Representing Aboriginal Self-Government and First Nations/State Relations: Political Agency and the Management of the Boreal Forest in Eeyou Istchee

This paper is primarily concerned with the way in which the strategies Indigenous peoples choose to address and deal with state power are being characterized by recent scholarly assessments of territorial and self-government agreements in Canada. The authors contend that by emphasizing almost exclusively seemingly irreversible structural determinants (such as colonialism and the capitalist logic of dispossession), the interpretative orientation of that literature tends to misrepresent the nature and dynamics of First Nations politics in the Canadian context and minimizes the positive impact of their action on social change. On the basis of an examination of contentious politics and the resulting institutional practices elaborated in relation to the management of forest resources and environmental policy in Eeyou Istchee (land of the James Bay Cree) over the past 30 years, the paper underscores instead the Cree’s political agency and their ability to secure a substantial measure of control over the management of forest resources and the definition of environmental policy. It argues that the Cree have largely succeeded in reversing the historical logic of domination to which Indigenous peoples have been submitted and in reappropriating key instruments of collective empowerment. The paper ultimately offers a defence for an analytical stance that appreciates First Nations’ political and policy choices from the perspectives of what they actually mean for the communities involved rather than from the point of view of normative and theoretical absolutes.Cet article pose un regard critique sur la manière par laquelle plusieurs travaux qui font actuellement autorité représentent les plus récents accords territoriaux et d’autonomie politique engageant l’État canadien et les peuples autochtones. Il soutient que l’insistance de la plupart des auteurs sur des déterminants structurels vraisemblablement irréversibles (tels que le colonialisme ou la logique capitaliste de dépossession) pour analyser les accords institutionnels auxquels les peuples autochtones sont partie prenante débouche sur une orientation interprétative qui dénature l’action politique de ces derniers et en minimise les effets positifs sur la dynamique de changement social. À partir d’un examen du processus politique de reprise de contrôle de la gestion de la forêt boréale par les Cris d’Eeyou Istchee (Baie James) au cours des trente dernières années, l’article met plutôt l’accent sur l’agentivité de ces derniers et sur leur habilité à faire échec à la logique historique de domination à laquelle les peuples autochtones au Canada ont été soumis et à se réapproprier les principaux instruments de leur émancipation collective. En bout de piste, le texte propose un plaidoyer pour une posture analytique qui sache aborder les choix politiques des peuples autochtones en ce qu’ils représentent pour les communautés qui font ces choix et non pas selon la vision normative et théorique de quelque idéal politique

Nur77 and retinoid X receptors : critical factors in dopamine-related neuroadaptation

Dopaminergic systems in the brain adapt in response to various stimuli from the internal and external world, but the mechanisms underlying this process are incompletely understood. Here, we review recent evidence that certain types of transcription factor of the nuclear receptor family, specifically Nur77 and retinoid X receptors, have important roles in adaptation and homeostatic regulation of dopaminergic systems. These findings call for a reassessment of our fundamental understanding of the molecular and cellular basis of dopamine-mediated transmission. Given that diseases such as Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia are thought to involve adaptation of dopamine signalling, these findings might provide new insight into these pathologies and offer new avenues for drug development

Modélisation numérique de problèmes de transition de phase en mécanique des fluides par la méthode des éléments finis

RÉSUMÉ : On présente un modèle pour le phénomène de transition de phase, basé une méthode eulérienne de capture de l’interface dans le cadre d’une discrétisation à l’aide de la méthode des éléments finis. Ce modèle est applicable aux écoulements multifluides où les phases sont incompressibles et immiscibles. Une technique de calcul et de représentation des flux d’énergie est développée et analysée. Le module développé est vérifié à l’aide d’un problème qui représente l’ébullition dans l’espace à une dimension et qui est étendu dans l’espace à trois dimensions. Des pistes sont proposées pour poursuivre et améliorer le modèle présenté.---------ABSTRACT : We develop and implement a model for liquid-vapor phase change in the case of non-miscible and incompressible fluids. We use a finite element method to discretize the problem and an Eulerian marker to represent the liquid-vapor interface. A technique is developed and analysed to compute and represent energy fluxes during the phase transition. The implemented code is verified by solving a simple one dimensionnal boiling problem extended in three dimensionnal space. Suggestions are made to guide further studies of this problem

Induction patterns of transcription factors of the nur family (nurr1, nur77, and nor-1) by typical and atypical antipsychotics in the mouse brain: implication for their mechanism of action

Monitoring gene expression has been intensively used to identify neurobiological and neuroanatomical substrates associated with administration of antipsychotic drugs. Transcription factors of the Nur family (Nurr1, Nur77, and Nor-1) are orphan nuclear receptors that have been recently associated with dopamine neurotransmission. Nurr1 is involved in midbrain dopamine neuron development. Nur77 and Nor-1 are expressed in dopaminoceptive areas such as the striatum, nucleus accumbens, and prefrontal cortex. To better understand the relationship between Nur and antipsychotic drug effects, we conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the effect of various typical and atypical antipsychotic drugs on the modulation of Nur mRNA levels. We show that differential patterns of Nur expression can be obtained with typical and atypical antipsychotic drugs. Modulation of Nur77 and Nor-1 mRNA expression by antipsychotics can be used to calculate an index that is predictive of the typical or atypical profile of antipsychotic drugs. Inductions of Nur by anti-psychotic drugs are correlated with dopamine D2 receptor in the striatum and D2 and D3 receptor subtypes in the nucleus accumbens. The 5-hydroxytryptamine 2A/D2 affinity ratio of antipsychotics can also predict these patterns of inductions. In addition to classical gene patterns induced in the striatal complex (striatum, accumbens) and cortex, most antipsychotic drugs tested strongly induced Nur77, Nor-1, and increased Nurr1 mRNA levels in the substantia nigra and ventral tegmental area. These data suggest that typical and atypical antipsychotic drugs might induce in multiple brain regions distinct Nur-dependent transcriptional activities, which may contribute to their pharmacological effects

Étude de conception d'un système de commande pour une machine synchrone à aimants permanents utilisée en propulsion

La présente étude propose une implémentation embarquée d'un algorithme de commande moderne pour asservir une machine synchrone à aimants permanents à bobinage regroupé dans un contexte de propulsion. Deux concepts de commande, un linéaire et le second non linéaire, sont expérimentés. Leur efficacité et leur ondulafion de couple sont comparées à celles d'une commande trapézoïdale servant de base de comparaison. Premièrement, un contrôle vectoriel classique est implémenté afin de commander la machine avec des courants sinusoïdaux. Par la suite, un algorithme d'estimation de la position est implémenté afin de supprimer le capteur de position nécessaire par le contrôle vectoriel classique rendant ainsi cette approche réalisable dans le contexte dorme. Finalement, une approche de contrôle non linéaire par mode de glissement est expérimentée. Une structure de commande est par la suite sélectionnée selon les résultats de ces différents essais et le système est réalisé physiquement

Modulation of haloperidol-induced patterns of the transcription factor Nur77 and Nor-1 expression by serotonergic and adrenergic drugs in the mouse brain

Different patterns of expression of the transcription factors of Nur77 and Nor-1 are induced following acute administration of typical and atypical antipsychotic drugs. The pharmacological profile of atypical antipsychotics suggests that serotonergic and/or adrenergic receptors might contribute to these reported differences. In order to test this possibility, we examined the abilities of serotonin 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A/2C, and α1- and α2-adrenergic receptor drugs to modify the pattern of Nur77 (NR4A1) and Nor-1 (NR4A3) mRNA expression induced by haloperidol. Various groups of mice were treated with either saline, DOI, a 5-HT2A/2C agonist, MDL11939, a 5-HT2A antagonist, 8-OH-DPAT, a 5-HT1A agonist, prazosin, an α1-adrenergic antagonist and idazoxan, an α2-adrenergic antagonist, alone or in combination with haloperidol. The 5-HT2A/2C agonist DOI alone significantly increased Nur77 expression in the medial striatum and nucleus accumbens. DOI reduced Nor-1 expression, while MDL11939 increased the expression of this transcript in the cortex. Prazosin reduced Nur77 expression in the dorsal striatum and nucleus accumbens. Interestingly, 8-OH-DPAT and MDL11939 partially prevented haloperidol-induced Nur77 up-regulation, while MDL11939 completely abolished Nor-1 expression in the striatum. In addition, MDL11939 decreased haloperidol-induced Nur77 and Nor-1 mRNA levels in the ventral tegmental area. On the contrary, idazoxan (α2 antagonist) consistently potentiated haloperidol-induced Nur77, but not Nor-1 mRNA levels in the striatum, whereas prazosin (α1 antagonist) remained without effect. Taken together, these results show the ability of a 5-HT1A agonist or a 5-HT2A antagonist to reduce haloperidol-induced Nur77 and Nor-1 striatal expression, suggesting that these serotonin receptor subtypes participate in the differential pattern of gene expression induced by typical and atypical antipsychotic drugs

Relevance of animal models to human tardive dyskinesia

Tardive dyskinesia remains an elusive and significant clinical entity that can possibly be understood via experimentation with animal models. We conducted a literature review on tardive dyskinesia modeling. Subchronic antipsychotic drug exposure is a standard approach to model tardive dyskinesia in rodents. Vacuous chewing movements constitute the most common pattern of expression of purposeless oral movements and represent an impermanent response, with individual and strain susceptibility differences. Transgenic mice are also used to address the contribution of adaptive and maladaptive signals induced during antipsychotic drug exposure. An emphasis on non-human primate modeling is proposed, and past experimental observations reviewed in various monkey species. Rodent and primate models are complementary, but the non-human primate model appears more convincingly similar to the human condition and better suited to address therapeutic issues against tardive dyskinesia

Improved resolution and signal-to-noise ratio in laser-ultrasonics by SAFT processing.

Laser-ultrasonics is an emerging nondestructive technique using lasers for the generation and detection of ultrasound which presents numerous advantages for industrial inspection. In this paper, the problem of detection by laser-ultrasonics of small defects within a material is addressed. Experimental results obtained with laser-ultrasonics are processed using the Synthetic Aperture Focusing Technique (SAFT), yielding improved flaw detectability and spatial resolution. Experiments have been performed on an aluminum sample with a contoured back surface and two flat-bottom holes. Practical interest of coupling SAFT to laser-ultrasonics is also discussed

Long term availability of raw experimental data in experimental fracture mechanics

Experimental data availability is a cornerstone for reproducibility in experimental fracture mechanics, which is crucial to the scientific method. This short communication focuses on the accessibility and long term availability of raw experimental data. The corresponding authors of the eleven most cited papers, related to experimental fracture mechanics, for every year from 2000 up to 2016, were kindly asked about the availability of the raw experimental data associated with each publication. For the 187 e-mails sent: 22.46% resulted in outdated contact information, 57.75% of the authors did received our request and did not reply, and 19.79 replied to our request. The availability of data is generally low with only $11$ available data sets (5.9%). The authors identified two main issues for the lacking availability of raw experimental data. First, the ability to retrieve data is strongly attached to the the possibility to contact the corresponding author. This study suggests that institutional e-mail addresses are insufficient means for obtaining experimental data sets. Second, lack of experimental data is also due that submission and publication does not require to make the raw experimental data available. The following solutions are proposed: (1) Requirement of unique identifiers, like ORCID or ResearcherID, to detach the author(s) from their institutional e-mail address, (2) Provide DOIs, like Zenodo or Dataverse, to make raw experimental data citable, and (3) grant providing organizations should ensure that experimental data by public funded projects is available to the public

Helical dielectrophoretic particle separator fabricated by conformal spindle printing

This paper reports the fabrication and testing of a helical cell separator that uses insulator-based dielectrophoresis as the driving force of its separation. The helical channel shape’s main advantage is its constant curvature radius which generates a constant electric field gradient. The presented separator was fabricated by extruding a sacrificial ink on rotating spindles using a computer- controlled robot. After being assembled, connected to the reservoir and encapsulated in epoxy resin, the ink was removed to create a helical microchannel. The resulting device was tested by circulating polystyrene microbeads of 4 and 10 μm diameter through its channel using a voltage of 900 VDC. The particles were separated with efficiencies of 94.0% and 92.5%, respectively. However, roughness in some parts of the channel and connections that had larger diameters compared to the channel created local electric field gradients which, doubtless, hindered separation. It is a promising device that could lead the way toward portable and affordable medical devices