McGill University Thèses et mémoires publiés en 2005

Culture and personality have been two of the most-studied factors in negotiation research, yet only limited evidence has been provided for their impact on negotiation behaviors and outcomes. This dissertation first reviews the development of negotiation research and explores an emergent body of negotiation studies that integrate cognitive and social factors into the examination of the negotiation process (Bazerman, Curhan, Moore, & Valley, 2000). A mental model of dyadic negotiation is proposed to incorporate the principles from social cognition research, whereby negotiation is seen as a cognitive decision-making process with involved parties defining what are appropriate objects of the dispute …  Lire la suite

The problems of Connection-oriented Networking Call Admission Control (CAC) and Routing Control (RC) in Integrated Networks are formulated as finite and infinite horizon finite-state Stochastic Dynamic Programs. In particular, Poisson Markovian communication networks are analysed in detail. Because of the complexity of communication networks and of the operation of some kind of communication networks, such as the Internet, by multi-agents, it is effectively impossible to obtain the optimal solutions. Currently it is reasonable to use decentralized aggregation methods to obtain sub-optimal solutions for CAC and RC communication problems. In this thesis, stochastic dynamic programming methods for the optimal control of …  Lire la suite

Jasmonic acid (JA) and its methyl ester, methyl jasmonate (MeJA), collectively termed as jasmonates, are naturally occurring in plants and are important signal molecules involved in induced disease resistance and stress responses of plants. Besides their role in-planta, they are also rhizosecreted by root cells. Germinating soybean seeds exude large quantities of jasmonic acid; however there is no knowledge regarding how jasmonates influence cells of the soybean symbiont, Bradyrhizobium japonicum, in the rhizosphere. We studied the role of jasmonates in the soybean-Bradyrhizobium symbiosis. Bradyrhizobium japonicum cultures were induced with jasmonates and the resulting Nod factors were isolated and purified. Our …  Lire la suite

This study investigated whether English second language learners learn the senses of polysemous vocabulary items in an order from a core sense to more extended senses. Polysemous words have one form but many interrelated meanings. It was hypothesised that such an order could be explained by way of the theory of prototypicality. 48 ESL learners from three language groups, French, Japanese and Chinese, took part in the study. The participants translated into their first language 29 English sentences using different senses of the word over. Translations were coded for correct translations of the sense of over and for variation in …  Lire la suite

The emission of trace metals (TMs) into boreal forest regions of the northern hemisphere is an important environmental issue due to their potential detrimental impacts on these sensitive ecosystems. One of the foremost factors controlling metal cycling is the chemistry of the overlying organic forest floor of the forest soil. In this thesis we examine the chemistry of forest floor horizons of podzolic soils. Our goal is to improve our ability to predict the partitioning of metals between the soil solid and solution phases. We developed a standard protocol to produce solutions that resemble lysimeter solutions from podzolic soils using …  Lire la suite

The study of patristic quotations of the Greek New Testament has proven valuable in the field of textual criticism as a means of locating variant readings both chronologically and geographically, facilitating the reconstruction of the development of the different textual groups. This thesis will document the Pauline citations, adaptations and allusions of Didymus of Alexandria, and then determine their textual affinities, along the lines of earlier studies in this field. Using the methodology developed by B. Ehrman, including both a statistical analysis and a method of group profiling, this study concludes that the text of Paul in Didymus clearly belongs …  Lire la suite

Multi-drug or pleiotropic drug resistance (PDR) is a universally acquired mechanism that is evolutionarily conserved. Saccharomyces cerevisiae serves as an excellent model organism for studying this phenomenon in pathogenic fungi, such as Candida albicans. In yeast, PDR is most often mediated by the overexpression of membrane-spanning transporter proteins that act as drug efflux pumps. Their expression is controlled by an intricate network of transcription factors, including many members of the Gal4p superfamily of zinc cluster proteins. Pdr1p, Pdr3p, Pdr8p, Stb5p, Yrm1p, and Yrr1p are all transcriptional activators that make up the PDR network. Upc2p and Ecm22p are two other transcription …  Lire la suite

This thesis examines educational reforms initiated by British colonial officials in late nineteenth/early twentieth century India and the responses they ensued from Indian Muslim reformers. Focusing on the "woman question," British colonizers came to the conviction that the best method to "civilize" Indian society was to educate women according to modern Western standards. Muslim reformers sought to resolve the "woman question" for themselves by combining their own ideologies of appropriate female education with Western ones. Muslim reformers were also deeply concerned with the disappearance of Islamic identity owing to colonial educational policies. Reformers placed the responsibility of maintaining Islamic culture …  Lire la suite

In Leishmania glycosomes compartmentalize a variety of essential biochemical and metabolic pathways required for parasite viability. Biogenesis and maintenance of glycosomes involves a family of proteins called peroxins, however the molecular mechanisms governing the early events of this pathway have not been fully established. A structural-functional analysis of the receptor LdPEX5 revealed the formation of a tetrameric structure stabilized by coiled-coil motifs. A biophysical approach showed that the tetrameric structure of LdPEX5 dissociates to dimers upon binding to the PTS1 ligand. However, the tetrameric LdPEX5 is more thermodynamically favorable to bind. Lastly, LdPEX14 modulates the LdPEX5-PTS1 interaction as the presence …  Lire la suite

Reinforcement learning (RL) is a computational framework for learning sequential decision strategies from the interaction of an agent with an unknown dynamic environment. This thesis focuses on value-based reinforcement learning methods, which rely on computing utility values for different behavior strategies that can be adopted by the agent. Real-world complex problems involve very large discrete or continuous state spaces where the use of approximate methods is required. It has been observed that subtle differences in the approximate methods result in very different theoretical properties and empirical behavior. In this thesis, we propose a new framework for discussing many popular function …  Lire la suite

The recent and rapid expansion of Phragmites australis in North America provides an opportunity to relate dispersal patterns to landscape structure. Linear wetlands, such as roadside or agricultural ditches, may serve as corridors that facilitate dispersal at the landscape scale, but there is little quantitative information on patterns of invasion in these habitats. Remote sensing data, GIS, and field observations were used (1) to assess the feasibility of mapping populations of P. australis in linear wetlands and (2) to quantify and explain recent invasion patterns of P. australis in two periurban areas of southern Quebec. An accuracy assessment demonstrated the …  Lire la suite

Two models of HIV infection have been studied extensively with the goal of identifying immune correlate(s) of protection against HIV: (1) the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection of rhesus macaque monkeys and (2) individuals with repeated exposure to HIV who remain uninfected by the virus (EUs). Both paradigms suggest that T cell-mediated immunity plays an important role in controlling HIV replication. Evidence from the SIV/macaque system, however, predicts that HIV vaccines aimed at eliciting T cell responses will fail to induce sterilizing immunity against HIV. The aim of the work presented in this thesis was to correlate HIV-specific T cell …  Lire la suite

Mitochondrial background. Recent studies on cancer have detected many mutations and much variability in the mitochondrial genome, particularly in the non-coding region (D-loop). The present study set out to sequence and examine the hypervariable region I (HVR-I) of the D-loop and transfer RNA Leucine (tRNA Leu) for mutations in breast cancer patients. Methods. Tumor and normal tissues from 17 patients that carry mutations in either BRCA1 (n = 11), BRCA2 (n = 3) or are non-carriers of mutations in either gene (n = 3) were examined by direct genomic sequencing of PCR products. Results. We found 44 variants in the …  Lire la suite

Liberalising trade is not limited to diminishing trade barriers or decreasing tariffs rates, but also ensuring that these efforts are maintained: this is the role of competition rules. It is common knowledge that for decades Countries have been trying to agree on international harmonised competition rules. Aware of this interaction between trade and competition policies, they knew efforts had to be undertaken to make them co-exist. Unfortunately the dream never came true. And parties only inherited rules of competition hardly recognised, or implicitly applied within the International Trade Law Framework. Even if some implicit rules of competition have been 'injected' …  Lire la suite

This thesis examines the design and fabrication of a miniaturized optical detection system for sensing in microchannels, based on integrated optical waveguide technology, which allows the implementation of both absorption and fluorescence measurement schemes and which can be potentially integrated into a Lab-on-a-chip system. An array of optical waveguides were fabricated in spin-on polymer technology on a silicon substrate and monolithically integrated with the microfluidic channel and V-groove fibre alignment scheme. Two different versions of the device were designed and fabricated at McGill microfabrication facility. The designs were adapted to achieve minimum optical losses under the imposed fabrication constraints. Total …  Lire la suite

Tuberculosis, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is globally a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. While a host genetic contribution to tuberculosis susceptibility is known to occur, the extent and nature of host genetic variability to tuberculosis pathogenesis are unknown. Thus, to better understand the role of host genetic factors in tuberculosis susceptibility, we have tested the contribution of candidate gene variants to tuberculosis susceptibility in three geographically, epidemically, and clinically distinct populations. We chose four candidate genes involved in the innate immune response, namely, NRAMP1, MBL, SFTPA1, and SFTPA2. Since the global spread of tuberculosis is highly dependent on HIV/AIDS …  Lire la suite

In the present work, two experimental approaches were carried out involving the combustion of suspensions of fine aluminum particles in an oxidizing gas. First, a microgravity investigation into the quenching distance of aluminum dust flames was performed for two different particle sizes. As part of this investigation, two sizes of iron powder were also tested for comparative purposes. Experiments were carried out in a vertical Pyrex tube in which two sets of parallel plates of a predetermined spacing were inserted. Laminar flames were ignited in the dusty suspension by a burning wire and failure or successful transmission of the flames …  Lire la suite

Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), a cyclooxygenase (COX) pathway product, increases COX-2 mRNA stability and translation in human synovial fibroblasts (HSFs) via a positive-feedback loop. We hypothesized that this effect is a result of PGE2-mediated regulation of mRNA-binding (possibly AU-binding) protein synthesis and/or activity and wished to characterize the factors and mechanisms involved in this process. When transiently cotransfected with a COX-2 3 UTR-fused luciferase reporter, the AU-binding proteins (AUBPs) TTP and p37AUF1 markedly reduced and mildly increased reporter activity in HSFs, respectively. Western blot analysis of PGE2's effects on AUF1 and TTP protein synthesis showed that PGE 2 suppressed HSF p37AUF1 …  Lire la suite

The antisense principle bases its premise in the exquisite complementarity of a synthetic, chemically-modified oligonucleotide to tightly bind with a unique target RNA sequence. Rapid and selective genetic discrimination, as driven by the formation of multiple points of target contact, constitutes a central goal of oligonucleotide therapies. Most synthetic designs have, however, provided little structural insight on the role of the antisense oligonucleotide (AON) in triggering RNA cleavage of preformed hybrids, as catalyzed by a ubiquitous, intracellular enzyme known as ribonuclease H. The use of RNase H to assist AON inhibition of gene expression is crucial to mainstream antisense technologies, …  Lire la suite

This thesis examines the role of Armenian community centres, in relation to the local dwelling place of Montreal, the distant homeland, and the rest of the Armenian diaspora. Due to the staggering increase in migration and to the proliferation of transnational flows throughout the globe, our conception of home has substantially changed. Thus, what motivates immigrants to build and attend "diasporic dwellings" representative of their ethnicity in their new dwelling places? By describing the characteristics of the two largest Armenian community centres in Montreal, (the Armenian Community Centre and the ABGU Centre), I analyse how these mediated social spaces embody …  Lire la suite

Leib, Harry (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

Hess, Robert F. (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

One of the primary challenges facing researchers and practitioners in their efforts to address issues of poverty and environment is the need to deepen our understanding of the logic that guides local people's decisions over resource use, particularly among the rural poor whose livelihoods depend on fragile and dynamic environments. This study seeks to identify the set of factors that influences how rainforest people respond to abrupt natural disturbances and resource scarcity through changes in livelihood and resource management practices in two rural poor communities of the Peruvian Amazon. Data were gathered through in-depth survey interviews (n=95 households) between June …  Lire la suite

Dystroglycan is a ubiquitous protein that links the extracellular matrix to the cytoskeleton and is the central unit of the dystrophin glycoprotein complex (DGC), a membrane complex that connects the cytoskeleton to the extracellular matrix (ECM). Dystroglycan is composed of two subunits that are tightly but non-covalently linked. alpha Dystroglycan (alpha DG) is located extracellularly and it is the only component of the DGC linked to the ECM, while beta Dystroglycan (beta DG) spans the plasma membrane and has both an extracellular and a cytoplasmic domain. The DGC is involved in skeletal muscle maintenance and viability, and in the organization …  Lire la suite

In the past years, a number of researchers have investigated the use of digital echo cancellation systems for transmission technologies based on discrete multi-tone (DMT) modulation, such as that used in asymmetrical digital subscriber lines (ADSL) and the likes. Almost all the existing papers report on equal transmission rate systems, while little attention has been given to the multi-rate case. In fact, the first multi-rate echo canceller structure was developed by Ho et al., and has always been referred since. In this thesis, two sets of simplified techniques are developed. The first one reports on a fast initialization technique of …  Lire la suite

Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) signaling is involved in a wide array of cellular responses in both physiological and pathological conditions. Dysregulation of TGF-beta action can lead to impaired tissue homeostasis and several developmental defects. Mechanisms regulating TGF-beta signal transduction include modulation of TGF-beta signaling receptor activity by accessory receptors. Our group has recently identified a GPI-anchored TGF-beta1 binding protein, r150, and has shown that it is implicated in the regulation of TGF-beta signaling in keratinocytes. Recent molecular cloning of r150 in our laboratory shows that it represents CD109, a novel member of the alpha2-macroglobulin/complement (AMCOM) gene family. We provided evidence …  Lire la suite

Alcohol abuse and addiction are among the most costly and prevalent behavioural disorders due to the drug's reinforcing potential and ubiquity in society. Studies suggest an interaction between alcohol and the endogenous opioid system: manipulation of endogenous opioid activity affects alcohol intake, and alcohol administration alters endogenous opioid activity. However, the data are inconclusive given the discrepancy between pharmacological and genetic knockout studies on alcohol intake, and the difficulty in interpreting and replicating findings determined postmortem. There were two major objectives in the present study. First, to use estradiol valerate to induce selective lesions of endorphinergic perikarya in adult rats …  Lire la suite

Two ultrasound systems were studied to investigate the effects of positional and volumetric prostate variations on dosimetry over the course of external radiation therapy. A 2D system, currently used at the Montreal General Hospital for patient repositioning, was compared to a 3D system invented recently. Prostate variations were quantified from ultrasound images acquired daily during a 2003 clinical study. A method was devised to introduce ultrasound information in a Monte Carlo Treatment Planning System previously developed at McGill. Patient repositioning was evaluated for both systems using dose-volume histograms of Voxel Monte Carlo dose calculation. Repositioning with the 3D system, neglecting …  Lire la suite

Childhood overweight and obesity has become a significant health concern worldwide. Obese youth are now being diagnosed with health complications and chronic diseases previously observed only among older adults. In order to improve their health and decrease their risk of premature mortality, secondary prevention is essential. To help guide development of an effective intervention program for obese youth referred to specialized clinical care, a chart review was conducted on adolescents seeking physician treatment for obesity. Data indicate that this patient population suffers from obesity-related health complications, faces social issues and exhibits lifestyle practices predisposing them to weight gain. Given that …  Lire la suite

CDP/Cux binds DNA and acts as a transcriptional repressor of some target genes while it activates others. The MMSET protein was identified as a protein-binding partner of CDP/Cux. The goal of my project was to characterize the interaction between MMSET and CDP/Cux. I confirmed the association in co-immunoprecipitation and affinity chromatography assays, but not in pull-down assays. MMSET increased CDP-mediated transcriptional activation of the DNA pol alpha promoter in reporter assays. Mutation in the SET domain did not abolish this effect. These results suggest that MMSET functions as a transcriptional coactivator with CDP/Cux. Short CDP/Cux isoforms were previously shown to …  Lire la suite

This dissertation examined the participation of eight lower-achieving readers in two intermediate-level elementary classrooms (one fourth- and one fifth-grade) during group discussions about literary texts. The purpose of the investigation was to determine the extent to which lower-achieving readers (defined as students who had persistent struggles to attain minimum scores on state, district, and classroom assessments in reading) displayed discourse features that indicated the students' high-level thinking during heterogeneous and homogeneous (by reading level) discussions about literary texts. Several characteristics of discourse indicate high-level thinking, including but not limited to: generalizations, analyses, speculations, affective responses, inter-textual connections, and elaborated explanations. …  Lire la suite

Modal testing is often employed in the determination of natural frequencies and damping levels in aircraft structures. In aircraft flutter testing, potentially dangerous flight regimes are avoided by obtaining modal frequency and damping values at airspeeds well below the flutter speed and extrapolating the data to estimate the airspeed at which the onset of flutter instabilities is expected to occur. In the modal analysis, the structure is typically assumed to be linear and the parameters to be time-invariant. Nonlinearities in aeroelastic systems can arise from both structural and aerodynamic sources and may initiate aeroelastic instabilities both above and below the …  Lire la suite

There is abundant evidence to support the role of exercise in the well being of community-dwelling elderly people. However, the role of cessation of exercise specifically in institutionalized populations has not been addressed in depth. The effectiveness of exercise programs has mainly been analysed as a function of physical performance, when many of the benefits of exercising in the elderly appear to belong in the bio-psychosocial domain. Additionally, the effects of non-continuous exercise on physical function are not fully understood. Twenty-nine residents of Ste-Anne's Hospital were participants in a scheduled, physiotherapy-led exercise program. Twenty-five completed testing on physical performance and …  Lire la suite

Photoreactivation of microorganisms following UV inactivation is a well-known but complex phenomenon. It is believed to be affected by several factors, including UV fluence (the effect may be diminished at higher fluences), wavelength, light intensity, and exposure time to photoreactivating light. The effect on photoreactivation of a combined peracetic acid (PAA)/UV process has not been investigated. Accordingly, the primary objective of the current study was to assess the degree of photoreactivation, under both sunlight and artificial lights, following UV and combined PAA/UV inactivation of fecal coliforms (FC). Results of the study indicate that average photoreactivation for UV-treated wastewater samples is …  Lire la suite

The Mamluk Sultanate that dominated Egypt and Syria over slightly more than two centuries and a half (647-922/1250-1517), witnessed the development of a prodigious historiographical production. While the historiography of the Turkish Mamluk period (647-792/1250-1382) has been the object of thorough analyses to determine the patterns of interrelations amongst its authors and the respective value of its most important sources, that of the Early Circassian Mamluk period (roughly, the last quarter of the fourteenth/eighth and the first years of the fifteenth/ninth centuries) has not as of yet received proper attention. In this dissertation, this historiographical production has been surveyed and …  Lire la suite

Apoptosis is a genetically programmed highly regulated form of cellular suicide that plays an essential role in the development and tissue homeostasis of multicellular organisms. As a variety of pathological states such as cancer, autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases can be ascribed to the deregulation of the apoptotic program, understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying this process is a necessary first step to therapeutic intervention. The BCL-2 family of proteins is of paramount importance in the regulation of apoptosis through their control of caspases, a family of cysteine proteases responsible for cellular demolition. The p53 tumour suppressor protein is a transcription factor …  Lire la suite

When one learns a novel motor skill, retention of that skill requires consolidation of motor learning. Previous reports have shown that preceding sessions of motor learning can interfere with the acquisition of new tasks and that new motor learning can disrupt previously retained skills. A recent study by Caithness et al. (2004) shows that new learning, even after long delays, can totally disrupt prior retention. This finding is consistent with the idea that re-activated memories become labile and subject to displacement. However the result is difficult to reconcile with day-to-day experience in which skills improve with repetition and are not …  Lire la suite

The doctrine of imamate---that is, the rule of a particular individual over the community---is a central and pivotal concept in Islam generally, and in Shi`ism specifically. Scholars who have studied this concept have tended to emphasize one aspect of the doctrine of imamate to the exclusion of all others. At one end of the spectrum, scholars ascribe to the imamate a strictly esoteric dimension, and at the other end, they view it primarily as a political institution. Dr. Mohammad Amir-Moezzi is a proponent of the former, while the late Ayatullah Khumayni is a proponent of the latter. Both polarized views …  Lire la suite

The goal of this study was to learn more about the experience of Canadian military fathers who participated in a fathers' support group entitled "With Dads Around, Kids Are Sound." An explorative, semi-structured, qualitative design was applied to gain understanding of the participants' perspectives. The sample consisted of seven military fathers. The researcher also interviewed three wives in an attempt to corroborate some of the findings. The two main reasons that brought fathers into the group were role conflict and wanting to prevent family problems. Based on comments received, the program was found to be effective in supporting military fathers. …  Lire la suite

This dissertation is in the form of one survey paper and three essays on the topic of volatility. The unifying feature that permeates the entire thesis is the focus on the measurement and use of conditional second moment of equities and currencies as a measure of risk for asset pricing and policy purposes in the context of international markets. The survey examines selected papers from the international finance literature and from the volatility literature with a focus on the theoretical and empirical relationship between first and second unconditional and conditional moments of domestic and international asset returns. It then specifically …  Lire la suite

Recent studies using brain imaging have begun to reveal the neural systems that underlie the response to drug cues in human addicts, however, little is known about how they are affected by perceived drug availability and degree of abstinence in the user. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRT) and a cue reactivity paradigm in cigarette smokers, we have investigated, for the first time, the neural correlates of expectancy and abstinence on the drug user's response to stimuli associated with drug use. Exposure to smoking cues induced a subjective craving response and elicited activation of a distributed neural system involved in …  Lire la suite

Stories told of and by teacher-researchers hold the potential to inform members of both academic and school communities with concerns about teaching and learning. The author's self-study and an embedded case study constitute this thesis. The latter is an instrumental, single-case (Stake, 1998), seeking to offer insight into teacher learning. It is framed by theories of cognition (Sternberg, 1998), adult learning (Mezirow, 1991), narrative (Gudmundsdottir, 1995), teacher-research (Connelly & Clandinin, 1999), and self-study (Hamilton, 1998). This thesis presents my experience as a teacher-researcher engaging in self-study, asking: "What do I care about in education?" (Whitehead, 1993). In conducting my inquiry, …  Lire la suite

This thesis is an examination of representations of Muslim women in the American print media. I focus on one particular publication, The New York Times within a time frame surrounding the events of September 11, 2001. Articles were selected from this publication that fell within the time period of September 11, 2000 to September 11, 2002, in selecting articles, I chose those based on their inclusion of any discussion that clearly identified those discussed as Muslim women, through the use of the words "Muslim" or "Islamic" in their descriptions. The case study was carried out by reading through each daily …  Lire la suite

Plankwalk is a creative thesis in the form of a novella and critical afterword. The essay explains how the author makes use of a variety of sources, and how he shapes their effect according to an original conception of the form of the contemporary novella. There follows a discussion of this form and its relation to the confessional narratives of Vladimir Nabokov, and to cultural critics' views on the social role of criminals. The author demonstrates how the changing nature of criminality and confession is reflected in the works of de Sade, Poe, and Nabokov. The issues of the handling …  Lire la suite

Skin-derived precursors are multipotent stem cells capable of differentiation into neural and mesodermal progeny. Described here is evidence that SKPs are of a neural crest origin; SKPs neural progeny are peripheral in subtype including peripheral catecholaminergic neurons and Schwann cells, SKPs express embryonic neural crest transcription factors, SKPs migrate via neural crest migratory pathways when transplanted into chick embryos and SKPs respond to factors know to influence neural crest stem cell differentiation in a similar manner. The expression of the neural crest transcription factors in situ identified the dermal papillae of hair follicles as a potential niche for SKPs in …  Lire la suite

Carved and engraved bone pins from the Koster, Black Earth and Modoc Rockshelter sites have been used by Professor Richard Jefferies to investigate the development of regional-scale interaction between hunter-gatherer groups of the Midwest Middle Archaic. Using that same data, this pilot study suggests that these artifacts may also be representative material embodiments of inherent social contradictions within and between hunter-gatherer societies at an even earlier date. These contradictions and the conflicts that arose from them may rival in importance ecological and demographic paradigms as catalysts for sedentism and territoriality in the Middle Archaic Midwest.  Lire la suite

Foulkes, William (Supervisor)  Lire la suite

The unsteady flows generated by the harmonically variable inflow velocities are studied in this thesis by using a numerical method for the time-accurate solution of the Navier-Stokes equations. This method, which has been developed by Mateescu and Venditti, uses an implicit three-point-backward scheme for the real time discretization, and a pseudo-time discretization based on a relaxation procedure using artificial compressibility. A special decoupling procedure is used to eliminate the pressure from the momentum equations with the aid of the continuity equation in pseudo-time, in order to reduce the problem to the efficient solution of scalar tridiagonal systems of equations. The …  Lire la suite

Nanopatterning is the fabrication of topologically and chemically patterned surfaces, with structural parameters < 100 nm. It is a topic of great interest given the demand in applying nanoscience and nanotechnology in the next generation of electronic and optical devices, and catalysts. To this end, novel bottom-up strategies hold the most promise to this end for creating a great variety of morphologies in a parallel manner. This Thesis is centered on the development of new methodologies for creating nanopatterned surfaces, and their characterization in light of possible applications. A symmetric, amphiphilic diblock copolymer, polystyrene-b-poly(2-vinylpyridine) was self-assembled at the air-water interface …  Lire la suite

Mental illness is characterized by alterations in thinking, mood and behavior and is associated with significant distress and impaired functioning. Many mental illnesses and medications used in their treatment, can in some way impair fitness-to-drive. This thesis comprises two independent but complementary articles. In the first article, the authors review the most recent literature on fitness-to-drive amongst individuals with mental illness, including those using psychotropic medications. In the second article, the authors assess current attitudes, practices, and knowledge of Canadian psychiatrists concerning driving safety amongst individuals with mental illness using a nation wide cross-sectional survey based on a random sample …  Lire la suite