Stage au Secrétariat du Conseil du trésor : réalisation d'un bilan des pratiques évaluatives

Ce rapport présente le bilan des pratiques évaluatives réalisé dans le cadre d’un stage effectué à la Direction de la gouvernance en évaluation, audit interne et gestion des risques (DGEAIGR) au sein du Secrétariat du Conseil du trésor (SCT). Le mandat avait pour objectif de dresser un portrait général des rapports d’évaluation déposés par les ministères et organismes québécois, de mesurer le taux de traitement des enjeux et des questions de pertinence, d’efficacité et d’efficience dans les évaluations ainsi que de répertorier les méthodes et les sources utilisées par les évaluateurs. À partir d’une analyse de contenu de 127 rapports déposés en 2019 et 2020, plusieurs constats ont pu être établis en lien avec ces objectifs. Notamment, le bilan a pu démontrer qu’une proportion relativement faible des évaluations s’appuyait sur un comité d’évaluation mixte, que la sous-traitance des évaluations par les ministères et organismes est une pratique plutôt rare et que l’enjeu de l’efficience est moins traité dans les rapports comparativement à ceux de pertinence et d’efficacité. Aussi, il a pu être constaté que les groupes de discussion sont beaucoup moins utilisés que d’autres méthodes de collecte de données et que les évaluateurs ne triangulaient pas toujours leurs méthodes de collecte de données pour répondre aux questions de l’Outil d’évaluation des programmes. Le rapport se termine sur une discussion sur les suites à donner, notamment en lien avec les tables rondes qui seront organisées dans les mois suivants la présentation au Réseau des répondants en évaluation de programme. Il ouvre finalement la porte à la réalisation future d’une méta-évaluation visant à mesurer différentes dimensions liées à la qualité des documents d'évaluation

Paramétrisation et reconfiguration automatique du chemin de données d'un processeur synthétisable

Processeur ARC -- Processeur Xtensa -- Méthodes de conception de processeurs configurables -- Exemples de designs configurables -- Reconfigurabiité -- Multiplicateur configurable, signé et pipeliné -- Architecture initiale et technologie visée -- Architecture PULSE -- Technologie d'implantation -- Outils logiciels -- Optimisation et paramtrisation -- Optimisation et modification de l'architecture -- Configuration du chemin de données -- Validation du chemin de données

Improving cable driven parallel robot accuracy through angular position sensors

Conventionally, a cable driven parallel mechanism (CDPM) pose is obtained through the forward kinematics from measurements of the cable lengths. However, this estimation method can be limiting for some applications requiring more precision. This paper proposes to use cable angle position sensors in addition to cable length measurements in order to improve the accuracy of such mechanisms. The robot pose is first obtained individually by the cable length measurements and the cable angle position measurements. A data fusion scheme combining these two types of measurements is then proposed in order to improve the CPDM accuracy. Finally, simulations and experiments are presented in order to assess the benefits of using cable angle position sensors on the CDPM

Design and experimental validation of planar programmable inertia generators

This paper investigates the design and experimental development of planar programmable inertia generators. An inertia generator is a hand-held haptic device that has a programmable inertia. By moving internal masses in reaction to accelerations induced by the user, the effective inertia of the device is modified in order to render a prescribed inertia. In this paper, a one-degree-of-freedom device with one internal moving mass is first proposed. The corresponding dynamic model is developed and the rendering capabilities of the device are investigated. Then, a controller is designed to produce the appropriate motion of the internal mass in reaction to the acceleration induced by the user. A prototype is presented and experimental results are discussed. A mechanical architecture is then proposed for the design of a planar three-degree-of-freedom inertia generator. The corresponding dynamic model is derived, and it is shown that the generalized inertia matrix of the proposed mechanism is always of full rank. The rendering capabilities of the device are also investigated. Finally, simulation results obtained with the three-degree-of-freedom inertia generator are reported and discussed

N-Phenyl-N'-(2-chloroethyl)urea analogues of combretastatin A-4: Is the N-phenyl-N'-(2-chloroethyl)urea pharmacophore mimicking the trimethoxy phenyl moiety ?

A series of novel N-phenyl-N'-(2-chloroethyl)urea derivatives potentially mimicking the structure of combretastatin A-4 were synthesized and tested for their cell growth inhibition and their binding to the colchicine-binding site of beta-tubulin. Compounds 2a, 3a, and 3b were found to inhibit cell growth at the micromolar level on four human tumor cell lines. Flow cytometric analysis indicates that the new compounds act as antimitotics and arrest the cell cycle in G(2)/M phase. Covalent binding of 2a, 3a, and 3b to the colchicine-binding site of beta-tubulin was confirmed also using SDS-PAGE and competition assays

N-Phenyl-N’-(2-chloroethyl)ureas (CEUs) as potential antineoplastic agents. part 3 : role of carbonyl group

n the course of the development of N-phenyl-N′-(2-chloroethyl)ureas (CEUs) as potential antineoplastic agents, we investigated the effect of carbonylated substituting chains of the aromatic ring of CEU on their covalent binding to the colchicine-binding site (C-BS). In this study, we found that CEU, 5e, 5f, 8e, and 8f substituted by either a methyl ester or a methyl ketyl group at the ω-position exhibited a significant antiproliferative activity on HT-29, M21, and MCF-7 tumor cells. SDS–PAGE assays and cell cycle analysis confirmed that 5e, 5f, 8e, and 8f covalently bind to the C-BS and arrest the cell division in G2/M phase. Surprisingly, the presence of ω-carboxyl, ω-ethyl esters or ω-amides decreased significantly both the antiproliferative activity and the specificity toward β-tubulin

Microtubule disrupting N-phenyl-N’-(2-chloroethyl) ureas display anticancer activity on cell adhesion, P-glycoprotein and BCL-2-mediated drug resistance

Objective: Our research program has focused on the development of promising, soft alkylating N-phenyl-N’-(2-chloroethyl)urea (CEU) compounds which acylate the glutamic acid-198 of β-tubulin, near the binding site of colchicum alkaloids. CEUs inhibit the motility of cancerous cells in vitro and, interestingly, exhibit antiangiogenic and anticancer activity in vivo. Mitotic arrest induced by microtubule-interfering agents such as CEUs remains the major mechanism of their anticancer activity, leading to apoptosis. However, we recently demonstrated that microtubule disruption by CEUs and other common antimicrotubule agents greatly alters the integrity and organization of microtubule-associated structures, the focal adhesion contact, thereby initiating anoikis, an apoptosis-like cell death mechanism caused by the loss of cell contact with the extracellular matrix. Methods: To ascertain the activated signaling pathway profile of CEUs, flow cytometry, Western blot, immunohistochemistry and transfection experiments were performed. Wound-healing and chick embryo assays were carried out to evaluate the antiangiogenic potency of CEUs. Results: CEU-induced apoptosis involved early cell cycle arrest in G2/M and increased level of CDK1/cycline B proteins. These signaling events were followed by the specific activation of the intrinsic apoptosis pathway, involving loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm) and ROS production, cytochrome c release from mitochondria, caspase activation, AIF nuclear translocation, PARP cleavage and nuclear fragmentation. CEUs maintained their efficacy on cells plated on pro-survival extracellular matrices or exhibiting overexpression of P-glycoprotein or the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2. Conclusion: Our results suggest that CEUs represent a promising new class of antimicrotubule, antiangiogenic and pro-anoikis agents

Diversity‐oriented synthesis of diol‐based peptidomimetics as potential HIV protease inhibitors and antitumor agents

Peptidomimetic HIV protease inhibitors are an important class of drugs used in the treatment of AIDS. The synthesis of a new type of diol-based peptidomimetics is described. Our route is flexible, uses d-glucal as an inexpensive starting material, and makes minimal use of protection/deprotection cycles. Binding affinities from molecular docking simulations suggest that these compounds are potential inhibitors of HIV protease. Moreover, the antiproliferative activities of compounds 33 a, 35 a, and 35 b on HT-29, M21, and MCF7 cancer cell lines are in the low micromolar range. The results provide a platform that could facilitate the development of medically relevant asymmetrical diol-based peptidomimetic

The use of restraint and seclusion in residential treatment care for youth : a systematic review of related factors and interventions

Children placed in residential treatment centers (RTCs) typically present challenging behavior including aggression. In this context, restraint and seclusion (R&S) are seen as “last resort” strategies for educators to manage youth aggression. The use of R&S is controversial, as they can lead to psychological and physical consequences for both the client and the care provider and have yet to be empirically validated as therapeutic. The objectives of this systematic review are to identify the factors related to R&S use in RTCs for youth and to review the interventions aiming to reduce the use of R&S. The identification of these factors is the first step to gaining a better understanding of the decision-making process leading to the use of R&S and ultimately to reducing the use of these strategies to a minimum. Thus, the present systematic review was conducted by searching PubMed, CINAHL, ERIC, and PsycNET for articles published between 2002 and 2017. Key words used were synonyms of R&S, youth, and RTCs. Thirty-one studies met the inclusion criteria: must report on factors affecting the use of R&S in RTCs, must be conducted in RTCs for youth under the age of 21, and must report on original and empirical data. Factors related to the characteristics of the client, the care provider, and the environment, as well as to the implementation of programs for the reduction of R&S, were found to influence the use of R&S in RTCs. A conceptual model is presented. The implementation of programs to reduce R&S use is discussed

Electron acceleration driven by ultrashort and nonparaxial radially polarized laser pulses

Exact closed-form solutions to Maxwell's equations are used to investigate the acceleration of electrons in vacuum driven by ultrashort and nonparaxial radially polarized laser pulses. We show that the threshold power above which significant acceleration takes place is greatly reduced by using a tighter focus. Moreover, electrons accelerated by tightly focused single-cycle laser pulses may reach around 80% of the theoretical energy gain limit, about twice the value previously reported with few-cycle paraxial pulses. Our results demonstrate that the direct acceleration of electrons in vacuum is well within reach of the current laser technology.Comment: 3 pages. Accepted for publication in Optics Letter