Civil Society Generating Innovation: Co-operative and Associative Housing

This research was undertaken thanks in part to the financial support of the Canada Research Chairs Program, SSHRC

Direct Fabrication of Metal Orthopedic Implants Using Electron Beam Melting Technology

Metal orthopedic implants have been used for many decades with great success. Replacement joints and plates for bone fractures are usually made from titanium, cobaltchromium or stainless steel. Through recent advancements in biomodeling, custom orthopedic implants can be designed. However, fabrication of these custom implants can be prohibitively expensive with traditional processes. With the introduction of Electron Beam Melting (EBM), direct fabrication of fully dense metal components is possible. In this paper, the development of titanium for the EBM-process will be discussed, and direct fabrication of custom designed orthopedic implants made out of steel and titanium will be demonstrated.Mechanical Engineerin

An overview of JPEG 2000

JPEG-2000 is an emerging standard for still image compression. This paper provides a brief history of the JPEG-2000 standardization process, an overview of the standard, and some description of the capabilities provided by the standard. Part I of the JPEG-2000 standard specifies the minimum compliant decoder, while Part II describes optional, value-added extensions. Although the standard specifies only the decoder and bitstream syntax, in this paper we describe JPEG-2000 from the point of view of encoding. We take this approach, as we believe it is more amenable to a compact description more easily understood by most readers.

Le logement coopératif et associatif comme innovation sociale émanant de la société civile

Communication au 25e Congrès international du CIRIEC, Palais des Congrès de Lyon, 27 et 28 septembre 2004.Le logement communautaire (coopératif et associatif) apparaît au Québec au tournant des années 1970 dans un contexte de transformation du monde urbain, d'émergence de nouveaux besoins en matière de logement et de fléchissement des politiques gouvernementales en matière d'habitat. Il s'agit d'une histoire jouée par différents acteurs sociaux, qui s'entendront sur un programme de développement de l'habitat communautaire en réponse à des attentes en relative convergence. Les traits particuliers du logement communautaire proviennent à la fois des apprentissages des générations précédentes de logement social, et des aspirations nouvelles qui se font jour dans les mouvements de citoyens. Nécessitant d’importants moyens de financement pour se développer, le mode de fonctionnement du logement communautaire est également en partie conditionné par les rapports qu’il entretient avec l’État, les institutions financières et le marché. Les ambitions des citoyens se conjuguent avec celles des politiques d’habitation, dessinant un compromis entre les caractéristiques de la forme associative et les objectifs de la politique de logement social. Les politiques publiques viennent répondre à des besoins concrets de la population. Lorsque les réactions gouvernementales se font attendre, les citoyens ont appris à revendiquer la création de ces politiques. Les interventions du milieu communautaire en habitation ont beaucoup évolué depuis maintenant 30 ans, passant de la revendication d'interventions publiques à de l’innovation par des programmes d'aide aux initiatives locales. Le milieu communautaire est allé plus loin en négociant certains paramètres des programmes et même, en élaborant et en proposant des programmes de son cru. Dans ce court exposé, nous expliquerons d’abord comment les mouvements de citoyens et les initiatives qu’ils ont développées ont contribué à l’évolution des politiques publiques. Nous présenterons ensuite les traits caractéristiques du logement communautaire qui résulte du partenariat entre la société civile, les groupes de pression et l’État. Enfin, nous verrons quelques impacts de ces innovations, manifestes des changements sociaux auxquels elles contribuent. Nous conclurons avec quelques réflexions concernant les acquis et l’avenir de ce mouvement.Cette recherche a été entreprise grâce, en partie, au soutien financier du Programme des chaires de recherche du Canada

Proteome analysis of the hyaluronic acid-producing bacterium, Streptococcus zooepidemicus

Background: Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus (S. zooepidemicus) is a commensal of horses and an opportunistic pathogen in many animals and humans. Some strains produce copious amounts of hyaluronic acid, making S. zooepidemicus an important industrial microorganism for the production of this valuable biopolymer used in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry. Encapsulation by hyaluronic acid is considered an important virulence factor in other streptococci, though the importance in S. zooepidemicus remains poorly understood. Proteomics may provide a better understanding of virulence factors in S. zooepidemicus, facilitate the design of better diagnostics and treatments, and guide engineering of superior production strains

Pathologic Features of the Intervertebral Disc in Young Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers Confirms Chondrodystrophy Degenerative Phenotype Associated With Genotype.

Chondrodystrophy results in predictable and progressive biochemical and structural changes to the intervertebral disc, resulting in early onset degeneration and dystrophic mineralization of the disc. Accelerated degeneration and mineralization of the intervertebral disc are common in multiple dog breeds and can result in compromised function, herniation, pain, and a variety of neurological sequelae. A mutation responsible for chondrodystrophy in dogs has been identified as an aberrant fibroblast growth factor 4 (FGF4) retrogene insertion on chromosome 12 (CFA12) and is associated with short stature of the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. Segregation of the CFA12 FGF4 retrogene in this dog breed provides an opportunity to examine the effect of retrogene presence on radiographic and histologic appearance of chondrodystrophic disc degeneration within a single breed. Here we found that in the intervertebral discs isolated from 2 dogs with the CFA12 FGF4 genotype, the nucleus pulposus was largely replaced by cartilaginous tissue, and physaliferous notochordal cells were rarely if ever identified. These findings are in contrast to the normal histologic findings in 2 breed-matched dogs lacking the mutation. The findings are consistent with premature chondroid degeneration of the intervertebral disc and suggest that the presence of the CFA12 FGF4 retrogene is sufficient to cause the chondrodystrophic phenotype

L’habitation communautaire au Québec : Défis et perspectives de développement

Document de discussion pour le Symposium du 11 novembre 2009 organisé par le Chantier d’activités partenariales (CAP) Habitat de l’ARUC-ÉS

Relationship of orthopedic examination, goniometric measurements, and radiographic signs of degenerative joint disease in cats

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Available information suggests a mismatch between radiographic and orthopedic examination findings in cats with DJD. However, the extent of the discrepancy between clinical and radiographic signs of OA in companion animals has not been described in detail. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between orthopedic examination findings, joint goniometry, and radiographic signs of DJD in 100 cats, in a prospective observational design. Cat temperament, pain response to palpation, joint crepitus, effusion and thickening were graded. Radiographs of appendicular joints and the axial skeleton were made under sedation. Joint motion was measured by use of a plastic goniometer before and after sedation. Associations between radiographic degenerative joint disease (DJD) and examination findings were assessed to determine sensitivity, specificity and likelihood estimations.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Pain response to palpation was elicited in 0-67% of the joints with DJD, with a specificity ranging from 62-99%; crepitus was detected in 0-56% of the joints and its specificity varied between 87 and 99%; for effusion, values ranged between 6 and 38% (specificity, 82-100%), and thickening, 0-59% (specificity, 74-99%). Joints with DJD tended to have a decreased range of motion. The presence of pain increased the odds of having DJD in the elbow (right: 5.5; left: 4.5); the presence of pain in the lower back increased the odds of spinal DJD being present (2.97 for lumbar; 4.67 for lumbo-sacral).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Radiographic DJD cannot be diagnosed with certainty using palpation or goniometry. However, negative findings tend to predict radiographically normal joints. Palpation and goniometry may be used as a tool to help to screen cats, mostly to rule out DJD.</p