Monitoring estuarine wetlands within the Reef 2050 Integrated Monitoring and Reporting Program: final report of the wetlands expert group

This desktop assessment examines current monitoring relevant to estuaries, including programs, coverage, indicators and gaps

L'implication des Premières Nations du Québec dans la gestion intégrée de l'eau par bassin versant

Initiée par la Politique nationale de l’eau en 2002, la gestion intégrée de l’eau par bassin versant est un processus de gouvernance relativement jeune nécessitant une évolution constante. Parmi les acteurs de l’eau, les Premières Nations sont invitées à participer à la table de concertation au sein de l’organisme de bassin versant prenant racine à travers des obligations gouvernementales issues de la Loi constitutionnelle de 1982. À l’échelle du Québec, huit nations sur onze représentants 28 communautés autochtones distinctes sont directement concernées par la gestion intégrée de l’eau par bassin versant. L’objectif derrière ce travail de recherche est d’évaluer l’implication des Premières Nations dans le processus de gestion intégrée de l’eau par bassin versant pour émettre des recommandations favorisant la prise en compte de leurs savoirs et intérêts. À cela, deux objectifs spécifiques s’y rattachent. D’abord, il importe de comprendre la situation actuelle et les intérêts de quelques communautés issues de différentes régions du Québec, afin d’avoir un portrait exhaustif et connaître diverses réalités sociopolitiques selon la situation géographique. Ensuite, il s’agit de réfléchir aux implications de la mise en place d’une gestion par bassin versant dans le Québec septentrional non couvert actuellement par le processus méridional. Lorsque c’est le cas, l’absence d’implication des communautés autochtones ne signifie en aucun cas que celles-ci se refusent de discuter, participer et de travailler avec les acteurs de l’eau. L’approche par projet combinée à une participation à la table de concertation est une option plus appropriée pour les Premières Nations, car cela permet d’être directement à l’écoute des besoins, intérêts et enjeux prioritaires des communautés. La table de concertation doit être simplifiée et différenciée du conseil d’administration. L’organisme de bassin versant doit se donner les moyens de connaître la population, l’histoire, la culture et le territoire associé aux réserves ainsi que les mandats des représentants au sein des tables de concertation. Les communautés autochtones doivent être considérées comme des nations à part entière et non plus seulement comme des municipalités. Les intervenants doivent reconnaitre les connaissances traditionnelles liées notamment aux activités de chasse, pêche et piégeage. Un financement bonifié pour les organismes de bassin versant permettrait à ceux-ci de mobiliser les ressources humaines et le temps nécessaire pour garantir une approche personnalisée et adéquate auprès des Premières Nations. Enfin, la mise en place d’une gestion de l’eau par bassin versant est possible dans le Québec septentrional. Celle-ci doit cependant se réaliser de manière simplifiée et en étroite collaboration avec les nations présentes et pas nécessairement avec des organismes de bassin versant

Designing environmental research for impact

Transdisciplinary research, involving close collaboration between researchers and the users of research, has been a feature of environmental problem solving for several decades, often spurred by the need to find negotiated outcomes to intractable problems. In 2005, the Australian government allocated funding to its environment portfolio for public good research, which resulted in consecutive four-year programmes (Commonwealth Environmental Research Facilities, National Environmental Research Program). In April 2014, representatives of the funders, researchers and research users associated with these programmes met to reflect on eight years of experience with these collaborative research models.This structured reflection concluded that successful multi-institutional transdisciplinary research is necessarily a joint enterprise between funding agencies, researchers and the end users of research. The design and governance of research programmes need to explicitly recognise shared accountabilities among the participants, while respecting the different perspectives of each group. Experience shows that traditional incentive systems for academic researchers, current trends in public sector management, and loose organisation of many end users, work against sustained transdisciplinary research on intractable problems, which require continuity and adaptive learning by all three parties. The likelihood of research influencing and improving environmental policy and management is maximised when researchers, funders and research users have shared goals; there is sufficient continuity of personnel to build trust and sustain dialogue throughout the research process from issue scoping to application of findings; and there is sufficient flexibility in the funding, structure and operation of transdisciplinary research initiatives to enable the enterprise to assimilate and respond to new knowledge and situations

Mineral chemistry of igneous melanite garnets from analcite-bearing volcanic rocks, Alberta, Canada

The mineral chemistry of melanite garnets from the Crowsnest volcanic rocks of SW Alberta, Canada, has been investigated by using electron microprobe scans, quantitative analyses and multivariate statistical analysis. The garnets occur with aegirine-augite, sanidine, analcite and rare plagioclase as phenocrysts in trachyte and phonolite flows, agglomerates and tuffs. Wavelength dispersive microprobe scans reveal complex zonation patterns, both normal and oscillatory. The results of fifty quantitative analyses were subjected to R-mode factor analysis to delineate the chemical exchanges producing the zonation. The chemical zonation of the garnets may be attributed to four independent binary exchanges; Al-Fe3+, Si-Ti, Ca-Mn and Mg-Fe2+. The stoichiometry of these garnets, based on microprobe and wet chemical Fe analyses, combined with the strongly antithetic behavior of Si and Ti lead us to infer that the Ti in these garnets is dominantly tetravalent. It is clear from this study that quantitative modelling of the processes of crystal growth and zonation of melanite garnets in alkaline, undersaturated igneous rocks should be aimed at simulating the four chemical exchanges listed above

Mobile π−\pi-kinks and half-integer zero-field-like steps in highly discrete alternating 0−π0-\pi Josephson junction arrays

The dynamics of a one-dimensional, highly discrete, linear array of alternating $0-$ and $\pi-$ Josephson junctions is studied numerically, under constant bias current at zero magnetic field. The calculated current - voltage characteristics exhibit half-integer and integer zero-field-like steps for even and odd total number of junctions, respectively. Inspection of the instantaneous phases reveals that, in the former case, single $\pi-$kink excitations (discrete semi-fluxons) are supported, whose propagation in the array gives rise to the $1/2-$step, while in the latter case, a pair of $\pi-$kink -- $\pi-$antikink appears, whose propagation gives rise to the $1-$step. When additional $2\pi-$kinks are inserted in the array, they are subjected to fractionalization, transforming themselves into two closely spaced $\pi-$kinks. As they propagate in the array along with the single $\pi-$kink or the $\pi-$kink - $\pi-$antikink pair, they give rise to higher half-integer or integer zero-field-like steps, respectively.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figures, submitted to Supercond. Sci. Techno

Autologous Adipocyte Derived Stem Cells Favour Healing in a Minipig Model of Cutaneous Radiation Syndrome

Cutaneous radiation syndrome (CRS) is the delayed consequence of localized skin exposure to high doses of ionizing radiation. Here we examined for the first time in a large animal model the therapeutic potential of autologous adipose tissue-derived stroma cells (ASCs). For experiments, Göttingen minipigs were locally gamma irradiated using a 60Co source at the dose of 50 Gy and grafted (n = 5) or not (n = 8). ASCs were cultured in MEM-alpha with 10% fetal calf serum and basic fibroblast growth factor (2 ng.mL−1) and post irradiation were intradermally injected on days 25, 46, 67 and finally between days 95 and 115 (50×106 ASCs each time) into the exposed area. All controls exhibited a clinical evolution with final necrosis (day 91). In grafted pigs an ultimate wound healing was observed in four out of five grafted animals (day 130 +/− 28). Immunohistological analysis of cytokeratin expression showed a complete epidermis recovery. Grafted ASCs accumulated at the dermis/subcutis barrier in which they attracted numerous immune cells, and even an increased vasculature in one pig. Globally this study suggests that local injection of ASCs may represent a useful strategy to mitigate CRS

The COMPASS Experiment at CERN

The COMPASS experiment makes use of the CERN SPS high-intensitymuon and hadron beams for the investigation of the nucleon spin structure and the spectroscopy of hadrons. One or more outgoing particles are detected in coincidence with the incoming muon or hadron. A large polarized target inside a superconducting solenoid is used for the measurements with the muon beam. Outgoing particles are detected by a two-stage, large angle and large momentum range spectrometer. The setup is built using several types of tracking detectors, according to the expected incident rate, required space resolution and the solid angle to be covered. Particle identification is achieved using a RICH counter and both hadron and electromagnetic calorimeters. The setup has been successfully operated from 2002 onwards using a muon beam. Data with a hadron beam were also collected in 2004. This article describes the main features and performances of the spectrometer in 2004; a short summary of the 2006 upgrade is also given.Comment: 84 papes, 74 figure