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The Métis of Canada were included as an Aboriginal people in the Constitution Act of 1982, but in the intervening decades we have observed a great disparity in the political and legal treatment of the various Métis communities by the federal and provincial governments. The Métis of the Ottawa River are a telling case, reflective of the disparities entrenched by the provincial border separating Ontario and Quebec. In chronicling the history of this particular Métis community, primarily through unpublished sources, we demonstrate that there is a shared Métis experience and identity in Canada, but that a contiguous community has been arbitrarily divided by a provincial boundary whereby the community is recognized on one side of the divide but not the other. Depuis la reconnaissance constitutionnelle des Métis canadiens en tant que peuple autochtone, nous observons une grande disparité dans le traitement politique et juridique des différentes communautés de la part des gouvernements fédéral et provinciaux. Les Métis de la rivière des Outaouais sont un cas de figure intéressant, reflet de cette disparité ici liée aux effets d’une frontière interprovinciale porteuse de paradoxes. En explorant l’histoire de cette communauté métisse, principalement à l’aide de documents inédits, nous démontrons la grande similarité des expériences identitaires métisses au Canada, mais aussi l’arbitraire d’une reconnaissance politique contemporaine calquée sur une frontière interprovinciale qui, historiquement, n’avait aucune incidence sur les principaux intéressés. Desde el reconocimiento constitucional de los mestizos canadienses como pueblo indígena, se observa disparidad en el tratamiento político y jurídico de las comunidades por el gobierno federal y los gobiernos provinciales. Los mestizos del río Outaouais son un ejemplo de esta disparidad vinculada a los efectos de una frontera entre provincias que trae paradojas. Explorando la historia de esta comunidad mestiza, principalmente con la ayuda de documentos inéditos, demostramos la gran similitud de las experiencias identitarias mestizas en Canadá, así como la arbitrariedad del reconocimiento político contemporáneo modelado por una frontera interprovincial que, históricamente, no tenía ninguna repercusión sobre los principales interesados.

Depuis la reconnaissance constitutionnelle des Métis canadiens en tant que peuple autochtone, nous observons une grande disparité dans le traitement politique et juridique des différentes communautés de la part des gouvernements fédéral et provinciaux. Les Métis de la rivière des Outaouais sont un cas de figure intéressant, reflet de cette disparité ici liée aux effets d’une frontière interprovinciale porteuse de paradoxes. En explorant l’histoire de cette communauté métisse, principalement à l’aide de documents inédits, nous démontrons la grande similarité des expériences identitaires métisses au Canada, mais aussi l’arbitraire d’une reconnaissance politique contemporaine calquée sur une frontière interprovinciale qui, historiquement, n’avait aucune incidence sur les principaux intéressés. The Métis of Canada were included as an Aboriginal people in the Constitution Act of 1982, but in the intervening decades we have observed a great disparity in the political and legal treatment of the various Métis communities by the federal and provincial governments. The Métis of the Ottawa River are a telling case, reflective of the disparities entrenched by the provincial border separating Ontario and Québec. In chronicling the history of this particular Métis community, primarily through unpublished sources, we demonstrate that there is a shared Métis experience and identity in Canada, but that a contiguous community has been arbitrarily divided by a provincial boundary whereby the community is recognized on one side of the divide but not the other. Desde el reconocimiento constitucional de los mestizos canadienses como pueblo indígena, se observa disparidad en el tratamiento político y jurídico de las comunidades por el gobierno federal y los gobiernos provinciales. Los mestizos del río Outaouais son un ejemplo de esta disparidad vinculada a los efectos de una frontera entre provincias que trae paradojas. Explorando la historia de esta comunidad mestiza, principalmente con la ayuda de documentos inéditos, demostramos la gran similitud de las experiencias identitarias mestizas en Canadá, así como la arbitrariedad del reconocimiento político contemporáneo modelado por una frontera interprovincial que, históricamente, no tenía ninguna repercusión sobre los principales interesados.

National audience

The Conquest of the Russian Arctic, by Paul R. Josephson. Cambridge & London, Harvard University Press, 2014. 456 pp. $58.00 US (cloth). Rooted in a land-based empire that spread overland in all directions, Russia took to the seas relatively late. Here Paul Josephson provides a detailed account of Russian resource extraction in the Arctic--fish and whales in the nineteenth century, and oil and gas in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. This account of the conquest of the Russian North provides a telling history of the rise of Russia as a naval Arctic power and the push to both industrialize and urbanize the Arctic. In many ways, Josephson asserts, the contemporary Russian state continues to live the legacy of the gulag-driven Russian conquest of the north under Joseph Stalin. Josephson demonstrates how the conquest of the Russian Arctic was tied to the need to develop a northeast Arctic sea route. The Russo-Japanese War (1904-5), a war that the Russian Empire lost, that highlighted the need to find a shorter and faster route to reach the Pacific from central Russia than the Trans-Siberian Railway. To reach the theatre of war, Russia had to send ships around the Cape of Good Hope to get to the northern Pacific. The railway was "overloaded" and could not provide the necessary means to transport troops and equipment to the Russian Pacific ports (27). Even in times of peace, the railway was not sufficient as "the Trans-Siberian Railway had such low capacity that it was overwhelmed by grain shipments --grain often rotted in the open air as it waited to be shipped" (29). They then faced the challenge of building ships that could adequately sail these waters. This book does provide a telling account of the early years of exploration carried out in the final decade of Imperial Russia. As Josephson explains, not only were these expeditions ill-prepared and lacking in crews with even a basic knowledge and understanding of Arctic conditions, but invariably, "emotions [such] as patriotism and heroism overwhelmed those of common sense and self-awareness" (32). The Empire was simply too technologically backward--still featuring a largely peasant-based economy with relatively little industrial activity as compared to the epoch's leading economic powers--and thus lacking the industrial base to effectively establish a strong presence in the Arctic Ocean. This problem plagued Soviet rulers in turn following the October Revolution. Josephson examines the ways in which gulag slave labour was used to compensate for shortages of technology that still bedeviled Soviet plans in the 1930s. Gulag labour was used to "build, dig, pour, load and dump" (p. 116). The need for labour was such that prisoners who finished their terms were charged again; to fill the requirement for engineers, the secret police gathered engineers in Moscow for the large-scale construction projects in the Arctic (126). …

Medieval scholars have demonstrated that the term gens (plural gentes), largely identical in usage to the modern term nation, was in use by the end of the first millennium. This article seeks to explain how and when nation came to replace gens in medieval Europe. The emergence of the concept of nationhood in Central and Eastern Europe must also be understood as a process of othering and resistance to othering, whereby emerging states seek to affirm their status as civilized Christian states, the political, social and cultural equals of the older states that had risen out of the Roman Empire.

Much has been published theorizing the origins of states, but ethnography has lagged behind in developing the conceptual tools to theorize the state, generally preferring to study the margins of states or “stateless” societies, even though they were enmeshed in or colonized by states. In recent decades states seem to have been bypassed by an interest in global and transnational phenomena that presumes states as political organizations to be increasingly irrelevant. This review examines three texts that cut across archaeological and socio-cultural anthropology to analyze contemporary research on states and propose new directions in the study of states.

Spatially resolved element distributions generated by in situ X-ray fluorescence (XRF) line and area scans are shown to provide information about works of art which may not be obtainable from single spot spectra. In addition to generating visually powerful element maps and line profiles, this method also generates a spectrum at each image point, and this large data set is available for additional analysis. When generating line and area scans in the study of works of art, the collection parameters—including X-ray tube choice, spot size, step size, and scan time—must be optimized not only to produce the best signal, but also to perform the analysis within constraints imposed to ensure the security or safety of the object. Examples of the application of this method to several classes of works of art are presented, including illuminated manuscripts, paintings, bronze sculpture, and glazed ceramics. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This study aims to provide a better understanding of the Raman spectra of cobalt-based pigments in works of art. Systematic analyses of 21 industrial blue cobalt-based pigments were carried out by using elemental energy dispersive spectroscopy and phase analyses by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman microspectroscopy, which led to the identification of 17 spinel Co-based pigments. All the minerals contained in each pigment were characterised by all three techniques and subsequently attributed to diluents, extenders, mineralisers or unreacted reagents or to the main mineral phase, whether it was pure or contained doping or lattice modifier elements. In the particular case where doping elements were in low concentration in the host mineral lattice, their distinction by XRD from non-doped spinel was impossible. On the contrary, Raman microspectroscopy turned out to be a perfect tool for detecting the presence of the doping agents in the spinel lattice. The determination of the elemental and mineralogical composition of the industrial blue cobalt-based pigments commercially available for artists and studied in this survey represents a significant increase in the amount of analytical data available for this type of pigment as well as a valuable addition in the characterisation by Raman microspectroscopy of these compounds in situ, on works of art. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Resume Depuis 1998, une equipe pluridisciplinaire s’attache a etudier les representations de la grotte ornee Mayenne-Sciences (Thorigne-en-Charnie, Mayenne). En particulier, des tentatives de datation U-Th (TIMS) de la calcite qui les recouvre, ainsi qu’une etude de la thanatocenose des chauves-souris, qui pourrait permettre de dater la fermeture de la grotte ornee, ont ainsi ete realisees. L’etude a d’ores et deja permis de mieux connaitre les dessins noirs, realises au crayon sec (fusain) a base de charbon de bois. Cela a permis d’envisager et de realiser deux prelevements, qui viennent de fournir deux dates d’epoque gravettienne, relancant ainsi le debat sur la position chronoculturelle de cette cavite, une des plus septentrionales connues.

Raman microscopy (RM) is widely used in archaeometrical studies of pigments, geomaterials and biomaterials in the Cultural Heritage, but one domain has received relatively less attention: the colouring of stained glass. This feasibility study investigates the advantages and disadvantages of employing RM alone in this field by means of a study of modern commercial glasses, modern commercial pigments, and a few archaeological stained glasses, but especially by an experimental project whereby the authors created stained glass. The different kinds of possible unreacted or reacted material are rigorously established. The distinction between Na, K, Ca glasses was explored, as well as the red colouring of an industrial glass which was proved to be due to the presence of (Zn, Cd)S(x)Se(1-x). Yellow, green, blue and maroon pigments were studied before and after an initial firing and then after heating on glass. The quality of the Raman spectra varied enormously and was sometimes disappointing. Nevertheless RM successfully identified various coloured products such as bindheimite, crocoite, cobalt aluminate, haematite; relict reactants such as corundum, eskolaite and oxides of Co or Pb; and provided indications of other phases such as maghemite or Co-olivine. One conclusion is that the amount of chemical reaction between the pigments and the glass is small compared to the amount in between the pigments. Comments are made on the potential for dating archaeological glass from the known age of synthesis of the pigments, and of the dangers of this approach. Overall it has been shown that RM can be useful for studying stained glass, especially for remote in situ analytical operations with mobile RM, but one must expect some problems either with fluorescence or weak spectra.

The influence of niobium and/or palladium in MoV 0.4 O x on both solid state chemistry and catalytic properties in the oxidation of ethane to acetic acid and ethylene is examined. Catalysts without molybdenum (VNb 0.31 Pd 3e-4 O x ) are also studied for comparison. The structural properties of the precursors and of the catalysts obtained by calcination of precursors at 350 and 400 °C are studied by X-ray diffraction, and by laser Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies. These properties depend on the presence or absence of niobium, and to a lesser extent, of palladium. Nb-free precursors and catalysts are heterogeneous mixtures of crystalline oxides, among which hexagonal and orthorhombic MoO 3 . The presence of Pd favors the instability of both precursors and catalysts. The catalysts are poorly active (conversion S AA max = 61–73 mol%) and to CO x ( S C O x max = 30 − 72 mol % ). The Nb-containing precursors without or with Pd are more stable, and the catalysts are made up of nanocrystalline particles of V, Nb-doped Mo 5 O 14 and of V x Mo 1− x O 3− x /2 . They are active (conversion S tot = 90–96 mol%). The surface being enriched with vanadium in most cases, the discussion deals with the relative role of Nb and Pd and their possible location in the identified oxides. Because no M1 and/or M2 oxides could be identified, synergistic effects between nanocrystals of (VMoNb) 5 O 14 and V x Mo 1− x O 3−0.5 x are proposed to account for the high catalytic performance of the multicomponent MoVNb(Pd) oxides.

Tensile tests were performed on alloy Al-4.5 pct Cu with a solidification unit dubbed the direct chill surface simulator (DCSS) that simulates the primary cooling conditions encountered during the direct chill (DC) casting process of sheet ingots. The curves obtained showed a near linear increase of the load with strain up to the point where nonlinearity induced by hot tearing prevented further increase of the load. A constitutive model based on the Lahaie-Bouchard stress-strain theoretical model was generalized by assuming a nonsingular channel thickness distribution. This approach considers a fully lubricated arrangement that allows grain boundary sliding as the most important mechanism of accommodation. As the strain increases, the grain boundaries become more and more subjected to friction sliding and oppose a higher resistance than a fully lubricated sliding condition. This results in a gradual increase of stress with strain. The important variables of the model include solid fraction, channel thickness, geometric standard deviation, and creep law parameters. The model seems appropriate to correlate the tensile behavior of semisolid microstructures having up to 30 pct liquid phase distributed over a large spectrum of grain morphologies.

The age-old tradition of feasting the dead has been maintained by Russian populations for well over five centuries. Graveyards hold a special place both in traditional Orthodox faith and in the lives of Russians and others in the city of Narva, Estonia. The tradition of feasting the dead for three, nine and forty days after death, can be traced unbroken to pre-Christian Rus’. Details may vary, but always the soul of the deceased must battle its way out of the body and then spend time in both heaven and hell. While this journey is occurring, the living must remember the dead, helping their souls during this period of travail. Even a final feast one year after the death of the individual does not end the relationship between the living and the deceased, for the graves are still visited on a regular basis as a sign of respect to the dead, who are potential saints in the Russian Orthodox tradition. This ‘saintly’ land — Russian graves — defines homeland and roots the population to a new area. By examining the importance of graveyards to Russians, to the ethnic Komi of Northern Russia, and other Eastern Europeans, I demonstrate that a sense of place is maintained in these rituals of daily life.

It is rare to find an analysis of nationalism that does not invoke Benedict Anderson's Imagined Communities, first published in 1983 and then reprinted in 1991. Although the term has caught the imagination of many researchers, the concept of the ‘imagined community’ is based on a number of questionable premises. The first problematic assertion is that prior to modernity the medieval period's sacred languages and scripts provided the basis for universal religious communities. The emergence of capitalism purportedly resulted in a radical break with the medieval past. Imagined national communities emerged with print‐capitalism and the mass publication of texts in vernaculars. Anderson argues that: ‘In a word, the fall of Latin exemplified a larger process in which the sacred communities integrated by old sacred languages were gradually fragmented, pluralised, and territorialised.’ For Anderson, it was this process that led to the modern self‐conceived nations. I do not question the importance of the printed ...

В общественных науках принято рассматривать национализм как преимущественно политический феномен. В последние годы возобла-дала тенденция трактовать как государственные конструкты и куль-турные основания нации. Возникновение нации не только описывается как процесс политический, но и безусловно привязывается хронологи-чески к Новому времени. Квинтэссенцией данного подхода является известное утверждение Эрика Хобсбаума: “существует больше госу-дарств, создавших нации, чем наций, создавших государства” (1990). И все же, несмотря на то, что трактовка нации как модернового го-сударственного конструкта превратилась в научную ортодоксию, раз-даются голоса сторонников “еретической” точки зрения, согласно ко-торой нации начинают складываться в Средние века. В качестве наи-более очевидного примера средневековой нации обычно приводится Англия, но ревизионистская концепция теории нации и национализма, выдвинутая Адрианом Гастингсом (Adrian Hastings) применительно к Англии, вполне приложима и к другим странам. Если Гастингс прав в том, что Библия служила зеркалом для формирующихся наций, приме-ры средневековых наций должны обнаруживаться во всех христиан-ских регионах мира. В предлагаемой статье теория Гастингса тестиру-ется на российском материале. Корни русской нации автор ищет не в политической сфере, а в православных религиозных текстах. Наиболее ранние следы национального самосознания М. Бушар об-наруживает в XI веке в таких религиозных текстах, как древнеславян-ские Псалтыри и апокрифы. Он демонстрирует, что основная лексика описания национального в современной России восходит к этому ран-нему периоду. Рассмотрение “Повести временных лет” и “Слова ми-трополита Илариона о законе и благодати” позволяет автору утвер-ждать, что в Киевской Руси концепция национального формулирова-лась аналогично тому, как понимают ее в современной России. Ставя проблему средневековых корней нации, М. Бушар призывает пере-смотреть влиятельные сегодня модернистские теории, не позволяю-щие, по его мнению, адекватно исследовать те феномены нации и на-ционального, которые характерны для Российской Федерации и рус-ской диаспоры.

The theory for interaction coefficient of alloying additions on hydrogen activity in Al alloys has been generally discussed. In particular, the interaction coefficient of Cu addition on the hydrogen activity for the Al-Cu-H system has been evaluated based on hydrogen solubility values in pure aluminum and in Al-Cu alloy measured at different Cu concentrations by means of Sieverts’ apparatus. The Cu addition was found to reduce the hydrogen solubility, and its effect on hydrogen solubility was evaluated by the interaction coefficient γ H Cu , which is a function of Cu-addition concentration and melt temperature. The evaluated interaction coefficient was converted into an alloy correction factor CF(A) and a temperature correction factor CF(T), which are employed in industrial hydrogen measurement techniques such as TELEGAS and ALSCAN.

Cellulose acetate, developed about 100 years ago as a versatile, semisynthetic plastic material, is used in a variety of applications and is perhaps best known as the basis of photographic film stock. Objects made wholly or partly from cellulose acetate are an important part of modern and contemporary cultural heritage, particularly in museum collections. Given the potential instability of the material, however, it is imperative to understand the aging mechanisms and deterioration pathways of cellulose ester plastics to mitigate decomposition and formulate guidelines for storage, exhibition, and conservation. One important aspect of this process is the ability to fully characterize the plastic, because variations in composition affect its aging properties and ultimate stability. In this Account, we assess the potential of a range of analytical techniques for plastics made from cellulose acetate, cellulose propionate, and cellulose butyrate. Comprehensive characterization of cellulose ester plastics is best achieved by applying several complementary analytical techniques. Fourier-transform IR (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy provide rapid means for basic characterization of plastic objects, which can be useful for quick, noninvasive screening of museum collections with portable instruments. Pyrolysis GC/MS is capable of differentiating the main types of cellulose ester polymers but also permits a richly detailed compositional analysis of additives. Thermal analysis techniques provide a wealth of compositional information and thermal behavior. Thermogravimetry (TG) allows for quantitative analysis of thermally stable volatile additives, and weight-difference curves offer a novel means for assessing oxidative stability. The mechanical response to temperature, such as the glass transition, can be measured with dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), but results from other thermal analysis techniques such as TG, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and dynamic load thermomechanical analysis (DLTMA) are often required to more accurately interpret the results. The analytical results from this study form the basis for in-depth studies of works of art fabricated from cellulose acetate. These objects, which are particularly at risk when stored in tightly sealed containers (as is often the case with photographic film), warrant particular attention for conservation given their susceptibility toward sudden onset of deterioration.

The identification of organic colorants in works of art (such as dyes on textiles or organic pigments) by Raman spectroscopy is generally limited by the presence of a strong fluorescence background. In this paper, the effectiveness of minimizing fluorescence in the analysis of Cape Jasmine (Gardenia augusta L.) by dispersive Raman spectroscopy at three different excitation wavelengths (633, 785 and 1064 nm) and by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) with and without acid hydrolysis is evaluated and compared. It is shown that these vibrational techniques offer an alternative analytical approach, when, as is particularly the case of Cape Jasmine, sample preparation procedures that are routinely applied for natural organic dyes and pigments cause alterations that lead to low sensitivity in the more classical high-performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array (HPLC-PDA) analytical protocols. Samples of the yellow dye G. augusta L. in the following forms were analyzed: dyed on alum mordanted wool, dyed on nonmordanted and alum mordanted silk, pigment precipitated on hydrated aluminum oxide, extract mixed with a protein binder and painted on glass, and as a water-based glaze applied on a mock-up of a typical Chinese wall-painting. Raman bands at 1537, 1209 and 1165 cm−1 are identified as discriminating markers for the carotenoid colorant components crocetin and crocin. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Several approaches have been investigated to prepare fluorite-type compositions within the (1-x) CeO{sub 2}-xYO{sub 1.5} system. The optical properties of the resulting modified-ceria materials have been characterized in order to evaluate their potential abilities as inorganic UV absorbers. Diffuse reflectance analyses reveal a strong optical absorption between 390 and 400 nm for all substituted compositions and the spectral selectivities are estimated suitable for the targeted application. Additionally, time resolved microwave conductivity (TRMC) and phenol photodegradation analyses do not indicate any photocalatytic activity for these compositions. Aqueous colloidal suspensions of the Ce{sub 0.7}Y{sub 0.3}O{sub 1.85} UV absorber have been carried out. - Graphical abstract: Comparison between diffuse reflectance spectra of ceria (x=0) and yttrium modified ceria (x=0.3)

Mesoporous nanosized TiO2 and Zn(x)Ti(1-x)O(2-x) solid solution having a Zn content below 10 mol % with a particles size between 13 and 17 nm are prepared by a template-free sol-gel method followed by high-temperature supercritical drying in 2-propanol. The structural, textural, and electronic properties of the obtained nanomaterials are methodically investigated by using XRD, SEM, TEM, ED, HREM, EDX, ICP-OES, N(2) adsorption-desorption, Raman spectroscopy, and diffuse reflectance UV-vis spectroscopy. It is shown that the proposed synthesis technique leads to the formation of a Zn(x)Ti(1-x)O(2-x) solid solution based on the anatase crystal structure rather than a two-phase sample. High-resolution electron microscopy and electron diffraction indicate that the distribution of zinc atoms over the anatase structure does not lead to a considerable deformation of the crystal structure.

Three commercial TiO2 compounds (Degussa P25, Sachtleben UV100, and Millenium PC50) and their platinized forms have been studied by the time-resolved microwave conductivity (TRMC) method to follow their charge-carrier dynamics and to relate it to the photocatalytic activity for phenol degradation in TiO2 aqueous suspensions. The degradation reaction has been studied in detail, following the time evolution of the concentration of phenol and its intermediates by liquid chromatography. The results show that platinization has a distinct influence on the commercial compounds, decreasing globally the activity of P25 and increasing the activity of PC50 and UV100. An influence of charge-carrier lifetimes on the photoactivity of pure and platinized TiO2 samples has been evidenced.

The decorated cave of Mayenne-Sciences (Thorigné-en-Charnie, Mayenne) is characterized by four main features. It is geographically isolated, far away from the main regions such as Aquitany and Lot. It is culturally isolated since it belongs to the series of nine caves or shelters attributed to the Upper Palaeolithic in Northen France, like the caves of Gouy and Orival in Normandy, Boutigny, Le Croc-Martin and Les Trois Pignons in the département of Essonne, the Grotte du Cheval and the Grande Grotte of Arcy-sur-Cure in Burgundy, and Church Hole in England. Now, apart from the caves of the Cure valley, the other series of artistic documents can all be attributed to the Magdalenian, while the radiocarbon datation of pigments obtained from a horse of Mayenne-Sciences goes up to about 25 000 years, that is to the Gravettian. It is archaeologically isolated, the sites were excavated a long time ago, so it is impossible to link the stratigraphic levels to those of the main sites of reference in Périgord or Poitou-Charentes. It is "aberrant" from the stylistic point of view as well as for the symbolic designs. After a thoroughly analysis and definition of the geological, archaeological and artistic contexts of the cave, each representation is precisely described. A survey of the sites where parietal art and mobiliary art were found in the close vicinity of Mayenne-Sciences, is following ; then a deepen analysis enables us to set Mayenne-Sciences within a figurative bias mainly flourishing in Europe during the pre-Magdalenian which we propose to call "art de la silhouette ". It is demonstrated at the end that the "aberrant" feature of the decoration of Mayenne-Sciences is part of its isolation at the border of the main Prehistoric cultural currents (schemes ?) as it is for other examples of decorated caves. These caves can be put together under the concept of "grotte limite ", that is caves situated on the boundary of the influence of a special area which might be in the case of Mayenne-Sciences the Quercy., La grotte ornée Mayenne-Sciences (Thorigné-en-Charnie, Mayenne) possède quatre caractéristiques principales : 1) elle est isolée géographiquement, complètement reléguée à l'écart des grandes « provinces » comme l'Aquitaine et le Lot ; 2) elle est isolée culturellement : elle fait en effet partie du groupe des neuf cavités ou abris attribués au Paléolithique supérieur du nord de la France, avec les grottes de Gouy et d'Orival en Normandie, Boutigny, Le Croc-Marin et Les Trois Pignons en Essonne, la grotte du Cheval et la Grande Grotte d'Arcy-sur-Cure en Bourgogne, et Church Hole en Angleterre ; or, les grottes de la vallée de la Cure mises à part, toutes les autres manifestations artistiques peuvent être attribuées au Magdalénien, tandis que deux datations radiocarbones sur un cheval de Mayenne-Sciences ont fourni une datation d'époque gravettienne d'environ 25 000 ans ; 3) elle est isolée archéologiquement : l'ancienneté des fouilles ne permet pas de raccorder entre elles les séquences du Paléolithique supérieur retrouvées à proximité de celles des grands sites de référence du Périgord et du Poitou-Charentes ; 4) elle est « aberrante » du double point de vue du style et des constructions symboliques. Après une étude exhaustive, qui nous verra analyser et préciser les contextes géologique, archéologique et artistique de la grotte, nous décrirons précisément chacune de ses représentations. Nous tenterons ensuite d'établir une synthèse des sites d'art pariétal et mobilier dans le voisinage « immédiat » de Mayenne-Sciences puis, poussant plus loin notre analyse, de la replacer au sein d'une tendance figurative que nous proposons d'appeler « art de la silhouette », tendance qui fut majoritaire dans l'Europe anté-magdalénienne. Nous montrerons finalement que le caractère « aberrant » du décor de Mayenne-Sciences participe de son isolement aux marges des grands courants culturels préhistoriques, comme pour d'autres exemples de grottes ornées. Celles-ci seront regroupées sous le terme de « grottes-limites », grottes situées à l'extrémité de la zone d'influence d'une « province » particulière qui, dans le cas de Mayenne-Sciences, se situerait probablement dans la région du Quercy., La cueva ornada de Mayenne-Sciences (Thorigné-en-Charnie, Mayenne) posee cuatro caracteristicas principales : 1) está aislada geográficamente, siendo apartada de las grandes "provincias" como son Aquitania o el Lot ; 2) está aislada culturalmente : en efecto, forma parte del grupo de nueve cavidades o abrigos atribuidos al Paleolitico superior del Norte de Francia (con las cuevas de Gouy y Orival en Normandia, Boutigny, Le Croc-Marin y Les Trois Pignons en Essone, la grotte du Cheval y la Grande Grotte de Arcy-sur-Cure en Borgona, y Church Hole en Inglaterra) ; sin embargo, si se exceptúa las cuevas del valle de la Cure, todas las otras manifestaciones artisticas pueden atribuirse al Magdaleniense, mientras que dos dataciones 14C efectuadas en un caballo de Mayenne-Sciences remiten a una época gravetiense de 25 000 anos más o menos ; 3) esta aislada arqueológicamente, pues el carácter antiguo de las excavaciones no permite juntar las secuencias del Paleolitico superior encontradas a proximidad con las de otros grandes sitios de referencia del Périgord o de Poitou-Charentes ; 4) es "aberrante" desde el punto de vista del estilo y de las construcciones simbolicas. Tras un estudio exhaustive, en el que analizaremos y estableceremos con precision el contexto geologico, arqueológico y artistico de la cueva, describiremos detenidamente cada unas de sus representaciones. Intentaremos luego establecer una sintesis de los sitios de arte parietal y mobiliario en las inmediaciones de Mayenne-Sciences. Conduciendo mas alla nuestro analisis, trataremos de situarla en el contexto de una tendencia figurativa que proponemos nombrar "art de la silhouette ". Dicha tendencia fue mayoritaria en la Europa ante-magdaleniense. Mostraremos, por fin, que el caracter "aberrante" del decorado de Mayenne-Sciences contribuye a aislarla al margen de las grandes corrientes culturales prehistoricas, al igual que ocurre con otros ejemplos de cuevas ornadas. Estas cuevas se reunen bajo el término de "grotte-limite ", siendo situadas al extremo de la zona de influencia de una "provincia" particular, que en el caso de Mayenne-Sciences se situaria probablemente en la región de Quercy., Pigeaud Romain, Bouchard Michel, Laval Eric. La grotte ornée Mayenne-Sciences (Thorigné-en-Charnie, Mayenne) : un exemple d'art pariétal d'époque gravettienne en France septentrionale. In: Gallia préhistoire, tome 46, 2004. pp. 1-154.

The large amount of new materials like amalgams and techniques of finishing and polishing in operative dentistry has stimulated interest for simple non-destructive methods of surface roughness evaluation. We studied an optical method based on the scattering of coherent light upon reflection on prepared samples of composite resins submitted to different surface treatments. The method should be able to discriminate the degree of flatness for the samples thus enabling a classification procedure according to a figure of merit to be defined. The diffraction properties of such moderately rough surfaces has been correlated with mechanical profilometric measurements of the residual granular structure after polishing. Different surface treatments of composite resins result in distinctive levels of surface flatness, and it is shown that a relation between the intensity of the normalized specular reflection of a beam of coherent light and the rms surface roughness can be established for characterization purposes.

The large number of new materials such as amalgams and the variety of techniques for finishing and polishing in operative dentistry has stimulated interest in simple, nondestructive methods of surface roughness evaluation. We studied an optical method based on the scattering of reflected coherent light on prepared samples of composite resins submitted to different surface treatments. The method should be able to measure the degree of flatness of the samples, thus enabling a classification procedure according to a figure of merit to be defined. The diffraction properties of such moderately rough surfaces has been correlated with mechanical profilometer measurements of the residual granular structure after polishing. Different surface treatments of composite resins result in distinctive levels of surface flatness, and it is shown that a relation between the intensity of the normalized specular reflection of a beam of coherent light and the rms surface roughness can be established for characterization purposes.

The use of two optical diagnostic techniques for the visualization of low-gravity experiments is described. The analysis of requirements relevant to the low-gravity environment led to the choice of real-time holographic interferometry and moire deflectometry as suitable optical visualization techniques. An optical setup designed to operate in the KC-135 aircraft is described. An interactive fringe analysis system is also presented. Fringe center lines are extracted using a special onedimensional algorithm. The reconstruction of physical parameters from axisymmetrical objects is achieved using direct and inverse Abel transforms on moire and interferometric fringe fields. The applicability of the optical diagnostic techniques to the visualization of laser processing with liquids and solids in a low-gravity environment is demonstrated and experimental results on laser beam interaction with plastic, quartz, and water are presented.

Cet article examine l’histoire d’un peuple et d’une langue. D’abord connu par son nom « Perm », il fut ensuite appelé « Zyriène » et maintenant « Komi » depuis le début du 20e siècle. Le déclin de la langue komi va de pair avec l’ascension d’un autre peuple, dit « Slave » ensuite « Roussin » et enfin « Rousskii » (Russe). Le cas komi n’est pas atypique : les forces qui minent la vitalité linguistique des Komis sont à peu près identiques chez maints autres peuples minoritaires, y compris chez les francophones minoritaires de l’ouest canadien, dont l’auteur de cet article est originaire. Ce qui tue finalement une langue ce ne sont pas les politiques d’État et les autres forces sociales qui favorisent une langue dominante aux dépens d’une langue minoritaire, mais la gêne et la honte du peuple minoritaire. Dans cet article, nous examinons l’histoire de la langue et du peuple komi ainsi que les actions quotidiennes qui dévalorisent la langue et l’identité de ce peuple indigène devenu une minorité démographique dans la République komie., This article examines the history of a people and a language. First known under as the « Perm », they were renamed « Zyrian » and finally « Komi » in the 20th century. The decline of the Komi language can be correlated to the rise of another people called « Slavs » and then « Rusin » and finally « Russkii » (Russian). The case of the Komi is not atypical: the forces that undermine the Komi language are virtually identical to the problems faced by most minority languages, including the French language of Western Canada. What will finally kill a language are not solely the political and social forces that favor one language over another, but the shame and the stigma that are attached to a minority language. This article is therefore a history of the Komi language and an examination of the day-to-day actions that devalue the language of the minority, in this case the ethnic Komi that have been a minority even within its traditional territory and the contemporary Komi Republic located within the Russian Federation., Este artículo examina la historia de un pueblo y de una lengua. Primeramente conocido bajo el nombre de « Perme », este pueblo fue después llamado « Zyrien » y desde principios del siglo XX se le conoce bajo el nombre de « Komi ». El ocaso de la lengua komi acompaña el ascenso de otro pueblo, llamado « Eslavo » o bien « Ruso » y finalmente « Rousskii » (Ruso). El caso komi no es diferente : las fuerzas que minan la vitalidad lingüística de los Komi son prácticamente las mismas que agobian a otros pueblos minoritarios, como es el caso de los francófonos minoritarios del oeste canadiense, de donde proviene el autor del presente artículo. Lo que finalmente mata a una lengua no son las políticas de un Estado y las fuerzas sociales que favorecen una lengua dominante a costa de otra minoritaria, sino el temor y la vergüenza del pueblo minoritario. En este artículo abordamos la historia y la lengua del pueblo komi, así como las acciones cotidianas que desvalorizan la lengua y la identidad de este pueblo indígena que se ha convertido en una minoría demográfica.