Seeking Culturally Safe Developmental Evaluation: Supporting the Shift in Services for Indigenous Children

Background: Evaluation methods based on western frameworks that disregard Indigenous peoples’ worldviews and are imposed and implemented by outsiders are problematic for Indigenous communities.   Purpose: The article presents the experience of using developmental evaluation (DE) in supporting a shift in pre- and post-natal care programming for Indigenous mothers and their young children.   Setting: Indigenous peoples living in urban areas in Quebec often feel unwelcome mainstream services, resulting in under-use. A history of colonization in Canada has resulted in a loss of Indigenous child-rearing practices   Intervention: The study was carried out in the context of a three-year initiative aimed at strengthening the abilities of pregnant women, mothers, fathers, extended family, community, and practitioners to create conditions for the holistic development of themselves and their children. The goal was to create new knowledge through activities focused on promoting perinatal care and psychosocial adaptability. Cultural safety, an ecosystemic view of child development, and social innovation guided the approach to the intervention.   Research Design:  A case study approach was used to make sense of and describe the “how to” of the DE.   Data Collection and Analysis: Multiple methods of data collection informed the case study, including observation, field notes, interviews, and participatory evaluation activities.   Findings: The article sheds light on DE as a culturally safe and participatory practice that is compatible with Indigenous perspectives and contributes to supporting the transformation in services provided to Indigenous communities. We present building relationships, creating safe spaces for reflection and dialogue, questioning fundamentals, and co-creation as critical components of culturally safe DE, enabling development and a paradigm shift.   Keywords: developmental evaluation; indigenous; child-rearing; case study; cultural safety

Migration of finite sized particles in a laminar square channel flow from low to high Reynolds numbers

The migration of neutrally buoyant finite sized particles in a Newtonian square channel flow is investigated in the limit of very low solid volumetric concentration, within a wide range of channel Reynolds numbers Re = [0.07-120]. In situ microscope measurements of particle distributions, taken far from the channel inlet (at a distance several thousand times the channel height), revealed that particles are preferentially located near the channel walls at Re > 10 and near the channel center at Re 10). In this regime, we show that (i) the particle undergoes cross-streamline migration followed by a cross-lateral migration (parallel to the wall) in agreement with previous observations, and (ii) the stable equilibrium positions are located at the midline of the channel faces while the diagonal equilibrium positions are unstable. At low flow inertia, the first instants of the numerical simulations (carried at Re = O(1)) reveal that the cross-streamline migration of a single particle is oriented towards the channel wall, suggesting that the particle preferential positions around the channel center, observed in the experiments, are rather due to multi-body interactions

Functional role of ɛ-tubulin in the assembly of the centriolar microtubule scaffold

Centrioles and basal bodies fascinate by their spectacular architecture, featuring an arrangement of nine microtubule triplets into an axial symmetry, whose biogenesis relies on yet elusive mechanisms. However, the recent discovery of new tubulins, such as δ-, ɛ-, or η-tubulin, could constitute a breakthrough for deciphering the assembly steps of this unconventional microtubule scaffold. Here, we report the functional analysis in vivo of ɛ-tubulin, based on gene silencing in Paramecium, which demonstrates that this protein, which localizes at the basal bodies, is essential for the assembly and anchorage of the centriolar microtubules

Validating intravascular imaging with serial optical coherence tomography and confocal fluorescence microscopy

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases are characterized by the formation of a plaque in the arterial wall. Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) provides high-resolution images allowing delineation of atherosclerotic plaques. When combined with near infrared fluorescence (NIRF), the plaque can also be studied at a molecular level with a large variety of biomarkers. In this work, we present a system enabling automated volumetric histology imaging of excised aortas that can spatially correlate results with combined IVUS/NIRF imaging of lipid-rich atheroma in cholesterol-fed rabbits. Pullbacks in the rabbit aortas were performed with a dual modality IVUS/NIRF catheter developed by our group. Ex vivo three-dimensional (3D) histology was performed combining optical coherence tomography (OCT) and confocal fluorescence microscopy, providing high-resolution anatomical and molecular information, respectively, to validate in vivo findings. The microscope was combined with a serial slicer allowing for the imaging of the whole vessel automatically. Colocalization of in vivo and ex vivo results is demonstrated. Slices can then be recovered to be tested in conventional histology

Les manuscrits philosophiques. Cycle thématique 2001-2002 de l'IRHT

http://aedilis.irht.cnrs.fr/msphil

A review on inertial focusing of particles in microchannels for separation and other applications

International audienceno abstrac

A review on inertial focusing of particles in microchannels for separation and other applications

International audienceno abstrac

Increased phagocytic activity in contaminated seastars (Asterias rubens) collected in the Southern Bight of the North Sea

IF:1,619info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

First direct radiocarbon dating of the lower Congo rock art (Democratic Republic of the Congo)

Lower Congo rock art is concentrated in a region that stretches from Kinshasa to the Atlantic coast and from northern Angola to southern Congo-Brazzaville. Although Lower Congo rock art was identified as early as the 19th century, it had never been a subject of thorough investigation. Presently inhabited by the Ndibu, one of the Kongo subgroups, the Lovo Massif is situated north of the ancient Kongo Kingdom. With 102 sites (including 16 decorated caves), the massif has the largest concentration of rock art in the entire region. In 2008 and 2010, we were able to collect pigment samples directly on the panels of the newly discovered decorated cave of Tovo. Unlike the Sahara and southern Africa, both extensively prospected, rock art of central Africa is still widely unknown and not dated. Radiocarbon dating of rock art in Africa is a real challenge and only a few direct dates have been obtained thus far. After verifying that the pigment samples were indeed charcoal, we proceeded to 14C date them using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). The results indicate dates between cal AD 1480 and 1800, confirming that the occupation of Tovo Cave was contemporaneous with the ancient Kongo Kingdom. © 2013 by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Particles in square micro-channel flows: experimental and numerical validation of the process

International audienceno abstrac