Diversity of institutional support for research impact implementation

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VetoFocus, a website for clinical cases of bovine diseases

VetoFocus started with the release on-line of the author’s large photo collection of clinical cases of bovine diseases, with the help of a colleague in charge of a communication’s agency. In less than five years, regular contributions from practitioners, academics and students supervised by academics greatly enriched the collection. After a strict organisation of the site, cases were divided into three headings: clinical cases, technical procedures, and a collaborative heading « I need your opinion » where diagnostic or therapeutic questions can be posted. By the end of September 2012, the website had been visited by 7458 registered users from some forty French-speaking and European countries. VetoFocus offers a platform to exchange practical knowledge between veterinary practitioners, but also between practitioners and teachers or experts, which sometimes works both waysLe point de départ de VetoFocus a été la mise en ligne de l’importante collection photographique de cas cliniques de l’auteur, en pathologie bovine, avec l’aide d’un confrère responsable d’une agence de communication. En moins de cinq ans, les contributions régulières de praticiens, d’universitaires et d’étudiants encadrés par des universitaires, ont considérablement enrichi la collection. Après une stricte organisation du site, les cas ont été divisés en trois rubriques : cas cliniques, gestes techniques et une rubrique collaborative intitulée « J’ai besoin de votre avis » qui reçoit les questions diagnostiques ou thérapeutiques. À la fin de septembre 2012, le site avait été consulté par 7458 inscrits depuis une quarantaine de pays francophones et de pays européens. VetoFocus offre ainsi une plateforme de de partage de connaissances pratiques entre vétérinaires praticiens, mais aussi entre praticiens et enseignants ou experts et, parfois même de manière réciproqu

Investigation of the stellar population in galaxies since z=2 by NIR photometry

This study investigates galaxy evolution in the last 10 Gyr of the age of the Universe. To access the high redshift Universe deep near infrared observations have been carried out in the frame of the COMBO-17+4 (Classifying Objects by Medium-Band Observations) survey. Photometric redshifts, rest-frame SEDs and masses have been obtained for 14286 galaxies down to an observed magnitude H=21.7 mag in 0.2 square degree of the A901-field. The red evolved and the blue star-forming galaxy populations distributions have been followed through cosmic time. An evolving colour-magnitude relation as a function of lookback time has been derived in order to separate the red galaxies from the blue ones. Our results show that the galaxy bimodality persist out to z=1.6.The luminosity and the mass function for the red and the blue galaxy populations has been investigated. Our results show that the characteristic magnitude M* for both galaxy population have considerably dimmed between 2>z>0.2. The massive end of the mass function is dominated by the red galaxies at z<1, whereas above z=1 red evolved and blue star-forming galaxy populations contribute in similar numbers

Distribution de la matière dans les galaxies de l'échantillon SINGS

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal

On-call work and health: a review

Many professions in the fields of engineering, aviation and medicine employ this form of scheduling. However, on-call work has received significantly less research attention than other work patterns such as shift work and overtime hours. This paper reviews the current body of peer-reviewed, published research conducted on the health effects of on-call work The health effects studies done in the area of on-call work are limited to mental health, job stress, sleep disturbances and personal safety. The reviewed research suggests that on-call work scheduling can pose a risk to health, although there are critical gaps in the literature

Investigating differential T cell polarization in the two pathological forms of sheep paratuberculosis

Paratuberculosis is a chronic enteropathy of ruminants that presents as two distinct disease forms in sheep; paucibacillary (or tuberculoid) and multibacillary (or lepromatous) disease. The immunopathology of paucibacillary and multibacillary sheep paratuberculosis has been linked to inflammatory Th1/Th17 cell and Th2/macrophage responses respectively. IL23 and IL25 are key to the development of these responses by interaction with their complex receptors, IL23R/IL12RB1 and IL17RA/IL17RB. Furthermore, the polarization of T cells and the development of appropriate immune responses is controlled by the master regulator transcription factor; T-bet, GATA3, RORγt and RORα. In humans, variations in the structure, sequence and/or expression of the genes encoding these proteins have been implicated in the different pathological forms of tuberculosis and leprosy, and gastrointestinal inflammatory disorders such as Crohn’s disease. In the current study, sequencing has identified multiple transcript variants of sheep IL23R, IL12RB1 and IL17RB and a single IL17RA transcript. RT-qPCR assays were developed for the cytokine receptor variants identified in this study and known transcript variants of the transcription factor genes. Expression levels were compared in the ileo cecal lymph node of paucibacillary or multibacillary paratuberculosis diseased sheep. Of the cytokine receptors; the IL12RB1v3 variant, which lacks the receptor activation motif, was differentially expressed and was significantly increased in multibacillary disease; this may contribute to high Th2 responses. Full length IL17RB was differentially expressed and was significantly increased in multibacillary pathology, which may also contribute to Th2 polarization. IL17RA was significantly increased in paucibacillary disease. The contrast between the IL17RA and IL17RB results may indicate that, in addition to Th1 cells, Th17 T cells are also involved in paucibacillary pathology. Of the transcription factor transcripts; full length TBX21 (T-bet) was differentially expressed and was significantly increased in paucibacillary disease; this may explain increased Th1 responses in these sheep. Full length GATA3 was significantly increased in paucibacillary compared to multibacillary sheep, suggesting a loss of Th2 responses in late-stage multibacillary pathology. RORAv1 variant was differentially expressed and was significantly increased in paucibacillary pathology, indicating a role of Th17 T cells in paucibacillary pathology

Red-Sequence Galaxies at High Redshift by the COMBO-17+4 Survey

We investigate the evolution of the galaxy population since redshift 2 with a focus on the colour bimodality and mass density of the red sequence. We obtain precise and reliable photometric redshifts up to z=2 by supplementing the optical survey COMBO-17 with observations in four near-infrared bands on 0.2 square degrees of the COMBO-17 A901-field. Our results are based on an H-band-selected catalogue of 10692 galaxies complete to H=21.7. We measure the rest-frame colour (U_280-V) of each galaxy, which across the redshift range of our interest requires no extrapolation and is robust against moderate redshift errors by staying clear of the 4000A-break. We measure the colour-magnitude relation of the red sequence as a function of lookback time from the peak in a colour error-weighted histogram, and thus trace the galaxy bimodality out to z~1.65. The (U_280-V) of the red sequence is found to evolve almost linearly with lookback time. At high redshift, we find massive galaxies in both the red and the blue population. Red-sequence galaxies with log M_*/M_sun>11 increase in mass density by a factor of ~4 from z~2 to 1 and remain nearly constant at z<1. However, some galaxies as massive as log M_*/M_sun=11.5 are already in place at z~2.Comment: 18 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Internet Devices and Desires: A Review of Randomized Controlled Trials of Interactive, Internet-mediated, In-home, Chronic Disease Monitoring Programs

Abstract:Background and Objectives: The advent of the Internet has made in-home monitoring a possibility for patients suffering from chronic disease, although few studies have examined this phenomena across different disease states. The goal of this review is to identify and evaluate studies where randomized control trials were used to evaluate Internet-mediated home monitoring systems designed to manage and support patients with chronic diseases.Methods and Results: We reviewed 454 abstracts of articles describing computerbased health interventions and read forty-three articles in depth. Seventeen articles met inclusion criteria and were selected for this review. Only completed randomized, controlled trials that reported physiological health outcomes of the intervention were included. Other results reviewed included the populations studied, the short and long term effectiveness of the interventions, costs and technology-related issues and health care provider communication. Internet-mediated home monitoring interventions appear to have some benefit for specific chronic diseases in specific circumstances. Few studies documented cost savings; none of those that did used consistent measures. Studies seldom addressed the challenges of introducing sophisticated interactive-monitoring systems into patients’ homes, the reasons for attrition from trials, or the effects of the intervention on the work of care providers or interprofessional practices.Conclusions: The interventions reviewed showed potential to enhance chronic disease management in some cases. However, the short duration of the studies made it difficult to generalize the results to wider home care settings or predict the effectiveness of such systems over the long and complicated courses of chronic diseases. Thus, despite hopes for significant cost and labour savings, Internet-mediated systems for monitoring chronic diseases in patients’ homes will likely complement rather than replace usual care

Radon in Schools: A Review of Radon Testing Efforts in Canadian Schools

Radon, a known carcinogen, becomes a health risk when it accumulates inside buildings. Exposure is of particular concern for children, as their longer life expectancy increases their lifetime risk of developing cancer. In 2016, 5.5 million students were enrolled in Canadian elementary and secondary schools. With no national policy on radon testing in schools, children may be at risk from radon exposure while attending school and school-based programs. This study explored radon testing efforts in publicly funded Canadian schools and summarizes where testing programs have occurred. Radon testing in schools was identified through a systematic qualitative enquiry, surveying members from different levels of government (health and education) and other stakeholders (school boards, research experts, among others). Overall, this research found that approaches to radon testing varied considerably by province and region. Responsibility for radon testing in schools was often deferred between government, school boards, building managers and construction parties. Transparency around radon testing, including which schools had been tested and whether radon levels had been mitigated, also emerged as an issue. Radon testing of schools across Canada, including mitigation and clear communication strategies, needs to improve to ensure a healthy indoor environment for staff and students

Responsiveness and clinical utility of the geriatric self-efficacy index for urinary incontinence

OBJECTIVES: To report on the responsiveness testing and clinical utility of the 12-item Geriatric Self-Efficacy Index for Urinary Incontinence (GSE-UI). DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Six urinary incontinence (UI) outpatient clinics in Quebec, Canada. PARTICIPANTS: Community-dwelling incontinent adults aged 65 and older. MEASUREMENTS: The abridged 12-item GSE-UI, measuring older adults' level of confidence for preventing urine loss, was administered to all new consecutive incontinent patients 1 week before their initial clinic visit, at baseline, and 3 months posttreatment. At follow-up, a positive rating of improvement in UI was ascertained from patients and their physicians using the Patient's and Clinician's Global Impression of Improvement scales, respectively. Responsiveness of the GSE-UI was calculated using Guyatt's change index. Its clinical utility was determined using receiver operating curves. RESULTS: Eighty-nine of 228 eligible patients (39.0%) participated (mean age 72.6+5.8, range 65–90). At 3-month follow-up, 22.5% of patients were very much better, and 41.6% were a little or much better. Guyatt's change index was 2.6 for patients who changed by a clinically meaningful amount and 1.5 for patients having experienced any level of improvement. An improvement of 14 points on the 12-item GSE-UI had a sensitivity of 75.1% and a specificity of 78.2% for detecting clinically meaningful changes in UI status. Mean GSE-UI scores varied according to improvement status (P<.001) and correlated with changes in quality-of-life scores (r=0.7, P<.001) and reductions in UI episodes (r=0.4, P=.004). CONCLUSION: The GSE-UI is responsive and clinically useful