The Paix des Braves agreement of 2002 : an analysis of Cree responses

The original contribution of this thesis is the juxtaposition of postmodernist notions with Cree societal issues, an approach that offers a new perspective on contemporary Cree reality and opens up a broader discursive space within which to consider the challenges the Cree are facing. This case study of Cree responses to the Paix des Braves Agreement of 2002 provides material evidence for a qualitative, contextual, genealogical analysis of existing social and communicative practices, including discursive practice, competing ideologies and organisation and power. Various social practices constitute what is conceptualised as communication. In order to understand communication from this perspective, it is important to focus on such practices. There are communicative aspects to matters of social organisation, leadership and decision-making, and values and ethics. Since all these practices have been undergoing rapid change for the Cree of northern Quebec, especially in the last few decades, the people are struggling to position themselves within this new reality and find a way to articulate it. The Agreement considered in this thesis is one reached between the government of Quebec and the political leadership of the Cree of James Bay, northern Quebec on major developmental issues. Its touted benefits were recognition of Cree interests over all the Cree territory and economic benefits totalling approximately $3.5 billion for the fifty-year duration of the Agreement. Opposition to the Agreement was based on perceived lack of consultation, haste and secrecy in signing, and probably foremost, the sense some had that their leaders had sacrificed the land for economic gain. The purpose of this thesis is not to favour any discourse on the issues pertaining to the Paix des Braves but to attempt to understand the conditions of their emergence. These conditions include a long-held tradition of decision-making through consensus, on the one hand, and external pressures from governments and industries to align Cree modes of governance and functioning with mainstream ones, on the other. Cree responses have been mixed and often based on totalising and essentialist notions, such as with regard to what it means to be Cree or pertaining to progress and development. Employing a genealogical approach implies accounting for social practices and meanings without conceptualising the subject in a transcendental or essentialist way. It also entails tracing how norms that are often assumed and taken for granted within a particular social context are linked to regulative rationality. By focusing on the social construction of such notions it is hoped that a better understanding will result and that possibilities of action for the Cree will emerge

A perspective on communications development and training needs for the James Bay Cree of Northern Quebec

Offers a Cree perspective to explain why Cree culture, language, and values must dictate approaches to communications development and training in the north

Specific hydroxylations determine selective corticosteroid recognition by human glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors

AbstractThe ligand binding domains of the human mineralocorticoid receptor (hMR) and glucocorticoid receptor (hGR) display a high sequence homology. Aldosterone and cortisol, the major mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid hormones, are very closely related, leading to the cross-binding of these hormones to both receptors. The present study reports on the mechanism by which hMR and hGR are activated preferentially by their cognate hormones. We found that the ability of corticosteroids to stimulate the receptor’s transactivation function is depending on the stability of the steroid-receptor complexes. In the light of a hMR structural model we propose that contacts through the corticosteroid C21 hydroxyl group are sufficient to stabilize hMR but not hGR and that additional contacts through the C11- and C17-hydroxyl groups are required for hGR

Les réglementations et les pratiques de l'urbanisme commercial en Allemagne, Belgique, Grande Bretagne, Italie, Suisse

L'objectif principal de l'étude est d'apporter des éléments de connaissances sur les procédures, les pratiqueset les résultats sur la « ville », des politiques menées en matière d'urbanisme commercial en Allemagne,Grande-Bretagne, Belgique, Italie et Suisse et ainsi que leur évolution récente, pour alimenter la réflexionengagée sur le sujet en France.Au-delà de la connaissance des principes réglementaires, l'entrée de la démarche est essentiellementspatiale et urbaine . Elle doit permettre de saisir les conséquences de la gestion différenciée du commerce parles autres pays sur les mutations et les dynamiques urbaines.Deux familles de procédures se dégagent : celle qui sépare l'autorisation concernant l'activité commerciale del'accord du permis de construire comme en France et celle qui passe seulement par le permis de construire,avec cependant des études spécifiques socio-économiques lorsque la surface de vente dépasse un certainseuil et des plans d'occupation des sols qui prennent davantage en considération la localisation et la structuredu commerce dans ce cas là.Dans tous les pays étudiés, quelle que soit la procédure, la question du commerce en tant que fonctionurbaine se pose en raison d'un certain nombre de dysfonctionnement constatée ou au moins ressenti pour laville ; aussi, les évolutions des textes réglementaires sont–elles régulières

Aldosterone receptor assay in rat kidney cytosol

A method has been developed to measure aldosterone receptors using rat kidney cytosol preparations. Addition of 0.1 M Na molybdate to homogenization buffer markedly diminished receptor inactivation, allowing for more accurate assessment of affinity and total number of receptors. Statistical analysis of Scatchard plots was used to resolve curvilinear plots into high affinity (type I) and a low affinity (type II) components. Aldosterone and deoxycorticosterone compete most effectively for binding to type I sites, whereas dexamethasone competes most effectively for binding to type II sites. Molybdate does not alter the location of the 8.0S peak on density gradient analysis. Assay of type I sites revealed 47.7 +/- 1.7fmol/ml cytosol protein in male adrenalectomized rats. Constant of dissociation (KD) was measured at 5.08 x 10-10 M. Non-adrenalectomized male rats had 24.4 +/- 3.0 fmol/mg protein type I sites. Addition of molybdate to homogenization buffer combined with statistical analysis of curvilinear Scatchard plots allows for accurate and reproducible measurement of high affinity aldosterone receptors in rat kidney cytosol.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/23214/1/0000143.pd

The mineralocorticoid receptor: insights into its molecular and (patho)physiological biology

The last decade has witnessed tremendous progress in the understanding of the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR), its molecular mechanism of action, and its implications for physiology and pathophysiology. After the initial cloning of MR, and identification of its gene structure and promoters, it now appears as a major actor in protein-protein interaction networks. The role of transcriptional coregulators and the determinants of mineralocorticoid selectivity have been elucidated. Targeted oncogenesis and transgenic mouse models have identified unexpected sites of MR expression and novel roles for MR in non-epithelial tissues. These experimental approaches have contributed to the generation of new cell lines for the characterization of aldosterone signaling pathways, and have also facilitated a better understanding of MR physiology in the heart, vasculature, brain and adipose tissues. This review describes the structure, molecular mechanism of action and transcriptional regulation mediated by MR, emphasizing the most recent developments at the cellular and molecular level. Finally, through insights obtained from mouse models and human disease, its role in physiology and pathophysiology will be reviewed. Future investigations of MR biology should lead to new therapeutic strategies, modulating cell-specific actions in the management of cardiovascular disease, neuroprotection, mineralocorticoid resistance, and metabolic disorders