McGill University

About: McGill University is a education organization based out in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 72688 authors who have published 162565 publications receiving 6966523 citations. The organization is also known as: Royal institution of advanced learning & University of McGill College.

A Longitudinal Study of the Influence of Alliance Network Structure and Composition on Firm Exploratory Innovation

Abstract: This study examines the influence of the structure and composition of a firm’s alliance network on its exploratory innovation. In a longitudinal investigation of 77 telecommunications equipment manufacturers, I find the technological diversity of a firm’s alliance partners increases its exploratory innovation. I also find that network density among a firm’s alliance partners strengthens the influence of diversity. These results suggest the benefits of network closure and access to diverse information can coexist in a firm’s alliance network and the combination of the two increases exploratory innovation.

Genome-wide association scan identifies a colorectal cancer susceptibility locus on chromosome 8q24

Abstract: Using a multistage genetic association approach comprising 7,480 affected individuals and 7,779 controls, we identified markers in chromosomal region 8q24 associated with colorectal cancer. In stage 1, we genotyped 99,632 SNPs in 1,257 affected individuals and 1,336 controls from Ontario. In stages 2-4, we performed serial replication studies using 4,024 affected individuals and 4,042 controls from Seattle, Newfoundland and Scotland. We identified one locus on chromosome 8q24 and another on 9p24 having combined odds ratios (OR) for stages 1-4 of 1.18 (trend; P = 1.41 x 10(-8)) and 1.14 (trend; P = 1.32 x 10(-5)), respectively. Additional analyses in 2,199 affected individuals and 2,401 controls from France and Europe supported the association at the 8q24 locus (OR = 1.16, trend; 95% confidence interval (c.i.): 1.07-1.26; P = 5.05 x 10(-4)). A summary across all seven studies at the 8q24 locus was highly significant (OR = 1.17, c.i.: 1.12-1.23; P = 3.16 x 10(-11)). This locus has also been implicated in prostate cancer.

How scientists really reason: scientific reasoning in real-world laboratories

Abstract: In 1965 Jacques Monod and François Jacob were awarded the Nobel prize for discovering that there are regulator genes that control the activity of other genes. They discovered this by investigating the utilization of energy sources, such as glucose, in E. coli. E. coli need glucose to live and their most common source of glucose is lactose. When lactose is present, E. coli secrete betagalactosidase enzymes that break down lactose into glucose. Betagalactosidase is secreted only when lactose is present. Jacob and Monod discovered that a set of regulator genes inhibit the genes that produce betagalactosidase until betagalactosidase is needed. They proposed that there are two genes I and O that regulate the activity of the betagalactosidase producing genes and that the production of beta-gal is controlled by an inhibitory regulation mechanism. As can be seen from Figure 1, when no lactose is present the I gene produces an inhibitor that binds to the O gene, and this prevents the betagalactosidase genes from producing betagalactosidase. When Lactose is present, the inhibitor secreted by the I gene binds to the lactose, rather than the O gene. When this happens, the betagalactosidase genes are no longer inhibited and, consequently, they produce betagalactosidase. When all the lactose is used, the inhibitor again binds to the O gene and production of betagalactosidase stops. Monod and Jacob made this discovery using various mutations where the I, O, and betagalactosidase genes were mutated. Crucially, they initially thought that genetic control was due to genes switching on, or activating, other genes. It was only after a large amount of research that they discovered that the mechanism of control was inhibition. Not only was this discovery relevant to production of betagalactosidase, but it was a general model of genetic control that transformed biological research.