56 research outputs found
Book Review: Money for everyone: why we need a Citizen’s Income
No full text"Money For Everyone: Why we need a Citizen’s Income." Malcolm Torry. Policy Press. June 2013. --- In this book Malcolm Torry considers the social, economic and labour market advantages of introducing a Citizen’s Income in the UK. The author attempts to explore its implications on the economy, social cohesion, families, and the employment market. Though the ideal of a Citizen’s Income, with all its strengths and weaknesses, is a challenging framework to reflect on, the author shows how to make it a reality, writes Aurelie Charles
The discovery of SycO reveals a new function for type three secretion effector chaperones
No full textThe Type Three Secretion (T3S) system is a device used by many Gram-negative pathogens that allows bacteria to deliver effector proteins straight into the eukaryotic cell cytosol. These effectors interfere with various signaling pathways to subvert the host cell functions. The secretion machinery of the T3S system consist of a basal body spanning the bacterial inner and outer membrane followed by a stiff hollow needle outside the bacterium. The fully assembled secretion apparatus constitute a continuous hollow conduit that connects the bacteria to the eukaryotic target cell. After cell contact, virulence proteins -called effectors- are injected directly into the cytosol of the host cell via the T3S apparatus. Several effectors of the T3S system require the assistance of specific cytosolic chaperones to be efficiently exported. There are three classes of T3S chaperones. Effector proteins are assisted by Class I chaperones. Although Class I chaperones are well characterized, their main function is still a matter of controversy. In this thesis, we demonstrate that orf155 encodes a specific chaperone for the effector YopO that we called SycO. We showed that SycO enhances YopO secretion in vitro and is required for translocation of YopO into infected cells. By pulldown assay we demonstrated that residues 20 to 77 of YopO are required and sufficient for SycO binding. Using crosslinking experiments and size exclusion chromatography analysis, we determined the stoichiometry of purified SycO and YopO-SycO complexes. SycO alone forms dimers in solution and the YopO-SycO complex has a 1:2 stoichiometry. These results suggested that SycO is a typical chaperone of the Class I. YopO is a serine/theronine kinase that interacts with Rho and Rac and disrupts the cytoskeleton of the target cells. YopO has been shown to localize at the cell plasma-membrane. By transfection of YopO-EGFP hybrid proteins into HEK293T cells, we demonstrated that the chaperone-binding domain (CBD) coincides with the membrane localization domain of YopO. Nevertheless, the CBD was not needed for the kinase activity of YopO. By ultracentrifugation, we also showed that the CBD causes YopO aggregation in the bacteria, when SycO does not cover it. Further, we show that the CBD of YopE and YopT also caused aggregation in the bacteria in the absence of SycE and SycT respectively. YopE, YopT and T3S effectors in other systems also act at the membrane of the eukaryotic host cell. We propose a new hypothesis concerning the role of T3S chaperones. The sub-cellular localization domain of effectors is aggregation-prone and creates the need for a chaperone inside bacteria. We propose that masking such aggregation-prone localization domains may be a general function for type III effector chaperones
Transcatheter transcaval embolization of a type II endoleak after EVAR using a transseptal needle-sheath system
No full textPurpose. The purpose of this study is to present an alternative technique for management of a type II endoleak associated with aneurysm sac enlargement. Technique. We report the use of a transseptal needle-sheath system for a transcatheter transcaval embolization (TTE) in a 3-staged treatment of a persistent type II endoleak after abdominal EVAR. Inferior vena cava is cannulated through a femoral venous access, and aneurysmal sac access is gained with a puncture through the walls of the 2 vessels at the site where the vein is adjacent to the aneurysm. The whole system (sheath-dilator-needle) is then advanced across the vascular walls into the aortic sac. Thus, embolization with glue is performed. Conclusion. The TTE using a transseptal needle-sheath system demonstrated to be feasible and effective to treat a persistent type II endoleak after failure of 2 attempts of transarterial embolization of the feeding vessels. © The Author(s) 2012
The Home TEACCHing Program: a study of the efficacy of a parent training early intervention model
No full textThe current study evaluated the efficacy of the Home TEACCHing Program, a low-cost, short-term comprehensive parent training intervention for children with autism and their families based on the TEACCH model. Parents were taught in their home to work with their two and three year old children on a variety of curriculum areas. Ten children and their parents were matched based on age and functioning level to form five pairs. One member of each pair was randomly assigned to treatment and the other to a waitlist group and they were compared at both pre-treatment and post-treatment on formal dependent measures of child adaptive functioning, maladaptive behavior, and developmental levels and on parent knowledge and parent stress using an independent samples t-test. Direct behavioral measures of child and parent behavior were also collected and compared across matched pairs using a multiple baseline probe design. The results of a one-tailed independent t-test indicated that the treatment group showed significantly more improvement on the Fine Motor subtest of the Mullen Early Learning Scales (Mullen, 1995), t(8) = -2.43, p = 0.02, the Parent Stress subtest of the Parenting Stress Index (Abidin, 1995), t(8) = 2.167, p = 0.03, and the externalizing maladaptive, t(8) = -2.70, p = 0.01, and the generalized maladaptive behavior subscales, t(8) = -4.96, p = .0005 of the Scales of Independent Behavior –Revised (SIB-R) (Bruininks, Woodcock, Weatherman & Hill, 1996). Additional measurable but not statistically significant improvements were also found. The results of the multiple baseline probe design showed robust support for increases in child independent functioning, parent set-up behavior, and parent use of non-verbal and total effective prompts, and decreases in parent use of total ineffective prompts. The implications of these results are discussed.Psy.DIncludes bibliographical references (p. 110-120)by Aurelie Welterli
Design and validation of a survey instrument to assess the attraction, retention, and integration of official language minority immigrants in Canada
No full textThe goal of this project was to design, implement and analyze a pilot survey of recent Official Language Minority Immigrants in Canada, with the ultimate aim of providing a valid and reliable survey instrument that can be used to enhance understanding of the settlement and integration experiences of Official Language Minority Immigrants (OLMIs) in Canada, and the factors that drive their attraction, retention, and integration. To this end, a pilot survey was designed and administered to 150 recent Official Language Minority Immigrants across the country using computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI).
Official Language Minority Immigrants were identified and their contact information obtained through Landing Data provided by Citizenship and Immigration Canada. We define Official Language Minority Immigrants as immigrants in Quebec whose preferred official language is English and immigrants in the Rest of Canada whose preferred official language is French. In the current case, this was based on a combination of official language ability at landing and language chosen for the landing interview.
The survey was designed to include the following key modules, some of which are specific to Official Language Minority Immigrants and some of which apply to immigrants in general:
Attraction, retention, and mobility factors that may influence Official Language Minority Immigrants
Availability, access to, and satisfaction with French institutions, services, and activities in communities outside of Quebec, and with English institutions, services, and activities in communities in Quebec
Language practices and retention
Social and cultural integration
Economic integration
Well-being
Demographics
As a pilot with a small sample size, the current survey was intended to develop and test the survey instrument, rather than provide findings on Official Language Minority Immigrants. That is, the results are not for interpretation but instead are for illustrative purposes in terms of the usefulness of the survey instrument. Thus, for example, we aimed for approximately equal numbers of participants in each region of the Rest of Canada (British Columbia, Prairies, Ontario, Atlantic), though the population of OLMIs in these regions differs. We combined these regions for the Rest of Canada (ROC) without weighting in order to examine the utility of the survey instrument, rather than for the purpose of interpretation.
The pilot survey demonstrates the feasibility of the procedure utilized, and analyses of the responses indicate that the instrument was very effective in eliciting information on each of the key topics of interest. The analyses also provide information on questions and response options that require adjustment, and the type of adjustments that should be made. In order to test out as many questions as possible, the survey instrument used in the pilot was quite long, averaging just over 32 minutes to complete. The analyses indicate questions that can be combined or removed in order to reduce the length of the survey without compromising the breadth of topics addressed.
Based on these findings, we recommend that a full-scale survey be launched using a revised version of the pilot survey instrument. Such a survey will go a long way to filling major gaps in our knowledge of the settlement and integration experiences of Official Language Minority Immigrants, and contribute to the Immigration pillar of the Roadmap for Canada’s Official Languages 2013-2018 (Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, 2013). This fits with the Senate Committee on Official Languages’ recommendation that a survey be conducted “on French-speaking immigrants outside Quebec and on English-speaking immigrants in Quebec so that official language minority communities can be better equipped to deal with the immigration challenges they will be facing over the coming years” (2014, p. vii). It will also provide an evidence base to support the evaluation of the Support for Official Language Minority Communities program to be conducted by Citizenship and Immigration Canada starting in the fall of 2015.
Specifically, results will provide an evidence base for:
Better understanding the settlement needs of Official Language Minority Immigrants
Providing information on what aspects of Official Language Minority Immigrant settlement need to be improved
Identifying gaps in services for Official Language Minority Immigrants
Designing new settlement resources and services for Official Language Minority Immigrants
Identifying potential pre- and post-arrival services and information that will improve the settlement and integration outcomes of Official Language Minority Immigrants
Developing effective initiatives for recruiting new Official Language Minority Immigrants and informing them of the services available to them
Developing strategies for contributing to the vitality of Official Language Minority Communities through immigratio
New Insights into the Bacterial Fitness-Associated Mechanisms Revealed by the Characterization of Large Plasmids of an Avian Pathogenic E. coli
No full textThis is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permitsunrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Extra-intestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC), including avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC), pose a considerable threat to both human and animal health, with illness causing substantial economic loss. APEC strain chi7122 (O78ratioK80ratioH9), containing three large plasmids [pChi7122-1 (IncFIB/FIIA-FIC), pChi7122-2 (IncFII), and pChi7122-3 (IncI(2))]; and a small plasmid pChi7122-4 (ColE2-like), has been used for many years as a model strain to study the molecular mechanisms of ExPEC pathogenicity and zoonotic potential. We previously sequenced and characterized the plasmid pChi7122-1 and determined its importance in systemic APEC infection; however the roles of the other pChi7122 plasmids were still ambiguous. Herein we present the sequence of the remaining pChi7122 plasmids, confirming that pChi7122-2 and pChi7122-3 encode an ABC iron transport system (eitABCD) and a putative type IV fimbriae respectively, whereas pChi7122-4 is a cryptic plasmid. New features were also identified, including a gene cluster on pChi7122-2 that is not present in other E. coli strains but is found in Salmonella serovars and is predicted to encode the sugars catabolic pathways. In vitro evaluation of the APEC chi7122 derivative strains with the three large plasmids, either individually or in combinations, provided new insights into the role of plasmids in biofilm formation, bile and acid tolerance, and the interaction of E. coli strains with 3-D cultures of intestinal epithelial cells. In this study, we show that the nature and combinations of plasmids, as well as the background of the host strains, have an effect on these phenomena. Our data reveal new insights into the role of extra-chromosomal sequences in fitness and diversity of ExPEC in their phenotypes
Elemental composition of PM2.5 in Shiprock, New Mexico, a rural community located near coal-burning power plants and abandoned uranium mine tailings sites
No full textabstract: Fine particulate matter (PM[subscript 2.5]) was collected in Shiprock, New Mexico, a small community located near two coal–fired power plants and numerous abandoned uranium mine tailing sites. Eleven PM[subscript 2.5] samples were collected for 96 h over three sampling periods (April/May 2009, November 2009, and October/November, 2010). Nine samples were analyzed for 64 elements using inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry. B, Bi, Cu, Pb, Sb, Sn, and Zn were observed in at least eight samples at levels indicative of anthropogenic enrichment (enrichment factors between 30 and 650). All the seven elements could be explained by coal–combustion processes. B, Bi, and Sb are enriched in coals; Cu, Pb, Sn, and Zn are chalcophile–lithophile or chalcophile elements, all with appreciable affinity for sulfur, a component of coal. Principal component analysis also supported these findings. Four major sources (percent variance) were identified: soil (61%), coal combustion (17%), industrial (11%), and sea salt (5%). Concentrations of elements associated with coal combustion in Shiprock were lower than levels observed in other industrially influenced cities. This was explained by Shiprock’s location west of the power plants. Back trajectories indicated that winds arrive to Shiprock from the W, SW, and NW, but the power plants are located to the east (upwind) of the city. Samples were also analyzed for uranium (0.002–0.02 ng/m[superscript 3]) and other metals associated with mine tailings (Sr, Mo). All metals were detected but at low levels, and concentrations did not vary predictably with wind direction. Hence, the tailings sites could not be attributed as the source
A Low-energy, Low-cost Field Deployable Sampler For Microbial DNA Profiling
No full textabstract: Filtration for microfluidic sample-collection devices is desirable for sample selection, concentration, preprocessing, and downstream manipulation, but microfabricating the required sub-micrometer filtration structure is an elaborate process. This thesis presents a simple method to fabricate polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) devices with an integrated membrane filter that will sample, lyse, and extract the DNA from microorganisms in aqueous environments. An off-the-shelf membrane filter disc was embedded in a PDMS layer and sequentially bound with other PDMS channel layers. No leakage was observed during filtration. This device was validated by concentrating a large amount of cyanobacterium Synechocystis in simulated sample water with consistent performance across devices. After accumulating sufficient biomass on the filter, a sequential electrochemical lysing process was performed by applying 5VDC across the filter. This device was further evaluated by delivering several samples of differing concentrations of cyanobacterium Synechocystis then quantifying the DNA using real-time PCR. Lastly, an environmental sample was run through the device and the amount of photosynthetic microorganisms present in the water was determined. The major breakthroughs in this design are low energy demand, cheap materials, simple design, straightforward fabrication, and robust performance, together enabling wide-utility of similar chip-based devices for field-deployable operations in environmental micro-biotechnology.Dissertation/ThesisAdditional PaperM.S. Civil and Environmental Engineering 201
The Essays of Montaigne : a "spiritual exercise" ?
No full textLa notion d’exercice spirituel, proposée par Hadot, désigne des pratiques nées en Grèce antique et qui se prolongent dans les méditations chrétiennes. Opposées à une philosophie théorique, elles poursuivent l’ambition d’apprendre à mieux agir et à se connaître soi-même. La thèse propose une vue d’ensemble de cette tradition associée à l’examen de textes précis de diverses périodes, afin de mettre en perspective les Essais de Montaigne qui se la réapproprient en poursuivant le projet de définir un art de vivre. À la fin du XVIe siècle, la confiance que les Anciens portaient à la raison n’est plus de mise : peut-on encore envisager de se maîtriser ou même de se connaître ? Les Chrétiens le croient possible en ayant recours à la grâce divine. Montaigne propose des exercices proprement humains et ordinaires. Prenant exemple sur une figure de Socrate idéalisée et associée à celle de l’Indien cannibale, il entend promouvoir un rapport à soi plus « naïf » et « primitif ». Cela lui demande d’effectuer un travail sur lui-même que seuls des exercices naturalisés pourront réaliser. Les élans de la fantaisie participent à cette démarche au même titre que le travail de la raison, tandis que cette dernière acquiert le droit de rêver. Il ne renonce pas pour autant à se poser en maître de lui-même, reprenant la méthode stoïcienne qui transforme en choix ce contre quoi on ne peut pas lutter. Au moment où la Contre-Réforme réclame le repentir, l’exercice permet à Montaigne de découvrir et d’assumer ce qu’il est. Et tandis que de nombreux traités cherchent la tranquillitas animi, il endosse le rôle d’agitateur, proposant des exercices qui maintiennent le mouvement, conçu comme élan vital.The concept of spiritual exercise, proposed by Hadot, refers to practices born in ancient Greece and prolonged in Christian meditations. Opposed to theoretical philosophy, they pursue the ambition of learning to act better and to know oneself. The thesis proposes an overview of this tradition which is associated with examining precise texts of various periods, in order to put into perspective the Montaigne Essays which reclaim this tradition by pursuing the project of defining an art of living. At the end of the sixteenth century, the trust that the ancients brought to reason is no longer applicable : can we still consider mastering ourselves or even knowing ourself ? The Christians believe this is possible, by having recourse to divine grace. The exercises that Montaigne proposes are strictly human and ordinary. Taking the example of an idealized figure of Socrates, also associated with that of the Indian cannibal, the author of the Essays intends to promote a more « naïve » and « primitive » relationship to oneself. It requires to do self-work that only naturalized exercises can achieve. The impulses of fantasy participate in the process in the same way as the work of reason, whereas the latter acquires the right to dream. He does not give up the idea of setting himself up as a master of himself, taking up the Stoic method of transforming the inevitable into a choice. At the moment when the Counter-Reformation requires repentance, spiritual exercises allow Montaigne to discover and assume what he is. And when Neo-Stoic treatises look for tranquillitas animi, he assumes the role of agitator, proposing exercises that maintain movement, conceived as vital impetus
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