Les discours ruraux, urbains et périurbains du cinéma québécois

Ce projet s’intéresse aux représentations que fait le cinéma des territoires et à la manière dont ces représentations reflètent des grands enjeux socio-spatiaux. L’espace cinématographique devient une clé d’entrée pour l’analyse géographique. Cette analyse porte plus particulièrement sur les représentations que fait le cinéma québécois contemporain des espaces urbains, ruraux et périurbains. Les récits et les représentations spatiales qui les composent se positionnent souvent sur les enjeux socio-spatiaux, produits par l’histoire nationale et les processus socioéconomiques. La proposition d’analyser les représentations cinématographiques en lien avec le contexte socioéconomique vise deux principaux objectifs conceptuels. D’une part, elle s’intéresse à une meilleure compréhension du façonnement des discours sur l’espace, en ce qui a trait à leur émergence et leur négociation. D’autre part, l’analyse vise une définition élargie des espaces ruraux, urbains et périurbains contemporains, en révélant la complexité et simultanément, la simplification dont ils font l’objet, ainsi que les enjeux qui leurs sont associés. Il s’agit d’exploiter la cinématographie québécoise comme un outil d’analyse qui permet de dévoiler la diversité des discours socio-spatiaux. Des approches quantitatives et qualitatives d’interprétation des discours sont jumelées pour réaliser une analyse complète. La méthode retenue est l’analyse critique du discours (ACD), qui tient compte des rapports idéologiques et vise à la dénaturalisation du discours. En quelques mots, l’analyse consiste en l’identification de relations entre les représentations spatiales et le contexte socioéconomique duquel elles ont émergé. Le cadre opérationnel est constitué d’un corpus de 50 films québécois réalisés entre 1980-2008, « lus » à l’aide d’une grille de lecture originale et analysés avec des méthodes d’analyse spatiale et statistique, combinées à une interprétation qualitative. L’analyse quantitative révèle que le monde urbain et le monde rural sont souvent mis en opposition. Les films font de Montréal le principal pôle urbain, tandis que le reste du Québec est associé au milieu rural. Influencées par les flux culturels et économiques globaux, les représentations montréalaises suggèrent une ville fragmentée et continuellement en mouvement. En opposition à ces représentations urbaines, les cinéastes envisagent l’espace rural comme étant exempt de travail, axé sur le chez-soi et doté d’un esprit communautaire. Il est suggéré que la ville, toujours en croissance, restreint les possibilités d’un développement communautaire fort. Face à une ville transformée par la globalisation et en perte d’authenticité, une forme de régionalisme est observée. Ce dernier associe un ensemble de valeurs à une communauté ou à un territoire, afin de se distinguer devant des forces globalisantes qui semblent homogénéiser les valeurs. Pourtant, l’analyse quantitative laisse voir des contradictions au sein de chaque entité géographique ou milieu. L’analyse qualitative permet d’approfondir l’interprétation et révèle sept grands discours sur les espaces urbains et ruraux. Sont notamment identifiés des discours sur la contestation de la modernité urbaine, sur la réappropriation du milieu de vie par les citoyens et sur un espace rural parfois brutal. Cette analyse amène à conclure que la diversité des discours s’explique par l’hétérogénéité des pratiques socio-spatiales, qui remettent en question l’idée d’un discours national homogène. Cela témoigne de l’évolution et la négociation des regards que nous posons sur nos espaces. Au final, cette thèse contribue à une meilleure utilisation du matériel cinématographique comme support d’étude géographique en proposant une approche méthodologique claire et originale. Sur un plan conceptuel, elle rappelle la complexité et le dynamisme des représentations territoriales québécoises, ainsi que les stratégies de négociation des cinéastes face aux enjeux socio-spatiaux vécus dans la province.

L’influence sur la longévité de l’exposition très tôt dans la vie à une épidémie au Québec à la fin du XIXe siècle

Plusieurs études ont démontré l’impact de divers facteurs sur l’espérance de vie, dont les caractéristiques liées à l’environnement dans l’enfance et à l’âge adulte. L’objectif principal de ce mémoire est de déterminer si l’exposition à une épidémie durant la période fœtale ou pendant la première année de vie a un impact sur la survie après 40 ans pour les Québécois nés entre 1885 et 1901. Durant cette période, nous avons relevé des épidémies de variole et de scarlatine, ainsi qu’une pandémie de grippe, la grippe russe. L’influence d’autres facteurs sur l’âge au décès est également étudiée, celle du sexe, de l’année et de la saison de naissance, du lieu de résidence à la naissance (urbain ou rural) et des régions d’habitation dans l’enfance et à l’âge adulte. Les données sur les Canadiens français nés au Québec à la fin du XIXe siècle, soit l’échantillon de 5% des ménages du recensement canadien de 1901 (Sager 2001) recueilli par le Canadian Families Project, jumelées aux dates de décès à partir de l’index des décès de 1926 à 1996 de l’Institut de la statistique du Québec (ISQ) et de la Société de généalogie du Québec (Pilon-Marien et al. 2009; Gagnon et Bohnert 2012) ont été analysées. Plus spécifiquement, nous avons effectué une analyse descriptive de la population étudiée, puis une analyse multivariée à l’aide de modèles de Cox et de modèles de Gompertz. Il en résulte qu’une exposition à une épidémie avant l’âge d’un an augmente significativement le risque de décéder après l’âge de 40 ans. L’exposition pendant la période fœtale a également un effet négatif sur la longévité, toutefois cet effet n’est pas significatif dans les modèles fournissant le meilleur ajustement aux données. Enfin, une naissance pendant une épidémie, donc une exposition in utero et durant la première année de vie n’a pas d’impact négatif significatif sur l’âge au décès pour ceux qui survivent jusqu’à 40 ans.

Sustainability of Medicinal Plants in Kerala Economic Considerations in Domestication and Conservation of Forest Resources

The present study on the sustainability of medicinal plants in Kerala economic considerations in domestication and conservation of forest resources. There is worldwide consensus on the fact that medicinal plants are important not only in the local health support systems but in rural income and foreign exchange earnings. Sustainability of medicinal plants is important for the survival of forest dwellers, the forest ecosystem, conserving a heritage of human knowledge and overall development through linkages. More equitable sharing of the benefits from commercial utilization of the medicinal plants was found essential for the sustainability of the plants. Cultivation is very crucial for the sustainability of the sector. Through a direct tie-up with the industry, the societies can earn more income and repatriate better collection charges to its members. Cultivation should be carried out in wastelands, tiger reserves and in plantation forests. In short, the various players in the in the sector could find solution to their specific problems through co-operation and networking among them. They should rely on self-help rather than urging the government to take care of their needs. As far as the government is concerned, the forest department through checking over- exploitation of wild plants and the Agriculture Dept. through encouraging cultivation could contribute to the sustainable development of the medicinal plant sector.

Beyond - Another view on space and landscape

Die Beiträge dieser Veröffentlichung sind aus Vorträgen anlässlich der Postdoc-Konferenz zu Ehren von Prof. Dr. Detlev Ipsen, der sich im September 2010 aus dem Universitätsdienst verabschiedete, entstanden. Das inhaltliche Kernprogramm der Postdoc-Konferenz war bewusst auf sehr unterschiedliche Perspektiven auf den Raum und die Raumwahrnehmung ausgerichtet und bildet sich auch in den Beiträgen dieser Veröffentlichung ab. Elisabeth Heidenreich widmet sich in ihrem Beitrag „Der moderne Dschihad und seine (sakralen) Räume“ den technischen Räumen des islamistischen Terrorismus. Hans-Ulrich Werner zeigt in seinem Beitrag „SoundScapes als Klang und Raum“ verschiedene Begegnungen der Musik- und Klangwissenschaft mit der Stadt- und Umweltplanung auf und setzt sich mit der Bedeutung und Transformation von „Klangräumen“ in der Planung auseinander. Der Beitrag von Susanne Kost „Kulturbedingte Unterschiede im Landschaftsbewusstsein – eine Annäherung“ analysiert, wie und wodurch sich bestimmte Handlungs- und Wahrnehmungsweisen in Kulturen entwickelt haben könnten und ob sich am Beispiel der Niederlande bestimmte Muster der Landschaftswahrnehmung identifizieren lassen. Ilya Maharika erörtert in seinem Beitrag „Urban Gene of Desakota. A Dynamic of Indonesian Urban-Rural Continuum with the Case of Yogyakarta Region” internationale Phänomene und Dynamiken im Stadt-Land-Gefüge.

Utilisation of Giant African snail (Achatina fulica) meal as protein source by laying hens

A 12-week experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of substituting Giant African snail meal for fish meal in laying hens diet. Four diets were formulated to contain snail meal as replacement for fish meal at 0 (control), 33, 67 and 100%. A total of 120 Shaver Brown pullets aged 18 weeks were allocated to the dietary treatments in a randomised design. Each treatment consisted of three replicates and ten birds per replicate. Feed intake increased only for the 33% treatment as compared to the 67% replacement diet but did not differ from the other treatments. There were no significant treatment effects on egg performance parameters observed (egg production, egg weight, total egg mass, feed conversion ratio and percent shell). The overall feed cost of egg production reduced on the snail meal-based diets. The organoleptic evaluation of boiled eggs revealed no difference between the treatments. Based on these results it was concluded that total replacement of fish meal with cooked snail meat meal does not compromise laying performance or egg quality. The substitution is beneficial in terms of production cost reduction and the reduction of snails will have a beneficial impact especially where these snails are a serious agricultural pest. The manual collection and processing of snails can also become a source of rural income.

Conditional compositional biplots: theory and application

The biplot has proved to be a powerful descriptive and analytical tool in many areas of applications of statistics. For compositional data the necessary theoretical adaptation has been provided, with illustrative applications, by Aitchison (1990) and Aitchison and Greenacre (2002). These papers were restricted to the interpretation of simple compositional data sets. In many situations the problem has to be described in some form of conditional modelling. For example, in a clinical trial where interest is in how patients’ steroid metabolite compositions may change as a result of different treatment regimes, interest is in relating the compositions after treatment to the compositions before treatment and the nature of the treatments applied. To study this through a biplot technique requires the development of some form of conditional compositional biplot. This is the purpose of this paper. We choose as a motivating application an analysis of the 1992 US President ial Election, where interest may be in how the three-part composition, the percentage division among the three candidates - Bush, Clinton and Perot - of the presidential vote in each state, depends on the ethnic composition and on the urban-rural composition of the state. The methodology of conditional compositional biplots is first developed and a detailed interpretation of the 1992 US Presidential Election provided. We use a second application involving the conditional variability of tektite mineral compositions with respect to major oxide compositions to demonstrate some hazards of simplistic interpretation of biplots. Finally we conjecture on further possible applications of conditional compositional biplots

Productos del sector agrícola colombiano y derivados que tienen oportunidad de ser vendidos en el mercado de la Federación Rusa

Este trabajo tuvo como fin identificar los productos del sector agrícola colombiano y derivados que tienen oportunidad de ser vendidos en el mercado de la Federación Rusa. Esto con el objetivo de tener un documento para los exportadores colombianos donde puedan consultar las oportunidades de negocio que tiene el sector y que pueden ser explotadas. El trabajo se adelantó mediante la consulta de fuentes de información terciaria, como los sitios web de distintas asociaciones, información de los importadores y la consulta a expertos sobre el tema. De esta forma, se logró recopilar la información adecuada para el desarrollo de los objetivos trazados. Fue clave identificar la relación entre el consumo ruso y la importación de productos agrícolas, como también, la producción rusa y la exportación de productos agrícolas. Se tomó a la Federación Rusa, por ser uno de los países que más importa productos alimenticios. De esta manera, se ahondó en las particularidades del mercado ruso, lo que permitió tener un mejor entendimiento sus negocios y sus hábitos de consumo y así poder analizarlo de una mejor manera. Este trabajo muestra los componentes principales que se deben tener en cuenta para la exportación de productos agrícolas, de la misma forma analiza la oferta, demanda y el papel de Colombia y la Federación Rusa en la venta y compra de este tipo de productos.

La epidemiología crítica: una nueva forma de mirar la salud en el espacio urbano

La epidemiología empírico-analítica asume como un pilar interpretativo la noción de "lugar" para las descripciones que construye. La epidemiología crítica supera esa noción restrictiva y propone una construcción innovadora del espacio de la salud urbana retomando los aportes de la teoría crítica del espacio y la geografía, y articulando estos avances con los de la propia epidemiología desde una perspectiva de la determinación social de la salud. Desde esta óptica se repiensa la relación urbano-rural a la luz de los procesos históricos de aceleración, drástica pérdida de sustentabilidad y profunda inequidad urbanas, así como del papel de la nueva ruralidad capitalista monopólica, en avivar el cierre del espacio de la vida en nuestras ciudades. Se busca superar el mito de la dualidad urbano rural, se cuestiona el paradigma dominante de la modernidad que impuso la comprensión de dos mundos prácticamente contrapuestos: la ciudad como rectora, cosmopolita, avanzada y pujante, y lo rural como un mundo atrasado, local, más simple, y secundario, pues en años más recientes, la distinción clásica entre lo urbano y lo rural se hace cada vez más difícil, lamentablemente con una perversa dialéctica de deterioro e influjos malsanos de uno a otro espacio.

A baseline appraisal of water-dependant ecosystem services, the roles they play within desakota livelihood systems and their potential sensitivity to climate change

This report forms part of a larger research programme on 'Reinterpreting the Urban-Rural Continuum', which conceptualises and investigates current knowledge and research gaps concerning 'the role that ecosystems services play in the livelihoods of the poor in regions undergoing rapid change'. The report aims to conduct a baseline appraisal of water-dependant ecosystem services, the roles they play within desakota livelihood systems and their potential sensitivity to climate change. The appraisal is conducted at three spatial scales: global, regional (four consortia areas), and meso scale (case studies within the four regions). At all three scales of analysis water resources form the interweaving theme because water provides a vital provisioning service for people, supports all other ecosystem processes and because water resources are forecast to be severely affected under climate change scenarios. This report, combined with an Endnote library of over 1100 scientific papers, provides an annotated bibliography of water-dependant ecosystem services, the roles they play within desakota livelihood systems and their potential sensitivity to climate change. After an introductory, section, Section 2 of the report defines water-related ecosystem services and how these are affected by human activities. Current knowledge and research gaps are then explored in relation to global scale climate and related hydrological changes (e.g. floods, droughts, flow regimes) (section 3). The report then discusses the impacts of climate changes on the ESPA regions, emphasising potential responses of biomes to the combined effects of climate change and human activities (particularly land use and management), and how these effects coupled with water store and flow regime manipulation by humans may affect the functioning of catchments and their ecosystem services (section 4). Finally, at the meso-scale, case studies are presented from within the ESPA regions to illustrate the close coupling of human activities and catchment performance in the context of environmental change (section 5). At the end of each section, research needs are identified and justified. These research needs are then amalgamated in section 6.

Uncoupling protein 2 and 3 gene polymorphisms and their association with type 2 diabetes in asian indians

BACKGROUND: this study examined the association of -866G/A, Ala55Val, 45bpI/D, and -55C/T polymorphisms at the uncoupling protein (UCP) 3-2 loci with type 2 diabetes in Asian Indians. METHODS: a case-control study was performed among 1,406 unrelated subjects (487 with type 2 diabetes and 919 normal glucose-tolerant [NGT]), chosen from the Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study, an ongoing population-based study in Southern India. The polymorphisms were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism and direct sequencing. Haplotype frequencies were estimated using an expectation-maximization algorithm. Linkage disequilibrium was estimated from the estimates of haplotypic frequencies. RESULTS: the genotype (P = 0.00006) and the allele (P = 0.00007) frequencies of Ala55Val of the UCP2 gene showed a significant protective effect against the development of type 2 diabetes. The odds ratios (adjusted for age, sex, and body mass index) for diabetes for individuals carrying Ala/Val was 0.72, and that for individuals carrying Val/Val was 0.37. Homeostasis insulin resistance model assessment and 2-h plasma glucose were significantly lower among Val-allele carriers compared to the Ala/Ala genotype within the NGT group. The genotype (P = 0.02) and the allele (P = 0.002) frequencies of -55C/T of the UCP3 gene showed a significant protective effect against the development of diabetes. The odds ratio for diabetes for individuals carrying CT was 0.79, and that for individuals carrying TT was 0.61. The haplotype analyses further confirmed the association of Ala55Val with diabetes, where the haplotypes carrying the Ala allele were significantly higher in the cases compared to controls. CONCLUSIONS: Ala55Val and -55C/T polymorphisms at the UCP3-2 loci are associated with a significantly reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes in Asian Indians.

A haplotype at the UCP1 gene locus contributes to genetic risk for type 2 diabetes in Asian Indians (CURES-72)

BACKGROUND: The gene encoding for uncoupling protein-1 (UCP1) is considered to be a candidate gene for type 2 diabetes because of its role in thermogenesis and energy expenditure. The objective of the study was to examine whether genetic variations in the UCP1 gene are associated with type 2 diabetes and its related traits in Asian Indians. METHODS: The study subjects, 810 type 2 diabetic subjects and 990 normal glucose tolerant (NGT) subjects, were chosen from the Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiological Study (CURES), an ongoing population-based study in southern India. The polymorphisms were genotyped using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) was estimated from the estimates of haplotypic frequencies. RESULTS: The three polymorphisms, namely -3826A-->G, an A-->C transition in the 5'-untranslated region (UTR) and Met229Leu, were not associated with type 2 diabetes. However, the frequency of the A-C-Met (-3826A-->G-5'UTR A-->C-Met229Leu) haplotype was significantly higher among the type 2 diabetic subjects (2.67%) compared with the NGT subjects (1.45%, P < 0.01). The odds ratio for type 2 diabetes for the individuals carrying the haplotype A-C-Met was 1.82 (95% confidence interval, 1.29-2.78, P = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS: The haplotype, A-C-Met, in the UCP1 gene is significantly associated with the increased genetic risk for developing type 2 diabetes in Asian Indians.

Evidence for an association with type 2 diabetes mellitus at the PPARG locus in a South Indian population

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma2 (PPARG2) is a nuclear hormone receptor of ligand-dependent transcription factor involved in adipogenesis and a molecular target of the insulin sensitizers thiazolidinediones. We addressed the question of whether the 3 variants (-1279G/A, Pro12Ala, and His478His) in the PPARG2 gene are associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus and its related traits in a South Indian population. The study subjects (1000 type 2 diabetes mellitus and 1000 normal-glucose-tolerant subjects) were chosen randomly from the Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study, an ongoing population-based study in southern India. The variants were screened by single-stranded conformational variant, direct sequencing, and restriction fragment length polymorphism. Linkage disequilibrium was estimated from the estimates of haplotypic frequencies. The -1279G/A, Pro12Ala, and His478His variants of the PPARG2 gene were not associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus. However, the 2-loci analyses showed that, in the presence of Pro/Pro genotype of the Pro12Ala variant, the -1279G/A promoter variant showed increased susceptibility to type 2 diabetes mellitus (odds ratio, 2.092; 95% confidence interval, 1.22-3.59; P = .008), whereas in the presence of 12Ala allele, the -1279G/A showed a protective effect against type 2 diabetes mellitus (odds ratio, 0.270; 95% confidence interval, 0.15-0.49; P < .0001). The 3-loci haplotype analysis showed that the A-Ala-T (-1279G/A-Pro12Ala-His478His) haplotype was associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (P < .0001). Although our data indicate that the PPARG2 gene variants, independently, have no association with type 2 diabetes mellitus, the 2-loci genotype analysis involving -1279G/A and Pro12Ala variants and the 3-loci haplotype analysis have shown a significant association with type 2 diabetes mellitus in this South Indian population.

A novel association of a polymorphism in the first intron of adiponectin gene with type 2 diabetes, obesity and hypoadiponectinemia in Asian Indians

Adiponectin is an adipose tissue specific protein that is decreased in subjects with obesity and type 2 diabetes. The objective of the present study was to examine whether variants in the regulatory regions of the adiponectin gene contribute to type 2 diabetes in Asian Indians. The study comprised of 2,000 normal glucose tolerant (NGT) and 2,000 type 2 diabetic, unrelated subjects randomly selected from the Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study (CURES), in southern India. Fasting serum adiponectin levels were measured by radioimmunoassay. We identified two proximal promoter SNPs (-11377C-->G and -11282T-->C), one intronic SNP (+10211T-->G) and one exonic SNP (+45T-->G) by SSCP and direct sequencing in a pilot study (n = 500). The +10211T-->G SNP alone was genotyped using PCR-RFLP in 4,000 study subjects. Logistic regression analysis revealed that subjects with TG genotype of +10211T-->G had significantly higher risk for diabetes compared to TT genotype [Odds ratio 1.28; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 1.07-1.54; P = 0.008]. However, no association with diabetes was observed with GG genotype (P = 0.22). Stratification of the study subjects based on BMI showed that the odds ratio for obesity for the TG genotype was 1.53 (95%CI 1.3-1.8; P < 10(-7)) and that for GG genotype, 2.10 (95% CI 1.3-3.3; P = 0.002). Among NGT subjects, the mean serum adiponectin levels were significantly lower among the GG (P = 0.007) and TG (P = 0.001) genotypes compared to TT genotype. Among Asian Indians there is an association of +10211T-->G polymorphism in the first intron of the adiponectin gene with type 2 diabetes, obesity and hypoadiponectinemia.

Absence of Association of Metabolic Syndrome with PPARGC1A, PPARG and UCP1 Gene Polymorphisms in Asian Indians

The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of PPARG coactivator1 alpha (PPARGC1A), peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (PPARG), and uncoupling protein1 (UCP1) gene polymorphisms with the metabolic syndrome (MS) in an Asian Indian population. Nine common polymorphisms were genotyped via polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism and direct sequencing in 950 normal glucose-tolerant subjects and 550 type 2 diabetic subjects, chosen randomly from the Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiological Study, an ongoing population based study in Southern India. Among the 9 polymorphisms examined, only the Thr394Thr variant of the PPARGC1A gene was significantly associated with diabetes and obesity. The genotype frequency of GA of Thr394Thr variant was 16% (138/887) in the nonMS group and 22% (136/613) in the MS group, and this genotype frequency was significantly higher with MS both in males (p = 0.01) and females (p = 0.05), compared to the without-MS group. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the odds ratio for MS for the susceptible genotype GA of Thr394Thr was 1.411 [95% CI: 1.03-1.84, p = 0.012]. In the multiple logistic regression analysis, however, there was no association of this polymorphism as an independent factor with MS. Hence, the study shows that the polymorphisms in the PPARGC1A, PPARG and UCP1 genes are not associated with MS in Asian Indians.

Lack of association between serum adiponectin levels and the Pro12Ala polymorphism in Asian Indians

AIMS: The aim of the study was to investigate the association of serum adiponectin levels with the Pro12Ala polymorphism of the peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-gamma (PPARG) gene in Asian Indians. METHODS: We selected 400 diabetic subjects, 200 with the Pro12Pro genotype (100 male and 100 female) and 200 with the Pro12Ala genotype (100 male and 100 female) and 400 age- and sex-matched normal glucose tolerance subjects with similar genotype profiles from the Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study. Fasting serum adiponection levels were measured using radioimmunoassay. The Pro12Ala polymorphism was genotyped by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism using BstUI. RESULTS: All clinical and biochemical parameters were similar in the subjects with the Pro12Pro and Pro12Ala genotypes. There was no significant difference in serum adiponectin values between subjects with the Pro12Pro and Pro12Ala genotypes (males 5.4 vs. 5.8 microg/ml, P = 0.546; females 6.9 vs. 7.2 microg/ml, P = 0.748). Adiponectin values did not differ among these two genotypes even when categorized based on their diabetes status (normal glucose tolerance Pro12Pro 7.9 vs. Pro12Ala 7.7 microg/ml, P = 0.994; diabetes Pro12Pro 4.7 vs. Pro12Ala 5.4 microg/ml, P = 0.622). CONCLUSION: The Pro12Ala polymorphism of the PPARG gene is not associated with serum adiponectin levels in Asian Indians.