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Motivated by the need for semantically well-founded and algorithmically managable formalism that is based on description logics (DLs), but is also firmly grounded on research in the reasoning about action community. Our main contribution is an analysis of how the choice of the DL influences the complexity of standard reasoning tasks such as projection and executability, which are important for Web service discovery and composition.

In the reasoning about actions community, causal relationships have been proposed as a possible approach for solving the ramification problem, i. e., the problem of how to deal with indirect effects of actions. In this paper, we show that causal relationships can be added to action formalisms based on Description Logics without destroying the decidability of the consistency and the projection problem.

[pt] A tese tem por objetivo argumentar que a proposta kantiana para a moralidade não consiste em um formalismo vazio, e, por isso, frio e sem vida como alguns de seus comentadores a interpretaram. Para esses comentadores, a proposta kantiana para a moralidade não teria nenhuma conexão com a vida efetiva dos seres humanos devido ao fato de seu princípio, por estar fundado na razão pura, ser um princípio de natureza formal. Em relação a isso, a tese argumenta que a acusação de formalismo vazio, deu-se, sobretudo, em função de uma leitura parcial, que deixa de lado os elementos constituidores da razão humana, razão na qual Kant fundamenta sua proposta para a moralidade. Nesse sentido, a tese defende que, se a totalidade da proposta kantiana para a moralidade for devidamente levada em conta, a acusação de essa ser uma proposta fria e sem vida, não se sustenta. A tese apresenta os principais elementos que perfazem a totalidade dessa proposta, a saber: as faculdades da razão, seus poderes (conhecer, julgar e querer), a dinâmica existente entre eles, o sentimento gerado por essa dinâmica, o sentimento de respeito e de autocontentamento. De modo especial, a tese chama a atenção para a necessidade de uma maior consideração acerca do sentido e do valor que os conceitos de liberdade, de autonomia, de dignidade, de respeito e de humanidade representam para a vida humana. Nesse sentido, a tese considera esses conceitos tendo como pano de fundo a relação dinâmica que as faculdades e seus poderes mantêm entre si, de modo que essa relação possa ser vista como uma função do fim de todo ser racional. Viver como um ser que tem como fim honrar a razão em sua completude, nisso, consistiria a vida virtuosa, que gera os sentimentos de respeito e de autocontentamento no ânimo, vivificando-o. Ao levar em conta esses elementos, a tese argumenta que fica difícil aceitar, sem mais, que a proposta kantiana para a moralidade se constitua num mero formalismo vazio. / [en] The thesis aims at arguing that Kant s proposal to morality does not consist in an empty, and, therefore cold and without sentiment formalism as some of his commentators interpreted. According to these commentators, Kant s proposal of morality is seen as not having any connection to the real human life, given the fact that he grounds moral decision in a principle of pure reason. The thesis argues that the accusation made towards his proposal of a void formalism happened, mostly, because of a partial understanding of it, putting aside all elements which constitute reason for Kant. In this sense, the thesis defends that, if the totality of the Kant s proposal is properly taken into account, the accusation that it is a cold, and without sentiment, theory doesn t sustain itself. The thesis presents the main elements that make up that totality of Kant s proposal of morality: the faculties of reason, its powers (to know, to judge and to will), the dynamics between them, the feelings generated by this dynamics, the feeling of respect and the satisfaction named of self-contentment. The thesis especially draws attention to the rescue and greater consideration about the sense and value that the concepts of freedom, autonomy, dignity, respect and humanity present to human life. Consequently, these concepts are taken into account in the dynamic relation between the faculties, in such a way that this relation is seen according to its end: the end of every rational being. This would consist the virtuous life, that generates the feeling of respect and the self-contentment in the soul of the human beings, vivifying them. By considering these elements, the thesis argues that it is hard to accept that Kant s proposal of morality constitutes itself in a mere empty formalism.

The dissertation explores how quality-judgments on works of art are created within the contemporary art world. The research starts with the examination of modernist art theories supported by the museum, and continues with the exploration of the impact of the art market on quality-judgments. Although the art market had already distorted the idea of quality, further contradictions and difficulties have risen within judgment-making after the 1960s due to the dematerialisation of the work of art. Art criticism should have been able to deal with this complexity, but it is demonstrated that art criticism is a subjective field and even if there is a universal theory on quality, it often fails when applied to the particular work of art. Throughout the dissertation it is demonstrated that although ‘good art’ is a subjective, power- and discourse-dependent concept, all art professionals seek something that is an inherent quality of the artwork. However, regardless of the existence of such inherent value, judgments on quality are constructed by and subjected to power-struggle. / Art History, Visual Arts & Musicology / M.A. (Art History)

In this thesis examples of spectral triples, which represent fractal sets, are examined and new insights into their noncommutative geometries are obtained. Firstly, starting with Connes' spectral triple for a non-empty compact totally disconnected subset E of {R} with no isolated points, we develop a noncommutative coarse multifractal formalism. Specifically, we show how multifractal properties of a measure supported on E can be expressed in terms of a spectral triple and the Dixmier trace of certain operators. If E satisfies a given porosity condition, then we prove that the coarse multifractal box-counting dimension can be recovered. We show that for a self-similar measure μ, given by an iterated function system S defined on a compact subset of {R} satisfying the strong separation condition, our noncommutative coarse multifractal formalism gives rise to a noncommutative integral which recovers the self-similar multifractal measure ν associated to μ, and we establish a relationship between the noncommutative volume of such a noncommutative integral and the measure theoretical entropy of ν with respect to S. Secondly, motivated by the results of Antonescu-Ivan and Christensen, we construct a family of (1, +)-summable spectral triples for a one-sided topologically exact subshift of finite type (∑{{A}} {{N}}, σ). These spectral triples are constructed using equilibrium measures obtained from the Perron-Frobenius-Ruelle operator, whose potential function is non-arithemetic and Hölder continuous. We show that the Connes' pseudo-metric, given by any one of these spectral triples, is a metric and that the metric topology agrees with the weak*-topology on the state space {S}(C(∑{{A}} {{N}}); {C}). For each equilibrium measure ν[subscript(φ)] we show that the noncommuative volume of the associated spectral triple is equal to the reciprocal of the measure theoretical entropy of ν[subscript(φ)] with respect to the left shift σ (where it is assumed, without loss of generality, that the pressure of the potential function is equal to zero). We also show that the measure ν[subscript(φ)] can be fully recovered from the noncommutative integration theory.

Les technologies de l’information entraînent de profondes transformations dans nos façons d’apprendre et de socialiser ; de lire et d’écrire. Ces changements ne sont pas sans conséquence sur de nombreuses institutions, juridiques ou non. Créées au fil du temps et adaptées à une réalité qu’elles avaient internalisée, elles doivent aujourd’hui comprendre et s’adapter au changement. L’écrit est une de ces institutions. Sa place dans le droit civil est le fruit de centaines d’années de cohabitation et le droit y a vu un allié stable. Mais autrefois facilitateur, l’écrit devient obstacle alors que les technologies de l’information, affranchies du papier, sont utilisées dans des situations juridiques. Comment adapter la notion d’écrit – et celles de l’original et de la signature – alors qu’il n’est question que de données abstraites sous forme numérique ? C’est là l’objet de ce mémoire. Suite à une étude de la notion d’écrit dans le temps, de son affirmation à son bouleversement, nous étudierons les outils juridiques (traditionnels ou récents, comme les principes de neutralité technologique et d’équivalence fonctionnelle) à la disposition du droit civil pour constamment s’adapter à des situations changeantes. Enfin, dans une perspective plus pratique, nous verrons le traitement qu’ont fait divers législateurs, de l’écrit électronique. Nous terminerons par une analyse plus précise des dispositions québécoises relatives à l’écrit électronique. Les principes étudiés dans ce mémoire sont susceptibles de s’appliquer à d’autres situations similaires. / Information technology has completely modified our way of learning, socialising, reading and writing. These changes have also affected numerous institutions. Developed over many years and adapted to a reality they internalised, they now have to understand the nature of the changes taking place and adapt to them. The legal concept of “writing” is such an institution. Its place in the realm of civil law is the result of hundreds of years of cohabitation. The legal system has found a great ally in “writings”. However, although “writing” has been seen as an enabler in the past, the use of information technologies in legal circumstances has turned it into an obstacle. How are we going to adapt the notion of writing – and those of original and signature – when talking about digital data ? This is the topic of our thesis. Following a historical study of the concept of “writing”, from its inception to its current state of crisis, we will analyse the legal tools made available to civil law (whether they be traditional or recent, such as the technological neutrality, and functional equivalence principles) in order to adapt to a constantly changing technological landscape. On a more practical level, we will study how different legislators have addressed electronic documents. Our study will conclude with an analysis of Quebec legislation pertaining to electronic documents. The principles studied in this thesis should be applicable to other similar situations.

This dissertation provides the first in-depth examination of American artist Stuart Davis’s early theoretical writings made between 1918 and 1923. These writings are seminal documents in his artistic development. They lay the foundation for the creation of some of his most important works, inlcuding his groundbreaking Tobacco paintings of 1921 to his renowned Egg Beater series of 1927–1928, which Davis claimed set the direction for all his subsequent artistic output. One of the key ideas in these early writings is Davis’s concept of realism. This study traces the origin of Davis’s realism to his interaction with a network of ideas arising from cubism, symbolism, New York dada, and anarchist philosophy. In doing so, this study considers how Davis’s notion of realism informed both the development of his style and his iconography in his works of the 1920s.

Le Code de la propriété intellectuelle est dédié à la protection des auteurs. Sur le terrain contractuel, cela se traduit par un formalisme important qui entoure la cession des droits patrimoniaux. Ainsi, le contrat d’auteur doit être rédigé par écrit, doit détailler le contenu du transfert, et doit préciser la rémunération de l’auteur. L’objectif du législateur, en recourant au formalisme, est de tenter de protéger l’auteur partie faible, de mieux l’informer, de restaurer un certain équilibre contractuel. Une étude de la matière révèle rapidement l’échec du formalisme en ce que le dispositif est inutile et inefficace. Pire, il crée nombre d’effets pervers, qui ne peuvent qu’inciter à douter du bien-fondé du choix du législateur. D’autant qu’il n’est pas possible en la matière de s’appuyer sur le rôle modérateur du juge qu’avait décrit Flour : en droit d’auteur, le juge est très exigeant quant au respect des dispositions formalistes et va même parfois au-delà de l’esprit des textes. Le juge n’assouplit pas le formalisme, il le rigidifie. Face à un droit d’auteur compliqué et exigeant, le professionnel, cocontractant de l’auteur et cessionnaire des droits, a souvent recours aux usages et se détourne ainsi du Code de la propriété intellectuelle. Ainsi, un droit parallèle des contrats d’auteur s’est progressivement mis en place. Devant l’échec du formalisme et sa mise à l’écart par la pratique, le législateur a dû réagir : il a choisi la voie de la réforme (très incomplète et imparfaite) en introduisant dans la loi quelques exceptions au formalisme. Le juge quant à lui semble finalement hésiter sur la démarche à suivre. A côté du mouvement très formaliste qui existe en jurisprudence, un autre courant, plus récent est à noter : certains juges décident de faire de l’interprétation du contrat la pièce maitresse de leur intervention pour faire reculer le formalisme. Ces magistrats, bien plus en phase avec la pensée de Flour, semblent nous indiquer la solution aux effets pervers du formalisme. / The Code of Intellectual Property is dedicated to the protection of authors. On contractual grounds, this translates into a significant formality surrounding the transfer of copyright. Thus, the author's contract must be in writing, must detail the contents of the transfer, and specify the remuneration of the author. The legislature's objective, using the formalism, is trying to protect the weaker party (the author), to better inform, and restore some balance within the contract. Studying the material quickly reveals the failure of formalism in that the device is useless and ineffective. Worse, it creates many negative effects, which only encourages one to doubt the validity of the choice of the legislature. Even more so, since it is not possible in such a matter, to rely on moderating the role of judge Flour who described: in copyright law, the judge is very demanding with regard to formalistic compliance and sometimes goes beyond the spirit of the text. The judge did not relax the formalism; he has made it more rigid. When faced with complicated and demanding copyright, the professional, the contractor of the author and assignee of rights, often resorts to the practices and so turns away from the Code of Intellectual Property. Thus, a parallel right of copyright agreements is gradually implemented. Confronted with the failure of formalism and sidelining the practice, the legislature had to react: he chose the path of reform (very incomplete and imperfect) by introducing into the law some exceptions in the formalism. The Judge, meanwhile, seems ultimately unsure of how to proceed. Aside from the movement’s very formalistic jurisprudence, on another more recent note: some judges decide to make the interpretation of the contract the centerpiece of their intervention in order to turn back the formalism. These magistrates, more in line with Flour’s thinking, seem to indicate the solution of the perverse effects of formalism.

Un développement d'un système débute par la constitution, dans la phase de spécification des besoins, d'un cahier des charges dans lequel un ensemble de scénarios d'utilisation du système est défini avec les contraintes auxquelles il doit obéir, dans lequel chaque scénario est un simple exemple d'exécution du système à concevoir. Une fois que tous les scénarios sont précisés, on obtient une description complète des interactions entre les composants. Toutefois, cette spécification n'est pas directement implémentable, car il est difficile, surtout pour les systèmes les plus complexes, d'apercevoir le comportement d'un système dans sa globalité directement à partir des scénarios. C'est pour cela que ces derniers sont souvent intégrés à d'autres modèles, utilisés dans la conception détaillée, qu'on appelle "les modèles de comportement", en particulier les machines à états [Harel 87] qui permettent de passer de la vue partielle à la vue globale du système afin de répondre à différents problèmes comme la validation du comportement ou la détection des inconsistances au sein du système. Notre thèse a pour but, d'une part, de recenser et étudier différents langages de scénarios, particulièrement les diagrammes de séquences UML et les diagrammes MSC's, et d'autre part de proposer une méthode se synthèse automatique permettant de générer des modèles exécutables à évènements discrets DEVS [Zeigler 76] à partir d'une base de scénarios décrivant le comportement fonctionnel du système. Les modèles obtenus sont déterministes et avec une sémantique formelle qui garantit une interprétation unique de chaque élément des modèles. / A development of a system begins with the constitution, in the phase of requirements analysis, a specification in which a set of scenarios describing the behavior of the system is defined with the constraints that it must obey, where each scenario is a partial representation of the system behavior. However, this specification is not directly implementable, because it is difficult, especially for more complex systems, to observe the global behavior of a system directly from scenario. That is why they are often integrated with other models used in the detailed design, called "behavioral models", in particular State Machines [Harel 87], who allow to move from partial to global view of the system in order to answer different problems such as validation of the behavior or the detection of system inconsistencies. Our thesis aims, firstly, to study different languages of scenarios, especially UML sequence diagrams, and MSC's (Message Sequence Charts), and secondly to propose an automatic synthesis method who generate executable discrete event DEVS models [Zeigler 76] from scenarios describing the desired behavior of a system. The resulting models are executable and deterministic with a formal semantics that ensures a unique interpretation of each element of models. The use of final models simulation traces, taking into account the coverage of the simulation compared to the number of states and transitions visited, allow validating the behavior.