Solving the strongly coupled 2D gravity III: String susceptibility and topological N-point functions

We spell out the derivation of novel features, put forward earlier in a letter, of two dimensional gravity in the strong coupling regime, at $C_L=7$, 13, 19. Within the operator approach previously developed, they neatly follow from the appearence of a new cosmological term/marginal operator, different from the standard weak-coupling one, that determines the world sheet interaction. The corresponding string susceptibility is obtained and found real contrary to the continuation of the KPZ formula. Strongly coupled (topological like) models--only involving zero-mode degrees of freedom--are solved up to sixth order, using the ward identities which follow from the dependence upon the new cosmological constant. They are technically similar to the weakly coupled ones, which reproduce the matrix model results, but gravity and matter quantum numbers are entangled differently.Comment: 21 pages, latex, 10 figure

Décoloniser Kateri Tekakwitha

Forum mondial théologie et libération, Montréal, 8 août 2016« L’histoire des Autochtones d’Amérique du Nord n’a jamais vraiment eu les Indiens pour sujet. Ce qui comptait, c’était bien plus l’histoire des Blancs, de leurs besoins, de leurs aspirations. » (Thomas King). La version dominante (non-autochtone) de la vie de Kateri, célébrée en 2012, reflète bien cela. Les premières biographies de Kateri rapportent relativement peu de paroles d’elle. Elles sont écrites par des jésuites, des hommes de l’élite religieuse française, venant d’un monde profondément différent du monde autochtone en général et iroquois en particulier. Dans ces biographies, Kateri est tout autant célébrée que réduite au silence : non seulement parce qu’on lui donne peu la parole, mais parce que la dimension iroquoise de son expérience culturelle et spirituelle est soit dénigrée, soit ignorée. Alors qu’on affirme célébrer son identité autochtone, elle est méconnue en tant que femme de culture iroquoise, ce qu’elle n’aurait jamais pu cesser d’être pourtant. Cela est resté vrai en 2012, au moment même où on la célébrait comme sainte amérindienne d’Amérique du Nord et comme pont entre les cultures. Kateri est aussi racontée par ses premiers biographes d’une manière androcentrique, repérable de diverses manières, et qui a été répétée par les biographies jusqu’à nos jours. Cela n’a été ni remarqué ni remis en question au moment de sa canonisation. Rares sont celles et ceux qui l’ont perçu. Dans ces conditions, Kateri reste enfermée dans des représentations coloniales et androcentriques. De quelles façons la vénération de l’Église non autochtone envers Kateri reste-t-elle empreinte de colonialisme et d’androcentrisme ? Qu’est-ce qu’on voit émerger si on explore un peu plus l’arrière-fond iroquois de Kateri Tekakwitha ? Qu’est-ce que cela impliquerait si on prenait ce monde au sérieux

Déterminants de la participation à une plateforme collaborative

Comprend des références bibliographiquesLe projet pilote de site de collaboration mis de l’avant pour les cohortes inscrites au programme de deuxième cycle en gestion de la formation se veut une façon de permettre aux apprenants d’expérimenter cette formule en mode « incubateur ». Il vise à accroître la flexibilité de l’offre de formation, à assurer une continuité dans l’expérience pédagogique et à favoriser la réutilisation d’un tel outil en milieu organisationnel. Après avoir décrit la problématique de départ, nous présentons différentes recherches qui nous ont servi de guide dans l’élaboration de cette pratique innovante. Afin de tirer profit de ces recherches portant sur les communautés de pratique virtuelles, nous avons d’abord mis en place un projet pilote en vue d’effectuer une analyse en tenant compte des de l’animation comme variable déterminante de la participation et du succès

Searching for Learning-Dependent Changes in the Antennal Lobe: Simultaneous Recording of Neural Activity and Aversive Olfactory Learning in Honeybees

Plasticity in the honeybee brain has been studied using the appetitive olfactory conditioning of the proboscis extension reflex, in which a bee learns the association between an odor and a sucrose reward. In this framework, coupling behavioral measurements of proboscis extension and invasive recordings of neural activity has been difficult because proboscis movements usually introduce brain movements that affect physiological preparations. Here we took advantage of a new conditioning protocol, the aversive olfactory conditioning of the sting extension reflex, which does not generate this problem. We achieved the first simultaneous recordings of conditioned sting extension responses and calcium imaging of antennal lobe activity, thus revealing on-line processing of olfactory information during conditioning trials. Based on behavioral output we distinguished learners and non-learners and analyzed possible learning-dependent changes in antennal lobe activity. We did not find differences between glomerular responses to the CS+ and the CS− in learners. Unexpectedly, we found that during conditioning trials non-learners exhibited a progressive decrease in physiological responses to odors, irrespective of their valence. This effect could neither be attributed to a fitness problem nor to abnormal dye bleaching. We discuss the absence of learning-induced changes in the antennal lobe of learners and the decrease in calcium responses found in non-learners. Further studies will have to extend the search for functional plasticity related to aversive learning to other brain areas and to look on a broader range of temporal scales

A long-term copper exposure on freshwater ecosystem using lotic mesocosms: Individual and population responses of three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus)

Three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) was used as the highest trophic level predator in an outdoor mesocosm study assessing the effect of environmentally realistic copper concentration (0, 5, 25 and 75 μg L−1) over 18 months of continuous exposure. Condition factor, organosomatic indices (HIS, GSI and SSI) as well as copper bioaccumulation in the liver were measured at 15 days, 2, 4, 6, 10, 14 and 18 months after the beginning of the contamination. Population monitoring was realised after 6 and 18 months of contamination, allowing two reproduction periods to be measured. Results showed that condition factor was affected at medium and high copper concentrations and HSI was sporadically affected in all copper exposure, depending on the sex of the fish. GSI did not show any significant differences and SSI was lowered in the medium and high copper levels. Bioaccumulation was significantly different in males and females and fluctuated with season. A negative correlation was observed between copper bioaccumulation in the liver and fish size and a positive correlation with nominal copper concentration in the water was found. There was a negative correlation between condition factor, organosomatic indices and bioaccumulation in the liver. Population monitoring showed a significantly higher fish mean length after 6 months and a higher abundance after 18 months of exposure at the highest copper level. We conclude that indirect effects such as food and habitat availability or lower predation pressure on eggs and juveniles might have led to higher stickleback population abundances at the highest copper level. This highlights the need to study all the trophic levels when monitoring ecosystem health. Considering the population and the individual responses after 18 months of copper exposure, the NOEC for three-spined sticklebacks was 25 μg L−1 (or 20 μg L−1 if we consider the average effective concentration), with a LOEC of 75 μg L−1 (or 57 μg L−1, AEC)

Can clicker use support learning in a dual-focused second language German course?

This study investigated clicker-use impact in a legal German lecture, given to 65 French students of Law in which the learning focus was both language and content. 36 participants who attended the entire course were tested. Upon their introductory session, students took a preliminary two-fold multiple-choice questionnaire involving 16 questions on legal terminology and 16 on course content. Throughout the 10- week semester, the lecturer administered all questions during regular courses. Each weekly session was conducted alternately with or without clickers. Students answered half of the questions about language and content using clickers, whereas the remaining half involved standard conditions with volunteers raising their hands to answer. At the end of their term, students took the same initial questionnaire as a post-test. A quantitative analysis was performed to assess (a) the enhancement of the acquisition of legal terminology and course content through clicker use and (b) the impact of learners’ pre-test scores on learning gains regarding terminology and content with or without clickers. The clicker group outperformed the non-clicker group with regard to a post-test concerning legal terminology. The findings demonstrate that clicker use alleviates the cognitive load induced by learning both new terminology and content

Extension de l'aire de distribution de la Couleuvre à collier, Diadophis punctatus edwardsii, dans l'est du Québec

Deux Couleuvres à collier adulte (Diadophis punctatus edwardsii) ont été trouvées au parc national du Saguenay, dans l’est du Québec, en 2004 et 2005. Ces mentions se retrouvent à près 150 kilomètres au nord-nord-est de la mention la plus proche de l’espèce. L’habitat est constitué de forêt mixte près d’escarpements rocheux, dans des vallées. Il pourrait s’agir de populations isolées de celles retrouvées plus au sud.Two Ringneck Snakes (Diadophis punctatus edwardsii) was found in the Saguenay National Park, in eastern Québec, in 2004 and 2005. These records are about 150 kilometers north-north-east from the nearest previous record. The habitat is mixed forest, with rocky cliffs, in valleys. They may represent isolated populations from those found in southern Quebec

From Weak to Strong Coupling in Two-Dimensional Gravity

The strong coupling physics of two dimensional gravity at C=7, 13, 19 is deciphered, by building up on previous works along the same line (for a recent review, of the background material, see hep-th/9408069). It is shown that chirality becomes deconfined. The string suceptibility is derived, and found to be real contrary to the continuation of the KPZ formula. Topological Liouville string theories (without transverse degree of freedom) are explicitely solved. Altough they involve strongly coupled gravity, they share many features with the standard matrix models.Comment: LPTENS-94/25, Latex file + figure