Améliorer les processus de communication sur les chantiers de construction à l'aide des technologies mobiles et des technologies infonuagiques

L'industrie de la construction se caractérise comme étant un secteur dans lequel il y a une intense circulation de l'information entre les diverses disciplines. Par conséquent, la réussite des projets repose sur la capacité des intervenants à échanger de l'information fiable et cohérente en quantité suffisante. Paradoxalement, on constate que les projets de construction reposent sur un processus de communication s'appuyant sur un format papier et sur des moyens obsolètes, tels que le téléphone, le télécopieur ou le courriel, afin de partager et d’accéder aux données de projet. Malgré le fait que les problématiques de circulation de l'information se répercutent sur l'ensemble des phases de construction, on observe que la phase de réalisation est de loin celle qui dépend le plus de l’information et qui, malheureusement, est la moins informatisée. Le papier demeure le moyen le plus répandu afin de collecter l'information et de la communiquer, et ce, en dépit des améliorations informatiques de ces dernières années, par exemple les technologies mobiles (TM). Considérant le rythme avec lequel évoluent les tablettes et les téléphones intelligents, les TM offrent désormais des moyens de remplacer la communication papier sur le chantier par des solutions numériques. En parallèle, les recherches concernant les nouvelles technologies de l'information et de la communication (NTIC) avancent que ce type de technologies, lorsque couplé aux TM, offre de nouveaux moyens de communication plus efficaces en améliorant notamment le traitement, la mise en mémoire, la diffusion et l'échange de l'information parmi les intervenants. Ce mémoire présente les résultats d’une recherche visant à comprendre comment le déploiement des TM et des NTIC peut améliorer l'accès à l'information et faciliter la communication entre les intervenants de la phase de réalisation. Cette recherche se décompose en deux étapes soit d'une part, une évaluation du taux de pénétration des TM dans l'industrie de la construction du Québec et, d'autre part, une réalisation d'études de cas afin de développer un cadre d'opération issu d'une collecte de données in situ. L'objectif principal de ce mémoire est de démontrer les bénéfices à employer les NTIC sur les chantiers et de mettre en place une méthodologie d'implémentation basée sur des études de cas orientées vers l'emploi des TM. En somme, ce projet vise à créer un environnement de collaboration en chantier permettant d'unifier les processus de communication des diverses entreprises impliquées dans le projet

A short-term statin treatment changes the contractile properties of fast-twitch skeletal muscles

Background : Cumulative evidence indicates that statins induce myotoxicity. However, the lack of understanding of how statins affect skeletal muscles at the structural, functional, and physiological levels hampers proper healthcare management. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the early after-effects of lovastatin on the slow-twitch soleus (Sol) and fast-twitch extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles. Methods : Adult C57BL/6 mice were orally administrated with placebo or lovastatin [50 mg/kg/d] for 28 days. At the end of the treatment, the isometric ex vivo contractile properties of the Sol and EDL muscles were measured. Subtetanic and tetanic contractions were assessed and contraction kinetics were recorded. The muscles were then frozen for immunohistochemical analyses. Data were analyzed by two-way ANOVA followed by an a posteriori Tukey’s test. Results : The short-term lovastatin treatment did not induce muscle mass loss, muscle fiber atrophy, or creatine kinase (CK) release. It had no functional impact on slow-twitch Sol muscles. However, subtetanic stimulations at 10 Hz provoked greater force production in fast-twitch EDL muscles. The treatment also decreased the maximal rate of force development (dP/dT) of twitch contractions and prolonged the half relaxation time (1/2RT) of tetanic contractions of EDL muscles. Conclusions : An early short-term statin treatment induced subtle but significant changes in some parameters of the contractile profile of EDL muscles, providing new insights into the selective initiation of statin-induced myopathy in fast-twitch muscles

Muscle RANK is a key regulator of calcium storage, SERCA activity, and function of fast-twitch skeletal muscles

Receptor-activator of nuclear factor kB (RANK), its ligand RANKL and the soluble decoy receptor osteoprotegerin (OPG)are the key regulators of osteoclast differentiation and bone remodeling. Here we show that RANK is also expressed in fully differentiated myotubes and skeletal muscle. Muscle RANK deletion (RANKmko) has inotropic effects in denervated, but not in sham, extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle preventing the loss of maximum specific force while promoting muscle atrophy, fatigability and increased proportion of fast-twitch fibers. In denervated EDL muscles, RANK deletion markedly increased stromal interaction molecule 1 (Stim1) content, a calcium sensor, and altered activity of the sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase (SERCA) modulating Ca2+ storage. Muscle RANK deletion had no significant effects on the sham or denervated slow-twitch soleus (Sol) muscles. These data identify a novel role for RANK as a key regulator of calcium storage and SERCA activity, ultimately affecting denervated skeletal muscle function

Deletion of the Ste20-like kinase SLK in skeletal muscle results in a progressive myopathy and muscle weakness

Background The Ste20-like kinase, SLK, plays an important role in cell proliferation and cytoskeletal remodeling. In fibroblasts, SLK has been shown to respond to FAK/Src signaling and regulate focal adhesion turnover through Paxillin phosphorylation. Full-length SLK has also been shown to be essential for embryonic development. In myoblasts, the overexpression of a dominant negative SLK is sufficient to block myoblast fusion. Methods In this study, we crossed the Myf5-Cre mouse model with our conditional SLK knockout model to delete SLK in skeletal muscle. A thorough analysis of skeletal muscle tissue was undertaken in order to identify defects in muscle development caused by the lack of SLK. Isometric force analysis was performed on adult knockout mice and compared to age-matched wild-type mice. Furthermore, cardiotoxin injections were performed followed by immunohistochemistry for myogenic markers to assess the efficiency muscle regeneration following SLK deletion. Results We show here that early deletion of SLK from the myogenic lineage does not markedly impair skeletal muscle development but delays the regenerative process. Interestingly, adult mice (~6 months) display an increase in the proportion of central nuclei and increased p38 activation. Furthermore, mice as young as 3 months old present with decreased force generation, suggesting that the loss of SLK impairs myofiber stability and function. Assessment of structural components revealed aberrant localization of focal adhesion proteins, such as FAK and paxillin. Our data show that the loss of SLK results in unstable myofibers resulting in a progressive myopathy. Additionally, the loss of SLK resulted in a delay in muscle regeneration following cardiotoxin injections. Conclusions Our results show that SLK is dispensable for muscle development and regeneration but is required for myofiber stability and optimal force generation

Design status of ASPIICS, an externally occulted coronagraph for PROBA-3

The "sonic region" of the Sun corona remains extremely difficult to observe with spatial resolution and sensitivity sufficient to understand the fine scale phenomena that govern the quiescent solar corona, as well as phenomena that lead to coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which influence space weather. Improvement on this front requires eclipse-like conditions over long observation times. The space-borne coronagraphs flown so far provided a continuous coverage of the external parts of the corona but their over-occulting system did not permit to analyse the part of the white-light corona where the main coronal mass is concentrated. The proposed PROBA-3 Coronagraph System, also known as ASPIICS (Association of Spacecraft for Polarimetric and Imaging Investigation of the Corona of the Sun), with its novel design, will be the first space coronagraph to cover the range of radial distances between ~1.08 and 3 solar radii where the magnetic field plays a crucial role in the coronal dynamics, thus providing continuous observational conditions very close to those during a total solar eclipse. PROBA-3 is first a mission devoted to the in-orbit demonstration of precise formation flying techniques and technologies for future European missions, which will fly ASPIICS as primary payload. The instrument is distributed over two satellites flying in formation (approx. 150m apart) to form a giant coronagraph capable of producing a nearly perfect eclipse allowing observing the sun corona closer to the rim than ever before. The coronagraph instrument is developed by a large European consortium including about 20 partners from 7 countries under the auspices of the European Space Agency. This paper is reviewing the recent improvements and design updates of the ASPIICS instrument as it is stepping into the detailed design phase