Le bilinguisme dans l'administration fédérale du Canada (1969-1982)

The author first examines the various public declarations which form the basis of the federal government's official languages policy, and then identifies the various stages in the application of this policy to the public service sector. He concludes with an examination of the current situation

Controlled Growth of WO3Nanostructures with Three Different Morphologies and Their Structural, Optical, and Photodecomposition Studies

Tungsten trioxide (WO3) nanostructures were synthesized by hydrothermal method using sodium tungstate (Na2WO4·2H2O) alone as starting material, and sodium tungstate in presence of ferrous ammonium sulfate [(NH4)2Fe(SO4)2·6H2O] or cobalt chloride (CoCl2·6H2O) as structure-directing agents. Orthorhombic WO3having a rectangular slab-like morphology was obtained when Na2WO4·2H2O was used alone. When ferrous ammonium sulfate and cobalt chloride were added to sodium tungstate, hexagonal WO3nanowire clusters and hexagonal WO3nanorods were obtained, respectively. The crystal structure and orientation of the synthesized products were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), micro-Raman spectroscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and their chemical composition was analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The optical properties of the synthesized products were verified by UV–Vis and photoluminescence studies. A photodegradation study on Procion Red MX 5B was also carried out, showing that the hexagonal WO3nanowire clusters had the highest photodegradation efficiency

Disease Progression in MRL/lpr Lupus-Prone Mice Is Reduced by NCS 613, a Specific Cyclic Nucleotide Phosphodiesterase Type 4 (PDE4) Inhibitor

Systemic lupus erythematosus is a polymorphic and multigenic inflammatory autoimmune disease. Cyclic AMP (cAMP) modulates inflammation and the inhibition of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase type 4 (PDE4), which specifically hydrolyzes cAMP, inhibits TNFα secretion. This study was aimed at investigating the evolution of PDE activity and expression levels during the course of the disease in MRL/lpr lupus-prone mice, and to evaluate in these mice the biological and clinical effects of treatments with pentoxifylline, denbufylline and NCS 613 PDE inhibitors. This study reveals that compared to CBA/J control mice, kidney PDE4 activity of MRL/lpr mice increases with the disease progression. Furthermore, it showed that the most potent and selective PDE4 inhibitor NCS 613 is also the most effective molecule in decreasing proteinuria and increasing survival rate of MRL/lpr mice. NCS 613 is a potent inhibitor, which is more selective for the PDE4C subtype (IC50 = 1.4 nM) than the other subtypes (PDE4A, IC50 = 44 nM; PDE4B, IC50 = 48 nM; and PDE4D, IC50 = 14 nM). Interestingly, its affinity for the High Affinity Rolipram Binding Site is relatively low (Ki = 148 nM) in comparison to rolipram (Ki = 3 nM). Finally, as also observed using MRL/lpr peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs), NCS 613 inhibits basal and LPS-induced TNFα secretion from PBLs of lupus patients, suggesting a therapeutic potential of NCS 613 in systemic lupus. This study reveals that PDE4 represent a potential therapeutic target in lupus disease

Morphological analysis of the sheathed flagellum of Brucella melitensis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>It was recently shown that <it>B. melitensis </it>is flagellated. However, the flagellar structure remains poorly described.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>We analyzed the structure of the polar sheathed flagellum of <it>B. melitensis </it>by TEM analysis and demonstrated that the Ryu staining is a good method to quickly visualize the flagellum by optical microscopy. The TEM analysis demonstrated that an extension of the outer membrane surrounds a filament ending by a club-like structure. The Δ<it>ftcR</it>, Δ<it>fliF</it>, Δ<it>flgE </it>and Δ<it>fliC </it>flagellar mutants still produce an empty sheath.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results demonstrate that the flagellum of <it>B. melitensis </it>has the characteristics of the sheathed flagella. Our results also suggest that the flagellar sheath production is not directly linked to the flagellar structure assembly and is not regulated by the FtcR master regulator.</p

L'autonomie responsable des personnes agées

Dans nos pays occidentaux, les spécialistes de la question du vieillissement avancent que l'un des paradoxes du discours contemporain privilégiant d'une part, l'autonomie et d'autre part, le maintien de la dépendance des personnes âgées, s'avère fort préjudiciable à cette population.Si tous parlent d'autonomie peu évoquent la responsabilité. Pourtant, l'homme apparaît comme le sujet moral qui doit répondre de ses actions. car la véritable expérience de la responsabilité exige de réunir concrètement deux relations fondamentales: la responsabilité pour son agir propre et la responsabilité pour le monde. L'autonomie responsable des personnes âgées est donc tributaire de deux facteurs importants: la personne elle-même et la société dans laquelle elle vit. Si la résilience est une condition qui relève directement de la personne, la créativité dépend tout autant du talent personnel que des conditions dans lesquelles la société met à la disposition de la personne pour se réaliser.D'où l'intérêt grandissant vers l'éthique qui d'une part, impose une vision participative de l'autonomie c'est-à-dire une vision qui renforce le lien social et refuse l'assistance; d'autre part, le développement d'une démarche qui réalise les conditions de cette autonomie responsable en amorçant un processus d'éducation tout au long de la vie. C'est ce qu'a bien compris l'un des philosophes du vingtième siècle, Hans Jonas, qui a précisé sous le nom de principe responsabilité, une règle d'éthique à laquelle on ne saurait s'opposer.C'est donc dans cette optique que nous essayons de voir s'il est encore possible de maintenir chez les personnes âgées vivant dans nos sociétés, une autonomie responsable.In our countries of the West, the fact that experts in the matter of aging put forth the idea that one of the paradoxes of the present debate, on the one hand, promoting the preservation of autonomy and, on the other, keeping the elderly dependent, proves to be most detrimental to this part of the population.While many speak of autonomy, few promote responsibility. Still, man appears to be, as it were, the moral subject who, must be accountable for his actions, for the true experience of responsibility requires that two fundamental relationships come together in reality: responsibility for one s own deeds and responsibility to the world.Responsible autonomy of the elderly flows therefore from two important elements: the person and the society in which the person lives. If resilience is a condition that is a direct trait of the person, creativity depends as much on the personal talent as on the conditions which society makes available to the person to be fulfilled.Hence, the growing interest in the ethics which, on the one hand, imposes a participating vision of the autonomy, that is, a vision that reaffirms the social bond and rejects assistance: on the other hand, the development of an initiative that fulfills the conditions of this responsible autonomy by preparing a process of education all through his life. This is what one of the philosophers of the twentieth century understood so well, Hans Jonas, who stated precisely under the name of principle of responsibility, a rule of ethics which we cannot oppose. It is therefore from this point of view that we strive to see if it is still possible to maintain a responsible autonomy in the elderly persons living in our society.LYON3-Bibliothèques (693872102) / SudocSudocFranceF

A simple way to fabricate pure anatase 2D TiO₂ IO monolayer: structure, color control and its application in electrochromism

Pure anatase TiO2 2D IO films produced by “dynamic-hard-template infiltration” strategy simply using TiOSO4 aqueous solution as precursor and templated from various PS spheres diameters exhibit distinct structural colors and EC optical modulation.</p

Colorimetric properties and structural evolution of cathodic electrochromic WO₃ thin films

Cathodic amorphous tungsten trioxide (WO3) thin films have been deposited by reactive direct current magnetron sputtering and have been studied for their colorimetric and electrochromic properties. Those studies were carried out under two different potential cycling process: (i) switching mode (the response between coloration and bleaching in increasing potential steps) and (ii) modulation mode (the stepwise modulation to coloration with increasing potential and back to bleaching). Optical measurements, performed as a function of applied potential, showed excellent transmittance contrasts (∼80%) between colored and bleached states. The color stimuli and the changes that take place upon reversible switching or modulation were recorded based on the Commisson International de l’Éclairage (CIE) system. It was found that, under various potentials, significant changes occurred in the hue and saturation for WO3, as exhibited by the CIE 1931 xy chromaticity coordinates. As WO3 was reduced (W6+ + e– → W5+), a sharp decrease in luminance was observed. Excellent reversibility is demonstrated not only by colorimetric properties, but also by the corresponding intrinsic structures of the films, as investigated by µ-Raman spectroscopy. Furthermore, the WO3 films displayed a fast response time and good long-term cycling durability, which was attributed to their amorphous nature. </jats:p

Colorimetric Properties and Structural Evolution of Cathodic Electrochromic WO3 Thin Films

Cathodic amorphous tungsten trioxide (WO3) thin films have been deposited by reactive direct current magnetron sputtering and have been studied for their colorimetric and electrochromic properties. Those studies were carried out under two different potential cycling process: (i) switching mode (the response between coloration and bleaching in increasing potential steps) and (ii) modulation mode (the stepwise modulation to coloration with increasing potential and back to bleaching). Optical measurements, performed as a function of applied potential, showed excellent transmittance contrasts (∼80%) between colored and bleached states. The color stimuli and the changes that take place upon reversible switching or modulation were recorded based on the Commisson International de l’Éclairage (CIE) system. It was found that, under various potentials, significant changes occurred in the hue and saturation for WO3, as exhibited by the CIE 1931 xy chromaticity coordinates. As WO3 was reduced (W6+ + e– → W5+), a sharp decrease in luminance was observed. Excellent reversibility is demonstrated not only by colorimetric properties, but also by the corresponding intrinsic structures of the films, as investigated by µ-Raman spectroscopy. Furthermore, the WO3 films displayed a fast response time and good long-term cycling durability, which was attributed to their amorphous nature.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author