ALMA observations of molecular clouds in three group centered elliptical galaxies: NGC 5846, NGC 4636, and NGC 5044

We present new ALMA CO(2--1) observations of two well studied group-centered elliptical galaxies: NGC~4636 and NGC~5846. In addition, we include a revised analysis of Cycle 0 ALMA observations of the central galaxy in the NGC~5044 group that has been previously published. We find evidence that molecular gas, in the form of off-center orbiting clouds, is a common presence in bright group-centered galaxies (BGG). CO line widths are $\gtrsim 10$ times broader than Galactic molecular clouds, and using the reference Milky Way $X_{CO}$, the total molecular mass ranges from as low as $2.6\times 10^5 M_\odot$ in NGC~4636 to $6.1\times 10^7 M_\odot$ in NGC~5044. With these parameters the virial parameters of the molecular structures is $\gg 1$. Complementary observations of NGC~5846 and NGC~4636 using the ALMA Compact Array (ACA) do not exhibit any detection of a CO diffuse component at the sensitivity level achieved by current exposures. The origin of the detected molecular features is still uncertain, but these ALMA observations suggest that they are the end product of the hot gas cooling process and not the result of merger events. Some of the molecular clouds are associated with dust features as revealed by HST dust extinction maps suggesting that these clouds formed from dust-enhanced cooling. The global nonlinear condensation may be triggered via the chaotic turbulent field or buoyant uplift. The large virial parameter of the molecular structures and correlation with the warm ($10^3 - 10^5 K$)/hot ($\ge10^6$) phase velocity dispersion provide evidence that they are unbound giant molecular associations drifting in the turbulent field, consistently with numerical predictions of the chaotic cold accretion process. Alternatively, the observed large CO line widths may be generated by molecular gas flowing out from cloud surfaces due to heating by the local hot gas atmosphere.Comment: Revised version to be published in ApJ, 16 pages, 10 figures, 4 table

Genetic differentiation in the soil-feeding termite Cubitermes sp. affinis subarquatus: occurrence of cryptic species revealed by nuclear and mitochondrial markers

BACKGROUND: Soil-feeding termites are particularly interesting models for studying the effects of fragmentation, a natural or anthropic phenomenon described as promoting genetic differentiation. However, studying the link between fragmentation and genetics requires a method for identifying species unambiguously, especially when morphological diagnostic characters are lacking. In humivorous termites, which contribute to the fertility of tropical soils, molecular taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships are rarely studied, though mitochondrial and nuclear molecular markers are widely used in studies of pest termites. Here, we attempt to clarify the taxonomy of soil-feeding colonies collected throughout the naturally fragmented Lopé Reserve area (Gabon) and morphologically affiliated to Cubitermes sp. affinis subarquatus. The mitochondrial gene of cytochrome oxidase II (COII), the second nuclear rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS2) and five microsatellites were analyzed in 19 colonies. RESULTS: Bayesian Inference, Maximum Likelihood and Maximum Parsimony phylogenetic analyses, which were applied to the COII and ITS2 sequences, and Neighbor-Joining reconstructions, applied to the microsatellite data, reveal four major lineages in the Cubitermes sp. affinis subarquatus colonies. The concordant genealogical pattern of these unlinked markers strongly supports the existence of four cryptic species. Three are sympatric in the Reserve and are probably able to disperse within a mosaic of forests of variable ages and savannahs. One is limited to a very restricted gallery forest patch located in the North, outside the Reserve. CONCLUSION: Our survey highlights the value of combined mitochondrial and nuclear markers for exploring unknown groups such as soil-feeding termites, and their relevance for resolving the taxonomy of organisms with ambiguous morphological diagnostic characters

Aujourd’hui le collégial, demain le monde : étude sur la préparation des étudiants du collégial pour le travail à l’étranger

La présente recherche a été subventionnée par le ministère de l’Éducation, de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche dans le cadre du Programme de recherche et d’expérimentation pédagogiques (PREP) de l’Association des collèges privés québécois (ACPQ).Comprend des références bibliographique

Environmental Life Cycle Assessment

Environmental Life Cycle Assessment is a pivotal guide to identifying environmental problems and reducing related impacts for companies and organizations in need of life cycle assessment (LCA). LCA, a unique sustainability tool, provides a framework that addresses a growing demand for practical technological solutions. Detailing each phase of the LCA methodology, this textbook covers the historical development of LCA, presents the general principles and characteristics of LCA, and outlines the corresponding standards for good practice determined by the International Organization for Standardization. It also explains how to identify the critical aspects of an LCA, provides detailed examples of LCA analysis and applications, and includes illustrated problems and solutions with concrete examples from water management, electronics, packaging, automotive, and other industries. In addition, readers will learn how to: Use consistent criteria to realize and evaluate an LCA independently of individual interests Understand the LCA methodology and become familiar with existing databases and methods based on the latest results of international research Analyze and critique a completed LCA Apply LCA methodology to simple case studies Geared toward graduate and undergraduate students studying environmental science and industrial ecology, as well as practicing environmental engineers, and sustainability professionals who want to teach themselves LCA good practices, Environmental Life Cycle Assessment demonstrates how to conduct environmental assessments for products throughout their life cycles. It presents existing methods and recent developments in the growing field of LCA and systematically covers goal and system definition, life cycle inventory, life cycle impact assessment, and interpretation

Can functional exercise capacity discriminate older individuals with poor postural control?

Postural instability can be related to functional limitations as a result of the aging process. This study aimed to compare functional exercise capacity and postural control in older adults. Participants were allocated into three groups according to their functional exercise capacity based on the six minute walking test (6MWT): 1) Low performance group (LP: distance walked ≤ 80% of the predicted value n = 19), 2) Normal performance group (NP: distance walked 81-100% of the predicted value n = 21) and, 3) High performance group (HP: distance walked >100% of the predicted value n = 23). All groups performed three trials of a one-leg stance for 30s on a force platform. LP showed worse postural control in comparison to NP and HP, and significant differences (p < .05) were found between groups for area, velocity antero-posterior of center of pressure and time limit variables during the one-leg stance task. These results have implications for rehabilitation management with regard to exercise, balance assessment and intervention in older adults. Instabilidade postural pode estar relacionada com as limitações funcionais, como um resultado do processo de envelhecimento. Este estudo teve como objetivo comparar a capacidade funcional de exercício e o controle postural em indivíduos idosos. Os participantes foram separados em três grupos de acordo com sua capacidade funcional de exercício baseada no teste de caminhada de seis minutos (TC6min): 1) grupo baixo desempenho (BD: distância caminhada ≤ 80% do valor predito n = 19), 2) grupo normal desempenho (ND : distância caminhada 81-100% do valor predito n = 21) e, 3) grupo alto desempenho (AD: distância caminhada >100% do valor predito n = 23). Todos os grupos realizaram três testes com apoio unipodal permanecendo por 30s sobre a plataforma de força. BD apresentou pior equilíbrio postural em comparação com ND e AD; com diferenças significativas (p < 0,05) encontradas entre os grupos para os parâmetros de área e velocidade antero-posterior do centro de pressão e a variável tempo-limite durante a posição unipodal. Estes resultados têm implicações para estratégias de reabilitação no que diz respeito ao exercício, avaliação do equilíbrio e intervenção em idosos. Inestabilidad postural puede estar relacionada con las limitaciones funcionales como resultado del proceso de envejecimiento. Este estudio tuvo como objetivo evaluar la comparación entre la capacidad funcional del ejercicio en el control postural de las personas de edad avanzada. Los participantes fueron divididos en tres grupos de acuerdo a su capacidad de ejercicio funcional basado en la Prueba de Caminada de seis minutos (PC6M): 1) grupo Bajo Rendimiento (BR: distancia recorrida ≤ 80% del valor predijo, n = 19), 2) grupo Normal Rendimiento (NR: distancia recorrida 81-100% del valor predijo, n = 21) y 3) grupo Alto Rendimiento (AR: distancia recorrida >100% del valor predijo, n = 23). Todos los grupos realizaron tres pruebas sobre un solo pie por 30s en la plataforma de fuerza. BR presentó un mal equilibrio postural en comparación con NR y AR; con diferencias significativas (p < 0,05) encontrado entre los grupos de los parámetros área y velocidad antero-posterior del centro de presión y el límite de tiempo para la postura de una sola pierna. Estos resultados tienen implicaciones para las estrategias de rehabilitación en relación con el ejercicio, la evaluación del equilibrio y la intervención en los ancianos

Comment préparer les collégiens pour travailler à l'international?

Affiche présentée dans le cadre du Colloque de l'ARC, «Des racines et des ailes pour la recherche collégiale», dans le cadre du 85e Congrès de l'Acfas, Université McGill, Montréal, les 8 et 9 mai 2017."En réaction au phénomène de mondialisation qui touche en accéléré nos sociétés, les collèges s’appliquent aujourd’hui à renforcer leurs activités sur le plan de l’internationalisation. L’objectif est de former, d’une part, des citoyens multipliant leurs compétences interculturelles et, d’autre part, des travailleurs capables d’évoluer dans un marché du travail globalisé qui implique, dans certains cas, des déplacements à l’étranger. Certaines formations collégiales, notamment celles liées aux arts de la scène et au tourisme, peuvent mener les étudiants vers des carrières internationales, et plusieurs d'entre eux, en effet, quittent le Canada au terme de leur parcours collégial. Le séjour est parfois court et temporaire, mais cette réalité est bien présente. En 2016-2017, nous avons mené une recherche visant à explorer et à décrire les moyens mis en place ou qui pourraient être développés dans certains programmes collégiaux pour préparer les étudiants à de possibles expériences de travail à l’étranger à la suite de leur formation. Nous avons réalisé des études de cas dans quatre programmes de différents collèges québécois. Pour chacun des cas, nous avons mené des entrevues avec des diplômés récents et des responsables de programmes, et nous avons administré un questionnaire à la cohorte des finissants. Cette communication affichée exposera les principaux résultats de notre étude.

A new gene involved in coenzyme Q biosynthesis in Escherichia coli: UbiI functions in aerobic C5-hydroxylation

International audienceCoenzyme Q (ubiquinone or Q) is a redox-active lipid found in organisms ranging from bacteria to mammals in which it plays a crucial role in energy-generating processes. Q biosynthesis is a complex pathway that involves multiple proteins. In this work, we show that the uncharacterized conserved visC gene is involved in Q biosynthesis in Escherichia coli, and we have renamed it ubiI. Based on genetic and biochemical experiments, we establish that the UbiI protein functions in the C5-hydroxylation reaction. A strain deficient in ubiI has a low level of Q and accumulates a compound derived from the Q biosynthetic pathway, which we purified and characterized. We also demonstrate that UbiI is only implicated in aerobic Q biosynthesis and that an alternative enzyme catalyzes the C5-hydroxylation reaction in the absence of oxygen. We have solved the crystal structure of a truncated form of UbiI. This structure shares many features with the canonical FAD-dependent para-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase and represents the first structural characterization of a monooxygenase involved in Q biosynthesis. Site-directed mutagenesis confirms that residues of the flavin binding pocket of UbiI are important for activity. With our identification of UbiI, the three monooxygenases necessary for aerobic Q biosynthesis in E. coli are known

VITAE : VIrTual brAin pErfusion

VITAE is an ERC funded software project aimed at providing full brain simulations of cerebral blood flow and solute exchange between blood and the neural tissue. The endgoal is to understand fine scale interactions between the architecture of the microvascular network in the brain and its functions (blood supply, oxygen and nutrient delivery, waste removal). This may indeed help unveil potential causes of cerebral disease like Alzheimer’s Disease. In the actual state of the art, full scale brain simulations are something new. First, acquiring input anatomical data of the blood vessel network is difficult and is an active domain of research. Next, simulation by itself is a CPU intensive Computational Fluid Dynamic problem requiring both inversion of large matrices and manipulation of large amounts of data. The current milestone is capable of running pressure resolution in a full mouse brain composed of about 5 millions of microvessels in one second on 1024 processor cores. The software written in C++ fully supports parallelized IO and graph partitioning to optimize the placement of vertices and reduce computing times. The next challenge is to run simulations taking the complex behavior of blood into account, which requires to run the pressure solver from one hundred to several thousand times. This will require to improve significantly the convergence time. Acknowledgements: ERC Funded Project: Proof of Concept (PoC), ERC-2018-PoC A. Sauvé, J.-D. Julien, M. Berg, M. Peyrounette, P. Elyakime, Y. Davit, M. Pigou, S. Lorthoi