McGill University Thèses et mémoires publiés en 2007

Vaccination, biosecurity and selection for genetic resistance are used world-wide in the poultry industry against the threat of Marek's disease (MD). Unfortunately there are new outbreaks of MD that cause serious economic problems. Scientists are therefore searching for new and more effective ways to improve existing controls of the disease. Knowledge of the chicken genome and progress in the study of the molecular biology of the MD virus are providing new approaches to MD control. A particularly useful strategy is the identification of genes that affect viral and tumor susceptibility. Genetic markers in the growth hormone receptor (GHR), the growth …  Read more

La recherche liée au maintien de l'équilibre s'est historiquement concentrée sur les membres inferieurs, traitant souvent Ie tronc comme un segment unique et rigide. L'objectif principal de ce travail était donc, de caractériser la réponse du tronc multi articulaire chez les individus sains, suite a un mouvement inattendu de la surface de support. Le mouvement tridimensionnel du tronc a été capture durant les mouvements horizontaux de la surface de support dans 8 directions, en position debout et assise. Un modèle du tronc comprenant Ie bassin, un segment lombaire, et des segments thoraciques inferieur et supérieur, a été utilise pour les …  Read more

The application of infrared imaging employing focal plane array Fourier transform infrared (FPA-FTIR) instrumentation for the identification of bacteria was investigated. FPA-FTIR spectroscopy was shown to provide new opportunities for bacteria identification with unprecedented reliability and throughput by allowing 102--103 FTIR spectra to be acquired simultaneously from surface areas of 90 x 90 to 200 x 200 mum with a spatial resolution of ~6 mum. The combination of data redundancy and spatial resolution afforded by infrared imaging made it possible to acquire highly reproducible spectra from bacterial films. A protocol for enhancing the reliability of bacteria identification by transmission-mode FPA-FTIR …  Read more

Presented in this thesis is a study of the Temporal Talbot effect within the context of return-to-zero data communication systems. First, we examine its features and limitations subject to realistic input conditions. We consider three independent impairments in the incident pulse train: excessively broad pulse width, amplitude noise, and timing jitter. In addition to determining and quantifying the effects of all these impairments, we demonstrate a beneficial, mitigating effect of the Talbot self-imaging process on the two last ones. We then demonstrate a novel, tunable pulse repetition multiplier using cascaded fiber Bragg gratings, with an output repetition rate exceeding 100 …  Read more

Seidah, Nabil G. (Supervisor)  Read more

Two anthropometric measurements were evaluated as possible risk factors for concussions among university contact-sport athletes: head and neck circumference ratio (HNCR) and body mass index (BMI). Athletes (N=575) competing in intercollegiate football, hockey, and soccer were followed prospectively for concussions over a 4-year period. A total of 86 concussions occurred, with a higher incidence among the female athletes. For HNCR, there was no consistent association observed with the exception of female hockey players. For BMI, there was no consistent association observed with the exception of male soccer players. Linear regression analysis revealed a statistically significant inverse association between HNCR and …  Read more

A transmission-blocking strategy will prevent the spread of malaria and has the potential to reduce morbidity and death from this disease. Reducing parasite transmission would also prolong the useful life of antimalarial drugs or vaccines by preventing the spread of parasites that become resistant to these therapies. In this thesis, I evaluated molecular and pharmacological methods to block the transmission of the malaria parasite from the definitive host, the mosquito, to the intermediate host. Inhibitors of proteins that are involved in mosquito invasive stages could decrease the transmission potential of each mosquito. Disruption of the calmodulin-dependent protein kinase related protein …  Read more

A novel dual-plasma process for the synthesis of organic layer-coated metal nanoparticles is presented. Metal nanoparticles are synthesized by the low-pressure pulsed arc evaporation of a metal cathode surface, followed by the in-flight deposition of a thin organic layer by capacitively-coupled radio-frequency (CCRF) plasma polymerization from a gaseous hydrocarbon monomer. The system is simple to operate and can be designed for high throughput. The combination of the synthesis and surface treatment of metal nanoparticles in the whole system avoids newly produced metal nanoparticles from being contaminated by surrounding environment. A home-made self-oscillatory pulsed power supply has been designed and built …  Read more

The high speed deformation behavior of a commercially available dual phase (DP) steel was studied by means of split Hopkinson bar apparatus in shear punch (25m/s) and tension (1000s-1) modes with an emphasis on the influence of microstructure. The cold rolled sheet material was subjected to a variety of heat treatment conditions to produce several different microstructures, namely ferrite plus pearlite, ferrite plus bainite and/or acicular ferrite, ferrite plus bainite and martensite, and ferrite plus different fractions of martensite. Static properties (0.01mm/s for shear punch and 0.001s -1 for tension) of all the microstructures were also measured by an MTS …  Read more

The main objective of this thesis is to characterize the mechanisms of nuclear transport of the cytosolic yeast heat shock protein 70 Ssa4p upon ethanol stress and the effect of stress and nutrient availability on transport carriers. Heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) plays an important role in cell damage recovery and transport of proteins across intracellular membranes. Upon stress, trafficking of the majority of proteins is inhibited with the exception of Hsp70 that accumulates in the nucleus. Using the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as model, this thesis specifically demonstrates that Ssa4p transiently and reversibly accumulates in nuclei upon ethanol stress …  Read more

Fetal branching determines final nephron number. Mild nephron deficit causes hypertension in "normal" adults. Thus, mechanisms that control branching are important. PAX2 and retinoic acid (RA) have profound effects on final nephron number, although the mechanism remains unknown. We hypothesised that common variations in PAX2 cause subtle reduction in nephrons. We associated haplotype tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (htSNPs) in PAX2 with a reduction in kidney mass in "normal" newborns and identified a haplotype on which an ancestral polymorphism is presumed to lie. We identified a SNP in linkage disequilibrium with this haplotype that caused alterations in PAX2 expression, linking reduction …  Read more

Biopeptides are synthesised as large pro-protein precursors that have to undergo proteolytic cleavage at positively charged amino acids (Lys and Arg) in order to become active. This cleavage is mediated by a family of subtilin/kexin related calcium dependent serine endoproteinases named prohormone convertases. The present thesis focuses on the endocrine member of the family named PC1/3. PC1/3 is expressed in the regulated secretory pathway of endocrine and neuroendocrine cells, where it was shown to activate various peptide hormones such as proopiomelanocortin (POMC), pro-insulin and pro-glucagon. PC1/3 is synthesized as a large precursor containing a signal peptide, a propeptide, a catalytic …  Read more

Most studies that examined the relationship between retinal structure and function did so on altricial animals; animals that are born with closed eyes and an immature retina. However, if one wishes to transpose results to humans, we must take into consideration the fact that the human infant is born with its eyes opened and mature retina (precocial). Also, while the human retina is composed of approximately 6% cones, the retinas of rats and mice (the most common models) are made of 1--3% cones. Hence, the guinea pig (Cavia Porcellus) offers an excellent alternative to the usual rodent models. It is …  Read more

The Canadian greenhouse gas offset system was proposed and developed with the objective of assisting Canada in achieving its Kyoto target by means of low cost emission reduction. This study estimates the potential of agricultural soils in Canada to provide carbon credits. Carbon sequestration practices such as moderate till, no-till and perennial crop activities were considered in the analysis. Crops under different tillage regimes, hay and alfalfa were also included in the study. Simulation analysis was undertaken using the Canadian Regional Agricultural Model (CRAM) for carbon prices ranging from $5 to $100/t of CO2e. Carbon credits generated as a result …  Read more

The survival of breast cancer patients declines when tumors are invasive and have an increased possibility of metastasizing to distal sites. Transforming Growth Factor-beta (TGF-beta) suppresses breast cancer formation by preventing cell cycle progression in mammary epithelial cells. However, at late stage of mammary carcinogenesis, due to genetic and epigenetic alterations, TGF-beta loses its cytostatic actions, and contributes to tumor invasion by promoting cell proliferation, Actin cytoskeletal reorganization, as well as Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition (EMT). Despite the key role of TGF-beta1 in tumor suppression as well as tumor progression, the molecular mechanisms underlying the conversion of TGF-beta form an …  Read more

The past half-decade has seen progress in methodology and reusable components available to designers of music authoring tools. This thesis examines currently prevalent architectures for music making software and applies currently available technical means to update design methodology and architectural patterns for the next-generation of tools. It aims to map the various categories of advances and the manner in which they relate to each other, to the problem of building these tools. The focus is on conceptualization. The thesis aims to understand, from historical perspectives, as well as from perspectives provided by other domains, the fundamental problems encountered in the …  Read more

During the past two decades, thermal microfluidic chips have significantly been investigated. Due to their high capacity of heat transport, an increasing number of studies on different aspects of thermal microfluidic chips have been conducted. However, a comprehensive investigation on the geometry of microfluidic chips using state of the art finite element software is absent from the literature. In this thesis, geometric parameters of thermal microfluidic chips have been optimized, using finite element software. Consequently, micro and macro phenomena were investigated in different models. The micro modelling approach investigated single microchannels and optimized the microchannel cross-section. Furthermore, two-phase flows in …  Read more

Much of operator theory hangs its coat on the spectral theorem, but the latter is exclusive to normal operators. Likewise, isometries are well understood via the Wold decomposition. It is von Neumann's inequality that enables a functional calculus for arbitrary contractions on Hilbert spaces. There are essentially two avenues that lead to von Neumann, one being the analytical theory of positive maps, the other marked by geometric dilation theorems. These diverse lines of approach are in fact unified by the inequality. Although our main focus is von Neumann's inequality, for which we provide four different proofs, we shall, however, periodically …  Read more

Les œufs peuvent être hôtes et porteurs de microbes pathogènes comme Salmonella enteritidis, étant donné leur haute valeur nutritive. La pasteurisation par échauffement est une excellente solution pour contrôler les éléments pathogènes. L’œuf est utilisé comme un ingrédient essentiel dans plusieurs préparations culinaires, spécialement pour ses propriétés fonctionnelles exceptionnelles. Ces propriétés dépendent principalement sur la qualité de la protéine présente dans l’œuf et sont sévèrement affectées lorsque chauffé, dénaturant ainsi la protéine. Ainsi, une technique de pasteurisation par échauffement ayant des effets minimaux sur la modification des protéines nécessite considération. Dans cette étude, l’échauffement par micro-onde fut considéré pour la …  Read more

Background. Diabetes seems to be associated with an increased risk of fractures in the general population. We aimed to determine whether pre-transplant diabetes increases the risk of fractures among patients receiving solid organ transplantation. Methods. We conducted a nested case-control study in a cohort of subjects 18 years and older who received a first solid organ transplantation in Quebec between January 1st 1986 and July 31st 2005, and who were covered by the RAMQ drug plan at least 1 year before the transplantation and 3 months after the date of discharge from the transplantation hospitalization. Cases were subjects from the …  Read more

The erosion of copper cathodes having different microstructures ranging from hundreds of nm to tens of mum were studied in both pulsed vacuum arcs and continuous running magnetically rotated atmospheric pressure arcs. Cathodes having different grain sizes were formed by various thermal spray and heat treatment methods namely, high-velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) method, atmospheric pressure plasma spraying (PS), vacuum plasma spraying (VPS), cold spraying (CS) and annealing techniques. The coatings produced were characterized for their chemical composition, oxide content, microstructure, porosity and thermal conductivity. Arc velocity and erosion measurements were performed on these cathodes. The results show that, the cathodes …  Read more

This thesis analyzes the effect of trade liberalization on horizontal mergers. It consists of two parts. The first part contains two essays, where the merger pattern is exogenously given within a static setting. The second part contains one essay, where the merger process is endogenized within a dynamic setting. The first and second essays analyze the effects of bilateral tariff reductions in a two-country world on the profitability and desirability, respectively, of a given cost-reducing merger within a Cournot oligopoly. Both essays show that for a given level of cost-savings, the impact of marginal trade liberalization may not reliably predict …  Read more

As solutions of the Einstein-Maxwell field equations, the Kerr-Newman-de Sitter geometries are spacetimes that model the outer geometry of a charged, rotating black hole. We re-derive, using a lemma of Brandon Carter, first-order conserved quantities for the motion of zero rest mass and massive test particles in the Kerr-Newman-de Sitter spacetimes. The Liouville-Arnol'd integrability theory allows us to use first integral equations in place of second-order equations in the dynamical analysis. In examining the effects of first integral data on the equations, we expose some differences between particle dynamics in the electrically-neutral, asymptotically-flat Kerr geometries and those in the charged, …  Read more

Le gène her2 soit amplifié dans 25-30% des cas de cancer du sein, et aucune mutation ne semble accompagner cette amplification génomique. Il existe un variant naturel d'épissage du gène Her2 présentant une délétion au niveau de son d'exon 16 (Her2?Ex16) qui conduit à l'expression d'un récepteur constitutivement actif. Il est possible que l'amplification génomique d'her2 pourrait augmenter l'expression d'Her2?Ex16 et favoriser ainsi la carcinogenèse. Her2wt et Her2-delta-Ex16 étaient exprimés de manière hétérologue dans des cellules normales de glandes mammaires de souris (NMuMG). Premièrement, la structure tertiaire des régions proximales et distales au domaine codé par l'exon 16 différait entre …  Read more

Returning waste material underground, as backfill, has been practiced for many years so as to improve the economical and environmental performance of underground mining operations. A specific type of backfill, which is used to fill mined areas that will not be exposed to further mining, is called hydraulic backfill. Cemented backfill has also been used to provide mechanical support for underground mining. Such backfill has allowed mining companies to extract more ore, while simultaneously improving working and environmental conditions. Cemented backfill, however, represents 50 to 85 percent of operating costs compared with the 5 to 10 percent that hydraulic backfill …  Read more

Although the interpretation of Anselm's Cur Deus Homo in the tradition of Albrecht Ritschl, Adolf von Harnack and Gustaf Aulen has led to a suspicion about its usefulness for a Peace Theology, a reading through the lens of more recent scholarship, which assumes its original Catholic, sacramental and sacrificial framework, reveals a beautiful understanding of the cross in this medieval classic that is perfectly compatible with a commitment to nonviolence. Three Mennonite scholars writing in pursuit of an Anabaptist Peace Theology, John Howard Yoder, John Driver and J. Denny Weaver display varying degrees of dissatisfaction with the explanation that Anselm …  Read more

The distribution, biology and host preferences of Cryptorhynchus melastomae Champion (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) were studied in Costa Rica from May to July 2005 and January to May 2006 to determine its suitability as a biocontrol agent for Miconia calvescens DC (Melastomataceae) in Hawaii. Specimen records compiled from various collections indicate a distribution from Mexico to Ecuador. In its native Costa Rica all life stages of C. melastomae are associated with M. calvescens and adults and larvae can severely damage or kill small seedlings. Adults are nocturnal and apparently prefer to feed and oviposit on M. calvescens seedlings. Comparisons between its environmental …  Read more

Transcription factor binding sites (TFBS) are usually, but not always, conserved during evolution. To better understand TFBS evolution I examined the cases of non-conservation for 1120 known human and mouse TFBS in the genomes of 11 mammals and the reconstructed genomes of their ancestors. Novel TFBS appeared frequently, even near conserved ancestral sites, but site gain was significantly more probable when an ancestral site was lost (TFBS turnover). 165 human TFBS and 113 mouse TFBS have evolved de novo since divergence from the boreoeutherian ancestor and are absent in other lineages. Putative TFBS and sequences that differ from TFBS by …  Read more

Baker's yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is a well-studied model system in genetics and molecular biology. It is also a promising system for experimental ecology, evolution, and epidemiology, and is very important in the fermentation industry. The large amount of information generated by studies using this organism cannot be fully exploited until sufficient ecological data is gathered. Only when the natural environment of S. cerevisiae is well characterized can research using this yeast as a model system be put into context. The lack of information about the natural environment of S. cerevisiae is what prompted this work. First, I review the current …  Read more

The rotational total skin electron irradiation technique at the McGill University Health Centre has undergone several developments over the past few years. Replacement of the formerly used linear accelerator has prompted many modifications to the previously reported technique. With the current technique, the patient is treated while standing on a rotating platform, with a single large field at a source to surface distance of 378 cm. The electron field is produced by a Varian 21EX linear accelerator using the commercially developed 6 MeV high dose rate total skin electron mode, along with a custom-built flattening filter. Ionization chambers, radiochromic film, …  Read more

The Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has taken steps to define and develop its prosecution policies. Review of these policies reveals that the OTP prefers to act on referrals of situations by states and the Security Council, rather than to employ its proprio motu investigatory powers. While the OTP has effectively defined the threshold for the gravity of the crimes that it will prosecute, a number of other discretionary criteria that inform the OTP's exercise of jurisdiction remain undefined. Additionally, the OTP's acceptance of state 'waivers of complementarity' moves in the direction of establishing …  Read more

Although the behavioral phenotype of disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and reading disability (RD) are well established, to date, few studies have assessed the association between the core cognitive characteristics implicated in each disorder. And fewer yet have addressed this in a sample of typically developing preschool and young school age children when such skills are developing and maturing. The present study focused on providing a typical trajectory of attentional and inhibitory performance alongside delay aversion and their association with naming speed, a basic cognitive process involved in the acquisition of later reading skills. Alongside the developmental …  Read more

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infections play a crucial role in human carcinogenesis. Greater than 96% of all cervical carcinomas are positive for high-risk HPV infections; especially types 16 and 18. High-risk HPV onco-proteins, E6 and E7, are consistently expressed in such cancers and function by inactivating p53 and pRb tumor suppressors, respectively. The presence of high-risk HPVs is also correlated with anogenital cancers. In this study, we examined the effect of high-risk HPV type 16 E6 and E7 oncoproteins in two normal human colorectal epithelial cell lines, NCE1 and NCE5. We report that the expression of E6/E7 proteins, alone, induced cellular …  Read more

We consider the use of a sieve bootstrap based on moving average (MA) and autoregressive moving average (ARMA) approximations to test the unit root hypothesis when the true Data Generating Process (DGP) is a general linear process. We provide invariance principles for these bootstrap DGPs and we prove that the resulting ADF tests are asymptotically valid. Our simulations indicate that these tests sometimes outperform those based on the usual autoregressive (AR) sieve bootstrap. We study the reasons for the failure of the AR sieve bootstrap tests and propose some solutions, including a modified version of the fast double bootstrap. We …  Read more

Background. Factors such as the shortage of personnel, hospital closures and mergers, the ageing of the population combined with the evolution of medical technologies have all added pressure to the health care system. These pressures have had an impact on current work environments and health care workers' satisfaction. In light of the evidence on the influence of job satisfaction and retention on the quality of tare and patient safety, interventions are needed to address these issues. Objective. The objective were to examine the effect of Appreciative Inquiry on: (1) the development of innovative ideas regarding work organization; (2) changes in …  Read more

Societies that foster high quality social environments and integration produce healthier populations. The mechanisms underlying the protective effect of social integration appear to be through various forms of social support. In the Canadian Aboriginal context, few authors have explored the relationship between health and social support. This gap in understanding is significant because Aboriginal frameworks of health point to the salience of larger social structures (i.e., family), yet patterns of population health point to distinctly social causes of morbidity and mortality (e.g., violence, alcoholism). An interesting paradox emerges: patterns of Aboriginal health suggest that social support is not working to …  Read more

The ability to evade apoptosis is an acquired characteristic associated with many normal and pathophysiological processes. TMEM 85 represents a novel transmembrane domain containing human protein isolated in our previous screen for Bax suppressors, but whose function is currently unknown. Using viability and growth assays, we confirmed that TMEM 85 is anti-apoptotic. Four unique human cDNA sequences containing regions distinct from and of perfect identity to our cDNA were present in the database. Analysis of TMEM 85 suggests that it consists of five exons, alternatively spliced to produce at least four different mRNA's and proteins (TMEM 85v1-v4). RT-PCR analysis using …  Read more

Martin Luther's rhetoric of the demonic in his treatise Against the Heavenly Prophets in the Matter of Images and Sacraments (1525) expresses a soteriological argument regarding the necessary relation between the two realms of faith and works, which he reformulates as the proper relationship between justification and sanctification. Ultimately the lack of a such a hermeneutic of the two realms is what Luther sees as decisive in the theological argument of Andreas Bodenstein von Karlstadt and "the heavenly prophets" and the source of what renders them demonic. This demonic confusion between the two realms affects in turn their interpretations of …  Read more

Les Escherichia coli entéropathogéniques (EPEC) et les Escherichia coli entérohémorrhagiques (EHEC) utilisent un système de sécrétion de type III afin d'injecter des protéines effectrices directement dans le cytoplasme des cellules hôtes infectées. NleA (non-LEE encoded effector A) est une protéine effectrice essentielle à la virulence qui, une fois injectée dans la cellule hôte, est localisée à l'appareil de Golgi. NleA s'associe fortement aux membranes des cellules infectées de façon similaire aux protéines intégrales de membrane; la bioinformatique prédit qu'il existe deux domaines transmembranaires putatifs chez NleA. Dans cette étude, nous avons utilisé la microscopie à fluorescence ainsi que des techniques …  Read more

Conceptualizing the locality today in the global context means to be able to consider a level of denationalisation of the actor (of a locality) participating in a networked situation with actors from other localities. This thesis introduces a new conceptualization of the locality participating in a transnational network. The network, CEARENAD, involved six localities (Brazil, Chili, Costa-Rica, Senegal, Mauritius and Canada) who co-constructed contents for five years. This research is about presenting not a "mode d'emploi" about whether this particular network was successful or not. What truly motivated me, during and about this research, was to reflect on my observations …  Read more

The backdrop of this thesis is the theory of criminal liability of the superior in international criminal law. According to this theory, a superior, either belonging to the military or a civilian, may be found criminally liable because of crimes committed by his subordinates, if he failed to warn them or punish them after the fact. Recognized as valid ground for personal criminal liability since World War II, the theory of criminal liability of the superior was codified in the Rome Statute creating the International Criminal Court. In this Statute, negligence is an acceptable standard to find a military superior …  Read more

The study of diabetes mellitus is vital in this day and age because its incidence is increasing at an alarming rate. Diabetes results in the loss of function of beta-cells within the pancreas. Insulin resistance contributes to diabetes but the human body can compensate in various ways such as increasing the islet cell mass, glucose disposal and insulin secretion, in order to prevent the onset of diabetes. Growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) are two integral hormones important in both glucose homeostasis and islet cell growth. Early studies using cultured islet cells have demonstrated positive regulation of beta-cell …  Read more

Conventional beamformers can be sensitive to mismatches between presumed and actual steering vectors of the signal-of-interest. A recently proposed class of robust beamformers aim to counteract this problem by using a non-attenuation constraint inside a single hypersphere centered at the presumed steering vector of the signal-of-interest. In an effort to strike a balance between robustness to steering vector error and interference-plus-noise suppression, we propose in this manuscript to use multiple concentric hyperspheres instead of one with different degrees of protection in each. We derive several useful properties of this multiply constrained beamformer and use numerical simulations to show that using …  Read more

In this study, predation efficiency of three guppy ( Poecilia reticulata) size classes was evaluated at various vegetation densities in a series of circular aquaria containing plastic plants closely resembling Ceratophyllum demersum. The effect of vegetation density was most apparent among large fish where predation efficiency greatly diminished from 12.35 mosquito larvae (Aedes aegypti) to 4.68 as vegetation densities rose from 3 to 19 plants/700 cm2. Over that same range of increasing vegetation densities, predation among small fish remained unchanged, whereas among fish of intermediate size predation declined significantly but less precipitously than for large individuals. When presented with a …  Read more

The "International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health" (ICF) is a model that classifies health and health-related function. Of the ICF domains, least is known about participation. Although a few measures have been developed in English that tap the construct "Participation", none exist in Spanish. The Reintegration to Normal Living (RNL)-Index is the measure of reference to evaluate participation. The general objective of the present study was to translate, culturally adapt, and assess the psychometric properties the RNL-Index in Spanish for use in Spain. The translation and the cultural adaptation of the RNL-Index consisted of a five-step process, leading to …  Read more

Bowlby's notion that client secure attachment to the therapist leads to deeper client exploration, is considered an important corner stone of the therapeutic process. Psychotherapy researchers have neglected the study of therapist contributions and observer perspectives when studying this important therapeutic phenomenon. Studies of therapeutic secure base have shown that there is a relationship between client general attachment patterns and those with therapist, as well as that this secure attachment to therapist relates to deeper sessions. The main objectives of the present research was to extend the study of secure base in therapy to include consideration of therapist attachment processes …  Read more

Demon possession and exorcism are major themes in the gospel of Mark. Since the Enlightenment, Mark's Western audience has often found them to difficult to interpret, especially in the case of possession itself. The author of Mark assumed that his audience would understand the idea of possession, an assumption that does not necessarily hold true for modern audiences. This study aims to provide some idea of what possession means in Mark. It proceeds with exegesis of Mark's possession pericopes and situates them within the context of ancient beliefs about demons and possession. Critical consideration of modern cross-disciplinary research related to …  Read more

Regression problems in which predictors are measured with error have been studied by statisticians and researchers for many years. Measurement error in predictors creates biases in estimated regression coefficients, and hence models that address this are extremely important. These models are especially important in perinatal research since errors in gestational age can have serious effects. The presence of measurement error in gestational age can lead to poor estimation of fetal growth and risk of mortality and morbidity, and can compromise statistical analyses [32, 39]. Since various obstetric choices are made based on birth weight distributions by gestational age, it is …  Read more

Vitamin D3 must be metabolically activated by the liver to 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25OHD3) and then by the kidney 1alphahydroxylase (1alphaOHase) to become 1,25dihydroxyvitamin D 3 (1,25(OH)2D3). 1,25(OH)2 D3 is a potent inhibitor of tumor growth in vitro and in vivo. Recent studies indicate that metabolic activation of 1,25(OH) 2D3 also occurs in cancer cells such as breast cancer. Consequently, the major objective of this project was to determine if tumoral 25OHD 3-1alphahydroxylase modulates any or all of the stages of breast tumor progression without inducing the hypercalcemic side effects of 1,25(OH) 2D3. For this purpose we used the PyVMT breast …  Read more

Hedge funds report performance information voluntarily. When they stop reporting they are transferred from the "live" pool of funds to the "defunct" pool. Consequently, liquidated funds constitute a subset of the defunct pool. I present models of hedge fund survival, attrition, and survivorship bias based on liquidation alone. This refines estimates of predictor variables in models of survival, leads to attrition rates of hedge funds to be roughly one half those previously thought, and produces larger estimates of survivorship bias. Survival models based on liquidated funds only, lead to an increase in survival time of 50 to 100 percent relative …  Read more