Un jeu d'échos intertextuels. L'évasion de Pierre et la mort du tyran (Actes 12)

La Bible est un immense trésor d'histoires racontées. De la Genèse à l'Apocalypse, chaque récit déploie un monde que le lecteur est invité à habiter. Une discipline récente, la narratologie, s'attache à étudier cet art millénaire du « raconter ». Qu'il soit romancier ou écrivain biblique, tout conteur utilise les mêmes outils : il construit une intrigue, il tisse un réseau de personnages, il induit un système de valeurs, il sollicite l'imaginaire du lecteur et le fait voyager dans l'espace et le temps... Sept biblistes présentent ici des « travaux pratiques » d'analyse narrative appliquée à la Bible. Après avoir été invité par Daniel Marguerat à «Entrer dans le monde du récit », le lecteur goûtera la magie du raconter : qu'ils aient été bergers ou érudits, les conteurs bibliques étaient des artistes !

Comparison of indices proposed as criteria for assigning skin notation

OBJECTIVES: Skin notations are used as a hazard identification tool to flag chemicals associated with a potential risk related to transdermal penetration. The transparency and rigorousness of the skin notation assignment process have recently been questioned. We compared different approaches proposed as criteria for these notations as a starting point for improving and systematizing current practice. METHODS: In this study, skin notations, dermal acute lethal dose 50 in mammals (LD(50)s) and two dermal risk indices derived from previously published work were compared using the lists of Swiss maximum allowable concentrations (MACs) and threshold limit values (TLVs) from the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH). The indices were both based on quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) estimation of transdermal fluxes. One index compared the cumulative dose received through skin given specific exposure surface and duration to that received through lungs following inhalation 8 h at the MAC or TLV. The other index estimated the blood level increase caused by adding skin exposure to the inhalation route at kinetic steady state. Dermal-to-other route ratios of LD(50) were calculated as secondary indices of dermal penetrability. RESULTS: The working data set included 364 substances. Depending on the subdataset, agreement between the Swiss and ACGIH skin notations varied between 82 and 87%. Chemicals with a skin notation were more likely to have higher dermal risk indices and lower dermal LD(50) than chemicals without a notation (probabilities between 60 and 70%). The risk indices, based on cumulative dose and kinetic steady state, respectively, appeared proportional up to a constant independent of chemical-specific properties. They agreed well with dermal LD(50)s (Spearman correlation coefficients -0.42 to -0.43). Dermal-to-other routes LD(50) ratios were moderately associated with QSAR-based transdermal fluxes (Spearman correlation coefficients -0.2 to -0.3). CONCLUSIONS: The plausible but variable relationship between current skin notations and the different approaches tested confirm the need to improve current skin notations. QSAR-based risk indices and dermal toxicity data might be successfully integrated in a systematic alternative to current skin notations for detecting chemicals associated with potential dermal risk in the workplace. [Authors]

Effective exposure to solar UV in building workers: influence of local and individual factors.

Excessive exposure to solar UV light is the main cause of skin cancers in humans. UV exposure depends on environmental as well as individual factors related to activity. Although outdoor occupational activities contribute significantly to the individual dose received, data on effective exposure are scarce and limited to a few occupations. A study was undertaken in order to assess effective short-term exposure among building workers and characterize the influence of individual and local factors on exposure. The effective exposure of construction workers in a mountainous area in the southern part of Switzerland was investigated through short-term dosimetry (97 dosimeters). Three altitudes, of about 500, 1500 and 2500 m were considered. Individual measurements over 20 working periods were performed using Spore film dosimeters on five body locations. The postural activity of workers was concomitantly recorded and static UV measurements were also performed. Effective exposure among building workers was high and exceeded occupational recommendations, for all individuals for at least one body location. The mean daily UV dose in plain was 11.9 SED (0.0-31.3 SED), in middle mountain 21.4 SED (6.6-46.8 SED) and in high mountain 28.6 SED (0.0-91.1 SED). Measured doses between workers and anatomical locations exhibited a high variability, stressing the role of local exposure conditions and individual factors. Short-term effective exposure ranged between 0 and 200% of ambient irradiation, indicating the occurrence of intense, subacute exposures. A predictive irradiation model was developed to investigate the role of individual factors. Posture and orientation were found to account for at least 38% of the total variance of relative individual exposure, and were also found to account more than altitude on the total variance of effective daily exposures. Targeted sensitization actions through professional information channels and specific prevention messages are recommended. Altitude outdoor workers should also benefit from preventive medical examination.

Le religieux entre science et cité. Penser avec Pierre Gisel

Fin observateur des mutations du religieux au cours des trente dernières années, Pierre Gisel fait l'objet, dans ce livre, d'analyses sur les enjeux qui marquent ses recherches fondamentales : la mise à l'épreuve des religions par leurs confrontations avec la science, la culture et le politique. La pensée de Pierre Gisel est l'une des rares à prendre en compte les défis que pose la sécularisation aux postulats des traditions religieuses en général, et au christianisme en particulier. Le statut des textes sacrés, la légitimité des institutions religieuses, les généalogies des monothéismes : autant d'objets auxquels Pierre Gisel adresse des questions exigeantes et « théologiquement incorrectes », pour le meilleur des débats actuels sur les transformations et les valeurs de nos sociétés. Dans ce livre, sociologues, philosophes, théologiens, historiens, journalistes ainsi qu'une représentante politique rendent compte de la réception qu'ils accordent aux travaux de Pierre Gisel, pour les prolonger, les déplacer et les critiquer, tout en soulignant leur incontestable pertinence.