Message from the Grassroots: Scholarly Communication, Crisis, and Contradictions

Librarians have responded to the decades-long “serials crisis” with a common narrative and a range of responses that have failed to challenge the ideology and structures that caused it. Using Walter Rodney’s theory of a guerilla intellectual, we critically examine the dominant understanding of this so-called crisis and emphasize the role that capital plays within it. The imperial nature of scholarly journal publishing and some of its many contradictions are discussed. “Transformative” agreements receive special attention as a hyper-capitalist manifestation of these contradictions at the heart of commercial publishing.The politics of refusal are one response to the commercialism, prestige, and power imbalances that drive the academic publishing system. Highlighting the differences between refusal and reform, this paper explores the protagonistic role that librarians can play in a protracted struggle within and beyond the confines of our profession. Select open access efforts are identified at the end as examples of different forms of refusal. This paper is intended to move beyond the traditional discourse of laying blame solely at the feet of the academic publishing oligopoly and also expounds on the bourgeois academy’s use of knowledge production for capital accumulation.Les bibliothécaires ont répondu à la crise des périodiques qui dure depuis des décennies avec un récit commun et une gamme de réponses qui n'ont pas réussi à remettre en question l'idéologie et les structures qui l'ont provoquée. En utilisant la théorie du guérillero intellectuel de Walter Rodney, nous examinons de manière critique la compréhension dominante de la soi-disant crise et soulignons le rôle que le capital y joue. La nature impériale de l'édition de revues savantes et certaines de ses nombreuses contradictions sont discutées. Les accords transformateurs reçoivent une attention particulière en tant que manifestation hyper-capitaliste de ces contradictions au cœur de l'édition commerciale. La politique du refus est une réponse au mercantilisme, au prestige et aux déséquilibres de pouvoir qui animent le système d'édition universitaire. Soulignant les différences entre refus et réforme, cet article explore le rôle principal que les bibliothécaires peuvent jouer dans une lutte prolongée à l'intérieur et au-delà des limites de notre profession. Cet article prévoit aller au-delà du discours traditionnel qui porte le blâme uniquement sur l'oligopole de l'édition universitaire et dévoile l'utilisation de la production de savoir pour l'accumulation de capital par l'académie bourgeoise

Delta-State-Based Synchronization of CRDTs in Opportunistic Networks

International audienceConflict-Free Replicated Data Types (CRDTs) are distributed data types that support optimistic replication: replicas can be updated locally, and updates propagate asynchronously among replicas, so consistency is eventually obtained. This ability to tolerate asynchronous communication makes them ideal candidates to serve as software building blocks in opportunistic networks (OppNets), that is, mobile networks in which the dissemination of information can only depend on unpredicted transient radio contacts between pairs of nodes. In this paper we investigate the problem of implementing CRDTs in an OppNet, and we propose a delta-state-based algorithm to solve this problem. Experimental results confirm that this algorithm ensures the synchronization of CRDT replicas in an OppNet, and that it outperforms a pure state-based synchronization algorithm when dealing with container CRDTs

Comparing Vector Fields Across Surfaces: Interest for Characterizing the Orientations of Cortical Folds

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Time and frequency as quantum continuous variables

International audienceWe present a second quantization description of frequency-based continuous variables quantum computation in the subspace of single photons. For this, we define frequency and time operators using the free-field Hamiltonian and its Fourier transform, and we show that these observables, when restricted to the one photon per mode subspace, reproduce the canonical position-momentum commutation relations. As a consequence, frequency and time operators can be used to define a universal set of gates in this particular subspace. We discuss the physical implementation of these gates as well as their effect on single photon states, and show that frequency and time variables can also be used to implement continuous variables quantum information protocols, in the same way than polarization is currently used as a two-dimensional quantum variable

Exact calculation of the expected SFS in structured populations

The Site Frequency Spectrum (SFS), summary statistic of the distribution of derived allele frequencies in a sample of DNA sequences, provides information about genetic variation and can be used to make population inferences. The exact calculation of the expected SFS in panmictic population has been derived in the Markovian coalescent theory for decades, but its generalization to the structured coalescent is hampered by the almost exponential growth of the states space. We propose here a complete algorithmic procedure, from how to build a suitable state space and sort it, to how to take advantage of the sparsity of the rate matrix and to solve numerically the linear system by an iterative method. The simplest case of the symmetrical n-island is then processed to arrive at a ready-to-use demographic parameters inference framework

Influence of hillslope flow on hydroclimatic evolution under climate change

International audienceWe analyzed the influence of hillslope flow on projections of climate change by comparing two transient climate simulations with the IPSL climate model between 1980 and 2100. Hillslope flow induces a reorganization and increment of soil moisture (+10%), which increases evapotranspiration (+4%) and precipitation (+1%) and decreases total runoff (−3%) and air temperature (−0.1 °C) on an annual average over land for 1980–2010 when compared to simulation not representing hillslope flow. These changes in land/ atmosphere fluxes are not homogenous and depend on regional climate and surface conditions. Hillslope flow also influences climate change projections. On average over land, it amplifies the positive trend of soil moisture (+23%), evapotranspiration (+50%), and precipitation (+7%) and slightly attenuates global warming (−1%), especially for daily maximum air temperature. The role of hillslope flow in supporting surface/atmosphere fluxes is more evident at a regional scale. Where precipitation is projected to decrease, hillslope flow is shown to attenuate the related declines in evapotranspiration, precipitation, and total runoff, regardless of aridityconditions and mean air temperature. Where precipitation is projected to increase, hillslope flow amplifies evapotranspiration enhancement but attenuates the increase in precipitation and total runoff. Warming is generally attenuated, especially in semiarid and cold areas, and humid and warm/temperate regions, but the signal is weak. These results demonstrate the role of hillslope flow in enhancing water and energy fluxesbetween the surface and the atmosphere. They also suggest that including hillslope flow in climate models would weaken the projected intensification of hydrological extreme events

A method for monitoring systemic vulnerability to marine erosion and sea-flooding

Coastal development, combined with the intrinsic mobility of coasts and the context of climate change, tends to increase the vulnerability of coastal territories. This article proposes, on one hand, a renewed interdisciplinary approach to the concept of vulnerability allowing to overcome the nature/society dichotomy. On the other hand, the paper presents an inter-sectoral researchers-managers approach to build a series of indicators to monitor the four components of systemic vulnerability (hazards, stakes, management and representations). These indicators lay the ground for an integrated observatory, source of data for research as well as to inform decisions regarding the adaptation of coastal territories.Le phénomène de littoralisation du peuplement et des activités, associé à la mobilité intrinsèque des côtes et au contexte de changement climatique, tend à accroître la vulnérabilité des territoires côtiers. Cet article propose, d’une part, une approche interdisciplinaire renouvelée du concept de vulnérabilité permettant de dépasser la dichotomie nature/société. D’autre part, il présente une méthode intersectorielle chercheurs-gestionnaires de construction d’une série d’indicateurs de suivi des quatre composantes de la vulnérabilité systémique (aléa, enjeux, gestion et représentations). Ces indicateurs préfigurent un observatoire intégré, à la fois source de données pour la recherche, et au service des politiques publiques pour les territoires côtiers

First chromosome scale genomes of ithomiine butterflies (Nymphalidae: Ithomiini): comparative models for mimicry genetic studies

The ithomiine butterflies (Nymphalidae: Danainae) represent the largest known radiation of Mullerian mimetic butterflies. They dominate by number the mimetic butterfly communities, which include species such as the iconic neotropical Heliconius genus. Despite recent studies carried out on ithomiine ecology and genetic structure, no reference genome was available for the tribe. Here, we generated high-quality, chromosome-scale genome assemblies of two Melinaea species, Melinaea marsaeus and Melinaea menophilus , and a draft genome of Ithomia salapia . We obtained genomes with a size ranging from 396 Mb to 503 Mb across the three species and scaffold N50 of 40.5 Mb and 23.2 Mb for the two chromosome-scale assemblies. Using collinearity analyses we identified massive rearrangements between the two closely related Melinaea species. A detailed annotation of transposable elements and genes was performed, resulting in the identification of 24,341, 31,081 and 31,976 genes in I. salapia , M. marsaeus and M. menophilus , respectively. We used a specialist annotation to target chemosensory genes, which is crucial for host plant detection and mate recognition in mimetic species. A comparative genomic approach revealed independent gene expansions in ithomiines and particularly in gustatory receptor genes. These first three genomes of ithomiine mimetic butterflies constitute a valuable addition and a welcome comparison to existing biological models of mimicry, such as Heliconius , and will enable further understanding of the mechanisms of adaptation and the genetic bases underpinning mimicry