Quaternary Sedimentation in the St. Lawrence Estuary and Adjoining Areas, Eastern Canada: An Overview Based on High-Resolution Seismo-Stratigraphy

The regional Quaternary seismo-stratigraphy of NW Gulf of St. Lawrence, based on 5700 line km of high resolution seismic reflection profiles, is described. The Quaternary sequence can be locally missing or can exceed 1.3 km in thickness. Five major stratigraphic units are recognized, which vary in their character and distribution so that at any location a variety of bedrock types may be overlain by a distinctive Quaternary sequence. These units relate to the advance and retreat of the Late Wisconsinan Ice Sheet. We interpret these units as: Unit 1, recording the presence of grounded glacial ice, including ice-loaded and ice-deposited sediments. Unit 2, ice-proximal coarse-grained sediment deposited either as a thin, conformable layer during the rapid retreat of an ice terminus, or as a wedge-shaped fan marking the position of an ice front still stand. Unit 3, ice-distal fine-grained sediment deposited from meltwater plumes at times of elevated sea levels and rapidly ablating sea ice. Unit 4, paraglacial deltaic sediment marking the melting of terrestrially-based ice caps, and the concommittant growth of deltas, rapidly prograding into a seaway undergoing rapidly falling sea levels. Unit 5, postglacial sediment reflecting the winnowing of shallow areas and deposition of organic-rich mud in deep basins, under modern sea level and océanographie conditions. A conceptual model dealing with the deposition of sediment associated with the withdrawal of a continental ice sheet is developed. The model includes the dynamics associated with the initial ice advance, terminal ice dynamics, retreat of the ice terminus, stable ice-fronts during the recessional phase, ice sheets ablating on land, and postglacial sedimentation under conditions of fluctuating sea levels.Le présent article se fonde sur des profils effectués par sismique reflection sur 5700 kilomètres dans le nord-ouest du golfe du Saint-Laurent. La séquence quaternaire, parfois absente, peut ailleurs avoir plus de 1,3 kilomètre d'épaisseur. On a relevé cinq grandes unités stratigraphiques dont la nature et la répartition varient. Liées à l'évolution de l'inlandsis du Wisconsinien supérieur, elles se présentent comme suit: unité 1 : sédiments de contact renfermant des sédiments comprimés par le glacier et d'autres déposés par lui; unité 2: sédiments proximaux grossiers, déposés soit en une couche mince et concordante durant le retrait rapide d'un front, soit sous forme de cône marquant la position d'un front stable; unité 3: sédiments distaux fins, déposés par des langues d'eau de fusion dans une mer à niveaux élevés et dont la glace fondait rapidement; unité 4: sédiments deltaïques paraglaciaires révélant la fusion de glaces continentales et la formation rapide et concomitante de deltas dans une mer accusant de fortes baisses de niveau : unité 5: sédiments postglaciaires révélant le triage de zones peu profondes et le dépôt, en profondeur, de boues riches en matières organiques, dans des conditions rappelant celles d'aujourd'hui. Un modèle, exposant les étapes de sédimentation associées au retrait d'un inlandsis, tient compte des dynamiques associées à la première avancée glaciaire, à la position glaciaire finale, au retrait du front glaciaire, à la stabilité du front pendant le retrait, à la fusion de l'inlandsis et à la sédimentation postglaciaire dans une mer aux niveaux changeants.Die régionale Quaternâr Seismo-Stratigraphie des Nordwestens vom Sankt-Lorenz-Golf wird beschrieben, gestûtzt auf 5700 km lange seismische Reflexions-profile mit hoher Auflôsung. Die Quatemàr-Sequenz kann stellenweise fehlen oder auch ùber 1.3 km dick sein. Fùnf stratigraphische Haupt einheiten werden bestimmt. Einheit 1, welche das Vorhandensein von glazialem bodeneis einschliesslich durch Eis kompri-mierte und durch Eis abgelagerte Sedimente dokumentiert. Einheit 2, ein grobgekôrntes Eisproximal-Sediment, das entweder als eine dùnne, gleichgelagerte Schicht wâhrend des schnellen Rûckzugs eines Eisterminus abgelagert wurde, oder als ein keilfôrmiger Fâcher, der den Stillstand einer Eisfront markiert. Einheit 3, ein feinkôrniges Eis-Distal-Sediment, das von Schmelzwasserzungen in Zeiten erhôhter Meeresspiegel und rasch schmelzenden Meereises abgelagert wurde. Einheit 4. ein paraglaziales Delta-Sediment, welches das Schmelzen von auf dem Festland gelagerten Eiskappen markiert und das damit verbundene Anwachsen der Deltas, die schnell zu einem Seeweg vorrùckten und schnell fallenden Meeresspiegeln ausgesetzt waren. Einheit 5, ein postglaziales Sediment, das das Aussortieren seichter Gebiete spiegelt sowie Ablagerung von organisch reichem Schlamm in tiefen Becken und das unter modernen Meeresspiegel - und ozeanographischen Bedingungen. Es wird ein Begriffsmodell entwickelt, das sich mit der Ablagerung von Sediment im Zusammenhang mit dem Ruckzug einer kontinentalen Eisdecke befasst

When workplace unionism in global value chains does not function well : exploring the impediments

Improving working conditions at the bottom of global value chains has become a central issue in our global economy. In this battle, trade unionism has been presented as a way for workers to make their voices heard. Therefore, it is strongly promoted by most social standards. However, establishing a well-functioning trade union is not as obvious as it may seem. Using a comparative case study approach, we examine impediments to farm-level unionism in the cut flower industry in Ethiopia. For this purpose, we propose an integrated framework combining two lenses, namely a vertical one (governance and structure of global value chains) and a horizontal one (socio-economic context). We identify 10 impediments that point to three major dimensions contributing to unionisation. These three dimensions include awareness of and interest from workers, legitimacy of trade unions, and capacity of trade unions to act. Furthermore, our results suggest that private social standards may, in certain cases, be counterproductive for the efficient functioning of trade unions. Although we argue that there is no ‘quick fix’ solution to weak workplace unionism at the bottom of global value chains, we stress the importance of considering the dynamics of, and interactions between, the impediments when designing potential support measures that mitigate negative impacts

Large-scale mapping of mutations affecting zebrafish development

BACKGROUND: Large-scale mutagenesis screens in the zebrafish employing the mutagen ENU have isolated several hundred mutant loci that represent putative developmental control genes. In order to realize the potential of such screens, systematic genetic mapping of the mutations is necessary. Here we report on a large-scale effort to map the mutations generated in mutagenesis screening at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology by genome scanning with microsatellite markers. RESULTS: We have selected a set of microsatellite markers and developed methods and scoring criteria suitable for efficient, high-throughput genome scanning. We have used these methods to successfully obtain a rough map position for 319 mutant loci from the Tübingen I mutagenesis screen and subsequent screening of the mutant collection. For 277 of these the corresponding gene is not yet identified. Mapping was successful for 80 % of the tested loci. By comparing 21 mutation and gene positions of cloned mutations we have validated the correctness of our linkage group assignments and estimated the standard error of our map positions to be approximately 6 cM. CONCLUSION: By obtaining rough map positions for over 300 zebrafish loci with developmental phenotypes, we have generated a dataset that will be useful not only for cloning of the affected genes, but also to suggest allelism of mutations with similar phenotypes that will be identified in future screens. Furthermore this work validates the usefulness of our methodology for rapid, systematic and inexpensive microsatellite mapping of zebrafish mutations

Emerging IT risks: insights from German banking

How do German banks manage the emerging risks stemming from IT innovations such as cyber risk? With a focus on process, roles and responsibilities, field data from ten banks participating in the 2014 ECB stress test were collected by interviewing IT managers, risk managers and external experts. Current procedures for handling emerging risks in German banks were identified from the interviews and analysed, guided by the extant literature. A clear gap was found between enterprise risk management (ERM) as a general approach to risks threatening firms’ objectives and ERM’s neglect of emerging risks, such as those associated with IT innovations. The findings suggest that ERM should be extended towards the collection and sharing of knowledge to allow for an initial understanding and description of emerging risks, as opposed to the traditional ERM approach involving estimates of impact and probability. For example, as cyber risks emerge from an IT innovation, the focus may need to switch towards reducing uncertainty through knowledge acquisition. Since individual managers seldom possess all relevant knowledge of an IT innovation, various stakeholders may need to be involved to exploit their expertise

Louise Müller e o Jogo da Filosofia Africana: Lopes, Marcos Carvalho. Louise Müller e.o. Jogo Da Filosofia Africana." In Tcholonadur: Entrevistas Sobre Filosofia Africana, edited by Marcos Carvalho Lopes, 183-95. São Carlos: Pedro & João Editores, 2023.

Louise Müller e o jogo da filosofia africana*“O conhecimento é como um baobá, nenhuma pessoa sozinha pode abraçá-lo”. Esse é um provérbio Akan que pode ser combinado com outro que diz “Que nenhuma cidade (polis) possui sozinha a verdade”. Nenhuma cidade poderia almejar a posse integral da verdade. É nesse sentido que a filósofa holandesaLouise Müller, especialista na cultura akan, tem se dedicado à filosofia africana, desenvolvendo diálogos interculturais, assim como, buscando se aprofundar nos conhecimentos de línguas e culturas africanas.Modern and Contemporary Studie

Quaternary Geologic History of Lady Franklin Bank, Southeastern Baffin Shelf, N.W.T.

The Lady Franklin Sand and Gravel is an informal term for a compositionally sand and/or gravel surficial sediment unit of the southeastern Baffin Shelf, delineated on the basis of grab samples and acoustic data by Praeg and MacLean (in preparation). The unit tends to occur above a bathymetric depth of about 200 m below which there is often surficial till of the Baffin Shelf Drift, and above which there is either (1) thin sand and gravel over thick tills, (2) thin sand and gravel over bedrock, or (3) an intermediate thickness cover for which it is uncertain whether there is thin sand and gravel over thin till, or solely thick sand and gravel. The Lady Franklin Bank area is an example of the latter case. In this area, the sand and gravel is overlain or grades into the silty/clayey sediments of the restricted Monumental Basin. Twenty-five randomly distributed surficial van Veen grab samples are available from the unit in the Lady Franklin Bank area. These had undergone grain size analysis prior to inception of the thesis, and were subsequently submitted to detailed lithologic and textural analysis of three selected grain size intervals: gravel (-50 to -30), coarse sand -20 to 00), and fine sand, (20-30). Grain size distributions indicate assemblages dominantly bimodal between gravel and fine sand, with silt/clay mode of variable importance. Grain size parameters across the study area indicate a general coarsening with increasing depths, except for two coarse grained medium depth samples off Loks Land. Hydraulic interpretation indicates currents of ~20 to 35 cm/s are required to mobilize the fine sand modes, values in the range of existing oceanographic currents. Lithology of the three selected intervals of the sediments are dominated by crystalline siliclastic material and limestone, with minor uncertain brown siltstones and very minor quartz sandstones, largely reflecting the underlying Pre-Cambrian granites and gneisses and Ordovician limestones of the Lady Franklin Bank/Monumental Basin bedrock. Lithologic distributions of all three selected intervals are non-random, and similar, showing a relation to the bedrock adjacent to bathymetrically shallow areas, (< 150 m) and no relation to the bedrock over deeper areas. Textural study of the three grain intervals delineates the presence of a distinct grain surface history comprised of an older, rounded, low relief surface, broken by a younger, angular high relief surface, which has been subsequently slightly modified by rounding. Entirely young surface grains are most common, followed by grain exhibiting both the old and new surfaces and entirely old surface grains. Scanning Electron Microprobe study of -20 to 00 quartz grains also recognizes the surface history, although it is confused by silica precipitation/solution features. Environmental discrimination indicates that the old surface is of the aeolian, subaqueous, and possibly source material environments, while the new surface is of the glacial environment. The new surface has been modified by rounding and surface forms of the subaqueous environment. Roundness distributions for the new surface are non-random, and show a noticeable increase in roundness modification with increasing depth. The evidence indicates a probable relative sea level low of 100 to < 150 m to produce the old surface, followed by ice advance (glaciation) to produce the new surface, and the observed lithologic distribution. The resulting till was modified and is probably till being modified by oceanographic bottom currents, which have decreasing strength to the west (decreasing depths), thus producing the existing grain size and roundness distributions. Keywords: Pages: 112 Supervisors: Ron Boyd / Martin Giblin

Extending the IT service quality measurement framework through a systematic literature review

Continuous improvement of service quality results in enhanced customer satisfaction, increased efficiency and maximisation of business value of the service within the company. Decision-making on the course of service quality improvement is based on the current status of the measurable service quality attributes. The aim of the paper is to describe the IT service quality attributes that could be measured to improve IT service quality. We report on a systematic literature review of IT service quality measurement. The review was based on 134 relevant journal articles related to IT service quality management. Of these, 91 articles were selected for analysis. We propose a detailed and comprehensive quality measurement framework for IT services using the results of the systematic literature review to extend previous work. The framework presents six common issue areas with their associated measurement categories, measures, and indicators. IT service providers can choose the measures to satisfy their specific information needs from the proposed IT service quality measurement framework. We conclude that IT service quality improvement efforts could benefit from considering the internal IT service quality attributes from the viewpoint of the value the provided IT service could bring to both the customer and the provider