La superstition dans les contes fantastiques français du dix-neuvième siècle

This study is dedicated to the potential superstitious part inherent to French fantastic tales of the XIXth century. Within this concise form of storytelling, we outline the impact arising from the collision of fantastic and superstition, two enemies of reason, witness of a time when imagination was in search of a new breath in literature. We return to the origins of the reunion of these two notions by considering their respective etymologies and evolutions, before focusing on their narrative similarities. The second part of our analysis revolves around the precursors, initiators and romantic authors, from J. Cazotte to P. Mérimée. Our third part is dedicated to major works of the second half of the century, which, at the instigation of the particularly famous E.A. Poe and other few realistic authors considered as less influent, benefit from a new form of imagination ending with J. Lorrain’s Decadent movement. This study shows the existence, necessity and evolution of the belief, in a genre dependent on a verve particularly receptive to the disillusion caused by a despised reality. We observe that fantastic and superstition both stand at the point where the ordinary meets an alternative hereafter which is paradoxically source of anxiety and salvation, reflecting the sensibility of the fantastic authors who transcribed it into an increasingly macabre imagination throughout the century, supported by traditional folklore, then by psychiatric pathologies.Cette étude est consacrée à la potentielle part superstitieuse immanente aux contes fantastiques français du XIXe siècle. Au sein de cette forme concise du récit, nous cernons l’impact dégagé par la collision du fantastique et de la superstition, ces deux ennemis de la raison, témoins d’une époque où l’imaginaire est à la recherche d’un nouveau souffle littéraire. Nous revenons sur les origines de la rencontre de ces deux notions en faisant le point sur leurs étymologies et histoires respectives, puis mettons en exergue leurs assonances narratives. Le second temps de notre analyse s’articule autour des auteurs précurseurs, initiateurs et romantiques allant de J. Cazotte à P. Mérimée. Notre troisième partie est consacrée aux œuvres phares de la seconde moitié du siècle, qui, sous l’impulsion du très remarqué E. A. Poe et de quelques auteurs réalistes jugés mineurs, profitent d’un nouvel imaginaire s’achevant avec le décadentisme de J. Lorrain. Ces recherches permettent de constater la présence, la nécessité et l’évolution de la croyance dans un genre tributaire d’une verve particulièrement réceptive au désenchantement causé par une réalité exécrée. Nous observons que fantastique et superstition se situent conjointement à la croisée du monde ordinaire et d’un au-delà alternatif paradoxalement anxiogène et salvateur, reflet de la sensibilité des fantastiqueurs qu’ils retranscrivent au travers d’une pensée de plus en plus macabre au fil du siècle, folklore traditionnel puis pathologies psychiatriques à l’appui

Through the Wall Radar Imaging via Kronecker-structured Huber-type RPCA

The detection of multiple targets in an enclosed scene, from its outside, is a challenging topic of research addressed by Through-the-Wall Radar Imaging (TWRI). Traditionally, TWRI methods operate in two steps: first the removal of wall clutter then followed by the recovery of targets positions. Recent approaches manage in parallel the processing of the wall and targets via low rank plus sparse matrix decomposition and obtain better performances. In this paper, we reformulate this precisely via a RPCA-type problem, where the sparse vector appears in a Kronecker product. We extend this approach by adding a robust distance with flexible structure to handle heterogeneous noise and outliers, which may appear in TWRI measurements. The resolution is achieved via the Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers (ADMM) and variable splitting to decouple the constraints. The removal of the front wall is achieved via a closed-form proximal evaluation and the recovery of targets is possible via a tailored Majorization-Minimization (MM) step. The analysis and validation of our method is carried out using Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) simulated data, which show the advantage of our method in detection performance over complex scenarios

Grounds and Moral Laws

This dissertation consists in a series of papers on what could be called moral grounding (i.e. the application of metaphysical grounding to the moral domain). These papers motivate two distinct, but mutually complimentary, projects. The first concerns the nature of metaphysical grounding itself. In the first paper, I motivate and defend a functionalist theory of grounding (f-grounding). According to f-grounding, a relation R is a grounding relation iff R backs non-causal explanations. In the second paper, I elucidate one of the key components of f-grounding: the relation of backing. Specifically, I argue that backing is a form of truthmaking. The second project concerns the motivation and defence of a neo-Humean theory of moral principles. First, I argue that moral principles have an important role in the definition of moral naturalness (ch. 3). Then, in chapter 4, I motivate NHM by showing that it provides dialectically compelling answers to questions concerning the explanation of pure moral principles as well as the explanation of moral supervenience. In that same paper, I defend the contingentist aspect of moral principles (roughly, the view that there are possible worlds with different pure moral principles). Finally, in the final paper, I defend the explanatoriness of moral principles qua moral generalizations. In doing so, I appeal to a pluralist theory of moral explanation

De novo valve tissue morphology following bioscaffold mitral valve replacement in a juvenile non-human primate model

The utility of implanting a bioscaffold mitral valve consisting of porcine small intestinal submucosa (PSIS) in a juvenile baboon model (12 to 14 months old at the time of implant; n = 3) to assess their in vivo tissue remodeling responses was investigated. Our findings demonstrated that the PSIS mitral valve exhibited the robust presence of de novo extracellular matrix (ECM) at all explantation time points (at 3-, 11-, and 20-months). Apart from a significantly lower level of proteoglycans in the implanted valve’s annulus region (p \u3c 0.05) at 3 months compared to the 11-and 20-month explants, there were no other significant differences (p \u3e 0.05) found between any of the other principal valve ECM components (collagen and elastin) at the leaflet, annulus, or chordae tendinea locations, across these time points. In particular, neochordae tissue had formed, which seamlessly integrated with the native papillary muscles. However, additional processing will be required to trigger accelerated, uniform and complete valve ECM formation in the recipient. Regardless of the specific processing done to the bioscaffold valve, in this proof-of-concept study, we estimate that a 3-month window following bioscaffold valve replacement is the timeline in which complete regeneration of the valve and integration with the host needs to occur

A phase II trial of the vitamin D analogue Seocalcitol (EB1089) in patients with inoperable pancreatic cancer

Inoperable cancer of the exocrine pancreas responds poorly to most conventional anti-cancer agents, and new agents are required to palliate this disease. Seocalcitol (EB1089), a vitamin D analogue, can inhibit growth, induce differentiation and induce apoptosis of cancer cell lines in vitro and can also inhibit growth of pancreatic cancer xenografts in vivo. Thirty-six patients with advanced pancreatic cancer received once daily oral treatment with seocalcitol with dose escalation every 2 weeks until hypercalcaemia occurred, following which patients continued with maintenance therapy. The most frequent toxicity was the anticipated dose-dependent hypercalcaemia, with most patients tolerating a dose of 10–15 μg per day in chronic administration. Fourteen patients completed at least 8 weeks of treatment and were evaluable for efficacy, whereas 22 patients were withdrawn prior to completing 8 weeks' treatment and in 20 of these patients withdrawal was due to clinical deterioration as a result of disease progression. No objective responses were observed, with five of 14 patients having stable disease in whom the duration of stable disease was 82–532 days (median=168 days). The time to treatment failure (n=36) ranged from 22 to 847 days, and with a median survival of approximately 100 days. Seocalcitol is well tolerated in pancreatic cancer but has no objective anti-tumour activity in advanced disease. Further studies are necessary to determine if this agent has any cytostatic activity in this malignancy in minimal disease states

Superstition in french fantastic tales of the xixth century

Cette étude est consacrée à la potentielle part superstitieuse immanente aux contes fantastiques français du XIXe siècle. Au sein de cette forme concise du récit, nous cernons l’impact dégagé par la collision du fantastique et de la superstition, ces deux ennemis de la raison, témoins d’une époque où l’imaginaire est à la recherche d’un nouveau souffle littéraire. Nous revenons sur les origines de la rencontre de ces deux notions en faisant le point sur leurs étymologies et histoires respectives, puis mettons en exergue leurs assonances narratives. Le second temps de notre analyse s’articule autour des auteurs précurseurs, initiateurs et romantiques allant de J. Cazotte à P. Mérimée. Notre troisième partie est consacrée aux œuvres phares de la seconde moitié du siècle, qui, sous l’impulsion du très remarqué E. A. Poe et de quelques auteurs réalistes jugés mineurs, profitent d’un nouvel imaginaire s’achevant avec le décadentisme de J. Lorrain. Ces recherches permettent de constater la présence, la nécessité et l’évolution de la croyance dans un genre tributaire d’une verve particulièrement réceptive au désenchantement causé par une réalité exécrée. Nous observons que fantastique et superstition se situent conjointement à la croisée du monde ordinaire et d’un au-delà alternatif paradoxalement anxiogène et salvateur, reflet de la sensibilité des fantastiqueurs qu’ils retranscrivent au travers d’une pensée de plus en plus macabre au fil du siècle, folklore traditionnel puis pathologies psychiatriques à l’appui.This study is dedicated to the potential superstitious part inherent to French fantastic tales of the XIXth century. Within this concise form of storytelling, we outline the impact arising from the collision of fantastic and superstition, two enemies of reason, witness of a time when imagination was in search of a new breath in literature. We return to the origins of the reunion of these two notions by considering their respective etymologies and evolutions, before focusing on their narrative similarities. The second part of our analysis revolves around the precursors, initiators and romantic authors, from J. Cazotte to P. Mérimée. Our third part is dedicated to major works of the second half of the century, which, at the instigation of the particularly famous E.A. Poe and other few realistic authors considered as less influent, benefit from a new form of imagination ending with J. Lorrain’s Decadent movement. This study shows the existence, necessity and evolution of the belief, in a genre dependent on a verve particularly receptive to the disillusion caused by a despised reality. We observe that fantastic and superstition both stand at the point where the ordinary meets an alternative hereafter which is paradoxically source of anxiety and salvation, reflecting the sensibility of the fantastic authors who transcribed it into an increasingly macabre imagination throughout the century, supported by traditional folklore, then by psychiatric pathologies

Crime et justice en Europe (sous la direction de Philippe Robert et Lode Van Dutrive)

Brehier Jean-Pierre. Crime et justice en Europe (sous la direction de Philippe Robert et Lode Van Dutrive). In: Réseaux, volume 12, n°64, 1994. Les métiers de la communication. pp. 182-183

Détection pour l'Imagerie Radar à Travers Murs à partir de méthodes de décomposition de rang faible plus parcimonieuse

Through Wall Radar Imaging is a field of research aimed at imaging rooms hidden from the naked eye. This presents challenges, notably due to the signal's attenuation and distortion caused by the wall and the scene elements. Additionally, ambient noise complicates the detection of weak signals coming from the targets. The work in this thesis focuses on the detection and localization of stationary targets in a two-dimensional spatial scenario.We introduce imaging methods based on the joint reconstruction of the elements constituting the scene, namely the wall and the hidden targets, by decomposition into low-rank and sparse components (via an extension of RPCA).We then study its extension to heterogeneous noise via robust distances, such as Huber's. We delve into optimization techniques on Riemannian manifolds using the one of fixed rank matrices. Finally, we address the transition to a data-driven method using a hybrid method known as unrolled networks, specifically a proximal gradient unrolling.The results show that the proposed methods outperform classical approaches in simulations. However, challenges remain, particularly in accounting for the complex physical effects on the signal. We highlight the potential of these methods for broader applications, such as Ground Penetrating Radar and computational imaging.L'imagerie radar à travers murs est un domaine de recherche visant à imager des pièces cachées à l'œil nu par un mur. Cela présente des défis dus notamment à la distorsion du signal causée par le mur ainsi que par la scène à imager. À cela s'ajoute un bruit ambiant qui complique la détection des signaux faibles provenant des cibles. Les travaux entrepris dans cette thèse se concentrent sur la détection et la localisation de cibles stationnaires dans un scénario en deux dimensions spatiales.Nous introduisons des méthodes d'imagerie basées sur la reconstruction jointe des éléments constituant la scène, à savoir le mur et les cibles cachées. Nous utilisons une décomposition en rang faible et parcimonieux via une extension de RPCA.Nous étudions ensuite son extension à des bruits hétérogènes via une distance robuste dite de Huber. Nous étudions également son extension non-convexe sur la variété des matrices de rang fixe.Finalement, nous abordons la transition vers une méthode basée sur les données, en utilisant une méthode hybride dite de réseau déroulé basé sur un gradient proximal.Les résultats montrent que les méthodes proposées surpassent les approches classiques en simulations. Toutefois, des défis persistent, notamment dans la prise en compte des effets physiques complexes sur le signal. Nous soulignons le potentiel de ces méthodes pour des applications plus larges, comme les radars à pénétration de sol et l'imagerie computationnelle