McGill University Thèses et mémoires publiés en 2004

Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) enzymatic extracts were recovered from apple fruit and potato tubers and enriched by an acetone precipitation. The enriched PPO extracts were immobilized by adsorption onto a wide range of inorganic supports, including chitin, alumina oxide, glass beads, Celite, Dowex and Silica gel using selected media, including water, sodium phosphate buffer and a ternary micellar system. The highest immobilization efficiencies and specific activities were obtained when the PPO extracts were suspended in sodium phosphate buffer and adsorbed onto alumina oxide. Biocatalysis of the free and immobilized PPO extracts was investigated in selected organic solvent media, including hexane, heptane, …  Read more

The present program of research explored the impact of performance-contingent rewards on perceived autonomy and intrinsic motivation. Four studies sought to clarify the debate between behaviorist (Eisenberger and Cameron, 1996; Eisenberger, Pierce, and Cameron, 1999; Eisenberger, Rhoades, and Cameron, 1999) and the social cognitive researchers (Deci & Ryan, 1980, 1985; Deci, Koestner, & Ryan, 1999) regarding the impact of such incentives on perceived autonomy. Two experimental studies (Studies 1 and 2) examined this relationship among college students and elementary school children. Results revealed an undermining effect of performance-contingent rewards on participants' affective experience of autonomy (enhanced feelings of pressure and …  Read more

The p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR) is a member of the Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor (TNFR) superfamily. Similar to TNFR members, p75NTR has been reported to mediate programmed cell death (PCD) in a variety of systems, including during development and in response to central nervous system (CNS) injury. However, in contrast to TNFR members, which typically signal via Caspase 8 to elicit cell death, studies conducted in our laboratory have demonstrated that p75NTR induces cell death via an intrinsic mitochondrial death cascade involving c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activation, mitochondrial cytochrome c release and activation of Caspases 9, 3 and 6. In …  Read more

Telephone speech often sounds muffled and thin due to its narrowband characteristics. With the increased availability of terminals capable of receiving wideband signals, extending the bandwidth of narrowband telephone speech at the receiver has drawn much research interest. Currently, there exist many methods that can provide good reconstructions of the wideband spectra from narrowband speech; however, they often lack robustness to different channel conditions, and their performances degrade when they operate in unknown environments. This thesis presents a bandwidth extension algorithm that mitigates the effects of adverse conditions. The proposed system is designed to work with noisy input speech and …  Read more

Objective. To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of a community pharmacy based education program for asthma patients. Design. A randomized controlled trial was conducted in 16 community pharmacies. Interventions: Patients in the intervention group (n=53) received three sessions of individualized asthma education from pharmacists. In addition, pharmacists also prepared a written action plan in consultation with patients' physicians. Patients in the control group (n=53) did not receive any asthma education during the study. Outcome Measures. Asthma symptoms (the primary outcome), asthma knowledge, medication compliance, deep expiratory pressure percentage (DEP%), inhaler technique, quality of life (QOL), and heath resources utilization were measured. …  Read more

This thesis examines the life and poetry of the woman poet Gu Taiqing (1799-1877) within the context of a community of gentry women in mid-nineteenth century Beijing. This group of women was a "community" in the sense that their contact, sociability, friendship and poetry writing were meaningfully intertwined in their lives. The thesis is divided into three interconnected chapters. Two separate biographical accounts of Gu Taiqing's life---one centered around the relationship with her husband, and the second around her relationship with her female friends---are reconstructed in the first chapter. This biographical chapter underlines the importance of situating Gu in the …  Read more

The goal of Total Skin Electron Therapy (TSET) is to deliver a uniform dose to the patient's entire skin to a limited depth while sparing the body organs. Due to the laborious commissioning process, it is helpful to use the Monte Carlo (MC) method for the procedure and treatment planning. Calculations of dosimetric quantities were performed with EGSnrc/BEAM MC codes as well as with the fast MC code XVMC. The linac model for a 6 MeV Varian CL21EX accelerator was established by measuring the electron focal spot size with a slit camera. Using this measured focal spot value in our …  Read more

Telomeres are dynamic nucleoprotein complexes that protect the fragile termini of chromosomes. Without telomeres, chromosome ends are recognized as DNA breaks and inclined to nucleolytic degradation and end-to-end fusions. Telomeres consist of DNA repeats that are synthesized by telomerase, a specialized reverse transcriptase (RT) enzyme minimally composed of a catalytic protein subunit (TERT) and an essential RNA component (TR). Although the functional aspects of telomerase are not well elucidated, this ribonucleoprotein enzyme clearly regulates cellular life-span through its ability to maintain or elongate telomeres. Human TERT (hTERT) has a central region containing conserved (RT)-like motifs, and N- and C-terminal regions …  Read more

Photodiodes made of small molecular weight organic semiconductors have been fabricated. The organic materials under investigation are p-type Copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) and n-type 3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic bisbenzimidazole (PTCBI). Current-voltage and capacitance-voltage measurements have been performed to evaluate the electrical properties of the organic photodiodes. Optical measurements including responsivity and temporal response have also been carried out. It has been found that device efficiency of the photodiodes is influenced by the thickness of organic layers as well as the device structures. It is believed that organic layer thickness is a strong function of materials' exciton diffusion lengths. The thickness of the organic layer …  Read more

This thesis presents the design process of a class E RF power amplifier and a transmitter in a standard CMOS technology. CMOS radio frequency class-E power amplifiers (PA) for GMSK/GFSK modulations have been designed and fabricated using 0.25/0.35mum technologies. The operating frequencies are centered at 1.2GHz and 2.65GHz with 24--26dBm output power. In order to reduce the driving requirement, mode locking techniques are employed for both designs. High efficiency broadband off-chip hybrid ring baluns are used at both input and output for converting signals from single-ended to differential and vice versa. Regular bonding wires are used as inductors for the …  Read more

Canadians faced an unprecedented threat after the Second World War. Located between two competing superpowers Canada could become the battlefield of a third world war. How did Canadians respond to the nuclear threat? The government of John Diefenbaker warned that millions of Canadians could die in a nuclear war. It strengthened Canada's contribution to the defence of North America and Europe and dedicated more resources to civil defence. Between 1957 and 1963 the domestic issue of nuclear arms acquisition and growing cold war tensions combined to draw attention to the threat. Newly founded anti-nuclear groups as well as Canadian unions, …  Read more

In August 2003, the United States resumed the sharing of real-time intelligence with Colombia, information that will be used by Colombia to shoot down aircraft engaged in drug trafficking. A similar program with Peru may restart soon. Such operations are part of the Air Bridge Denial Program (ABDP), a program that has been operating since the early 1990s designed to cut off the flow of drug out of the Andean Region of South America. This thesis examines the history of the ABDP and the norms applicable to shootdown operations under the UN Charter, customary international law, the Chicago Convention, and …  Read more

In this thesis I examine the issues of sex education in Western and Javanese society using a conceptual-comparative approach. My main goal is to highlight the importance of sex education for young people in Javanese society. Research foci and discoveries include: how the notions of conservatism with regards to sexuality are rooted in Javanese culture and social values; the definitions, history, components, methods and principles of Western sex education (particularly Canadian); the measures of success for sex education programs in the West; and to what extent Western sex education can be applied to Javanese society. In the final chapter I …  Read more

This study presents a comparative analysis of the interpretative approaches and the religious Weltanschauungs of two Islamic revivalists of Pakistan, especially in relation to jihad and the establishment of Islamic global order. Abu al-A'la Mawdudi (1903-1979) argues that the correct understanding of certain key Qur'anic terms makes it incumbent upon every Muslim to strive for the achievement of the basic objective of Islam, which is to establish an Islamic global order ( izhar-i din) to implement the Divine laws ( iqamat-i din) so that all un-Islamic (and, therefore, oppressive) "systems" of the world be replaced by the "ideal Islamic rule" …  Read more

Aircraft noise is one of the most controversial environmental concerns in the aviation industry, partly due to the difficulty in harmonizing countries' regulation regarding this issue. The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the ways in which aircraft noise is regulated at the national and international levels, and to compare the legislative responses to aircraft noise issues in Europe and North America. Each of the four main chapters of the thesis takes into consideration a different aspect of the problem. The first chapter describes the objective and subjective ways of measuring aircraft noise. This process is necessary in order …  Read more

Background. Continuity of care as a principle of health care planning is losing ground in favor of new principles such as accessibility and plurality of provision, but the long-term effects of these changes on the utilization of expensive health services such as hospitalizations and emergency department utilization are still unknown. Objective. To investigate among individuals aged 66 years or older who have had an index visit to an emergency department (ED) whether there is an association between the continuity with a primary care provider and the likelihood of having an ED return visit 14 days after the index ED visit. …  Read more

This work seeks to settle the doctrine of self-determination in international law. Drawing upon a selection of historical thinkers who have concentrated upon the value of freedom, a theory of political liberty, is developed. This is situated in relation to political history from the Age of Revolutions on. The development of the formal principle of self-determination is discussed. This reveals a doctrine lacking coherence. The philosophy of political liberty is proposed as a foundation for self-determination in law. The way this new approach manifests itself in practice, and its merits, are considered in relation to the politics of Crimea, with …  Read more

This thesis presents the realization of a characterization method for optical waveguides in terms of propagation loss. The method employs a highly linear video camera aided by a personal computer running image processing and analysis software. After a brief theoretical overview, the design of the experimental set-up and its realization are introduced. Several optical waveguides are examined using the present method and loss values are obtained for various channel waveguides built on silicon substrates, with the experimental results detailed for two such wafers. The advantages and limitations of the method are also briefly discussed.  Read more

This thesis concentrates on advanced dynamic capacity allocation (DCA) schemes that allow an efficient and fair sharing of the BSA return channel capacity among many user terminals (UTs), by dynamically adapting each UT's capacity assignment to the input traffic variations, while satisfying QoS requirements. DCA performance is evaluated with respect to satellite bandwidth utility (utilization) and QoS performance experienced by user traffic (expressed in terms of packet delay and loss). DCA performance is affected by various elements/parameters, some internal to the DCA scheme and others, external. Relying on simulation, the thesis considers the effects of these elements/parameters on performance, focusing …  Read more

Il est connu que la performance des systèmes de communication par la voix se détériore lorsqu'ils sont utilisés dans des environnements acoustiques peu favorables. En effet, la présence du bruit cause la perte de l'intelligibilité et engendre la fatigue chez les auditeurs. Ces problèmes peuvent rendre les systèmes existant sur le marché inintressants pour les clients surtout que les services offerts par les compagnies de télécommunication ne comportent aucune restriction sur les endroits où ils seront utilisés. Dans ce contexte, les algorithmes qui visent à améliorer la qualité du signal parole sont très importants du fait qu'ils permettent à ces …  Read more

Although cardiac hypertrophy is a compensatory mechanism of the stressed heart, it ultimately leads to cardiac dysfunction. GATA-4, a member of the GATA family, plays an essential role in this process, nevertheless, its mechanism of action is still largely unknown. We have isolated a new evolutionarily conserved protein, ENDO1, that belongs to a new subfamily of PHD finger proteins. In adult mouse, ENDO1 was highly expressed in the kidney, lung, spleen, heart and brain. In ventricular cardiomyocytes, endogenous ENDO1 was expressed in the nucleus and cytoplasm. Overexpression analysis of antisense and sense GATA-4 suggests that GATA-4 downregulates endogenous ENDO1 in …  Read more

L’échange et le transport de matière en rivières sont étudies en appliquant une nouvelle méthode expérimentale afin d'évaluer la structure d'écoulement tridimensionnelle des écoulements a surface libre. Le comportement dynamique et souvent turbulent de l'écoulement a surface libre est reconnu pour justifier les mécanismes de dispersion et de dépôt des matières dans l'environnement. L'influence des vitesses secondaires et des autres effets tridimensionnels de l'écoulement est encore mal connue. L'objectif de la présente recherche est de fournir des descriptions tridimensionnelles détaillées de la mécanique des fluides d'un écoulement de recirculation dans une baie rectangulaire adjacente à l'écoulement a surface libre. […]  Read more

Near-field blast effects for centrally initiated spherical heterogeneous explosive charges have been investigated experimentally. The charges consisted of a packed bed of reactive particles saturated with a liquid explosive. Once the charge was detonated, the particles accelerated to high velocities and impacted a rigid plate or cantilever gauges. The positive phase pressure impulse at the rigid plate surface and the cantilever bend angles were measured at various distances. Comparison of the results for large diameter Zirconium (millimetre-sized) and small diameter Aluminum particles (sub-micron) suggested that the impact and fragmentation of the former contributed to the overall loading of the blast …  Read more

Presently, durability design of reinforced concrete structures is dealt with in a purely deterministic way and deterioration models have not been developed to their full potential. In particular, researchers who have investigated corrosion and the models currently used to predict the response of concrete, have often overlooked the effect of cracking. Cracks in concrete generally interconnect flow paths and increase the influx of water or aggressive chemical ions into the concrete, facilitating its deterioration. The present research program was undertaken primarily to study the effect of the crack width on the transport of chlorides in the concrete, which eventually leads …  Read more

The Drosophila melanogaster eIF4E binding protein (d4E-BP) inhibits translation initiation and is implicated in cell growth as a downstream effector of the Drosophila insulin signaling pathway. Since d4E-BP null flies show similar growth and development to control flies, the possibility of a conditional phenotype was explored through stress treatments. Adult d4E-BP null flies show sensitivity to oxidative stress, and d4E-BP null larvae die faster than controls under starvation and protein starvation. Expressing a mutant d4E-BP that doesn't bind to eIF4E in the d4E-BP null background does not rescue this stress sensitivity, which suggests that wild-type stress resistance requires binding of …  Read more

A Monte Carlo Model was developed to simulate the free-radical chlorination of n-alkanes by which polychlorinated alkane mixtures are produced. The model parameters were the relative reactivity of the hydrogen atoms on the alkane chain to chlorine free-radical substitution. The values of the parameters were determined by free-radical chlorination experiments; by interpolation of data from these experiments or from data in the literature. The result of the model is a complete characterization of the molecular composition of PCA mixtures of any carbon chain length and degree of chlorination. Properties of modeled PCA mixtures were in good agreement with properties of …  Read more

The high strength of TRIP (TRansformation Induced Plasticity) steel enables high fuel efficiency by reducing the weight of a car without any loss of safety. In addition, the good formability shown by TRIP steel extends the application of this type of steel to complicated component shapes. TRIP steels can be used in the cold rolled and 'TRIP annealed' condition. After cold rolling, TRIP steels are subjected to a complicated anneal/heat-treatment encompassing intercritical annealing followed by bainitic transformation. Because the 'TRIP annealing' is designed to produce the complex microstructures, comprised of ferrite, bainite, retained austenite, which achieve the best combination of …  Read more

The global demographic shift towards population aging will result in a dramatic increase in the numbers of elderly in the population. In order to cope with these changing demographics, it is imperative that we better understand aging and age-related pathologies. The reproductive tract provides an excellent system in which to study aging in that it is affected by aging, without compromising the overall health of the individual. In the Brown Norway rat model, the male reproductive tract (testis and epididymis) shows numerous signs of aging when other systems remain relatively unaffected by age, thus making this system ideal for studies …  Read more

Objective. To investigate the effect of dental status on nutritional status in oral cancer patients. Method. A prospective study design was initially conducted on a group of post-therapeutic oral cancer patients. However, the level of compliance was low, so to ensure fullest use of the data, analyses were performed assuming a cross-sectional study design. Nutritional, dental and clinical information were analyzed at two time periods: evaluation one was at 1-6 months, and evaluation two was at 7-12 months post-therapy. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to evaluate the relationship between dental and nutritional status. Results. 44 subjects participated in evaluation …  Read more

One of the primary methods in the numerical solution of large-scale scientific and engineering applications is to use the finite element method. Consequently, maintaining a good mesh quality becomes very important in the unstructured mesh. In order to achieve high quality meshes, a number of mesh smoothing techniques have been used. Most of these techniques are able to improve the mesh quality effectively. In this research, the Laplacian smoothing algorithm, combined with two complementary methods, is investigated. However, one of the problems with mesh smoothing techniques is to maintain an efficient compute time especially in some large-scale applications. Thus, parallel …  Read more

In many exciting modern video games, one of the player's main tasks is to move and control the "hero" or alter-ego on a curved path. This is also a key issue in more serious applications like an automobile driver training simulator. In order to determine where the vehicle is at any time, while the speed is controlled with the trainee's accelerator pedal, we need a computationally efficient way to establish this position by, say, defining an arc length parameterized curve to represent the "road" or other trajectory constraint. To compute the are length of a parametric curve or define the …  Read more

This thesis examines the concurrent changes in Turkish identity and in the Turkish language from the early developments in the period of the modernizing Tanzimat reforms to the Anatolian Turkish nationalism and the alphabet and language reform of the Republican era. It looks specifically at how language issues played a large role in the development of Turkish national identity towards the end of the Ottoman period, and also examines the development of Ottomanism and Islamism. Finally it looks at how the desire to promote secular Turkish nationalism in place of the old Ottoman-Islamic identity was the driving force behind the …  Read more

The phrase 'Covenant Chain' is unique in the English language and along with its antecedents---'linked arms', 'the rope', and the 'iron chain'---the Haudenosaunee established relationships with the Europeans. The 'Covenant Chain' has been the subject of extensive discussion since the mid-1980s when a group of scholars in Iroquois Studies published several volumes on the diplomacy of the Haudenosaunee during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Most studies focus on the political aspects of the Covenant Chain and the role it played in creating and sustaining alliances. This study examines the meaning of the word 'covenant' and related ideas in the context …  Read more

A method for obtaining a smaller bound for the post-Newtonian parameter alpha 2 is outlined. alpha2 is a parameter in the post-Newtonian formalism associated with violation of Lorentz invariance. The current bound found by Nordvedt, alpha2 < 1.2 x 10 -7, was obtained using solar system data. We show that, by analysing millisecond pulsar profiles and limiting the amount of secular evolution, a smaller bound can be obtained.  Read more

Translational control is an important means of regulating gene expression. Development of the Drosophila germ line relies on translational regulation to differentially express maternal mRNAs, allowing it to develop distinctly from the soma. One of the critical factors required for germ cell development and function is the conserved DEAD-box RNA helicase Vasa (Vas). The research presented in this thesis examines the role of Vas in translational regulation during Drosophila germ line development. A two-hybrid screen conducted with Vas identified a translation initiation factor eIF5B (dIF2), as a direct interactor. Mutations were created in eIF5B and were found to enhance the …  Read more

The presence of inhabitants in protected areas, a common occurrence in developing countries, represents a major challenge for conservation. This MA thesis questions the state's strategy in the case of the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, in Mexico, a strategy which is officially based on the implementation of sustainable development through the participation of local communities. Working with the assumption that sustainable development is a political concept that implies a competition between different actors in order to define what has to be sustained, for whom, by whom, why, and how, I first analyze the factors that, until now, have impeded local …  Read more

Children with and without autism were evaluated on two change detection tasks that entailed responding to 2 side-by-side images that were displayed on a computer screen. In Experiment 1, a distracter object that remained unchanged was displayed next to a target object that changed in 1 of 3 ways, a global position change, a color change, or a local deletion change. The stimuli consisted of photographs and drawings that were presented at blank intervals of either 50 or 250 ms. In Experiment 2, color and deletion changes were compared in photographs of objects and people. Children with autism were expected …  Read more

The objective of this study was to compare the effect of phytosterols (PS) on lipid profiles and cholesterol kinetics of hypercholesterolemic individuals with or without type 2 diabetes. It was hypothesised that the response to PS would differ between both groups due to different lipid metabolism. During this randomised, double blind, crossover trial, participants consumed a controlled diet with placebo or PS for 21 days. Plasma total cholesterol (TC) decreased with placebo and PS (10.9% and 9.7% in non-diabetic versus 11.6% and 13.6% in diabetic participants, p < 0.05). Plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) significantly decreased with PS in both …  Read more

The reference to the body is a recurring and almost obsessive theme in Annette Messager's work. However, for the first time with Penetration (1993-1994) the artist investigates the inside of the body. Anatomically descriptive and strangely symbolical the components of this hanging composition make up a huge portrait of the elements with which we are composed. With this thesis, I will demonstrate what is revealed is the body's structure: its content, its secrets, what is on the other side of the physical border and what soaks the flesh, the forces that bring us alive. In addition, although the composition suggests …  Read more

This thesis presents three essays on the role of international capital flows in growth, real exchange rate behavior and the conduct of domestic monetary policy in four Asian economies. The first chapter develops an endogenous growth model based on an infinitely-lived optimizing representative agent. Data from the four Asian countries is used to test the implications of the model. Using applied time series econometric techniques, the results for Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand lend credence to the endogenous growth process, while it is rejected for Indonesia. Chapter 2 develops a three-good model for the internal real exchange rate to identify the …  Read more

All eukaryotic mRNAs of nuclear origin are modified with a 5' cap and a 3' poly(A) tail. These structures are recognized by translation factors, which are responsible for the proper targeting of a ribosome to the mRNA. Translation factors binding to the 5 ' end of mRNA are well characterized. Here, we focus on the involvement of the 3' poly(A) tail in mediating translational control; namely via its recruitment of the poly(A) binding protein (PABP) and its interacting partners. PABP interacts with eIF4G, a canonical translation factor, bridging the 5' and 3' ends of the mRNA and effectively circularizing it. …  Read more

Matrix Gla Protein (MGP) inhibits mineralization of arteries and cartilage. To determine its mineral-inhibiting potential in hard tissues, MGP was ectopically expressed in bones and teeth of mice using an osteoblast/odontoblast-specific 2.3kb proximal promoter for type 1 collagen. Mandibles and long bones of Col1a1-Mgp mice and wild-type littermates were analyzed by Faxitron(TM) radiography, PIXImus(TM) dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and micro-computed tomography (mu-CT). In addition, light microscopy (LM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were performed. While bone and tooth extracellular matrices (ECMs) appeared normally established in Col1a1-Mgp mice, examination of the mineral phase by radiography, DEXA and mu-CT, together with histological …  Read more

This study examines the relationship between Islam and political culture in Pakistan in the four decades following its naissance. It assesses the validity of the argument that a polarity has emerged in the Pakistani political culture, consisting of Islamism and Islamic modernism. In the case of Pakistan, Islamism refers to the use of the primary sources of Islam law, the Qur'an, hadith, and sunnah, in crafting both policy and political institutions. Islamic modernism refers to the systematized use of these primary sources as well as other (external) sources, adjusted for contemporary circumstances. These ideologies, as defined here, are gleaned from …  Read more

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is a critical enzyme in folate metabolism. Severe enzymatic deficiency results in metabolic disease with occasional early demise. Mild deficiency is due to a common polymorphism (A222V) which increases risk for several common disorders. Pharmacogenetic studies of the antifolate methotrexate on Mthfr heterozygous knockout mice (Mthfr +/-), a model of the mild human deficiency, revealed significantly higher apoptosis rates in several tissues compared to wildtype mice (Mthfr +/+). These results suggest that mild MTHFR deficiency is a risk factor for methotrexate toxicity in mice and possibly in humans. A new medication, metafolin, was administered to Mthfr +/- …  Read more

The purpose of this research was to investigate ways in which complexity could be used as the paradigm through which schoolchildren might understand ecosystems in a new way. To that end, new conceptual and practical approaches for learning about ecosystems have been presented, and the effects of these approaches on teachers and other educational stakeholders have been explored. A variety of learning environments were visited and over two hundred educational stakeholders were consulted. This resulted in a number of suggestions on and a discussion of the introduction of complexity, as a lens by which to teach about ecosystems and as …  Read more

Increased understanding of dietary habits of Aboriginal children can contribute to improved nutrition education programs. To determine correlates of high soft drink intake, high fruit intake and high vegetable intake, Aboriginal children in grades 4-6 from two Kanien'keha:ka (Mohawk) communities completed classroom-administered questionnaires and participated in anthropometric measures and a run/walk fitness test. Independent correlates of high soft drink consumption identified by multivariate logistic regression included higher levels of television-watching, odds ratio [OR] 3.1, (95% confidence interval 1.5-6.4), and higher levels of physical activity, OR 3.0 (1.3-7.1) among girls, and increased video game-playing, OR 6.7 (1.8-25.5), and failing to meet …  Read more

Stress plays a significant role in the initiation and continuation of drinking. Furthermore, epidemiological studies have shown a higher incidence of alcoholism in males than females. Objective. The current studies aimed to investigate the presence of gender differences in the interactions of ethanol and stress with the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis. Methods. Participants included 12 males and 10 females with no previous personal or familial history of alcoholism. Plasma levels of ACTH and cortisol were estimated following a placebo drink, a low and a high dose of alcohol and a psychological stress task performed 30 minutes after the ingestion of the …  Read more

The anti-nematodal drug ivermectin hyperactivates invertebrate-specific glutamate-gated chloride channels (GluCls) causing pharyngeal paralysis and a cessation of feeding and growth. I find that for C. elegans even brief exposure to ivermectin can lead to irreversible pharyngeal paralysis. Ivermectin induces heterogeneous vacuolation in the pharynx that appears slowly and accumulates over several days. This vacuolation is almost completely rescued by a mutation in avr-15, which codes for the alpha-subunit of pharyngeal GluCls. The vacuoles stain strongly with Lysotracker Red and are therefore likely to be acidic compartments of the endosomal-lysosomal system. Examination of mutants defective for endocytosis (rme-1, rme-8, and cup-5) …  Read more

Developing countries and the poor within them (i.e., the other) receive scant attention in management and organization studies (MOS). The field, thus, suffers from both ethnocentric and class biases. This research effort seeks to reduce these biases, particularly in the conversation on power taking place between MOS' critical management studies and interorganizational collaboration research streams. Articulating a case study of the Sialkot soccer ball child labour project in Pakistan (1995-2003), the thesis explores the communication constraints that are faced by weak actors in interorganizational domains (a social problem and a set of organizations having a stake or interest in that …  Read more

The Deobandi `Ulama' of Jami`at al-`Ulum al-Islamiyya located in the largest city of Pakistan, Karachi, began publishing an Urdu, monthly journal by the name of Bayyinat in 1962 for the expressed purpose of refuting the views and arguments of their opponents, and hence as a vehicle for asserting their religious identity and authority. The case of Bayyinat provides us with an opportunity to study an important and hitherto little considered phenomenon in Islamic modernity, namely, the intervention by the `ulama' to assert traditional claims to religious authority through the modern medium of print journalism in the context of the post-colonial …  Read more