McGill University Thèses et mémoires publiés en 2005

This study examines the links between architecture and literature through the work of English author/mathematician/geometrician Lewis Carroll/Charles L. Dodgson. The premise is that throughout Carroll's work, questions concerning the position of the body in relation to its surroundings---the possibility for one to forge a sense of place---are recurrent. Carroll stages a series of bodily movements in space: changes in scale, transformations, alterations, translations from bottom to top, from left to right, from the inside to the outside, and so on. Reading the work, one is constantly reminded that one's perception of space, as well as one's understanding of where one …  Lire la suite

The thesis focuses on efficient solutions of non-cooperative pursuit-evasion games with imperfect information on the state of the system. This problem is important in the context of interception of future maneuverable ballistic missiles. However, the theoretical developments are expected to find application to a broad class of hybrid control and estimation problems in industry. The validity of the results is nevertheless confirmed using a benchmark problem in the area of terminal guidance. A specific interception scenario between an incoming target with no information and a single interceptor missile with noisy measurements is analyzed in the form of a linear hybrid …  Lire la suite

The primary muscle of respiration is the diaphragm. Diaphragm muscle dysfunction and ventilatory pump failure are well documented phenomena in animal models of sepsis. However, the primary cellular mechanisms underlying respiratory muscle dysfunction in sepsis are poorly understood. In addition, most investigations of respiratory muscle dysfunction in sepsis have been performed in models involving high doses of bacterial endotoxin and these investigations have been criticized on the basis of questionable relevance to human sepsis. Therefore, the objective in the first study of this thesis was to study respiratory muscle dysfunction in a more clinically relevant animal model, namely, the Pseudomonas …  Lire la suite

Coupled waveguides, such as directional couplers and grating-assisted directional couplers, have many applications in integrated optics, optical communication and nonlinear optics. In this thesis, we investigate two important applications of them in optical integration and nonlinear frequency conversion. The work presented in this thesis is composed of two main parts. In the first part, we present a compact double-grating coupler between silicon-on-insulator (SOI) waveguides. This type of waveguide coupler has potential applications in multi-layer photonic integrated circuits. In the second part, we investigate nonlinear frequency conversion, such as second harmonic generation, in directional couplers. The double-grating coupler consists of two …  Lire la suite

This thesis deals with the representation of the erotic body in the works of the most important authors of French sixteenth-century poetry, particularly those of the Pleiade. By "erotic body" we mean a body that is involved in activities of carnal love, a type of love which is considered, during the Renaissance, as the opposite of a more chaste and spiritual kind of love. Our hypothesis is that the textual representation of such a body is coherent throughout the sixteenth century. Since poetic expression is governed by rules of decency during this period, description of the erotic body cannot be …  Lire la suite

This doctoral work consists of several studies that investigated the relationship between language lateralization and structural asymmetries found in auditory and language-related regions of the human brain. Language lateralization was determined via the intracarotid Sodium Amytal procedure in epilepsy patients. In study 1, three groups of patients were investigated: a left speech group (LSG); a right speech group (RSG); and a bilateral speech group (BSG). Two auditory cortex regions: Heschl's gyrus (HG) and the planum temporale (PT) were labelled on the magnetic resonance imaging scan of each subject. Additionally, an automatic voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis was performed. The overall findings …  Lire la suite

This thesis investigates a series of elementary cues, which together are thought to constitute fundamental components of the perceptual process arising from haptic interaction with an object. Results from a first study indicate that direct contact between fingerpad and object is important during haptic exploration. This was hypothesized to be so since the stereotypical contact region that is defined between fingerpad and object during direct contact is fundamentally different from the contact region defined through interaction of the object with an intermediary such as a probe. In an attempt to artificially create local contact region deformation trajectories, a servo-controlled mechanism …  Lire la suite

Low-rise buildings, constructed using wood, are vulnerable to extreme wind storms and earthquakes. While several experimental measurements of the environmental loads (mostly wind) on the building envelope have been made at full scale, none of these studies directly linked these external loads with the internal forces and displacements of the structure, as achieved in this research. The thesis presents the experimental and analytical work on two light-frame wooden structures, where one already existed (Forintek shed in Quebec City) and the other (UNB house) was built specifically for the research project on the University of New Brunswick campus in Fredericton. The …  Lire la suite

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether perceptions of cohesion served as a mediator between motivation and future participation (operationalized as intention to return). The participants were 162 intramural athletes participating in various team sport activities. Each participant completed a questionnaire that assessed cohesion (individual attractions to the group-task and-social; group integration-task and-social), motivation (amotivation, external regulation, introjected regulation, identified regulation, intrinsic motivation), and intention to return (using a one-item statement). The results found two mediational relationships: (a) individual attractions to the group-task served to mediate the relationship between intrinsic motivation and intention to return, (b) group …  Lire la suite

This study examines how Tagbanua responses to changes in conservation approaches have shaped forest access and use in relation to the political economy of a buffer zone village on Palawan Island, the Philippines. A recent shift from "fences and fines" to "devolved" conservation at Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park in Cabayugan has been lauded in government and non-governmental circles to support Tagbanua livelihoods while preserving the rain forest. Concurrently, however, the Tagbanua have adjusted to migrants dispossessing them of land, controlling the trade in forest products, and the means of agricultural production. Given that conservation and local resource access …  Lire la suite

Women's access to micro credit has increased substantially worldwide. International organizations, non-governmental organizations, commercially-oriented institutions and governments support the proliferation of micro credit programs through diverse funding arrangements, and specifically target women to participate in such initiatives. This dissertation explores women's experiences in a micro credit program in Cairo, Egypt, funded by Save the Children (USA) in order to contribute to the growing debate on women's poverty reduction and empowerment potential. Because women's voices are critical the issues are raised through questions regarding women's situation in micro credit and what factors assist women in meeting their choices and concerns, and …  Lire la suite

At first glance, the long tradition of Quebecois adaptations of Shakespeare might seem paradoxical, since Quebec is a francophone nation seeking political independence and has little direct connection to the British literary canon. However, it is precisely this cultural distance that allows Quebecois playwrights to play irreverently with Shakespeare and use his texts to explore issues of nation and gender which are closely connected to each other. Soon after the Quiet Revolution, adaptations such as Robert Gurik's Hamlet, prince du Quebec and Jean-Claude Germain's Rodeo et Juliette raised the question "To be or not to be free" in order to …  Lire la suite

In November 2002 a Microfabrication Lab was established in the physics department of McGill University to support research in nanoscience and technology. At the same time, I arrived at McGill to begin my graduate study. So I was assigned to do research on microfabrication, especially bulk wet etching of silicon using TetraMethyl Ammonium Hydroxide (TMAH). The content of microfabrication is quite broad, and also very useful in both industry and academic. Since our fab is a newly built one and I had no experience in this area before, this thesis mainly included some basic processes in microfabrication, such as the …  Lire la suite

Although the concept of liberty provided the intellectual foundation for the legitimacy of state power and social order in both Canadas from as early as the Atlantic Revolution (1776--1815), it has never been used to study the history of state formation in Canada. This dissertation examines the essential role that the concept of liberty played in the process of state formation in Canada between the American Revolution (1776) and the Act of Union (1841). It proposes a large-scale re-reading of the intellectual and political history of that period through the question of liberty within the framework of the British Empire …  Lire la suite

Computer aided diagnosis within neuroimaging must rely on advanced image processing techniques to detect and quantify subtle signal changes that may be surrogate indicators of disease state. This thesis proposes two such novel methodologies that are both based on large volumes of interest, are data driven, and use cross-sectional scans: appearance-based classification (ABC) and voxel-based classification (VBC). The concept of appearance in ABC represents the union of intensity and shape information extracted from magnetic resonance images (MRI). The classification method relies on a linear modeling of appearance features via principal components analysis, and comparison of the distribution of projection coordinates …  Lire la suite

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) are two fatal neuromuscular disorders for which there is no effective treatment. Furthermore, the exact pathogenic mechanisms of these diseases have not been precisely determined. Oxidative/nitrosative stress has been implicated in the skeletal muscle dysfunction in both cases. A subset of ALS patients (~2%) have mutations in the antioxidant enzyme SOD1, and transgenic mice overexpressing these mutant enzymes develop motor neuron disease. ALS primarily affects motor neurons, but recent evidence suggests skeletal muscle damage, in addition to denervation changes, may contribute to disease pathogenesis. The purpose of Part I of this …  Lire la suite

The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, resulted in dramatic legal changes in the U.S. As part of its investigation into the attacks, the U.S. Government detained approximately 5,000 "aliens" from predominantly Muslim countries. These detentions were characterized by minimal, and sometimes non-existent, habeas corpus and due-process protections. During times of crisis, care should be taken that panic not be allowed to prevail over long-cherished constitutional values. This thesis examines Government actions in light of constitutional principles to examine the larger question of whether the War on Terror detention practices have permanently undermined the rule of law in the U.S. …  Lire la suite

Transcriptional regulation by nuclear receptors is vital for a number of different biological processes such as cellular differentiation, embryo development and homeostasis. Recent studies on the roles of estrogen-related receptor alpha (ERRalpha) and gamma (ERRgamma) have demonstrated an important function of these orphan receptors in the control of cardiac energy metabolism. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-on-chip was optimized and then performed using chromatin from mouse hearts on a genome-wide basis to provide further insight into the roles of these ERRs in the heart. In this thesis, we report the identification of ERRalpha and ERRgamma direct target genes in cardiac tissue implicated in …  Lire la suite

The anterior pituitary gland is an essential endocrine organ. The primordium of the anterior pituitary gland, Rathke's pouch, is formed by the invagination of somatic ectoderm that lines the roof of the oral cavity. It has been shown that SHH is important in pouch formation, but there is a controversy over where the source of the signal is originating from the neural or oral ectoderm. The objective of my project was to describe the expression pattern and the role of Shh in the specification of Rathke's pouch in the chick embryo. I analyzed the expression pattern of Pitx2 and Lim3 …  Lire la suite

The removal and recovery of gallium (III) from aqueous solutions was investigated using different ligands. Sodium di-(n-octyl) phosphinate was found to be the most effective ligand. The metal-ligand complexes formed had the advantages of being highly insoluble in water and allowing a good regeneration of the ligand at the end of the cycle. The effect of time, pH, mole ratio of ligand to metal, temperature and the presence of other ions, such as Na+, NO3-, Cl- and SO42-, was also studied. At the end of the removal process, gallium was recovered from the insoluble complexes using a solvent. The gallium …  Lire la suite

Microwave hyperthermia is a cancer treatment used in combination with radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy. Hyperthermia sensitizes cancer cells to the primary treatment by sublethal heat. An antenna array non-invasively launches electromagnetic waves, targeting cancer cells, and produces preferential heating. This thesis discusses the two-arm Archimedean spiral antenna as a possible antenna to deliver such energy. Simulations are performed on a homogeneous cylindrical numerical phantom using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. FDTD is well-suited for the analysis of the interaction between electromagnetic waves and complex media. This thesis explores two types of input signals to the antenna array: a continuous wave and …  Lire la suite

We present a novel model describing the nucleation and the initial growth of bundles of carbon single-walled nanotubes (C-SWNTs). The formation of the catalyst nanoparticle, on which bundles of C-SWNTs grow, is first investigated. A qualitative analysis of the carbon-catalyst phase diagram shows that the gas-phase synthesis process leads to the formation of a nanometric liquid layer, supersaturated in carbon, surrounding the catalyst nanoparticle. It is then claimed that a solutal Benard-Marangoni instability governs the flow of carbon in the liquid layer. Using results from linear stability analyses, it is shown, for a planar and a spherical geometry, that the …  Lire la suite

The thesis is divided in two sections; the first section consists in a critical document while the second presents my own creative writing, a play intitled Le Foyer. My use of theatrical writing in Le Foyer sought to privilege certain litterary techniques and dramatic processes elaborated by Antonin Artaud (1896-1948) in his manifesto The Theatre and his Double (1938). The thesis' theoretical section explores various issues at stake in my creative writing exercise: the link between the play Les Cenci and Artaud's metaphysic is questionned. I aimed to demonstrate how Les Cenci is an improbable example of the concept of …  Lire la suite

In normal human populations, nephron number varies widely from 300,000 to over one million nephrons per kidney. This dramatic range was once considered to have no clinical relevance, but recently it has been found that individuals at the lower end of the nephron number spectrum have increased risk of essential hypertension during adulthood. Final nephron number is determined during fetal kidney development and is irreversibly set by birth in humans. The mechanisms which set nephron number remain a mystery. Humans with the Renal-Coloboma Syndrome (RCS) are born with renal hypoplasia due to a paucity of nephrons. This hereditary disease is …  Lire la suite

Tissue engineering requires diagnostic tools for in-vitro monitoring of cell proliferation in three-dimensional scaffolds. Current methods are inaccurate, prohibitively expensive, or compromise sample integrity. This work presents a nondestructive system for the on-line measurement of cell concentration in micro-porous polymer scaffolds. The system is based on measuring the reflection coefficient of the sample with an open-ended coaxial probe over a frequency range of 10-200 MHz. An aperture admittance model is used to extract the complex permittivity from the reflection measurement. Then, effective medium approximation is used to relate the complex permittivity to the cell properties and concentration of the sample. …  Lire la suite

This thesis examines the influence of contemporary approaches to biodiversity conservation on conceptions of state sovereignty over natural resources. Traditional approaches to state sovereignty have emphasized the right of states to exploit natural resources. Contemporary approaches to biodiversity conservation, however, have given rise to a more flexible and dynamic understanding of state sovereignty over natural resources: one encompassing sovereign rights of exploitation along with corresponding conservation responsibilities. Founded upon this premise, the thesis focuses on the emergence of a 'balanced' approach to state sovereignty over natural resources and examines its effects on the role of states in managing natural resources. …  Lire la suite

Brazing is a low-cost process used extensively in manufacturing and repair of component assemblies in the aerospace industry. For stainless steel joints requiring an airtight seal, the brazing metal Pd-Ni-Cr-Si-B (PalNiCro) is commonly applied. However the underlying mechanisms of the brazing process are not well understood, which has precluded optimization of the brazing parameters and reduced the cost-effectiveness of the production process. To address these issues, the role of processing conditions on the wetting characteristics of austenitic AISI 347 and martensitic AISI 410 stainless steel was studied in this work using PalNiCro as the brazing alloy. Sessile drop tests were …  Lire la suite

Lumiere de nuit (Creative Works). The five short stories selected in Lumiere de nuit are linked by a central theme that can be described as a venturesome and initiatory quest in the larger story of Reality. The glorification of both the flesh and the spirit is recurrent and validated by the experience of existence. A disturbed atmosphere is imprinted in the inmost being of the characters who are compelled to undergo extremes experiences. The world that is given to them, or that they depict, is divided, the rhythm of life is syncopated as in jazz melodies. Their neurosis translates to …  Lire la suite

Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) demonstrates a remarkable affinity for surrealist poetry in his numerous settings of leading modernist French poets from the first half of the twentieth century. The poetry of Max Jacob (1876-1944), a once unduly marginalized writer who is now regarded as an influential initiator of surrealism, provided the inspiration for one of Poulenc's most significant works, the chamber cantata Le Bal masque (1932). This thesis seeks to shed light on Poulenc's largely neglected artistic interaction with Jacob by exploring musical counterparts to the poet's unique surrealist aesthetic in Le Bal masque. Chapter one examines Poulenc's artistic milieu surrounding …  Lire la suite

Hydroxamate siderophore receptor FhuA is a TonB-dependent outer membrane protein of Escherichia coli composed of a C-terminal 22-stranded beta-barrel occluded by an N-terminal globular cork domain. During transport of siderophores into the periplasm, FhuA is proposed to undergo conformational changes that may form a pathway across the barrel. To probe structural changes, site-directed cysteine mutants of selected amino acids in the cork domain (L109C and Q112C) and in the barrel domain (S356C and M383C) were created within the putative siderophore transport pathway. Molecular modeling predicted that double-cysteine mutants FhuACys109,356 and FhuACys112,383 would form disulfide bonds, thereby tethering the cork and …  Lire la suite

In mixed pool/bilateral electricity markets, participants can sign bilateral contracts several weeks or months in advance of the pool market-clearing. Any uncommitted generator capacity may be sold to the pool and any remaining un-serviced demand is met through the pool, both at the pool spot price. In this thesis, in contrast to financial rights, we consider only physical bilateral contracts, where the generator and load are obliged to produce and consume power levels at least equal to the stipulated bilateral amount. Bilateral contracts have the advantage that they satisfy at least part of the needs of both buyers and sellers …  Lire la suite

Periodic structures play an important role in engineering since they allow the manipulation of the electromagnetic properties of certain materials. To design such structures and investigate their different properties, it is essential to use simulation techniques. Among the various methods that have been used traditionally, the finite element method offers great advantages. In this thesis, a three dimensional finite element method is used to obtain the band diagrams of periodic structures; hierarchal higher-order elements are employed, thereby opening up the possibility of goal oriented h-p adaptivity. The computed dispersion curves for doubly-periodic and triply-periodic metallic structures are presented and compared …  Lire la suite

"Inclusion" in the broad sense of access to, and participation in, public policy and services has been lacking in the majority of developing countries---whether authoritarian or democratic---due to highly skewed political, social and economic power structures. To understand why this tends to be the case, the dissertation provides a political economy model for understanding civil society, arguing that the evolution of civil society and its potential as a vehicle for inclusion are conditioned by the economic imperatives in place and the state prerogatives. More specifically, I question the extent to which the neoliberal model allows civil society to fulfill this …  Lire la suite

Enantiomers are chiral molecules (i.e. they are mirror-images of each other). They have identical physical properties except for the rotation of polarized light. However their chemical properties are different when reacting with other chiral molecules. The majority of biological processes involve the reaction of two or more chiral molecules. There is therefore a strong interest coming from the pharmaceutical, food and agricultural industry for the separation of enantiomers. Separation methods such as chromatography exist but are generally expensive and limited in scale. Stereosynthesis often has prohibitive development and operating costs. For 10 to 15% of known enantiomeric systems, a conglomerate …  Lire la suite

Hearing loss is the third leading chronic disability after arthritis and hypertension, and the most frequent birth defect. Non-invasive diagnoses and middle-ear prostheses are often unsatisfactory, partly because of a lack of understanding of middle-ear mechanics. The focus of this thesis is to develop a 3-D finite-element model to quantify the mechanics of the gerbil middle ear. An MRM dataset with a voxel size of 45 µm, and an x-ray micro-CT dataset with a voxel size of 5 um, supplemented by histological images, are the basis for 3-D reconstruction and finite-element mesh generation. The eardrum model is based on moire …  Lire la suite

We show how 3-dimensional, N=2 supersymmetric theories, including super QCD with matter fields, can be put on the lattice with existing techniques, in a way which will recover supersymmetry in the small lattice spacing limit, with O(a) lattice spacing suppressed SUSY breaking effects.  Lire la suite

This study explores the nature of teachers' understandings of theoretical orientation to reading and the relationships between theoretical orientations to reading and instructional practice. The participants were eleven Grade Five classroom teachers, seven female and four male, in one particular school board in Southern Ontario. A series of three in-depth, phenomenological interviews were conducted with each teacher-participant. Utilizing the concept of theoretical orientation to reading, understandings of and relationships between, theoretical orientation to reading and instructional practice were identified and described by the teachers in this study, from an 'emic' (insider) perspective. The themes of teachers' knowledge and beliefs, personal …  Lire la suite

Transposons are mobile genetic elements that have the potential to cause mutations as a result of different aspects of their life cycle. Because most of these mutations are detrimental and due to a selfish life cycle seemingly aiming at increasing their numbers, transposons have been regarded as "junk" DNA that contributes no evolutionary function to the host organism. In this thesis, I argue that although most of the transposon-induced mutations are detrimental, some may lead to benefits for the host and become adaptive. I discuss recent evidence from the literature that points to several mechanisms by which transposons and transposon …  Lire la suite

Estrogens are steroid hormones responsible for the proper function of a variety of mammalian physiological processes. In addition to their central role in reproduction, estrogens also affect the cardiovascular, skeletal, immune and nervous systems and play a role in the initiation and progression of breast cancer. The biological actions of estrogens are mediated by the products of two genes within the nuclear receptor superfamily (NRs), estrogen receptor alpha (ER(alpha) and estrogen receptor beta (ERbeta). Upon interaction with estrogens, ERs recognize specific DNA sequences and modulate the transcription of neighboring target genes via recruitment of coactivators. A diverse group of proteins …  Lire la suite

This study is a critical analysis of Carl Gustav Jung's interpretation of the book of Job. It presents first the methodological approach adopted in Jung's reading of the book of Job and the epistemology at the basis of his enterprise. It then explores the biographical context of Jung's writings on the book of Job followed by the reconstruction of Jung's interpretation of it with reference not only to Antwort auf Hiob ( Answer to Job) published in 1952, but also to other writings. A series of critiques addressed to Jung's reading of the book of Job are analyzed and followed …  Lire la suite

This qualitative, quasi-phenomenological study presents strategies and methods hospital-based mental health social workers utilize to promote social justice and advocate for their clients. Three frontline mental health social workers and one mental health department head were interviewed. The findings of this research demonstrated that the participating social workers utilized a variety of creative and flexible approaches to promote social justice and successfully advocate for their clients. These approaches included: the use of appropriate language, using the system against itself, developing written standards and regulations for their tasks, and forming a network of allies.  Lire la suite

The work of balancing the role of child welfare worker and mother is often a challenging one, particularly during times of high stress. In this study six women with young children employed in children welfare settings were interviewed about their experience of burnout. The interviews explored their understanding and personal experience of combining both motherhood with their employment as child welfare workers. The centrality of supportive supervision in modifying the experience of burnout is addressed. The unpredictability, responsibility and risk women face in front line child welfare produces extreme stress, which often becomes extremely difficult to manage, in particular when …  Lire la suite

This study investigated the possibility of three approaches in determination of soil moisture in the root zone. The aim of the study was to contribute to the development of soil moisture monitoring methods to better help crop best management practices. Two fields were examined, one at the Macdonald Campus of McGill University and the other near St. Jean-sur-Richelieau. Three approaches were used; (1) a hand-held hyper-spectral sensor (350-2500 nm), (2) a Geonics RTM EM-38 conductivity meter and, (3) gravimetric soil moisture sampling. The first experiment (at St. Jean-sur-Richelieu) investigated the possibility of monitoring soil moisture with the EM_38, in the …  Lire la suite

The First World War's 1916 Arab Revolt has become, in the West, a renowned episode in part because of the presence of one dominating character: T.E. Lawrence. However, "Lawrence of Arabia" is only the most prominent of the many Western agents sent to advise the Revolt. The narratives of these advisers have come to dominate the most Westerners popular conception of the Arab uprising. Most scholars have portrayed the British advisers to the Arab Revolt as "pro-Arab." The aim of this thesis is to challenge that portrayal through a careful analysis of the writings (published and unpublished) and actions of …  Lire la suite

Stenting is becoming the major interventional cardiology procedure worldwide. However restenosis remains a major limitation to the effectiveness of stents. Alterations to the local hemodynamics in the stented segment of the artery is a potential factor in the development of in-stent restenosis. The characterization of wall shear stress and of blood flow patterns in a stented artery is therefore necessary for a good understanding of the phenomenon. We have used a time-dependent 3D numerical model of a stented coronary artery to study the characteristics of the blood flow and the shear stress distribution. Our results show that the presence of …  Lire la suite

This thesis describes a new computational method for a comparative genomics approach called phylogenetic footprinting, for predicting transcription factor binding sites in DNA sequences. The traditional approaches have been divided into two main families: alignment-based and motif-based approaches. In this thesis, we present a new approach for phylogenetic footprinting that takes advantage of the strengths of the two approaches, while correcting their weaknesses. Our new method uses alignment information when it is available and reliable as the guide for the identification of conserved regions. We formalize the ideas into a new algorithmic problem, the Alignment-Compatible Substring Parsimony Problem, where we …  Lire la suite

Traditional studies on the image motion of specularities have concentrated on the motion of isolated specular patches on known specular surfaces, where important parameters such as surface curvature are predetermined. Furthermore the considered surfaces are mostly convex and non-undulating. Here, I attempt to expand on some of the previous results, by examining the frequency characteristics of the global motion of specular markings on random, undulating surfaces subject to a lateral camera motion with constant velocity. I first expand the notion of a bowtie in the Fourier domain introduced by Langer and Mann[7] to accommodate the case of a smooth undulating …  Lire la suite

Myelin formation is an evolutionarily late acquisition that contributes to fast conduction in vertebrate axons. Continuous bidirectional signaling is required for the acquisition and maintenance of the mature nerve fiber phenotype. Myelin Basic Protein (MBP) is a representative structural component of compact myelin that is co-ordinately regulated with other myelin protein genes, primarily at the transcriptional level. In an effort to define the regulatory network controlling MBP expression, I located and functionally characterized conserved regulatory sequences in 5' non-coding sequence. First, I identified four widely-spaced segments of preferential conservation in orthologous human-mouse genomic sequences (termed modules 1-4) that range from …  Lire la suite

The effects of feeding soy protein (SP) or SP plus isoflavones (IF) (150 and 400 mg IF/kg diet) on bone metabolism were assessed in female weanling and retired breeder (RB) rats fed low calcium (Ca) for five weeks. Young rats fed SP-based diets had significantly smaller reductions in bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) as a result of the low Ca diet compared to those fed casein-based diets. Added IFs had no further benefits. Soy protein also affected bone metabolism in both the young and RB rats as indicated by markers of bone resorption. Neither the SP …  Lire la suite

Loss of germ cells that entered meiosis at different developmental stages was compared. Mice were injected with BrdU at 13.3, 14.3 or 15.3 days post coitum (dpc) and sacrificed either 3 days after BrdU injection or 4 days post partum (dpp). BrdU-labeled germ cells were detected in ovarian sections through double immunofluorescent staining for BrdU and either GCNA-1 or MVH as a germ cell marker. The results show that the loss of germ cells that entered meiosis at 13.3 or 15.3 dpc was excessive compared to the loss of total germ cells. Such preferential elimination was not found for germ …  Lire la suite