Ethnies et espace dans le Sud éthiopien. Regards croisés sur "A History of the Hadiyya in Southern Ethiopia (Braukämper, 2012) "

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Freeman, Dena. — Initiating Change in Highland Ethiopia : The Causes and Consequences of Cultural Transformation

L’ouvrage de Dena Freeman propose une réflexion anthropologique sur la nature des changements culturels et sociaux à l’œuvre dans les hautes montagnes gamo (Éthiopie, Sud), et sur les modalités de leur adoption par ces sociétés paysannes. L’enjeu de cette étude porte sur la compréhension des mécanismes d’adaptation de ces sociétés aux multiples bouleversements qui marquèrent l’histoire éthiopienne depuis le xixe siècle. Mais cette réflexion ne se limite pas à la prise en compte d’éléments ext..

« Une petite expérience de méthode » Foucault, échelles, espace et justice à Tanger Med (Maroc)

L’article propose une approche théorique et pragmatique de la notion d’espace juste. Il présente une lecture engagée de l’espace juste qui se détermine sur les caractéristiques de sa structuration scalaire. Il s’agit dans un premier temps d’élaborer une approche théorique qui se pense principalement à partir de la production académique des théories of scales et des apports épistémologiques de la pensée foucaldienne sur le pouvoir. Dans un second temps, le cadre théorique est confronté à une étude de cas traitant de la construction du port Tanger-Med dans l’arrière-pays de Tanger (Maroc).Offering a theoretical as well as an empirical perspective, this paper proposes an analysis of the Just Space. It provides an ideological view of the Just Space based on its scalar structuration. The theoretical part is thought from a cross-reading between the scholar Theories of Scales and an epistemological understanding of the Foucault’s analysis of Power. Then, the conceptual frame is experimented in situ, through the Tanger-Med harbour hinterland case study

La chute d'un Eden éthiopien : le Wolaita, une campagne en recomposition

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Weaving through life : an ethnographic study of the significance of pandanus work to the people of Futuna Island, Vanuatu

This thesis investigates how workers of pandanus on Futuna Island engage with and navigate the world around them through their work. Pandanus work is integral to social life: it nurtures, sustains, creates meaning and relations. Through focusing on the handicraft and considering pandanus work as a process: from the upkeep of the plants and the treatment of the leaf materials, the creation of structured artefacts and decorative plaited patterns, to the exchange and sale of baskets and mats and the final discarding of the artefacts, the research explores the complex set of meanings, sensibilities and challenges inherent in this multi-faceted and productive activity. The ethnographic study fills an important gap in current research by exploring the pandanus baskets and mats used in the everyday rather than the artefacts of ceremonial importance. The quotidian interests and concerns of people in Vanuatu and how these are expressed through activities and material forms creates the very fabric of the thesis and reveals what is important in life on Futuna. The study is set in a context where local knowledge and ways of doing things are actively reflected on and discussed as people navigate conflicting ideologies and ways of being. I argue that pandanus work is fundamentally a process of production where not only artefacts, but knowledge, subjects and relationships are created, nurtured and developed. Fundamental ideas about life are questioned in processes of pandanus work. Thus through considering the social, religious, and environmental aspects of pandanus work, the research furthers anthropological understandings of how ideas, beliefs and challenges are explored and explained in the quotidian production and use of plaited mats and baskets in Vanuatu. This project explores how women on Futuna figuratively weave the story of their lives."This work was supported by the University of St Andrews 600 Anniversary Scholarship; a RAI (Royal Anthropological Institute)/Sutasoma Award; and a grant from the Yorkshire Ladies’ Council of Education. An Australian Bicentennial Scholarship funded a period of study at the University of Sydney and a Russell Trust Postgraduate Award contributed towards the costs of returning to Futuna in 2017. I am very grateful for the support of these institutions." -- Acknowledgement

Propofol Directly Increases Tau Phosphorylation

In Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other tauopathies, the microtubule-associated protein tau can undergo aberrant hyperphosphorylation potentially leading to the development of neurofibrillary pathology. Anesthetics have been previously shown to induce tau hyperphosphorylation through a mechanism involving hypothermia-induced inhibition of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) activity. However, the effects of propofol, a common clinically used intravenous anesthetic, on tau phosphorylation under normothermic conditions are unknown. We investigated the effects of a general anesthetic dose of propofol on levels of phosphorylated tau in the mouse hippocampus and cortex under normothermic conditions. Thirty min following the administration of propofol 250 mg/kg i.p., significant increases in tau phosphorylation were observed at the AT8, CP13, and PHF-1 phosphoepitopes in the hippocampus, as well as at AT8, PHF-1, MC6, pS262, and pS422 epitopes in the cortex. However, we did not detect somatodendritic relocalization of tau. In both brain regions, tau hyperphosphorylation persisted at the AT8 epitope 2 h following propofol, although the sedative effects of the drug were no longer evident at this time point. By 6 h following propofol, levels of phosphorylated tau at AT8 returned to control levels. An initial decrease in the activity and expression of PP2A were observed, suggesting that PP2A inhibition is at least partly responsible for the hyperphosphorylation of tau at multiple sites following 30 min of propofol exposure. We also examined tau phosphorylation in SH-SY5Y cells transfected to overexpress human tau. A 1 h exposure to a clinically relevant concentration of propofol in vitro was also associated with tau hyperphosphorylation. These findings suggest that propofol increases tau phosphorylation both in vivo and in vitro under normothermic conditions, and further studies are warranted to determine the impact of this anesthetic on the acceleration of neurofibrillary pathology

Pratiques du titrement dans les villes en développement : trois cas d'étude (Inde, Ethiopie, Mauritanie) : rapport de recherche présenté dans le cadre de l'appel à projets "La sécurisation du droit de propriété dans les pays en voie de développement"

Les trois cas d’études en Inde, en Ethiopie et en Mauritanie ont permis de voir comment est appréhendé un même cadre référentiel qui pose la sécurisation foncière au coeur de la lutte contre la pauvreté. Plusieurs types de villes (petites, secondaires, capitales) et formes d’urbain (zone centrale, quartiers périurbains, urbain diffus) ont permis de souligner quelques uns des enjeux que représente la titrisation dans les Suds. Le contexte urbain joue fortement. L’impact des politiques de titrement foncier dépend réellement de la taille de la ville et des formes urbaines. L’urbanisation généralisée et rapide dans les trois pays étudiés, longtemps considérés comme étant à dominante rurale, implique l’adaptation et la création de nouveaux régimes fonciers. Dans nos différents cas d’étude, l’accès au sol urbain fait émerger de nouveaux besoins en termes de réglementation foncière, de nouveaux types de reconnaissance, mais aussi et surtout de nouvelles pratiques de sécurisation se tissent entre les habitants et les autorités et entre habitants. La présente étude a fait ressortir l’importance de la circulation à l’échelle internationale de politiques urbaines et « bonnes pratiques », pensées depuis Washington par les Institutions internationales, et réappropriées de façon tout à fait originale localement. La comparaison des trois cas a mis en lumière l’importance des pratiques habitantes, qui, en Ethiopie, en Inde et en Mauritanie, exploitent et construisent des opportunités offertes par les normes juridiques relatives à l’accès à la propriété, plus qu’elles arrivent à en bénéficier pleinement et simplement. Bien souvent, les réformes appuyées par les bailleurs de fond ne font que se surimposer à des juridictions foncières déjà complexes, souvent coûteuses à respecter pour les habitants qui optent pour des pratiques plus informelles. La réforme sur le papier n’est que rarement suivie par la réforme en action

Ancestral genome estimation reveals the history of ecological diversification in Agrobacterium

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is considered as a major source of innovation in bacteria, and as such is expected to drive adaptation to new ecological niches. However, among the many genes acquired through HGT along the diversification history of genomes, only a fraction may have actively contributed to sustained ecological adaptation. We used a phylogenetic approach accounting for the transfer of genes (or groups of genes) to estimate the history of genomes in Agrobacterium biovar 1, a diverse group of soil and plant-dwelling bacterial species. We identified clade-specific blocks of cotransferred genes encoding coherent biochemical pathways that may have contributed to the evolutionary success of key Agrobacterium clades. This pattern of gene coevolution rejects a neutral model of transfer, in which neighboring genes would be transferred independently of their function and rather suggests purifying selection on collectively coded acquired pathways. The acquisition of these synapomorphic blocks of cofunctioning genes probably drove the ecological diversification of Agrobacterium and defined features of ancestral ecological niches, which consistently hint at a strong selective role of host plant rhizospheres

Alzheimer's Disease and Anesthesia

Cognitive disorders such as postoperative cognitive dysfunction, confusion, and delirium, are common following anesthesia in the elderly, with symptoms persisting for months or years in some patients. Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients appear to be particularly at risk of cognitive deterioration following anesthesia, and some studies suggest that exposure to anesthetics may increase the risk of AD. Here, we review the literature linking anesthesia to AD, with a focus on the biochemical consequences of anesthetic exposure on AD pathogenic pathways