Gli altri noi : Rom e residenti nella Svizzera italiana : etnografia e mediazione

Cette recherche porte sur les roms (vlach) qui séjournent périodiquement en Suisse italienne, en camping-cars ou en caravanes, pratiquant un semi- nomadisme lié à des motivations principalement économiques, mais également familiales et religieuses. Elle poursuit simultanément deux objectifs. Le premier est lié à un souci de médiation culturelle, qui rejoint les réflexions sur la façon de gérer au mieux les conflits entre les diverses composantes du vivre ensemble. Le second vise à approfondir la connaissance des populations roms concernées (lovara, éurara ou kalderasa, de nationalités italienne, française et espagnole). Les deux objectifs sont évidemment reliés, car comprendre les dynamiques conflictuelles exige la connaissance approfondie des acteurs en interaction. Les relations entre résidents tessinois et roms ont évolué dans le temps, avec des oscillations entre le pôle du refus et celui de l'attraction, entre rejet et reconnaissance, méfiance et confiance. Ces variations historiques renvoient à un fondement commun, à une dynamique des oppositions réciproques. L'analyse anthropologique a fait apparaître le rôle ambivalent du conflit dans la production et la reproduction de la relation d'altérité. L'exclusion des roms fournit à certaines tendances politiques locales l'occasion d'apparaître comme les protecteurs des résidents contre les étrangers ; inversement, l'opposition des roms aux gaiés leur permet de resserrer leur communauté et de prévenir l'assimilation. La médiation culturelle peut espérer gérer cette dynamique relationnelle, certainement pas la faire disparaître. Le modèle intégratif traditionnel de l'État- nation se révèle trop étroit pour accueillir la culture rom. Casser la résistance des roms envers le travail salarié et envers la scolarisation obligatoire, entraver leur semi-nomadisme (qui incite aussi leurs rencontres familiales et religieuses), refuser de reconnaître leur organe de justice interne et leur langue, tout cela ne ferait que concourir à leur disparition culturelle. Les roms sont conscients de ces possibilités, raison pour laquelle ils maintiennent une ambivalence relationnelle avec les ga£és, quitte à apparaître comme des « tsiganes indésirables ». Abstract : This research focuses on the Roma people (Vlach) who periodically stay in Italian Switzerland in caravans or camper vans, practising a semi-nomadic lifestyle - a choice based mainly on economic imperatives but also on familial and religious grounds. This study will address two objectives at the same time. The first involves cultural mediation, and considers the best way to manage the existing conflicts between the cultural components of the social environment. The second aims to increase knowledge of the Roma populations under examination - the Italian, French and Spanish Lovara, Éurara or Kalderasa. The two objectives are clearly linked, as a deeper understanding of the people involved is vital if we are to increase understanding of the dynamics of confrontation. The relationships between the residents of the Ticino area and the Roma people have evolved over time, oscillating in varying degrees between rejection and attraction, confrontation and recognition, suspicion and trust. These variations spring from a common base, a dynamic shaped by mutual opposition. The anthropological analysis highlights the ambivalent role of conflict in the production and reproduction of relations of otherness. Excluding the Roma has given some local politicians the opportunity to position themselves as protectors of residents against foreigners. Inversely, the Roma people's opposition to the Gazé strengthens links within their community and prevents assimilation. Cultural mediation may aspire to manage this relational dynamic, but not abolish it. The traditional integrative model of the nation-state has shown itself to be too restrictive to accommodate the Romani culture. Rejecting the Roma's resistance to salaried work and obligatory schooling, obstructing their semi-nomadic lifestyle (one that also involves family and religious assemblies) and refusing to recognise their traditional courts and mother tongue, all that can only contribute to the dilution of their cultural heritage. The Roma are fully aware of these possibilities, which is why they retain a relational ambivalence in their dealings with the Gazé, at the cost of appearing to be "undesirable gypsies".

Hepatic circadian clock oscillators and nuclear receptors integrate microbiome-derived signals.

The liver is a key organ of metabolic homeostasis with functions that oscillate in response to food intake. Although liver and gut microbiome crosstalk has been reported, microbiome-mediated effects on peripheral circadian clocks and their output genes are less well known. Here, we report that germ-free (GF) mice display altered daily oscillation of clock gene expression with a concomitant change in the expression of clock output regulators. Mice exposed to microbes typically exhibit characterized activities of nuclear receptors, some of which (PPARα, LXRβ) regulate specific liver gene expression networks, but these activities are profoundly changed in GF mice. These alterations in microbiome-sensitive gene expression patterns are associated with daily alterations in lipid, glucose, and xenobiotic metabolism, protein turnover, and redox balance, as revealed by hepatic metabolome analyses. Moreover, at the systemic level, daily changes in the abundance of biomarkers such as HDL cholesterol, free fatty acids, FGF21, bilirubin, and lactate depend on the microbiome. Altogether, our results indicate that the microbiome is required for integration of liver clock oscillations that tune output activators and their effectors, thereby regulating metabolic gene expression for optimal liver function.

Hepatic circadian clock oscillators and nuclear receptors integrate microbiome-derived signals.

The liver is a key organ of metabolic homeostasis with functions that oscillate in response to food intake. Although liver and gut microbiome crosstalk has been reported, microbiome-mediated effects on peripheral circadian clocks and their output genes are less well known. Here, we report that germ-free (GF) mice display altered daily oscillation of clock gene expression with a concomitant change in the expression of clock output regulators. Mice exposed to microbes typically exhibit characterized activities of nuclear receptors, some of which (PPARα, LXRβ) regulate specific liver gene expression networks, but these activities are profoundly changed in GF mice. These alterations in microbiome-sensitive gene expression patterns are associated with daily alterations in lipid, glucose, and xenobiotic metabolism, protein turnover, and redox balance, as revealed by hepatic metabolome analyses. Moreover, at the systemic level, daily changes in the abundance of biomarkers such as HDL cholesterol, free fatty acids, FGF21, bilirubin, and lactate depend on the microbiome. Altogether, our results indicate that the microbiome is required for integration of liver clock oscillations that tune output activators and their effectors, thereby regulating metabolic gene expression for optimal liver function.

Trompa interestelar : el color sonoro de la trompa en la "llamada interestelar" de O. Messiaen

Mi trabajo versa sobre la obra de O. Messiaen "Des Canyons aux etoiles" (De los cañones a las estrellas), y en particular de uno de los movimientos de la obra: "Appel Interestellaire" -N.VI- (Llamada Interestelar) -para trompa sola-. Se estructura en dos partes. La primera se centra en su contexto histórico -como, cuando y para quien fue compuesta-; análisis formal, armónico, melódico, rítmico; y aspectos estéticos. La segunda parte está vinculada con la interpretación de la obra. Se realiza un análisis para la interpretación -técnica de la trompa, efectos sonoros, timbres-; se hace una comparación entre la interpretación de 2 diferentes trompistas, y por último, aporto mi propuesta de interpretación. El trabajo se cierra con una conclusión, bibliografía, y un extracto con anexos (esquema, partitura y datos o imágenes de interés).

Sintaxis oscilante: traduciendo Merge-α a oscilaciones cerebrales

En este trabajo pretendo arrojar algo de luz al problema de Broca, traduciendo principios de la teoría lingüística a la dinámica de las oscilaciones cerebrales

Equivalent representation form of oscillators with elastic and damping nonlinear terms

In this work we consider the nonlinear equivalent representation form of oscillators that exhibit nonlinearities in both the elastic and the damping terms. The nonlinear damping effects are considered to be described by fractional power velocity terms which provide better predictions of the dissipative effects observed in some physical systems. It is shown that their effects on the system dynamics response are equivalent to a shift in the coefficient of the linear damping term of a Duffing oscillator. Then, its numerical integration predictions, based on its equivalent representation form given by the well-known forced, damped Duffing equation, are compared to the numerical integration values of its original equations of motion. The applicability of the proposed procedure is evaluated by studying the dynamics response of four nonlinear oscillators that arise in some engineering applications such as nanoresonators, microresonators, human wrist movements, structural engineering design, and chain dynamics of polymeric materials at high extensibility, among others

Chaotic dynamics of electric-field domains in periodically driven superlattices

Self-sustained time-dependent current oscillations under dc voltage bias have been observed in recent experiments on n-doped semiconductor superlattices with sequential resonant tunneling. The current oscillations are caused by the motion and recycling of the domain wall separating low- and high-electric-field regions of the superlattice, as the analysis of a discrete drift model shows and experimental evidence supports. Numerical simulation shows that different nonlinear dynamical regimes of the domain wall appear when an external microwave signal is superimposed on the dc bias and its driving frequency and driving amplitude vary. On the frequency-amplitude parameter plane, there are regions of entrainment and quasiperiodicity forming Arnold tongues. Chaos is demonstrated to appear at the boundaries of the tongues and in the regions where they overlap. Coexistence of up to four electric-field domains randomly nucleated in space is detected under ac+dc driving.

Chaos in resonant-tunneling superlattices

Spatiotemporal chaos is predicted to occur in n-doped semiconductor superlattices with sequential resonant tunneling as their main charge transport mechanism. Under dc voltage bias, undamped time-dependent oscillations of the current (due to the motion and recycling of electric field domain walls) have been observed in recent experiments. Chaos is the result of forcing this natural oscillation by means of an appropriate external microwave signal.

Multifractal dimension of chaotic attractors in a driven semiconductor superlattice

The multifractal dimension of chaotic attractors has been studied in a weakly coupled superlattice driven by an incommensurate sinusoidal voltage as a function of the driving voltage amplitude. The derived multifractal dimension for the observed bifurcation sequence shows different characteristics for chaotic, quasiperiodic, and frequency-locked attractors. In the chaotic regime, strange attractors are observed. Even in the quasiperiodic regime, attractors with a certain degree of strangeness may exist. From the observed multifractal dimensions, the deterministic nature of the chaotic oscillations is clearly identified.

Ontogenetic dietary changes in male South American fur seals Arctocephalus australis in northern and central Patagonia, Argentina.

This study assessed ontogenetic dietary changes in male South American fur seals Arctocephalus australis in northern and central Patagonia (Argentina) using stable isotope ratios (δ15 N and δ13 C) in vibrissae and bones. Sucking pups were characterised by higher δ15 N values and lower δ13 C values than older specimens. Weaning was associated with a marked drop of δ15 N values, both in bone and vibrissae. Such a drop was inconsistent with the consumption of local prey and may reveal movement to distant foraging grounds or physiological changes associated with either fasting or rapid growth. Stable isotope ratios indicated that juveniles fed more pelagically than subadults and adults, but that there were no major differences between the 2 latter age categories. As subadults and adults are rather similar in body mass and are much larger than juveniles, body mass may play a role in the ontogenetic dietary changes reported. Nevertheless, demersal benthic prey were always scarce in the diet of male fur seals, which relied primarily on Argentine shortfin squid and small pelagic fish throughout life, though adults also consumed large amounts of decapod crustaceans available at shallow depths. Vibrissae did not reveal regular oscillations of δ15 N or δ13 C, except in 1 individual. Thus, male fur seals from northern and central Patagonia do not appear to migrate regularly between isotopically distinct areas, although nomadic displacements cannot be ruled out.

20 Myr of eccentricity paced lacustrine cycles in the Cenozoic Ebro Basin

Long-period orbital forcing is a crucial component of the major global climate shifts during the Cenozoic as revealed in marine pelagic records. A complementary regional perspective of climate change can be assessed from internally drained lake basins, which are directly affected by insolation and precipitation balance. The Ebro Basin in northeastern Iberia embraces a 20 Myr long continuous sedimentary record where recurrent expansions and retractions of the central lacustrine system suggest periodic shifts of water balance due to orbital oscillations. In order to test climatic (orbital) forcing a key-piece of the basin, the Los Monegros lacustrine system, has been analyzed in detail. The cyclostratigraphic analysis points to orbital eccentricity as pacemaker of short to long-term lacustrine sequences, and reveals a correlation of maxima of the 100-kyr, 400-kyr and 2.4-Myr eccentricity cycles with periods of lake expansion. A magnetostratigraphy-based chronostratigraphy of the complete continental record allows further assessing long-period orbital forcing at basin scale, a view that challenges alternate scenarios where the stratigraphic architecture in foreland systems is preferably associated to tectonic processes. We conclude that while the location of lacustrine depocenters reacted to the long-term tectonic-driven accommodation changes, shorter wavelenght oscillations of lake environments, still million-year scale, claims for a dominance of orbital forcing. We suggest a decoupling between (tectonic) supply-driven clastic sequences fed from basin margins and (climatic) base level-driven lacustrine sequences in active settings with medium to large sediment transfer systems.

The natural hallucinogen 5-MeO-DMT, component of Ayahuasca, disrupts cortical function in rats: reversal by antipsychotic drugs

5-Methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) is a natural hallucinogen component of Ayahuasca, an Amazonian beverage traditionally used for ritual, religious and healing purposes that is being increasingly used for recreational purposes in US and Europe. 5MeO-DMT is of potential interest for schizophrenia research owing to its hallucinogenic properties. Two other psychotomimetic agents, phencyclidine and 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodo-phenylisopropylamine (DOI), markedly disrupt neuronal activity and reduce the power of low frequency cortical oscillations (<4 Hz, LFCO) in rodent medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Here we examined the effect of 5-MeO-DMT on cortical function and its potential reversal by antipsychotic drugs. Moreover, regional brain activity was assessed by blood-oxygen level dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). 5-MeO-DMT disrupted mPFC activity, increasing and decreasing the discharge of 51 and 35% of the recorded pyramidal neurons, and reducing (−31%) the power of LFCO. The latter effect depended on 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A receptor activation and was reversed by haloperidol, clozapine, risperidone, and the mGlu2/3 agonist LY379268. Likewise, 5-MeO-DMT decreased BOLD responses in visual cortex (V1) and mPFC. The disruption of cortical activity induced by 5-MeO-DMT resembles that produced by phencyclidine and DOI. This, together with the reversal by antipsychotic drugs, suggests that the observed cortical alterations are related to the psychotomimetic action of 5-MeO-DMT. Overall, the present model may help to understand the neurobiological basis of hallucinations and to identify new targets in antipsychotic drug development.

Highly eccentric hip-hop solutions of the 2N

We show the existence of families of hip-hop solutions in the equal-mass 2N-body problem which are close to highly eccentric planar elliptic homographic motions of 2N bodies plus small perpendicular non-harmonic oscillations. By introducing a parameter ϵ, the homographic motion and the small amplitude oscillations can be uncoupled into a purely Keplerian homographic motion of fixed period and a vertical oscillation described by a Hill type equation. Small changes in the eccentricity induce large variations in the period of the perpendicular oscillation and give rise, via a Bolzano argument, to resonant periodic solutions of the uncoupled system in a rotating frame. For small ϵ ≠ 0, the topological transversality persists and Brouwer's fixed point theorem shows the existence of this kind of solutions in the full system

Excitation modes of vortices in submicron magnetic disks

Classical and quantum theory of spin waves in the vortex state of a mesoscopic submicron magnetic disk have been developed with account of the finite mass density of the vortex. Oscillations of the vortex core resemble oscillations of a charged string in a potential well in the presence of the magnetic field. A conventional gyrotropic frequency appears as a gap in the spectrum of spin waves of the vortex. The mass of the vortex has been computed, and the result agrees with experimental findings. The finite vortex mass generates a high-frequency branch of spin waves. The effects of an external magnetic field and dissipation have been addressed.

Phase diagram and complex patterns in the modeling of the bromate-oxalic acid-Ce-acetone oscillating reaction

Simulations have been carried out on the bromate - oxalic acid - Ce(IV) - acetone oscillating reaction, under flow conditions, using Field and Boyd's model (J. Phys. Chem. 1985, 89, 3707). Many different complex dynamic behaviors were found, including simple periodic oscillations, complex periodic oscillations, quasiperiodicity and chaos. Some of these complex oscillations can be understood as belonging to a Farey sequence. The many different behaviors were systematized in a phase diagram which shows that some regions of complex patterns were nested with one inside the other. The existence of almost all known dynamic behavior for this system allows the suggestion that it can be used as a model for some very complex phenomena that occur in biological systems.