Creating a Dialogue: Bringing Anthropology to the University Campus

Traditional academic anthropology centers on fieldwork and the production of publications that contribute to a growing body of scholarship. In the past several decades, this collective knowledge has primarily circulated only within the discipline itself; in addition, the present day structure of academic anthropology has played a role in its isolation from other disciplines and the general public (Checker et al. 2010). This state of affairs is partially due to the expansion of the discipline in the 1960s, which made it financially possible to support many discipline-specific books, book series, and journals geared exclusively toward trained anthropologists rather than the lay public. This shift removed many anthropological arguments to an exclusive, professional-only realm resulting in decreased dialogue with audiences outside of the discipline (Borofsky 2011). But all is not lost. A growing field in the discipline, applied anthropology, branches away from this traditional academic model and is pushing the boundaries of what is considered anthropological research

La longue marche de la formation documentaire

Des années 1980 à aujourd’hui, l’enseignement documentaire dans le supérieur s’est généralisé et a évolué de la simple formation aux outils à l’apprentissage de l’autonomie dans la société de la connaissance

Theory of Non-equilibrium Single Electron Dynamics in STM Imaging of Dangling Bonds on a Hydrogenated Silicon Surface

During fabrication and scanning-tunneling-microscope (STM) imaging of dangling bonds (DBs) on a hydrogenated silicon surface, we consistently observed halo-like features around isolated DBs for specific imaging conditions. These surround individual or small groups of DBs, have abnormally sharp edges, and cannot be explained by conventional STM theory. Here we investigate the nature of these features by a comprehensive 3-dimensional model of elastic and inelastic charge transfer in the vicinity of a DB. Our essential finding is that non-equilibrium current through the localized electronic state of a DB determines the charging state of the DB. This localized charge distorts the electronic bands of the silicon sample, which in turn affects the STM current in that vicinity causing the halo effect. The influence of various imaging conditions and characteristics of the sample on STM images of DBs is also investigated.Comment: 33 pages, 9 figure

Two Quantum Photoemission in Semiconductors

Two-quantum photoemission is a process in which two times the photon energy is transferred to the photoelectron. In this process, the photoelectron observed in the vacuum keeps a memory of the intermediate empty state by which it transited after its first excitation, and before its second excitation and its final escape. We discuss here the experimental problems involved and the information obtained in the case of the semiconductors Si and InP. We show that ballistic or non-ballistic electrons can be selected by an adequate choice of experimental conditions, yielding information on both the static and dynamic properties of the empty states

Optimizing Parameters for Deep-Space Optical Communication

A paper discusses the optimization of the parameters of a high-rate, deep-space optical communication link that utilizes pulse-position modulation (PPM) and an error-correcting code (ECC). The parameters in question include the PPM order (number of pulse time slots in one symbol period), the ECC rate, and the uncoded symbol error rate. In simple terms, the optimization problem is to choose the combination of these parameters that maximizes the throughput data rate at a given bit-error-rate (BER), subject to several constraints, including limits on the average and peak power and possibly a limit on the uncoded symbol error rate. This is a complex, multidimensional optimization problem, the solution of which involves computation of channel capacities for various combinations of the parameters. The paper presents extensive theoretical analyses and numerical predictions that elucidate the many facets of the optimization problem. It shows how a nearly optimum solution can be obtained by choosing the optimum PPM order for the desired number of bits per slot and concatenating the PPM mapping with an error-correction code so that the decoded bits satisfy some BER threshold

Rôle des glutamine synthétases cytosoliques et des asparagine synthétases dans le métabolisme azoté chez Arabidopsis thaliana et Brassica napus

Winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus) is grown for its oil-rich seeds and for proteins, used in animal feed cake. It requires high nitrogen inputs due to the low efficiency of nitrogen utilization that characterizes this species. A large proportion of absorbed nitrogen is indeed returned to the soil when leaves fall. Improving nitrogen remobilization to promote seed filling is then required to improve yield and limit fertilizer use. Asparagine and glutamine are important amino acids for phloem translocation. This thesis focuses on the two multigenic families in charge of asparagine and glutamine synthesis: cytosolic glutamine synthetase (GLN1) and asparagine synthetase (ASN). Studies were performed on the two Brassicaceae, rapeseed and Arabidopsis thaliana. The GLN1 gene expressions were investigated in Arabidopsis by a combination of molecular biology and cytology. The five GLN1 genes are differentially expressed in Arabidopsis depending on ageing and nitrogen availability. The identified BnaGLN1 genes in Brassica napus also showed age and nitrogen dependent expressions. Interestingly, expression profiles were similar between homologous genes in Arabidopsis and rapeseed, suggesting that homologous genes share similar function in the two species. The role of Arabidopsis GLN1 genes for nitrogen remobilization to the seeds was monitored using ¹⁵N tracing experiments on individual mutants. The GLN1 genes play a role in the remobilization of nitrogen from the rosette leaves to the reproductive organs. However, their effect is weak and non-specific of one GS1 isoform. ASN genes also presented specific expression profiles depending on organs, age and nitrogen availability. The ¹⁵N tracing revealed that ASN1 and ASN2 are both involved in nitrogen remobilization from the rosette to the seeds. Our studies provide a basis for future translational approaches to improve oilseed rape.Le colza d’hiver (Brassica napus) est cultivé pour l’huile contenue dans ses graines ainsi que pour les tourteaux qui sont une source de protéines pour l’alimentation animale. La culture de colza demande de forts apports d’azote et cette espèce est caractérisée par sa faible efficacité d’utilisation de l’azote. Une forte proportion de l’azote absorbé est restituée au sol lors de la chute précoce des feuilles au stade végétatif. L’amélioration de la remobilisation de l’azote est donc de première importance pour améliorer le rendement de cette culture tout en satisfaisant le besoin de réduction des intrants. La glutamine et l’asparagine jouent un rôle important dans le transport de l’azote au sein de la plante, notamment au cours de la sénescence foliaire. Les deux familles multigéniques des glutamine synthétases cytosoliques (GLN1) et des asparagine synthétases (ASN) assurent leur synthèse. Ce travail de thèse s’est intéressé à ces enzymes chez deux Brassicacées : le colza et Arabidopsis thaliana. Dans un premier temps, l’expression des gènes GLN1 a été étudiée chez Arabidopsis par une combinaison d’approches de biologie moléculaire, cellulaire et de cytologie. Les spécificités d’expression de chacun des cinq gènes d’Arabidopsis ont été mises en évidence. L’identification des gènes BnaGLN1 chez Brassica napus a permis une analyse de leur expression en fonction de l’âge des feuilles et de la disponibilité en azote. Les profils d’expression observés chez le colza se sont révélés similaires à ceux des gènes homologues d’Arabidopsis, amenant l’hypothèse d’une conservation des fonctions chez les deux espèces. Le rôle des gènes GLN1 d’Arabidopsis dans la remobilisation de l’azote vers les graines a été étudié grâce à un marquage ¹⁵N effectué sur des mutants simples. Le rôle des gènes GLN1 dans la remobilisation de l’azote des tissus végétatifs vers les tissus reproducteurs a été mis en évidence sans toutefois cibler spécifiquement une isoforme. L’étude de la famille ASN chez Arabidopsis a permis de mettre en évidence des profils d’expression spécifiques en fonction des organes, de l’âge des tissus et de la disponibilité en azote pour chacun des trois gènes. Le marquage ¹⁵N a également révélé une implication des gènes ASN1 et ASN2 dans la remobilisation de l’azote de la rosette vers les tissus reproducteurs. Les travaux présentés dans ce manuscrit sont une base pour de futures approches translationnelles vers le colza

Anomalous magnetophotoluminescence as a result of level repulsion in arrays of quantum dots

Selectively excited photoluminescence (SPL) of an array of self-organized In$_{0.5}$Ga$_{0.5}$As quantum dots has been measured in a magnetic field up to 11T. Anomalous magnetic field sensitivity of the SPL spectra has been observed under conditions for which the regular photoluminescence spectra is insensitive to the magnetic field due to large inhomogeneous broadening. The anomalous sensitivity is interpreted in terms of the repulsion of excited levels of the dots in a random potential. A theory presented to describe this phenomena is in excellent agreement with the experimental data. The data estimated the correlation in the positions of excited levels of the dots to be 94%. The magnetic field dependence allows the determination of the reduced cyclotron effective mass in a dot. For our sample we have obtained $m_em_h/(m_e+m_h)=0.034m_0$.Comment: 12 revtex preprint pages + 4 ps figures, uuencode

Groupe Réunion : l’illettrisme

La médiathèque de Saint-Pierre est le cadre d’expériences qui illustrent la lutte contre l’illettrisme, d’actions qui concernent les publics de tout-petits, leurs parents et les adultes des différentes cultures présentes sur l’île