The effect of university–industry collaboration on the scientific impact of publications : the Canadian case, 1980–2005

Previous research on university-industry collaboration in Canada concluded, using mean impact factors as a proxy, that the scientific impact of such research is not inferior to that of university research. Using field-normalized impact factors and citation counts, this paper reexamines the Canadian case. It shows that, when impact factors are field-normalized, university-industry papers are published, on average, in journals with lower impact factors than papers originating from universities only. However, field-normalized citation values reveal the opposite: the average scientific impact of university-industry papers is significantly above that of both university-only papers and industry-only papers. Collaboration with industries is, thus far from detrimental to the scientific impact of university research and even increases it significantly

Experimental Investigations of Liquid Oxygen/Methane Combustion at Very Low Mixture Ratio at the Mascotte Test Facility

International audienceA short test series was run on the Mascotte cryogenic test facility of Onera, with the objective to demonstrate the feasibility of applying several diagnostics to the characterization of liquid oxygen/methane combustion in the range of low mixture ratios typical of gas generator operation. Tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy and emission spectroscopy were used to investigate the gas mixture in the near injector region, while particle sampling was applied to the characterization of soot

Genetic markers in clinical subtypes of juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Poster presentatationInternational audienc

A benchmark for particle shape dependence

International audienceParticle shape is a major parameter for the space-filling and strength properties of granular materials. For a systematic investigation of shape effect, a numerical benchmark test was set up within a collaborative group using different numerical methods and particles of various shape characteristics such as elongation, angularity and nonconvexity. Extensive 2D shear simulations were performed in this framework and the shear strength and packing fraction were compared for different shapes.We show that the results may be analyzed in terms of a low-order shape parameter h describing the degree of distortion from a perfectly circular shape. In particular, the shear strength is an increasing function of h with nearly the same trend for all shapes, the differences being of second order compared to h. We also observe a nontrivial behavior of packing fraction which, for all our simulated shapes, increases with h from the random close packing fraction for disks, reaches a peak considerably higher than that for disks, and subsequently declines as h is further increased. Finally, the analysis of contact forces for the same value of h leads to very similar statistics regardless of our specific particle shapes

Endothelio-Mesenchymal Interaction Controls runx1 Expression and Modulates the notch Pathway to Initiate Aortic Hematopoiesis

SummaryHematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are produced by a small cohort of hemogenic endothelial cells (ECs) during development through the formation of intra-aortic hematopoietic cell (HC) clusters. The Runx1 transcription factor plays a key role in the EC-to-HC and -HSC transition. We show that Runx1 expression in hemogenic ECs and the subsequent initiation of HC formation are tightly controlled by the subaortic mesenchyme, although the mesenchyme is not a source of HCs. Runx1 and Notch signaling are involved in this process, with Notch signaling decreasing with time in HCs. Inhibiting Notch signaling readily increases HC production in mouse and chicken embryos. In the mouse, however, this increase is transient. Collectively, we show complementary roles of hemogenic ECs and mesenchymal compartments in triggering aortic hematopoiesis. The subaortic mesenchyme induces Runx1 expression in hemogenic-primed ECs and collaborates with Notch dynamics to control aortic hematopoiesis

A gas-templating strategy to synthesize CZTS nanocrystals for environment-friendly solar inks

A high-temperature gas-templating strategy is proposed to synthesize Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) nanocrystals for all-aqueous solar inks. Our gas templating process route involves the in-situ generation and stabilization of nanosized gas bubbles into a molten KSCN-based reaction mixture at 400 °C. Chemical insights of the templating gas process are provided such as the simultaneous formation of gas bubbles and CZTS nuclei highlighting the crucial role of the nucleation stage on the sponge and resulting nanocrystals properties. The high porosity displayed by the resulting CZTS nanocrystals facilitates their further post-fragmentation, yielding individualized nanocrystals. The advantages of our high temperature gas templating route are illustrated by the following: (i) the low defect concentration displayed by the highly crystalline nanocrystals, (ii) the synthesis of CZTS nanocrystals displaying S2− polar surfaces after ligand exchange. The good photoluminescence properties recorded on the pure CZTS nanocrystals reveal potential for exploration of new complex chalcogenide nanocrystals useful for various applications including photovoltaics and water splitting. Here we demonstrate that using these building blocks, a CZTS solar cell can be successfully fabricated from an environment-friendly all-aqueous ink

CDK5RAP2 primary microcephaly is associated with hypothalamic, retinal and cochlear developmental defects

International audienc

Wintering bird communities are tracking climate change faster than breeding communities

Global climate change is driving species' distributions towards the poles and mountain tops during both non-breeding and breeding seasons, leading to changes in the composition of natural communities. However, the degree of season differences in climate-driven community shifts has not been thoroughly investigated at large spatial scales. We compared the rates of change in the community composition during both winter (non-breeding season) and summer (breeding) and their relation to temperature changes. Based on continental-scale data from Europe and North America, we examined changes in bird community composition using the community temperature index (CTI) approach and compared the changes with observed regional temperature changes during 1980-2016. CTI increased faster in winter than in summer. This seasonal discrepancy is probably because individuals are less site-faithful in winter, and can more readily shift their wintering sites in response to weather in comparison to the breeding season. Regional long-term changes in community composition were positively associated with regional temperature changes during both seasons, but the pattern was only significant during summer due to high annual variability in winter communities. Annual changes in community composition were positively associated with the annual temperature changes during both seasons. Our results were broadly consistent across continents, suggesting some climate-driven restructuring in both European and North American avian communities. Because community composition has changed much faster during the winter than during the breeding season, it is important to increase our knowledge about climate-driven impacts during the less-studied non-breeding season.Peer reviewe