L’anxiété face à la mort au Québec : résultats d’un sondage d’opinion

Les résultats d'un sondage sur les attitudes face à la mort dans un échantillon représentatif de la population québécoise sont présentés. L'échelle de Templer sur l'anxiété face à la mort a été utilisée. Ces résultats indiquent que la mort n'est pas une préoccupation déclenchant un haut degré d'anxiété dans la société québécoise. Cependant, la scolarité, le salaire, la religiosité, l'âge et le sexe influencent la distribution des réponses. De plus, cette anxiété est liée à la non-permissivité à l'égard de la sexualité ainsi qu'au sexisme.The results of a poll on the attitudes towards death of a representative sample of the Quebec population are presented. The Templer Scale on death anxiety was employed. These results indicate that death is not a preoccupation which triggers a high degree of tension in Quebec society. However, education level, salary, religions belief, age and sex influence the distribution of responses. Moreover, this anxiety is tied to the non-permissiveness in relation to sexuality as well as to sexism

Déterminants socioculturels et psychosociaux de l’implication dans la vie sexuelle parmi les jeunes adultes francophones du Québec

Afin de dégager les facteurs qui interviennent dans l'entrée dans la vie sexuelle des jeunes adultes francophones du Québec, un échantillon de 2828 sujets, dont 42,3 % d'hommes et 57,7 % de femmes, inscrits dans les établissements d'enseignement collégial du Québec ont répondu à un questionnaire à remplir soi-même portant, entre autres choses, sur leurs scénarios sexuels, dont la présence d'activités génitales. Les résultats indiquent que la proportion des élèves actifs sexuellement est plus élevée chez les femmes que chez les hommes. De plus, l'entrée dans la vie sexuelle semble s'appuyer sur des considérations d'ordre sociodémographique, socioculturel et psycho-social qui renvoient à des configurations spécifiques selon le genre. Ces résultats peuvent aider à orienter les interventions sociales sur le plan de la sexualité.In order to understand the factors which intervene in the sexual implication of French-speaking college students in Québec, a sample of 2828 subjects, 42,3 % males et 57,7 % females, have answered a self-administered questionnaire dealing, among others, with their sexual scenarios and genital activities. Results indicate that the proportion of sexually active students is higher among females than males. Furthermore sexual activity depends upon sociodemographic, sociocultural and psychosocial factors, some of them varying according to gender. These results can help to design psychosocial interventions oriented towards these populations in the field of prevention and psychological well-being

Classification des utilisateurs de Twitter en fonction de leurs comportements à l'aide d'un algorithme des K-means

International audienceDans cette présentation, nous proposons une analyse des comportements des utilisateurs de Twitter durant la campagne des élections européennes de 2014 dans le but de former des groupes d'utilisateurs qui avaient tendance à faire des actions aux mêmes moments durant cette campagne. Pour ce faire, nous effectuons une classification des jours de la campagne électorale puis, à l'aide de la classification obtenue, nous proposons une classification des utilisateurs dans le but d'étudier leurs comportements. Cette classification imbriquée nous oblige à transformer le modèle pour permettre une exécution plus rapide de l'algorithme des K-means. Nous concluons cette présentation par une analyse des résultats obtenus

Analyse des comportements des utilisateurs de Twitter durant la campagne des élections européennes de 2014

International audienceIn this talk, we provide an analysis of the behavior of Twitter users during the 2014 European elections campaign. Our goal is forming user groups that tended to do the same action at the same time during this campaign. We propose a classification of the days of the electoral campaign and, using the classification obtained, we propose a classification of the users in order to study their behaviors. We conclude this talk with an analysis of the results obtained.Dans cette présentation, nous proposons une analyse des comportements des utilisateurs de Twitter durant la campagne des élections européennes de 2014 dans le but de former des groupes d'utilisateurs qui avaient tendance à faire des actions aux mêmes moments durant cette campagne. Pour ce faire, nous effectuons une classification des jours de la campagne électorale puis, à l'aide de la classification obtenue, nous proposons une classification des utilisateurs dans le but d'étudier leurs comportements. Nous concluons cette présentation par une analyse des résultats obtenus

High quality draft sequences for prokaryotic genomes using a mix of new sequencing technologies

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Massively parallel DNA sequencing instruments are enabling the decoding of whole genomes at significantly lower cost and higher throughput than classical Sanger technology. Each of these technologies have been estimated to yield assemblies with more problematic features than the standard method. These problems are of a different nature depending on the techniques used. So, an appropriate mix of technologies may help resolve most difficulties, and eventually provide assemblies of high quality without requiring any Sanger-based input.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We compared assemblies obtained using Sanger data with those from different inputs from New Sequencing Technologies. The assemblies were systematically compared with a reference finished sequence. We found that the 454 GSFLX can efficiently produce high continuity when used at high coverage. The potential to enhance continuity by scaffolding was tested using 454 sequences from circularized genomic fragments. Finally, we explore the use of Solexa-Illumina short reads to polish the genome draft by implementing a technique to correct 454 consensus errors.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>High quality drafts can be produced for small genomes without any Sanger data input. We found that 454 GSFLX and Solexa/Illumina show great complementarity in producing large contigs and supercontigs with a low error rate.</p

The Chemerin/ChemR23 System Does Not Affect the Pro-Inflammatory Response of Mouse and Human Macrophages Ex Vivo

Macrophages constitute a major component of innate immunity and play an essential role in defense mechanisms against external aggressions and in inflammatory responses. Chemerin, a chemoattractant protein, is generated in inflammatory conditions, and recruits cells expressing the G protein-coupled receptor ChemR23, including macrophages. Chemerin was initially expected to behave as a pro-inflammatory agent. However, recent data described more complex activities that are either pro- or anti-inflammatory, according to the disease model investigated. In the present study, peritoneal macrophages were generated from WT or ChemR23−/− mice, stimulated with lipopolyssaccharide in combination or not with IFN-γ and the production of pro- (TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6) and anti-inflammatory (IL-10) cytokines was evaluated using qRT-PCR and ELISA. Human macrophages generated from peripheral blood monocytes were also tested in parallel. Peritoneal macrophages from WT mice, recruited by thioglycolate or polyacrylamide beads, functionally expressed ChemR23, as assessed by flow cytometry, binding and chemotaxis assays. However, chemerin had no effect on the strong upregulation of cytokine release by these cells upon stimulation by LPS or LPS/IFN-γ, whatever the concentration tested. Similar data were obtained with human macrophages. In conclusion, our results rule out the direct anti-inflammatory effect of chemerin on macrophages ex vivo, described previously in the literature, despite the expression of a functional ChemR23 receptor in these cells

Newtoning financial development with heterogeneous firms

Abstract: This article theoretically and empirically tests the link between financial constraints and the extensive (proportion of exporters) and intensive (volume of exports) margins of international trade. The article&apos;s main contribution is its macroeconomic analysis of this relationship, which is further reaching than the sector-based focus found in the current literature. It also presents new information on firm behavior under financial constraints. The paper develops a trade model with heterogeneous firms and shows that countries with a high level of financial development have a lower productivity cut-off above which firms export and a higher proportion of exporting firms. Nevertheless, financial development is not correlated with firms&apos; export volumes once they become exporters. An empirical analysis is developed on the basis of an international trade database on 135 countries between 1994 and 2007. The empirical analysis estimates a two-step gravity equation using panel data and confirms the first theoretical proposition that finance has a positive impact on the extensive margin. However, the intensive margin results are striking. They find a negative relationship between financial development and trade flows, confirmed by all the sensitivity tests. Despite the positive effect of financial development found by the literature in some economic sectors, the macroeconomic impact on overall exports was negative during the analyzed period

Crenarchaeal CdvA Forms Double-Helical Filaments Containing DNA and Interacts with ESCRT-III-Like CdvB

International audienceBACKGROUND: The phylum Crenarchaeota lacks the FtsZ cell division hallmark of bacteria and employs instead Cdv proteins. While CdvB and CdvC are homologues of the eukaryotic ESCRT-III and Vps4 proteins, implicated in membrane fission processes during multivesicular body biogenesis, cytokinesis and budding of some enveloped viruses, little is known about the structure and function of CdvA. Here, we report the biochemical and biophysical characterization of the three Cdv proteins from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Metallospherae sedula. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Using sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation and negative staining electron microscopy, we evidenced for the first time that CdvA forms polymers in association with DNA, similar to known bacterial DNA partitioning proteins. We also observed that, in contrast to full-lengh CdvB that was purified as a monodisperse protein, the C-terminally deleted CdvB construct forms filamentous polymers, a phenomenon previously observed with eukaryotic ESCRT-III proteins. Based on size exclusion chromatography data combined with detection by multi-angle laser light scattering analysis, we demonstrated that CdvC assembles, in a nucleotide-independent way, as homopolymers resembling dodecamers and endowed with ATPase activity in vitro. The interactions between these putative cell division partners were further explored. Thus, besides confirming the previous observations that CdvB interacts with both CdvA and CdvC, our data demonstrate that CdvA/CdvB and CdvC/CdvB interactions are not mutually exclusive. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our data reinforce the concept that Cdv proteins are closely related to the eukaryotic ESCRT-III counterparts and suggest that the organization of the ESCRT-III machinery at the Crenarchaeal cell division septum is organized by CdvA an ancient cytoskeleton protein that might help to coordinate genome segregation