This thesis presents a typology for Formative Period ceramic styles from the Jequetepeque and adjacent valleys. The materials in question have historically been considered as Chavín or Coastal Chavín and more recently as Cupisnique, however, these terms remain vague and ill-defined. Other stylistic labels have also been applied (notably Chongoyape and Tembladera) but a lack of definition means that the use of these terms remains contradictory. Few attempts have been made to systematically consider let alone classify the artistic diversity of Formative Period North Peruvian ceramics. The first point raised in the course of this research is that not all these ceramics should be grouped under one monolithic label. There is a huge amount of diversity that can make generalised stylistic descriptions problematic. This research addressed this issue by using a quantitative multivariate approach. Statistical tests applied to the thesis dataset (c.900 ceramics) identified statistically significant combinations in the permutations used to classify variables such as chamber-shape, 3D-sculpting, handle-shape, spout-shape and spout-rim, the application of different kinds of paint, and the use of surface-texturing techniques, amongst others. The recurring of specific and mutually exclusive combinations of traits strongly indicates distinct manufacturing processes (chaînes opératoires) that in turn point to separate cultural traditions of ceramic-making. In particular, the identification and classification of two distinct handle-spout types and their consistent co-occurrence with other formal and decorative techniques are decisive in defining distinct ceramic styles. Within the Formative Period North Peruvian ceramic complex, two ceramic classes and seven types are thereby classified, plus a number of varieties. Through comparison with archaeological data, it was possible to assign some of these to geographical and/or chronological ranges, while also revealing a complex and fluctuating situation of ceramic-making and exchanging of techniques and motifs in the past.

In the now hyper-arid desert of the south coast of Peru, the natural desiccation of human remains provides a rare and unique opportunity for detailed study into the dietary practices of the people that once lived there. My research investigates the changing subsistence strategies of four groups from the lower Ica Valley from the Early Horizon to the Late Intermediate Period. This area witnessed a dynamic history over this 1500-year time frame, including the emergence and collapse of the Nasca, the spread of influence by the highland Wari empire and the local development of the Ica-Chincha trading society. Yet very little is known about the daily life of the individuals who inhabited this area. By reconstructing their diets it has been possible to examine the economic and land use practices they used as well as the ways in which they created and maintained social relationships using food. Mummified human remains (bone, teeth, hair and skin) from the four Pre-Columbian groups - Late Ocucaje (c.100 B.C.-200 A.D.), Late Nasca (c.450-650 A.D.), Wari (c.800-1000 A.D.) and Ica-Chincha (c.1200-1400 A.D.) - have been analysed for stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes. The combination of multiple tissues has allowed analysis at the intra-individual as well as the intra- and inter-group levels creating a detailed and nuanced dietary reconstruction that incorporates dietary information about childhood, adulthood and over a short-term (monthly) period. The analysis of multiple tissues from the mummified remains has allowed a critical evaluation of the isotopic relationship between different tissues from the same individuals as well as their use for reconstructing dietary life histories. A review of all tissue isotopic comparisons including the data from this research shows that the relationships are difficult to constrain. The carbon and nitrogen isotope data show that terrestrial resources, both plant and animal, were the mainstay of the diet in all four periods. Maize was of varying importance over the time frame, with its contribution to the diet increasing over time. Marine resources did not contribute significantly to the diet, despite their abundance in the middens. The strongest case for social differentiation using food is from the Middle Horizon results, which show a high diversity between groups in terms of dietary choice and do not conform to the hypothesis based on the rich botanical data from the valley. From the observations from all four periods the existing theories about the socio-economic structure of the south coast have been critically evaluated in light of this new evidence.

La mutagénèse dirigée et la transfection stable dans le modèle cellulaire X-CGD PLB-985 ont été utilisées pour étudier les mécanismes moléculaires du dysfonctionnement de l'oxydase dans 3 cas de CGD-X+ (H303N /P304R, D500G, L505R), 1 cas de X–-CGD (S193F) et le rôle de 2 domaines de Nox2 191TSSTKTIRRS200 et 484DESQANHFAVHHDEEKD500. Les mutations H303N, P304R et D500G inhibent l'assemblage et l'activité de l'oxydase. La mutation L505R diminue partiellement l'affinité de Nox2 pour NADPH et son interaction avec p67phox in vitro. Cependant cet acide aminé n'est impliqué dans la fixation directe du NADPH. La boucle D et la région (484-504) sont essentielles à l'activité oxydase. Seule la région C-terminale est impliquée dans l'assemblage de l'oxydase et le transfert électronique du NADPH vers FAD. La boucle D des Nox1/3/4 est fonctionnelle pour l'activité oxidase de Nox2. Le modèle-3D de la partie C-terminale de Nox2 confirme l'importance de l'hélice-alpha dans l'activation du complexe oxydase.

La NADPH-oxydase phagocytaire, responsable de la production d'anions superoxydes microbicides, résulte de l'assemblage des protéines cytosoliques avec le cytochrome b558 membranaire redox formé de Nox2 et p22phox. Nous avons mis en évidence précédemment que le remplacement de la boucle D de Nox2 par celle de Nox4 (mutant D-loopNox4-Nox2) était à l'origine d'une " super-activité " oxydase. Le présent travail a consisté à élucider les mécanismes moléculaires à l'origine de la super-activité oxydase de ce mutant. Le mutant présente une activité oxydase ex vivo 2 à 8 fois supérieure à celle de cellules PLB-985 WT-Nox2, en réponse aux stimuli solubles et particulaires. Cette suractivité est plus importante en réponse à l'ionomycine et au facteur chimiotactique fMLF, dont les voies d'activation impliquent une augmentation du taux de Ca2+i. Cette suractivité a également été mise en évidence dans un système simplifié in vitro contenant uniquement les protéines purifiées du complexe oxydase et activé par l'acide phosphatidique. L'activité oxydase du mutant ex vivo présente une sensibilité accrue à un influx de calcium. Le cytochrome b558 muté est moins sensible aux événements de phosphorylation dépendant d'ERK1/2 durant l'activation par le fMLF. Ainsi, la suractivité du mutant D-loopNox4-Nox2 pourrait provenir d'une modification de la conformation de Nox2 mutée, favorisant l'état activé du complexe oxydase. De plus, la super-activité du mutant améliore son pouvoir bactéricide vis-à-vis de la souche atténuée P. aeruginosa PAO1. Enfin, nous avons pu mettre en évidence l'existence de deux phases distinctes et interdépendantes dans le processus de bactéricidie de ce microorganisme.

This undergraduate thesis is an examination of the works of Odorannus (c. 985-c. 1046), a monk of the abbey of Saint Pierre-le-Vif in Sens, France. A prominent monk in his community, Odorannus was involved in constructing and celebrating his monastery's prosperity and identity. At times, however, he was at variance with his brethren, even experiencing a brief period in exile. This essay explores aspects of Odorannus' compilation, a collection which the monk himself gathered together in his old age, in terms of the dynamic relationship between self and community in a Benedictine monastery of the central Middle Ages.

Ce mémoire de recherche porte sur la méthode de travail de six historiens du haut moyen âge : Frédégaire, Jonas de Bobbio, Nithard, Richer de Reims, Raoul Glaber et André de Fleury. Elle démontre que l'élaboration d'oeuvres historiographiques et hagiographiques dépendait de l'utilisation de sources à la fois orales et écrites tout au long de la période. Du VIIe au XIe siècle en Gaule franque, la perception et l'utilisation des sources connaissent toutefois des changements : signe d'une évolution des mentalités, les historiens utilisent de plus en plus la rumeur publique, au point d'éclipser d'autres types de sources orales plus courantes au début de la période. Cependant, les saintes Écritures sont omniprésentes à toutes les époques et les témoins directs reconnus nommément sont toujours de sexe masculin et membres de la hiérarchie ecclésiastique. L'évocation constante de la Parole et de son interprète exclusif, le prêtre, démontre que l'histoire demeure un moyen d'éducation du groupe intra-monastique; l'écrit historiographique n'a pas encore atteint le stade la prédication populaire. / Québec Université Laval, Bibliothèque 2014