Authenticité et hyperréalité dans la ville de Macau: les formes complexes du nouveau tourisme asiatique

Ce texte essaie d’interpréter les relations qui s’établissent entre les processus de construction/négociation des identités culturelles et les processus de touristification de l’espace des villes. Les dynamiques culturelles associées au tourisme intègrent des représentations dont la forme convoque, très souvent, les concepts d’authenticité et d’hyperréalité. L’espace des villes devenues des pôles touristiques est lui aussi souvent marqué par ces deux formes culturelles. C’est, comme ce texte essaie de le montrer, le cas de Macao : le Centre Historique (« Patrimoine Mondial »), un réseau de musées (une vingtaine) et un réseau de casinos (une trentaine) constituent les éléments soumis à cette logique de production de l’espace urbain. Les formes culturelles en question – formulées, dans la théorie, comme deux formes indépendantes (et même incompatibles) – coexistent ici dans une réalité culturelle et urbaine complexe et très instable. Son interprétation exige des formes d’abordages nouvelles qui convoquent – en même temps - plusieurs échelles spatiales.

De serviteurs de l´Etat à représentants élus. Les parlementaires originaires du secteur public en Europe

This article aims at testing empirically the relevance of the State/civil society dichotomy commonly used by political theorists through the question of the specific weight of MPs having a public sector background in Europe. It uses the DATACUBE data set in order to show that such an opposition is only relative because of the specific weight of the public sector in the parliamentary elite considered in a long-term perspective. The article focuses on the dynamics of this relevance and introduces nuances regarding variations across countries, sub-categories within the public sector and political parties.

Héraldique des sceaux du clergé séculier portugais au Moyen Âge

Ce n’est que dans les dernières années que l’héraldique au Portugal a entamé le processus de rénovation qui, en France, a commencé il y a déjà quelques décennies. Dans ce processus, l’étude de l’héraldique médiévale a été peu contemplé, restant pratiquement à faire, en bonne partir dû à l’absence d’armoriaux antérieurs au XVe siècle qui permettent de connaître les armes utilisées par les familles et les diverses entités portugaises. Pour cette raison, les sceaux portant des représentations héraldiques ont une importance extrême, car ils constituent très fréquemment la seule source pour l’étude des armoiries, ayant en plus l’avantage d’être datés avec précision et liées à des personnages ou entités qui sont connues. Cependant, la sigillographie portugaise se trouve aussi dans une phase de son évolution qui, n’étant plus embryonnaire, est encore une phase de formation. Il nous manque des catalogues, des dépouillages systématiques, des études approfondies qui permettent aux héraldistes de faire leurs recherches. C’est dans ce contexte qui est née ce partenariat entre deux médiévalistes très intéressés à la sigillographie et un spécialiste d’héraldique, qui ensemble ont décidé d’entamer l’étude des origines des représentations héraldiques dans les sceaux portugais, en commençant par les sceaux du clergé séculier, qui constitue le sujet par excellence de la recherche des deux historiens. Dans ce vaste univers sigillaire, qui concerne des personnes d’une grande variété d’origines sociales, y compris la noblesse et la riche bourgeoisie urbaine, les éléments héraldiques semblent avoir émergé seulement à partir de la fin du XIIIe siècle, et d’une façon timide. Le XIVe siècle assiste à sa diffusion dans les sceaux d’évêques, dignités et chanoines, mais ce n’est qu’au XVe siècle que l’héraldique s’impose, gagnant même une place primordiale dans quelques représentations sigillographiques. Le but de cette communication sera donc l’analyse du processus d’héraldisation des sceaux du clergé séculier portugais, entre les dernières décennies du XIIIe et le XVe siècle, pour évaluer comme s’est procédé, dans le cas portugais, le phénomène d’«acculturation héraldique» de l’emblématique épiscopale et cléricale.

Exploratory analysis of OpenStreetMap for land use classification

In the last years, volunteers have been contributing massively to what we know nowadays as Volunteered Geographic Information. This huge amount of data might be hiding a vast geographical richness and therefore research needs to be conducted to explore their potential and use it in the solution of real world problems. In this study we conduct an exploratory analysis of data from the OpenStreetMap initiative. Using the Corine Land Cover database as reference and continental Portugal as the study area, we establish a possible correspondence between both classification nomenclatures, evaluate the quality of OpenStreetMap polygon features classification against Corine Land Cover classes from level 1 nomenclature, and analyze the spatial distribution of OpenStreetMap classes over continental Portugal. A global classification accuracy around 76% and interesting coverage areas’ values are remarkable and promising results that encourages us for future research on this topic.

Rites, cultes et Rituels ; de l’Antiquité jusqu’à aujourd’hui. Considérations et réflexions sur le déroulement, la valeur et l’importance religieuse, sociale et anthropologique des rites et des cultes de l’Antiquité Grecque et Romaine jusqu’à la naissance du Christianisme et à la société moderne.

En lisant cet extrait de journal qui ouvre le livre « Le Sacrifice humain en Grèce ancienne » de Pierre Bonnechère, on peut se rendre compte que l’homme a toujours éprouvé, face au sacrifice humain, une sorte de mélange entre horreur, mystère et attraction, une « fascination étrange » 1 qui a amené les intellectuels, les écrivains et les artistes du monde entier à chercher à comprendre comment et pourquoi, hier comme aujourd’hui, le sacrifice humain continue à être une composante des pratiques rituelles des différents cultes, religieux ou pas, puisqu’il existe toujours des réminiscences de ces pratiques.

Context classification for service robots

This dissertation presents a solution for environment sensing using sensor fusion techniques and a context/environment classification of the surroundings in a service robot, so it could change his behavior according to the different rea-soning outputs. As an example, if a robot knows he is outdoors, in a field environment, there can be a sandy ground, in which it should slow down. Contrariwise in indoor environments, that situation is statistically unlikely to happen (sandy ground). This simple assumption denotes the importance of context-aware in automated guided vehicles.

Using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health as a tool for analysis of the effect of physical therapy on spasticity in HAM/TSP patients

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to evaluate spasticity in human T-lymphotropic virus type 1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) patients before and after physical therapy using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). METHODS: Nine subjects underwent physical therapy. Spasticity was evaluated using the Modified Ashworth Scale. The obtained scores were converted into ICF body functions scores. RESULTS: The majority of subjects had a high degree of spasticity in the quadriceps muscles. According to the ICF codes, the spasticity decreased after 20 sessions of physical therapy. CONCLUSIONS: The ICF was effective in evaluating spasticity in HAM/TSP patients.

Evaluation of the World Health Organization 2009 classification of dengue severity in autopsied individuals, during the epidemics of 2011 and 2012 in Brazil

Abstract: INTRODUCTION: The dengue classification proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2009 is considered more sensitive than the classification proposed by the WHO in 1997. However, no study has assessed the ability of the WHO 2009 classification to identify dengue deaths among autopsied individuals suspected of having dengue. In the present study, we evaluated the ability of the WHO 2009 classification to identify dengue deaths among autopsied individuals suspected of having dengue in Northeast Brazil, where the disease is endemic. METHODS: This retrospective study included 121 autopsied individuals suspected of having dengue in Northeast Brazil during the epidemics of 2011 and 2012. All the autopsied individuals included in this study were confirmed to have dengue based on the findings of laboratory examinations. RESULTS: The median age of the autopsied individuals was 34 years (range, 1 month to 93 years), and 54.5% of the individuals were males. According to the WHO 1997 classification, 9.1% (11/121) of the cases were classified as dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) and 3.3% (4/121) as dengue shock syndrome. The remaining 87.6% (106/121) of the cases were classified as dengue with complications. According to the 2009 classification, 100% (121/121) of the cases were classified as severe dengue. The absence of plasma leakage (58.5%) and platelet counts <100,000/mm3 (47.2%) were the most frequent reasons for the inability to classify cases as DHF. CONCLUSIONS: The WHO 2009 classification is more sensitive than the WHO 1997 classification for identifying dengue deaths among autopsied individuals suspected of having dengue.

Analysis of classification algorithms for crop detection using LANDSAT 8 images

Remote sensing - the acquisition of information about an object or phenomenon without making physical contact with the object - is applied in a multitude of different areas, ranging from agriculture, forestry, cartography, hydrology, geology, meteorology, aerial traffic control, among many others. Regarding agriculture, an example of application of this information is regarding crop detection, to monitor existing crops easily and help in the region’s strategic planning. In any of these areas, there is always an ongoing search for better methods that allow us to obtain better results. For over forty years, the Landsat program has utilized satellites to collect spectral information from Earth’s surface, creating a historical archive unmatched in quality, detail, coverage, and length. The most recent one was launched on February 11, 2013, having a number of improvements regarding its predecessors. This project aims to compare classification methods in Portugal’s Ribatejo region, specifically regarding crop detection. The state of the art algorithms will be used in this region and their performance will be analyzed.

Sol-gel entrapped biosystems: enzyme(s) and whole cells

In this work two different procedures to utilize the sol-gel technology were applied to immobilize/encapsulate enzymes and living cells. CO2 has reached levels in the atmosphere that make it a pollutant. New methods to utilize this gas to obtain products of added value can be very important, both from an environmentally point of view and from an economic standpoint. The first goal of this work was to study the first reaction of a sequential, three-step, enzymatic process that carries out the conversion of CO2 to methanol. Of the three oxidoreductases involved, our focus was on formate dehydrogenase (FateDH) that converts CO2 to formate. This reaction requires the presence of the cofactor β-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide in reduced form (NADH). The cofactor is expensive and unstable. Our experiments were directed towards generating NADH from its oxidized form (NAD+), using glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH). The formation of NADH from NAD+ in aqueous medium was studied with both free and sol-gel entrapped GDH. This reaction was then followed by the conversion of CO2 to formate, catalysed by free or sol-gel entrapped FateDH. The quantification of NADH/NAD+ was made using UV/Vis spectroscopy. Our results showed that it was possible to couple the GDH-catalyzed generation of the cofactor NADH with the FateDH-catalyzed conversion of CO2, as confirmed by the detection of formate in the medium, using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). The immobilization of living cells can be advantageous from the standpoint of ease of recovery, reutilization and physical separation from the medium. Also dead cells may not always exhibit enzymatic activities found with living cells. In this work cell encapsulation was performed using Escherichia coli bacteria. To reduce toxicity for living organisms, the sol-gel method was different than for enzymes, and involved the use of aqueous-based precursors. Initial encapsulation experiments and viability tests were carried out with E. coli K12. Our results showed that sol-gel entrapment of the cells was achieved, and that cell viability could be increased with additives, namely betaine that led to greater viability improvement and was selected for further studies. For an approach to “in-cell” Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) experiments, the expression of the protein ctCBM11 was performed in E. coli BL21. It was possible to obtain an NMR signal from the entrapped cells, a considerable proportion of which remained alive after the NMR experiments. However, it was not possible to obtain a distinctive NMR signal from the target protein to distinguish it from the other proteins in the cell.

Des histories de famille. La dévotion aux Trois Maries en France du XIVe au XVe siècle. Textes et images

La légende des Trois Maries, les demi-soeurs nées du trinubium de sainte Anne, fut largement diffusée à partir du XIIIe siècle par la Légende dorée de Jacques de Voragine. L’émergence précoce du culte et de l’iconographie des Trois Maries à Paris, à partir du milieux du XIVe siècle, a été favorisée par la rencontre entre un miracle de guérison, en ordre religieux: les Carmes, en quête de légitimation et une reine de France: Jeanne d’Evreux, dont la descendance fut exclue de la succession au trône. L’iconographie des Trois Maries, dont Jean Venette, auteur carme, raconta l’histoire dans un long récit versifi é, est attestée dans les manuscrits et sur d’autres supports.

La Cène ou la figure du banquet comme image de crise morale chez Zeng Fanzhi

Les yeux et les masques sont prévalents dans les oeuvres du peintre chinois contemporain Zeng Fanzhi (né en 1964), comme métaphore du jeu de pouvoir qui oppose les individus à l’appareil social et politique. Son oeuvre La Cène, d’après Leonard de Vinci, est un exemple frappant de cette préoccupation. Cet essai examine l’utilisation par l’artiste de cette représentation occidentale d’une crise morale (une trahison qui mène à la mort du Christ) pour exprimer la dystopie qui marque la Chine contemporaine. L’interprétation par Zeng de l’oeuvre de Vinci témoigne d’une compréhension profonde de sa signification à la Renaissance comme conflit entre le pouvoir terrestre et spirituel, auquel il surimpose la fonction du banquet dans la culture chinoise comme lieu de lutte politique. Un nihilisme détaché imprègne ce travail, à l’instar de l’interprétation métaphorique du banquet de Platon par Søren Kierkegaard, In Vino Veritas.

Mapping the Pasture Steppe in Bayankhongor, Mongolia: comparison of classification methods, using Landsat-8 and geophysical data

Grasslands in semi-arid regions, like Mongolian steppes, are facing desertification and degradation processes, due to climate change. Mongolia’s main economic activity consists on an extensive livestock production and, therefore, it is a concerning matter for the decision makers. Remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems provide the tools for advanced ecosystem management and have been widely used for monitoring and management of pasture resources. This study investigates which is the higher thematic detail that is possible to achieve through remote sensing, to map the steppe vegetation, using medium resolution earth observation imagery in three districts (soums) of Mongolia: Dzag, Buutsagaan and Khureemaral. After considering different thematic levels of detail for classifying the steppe vegetation, the existent pasture types within the steppe were chosen to be mapped. In order to investigate which combination of data sets yields the best results and which classification algorithm is more suitable for incorporating these data sets, a comparison between different classification methods were tested for the study area. Sixteen classifications were performed using different combinations of estimators, Landsat-8 (spectral bands and Landsat-8 NDVI-derived) and geophysical data (elevation, mean annual precipitation and mean annual temperature) using two classification algorithms, maximum likelihood and decision tree. Results showed that the best performing model was the one that incorporated Landsat-8 bands with mean annual precipitation and mean annual temperature (Model 13), using the decision tree. For maximum likelihood, the model that incorporated Landsat-8 bands with mean annual precipitation (Model 5) and the one that incorporated Landsat-8 bands with mean annual precipitation and mean annual temperature (Model 13), achieved the higher accuracies for this algorithm. The decision tree models consistently outperformed the maximum likelihood ones.