour motif de négligence (Lemay, Proulx et Charest, 2012). L'étude permet d'éclaircir les définitions, les défis et les conditions d'une alliance parent-intervenant en contexte d'aide contrainte. En outre, les résultats montrent que l'établissement d'une relation d'alliance ouvre la voie au sentiment d'égalité du parent. Ainsi, l'étude met en évidence le besoin de clarifier la notion d'égalité au sein du rapport d'aide afin d'échapper à une vision dichotomique et improductive de l'égalité. Il importe en effet de voir l'égalité comme un processus relationnel reposant sur la subjectivite des acteurs et non seulement comme un état de fait, fonde sur l'asymétrie structurelle et la distance sociale entre ces demiers. Les résultats de cette recherche bonifient les connaissances actuelles sur les conditions de réussite de l'intervention destinée à contrer la négligence des enfants suivis en centre jeunesse

Le cheval de papier : étude de la représentation du cheval dans la prose narrative québécoise des origines à nos jours

Le cheval est l’un des animaux les plus importants du bestiaire québécois, phénomène sans doute attribuable au rôle important qu’il a joué dans l’histoire du Québec depuis l’époque de la Nouvelle-France jusqu’aux années 1960, période de grands bouleversements sociétaires qui marque la fin de l’« ère du cheval » (Martin Baron). Depuis les origines de la littérature québécoise, la représentation du personnage chevalin dans les récits a connu de nombreuses variations. Ces transformations figuratives reflètent, d’une époque à l’autre, un certain état de l’être québécois, de sa société. Une chevauchée à travers les vastes contrées de l’imaginaire collectif permet d’observer la présence de quatre profils distinctifs de chevaux au sein des fictions. Ces archétypes chevalins correspondent à quatre séries culturelles jalonnant l’histoire de la nation québécoise. Figure iconique des récits historiques du XIXe siècle marquée au fer par l’Histoire du Canada de François-Xavier Garneau, le cheval de la conquête est une monture racée. De luttes en combats, la noble bête et son cavalier cherchent ultimement à vaincre le passé douloureux, celui d’un peuple prétendument « sans histoire et sans littérature » (dixit Lord Durham). Pour sa part, la Grise est cette bonne vieille jument du terroir qui pendant un siècle nous a conduits sagement, vaillamment, religieusement, de la maison ancestrale à l’église du village, en passant par la terre paternelle. Mais un jour, « notre maître, le passé » s’est éteint, et la Grise du chanoine Lionel Groulx, comme celle de tous les écrivains du mouvement régionaliste, nous disant « Adieu », s’en est allée. Survient dans les années d’après-guerre ce formidable basculement du Québec dans la modernité qui coïncide avec un changement important dans la manière de représenter l’équidé. D’entité figurative zoomorphe qu’il avait toujours été (cheval de poils et de crins), il apparaît désormais le plus souvent sous la forme d’une entité figurative anthropomorphe (humain aux traits et allures du cheval). Né de la plume de créateurs téméraires dès les années 1930, mais surtout convoqué durant la période charnière de la Révolution tranquille, le personnage du joual est un cheval « désossé », selon la formule insolente du frère Untel. En faisant de la parole joualisante leur cheval de bataille, les jeunes révolutionnaires de la revue Parti pris dénoncent l’aliénation des Canadiens français causée par une humiliante dépossession politique, économique et culturelle. De leur côté, les écrivains font écho aux intellectuels montés sur leurs grands jouaux en esquissant dans leurs récits des chevaux poussifs, des picouilles malingres, des haridelles ployant sous le poids de leur tragique destin à l’image même du peuple colonisé. Parallèlement à l’apparition du joual, on voit poindre à l’horizon la grande horde des chevaux lâchés en liberté. Quatrième archétype, le cheval libéré surgit des imaginaires débridés sous la forme de personnages chevalins hybrides d’inspiration mythologique, surréaliste ou autre, des personnages humains également (femme-cheval, homme-cheval). Désormais libéré, comme le peuple canadien-français devenu fièrement « québécois », ce cheval de la modernité ne semble plus vouloir être harnaché à aucune convention littéraire ou idéologique. Mais qui sait

Assessing people with visual impairments’ access to information, awareness and satisfaction with high-tech assistive technology

Assistive technology (AT) devices are designed to help people with visual impairments (PVIs) perform activities that would otherwise be difficult or impossible. Devices specifically designed to assist PVIs by attempting to restore sight or substitute it for another sense have a very low uptake rate. This study, conducted in England, aimed to investigate why this is the case by assessing accessibility to knowledge, awareness, and satisfaction with AT in general and with sensory restoration and substitution devices in particular. From a sample of 25 PVIs, ranging from 21 to 68 years old, results showed that participants knew where to find AT information; however, health care providers were not the main source of this information. Participants reported good awareness of different ATs, and of technologies they would not use, but reported poor awareness of specific sensory substitution and restoration devices. Only three participants reported using AT, each with different devices and varying levels of satisfaction. The results from this study suggest a possible breakdown in communication between health care providers and PVIs, and dissociation between reported AT awareness and reported access to AT information. Moreover, awareness of sensory restoration and substitution devices is poor, which may explain the limited use of such technology

Restoration of mitochondrial integrity, telomere length, and sensitivity to oxidation by in vitro culture of Fuchs’ endothelial corneal dystrophy cells

PURPOSE. Fuchs’ endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD), a degenerative disease of the corneal endothelium that leads to vision loss, is a leading cause of corneal transplantation. The cause of this disease is still unknown, but the implication of oxidative stress is strongly suggested. In this study, we analyzed the impact of FECD on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) integrity and telomere length, both of which are affected by the oxidative status of the cell. METHODS. We compared the levels of total mtDNA, mtDNA common deletion (4977 bp), and relative telomere length in the corneal endothelial cells of fresh Descemet’s membraneendothelium explants and cultured cells from healthy and late stage FECD subjects. Oxidantantioxidant gene expression and sensitivity to ultraviolet A (UVA)- and H2O2-induced cell death were assessed in cultured cells. RESULTS. Our results revealed increased mtDNA levels and telomere shortening in FECD explants. We also found that cell culture restores a normal phenotype in terms of mtDNA levels, telomere length, oxidant-antioxidant gene expression balance, and sensitivity to oxidative stress-induced cell death in the FECD cells compared with the healthy cells. CONCLUSIONS. Taken together, these results bring new evidence of the implication of oxidative stress in FECD. They also show that FECD does not evenly affect the integrity of corneal endothelial cells and that cell culture can rehabilitate the molecular phenotypes related to oxidative stress by selecting the more functional FECD cells

Study on Alumina-silica-phosphate Compound as Problem Water Treatment: Case Study of Soil Water (Bekasi and Karawang)

Naturally, zeolite is a cation exchanger but this property is also depending on porosity, tetrahedral density and frame density. Cation exchange effectiveness can be changed by structure, Si/Al ratio and effective pore size. Tetrahedral group, T, in zeolite is negative charged and can be substituted isomorphycally by other group like PO2+. The new structure can be functioned as anion or cation exchanger. The exchange capacity of both ions depends on Si/Al/P ratio from the substitution process. The alumina-silica-phosphate (ASP) compound has been made from zeolite from Cikalong, Tasikmalaya, with ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (ADHP) with substitution rate between 30-40%. This product has been tested to Pantura groundwater, in Bekasi and Karawang areas, which have groundwater type of NaCl, CaCl2, MgSO4 and CaCl2/CaSO4. ASP tests on ground water samples show decreasing content of Ca, Mg, Na and K cations in ground water by 32.94%, 3.35%, 2.52% and 23.60% respectively. Sulphate anion also decreases by 15.39% but chloride anion shows no changes. Dig-up well of CaCl2 type also shows a reduction of Ca, Mg, Na and sulphate contents by 46.26%, 18.37%, 16.39% and 10.84%, respectively. Dig-up well of CaSO4 type shows Ca, K and sulphate contents decrease of 89.71%, 33.31% and 5.26%, respectively. CaSO4 dig-up well can be changed to Mg-mix type after processing by ASP compound. Cation exchange capacity of ASP compound to Ca is higher than to K, Mg and Na (Ca>K>Mg>Na). Due to a high cation exchange capacity to K and Mg, ASP compound may be used to reduce the hard water level

Biocompatibility and functionality of a tissue-engineered living corneal stroma transplanted in the feline eye

PURPOSE. Corneal tissue shortage has become a major concern worldwide, which has motivated the search for alternative solutions to eye bank human eyes for corneal transplantation. Minimally invasive lamellar transplantation and tissue engineering may offer new opportunities for the rehabilitation of diseased corneas. The aim of this study was to evaluate the biocompatibility and functionality of stromal lamellar grafts tissue-engineered (TE) in vitro and transplanted in vivo in the cornea of a feline model. METHODS. The corneal stromas were engineered in culture from corneal stromal cells using the self-assembly approach, without the addition of exogenous material or scaffold. Eight healthy animals underwent two intrastromal grafts in one eye and the contralateral eye was used as a control. Animals were followed with slit-lamp ophthalmic examination, corneal esthesiometry and optical coherent tomography. Confocal microscopy, immunofluorescence, histology, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were performed at 4 months. RESULTS. Four months after transplantation, the TE-stromal grafts were transparent, functional, and well tolerated by the eye. All grafts remained avascular, with no signs of immune rejection, despite a short course of low-dose topical steroids. Corneal sensitivity returned to preoperative level and reinnervation of the grafts was confirmed by confocal microscopy and immunofluorescence. Histology and TEM of the TE-grafts showed a lamellar stromal structure with regular collagen fibril arrangement. CONCLUSIONS. These results open the way to an entirely new therapeutic modality. Intracorneal filling using a biocompatible, transparent, and malleable TE-stroma could be the basis for multiple types of novel therapeutic options in corneal interventional surgery

Platelet-derived extracellular vesicles in Huntington's disease.

The production and release of extracellular vesicles (EV) is a property shared by all eukaryotic cells and a phenomenon frequently exacerbated in pathological conditions. The protein cargo of EV, their cell type signature and availability in bodily fluids make them particularly appealing as biomarkers. We recently demonstrated that platelets, among all types of blood cells, contain the highest concentrations of the mutant huntingtin protein (mHtt)-the genetic product of Huntington's disease (HD), a neurodegenerative disorder which manifests in adulthood with a complex combination of motor, cognitive and psychiatric deficits. Herein, we used a cohort of 59 HD patients at all stages of the disease, including individuals in pre-manifest stages, and 54 healthy age- and sex-matched controls, to evaluate the potential of EV derived from platelets as a biomarker. We found that platelets of pre-manifest and manifest HD patients do not release more EV even if they are activated. Importantly, mHtt was not found within EV derived from platelets, despite them containing high levels of this protein. Correlation analyses also failed to reveal an association between the number of platelet-derived EV and the age of the patients, the number of CAG repeats, the Unified Huntington Disease Rating Scale total motor score, the Total Functional Capacity score or the Burden of Disease score. Our data would, therefore, suggest that EV derived from platelets with HD is not a valuable biomarker in HD.The study was funded by an operating grant from the Merck Sharpe & Dohme to F.C. who is also a recipient of a National Researcher career award from the Fonds de Recherche du Québec en santé (FRQS) providing salary support and operating funds. I.S.-A. was supported by a CIHR-Huntington Society of Canada postdoctoral fellowship. R.A.B. and S.L.M. are supported by a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) award of a Biomedical Research Center to the University of Cambridge and Addenbrooke’s Hospital. E.B. is supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. N.D. MD-MSc. also funded by CIHR and by Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA). HLD and JPL hold a Desjardins scholarship from the Fondation du CHU de Québec. HLD hold a bourse d’excellence du Centre Thématique de Recherche en Neurosciences (CTRN) du CHU de Québec. The authors would like to thank all the students and staff who helped with the blood collections in Cambridge, Quebec City and Montreal and importantly, all patients and their families for being so generous with their time in participating to this stud

Optimization of culture conditions for porcine corneal endothelial cells

Purpose : To optimize the growth condition of porcine corneal endothelial cells (PCEC), we evaluated the effect of coculturing with a feeder layer (irradiated 3T3 fibroblasts) with the addition of various exogenous factors, such as epidermal growth factor (EGF), nerve growth factor (NGF), bovine pituitary extract (BPE), ascorbic acid, and chondroitin sulfate, on cell proliferation, size, and morphology. Methods : PCEC cultures were seeded at an initial cell density of 400 cells/cm2 in the presence or absence of 20,000 murine-irradiated 3T3 fibroblast/cm2 in the classic media Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium (DMEM) supplemented with 20% fetal bovine serum (FBS). Mean cell size and bromodeoxyuridine incorporation was assessed at various passages. Growth-promoting factors were studies by seeding PCEC at 8,000 cells/cm2 in DMEM with 20% FBS or Opti-MEM I supplemented with 4% FBS and one of the following additives: EGF (0.5, 5, 25 ng/ml), NGF (5, 20, 50 ng/ml), BPE (25, 50, 100, 200 μg/ml), ascorbic acid (10, 20, 40 μg/ml) and chondroitin sulfate (0.03, 0.08, 1.6%), alone or in combination. Cell number, size and morphology of PCEC were assessed on different cell populations. Each experiment was repeated at least twice in three sets. In some cases, cell cultures were maintained after confluence to observe post-confluence changes in cell morphology. Results : Co-cultures of PCEC grown in DMEM 20% FBS with a 3T3 feeder layer improved the preservation of small polygonal cell shape. EGF, NGF, and chondroitin sulfate did not induce proliferation above basal level nor did these additives help maintain a small size. However, chondroitin sulfate did help preserve a good morphology. BPE and ascorbic acid had dose-dependent effects on proliferation. The combination of BPE, chondroitin sulfate, and ascorbic acid significantly increased cell numbers above those achieved with serum alone. No noticeable changes were observed when PCEC were cocultured with a 3T3 feeder layer in the final selected medium. Conclusions : Improvements have been made for the culture of PCEC. The final selected medium consistently allowed the growth of a contact-inhibited cell monolayer of small, polygonal-shaped cells