Toward food sovereignty for coastal communities of eastern Québec : co-designing a website to support consumption of edible resources from the St. Lawrence River, Estuary, and Gulf

Background. Despite the abundance and proximity of edible marine resources, coastal communities along the St. Lawrence in Eastern Québec rarely consume these resources. Within a community-based food sovereignty project, Manger notre Saint-Laurent (‘‘Sustenance from our St. Lawrence''), members of participating communities (3 nonIndigenous, 1 Indigenous) identified a need for a web-based decision tool to help make informed consumption choices. Methods. We thus aimed to co-design a prototype website that facilitates informed choices about consuming local edible marine resources based on seasonal and regional availability, food safety, nutrition, and sustainability, with community members, regional stakeholders, and experts in user experience design and web development. We conducted 48 interviews with a variety of people over 3 iterative cycles, assessing the prototype's ease of use with a validated measure, the System Usability Scale. Results. Community members, regional stakeholders, and other experts identified problematic elements in initial versions of the website (e.g., confusing symbols). We resolved issues and added features people identified as useful. Usability scores reached ‘‘best imaginable'' for both the second and the third versions and did not differ significantly between sociodemographic groups. The final prototype includes a tool to explore each species and index cards to regroup accurate evidence relevant to each species. Conclusions. Engaging co-designers with different sociodemographic characteristics brought together a variety of perspectives. Several components would not have been included without co-designers' input; other components were greatly improved thanks to their feedback. Co-design approaches in research and intervention development are preferable to foster the inclusion of a variety of people. Once the prototype is programmed and available online, we hope to evaluate the website to determine its effects on food choices

Évaluation de la lisibilité et de la fluidité de l’écriture manuelle d’élèves franco-québécois de 1re et 2e année du primaire

Contexte. Au Québec, les difficultés d’écriture manuelle et leur impact fonctionnel constituent le principal motif de référence en ergothérapie pour les enfants en milieu scolaire. Pour évaluer le rendement de l’écriture manuelle, plusieurs critères peuvent être utilisés, tels que la lisibilité et la fluidité. Toutefois, aucune valeur de référence n’existe pour situer et comparer correctement la lisibilité et la fluidité de l’écriture manuelle auprès d’enfants franco-québécois. Objectif. L’étude visait à développer un guide d’évaluation de la lisibilité de l’écriture manuelle, à déterminer des valeurs de référence de la lisibilité et de la fluidité pour des enfants francophones et à comparer les scores entre les filles et les garçons. Méthodologie. Il s’agit d’une analyse secondaire de données provenant d’une étude descriptive transversale réalisée auprès d’élèves de 1re et de 2e année du primaire. Les valeurs de référence de la lisibilité et de la fluidité ont été calculées à partir d’échantillons provenant de tâches en copie de près et à l’aide du guide développé dans la présente étude. Résultats. Les critères du guide d’évaluation de la lisibilité offrent une excellente fidélité inter-juges pour la 1re année du primaire et une bonne fidélité interjuges pour la 2e année. De plus, des valeurs de référence ont été obtenues pour la lisibilité et la fluidité. Une différence significative entre les scores de lisibilité des filles et des garçons de 2e année a été relevée. Conséquences. Le guide d’évaluation et les valeurs de référence améliorent la rigueur de l’évaluation ergothérapique de l’écriture manuelle des enfants franco-québécois, et ce, grâce à des critères observables et mesurables bien définis. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Background. In Quebec, handwriting difficulties and their functional impacts are the main reason for referral of children to occupational therapy for children in school settings. To evaluate handwriting performance, several criteria can be used such as legibility and accuracy. However, there are no norms to properly compare handwriting legibility and accuracy among French-speaking children in Québec. Purpose. The purpose of the study was to develop a handwriting legibility assessment guide, to develop norms for legibility and accuracy for francophone children, and to compare scores between boys and girls. Methods. This is a secondary analysis of data from a cross-sectional descriptive study of grade 1 and grade 2 students. Norms for legibility and accuracy were calculated from close-copy tasks samples and using the guide developed in this study. Findings. The criteria used in the handwriting legibility assessment guide offer excellent inter-rater reliability for grade 1 students and good inter-rater reliability for grade 2 students. Norms were also obtained for legibility and fluency. There was a significant difference between the legibility score of grade 2 boys and girls. Consequences. The assessment guide and norms increase the rigour of the occupational therapy evaluation of handwriting for Quebec francophone children, using well-defined observable and measurable criteria

Évaluation de la lisibilité et de la fluidité de l’écriture manuelle d’élèves franco-québécois de 1re et 2e année du primaire

Contexte. Au Québec, les difficultés d’écriture manuelle et leur impact fonctionnel constituent le principal motif de référence en ergothérapie pour les enfants en milieu scolaire. Pour évaluer le rendement de l’écriture manuelle, plusieurs critères peuvent être utilisés, tels que la lisibilité et la fluidité. Toutefois, aucune valeur de référence n’existe pour situer et comparer correctement la lisibilité et la fluidité de l’écriture manuelle auprès d’enfants franco-québécois. Objectif. L’étude visait à développer un guide d’évaluation de la lisibilité de l’écriture manuelle, à déterminer des valeurs de référence de la lisibilité et de la fluidité pour des enfants francophones et à comparer les scores entre les filles et les garçons. Méthodologie. Il s’agit d’une analyse secondaire de données provenant d’une étude descriptive transversale réalisée auprès d’élèves de 1re et de 2e année du primaire. Les valeurs de référence de la lisibilité et de la fluidité ont été calculées à partir d’échantillons provenant de tâches en copie de près et à l’aide du guide développé dans la présente étude. Résultats. Les critères du guide d’évaluation de la lisibilité offrent une excellente fidélité inter-juges pour la 1re année du primaire et une bonne fidélité interjuges pour la 2e année. De plus, des valeurs de référence ont été obtenues pour la lisibilité et la fluidité. Une différence significative entre les scores de lisibilité des filles et des garçons de 2e année a été relevée. Conséquences. Le guide d’évaluation et les valeurs de référence améliorent la rigueur de l’évaluation ergothérapique de l’écriture manuelle des enfants franco-québécois, et ce, grâce à des critères observables et mesurables bien définis. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Background. In Quebec, handwriting difficulties and their functional impacts are the main reason for referral of children to occupational therapy for children in school settings. To evaluate handwriting performance, several criteria can be used such as legibility and accuracy. However, there are no norms to properly compare handwriting legibility and accuracy among French-speaking children in Québec. Purpose. The purpose of the study was to develop a handwriting legibility assessment guide, to develop norms for legibility and accuracy for francophone children, and to compare scores between boys and girls. Methods. This is a secondary analysis of data from a cross-sectional descriptive study of grade 1 and grade 2 students. Norms for legibility and accuracy were calculated from close-copy tasks samples and using the guide developed in this study. Findings. The criteria used in the handwriting legibility assessment guide offer excellent inter-rater reliability for grade 1 students and good inter-rater reliability for grade 2 students. Norms were also obtained for legibility and fluency. There was a significant difference between the legibility score of grade 2 boys and girls. Consequences. The assessment guide and norms increase the rigour of the occupational therapy evaluation of handwriting for Quebec francophone children, using well-defined observable and measurable criteria

COVID-19 symptoms at hospital admission vary with age and sex: results from the ISARIC prospective multinational observational study

Background: The ISARIC prospective multinational observational study is the largest cohort of hospitalized patients with COVID-19. We present relationships of age, sex, and nationality to presenting symptoms. Methods: International, prospective observational study of 60 109 hospitalized symptomatic patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 recruited from 43 countries between 30 January and 3 August 2020. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate relationships of age and sex to published COVID-19 case definitions and the most commonly reported symptoms. Results: ‘Typical’ symptoms of fever (69%), cough (68%) and shortness of breath (66%) were the most commonly reported. 92% of patients experienced at least one of these. Prevalence of typical symptoms was greatest in 30- to 60-year-olds (respectively 80, 79, 69%; at least one 95%). They were reported less frequently in children (≤ 18 years: 69, 48, 23; 85%), older adults (≥ 70 years: 61, 62, 65; 90%), and women (66, 66, 64; 90%; vs. men 71, 70, 67; 93%, each P < 0.001). The most common atypical presentations under 60 years of age were nausea and vomiting and abdominal pain, and over 60 years was confusion. Regression models showed significant differences in symptoms with sex, age and country. Interpretation: This international collaboration has allowed us to report reliable symptom data from the largest cohort of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. Adults over 60 and children admitted to hospital with COVID-19 are less likely to present with typical symptoms. Nausea and vomiting are common atypical presentations under 30 years. Confusion is a frequent atypical presentation of COVID-19 in adults over 60 years. Women are less likely to experience typical symptoms than men

Microconstructions pour le prototypage de circuits microfluidiques générant des émulsions : études comparatives

5èmes Rencontres de Biologie-Physique du Grand Ouest, 9-10 juin 2011, Renne

Studying the real-time interplay between triglyceride digestion and lipophilic micronutrient bioaccessibility using droplet microfluidics. 2 Application to various oils and (pro)vitamins

International audienceThe kinetics of micellar solubilization of lipophilic micronutrients (bioaccessibility) in relation with triglyceride digestion remains poorly known. To study this interplay in real-time, a droplet microfluidic method was designed and used as reported in the first part of this article series. In this second part, the interplay between the micellar solubilization of (pro)vitamins (betacarotene or retinyl palmitate) and the digestion of triglyceride oils (tricaprylin TC, or high-oleic sunflower seed oil HOSO, or fish oil FO) during simulated gastrointestinal digestion was investigated. The relation between the release of both micronutrients and of triglyceride lipolytic products was found to be non-linear. The kinetics of beta-carotene was found to follow the kinetics of lipolytic products, depending on the oil type (TC > HOSO > FO). The effect of the gastric phase on the intestinal phase was also found to follow this order, mostly due to partial lipolysis during the gastric phase

Studying the real-time interplay between triglyceride digestion and lipophilic micronutrient bioaccessibility using droplet microfluidics. 2 application to various oils and (pro)vitamins

International audienceThe kinetics of micellar solubilization of lipophilic micronutrients (bioaccessibility) in relation with triglyceride digestion remains poorly known. To study this interplay in real-time, a droplet microfluidic method was designed and used as reported in the first part of this article series. In this second part, the interplay between the micellar solubilization of (pro)vitamins (beta-carotene or retinyl palmitate) and the digestion of triglyceride oils (tricaprylin TC, or high-oleic sunflower seed oil HOSO, or fish oil FO) during simulated gastrointestinal digestion was investigated. The relation between the release of both micronutrients and of triglyceride lipolytic products was found to be non-linear. The kinetics of beta-carotene was found to follow the kinetics of lipolytic products, depending on the oil type (TC > HOSO > FO). The effect of the gastric phase on the intestinal phase was also found to follow this order, mostly due to partial lipolysis during the gastric phase

FT-IR investigation of cell wall polysaccharides from cereal grains. Arabinoxylan infrared assignment

International audienc

Tuning optical properties of cellulose nanofibrils-based multilayered thin films

International audienc

Microfluidics-assisted generation of stimuli-responsive hydrogels based on alginates incorporated with thermo-responsive and amphiphilic polymers as novel biomaterials

International audienceWe used a droplet-based microfluidics technique to produce monodisperse responsive alginate-block-polyetheramine copolymer microgels. The polyetheramine group (PEA), corresponding to a propylene oxide /ethylene oxide ratio (PO/EO) of 29/6 (Jeffamine (R) M2005), was condensed, via the amine link, to alginates with various mannuronic/guluronic acids ratios and using two alginate:jeffamine mass ratios. The size of the grafted-alginate microgels varied from 60 to 80 mu m depending on the type of alginate used and the degree of substitution. The droplet-based microfluidics technique offered exquisite control of both the dimension and physical chemical properties of the grafted-alginate microgels. These microgels were therefore comparable to isolated grafted-alginate chains in retaining both their amphiphilic and thermo-sensitive properties. Amphiphilicity was demonstrated at the oil-water interface where grafted-alginate microgels were found to decrease interfacial tension by similar to 50%. The thermo-sensitivity of microgels was clearly demonstrated and a 10 to 20% reduction in size between was evidenced on increasing the temperature above the lower critical solution temperature (T-LCST) of Jeffamine. In addition, the reversibility of thermo-sensitivity was demonstrated by studying the oil-water affinity of microgels with temperature after Congo red labeling. Finally, droplet-based microfluidics was found to be a good and promising tool for generating responsive biobased hydrogels for drug delivery applications and potential new colloidal stabilizers for dispersed systems such as Pickering emulsions. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved