Development of dendritic cells in the intestine

The intestinal tract is exposed to a large variety of antigens such as food proteins, commensal bacteria and pathogens and contains one of the largest arms of the immune system. The intestinal immune system has to discriminate between harmless and harmful antigens, inducing tolerance to harmless antigens and active immunity towards pathogens and other harmful materials. Dendritic cells (DC) in the mucosal lamina propria (LP) are central to this process, as they sample bacteria from the local environment and constitutively migrate to the draining mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN), where they present antigen to na��ve T cells in order to direct an appropriate immune response. Despite their crucial role, understanding the function and phenotype of LP DC has been hampered by the fact that they share phenotypic markers with macrophages (m��), which are the dominant population of mononuclear phagocyte (MP) in the LP. Recent work in our own and other laboratories has established gating strategies and phenotyping panels that allow precise discrimination between intestinal DC and m�� using the m�� specific markers CD64 and F4/80. In this way four bona fide DC subsets with distinct functions have been identified in adult LP based on their expression of CD11b and CD103 and a major aim of my project was to understand how these subsets might develop in the neonatal intestine. At the beginning of my PhD, the laboratory had used these new methods to show that signal regulatory protein �� (SIRP��), an inhibitory receptor expressed by myeloid cells, was expressed by m�� and most DC in the intestine, except for those expressing CD103 alone. In addition, mice carrying a non-signalling mutation in SIRP�� (SIRP�� mt) had a selective reduction in CD103+CD11b+ DC, a subset which is unique to the intestinal LP. This was the basis for the initial experiments of my project, described in Chapter 3, where I investigated if the phenotype in SIRP�� mt mice was intrinsic to haematopoietic cells or not. To explore this, I generated bone marrow (BM) chimeric mice by reconstituting irradiated WT mice with SIRP�� mt BM, or SIRP�� mt animals with WT BM. These experiments suggested that the defect in CD103+CD11b+ DC was not replicated in DC derived from BM of SIRP�� origin. However as this seemed inconsistent with other data, I considered the possibility that 18 the phenotype may have been lost with age, as the BM chimeric mice were considerably older than those used in the original studies of SIRP�� function. However a comparison of DC subsets in the intestine of WT and SIRP�� mt mice as they aged provided no conclusive evidence to support this idea. As these experiments did show age-dependent effects on DC subsets, in Chapter 4, I went on to investigate how the DC populations appeared in the intestine and other tissues in the neonatal period. These experiments showed there were few CD103+CD11b+ DC present in the LP and migratory DC compartment of the MLN in the neonate and that as this population gradually increased in proportion with age, there was a reciprocal decrease in the relative proportion of CD103-CD11b+ DC. Interestingly, most of the changes in DC numbers in the intestine were found during the second or third week of life when the weaning process began. To validate my findings that there were few CD103+CD11b+ DC in the neonate and that this was not merely an absence of CD103 upregulation, I examined the expression of CD101 and Trem-1, markers that other work in the laboratory had suggested were specific to the CD103+CD11b+ DC lineage. My work showed that CD101 and Trem-1 were co- expressed by most CD103+CD11b+ DC in small intestine (SI) LP, as well as a small subset of CD103-CD11b+ DC in this tissue. Interestingly, Trem-1 was highly specific to the SI LP and migratory DC in the MLN, but absent from the colon and other tissues. CD101 expression was also only found on CD11b+ DC, but showed a less restricted pattern of distribution, being found in several tissues as well as the SI LP. The relative timing of their development suggested there might be a relationship between CD103+CD11b+ and CD103-CD11b+ DC and this was supported by microarray analysis. I hypothesised that the CD103-CD11b+ DC that co-expressed CD101 and Trem-1 may be the cells that developed into CD103+CD11b+ DC. To investigate this I analysed how CD101 and Trem-1 expression changed with age amongst the DC subsets in SI LP, colonic LP (CLP) and MLN. The proportion of CD101+Trem-1+ cells increased amongst CD103+CD11b+ DC in the SI LP and MLN with age, while amongst CD103+CD11b+ DC in the CLP this decreased. This was not the same in CD103-CD11b+ DC, where CD101 and Trem-1 expression was more varied with age in all tissues. CD101 and Trem-1 were not expressed to any great extent on CD103+CD11b- or CD103-CD11b- DC. The phenotypic development of the 19 intestinal DC subsets was paralleled by the gradual upregulation of CD103 expression, while the production of retinoic acid (RA), as assessed by the AldefluorTM assay, was low early in life and did not attain adult levels until after weaning. Thus DC in the neonatal intestine take some time to acquire the adult pattern of phenotypic subsets and are functionally immature compared with their adult counterparts. In Chapter 5, I used CD101 and Trem-1 to explore the ontogeny of intestinal DC subsets in CCR2-/- and SIRP�� mt mice, both of which have selective defects in one particular group of DC. The selective defect seen amongst CD103+CD11b+ DC in adult SIRP�� mt mice was more profound in mice at D7 and D14 of age, indicating that it may be intrinsic to this population and not highly dependent on environmental factors that change after birth. The expression of CD101 and Trem-1 by both CD103+CD11b+ and CD103-CD11b+ DC was reduced in SIRP�� mt mice, again indicating that this entire lineage was affected by the lack of SIRP�� signalling. However there was also a generalised defect in the numbers of all DC subsets in many tissues from early in life, suggesting there was compromised development, recruitment or survival of DC in the absence of SIRP�� signalling. In contrast to the findings in SIRP�� mt mice, more CD103+CD11b+ DC co-expressed CD101 and Trem-1 in CCR2-/- mice, while there were no differences in the expression of these molecules amongst CD103-CD11b+ DC. This may suggest that CCR2+ CD103-CD11b+ DC are not the cells that express CD101 and Trem-1 that are predicted to be the direct precursors of CD103+CD11b+ DC. I also examined the expression of DC growth factor receptors on DC subsets from mice of different ages, but no clear age or subset- related patterns of the expression of mRNA for Csf2ra, Irf4, Tgfbr1 and Rara could be observed. Next, I investigated whether Trem-1 played any role in DC development. Preliminary experiments in Trem-1-/- mice show no differences between any of the DC subsets, nor were there any selective effects on individual subsets when DC development from Trem-1-/- KO and WT BM was compared in competitive chimeras. However these experiments were difficult to interpret due to viability problems and because I found an unexpected defect in the ability of Trem-1-/- BM to generate all DC, irrespective of whether they expressed Trem-1 or not. 20 The final experiments I carried out were to examine the role of the microbiota in driving the differentiation of intestinal DC subsets, based on the hypothesis that this could be one of the environmental factors that might influence events in the developing intestine. To this end I performed experiments in both antibiotic treated and germ free adult mice, both of which showed no significant phenotypic differences amongst any of the DC subsets. However the study of germ free mice was compromised by recent contamination of the colony and may not be the conclusive answer. Together the data in this thesis have shown that the population of CD103+CD11b+ DC, which is unique to the intestine, is not present at birth. These cells gradually increase in frequency over time and as this occurs there is a reciprocal decrease in the frequency of CD103-CD11b+ DC. Along with other results, this leads to the idea that there may be a linear developmental pathway from CD103-CD11b+ DC to CD103+CD11b+ DC that is driven by non-microbial factors that are located preferentially in the small intestine. My project indicates that markers such as CD101 and Trem-1 may assist the dissection of this process and highlights the importance of the neonatal period for these events.

Rapport sur le fonctionnement de l'Institut Oc��anographique de l'Indochine pendant l'ann��es 1938-1947

The present note deals with the functions and activities done by the Institute of oceanography of Indochina during 1938-1947.

RestrictionDigest: A powerful Perl module for simulating genomic restriction digests

Background: Reduced-representation sequencing technology iswidely used in genotyping for its economical and efficient features. A popular way to construct the reduced-representation sequencing libraries is to digest the genomic DNA with restriction enzymes. A key factor of this method is to determine the restriction enzyme(s). But there are few computer programs which can evaluate the usability of restriction enzymes in reduced-representation sequencing. SimRAD is an R package which can simulate the digestion of DNA sequence by restriction enzymes and return enzyme loci number as well as fragment number. But for linkage mapping analysis, enzyme loci distribution is also an important factor to evaluate the enzyme. For phylogenetic studies, comparison of the enzyme performance across multiple genomes is important. It is strongly needed to develop a simulation tool to implement these functions. Results: Here, we introduce a Perl module named RestrictionDigest with more functions and improved performance. It can analyze multiple genomes at one run and generate concise comparison of enzyme performance across the genomes. It can simulate single-enzyme digestion, double-enzyme digestion and size selection process and generate comprehensive information of the simulation including enzyme loci number, fragment number, sequences of the fragments, positions of restriction sites on the genome, the coverage of digested fragments on different genome regions and detailed fragment length distribution. Conclusions: RestrictionDigest is an easy-to-use Perl module with flexible parameter settings.With the help of the information produced by the module, researchers can easily determine the most appropriate enzymes to construct the reduced-representation libraries to meet their experimental requirements.

Marketing de relacionamento em um provedor de internet: um estudo comparativo que considera a vis��o gerencial e a percep����o dos clientes

The current paper aims at analyzing customer retention in Internet provider services. For this study, we sought to understand what are the client's expectations regarding the services available and compare them with management perception in relation to the use of those services. Identifying the coherence level between the two points of view, management and client, it is possible to pinpoint how service is assessed in real conditions. Then, from this point on, a new vision can be implemented on available services, and new customer service strategies aiming at best serving to their expectation and need, can be rethought. The exploratory research was utilized. It was based on case study, and quantitative and qualitative methods were used. The quantitative method was done by applying the cluster technique with six variables of control derived from the six main services, whose definition was done through qualitative survey of the internal management team. Then, an structured interview with 443 clients, from a probabilistic sample of 800 costumers. The total number of active clients of the internet provider is of 10.677. Client perception in relation to services varied, if compared with the four services that were under the managerial metric method, this comparison showed a more positive evaluation than the real use of the service. Thus, it was observed that the value of each service available for the client depends on his/her perception of it, regardless of using or not the offered service. As a result, it is possible to understand which services offered by the company under study effectively contribute to a good client-company relationship, and the upkeep of those clients

Caract��risation des interactions ��tablies par la r��gion riche en prolines de la ligase de l���ubiquitine Itch

Itch est un membre de la famille des ligases de l���ubiquitine de type CWH (C2-WW- HECT) impliqu�� dans le contr��le de la signalisation inflammatoire, des facteurs de transcription et le tri des r��cepteurs membranaires. La fonction d���Itch implique g��n��ralement sa capacit�� �� induire la d��gradation de ses substrats. Pour accomplir cette fonction, Itch doit d���abord interagir avec ses cibles. Itch poss��de quatre domaines WW lui permettant d���accomplir la majorit�� de ses fonctions. En plus de ces domaines, Itch poss��de une PRR (r��gion riche en prolines) unique parmi les ligases CWH. Cette r��gion est bien conserv��e chez les vert��br��s, ce qui sugg��re son importance. Cette r��gion permet �� Itch d���interagir avec des prot��ines contenant un domaine SH3 (Src homology 3). Plusieurs partenaires SH3 furent identifi��s, cependant l���on connait peu de choses concernant la fonction et l�����tablissement de ces complexes. Dans ce projet, nous avons analys�� les propri��t��s de liaison d���un sous-groupe de prot��ines �� domaine SH3 impliqu��es dans l���endocytose et la signalisation cellulaire. Nos travaux ont permis d���identifier de nouveaux partenaires et aussi de d��terminer que diff��rents domaines SH3 ciblent la m��me r��gion riche en prolines, mais impliquent des r��sidus distincts. Ces r��sultats d��montrent la vari��t�� des propri��t��s de liaison d��montr��es par la PRR d���Itch et sa pr��f��rence marqu��e pour l���Endophiline. Parmi les partenaires identifi��s, Grb2 (Growth factor receptor-bound protein 2) est particuli��rement int��ressant en raison de son r��le crucial dans la signalisation cellulaire. Nous avons d��montr�� ici qu���Itch ubiquityle Grb2, mais ne cause pas sa d��gradation, contrairement �� l���Endophiline. Nos travaux d��montrent que la PRR d���Itch est versatile quant �� ses interactions et leurs cons��quences.

Efecto del ejercicio de tiro y arrastre sobre el eje renina-angiotensina-aldosterona y cociente testosterona/cortisol en caballos euhidratados y deshidratados

Introducci��n. El estado h��drico previo al inicio de un ejercicio (hiperhidrataci��n-deshidrataci��n o hipohidrataci��n y euhidrataci��n) modifica la respuesta neurohumoral. En personas, la deshidrataci��n origina una liberaci��n incrementada de las hormonas implicadas en el mantenimiento de la volemia y del estado hidroelectrol��tico, tales como la renina (REN), angiotensina (ANG) y aldosterona (ALD). La testosterona (T) es una hormona anab��lica, mientras que el cortisol (C) es una hormona de estr��s, con funciones catab��licas. El cociente T/C es un reflejo de la intensidad anab��lica/catab��lica de un ejercicio y en atletas humanos, se ve afectada por el estado h��drico. Objetivos. 1) Describir las variaciones en las concentraciones de REN, ANG, ALD, T, C y ratio T/C en caballos durante un ejercicio de tiro y arrastre, en relaci��n con otros marcadores de equilibrio hidroelectrol��tico y en funci��n de la carga arrastrada; 2) Analizar si la respuesta de estas hormonas al ejercicio difiere entre animales con deshidrataci��n hipert��nica y euhidratados; Hip��tesis: 1) Que las concentraciones de REN, ANG, ALD, T, C ser��n m��s elevadas en los caballos deshidratados que en los euhidratados; 2) Que el ejercicio de tiro y arrastre, particularmente en los animales de mayor peso corporal, inducir�� una mayor activaci��n del eje REN, ANG, ALD y una liberaci��n superior de T; 3) Que los animales deshidratados experimentar��n un incremento m��s intenso de estas hormonas en respuesta al ejercicio. Material y m��todos. Se han llevado a cabo dos estudios simult��neos. En el estudio I, se han analizado los siguientes par��metros: valor hemat��crito (HTO), alb��mina (ALB), sodio (Na), potasio (K), cloro (Cl), lactato (LA) y concentraciones s��ricas de REN, ANG y ALD y en el estudio II, se han determinado las concentraciones de ALB, T, C y ratio T/C. En el estudio I, se han incluido 64 caballos machos, enteros y castrados, divididos en dos grupos seg��n su estado h��drico: grupo control o euhidratado (CTR, n=11) y grupo deshidratado (DH; n=53), con deshidrataci��n hipert��nica inducida por restricci��n de agua y comida. Adem��s, seg��n su peso corporal, los animales se han dividido en 3 categor��as de peso: I (<350 kg; n=3 para grupo CTR; n=23 para DH), II (351-450 kg; n=3 para CTR; n=18 para DH) y III (>451 kg; n=5 para CTR; n=12 para DH). En el estudio II, se han incluido los mismos animales, con excepci��n de la categor��a de peso III para el grupo CTR, que solo est�� constituida por 3 animales, en lugar de 5, al descartar a los machos castrados, debido a la medici��n de T. Todos los animales, realizaron un ejercicio consistente en recorrer una pista de arena de playa de 60 m de longitud, tirando de un carruaje, con 2, 2,25 y 2,5 veces su peso corporal para las tres categor��as de peso. La pista de arena se dividi�� en cuatro ��reas de 15 m, en cada una de las cuales, el animal hizo una parada obligatoria, de duraci��n decidida por el acompa��ante, y que se incluy�� como tiempo de carrera. Los animales eran eliminados si se superan los 5 min de duraci��n. En los dos estudios, se tomaron muestras de sangre en los siguientes tiempos: en reposo, antes del ejercicio (R), dentro del primer minuto tras finalizar el ejercicio (E) y a los 5, 10, 15 y 30 minutos de una recuperaci��n pasiva (5REC, 10REC, 15REC y 30REC). Resultados. Estudio I. La diferencia de peso de los caballos tuvo una influencia m��nima en los valores basales y en la respuesta al ejercicio. En reposo, los caballos DH tuvieron valores superiores de HTO, ALB, LA, Na, K y ANG en comparaci��n con los CTR. El ejercicio condicion�� una elevaci��n de HTO, ALB, LA y Na, tanto en los caballos CTR como en los DH. Se encontr�� un incremento de ANG en los caballos DH y de ALD en los caballos CTR. La elevaci��n con el ejercicio experimentada por los par��metros analizados fue de magnitud similar en los grupos CTR y DH, con excepci��n del LA (increment�� m��s en DH) y ALD (aument�� m��s en CTR). Estudio II. El ejercicio dio lugar a un aumento de T en las categor��as I y III de los grupos CTR y DH, as�� como un descenso en la categor��a II del grupo CTR. El C mostr�� un aumento progresivo en las tres categor��as y en los dos grupos de estado h��drico, con los valores m��ximos en el tiempo 30REC. El ratio T/C aument�� en la categor��a III del grupo DH, descendi�� en la categor��a II del grupo CTR y no vari�� en los otros casos. Los animales DH, independientemente de la categor��a de peso, tuvieron valores superiores de T y C, en la mayor��a de los tiempos de extracci��n de muestras. Sin embargo, si se consideran los cambios experimentados por estas hormonas durante el ejercicio o en la recuperaci��n, en relaci��n a los valores basales, el aumento del C fue m��s marcado en el grupo CTR que en el DH, para las tres categor��as de peso. Las variaciones de la concentraci��n de T fueron superiores en las categor��as de peso I y III del grupo CTR que en el grupo DH. El ratio T/C fue estad��sticamente igual entre caballos CTR y DH en las categor��as I y III, mientras que en la categor��a II, los caballos DH presentaron cocientes T/C mayores. Conclusiones. La deshidrataci��n hipert��nica altera la concentraci��n de las hormonas implicadas en la regulaci��n del equilibrio hidro-electrol��tico, de la presi��n sangu��nea y del metabolismo. Sin embargo, el estado h��drico previo al ejercicio tiene una acci��n m��nima sobre la magnitud de estos cambios en respuesta a un ejercicio de tiro y arrastre de corta duraci��n (inferior a 5 min). Relevancia. Se ha demostrado que la respuesta neurohumoral, determinada en base a las concentraciones circulantes de las hormonas REN, ANG, ALD, T y C, se ve afectada por el ejercicio cuando el animal empieza el mismo en estado de euhidrataci��n o de deshidrataci��n.

Avalia����o ecol��gico-econ��mica do manguezal de Macau/RN e a import��ncia da aplica����o de pr��ticas preservacionistas pela ind��stria petrol��fera local

This work presents the results of a survey in oil-producing region of the Macau City, northern coast of Rio Grande do Norte. All work was performed under the Project for Monitoring Environmental Change and the Influence of Hydrodynamic forcing on Morphology Beach Grass Fields, Serra Potiguar in Macau, with the support of the Laboratory of Geoprocessing, linked to PRH22 - Training Program in Geology Geophysics and Information Technology Oil and Gas - Department of Geology/CCET/UFRN and the Post-Graduation in Science and Engineering Oil/PPGCEP/UFRN. Within the economic-ecological context, this paper assesses the importance of mangrove ecosystem in the region of Macau and its surroundings as well as in the following investigative exploration of potential areas for projects involving reforestation and / or Environmental Restoration. At first it was confirmed the ecological potential of mangrove forests, with primary functions: (i) protection and stabilization of the shoreline, (ii) nursery of marine life, and (iii) source of organic matter to aquatic ecosystems, (iv) refuge of species, among others. In the second phase, using Landsat imagery and techniques of Digital Image Processing (DIP), I came across about 18,000 acres of land that can be worked on environmental projects, being inserted in the rules signed the Kyoto Protocol to the market carbon. The results also revealed a total area of 14,723.75 hectares of activity of shrimp production and salting that can be harnessed for the social, economic and environmental potential of the region, considering that over 60% of this area, ie, 8,800 acres, may be used in the planting of the genus Avicennia considered by the literature that the species best sequesters atmospheric carbon, reaching a mean value of 59.79 tons / ha of mangrove

L�����tendue effective de pratique des infirmi��res oeuvrant en sant�� mentale et le niveau de formation

L���importance du r��le de l���infirmi��re dans le syst��me de sant�� autant au niveau de l���accessibilit�� que la qualit�� et la s��curit�� des soins et services donn��s �� la population est reconnue. Pour ��tre en mesure d���exercer pleinement ce r��le, les infirmi��res doivent ��tre en mesure d���exercer �� leur pleine ��tendue de pratique. Les infirmi��res ��uvrant dans le domaine de la sant�� mentale n���y font pas exception. Or, les recherches d��montrent que les infirmi��res ne parviennent pas �� mettre en oeuvre l���ensemble des activit��s pour lesquelles elles d��tiennent la formation et l���exp��rience. Cette recherche vise �� mesurer l�����tendue de pratique effective des infirmi��res oeuvrant en sant�� mentale ainsi qu����� identifier l���influence du niveau de formation sur cette ��tendue de pratique. Cette ��tude prend appui sur le SCOP model de D��ry et al. (2015) qui mentionne que certaines caract��ristiques de l���environnement et individuelles, telles que le niveau de formation, peuvent influencer l�����tendue effective de la pratique des infirmi��res. Le d��ploiement de cette ��tendue de pratique a le potentiel d���influencer �� son tour la satisfaction professionnelle des infirmi��res (D��ry et al., 2013), la qualit�� des soins aux patients ainsi que d���autres variables organisationnelles telles que l���accessibilit��, les dur��es moyennes de s��jours et les co��ts. Un devis corr��lationnel descriptif a ��t�� retenu pour cette ��tude. Un questionnaire de type Likert a ��t�� compl��t�� par les infirmi��res (n=80) d���un Institut universitaire en sant�� mentale du Qu��bec. Des analyses de la variance ont ��t�� utilis��es pour comparer les moyennes d�����tendue de pratique selon les ni-veaux de formation. Les r��sultats d��montrent un d��ploiement sous-optimal de l�����tendue de la pratique des infirmi��res (4,24/6; E.T.= 0,63). Cette ��tendue de pratique est tout de m��me sup��rieure �� l�����tendue de pratique des infirmi��res d���autres milieux qui a ��t�� mesur��e �� l���aide du questionnaire de l�����tendue de la pratique infirmi��re (Q��PI). Les analyses effectu��es concernant l���influence du niveau de formation sur l�����tendue de pratique n���ont r��v��l��es aucune diff��rence significative entre les niveaux de formation F (3, 77) = 0,707, p = 0,551. Le niveau de formation des infirmi��res, la pr��sence d���un biais de repr��sentation, le manque de puissance statistique et certaines caract��ristiques de l���emploi peuvent expliquer ces r��sultats. Les r��sultats de cette ��tude semblent constituer une recherche empirique initiale puisqu'il s���agit �� ce jour de l���unique recherche �� avoir mesur�� l�����tendue de pratique des infirmi��res ��uvrant en sant�� mentale �� l���aide du Q��PI et �� avoir tent�� de conna��tre l���influence que pouvait avoir le niveau de formation sur l�����tendue de leur pratique.

Free Troposphere Ozone and Carbon Monoxide over the North Atlantic for 2001-2011

Carbon Monoxide (CO) and Ozone (O3) are considered to be one of the most important atmospheric pollutants in the troposphere with both having significant effects on human health. Both are included in the U.S. E.P.A list of criteria pollutants. CO is primarily emitted in the source region whereas O3 can be formed near the source, during transport of the pollution plumes containing O3 precursors or in a receptor region as the plumes subside. The long chemical lifetimes of both CO and O3 enable them to be transported over long distances. This transport is important on continental scales as well, commonly referred to as inter-continental transport and affects the concentrations of both CO and O3 in downwind receptor regions, thereby having significant implications for their air quality standards. Over the period 2001-2011, there have been decreases in the anthropogenic emissions of CO and NOx in North America and Europe whereas the emissions over Asia have increased. How these emission trends have affected concentrations at remote sites located downwind of these continents is an important question. The PICO-NARE observatory located on the Pico Mountain in Azores, Portugal is frequently impacted by North American pollution outflow (both anthropogenic and biomass burning) and is a unique site to investigate long range transport from North America. This study uses in-situ observations of CO and O3 for the period 2001-2011 at PICO-NARE coupled with output from the full chemistry (with normal and fixed anthropogenic emissions) and tagged CO simulations in GEOS-Chem, a global 3-D chemical transport model of atmospheric composition driven by meteorological input from the Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) of the NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation Office, to determine and interpret the trends in CO and O3 concentrations over the past decade. These trends would be useful in ascertaining the impacts emission reductions in the United States have had over Pico and in general over the North Atlantic. A regression model with sinusoidal functions and a linear trend term was fit to the in-situ observations and the GEOS-Chem output for CO and O3 at Pico respectively. The regression model yielded decreasing trends for CO and O3 with the observations (-0.314 ppbv/year & -0.208 ppbv/year respectively) and the full chemistry simulation with normal emissions (-0.343 ppbv/year & -0.526 ppbv/year respectively). Based on analysis of the results from the full chemistry simulation with fixed anthropogenic emissions and the tagged CO simulation it was concluded that the decreasing trends in CO were a consequence of the anthropogenic emission changes in regions such as USA and Asia. The emission reductions in USA are countered by Asian increases but the former have a greater impact resulting in decreasing trends for CO at PICO-NARE. For O3 however, it is the increase in water vapor content (which increases O3 destruction) along the pathways of transport from North America to PICO-NARE as well as around the site that has resulted in decreasing trends over this period. This decrease is offset by increase in O3 concentrations due to anthropogenic influence which could be due to increasing Asian emissions of O3 precursors as these emissions have decreased over the US. However, the anthropogenic influence does not change the final direction of the trend. It can thus be concluded that CO and O3 concentrations at PICO-NARE have decreased over 2001-2011.

L�����tendue effective de pratique des infirmi��res oeuvrant en sant�� mentale et le niveau de formation

L���importance du r��le de l���infirmi��re dans le syst��me de sant�� autant au niveau de l���accessibilit�� que la qualit�� et la s��curit�� des soins et services donn��s �� la population est reconnue. Pour ��tre en mesure d���exercer pleinement ce r��le, les infirmi��res doivent ��tre en mesure d���exercer �� leur pleine ��tendue de pratique. Les infirmi��res ��uvrant dans le domaine de la sant�� mentale n���y font pas exception. Or, les recherches d��montrent que les infirmi��res ne parviennent pas �� mettre en oeuvre l���ensemble des activit��s pour lesquelles elles d��tiennent la formation et l���exp��rience. Cette recherche vise �� mesurer l�����tendue de pratique effective des infirmi��res oeuvrant en sant�� mentale ainsi qu����� identifier l���influence du niveau de formation sur cette ��tendue de pratique. Cette ��tude prend appui sur le SCOP model de D��ry et al. (2015) qui mentionne que certaines caract��ristiques de l���environnement et individuelles, telles que le niveau de formation, peuvent influencer l�����tendue effective de la pratique des infirmi��res. Le d��ploiement de cette ��tendue de pratique a le potentiel d���influencer �� son tour la satisfaction professionnelle des infirmi��res (D��ry et al., 2013), la qualit�� des soins aux patients ainsi que d���autres variables organisationnelles telles que l���accessibilit��, les dur��es moyennes de s��jours et les co��ts. Un devis corr��lationnel descriptif a ��t�� retenu pour cette ��tude. Un questionnaire de type Likert a ��t�� compl��t�� par les infirmi��res (n=80) d���un Institut universitaire en sant�� mentale du Qu��bec. Des analyses de la variance ont ��t�� utilis��es pour comparer les moyennes d�����tendue de pratique selon les ni-veaux de formation. Les r��sultats d��montrent un d��ploiement sous-optimal de l�����tendue de la pratique des infirmi��res (4,24/6; E.T.= 0,63). Cette ��tendue de pratique est tout de m��me sup��rieure �� l�����tendue de pratique des infirmi��res d���autres milieux qui a ��t�� mesur��e �� l���aide du questionnaire de l�����tendue de la pratique infirmi��re (Q��PI). Les analyses effectu��es concernant l���influence du niveau de formation sur l�����tendue de pratique n���ont r��v��l��es aucune diff��rence significative entre les niveaux de formation F (3, 77) = 0,707, p = 0,551. Le niveau de formation des infirmi��res, la pr��sence d���un biais de repr��sentation, le manque de puissance statistique et certaines caract��ristiques de l���emploi peuvent expliquer ces r��sultats. Les r��sultats de cette ��tude semblent constituer une recherche empirique initiale puisqu'il s���agit �� ce jour de l���unique recherche �� avoir mesur�� l�����tendue de pratique des infirmi��res ��uvrant en sant�� mentale �� l���aide du Q��PI et �� avoir tent�� de conna��tre l���influence que pouvait avoir le niveau de formation sur l�����tendue de leur pratique.

A perce����o de suporte e a confian��a organizacional: A sua import��ncia na reten����o dos recursos humanos

Disserta����o de Mestrado apresentada ao ISPA - Instituto Universit��rio

Empoderamento dos enfermeiros : estudo de alguns fatores intervenientes

Enquadramento O empoderamento �� um processo que resulta no fortalecimento pessoal e profissional, na forma de aquisi����o de compet��ncias, motiva����o, satisfa����o e tomada de decis��o. Est�� vinculado �� autonomia profissional e concretiza-se na tomada de decis��o aut��noma do enfermeiro. Objetivos:; Identificar as vari��veis sociodemogr��ficas, socioprofissionais e de contexto formativo que influenciam o Empoderamento dos enfermeiros. M��todo:Realizamos um estudo de natureza quantitativa, descritiva-anal��tico e correlacional com amostra n��o probabil��stica de 240 enfermeiros que responderam ao question��rio sociodemogr��fico, �� escala ��� Perceptions of Empowerment in Midwifery Scale��� (Mathews, Scott e Gallagher (2009)1 e �� escala da motiva����o para o exerc��cio profissional. Os enfermeiros possu��am idades entre os 26 e os 66 anos, maioritariamente com vinculo por tempo indeterminado �� institui����o onde trabalham. Revelaram uma boa perce����o sobre o Empoderamento com percentuais a oscilar entre os 50,0% no reconhecimento organizacional e os 100% no reconhecimento por pares. Os mais jovens possuem melhor perce����o sobre o Empoderamento no reconhecimento por pares, organizacional e empoderamento global, e os mais velhos maior empoderamento na dimens��o pessoal. S��o os Enfermeiros com mestrado e doutoramento que possuem uma menor perce����o na dimens��o multidimensional, reconhecimento por pares e reconhecimento organizacional. Quanto �� motiva����o 40,0%dos participantes do estudo encontram-se muito motivados, Conclus��o. Pelos resultados obtidos podemos concluir que s��o os enfermeiros com maior motiva����o e com mais forma����o que revelam melhor perce����o sobre o Empoderamento. e consequentemente maior capacidade de decis��o.

L���infirmi��re en GMF : vers une meilleure connaissance des activit��s r��alis��es aupr��s des personnes atteintes de maladies chroniques

R��sum�� : Contexte : Depuis la cr��ation des Groupes de m��decine de famille (GMF), les infirmi��res peuvent assurer le suivi des personnes atteintes de maladies chroniques (MC). Il existe des ��carts entre la litt��rature et la pratique. Un constat provincial permettra une compr��hension des enjeux d���optimisation de la pratique infirmi��re aupr��s de cette client��le grandissante. Objectifs : 1) d��crire les activit��s de l���infirmi��re en GMF aupr��s des personnes atteintes de MC; 2) d��crire les ��l��ments contextuels d��terminants de ces activit��s; 3) dresser un portrait provincial des activit��s des infirmi��res de GMF aupr��s des personnes atteintes de MC. M��thode : Un devis mixte s��quentiel exploratoire en trois volets a ��t�� effectu��. Volet 1 : Une ��tude de cas multiple a ��t�� r��alis��e aupr��s de dix infirmi��res de GMF. Cinq sources de donn��es ont ��t�� utilis��es : 1) observation des rencontres infirmi��re-patient (n=10); 2) entrevues individuelles avec chaque infirmi��re (n=10); 3) entrevues individuelles avec chaque patient (n=10); 4) audit des notes infirmi��res au dossier des patients participant (n=10) et; 5) documents administratifs d��crivant la pratique des infirmi��res �� l���int��rieur des GMF. L���analyse qualitative a permis de g��n��rer une liste d���activit��s et de d��crire les ��l��ments contextuels qui d��terminent les activit��s. Volet 2 : Un questionnaire ��lectronique a ��t�� cr���� �� l���aide de la liste d���activit��s produite lors du Volet 1 et de la recension des ��crits. Il a ��t�� valid�� et pr��test��. Volet 3 : Une enqu��te provinciale a ��t�� r��alis��e aupr��s de 322 infirmi��res de GMF. Des analyses descriptives telles que des fr��quences, moyennes, ��tendues et ��carts types ont ��t�� effectu��es. R��sultats : Volet 1 : les activit��s des infirmi��res de GMF aupr��s des personnes atteintes de MC sont regroup��es en cinq domaines. Des ��l��ments li��s �� l���organisation, aux infirmi��res et aux personnes atteintes de MC peuvent influencer les activit��s. Volet 3 : 266 infirmi��res ont compl��t�� le questionnaire. Les r��sultats d��montrent que leurs activit��s se situent principalement dans les domaines de la Promotion de la sant�� et de l�����valuation globale de la condition de la personne. Les activit��s en lien avec la Collaboration infirmi��re-m��decin et l���Organisation de l���offre de services sont r��alis��es de fa��on occasionnelle. Conclusion : Cette ��tude a permis une description en profondeur des activit��s des infirmi��res de GMF aupr��s des personnes atteintes de MC. Il s���agissait d���un jalon important en vue d���optimiser les interventions li��es �� la prise en charge des MC en soins de premi��re ligne.

The teaching of reading English in a foreign language in Libyan universities: methods and models

This study focuses on the learning and teaching of Reading in English as a Foreign Language (REFL), in Libya. The study draws on an action research process in which I sought to look critically at students and teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Libya as they learned and taught REFL in four Libyan research sites. The Libyan EFL educational system is influenced by two main factors: the method of teaching the Holy-Quran and the long-time ban on teaching EFL by the former Libyan regime under Muammar Gaddafi. Both of these factors have affected the learning and teaching of REFL and I outline these contextual factors in the first chapter of the thesis. This investigation, and the exploration of the challenges that Libyan university students encounter in their REFL, is supported by attention to reading models. These models helped to provide an analytical framework and starting point for understanding the many processes involved in reading for meaning and in reading to satisfy teacher instructions. The theoretical framework I adopted was based, mainly and initially, on top-down, bottom-up, interactive and compensatory interactive models. I drew on these models with a view to understanding whether and how the processes of reading described in the models could be applied to the reading of EFL students and whether these models could help me to better understand what was going on in REFL. The diagnosis stage of the study provided initial data collected from four Libyan research sites with research tools including video-recorded classroom observations, semi-structured interviews with teachers before and after lesson observation, and think-aloud protocols (TAPs) with 24 students (six from each university) in which I examined their REFL reading behaviours and strategies. This stage indicated that the majority of students shared behaviours such as reading aloud, reading each word in the text, articulating the phonemes and syllables of words, or skipping words if they could not pronounce them. Overall this first stage indicated that alternative methods of teaching REFL were needed in order to encourage ���reading for meaning��� that might be based on strategies related to eventual interactive reading models adapted for REFL. The second phase of this research project was an Intervention Phase involving two team-teaching sessions in one of the four stage one universities. In each session, I worked with the teacher of one group to introduce an alternative method of REFL. This method was based on teaching different reading strategies to encourage the students to work towards an eventual interactive way of reading for meaning. A focus group discussion and TAPs followed the lessons with six students in order to discuss the 'new' method. Next were two video-recorded classroom observations which were followed by an audio-recorded discussion with the teacher about these methods. Finally, I conducted a Skype interview with the class teacher at the end of the semester to discuss any changes he had made in his teaching or had observed in his students' reading with respect to reading behaviour strategies, and reactions and performance of the students as he continued to use the 'new' method. The results of the intervention stage indicate that the teacher, perhaps not surprisingly, can play an important role in adding to students��� knowledge and confidence and in improving their REFL strategies. For example, after the intervention stage, students began to think about the title, and to use their own background knowledge to comprehend the text. The students employed, also, linguistic strategies such as decoding and, above all, the students abandoned the behaviour of reading for pronunciation in favour of reading for meaning. Despite the apparent efficacy of the alternative method, there are, inevitably, limitations related to the small-scale nature of the study and the time I had available to conduct the research. There are challenges, too, related to the students��� first language, the idiosyncrasies of the English language, the teacher training and continuing professional development of teachers, and the continuing political instability of Libya. The students��� lack of vocabulary and their difficulties with grammatical functions such as phrasal and prepositional verbs, forms which do not exist in Arabic, mean that REFL will always be challenging. Given such constraints, the ���new��� methods I trialled and propose for adoption can only go so far in addressing students��� difficulties in REFL. Overall, the study indicates that the Libyan educational system is underdeveloped and under resourced with respect to REFL. My data indicates that the teacher participants have received little to no professional developmental that could help them improve their teaching in REFL and skills in teaching EFL. These circumstances, along with the perennial problem of large but varying class sizes; student, teacher and assessment expectations; and limited and often poor quality resources, affect the way EFL students learn to read in English. Against this background, the thesis concludes by offering tentative conclusions; reflections on the study, including a discussion of its limitations, and possible recommendations designed to improve REFL learning and teaching in Libyan universities.

Sinodi ecclesiastici dell'impero romano d'Oriente (IV-VIII secolo). Organizzazione, spazi, cerimoniale.

La ricerca aveva come obiettivo principale quello di esaminare i sinodi svoltisi nell���Impero Romano d'Oriente, in Italia e in Africa nel periodo compreso tra il 325 e 787. L���obiettivo era quello di porre particolare attenzione a tutti quei temi legati all���organizzazione, alla logistica, ai luoghi di svolgimento e agli aspetti cerimoniali collegati ai momenti di manifestazione dell���autorit�� ecclesiastica e civile, poco noti nella storiografia moderna. Poco, infatti, si conosce delle forme di convocazione dei presuli, degli itinerari e delle modalit�� di viaggio che essi affrontavano per raggiungere la sede conciliare; �� inoltre particolarmente difficile ricostruire i regolamenti che caratterizzavano le discussioni del consesso riunito, le modalit�� di voto e la formulazione delle deliberazioni; poco si conosce ad oggi anche delle varie categorie di persone che prendevano parte attiva ai dibattiti con funzioni e ruoli differenti e le varie tipologie di luoghi e aule impiegate per le riunioni e per l���ospitalit�� dei partecipanti, delle modalit�� di sfruttamento degli spazi da loro occupati e del cerimoniale che doveva essere rigorosamente seguito dai presenti. Sulla base di una prima campionatura introduttiva basata sui primi tre volumi dell'opera di Hefele-Leclercq coniugati con la raccolta di atti conciliari del Mansi, sono stati censiti pi�� di 300 sinodi di varia natura. Partendo da questo dato preliminare sono stati selezionati 80 casi per i quali �� stato possibile risalire all���edificio in cui i dibattiti sinodali si svolsero e intorno ai quali �� stata svolta l���intera ricerca.