Volkswagen Blues Twenty-Five Years Later: Revisiting Poulin’s Pitsémine

Jacques Poulin’s popular and award-winning novel Volkswagen Blues celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary in 2009, and it holds a prominent position in Québécois and Canadian literary histories. The novel attempts to break down the master narrative of a superior “pure laine” culture through the quests of its two main characters – a writer’s-blocked Québécois, Jack, and Pitsémine, who hopes to reconcile the two halves of her mixed identity (Québécoise and Innu). In order to promote a move towards a more tolerant and diverse society, Poulin embraces the hybrid as an alternative. Poulin’s use of the mixed-blood or Metis identity as a vehicle to promote hybridity, while it appears to promote inclusion, arguably leads to erasure of Indigenous cultures and nations. By portraying Native culture as dying or dead and presenting hybrid culture as the only viable solution for Quebec, Poulin threatens to eliminate the Native, replacing it instead with a new, generic hybrid

Beyond the Divide: The Use of Native Languages in Anglo-and Franco-Indigenous Theatre

Eight plays by Yves Sioui Durand, Tomson Highway, and Floyd Favel all demonstrate the powerful impact of language in the­atre by repositioning the debate between the two so-called official languages of Canada and put­ting Aboriginal languages at the fore. Sioui Durand, a French-speaking Huron-Wendat, uses French, English, Spanish, Mohawk, Innu, Attikamek, Huron-Wendat, Ojibwe, and the Nahualt dialect of the Aztec language. Similarly, Highway uses Cree, his mother tongue, as well as some Ojibway-Anishnaabe in The Rez Sisters (1988) and Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing (1989), while Favel uses Cree in Governor of the Dew (2002) and All My Relatives (2002). Speaking in an endangered language is political and resistant; it also allows for greater ease and power of expression. Although Durand’s approach is pan-Native, encompassing many different Indigenous languages and cultures, while Favel and Highway deal specifically with Cree, all three playwrights succeed in decentring the power of the dominant languages

Predicting sleep disordered breathing in outpatients with suspected OSA

Objective To validate the utilities of Berlin, STOP and STOP-BANG Questionnaires, other patient characteristics, comorbidities, Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) and blood markers for the prediction of sleep disordered breathing (SDB) on limited polygraphy. Setting North Glasgow Sleep Service (a tertiary referral centre). Participants 129 consecutive patients, aged ≥16 years, referred to the sleep clinic for assessment of possible obstructive sleep apnoea. Interventions We selected cut-points of apnoea hypopnoea index (AHI) of ≥5 and ≥15/h from their home polygraphy and determined associations of these with individual symptoms, questionnaire scores and other results. Receiver operating characteristic analysis and univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to explore these. Primary and secondary outcomes measures Primary: The utility of STOP, STOP-BANG and Berlin Questionnaires for prediction of SDB. Secondary: The utility of other measures for prediction of SDB. Results AHI was ≥5 in 97 patients and ≥15 in 56 patients. STOP and STOP-BANG scores were associated with both AHI cut-points but results with ESS and Berlin Questionnaire scores were negative. STOP-BANG had a negative predictive value 1.00 (0.77–1.00) for an AHI ≥15 with a score ≥3 predicting AHI ≥5 with sensitivity 0.93 (95% CI 0.84 to 0.98) and accuracy 79%, while a score ≥6 predicted AHI ≥15 with specificity 0.78 (0.65 to 0.88) and accuracy 72%. Neck circumference ≥17 inch and presence of witnessed apnoeas were independent predictors of SDB. Conclusions STOP and STOP-BANG Questionnaires have utility for the prediction of SDB in the sleep clinic population. Modification of the STOP-BANG Questionnaire merits further study in this and other patient groups.</p

PROCESAMIENTO DE METALES DURANTE EL HORIZONTE MEDIO EN EL ALTIPLANO SURANDINO (ESCARAMAYU, PULACAYO, POTOSÍ, BOLIVIA)

In this article we present and analyze the results obtained to date in the metallurgical sector of site Pulac 050 (Escaramayu, Pulacayo, Bolivia). Thus far the studies conducted in this sector present evidence of a complex of four metallurgical furnaces that are spatially associated with a group of enclosures at the site that have been dated to the Middle Horizon. The remains of various materials including slags, metals, and minerals are found together with thefurnaces. Lead isotope analyses of these materials suggest strongly that the ore smelted at the site was obtained from the complex lead, silver, copper, zinc deposit at Pulacayo. Three of the furnaces appear to have been used to smelt ore; the fourth furnace likely refined impure metal contained in ceramic crucibles. Key words: metallurgy, smelting and refining furnaces, Middle Horizon

Metal processing during the middle horizon in the south andean altiplano (Escaramayu, Pulacayo, Potosí, Bolivia)

En este trabajo se presentan y se analizan los resultados alcanzados en el sector metalúrgico del sitio Pulac 050 (Escaramayu, Pulacayo, Bolivia). Los estudios desarrollados en el sector han puesto en evidencia un complejo de cuatro hornos metalúrgicos, los cuales se encuentran espacialmente asociados con un conjunto de recintos fechados en el Horizonte Medio. Restos de varios materiales incluyendo escorias, metales y minerales fueron encontrados junto a los hornos. Los análisis de isótopo de plomo de estos materiales sugieren fuertemente que la mena fundida en el sitio fue obtenida del depósito polimetálico de plomo, plata, cobre y zinc, de Pulacayo. Tres de los hornos parecen haber sido utilizados para fundir menas metálicas; mientras que el cuarto horno se usó para refinar, quizás, el metal impuro contenido dentro de crisoles de cerámica.In this article we present and analyze the results obtained to date in the metallurgical sector of site Pulac 050 (Escaramayu, Pulacayo, Bolivia). Thus far the studies conducted in this sector present evidence of a complex of four metallurgical furnaces that are spatially associated with a group of enclosures at the site that have been dated to the Middle Horizon. The remains of various materials including slags, metals, and minerals are found together with the furnaces. Lead isotope analyses of these materials suggest strongly that the ore smelted at the site was obtained from the complex lead, silver, copper, zinc deposit at Pulacayo. Three of the furnaces appear to have been used to smelt ore; the fourth furnace likely refined impure metal contained in ceramic crucibles.Fil: Lechtman, Heather. Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Estados UnidosFil: Cruz, Pablo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Macfarlane, Andrew. Florida International University; Estados UnidosFil: Carter, Sidney. Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Estados Unido

Leptin Predicts Diabetes but Not Cardiovascular Disease: Results from a large prospective study in an elderly population

OBJECTIVE—To clarify the association of circulating levels of leptin with risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) events and new-onset diabetes in men and women

Disrupted limbic-prefrontal effective connectivity in response to fearful faces in lifetime depression

Background: Multiple brain imaging studies of negative emotional bias in major depressive disorder (MDD) have used images of fearful facial expressions and focused on the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex. The results have, however, been inconsistent, potentially due to small sample sizes (typically N &lt; 50 ). It remains unclear if any alterations are a characteristic of current depression or of past experience of depression, and whether there are MDD-related changes in effective connectivity between the two brain regions.Methods: Activations and effective connectivity between the amygdala and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in response to fearful face stimuli were studied in a large population-based sample from Generation Scotland. Participants either had no history of MDD ( N = 664 in activation analyses, N = 474 in connectivity analyses) or had a diagnosis of MDD during their lifetime (LMDD, N = 290 in activation analyses, N = 214 in connectivity analyses). The within-scanner task involved implicit facial emotion processing of neutral and fearful faces.Results: Compared to controls, LMDD was associated with increased activations in left amygdala ( PFWE = 0.031 , k E = 4 ) and left DLPFC ( PFWE = 0.002 , k E = 33 ), increased mean bilateral amygdala activation ( β = 0.0715, P = 0.0314 ), and increased inhibition from left amygdala to left DLPFC, all in response to fearful faces contrasted to baseline. Results did not appear to be attributable to depressive illness severity or antidepressant medication status at scan time.Limitations: Most studied participants had past rather than current depression, average severity of ongoing depression symptoms was low, and a substantial proportion of participants were receiving medication. The study was not longitudinal and the participants were only assessed a single time.Conclusions: LMDD is associated with hyperactivity of the amygdala and DLPFC, and with stronger amygdala to DLPFC inhibitory connectivity, all in response to fearful faces, unrelated to depression severity at scan time. These results help reduce inconsistency in past literature and suggest disruption of ‘bottom-up’ limbic-prefrontal effective connectivity in depression

Blunted Medial Prefrontal Cortico-Limbic Reward-Related Effective Connectivity and Depression

Stratifying Resilience and Depression Longitudinally (STRADL) was supported by the Wellcome Trust through a Strategic Award (Grant No. 104036/Z/14/Z). Parts of the work were supported by a China Scholarship Council (Grant No. 201506040037 to SX), National Institutes of Health (Grant No. DA027764 to MRD), Lister Institute Prize Fellowship 2016–2021 (to DJS), Dr Mortimer and Theresa Sackler Foundation (AMM, HCW, and SML), Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology (IJD and AMM), Medical Research Council and Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (Grant No. MR/K026992/1), Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh John, Margaret, Alfred and Stewart Sim fellowship (to HCW), and University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Scientific Academic TmPCk College Fellowship (to HCW). The Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government Health Department (Grant No. CZD/16/6) and Scottish Funding Council (Grant No. HR03006) provided core support for Generation Scotland. Data acquisition was additionally supported by the Scottish Mental Health Research Network and Scottish Government’s Support for Science initiative. LR, HCW, and AMM, received financial support from Pfizer (formerly Wyeth) in relation to imaging studies of people with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. AMM has previously received grant support from Lilly and Janssen. SML has received honoraria for lectures, chairing meetings, and consultancy work from Janssen in connection with brain imaging and therapeutic initiatives for psychosis. JDS has received funding via an honorarium associated with a lecture or Wyeth and funding from Indivior for a study on opioid dependency. No other disclosures were reported. The authors declare no conflict of interest.Peer reviewedPublisher PD