Université de Sherbrooke

About: Université de Sherbrooke is a education organization based out in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Receptor. The organization has 14922 authors who have published 28783 publications receiving 792511 citations. The organization is also known as: Universite de Sherbrooke & Sherbrooke University.

Cancer-associated regulation of alternative splicing.

Abstract: Alternative splicing of pre-mRNA increases the diversity of protein functions Here we show that about half of all active alternative splicing events in ovarian and breast tissues are changed in tumors, and many seem to be regulated by a single factor; sequence analysis revealed binding sites for the RNA binding protein FOX2 downstream of one-third of the exons skipped in cancer High-resolution analysis of FOX2 binding sites defined the precise positions relative to alternative exons at which the protein may function as either a silencer or an enhancer Most of the identified targets were shifted in the same direction by FOX2 depletion in cell lines as they were in breast and ovarian cancer tissues Notably, we found expression of FOX2 itself is downregulated in ovarian cancer and its splicing is altered in breast cancer samples These results suggest that the decreased expression of FOX2 in cancer tissues modulates splicing and controls proliferation

Qubit-photon interactions in a cavity: Measurement-induced dephasing and number splitting

Abstract: We theoretically study measurement-induced dephasing of a superconducting qubit in the circuit QED architecture and compare the results to those obtained experimentally by Schuster et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 123602 (2005)]. Strong coupling of the qubit to the resonator leads to a significant ac Stark shift of the qubit transition frequency. As a result, quantum fluctuations in the photon number populating the resonator cause dephasing of the qubit. We find good agreement between the predicted line shape of the qubit spectrum and the experimental results. Furthermore, in the strongly dispersive limit, where the Stark shift per photon is large compared to the cavity decay rate and the qubit linewidth, we predict that the qubit spectrum will be split into multiple peaks, with each peak corresponding to a different number of photons in the cavity.

Impact of emergency colectomy on survival of patients with fulminant Clostridium difficile colitis during an epidemic caused by a hypervirulent strain.

Abstract: Several medical centers in the United States, Canada, and Europe have recently noted an increase in the incidence and severity of Clostridium difficile-associated disease (CDAD). In Pittsburgh, 10% of patients with CDAD diagnosed in 2000 to 2001 required an emergency colectomy.1 Enhanced severity of CDAD has also been reported in several other American states.2 The largest epidemic occurred in the province of Quebec, Canada, where, during the 2004 to 2005 winter, 30 hospitals reported rates over 15 per 10,000 patient-days, at least 5 times higher than historical rates.3–5 In Sherbrooke, Quebec, the incidence of CDAD among individuals aged 65 years or more increased 10-fold between 1991 and 2003, and a recent study showed that the excess mortality that could be attributed to nosocomial CDAD in 2003 to 2004 was 16.7%.6,7 This coincided with the emergence of a hypervirulent toxinotype III NAP1/027 strain of C. difficile, which produces levels of toxins A and B that are 16 to 23 times higher than historical strains, most of which were toxinotype 0.8 The same hypervirulent strain has also been found in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Belgium.9–12 It used to be uncommon for patients with CDAD to require admission into an intensive care unit (ICU), but many hospitals in Quebec have noted a dramatic increase in the number of such cases since 2003.13 In that context, intensive care physicians have been frequently seeking a surgical opinion for the most severe cases, and many patients have undergone an emergency colectomy. Such a decision is largely empirical given the absence of evidence supporting a surgical approach. To improve the surgical decision-making process for patients critically ill with CDAD, we undertook a retrospective study of all patients with CDAD who, between January 1, 2003 and June 30, 2005, required admission into an ICU in 2 tertiary care hospitals of Quebec.

Review on dry reforming of methane, a potentially more environmentally-friendly approach to the increasing natural gas exploitation

Abstract: With the actual growth of the natural gas industry in the US as well as the potential and availability of this non-renewable carbon source worldwide, reforming of methane gas is getting increasing attention. Methane can be used for the production of heat or electricity, as well, it can be converted to syngas, a building block that could lead to the production of liquid fuels and chemical, a very promising pathway in light of the increasing price of oil. Amongst the different reforming techniques, dry reforming could represent a very interesting approach both to valorize a cheap source or carbon (CO2) as well as to reduce the overall carbon footprint of the increasing worldwide fossil-based methane consumption. In this short review, attention will be given on the thermodynamics of dry reforming followed by an investigation on dry reforming using heterogeneous catalyst by focusing on the mots popular elements used in literature for dry reforming. Attention will as well be given to different other emerging techniques that may allow countering at one point the high thermodynamic penalties that accompanies conversion of methane using carbon dioxide.