McGill University Thèses et mémoires par auteur commençant par R

Les cartes sensorielles se forment initialement par l'action des signaux de guidage moléculaires qui guident les projections axonales vers les zones appropriées. L'arborisation des axones sont ensuite raffinés par des mécanismes qui dépendent de l'activité, sois l'activité spontanée ou l'activité expérimenté, le premier étant particulièrement important pour le développement des vertébrés supérieurs. On estime que l'activité neuronale régule les processus de l'arborisation axonale et la formation de synapses, qui sont tous deux critiques pour l'établissement de connectivité des circuits précises. Cependant, ce qui demeure incertain est la façon dont des circuits neuronaux peuvent être modifiés compte tenu de la séquence …  Lire la suite

Through an examination of the writings of Naṣr Ḥamid Abu Zayd (b. 1943), this dissertation attempts to study his theory and method of interpretation. Not only are these analyzed within the socio-political and historical contexts that tended to inform the development of his thought, but also in the light of hermeneutics and of modern approaches to the Qur'an. Since his writings have led certain Egyptian Islamists to charge him with the crime of apostasy, the thesis also examines the main reasons for their objections. It argues that the crux of the problem lies not so much in the novelty of …  Lire la suite

This thesis is a study of 'Abd al-Jabbar's theory of i'jaz al-Qur'an (the miraculous inimitability of the Qur'an) as expounded in his magnum opus, al-Mughni fi abwab al-tawhid wa al-'adl, part XVI, and in his other works which are related to the subject. The importance of these works lies in the fact that the author was an erudite scholar and a respected leader of the Basra School of the Mu'tazila, and also because his Mughni/ is considered by many as the Encyclopedia of Mu'tazilite philosophy. As a Mu'tazilite, 'Abd al-Jabbar demonstrates the inimitability of the Qur'an in the light of …  Lire la suite

Interfaces between subsystems in collaborative product development projects are presently defined by interface control documents. These documents are created after agreements are made between designers on how to design subsystem interfaces. The designers must commit to the definitions given by these documents in order to ensure their subsystems remain compatible as the design process continues. An important consequence of using interface control documents during product development processes is that they make the interface control task manual and document based, which can impede design processes.This thesis presents the ingredients of a computer aided methodology for defining and controlling subsystem interfaces. In …  Lire la suite

Carbon nanotube–polymer nanocomposites have been the centre of intense studies for the past few years. With the superior properties of carbon nanotubes and the flexibility of polymers for different applications, extremely high expectations were set for this class of nanocomposites. Modelling studies showed significant potential, but the experimental investigations faced strict challenges to reach the predicted values. One of the main challenges is to obtain the optimum interaction between the nanotubes and the polymer matrix. The interaction influences the dispersion of nanotubes in the polymer and affects the overall properties of the nanocomposite. Therefore, the main objective of this research …  Lire la suite

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 …  Lire la suite

A common problem in medical research is the estimation of the prevalence of a disease in a given population. This is usually accomplished by applying a diagnostic test to a sample of subjects from the target population. In this thesis, we investigate the sample size requirements for the accurate estimation of disease prevalence for such experiments. When a gold standard diagnostic test is available, estimating the prevalence of a disease can be viewed as a problem in estimating a binomial proportion. In this case, we discuss some anomalies in the classical sample size criteria for binomial parameter estimation. These are …  Lire la suite

Likelihoods are widely used in the estimation of parameters, but the computation of their maximum can be quite complicated, and sometimes impossible in the presence of nuisance parameters. In such cases we seek a modified likelihood that will allow us to make inference on the parameters of interest with as little loss of information as possible. In the present work we will investigate some of these modified likelihoods, namely marginal likelihoods, conditional likelihoods, profile likelihoods, partial likelihoods, empirical likelihoods, and functions that exhibit properties similar to the ones of the likelihoods, more precisely the quasi-likelihoods. We will point out some …  Lire la suite

L'inflammation est une composante importante de la réponse immunitaire dans le cerveau de la maladie d'Alzheimer (MA) et il a été démontré qu'elle suit un schéma de propagation similaire à l'accumulation des enchevêtrements de tau. Cependant, le lien entre l'hyperphosphorylation de la protéine tau avant l'enchevêtrement et la neuroinflammation reste à élucider. Nous avons étudié les associations entre la tau phosphorylée dans le plasma et les concentrations de TEP indexées sur l'inflammation cérébrale. Nous avons inclus 137 individus de la cohorte TRIAD dont les quantifications de pTau181, pTau217 et pTau231 plasmatiques étaient disponibles. L'inflammation cérébrale, l'enchevêtrement de tau et le …  Lire la suite

Les esters du Chloropropanol (CP) font partie d'un groupe de contaminants induits thermiquement bien connus dérivé de glycérols mono- et di-chlorinés. Actuellement, il existe quatre mécanismes de formation proposés par la chloration des triacyglycérols, tous impliquant une attaque nucléophile de type SN2 par les ions de chlorure, différents les uns des autres soit en fonction de la nature du substrat ou du groupe partant. Deux des mécanismes proposés se font par l'entremise d'une attaque nucléophile directe de l'ion chlorure envers les atomes de carbones du glycérol contenant soit un groupe ester ou un groupement hydroxyle protoné. Les deux voies alternatives …  Lire la suite

It has long been appreciated that Ekman transport and pumping velocities are modified through interactions with underlying geostrophic currents. Nonlinearity involving interaction of the Ek- man flow with itself is, however, typically neglected. This occurs when the Rossby number based on the Ekman velocity and horizontal length scale approaches order one values. Such values are common, for example, in the ice-ocean stress field across sharp gradients such as leads in the sea ice cover. Recent work has shown strong asymmetry in the pumping velocities, with cyclonic forc- ing producing diffuse upwelling and anticyclonic forcing producing sharp downwelling fronts. To better …  Lire la suite

This thesis presents a comparative study of two modern Muslim biographers of the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad Husayn Haykal and Sayyid Ja$ rm sp{c}$far Murtada, the one a Sunni the other a Shispc$ = i. In dealing with their works on the { it s = i ra}, the intention is to focus on some aspects of the life of the Prophet of Islam from the time when he resided in Makka. After outlining the authors' scholarly backgrounds, sources, methods, and purposes, etc., the thesis deals with certain specific issues concerning the Prophet's birth, his nursing and the reason behind …  Lire la suite

This study presents a comparative analytical investigation of two divergent yet parallel doctrines of self-realization. John Dewey, a distinguished American thinker, represents a naturalist pragmatist conception of self-realization on the one hand, and 'Allama Tabataba'i, a renowned Muslim philosopher, an Islamic perception on the other. While Dewey is considered a spokesperson for modern American pragmatist and humanist thought, 'Allama may be seen as typical of Islamic Shi'i thinking. In dealing with their conceptualizations of self-realization, the intention in this study is to focus on some significant aspects of the human self, to rediscover its potentiality and to determine the wisdom …  Lire la suite

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative, age related disease of diarthrodial joints. In OA, there is increased cleavage of type II collagen by collagenases in articular cartilage. This excessive cleavage can be caused by the altered feedback regulation of gene expression in chondrocytes by collagen type II or its degradation products which may serve as regulators of collagenase synthesis and activity through a cell surface receptor-mediated mechanism. The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression and production of collagen receptors, DDR-1 and DDR-2 in human adult normal and OA articular chondrocytes and to determine whether this correlates with …  Lire la suite

While adaptation research has significantly extended our understanding of how users adapt in reacting to new technology, scant attention has been given to the phenomenon of second-wave innovation that follows implementation of a new information technology (IT). In contrast to top-down, first-wave innovations (e.g., IT implementation), second-wave innovations are emergent, unplanned, user-led, distributed to several users, and locally defined. They are proactive user behaviors that voluntarily step out of defined job requirements, go beyond the routine use of IT, and create new applications for IT in the work. Our research focuses on understanding this phenomenon by, first, conceptualizing a concept …  Lire la suite

Nous considérons le rôle des parties pariétales dans la prise des décisions. Tout d'abord, on pose la question si les activités neurales dans le cortex pariétal primaire et ses régions associés avec la planification du moteur comme la région pariétale atteinte (RPA) et la région 5, puisse donner une image sur les préférences subjectives. A cette fin, nous enregistrons des neurones à partir du PRR tandis que le sujet a été engagé dans une tache comportementale dirigé comme but. Une valeur récompensée a été manipulé par la variation simultanée du type et de la grandeur de la récompense conduisant à …  Lire la suite

This thesis presents a method based on velocity singularities applied to the analysis of steady flows over symmetrical thickness airfoils. The method of velocity singularities has been originally developed by Mateescu for the analysis of steady flows past thin airfoils and makes use of special singularities associated to the leading edge and ridges of the airfoil to represent the complex perturbation velocity. The application of the linear method to symmetrical thickness airfoils presents inaccuracies near the leading and trailing edges of the airfoils (namely, the magnitude of the perturbation velocity in the vicinity of these points is infinite). The aim …  Lire la suite

At Domfer Metal Powders, the ball milling operation is critical since it determines many characteristics of the final product, such as density, green strength, compressibility and dimensional change. Highly variable input material properties and operational procedures accompanied by poor product feedback frequency generate large variations in powder properties. The goal of the research is to develop a model-based control system for the ball milling process of metal powder. The following research objectives are aimed at reducing process variations while maximizing throughput: include ball mill physics into design and computer models, develop control strategies and computer architectures for real-time control, and …  Lire la suite

pratiques communes: sur l’utilisation des pâturages publics en Kirghizistan montagnard - Le paysage montagneux du Kirghizistan représente un exemple fascinant des relations de propriété commune de terres agricoles: 49% du territoire national est officiellement désigné comme pâturage et est restés dans la propriété inaliénable de l’État depuis la dissolution de l’URSS. En même temps, l’élevage transhumant continue d’être un élément central des moyens de subsistance dans cette république postsocialiste. En 2009, le gouvernement du Kirghizistan a adopté une réforme qui donne aux municipalités le droit de gérer elles-mêmes leurs herbages: l’auto-organisation communautaire est devenue officiellement prescrite par la loi. Depuis …  Lire la suite

Enforced disappearance is a multiple and complex human rights violation and a serious international crime. This phenomenon has pervasive implications on individuals and society as a whole, leaving behind a legacy of violence, fear, impunity and overall distrust in the institution of law. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the human tragedy of enforced disappearance from a range of perspectives in order to address the variety of complications arising from this phenomenon. One such challenge is the provision of redress to victims, a problematic task for international human rights courts. This study will offer a comparative analysis of …  Lire la suite

The mechanisms by which manures seal soils indicate the need for an interface of fine porosity between the waste's liquid and the porous medium. The objective of this study was to determine if fine porosity geotextiles offer such a possibility as an interface media. Non-woven geotextiles of 20, 30 and 40 micrometers equivalent pore sizes were subjected to heads of 0.9, 1.8 and 2.7 m of 5% total solids (TS) swine slurry for 1800 hours. Infiltration rates decreased from 5 X 10^-5 m/s to less than 1 X 10^-7 m/s and 2 X 10^-8 m/s within 150 and 1000 hours, …  Lire la suite

This research project attends to the social and political relations surrounding casual restaurant servers' production of "good service." Service standards have become so normalized as to be largely invisible in day-to-day life, yet their performance reproduces and reinforces sexualized gender roles and social differences. Restaurant service is consumed as part of the "experience economy," such that the interactions with service workers become a constituent part of the service commodity, making servers' intersubjective work directly productive for capital in a way that requires novel disciplinary and compensatory regimes, effectively entrepreneurializing service workers to motivate the good service that restaurants promise their …  Lire la suite

This study identifies several points of convergence between specialty cafe chain labourers and the organizations that employ them. Cafe chains are premised upon their consistent reproduction of experience in numerous locations, so organizations must put multiple systems of control into place to ensure their homogeneity across the chain. Foremost among these are Fordism and Taylorism, two systems that emphasize rational and efficient routines made up of highly segmented and de-skilled tasks, so that each step in the productive process is done the "one best way." Because employees' friendly service is part of the experience that cafes attempt to reproduce across …  Lire la suite

The potato chip industry is expanding rapidly and is providing an ever increasing outlet for good quality potatoes. It has reached a level of importance at the present time which makes any problems it may have, the problem of the potato industry in general. In Canada potatoes constitute an important part of the agricultural economy and the substantial quantities used for chipping are helping to maintain favourable market conditions. Approximately 300 thousand acres are used for producing a crop averaging slightly less than 60 million bushels.  Lire la suite

La demande croissante de services de communication sans fil exerce une pression sur la bande passante de communication allouée dans une ressource de spectre électromagnétique fixe. Au lieu de transmettre des signaux orthogonalement dans les deux domaines temporel et fréquentiel, les systèmes de transmission de données non orthogonaux ont été proposés comme un moyen d'augmenter les débits de données à la charge de signal d'interférence introduite. Récemment, la Signalisation « Faster-Than-Nyquist » (FTN) et le Multiplexage par division de fréquence efficace (SEFDM) ont été les deux domaines de recherche principaux en communication non orthogonale lorsque les contraintes d'orthogonalité du temps …  Lire la suite

Plusieurs études suggèrent que les cellules T CD8+ pourraient contribuer à la pathogenèse de plusieurs maladies auto-immunes du système nerveux. Notre groupe étudie un modèle murin (souris L31) qui développe spontanément des symptômes neurologiques associés à des lésions de démyélinisation dans le SNC. Cette maladie requiert la présence de lymphocytes T et ce sont la sous-population de lymphocytes T CD8+ qui agissent comme cellules effectrices dans le processus pathologique. Parce que les souris L31 présentent des troubles moteurs tels que le serrement des pattes arrières quand les souris sont soulevées et des difficultés à marcher, nous avons voulu déterminer si …  Lire la suite

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 …  Lire la suite

Les réactions immunitaires qui se produisent à la suite d'une transfusion de sang demeurent un problème dans le domaine médical d’aujourd’hui. De nombreuses alternatives ont été proposées, telles que l'hémoglobine artificielle, les enzymes pour cliver les antigènes à la surface des cellules sanguines ainsi que des recherches sur le développement du sang universel. Cependant, une technique particulière a démontré des résultats positifs et a suscité l’intérêt dans le domaine biomédical. Parfois qualifiée d’immunocamouflage, ou érythrocytes furtives, cette technique implique le masquage des antigènes situés à la surface des globules rouges en y ajoutant des couches de polymères naturels, sans toutefois …  Lire la suite

The present thesis reports psychophysical and modeling studies on the spatial properties of visual mechanisms mediating the perception of mirror symmetry in human vision. In a first set of experiments, patterns were filtered for power spectra that decayed with spatial frequency according to variable slopes. Results revealed that symmetry detection is optimal if contrast energy is roughly equated across log-frequency bands (i.e. 1/f2) and that, under such conditions, spatial scales contribute equally and independently to symmetry perception. In a second study, random-noise patterns were filtered for various orientation bands. Results showed that symmetry perception is possible at all orientations, is …  Lire la suite

Cette étude eut pour but d'évaluer les effets d'un programme de formation systématique à la relation d'aide en nursing. En adaptant le programme "Interpersonal Process Recall" de Norman Kagan dans un format condense et unique, l'auteur a tenté d'amener les étudiantes-infirmières à utiliser davantage des interventions de type exploratoire au niveau affectif c'est-à-dire à employer plus fréquemment des questions ouvertes, à diminuer l'utilisation de questions fermés, à faire davantage des reformulations des énoncés des clients et a refléter plus fréquemment les feelings exprimés ou sous-jacents des énoncés des clients. La revue de littérature parte sur l'importance de la communication en …  Lire la suite

This thesis studies the response of the traditionalist Muslim groups of Minangkabau, Indonesia, to the modernist movement of the early decades of this century. In their effort to lay the foundations of a rational and progressive Muslim society and rediscovery the true ethics of Islam, the modernists had called for fresh ijtihad. The traditionalists rejected the possibility, or necessity, of new ijtihad and insisted that Islam had been perfectly articulated in the authoritative works of the scholars, especially those of the four schools of law, and that every Muslim must simply adhere to them. The traditionalists argued that the methods …  Lire la suite

Since the 1980s, Canada, like many other OECD countries, has experienced a significant increase in income inequality. Persistent growth in disparities between the wealthy few and the rest has led to concerns over growing resentment and populist discontent. In this fraught era, understanding the drivers of growing inequality is more critical than ever. One such proposed driver, gaining increasing traction in the literature, has been innovation. Long touted as the key to economic growth, recent scholarly discussion has turned a critical eye to innovation-driven growth, highlighting the ways in which technological changes can displace or devalue certain workers whilst rewarding …  Lire la suite

Reconnaître les jeunes comme « des connaisseurs et des acteurs » (Oakley, 1994, p. 23) exige de les inclure dans le dialogue sur les politiques et dans la recherche de solutions aux problèmes sociaux qui les touchent. Au cours des dernières décennies, les méthodologies visuelles participatives ont été reconnues pour leur valeur dans la participation des jeunes participants au processus de recherche, y compris l’analyse des données visuelles, l’autonomisation des participants, le traitement des questions sensibles et stigmatisées, la démocratisation du processus de recherche, y compris les participants au dialogue sur les politiques, et la résolution des problèmes sociaux.À ce …  Lire la suite

Un contrôleur robuste est souvent conçu afin de maintenir la stabilité et la performance robuste d'un système linéaire invariant dans le temps. Durant l'implantation d'un tel contrôleur, deux problèmes se présentent. Premièrement, il est intéressant de savoir s'il est possible de simplifier le contrôleur robuste et si oui, jusqu'à quel point avant de l'implanter, tout en garantissant la performance robuste. Le deuxième problème se pose dans les applications à temps réel où le contrôleur devrait être refait ou ajusté plusieurs fois après la mise en service initiale. Il est important de savoir, concernant les deux problèmes ci-dessus, jusqu'à quel point …  Lire la suite

People from India are the second fastest growing ethno-cultural group in Canada. There are more than fifteen thousand people of Indian origin in Montreal alone. I use “diaspora” as a heuristic tool to understand the social formation and cultural patterns of these international migrants. In this research I have focused on the role of the Indian diasporic community in Montreal, specifically on the educational experiences and identity negotiation processes of youth. I have situated this inquiry within the macro terrain of globalisation and transnationalism, while the micro facets focus on social education as manifested in the contemporary society, marked by …  Lire la suite

Call centres are high on the list of service industry jobs that have been outsourced and relocated to India. Conditions of employment in such call centres are unique. Though call centre employees live and work in India, they are required to organise their lives in terms of American or European time, celebrations and communication styles to put their customers “at ease”. Moreover, these call centres advertise a Western lifestyle combined with a handsome salary to the young adults, luring them to join the industry. Once on the job, the employees are trained to work in an environment where they not …  Lire la suite

Resin transfer molding (RTM) has great potential to become an efficient and economical process for fabricating large and complicated automotive composite structures. Low capital investment, excellent mechanical properties, closed mold processing, low pressure equipment, short cycle times and process versatility in component integration and assembly, make RTM very attractive for high volume automotive applications. However, a high class surface finish, required for exterior car body panels, is difficult to achieve with RTM. There are several material and process parameters that severely affect the surface quality of RTM molded components. One of the major contributing factors is the shrinkage related to …  Lire la suite

The functional assembly of the nervous system requires the organization of billions of neurons growing axons to connect to one another in remarkably precise patterns. These connections are formed by the orchestration of many developmental processes, from neurogenesis, to neurite outgrowth, axon guidance, target selection and synaptogenesis. Each of these individual processes are mediated by thousands of molecules expressed in precise locations and developmental time points, accuracy of which is crucial for proper nervous system functionality. One family of molecules involved in these processes are the leucine-rich repeat (LRR) containing proteins. The LRR domains are known to mediate homophilic or …  Lire la suite

RNA polymerase (RNAP) in Escherichia coli has been observed to form liquid clusters, known as RNAP condensates, particularly in fast-growing conditions. These condensates exhibit high dynamism, rapidly forming and dissolving in response to environmental cues. The intriguing question arises: could the presence of RNAP condensates in cells be linked to bacterial growth and/or their ability to acclimate to new environmental conditions? In this thesis, I aim to answer this question experimentally. In fast-growing conditions, when RNAP condensates form, ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs) are the most highly expressed genes. rRNA serves as a precursor to ribosomes which are responsible for protein synthesis. …  Lire la suite

Studies were designed to investigate the biochemical mechanism and hormonal regulation of dilatation of the uterine cervix at parturition. The suitability of the guinea pig animal model was established by demonstrating collagenolysis in the uterine cervix similar to the changes reported in women by light and electron microscopy. By 50 days gestation, there was a 50% decrease in collagen content in the cervix. At parturition (68 $ pm$ 2 days) there was a 6-fold increase in procollagenase, a 26-fold increase in the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP) and a 2-fold increase in net collagenase activity in cervical extracts. Cervices in …  Lire la suite

In the first part of this thesis, we present a new development platform especially tailored to Bioinformatics research and software development called Bias (Bioinformatics Integrated Application Software) designed to provide the tools necessary for carrying out integrative Bioinformatics research. Bias follows an object-relational strategy for providing persistent objects, allows third-party tools to be easily incorporated within the system, and it supports standards and data-exchange protocols common to Bioinformatics. The second part of this thesis is on the design and implementation of modules and libraries within Bias related to transcription factors. We present a module in Bias that focuses on discovering …  Lire la suite

Two series of tests were performed in summer 1993 and repeated in summer 1994 to investigate effects of potassium, calcium and water table depth on mechanical properties of tomato fruit. In the first group of tests five mechanical properties stress, strain, ER (ratio of stress to strain at break), energy and toughness were calculated from the force-deformation curve obtained by compression of pericarp disks taken from tomato fruits (cv New Yorker) at the breaker stage. In the second group of tests force, deformation and energy were obtained from puncture tests on whole tomato fruit. The textural parameters were used to …  Lire la suite

Reconstruction of 3D surface models has been a fundamental problem in computer vision and there has been a lot of work done in this area. In this thesis, we introduce a novel approach to 3D surface reconstruction by "shrink wrapping" asurface around 3D point clouds using weighted geometric flows. Specically, we consider the problem of scanning and modelling small objects using easily available RGBD sensors such as the Kinect. These sensors allow for theacquisition of view-based registered depth and color data. We register the point clouds by recovering the rigid transformation between successive pairs in a sequence of views, and …  Lire la suite

Les statistiques démontrent qu'en moyenne, les gens jouent de 8 à 10 heures par semaine à des jeux vidéos sur différentes plateformes (mobile, ordinateur). La recherche en calcul humain exploite déjà ce potentiel. Des jeux comme Phylo et FoldIt ont réussi à combiner la réalisation d'un objectif scientifique avec une activité plaisante pour le joueur. Dans ce mémoire, nous présentons un casse-tête stratégique sous la forme d'un jeu à deux joueurs dans le but de résoudre un problème d'isomorphisme de graphes. L'isomorphisme de graphes est un problème bien connu en informatique à cause de sa complexité incertaine. Nous introduisons Isorcise, …  Lire la suite

La migration cellulaire est essentielle dans plusieurs processus biologiques et elle implique un recrutement réglementé de nombreuses protéines aux structures macromoléculaires appelées adhésions focales. Paxillin, une protéine localisée aux adhésions focales, est phosphorylée à la serine 273 (S273) par PAK1 (p21-activated kinase), ce qui cause le recrutement d’un complexe des protéines composées de GIT1, Beta-PIX et PAK1 pour promouvoir la migration cellulaire et le cycle de formation et démontage des adhésions focales. L’application de la microscopie corrélative sur des cellules CHO-K1 qui ont été traité avec IPA-3, un inhibiteur du PAK1, ou l’acide d’okadaÏque, un inhibiteur de la protéine phosphatase …  Lire la suite

The recent emergence and rapid geographic expansion of Zika virus (ZIKV) poses a significant challenge for public health. Although historically causing only a mild febrile illness, recent ZIKV outbreaks have been associated with more severe neurological complications such as Guillain-Barré syndrome and fetal microcephaly. In this investigation, we demonstrate that the contemporary American ZIKV isolates replicate to higher titers at early time points post-infection and are less cytopathic than the historical African ZIKV strain in a human astrocytoma cell line. Interestingly, we found that that contemporary epidemic isolates differentially induce type I and type III IFN-mediated signaling. Specifically, the contemporary …  Lire la suite

In this thesis the behavior of fully grouted, untensioned cable bolts and their application to the stabilization of underground openings are investigated. The study program undertaken involves field, laboratory and numerical studies which aim to improve understanding of the role of passive cable bolting in rock mass support. The higher residual load carrying capacity of the cable and the grout-aggregate mix is compared with that of the conventional grout (cement + water). Based on the variational approach, an analytical model has been developed to calculate the distribution of shear bond stress along the embedded length of a cable bolt. A …  Lire la suite