L'émancipation du Conseil de la Concurrence? Note sous la décision du Conseil de la concurrence du 26 mai 2009 dans l'affaire Base/BMB

Enième avatar de la bataille juridique opposant les opérateurs alternatifs de communications électroniques à l’ancien monopole public Belgacom1, la décision commentée constitue une première pour Conseil de la concurrence (« le Conseil ») à plus d’un titre : première condamnation de l’opérateur historique, première caractérisation d’un ciseau tarifaire abusif, première décision infligeant une amende aussi élevée en Belgique. Après des années de carence dans l’application des règles de concurrence au secteur des communications électroniques le Conseil parait vouloir renverser la vapeur. Sonne peut-être – comme nous l’avons écrit précédemment – la « fin de la récréation pour l’opérateur historique ». Il faut sans doute s’en féliciter, la Belgique figurant depuis longtemps parmi les mauvais élèves de l’ouverture à la concurrence des industries de réseaux

Idéations suicidaires du personnel de la santé pendant la pandémie de COVID-19 : une évaluation écologique momentanée

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on the psychological health of healthcare workers (HCWs). Cross-sectional studies report suicidal ideation in this population during this period, but no longitudinal study has examined the evolution of these ideas over time. Objectives: To assess the evolution of suicidal ideation of HCWs during the first two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic among Quebec (Canada) HCWs and to identify the risk factors involved. Methods: A longitudinal study among Quebec (Canada) HCWs using ecological momentary assessment was conducted between May 8, 2020, and March 31, 2021 (corresponding to the second half of the first wave to the end of the second). Participants (n=865) answered weekly questions related to anxiety (GAD-7), depression (PHQ-9), suicidal ideation (PHQ-9 Q.9), exposure to COVID-19, exposure to COVID-19-related deaths, their infection status and that of their co-workers and loved ones, as well as the amount of time they spent consuming news related to COVID-19. Results: Proportion of suicidal ideation increased from May to June 2020 (second half of the first wave) peaking at 18% before declining up to March 2021. Anxiety and depression symptoms severity increased those ideations as well as having a colleague confirmed positive to COVID-19. Social support does not appear to be a protective factor for suicidal ideation. Suicidal thoughts are associated with media consumption and appear to be mediated by the presence of clinical distress expressed as depressive or anxiety states. Discussion and conclusion: Media consumption in a pandemic context is associated with anxiety and depression, the more severe states of which may express suicidal ideation. Without inferring causality relationship, it seems advisable for HCWs to limit their media exposure during a disaster such as a pandemic.Introduction : La pandémie de COVID-19 a eu un impact sur la santé psychologique des travailleurs de la santé (TS). Des études transversales rapportent la présence d’idées suicidaires chez cette population pendant cette période, mais aucune étude longitudinale n’a examiné l’évolution de ces idées dans le temps. Objectifs : Évaluer l’évolution des idées suicidaires des TS au cours des deux premières vagues de la pandémie de COVID-19 au Québec (Canada) et identifier les facteurs de risque impliqués. Méthodes : Une étude longitudinale, utilisant l’évaluation écologique momentanée, a été menée entre le 8 mai 2020 et le 31 mars 2021 (correspondant à la période entre la moitié de la 1re vague à la fin de la seconde) auprès des TS québécois. Les participants (n=865) ont répondu de façon hebdomadaire à des questions relatives à l’anxiété (GAD-7), à la dépression (PHQ-9), aux idées suicidaires (PHQ-9 Q.9), à l’exposition à la COVID-19, à l’exposition aux décès liés à la COVID-19, à leur statut infectieux et à celui de leurs collègues et de leurs proches, ainsi qu’au temps passé à consommer des nouvelles liées à la COVID-19. Résultats : La proportion d’idées suicidaires a augmenté de mai à juin 2020 (deuxième moitié de la première vague) atteignant un pic à 18% avant de diminuer par la suite jusqu’en mars 2021. La gravité des symptômes d’anxiété et de dépression était corrélée positivement avec les idéations suicidaires, tout comme le fait d’avoir un collègue infecté à la COVID-19. Le soutien social ne semble pas être un facteur protecteur des idées suicidaires. Les idées suicidaires sont corrélées à la consommation de médias et un effet médiateur est observé par la présence d’une détresse clinique exprimée par des états dépressifs ou anxieux. Discussion et conclusion : La consommation de médias dans un contexte de pandémie est associée à de l’anxiété et à de la dépression, dont les états les plus graves peuvent exprimer des idées suicidaires. Sans inférer un lien de causalité, il semble recommandé aux travailleurs de la santé de limiter leur exposition aux médias lors d’une catastrophe telle qu’une pandémie

Genomic DNA PCR analysis to assess xenograft development in mouse mammary gland

The mouse transplantation model remains the most relevant methodology to assess the functional capacities of mammary cells and is particularly appropriate for investigations regarding mammary stem cells, whatever the species studied. Following xenotransplantation in mice mammary fat pad, the development of the xenograft is commonly evaluated by immunohistology. Here, we present a simple and rapid method to control the species specificity of a xenograft based on genomic DNA PCR amplification. DNA is extracted from the fixed samples intended for histology, thus allowing the reuse of precious samples. Standard and digital droplet PCR (requiring low DNA quantities) methods have been used to make the present method suitable for the analysis of xenotransplanted samples

Quantum dash based directly modulated lasers for long-reach access networks

International audienceWe demonstrate an innovative 10 Gbps single mode optical transmitter with the capacity of error free transmission in the range of 0 to 100kms with constant biasing conditions using a Quantum Dash Directly Modulated Laser. We use a commercially available etalon filter as passive optical filter to achieve penalty free transmission with a dynamic extinction ratio (DER) > 6dB over a large range of fiber spans

Suicidal Ideation of Healthcare Workers During COVID-19: An Ecological Momentary Assessment

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on the psychological health of healthcare workers (HCWs). Cross-sectional studies report suicidal ideation in this population during this period, but no longitudinal study has examined the evolution of these ideas over time. Objectives: To assess the evolution of suicidal ideation of HCWs during the first two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic among Quebec (Canada) HCWs and to identify the risk factors involved. Methods: A longitudinal study among Quebec (Canada) HCWs using ecological momentary assessment was conducted between May 8, 2020, and March 31, 2021 (corresponding to the second half of the first wave to the end of the second). Participants (n=865) answered weekly questions related to anxiety (GAD-7), depression (PHQ-9), suicidal ideation (PHQ-9 Q.9), exposure to COVID-19, exposure to COVID-19-related deaths, their infection status and that of their co-workers and loved ones, as well as the amount of time they spent consuming news related to COVID-19. Results: Proportion of suicidal ideation increased from May to June 2020 (second half of the first wave) peaking at 18% before declining up to March 2021. Anxiety and depression symptoms severity increased those ideations as well as having a colleague confirmed positive to COVID-19. Social support does not appear to be a protective factor for suicidal ideation. Suicidal thoughts are associated with media consumption and appear to be mediated by the presence of clinical distress expressed as depressive or anxiety states. Discussion and conclusion: Media consumption in a pandemic context is associated with anxiety and depression, the more severe states of which may express suicidal ideation. Without inferring causality relationship, it seems advisable for HCWs to limit their media exposure during a disaster such as a pandemic

Whole genome sequencing of a Canadian Bovine gammaherpesvirus 4 strain and possible link between the viral infection and respiratory and reproductive clinical manifestations in dairy cattle

Bovine gammaherpesvirus 4 (BoHV-4) is a herpesvirus widespread in cattle populations, and with no clear disease association. Its genome contains a long unique coding region (LUR) flanked by polyrepetitive DNA and 79 open reading frames (ORFs), with unique 17 ORFs, named Bo1 to Bo17. In 2009, a BoHV-4 strain was isolated (FMV09-1180503: BoHV-4-FMV) from cattle with respiratory disease from Quebec, Canada, and its LUR was sequenced. Despite the overall high similarity, BoHV-4-FMV had the most divergent LUR sequence compared to the two known BoHV-4 reference strain genomes; most of the divergences were in the Bo genes and in the repeat regions. Our phylogenetic analysis based on DNA polymerase and thymidine kinase genes revealed that virus isolate was BoHV-4 gammaherpesvirus and clustered it together with European BoHV-4 strains. Because BoHV-4-FMV was isolated from animals presenting respiratory signs, we have updated the BoHV-4 Canadian cattle seroprevalence data and tried to find out whether there is a link between clinical manifestation and BoHV-4 seropositivity. An indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) was performed with nearly 200 randomized sera of dairy cattle from two Canadian provinces, Quebec (n = 100) and Ontario (n = 91). An additional set of sera obtained from Quebec, from the healthy (n = 48) cows or from the animals experiencing respiratory or reproductive problems (n = 75), was also analyzed by IFA. BoHV-4 seroprevalence in Canadian dairy cattle was 7.9% (Quebec: 6% and Ontario: 9.9%). Among animals from the Quebec-based farms, diseased animals showed higher BoHV-4 seropositivity than healthy animals (P < 0.05), with a significant 2.494 odds ratio of being seropositive in sick compared to healthy animals. Although there is no established direct link between BoHV-4 and specific diseases, these seroprevalence data suggest the possible involvement of BoHV-4 in dairy cattle diseases

Wafer-scale detachable monocrystalline Germanium nanomembranes for the growth of III-V materials and substrate reuse

Germanium (Ge) is increasingly used as a substrate for high-performance optoelectronic, photovoltaic, and electronic devices. These devices are usually grown on thick and rigid Ge substrates manufactured by classical wafering techniques. Nanomembranes (NMs) provide an alternative to this approach while offering wafer-scale lateral dimensions, weight reduction, limitation of waste, and cost effectiveness. Herein, we introduce the Porous germanium Efficient Epitaxial LayEr Release (PEELER) process, which consists of the fabrication of wafer-scale detachable monocrystalline Ge NMs on porous Ge (PGe) and substrate reuse. We demonstrate monocrystalline Ge NMs with surface roughness below 1 nm on top of nanoengineered void layer enabling layer detachment. Furthermore, these Ge NMs exhibit compatibility with the growth of III-V materials. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) characterization shows Ge NMs crystallinity and high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) reciprocal space mapping endorses high-quality GaAs layers. Finally, we demonstrate the chemical reconditioning process of the Ge substrate, allowing its reuse, to produce multiple free-standing NMs from a single parent wafer. The PEELER process significantly reduces the consumption of Ge during the fabrication process which paves the way for a new generation of low-cost flexible optoelectronics devices.Comment: 17 pages and 6 figures along with 3 figures in supporting informatio