National Innovation and the Role of the College Sector

This paper discusses the role of the colleges in applied research in the context of Canada's capability for innovation in a globally competitive arena. The analysis focuses upon issues around an expanded mandate related to applied research. To explore the state of readiness of the college sector, it draws upon the results of a survey distributed to 150 college and institute presidents in Canada, as well as upon other recent studies. The discussion ends with suggested policy avenues to maximize the effectiveness of this sector's contribution to the nation's innovation agenda.Cet article discute le rôle que peuvent jouer les collèges en recherche appliquée alors que le Canada essaie d'accroître sa capacité à innover dans un contexte de concurrence mondiale. L'analyse est particulièrement ciblée sur les effets que pourrait avoir la reconnaissance de la recherche appliquée dans le mandat des collèges. L'article s'appuie entre autres sur une enquête distribuée à près de 150 présidents de collèges et instituts de même que sur d'autres études très récentes. Pour conclure, des pistes de politiques de recherche sont mises en évidence afin de maximiser la contribution du secteur collégial à l'efficience du dossier national de l'innovation

Genome-wide profiling of forum domains in Drosophila melanogaster

Forum domains are stretches of chromosomal DNA that are excised from eukaryotic chromosomes during their spontaneous non-random fragmentation. Most forum domains are 50–200 kb in length. We mapped forum domain termini using FISH on polytene chromosomes and we performed genome-wide mapping using a Drosophila melanogaster genomic tiling microarray consisting of overlapping 3 kb fragments. We found that forum termini very often correspond to regions of intercalary heterochromatin and regions of late replication in polytene chromosomes. We found that forum domains contain clusters of several or many genes. The largest forum domains correspond to the main clusters of homeotic genes inside BX-C and ANTP-C, cluster of histone genes and clusters of piRNAs. PRE/TRE and transcription factor binding sites often reside inside domains and do not overlap with forum domain termini. We also found that about 20% of forum domain termini correspond to small chromosomal regions where Ago1, Ago2, small RNAs and repressive chromatin structures are detected. Our results indicate that forum domains correspond to big multi-gene chromosomal units, some of which could be coordinately expressed. The data on the global mapping of forum domains revealed a strong correlation between fragmentation sites in chromosomes, particular sets of mobile elements and regions of intercalary heterochromatin

The History of Elk (Cervus canadensis) Restoration in Ontario

Elk (Cervus canadensis) historically inhabited southern Quebec and central Ontario, but, by the early 1900s, the species was extirpated from this region. Attempts to re-establish an Elk population in Ontario during the first half of the 20th century had limited success. We reviewed historical documents, population census records, and a previous study pertaining to Elk reintroduced to Ontario in the early 1900s for clues to the cause(s) of their limited population growth. After an apparent rapid population increase in the 1940s followed by unregulated hunting during the subsequent 3 decades, Elk abundance in Ontario had not appreciably changed from 1970 to 1997, most likely because of the small founding population, unsustainable hunting, and accidental mortality. After the abolition of legal hunting in 1980, natural mortality appeared to be the main limiting factor. A limited sample of pregnancy and calf recruitment rates, body measurements, and physical condition parameters collected in 1993–1997, suggested that adults were healthy, reproducing successfully, and not limited by food availability; thus, it was concluded that remnant Elk populations could be augmented by introducing additional animals. A renewed Elk restoration effort, conducted from 1998 to 2001, imported 443 Elk from Elk Island national Park in Alberta to 4 release areas across central Ontario (Lake of the Woods, Lake Huron North Shore, Nipissing/French River, and Bancroft/North Hastings), resulting in a provincial population of about 800 Elk by 2013

Réseau de bibliothèques de Montréal : modèle et avenir (Le)

Intervention de Ivan Filion (directeur des bibliothèques de Montréal) dans le cadre de la journée d\u27étude "Et là-bas comment font-elles ? Dialogue avec la bibliothèque de Montréal. Parlons réseau, jeu, interculturalité"

Et là-bas comment font-elles ? Dialogue avec la bibliothèque de Montréal. Parlons réseau, jeu, interculturalité

L\u27Enssib et la BmL ont partagé deux évidences : la confrontation de nos pratiques professionnelles à celles de nos collègues étrangers est une vraie richesse qui permet de sortir la tête du guidon; les voyages d’étude sont difficiles à organiser pour les établissements faute de temps et de moyens. Nous inaugurons donc un cycle d’invitations au dialogue avec de grandes bibliothèques internationales, par un voyage d’étude à Montréal… à Lyon ! Notre propos est en effet d’inviter trois collègues des bibliothèques de Montréal, avec lesquels nous échangeons depuis plusieurs mois afin de déceler parmi toutes les facettes de ce réseau très inspirant, ce qui pourra vous intéresser, vous bibliothécaires français, dans vos pratiques d’aujourd’hui. Trois thèmes ont ainsi été retenus : le réseau, le jeu et l’interculturalité

Spatial Remapping of Cortico-striatal Connectivity in Parkinson's Disease

Contains fulltext : 90235.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by striatal dopamine depletion, especially in the posterior putamen. The dense connectivity profile of the striatum suggests that these local impairments may propagate throughout the whole cortico-striatal network. Here we test the effect of striatal dopamine depletion on cortico-striatal network properties by comparing the functional connectivity profile of the posterior putamen, the anterior putamen, and the caudate nucleus between 41 PD patients and 36 matched controls. We used multiple regression analyses of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data to quantify functional connectivity across different networks. Each region had a distinct connectivity profile that was similarly expressed in patients and controls: the posterior putamen was uniquely coupled to cortical motor areas, the anterior putamen to the pre–supplementary motor area and anterior cingulate cortex, and the caudate nucleus to the dorsal prefrontal cortex. Differences between groups were specific to the putamen: although PD patients showed decreased coupling between the posterior putamen and the inferior parietal cortex, this region showed increased functional connectivity with the anterior putamen. We conclude that dopamine depletion in PD leads to a remapping of cerebral connectivity that reduces the spatial segregation between different cortico-striatal loops. These alterations of network properties may underlie abnormal sensorimotor integration in PD