<p>English is the most widely spoken language in the world and for this reason it would be of advantage for everyone to learn it. This thesis reports on the language ideologies and attitudes of Francophone learners towards English in the Central Province of Cameroon, a central African country. It offers a critical examination of the different attitudes and motivations of Francophone learners towards English as a third language at secondary schools in the city of Yaound&eacute / . It also presents the most important factors that appear to play a role in shaping their attitudes towards English, a language that many of the respondents appear to find hard to learn. Central to these factors are the prevailing language ideologies in Cameroon.</p>

Thèse numérisée par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

This work describes the fascinating interplay between two tumor suppressors Prostate apoptosis response-4 (Par-4) and p53. The guardian of the genome, p53, is frequently mutated in human cancers, and may contribute to therapeutic resistance. However, p53 is intact and functional in normal tissues, and we observed that specific activation of p53 in normal fibroblasts could induce apoptosis selectively in p53-deficient cancer cells. This paracrine apoptotic effect was executed by Par-4 secreted in response to p53 activation. Accordingly, activation of p53 in wild-type mice, but not in p53-/- or Par-4-/- mice, caused systemic elevation of Par-4 that induced apoptosis of p53-deficient tumor cells. Mechanistically, p53 induced Par-4 secretion by suppressing the expression of UACA, a binding partner of Par-4, and thereby releasing Par-4 from sequestration by UACA. Thus, normal cells can be empowered by p53 activation to induce Par-4 secretion for inhibition of therapy-resistant tumors. Conversely, our studies have also revealed a definite role for Par-4 in regulating p53 expression. The pro-apoptotic tumor suppressor Par-4 is lost, down-regulated, inactivated or mutated in a number of cancers. Loss of Par-4 is associated with therapeutic resistance and poor disease prognosis, yet the mechanism for resistance is not clearly understood. Using genetically matched cells, we show that Par-4 expression is required for stabilization and function of the tumor suppressor p53, which constitutes the hub of signaling networks controlling important cellular and organismal phenotypes. In particular, the expression of p53 protein and its stabilization in response to genotoxic stress were remarkably attenuated in response to Par-4 loss. Accordingly, Par-4-null or -knockdown cells demonstrated increased resistance to apoptosis induced by genotoxic stress. Par-4 loss resulted in elevated Mdm2 activity, which is known to cause p53 degradation. Our findings suggest that Par-4 stabilizes p53 by inhibiting Akt-mediated phosphorylation of Mdm2 that is known to prevent translocation of Mdm2 into the nucleus for p53 ubiquitination and degradation. These studies identify a novel regulatory relationship between two tumor suppressors and may provide a better understanding of therapeutic resistance in tumors with p53 wild type status.

In spite of significant progress in our knowledge of mechanisms that control blood pressure, our understanding of the pathogenesis of hypertension, its genetics, and population efforts to control blood pressure, hypertension remains the leading risk factor for mortality worldwide. It’s estimated that 1 out of every 3 adults has hypertension. Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and stroke, and is considered a primary or contributing cause of death to more than 2.4 million US deaths each year. Although spontaneous hypertension has been the subject of substantial research, many critical questions remain unanswered. To investigate mechanisms underlying spontaneous hypertension, a unique rodent breeding approach was used to isolate nuclear and mitochondrial genes contributing to the disease. By diluting the nuclear genome of the Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat on a normotensive Brown Norway background while maintaining the SHR mitochondrial genome, I investigated both intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms of the kidney and its relationship to hypertension. Chapter 2 documents the dominance of the hypertensive phenotype in our rodent colony, despite the dilution of the nuclear genome of the SHR. Chapter 3 presents data indicating that the renin-angiotensin system, particularly the location and abundance of the AT1 receptor may play an important role in the manifestation of spontaneous hypertension. Chapter 4 presents that rats in our rodent colony exhibited normal pressure-natriuresis and kidney function; however, hypertensive rats had a reduced ability to sense orally ingested sodium chloride, thus necessitating chronic elevations of arterial pressure in order to maintain sodium balance. This chronic pressure-natriuresis relationship shifts the renal function curve to the right, thus sustaining elevated blood pressure. Chapter 5 presents data that genes important for oxidative phosphorylation may play a critical role in the development of hypertension. Both nuclear and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation genes were downregulated in hypertensive rats compared with normotensive rats. Data presented in every chapter highlights the importance of the kidney in the pathogenesis of hypertension. Humoral, genetic and genomic mechanisms of the kidney appear to play a dominant role in the development and maintenance of the disease.

The shaping of functional materials and the control of their texture at all length scales are sine qua non conditions for the improvement of current systems. This PhD project consists in creating complex solid architectures using interdisciplinary methods such as sol-gel chemistry or complex fluids physics. Therefore, it is possible to synthesize Titanium Dioxide macroscopic fibers or films which possess a hierarchical porosity. This organization allows the optimization of the matter transport (liquid/gaz) for air depollution application (photocatalysis) or dye-sensitized solar cells. In another project, we were able to control the alignment of zinc oxide nanorods within a macroscopic fiber. This alignment provides to the fiber an anisotropic photoluminescence behavior which can be useful for switching devices application. Finally, we synthesized anisotropic particles and nano-sheets of polypyrrole (conducting polymer) in order to obtain smooth thin films presenting interesting electrical properties. The objective was to use them as electrolyte and/or electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells.

Although the high cost of solar cells prevents them being a primary candidate for energy production, great attention has been paid towards them because of the depletion of the conventional energy sources–fossil fuels–and the global warming effect, and the need to provide power to remote communities disconnected from the power grid. To reduce the cost, thin film technologies for silicon solar cells have also been investigated and commercialized, but dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC) have been considered as a promising alternative even for the silicon thin films with efficiency exceeding 10%. Compared with silicon-based photovoltaic devices, DSSCs are quite complex systems that require an intimate interaction among components. Within the last few years, conclusive smart solutions have been provided to improve the efficiency of these cells, with solar efficiency that makes them potential competitors against silicon devices. The most successful systems use titanium oxide as a core material tuned to collect and transmit the electrons generated by the photo-excitation of dye molecules. However, most of the solutions demonstrated so far require a thermal treatment of the TiO2 photoelectrodes at temperatures that preclude using any flexible organic substrate. This treatment prevents development of any roll-to-roll manufacturing process, which would be the only way to achieve cost effective large scale production. In order to overcome this major drawback, a novel synthesis of TiO2 at room temperature is described in the present document. This synthesis leads to 4-6 nm nanocrystalline anatase, the desired phase of titanium oxide for photoactive applications. An intensive study was carried out to explore the properties of these nanoparticles, via a mixture design study designed to analyze the influence of the starting composition on the final TiO2 structure. The influence of a post-synthesis thermal treatment was also explored. This 4 nm nanocrystalline TiO2 exhibits a high specific surface area and a good porosity that fulfills the requirements for an efficient photoanode; a high surface area allows high dye loading, and, hence, increases photocurrent and photo-conversion efficiency. Another important result of this study is the band gap, as it confirmed that nanocrystalline anatase has an indirect band gap and a quantum confinement for a crystal size of less than 10 nm. This result, well-known for bulk materials, had been discussed in some previous publications that claimed the effectiveness of a direct band gap. Following this synthesis and the structural and spectroscopic analyzes carried out in parallel, photocatalytic study was an important tool to further explore the semiconducting properties of this material. Additionally, our material gave very promising results in photocatalytic dye degradation, compared to the commercial products, even if it was not initially synthesized for this application. We assign these performances to the improved crystallinity resulting from thermal activation, without changing the crystal size, and to the ability to optimize the surface. This photocatalytic study gave us insights into the methods that optimize the electronic structure of the titanium oxide. Hence, we decided to thermally activate the nanoparticles before the preparation of films to be inserted into DSSCs. At this stage, as the thermal activation applies to the powder, the resulting material can still be used with flexible substrates. We have successfully integrated these nanoparticles in dye sensitized solar cells. Various organic additives were added to the TiO2 paste used to prepare photoelectrode films, to increase the porosity of the film and have a crack–free film with good attachment to the substrate. We demonstrated that the dye was chemically attached to the TiO2 surface, which led to better electron transport. Different treatment methods (UV and thermal) were applied to the film to cure it from organic additives and improve the electronic connectivity between the particles. When the UV treatment was applied as a single method, i.e. without thermal treatment, the cell performance was lower, but a combination of thermal treatment and UV enhanced this performance. We compared our nanoparticles to the reference material used in most of the studies on DSSC, that is, TiO2 Degussa, with cells prepared the same way. Our nanoparticles revealed higher overall conversion efficiency. As the dye attachment to the TiO2 surface is an important parameter that enhances the cell efficiency, so we checked via ATR-FTIR how the dye attached to the TiO2 surface. In addition, FTIR, UV-Vis, and IV measurements revealed that the amount of dye adsorbed was increased through HCl treatment of the photoelectrode. We also checked the internal resistance of the cell using impedance spectroscopy, and the analysis proved a successful integration of the nanoparticles in dye–sensitized solar cells as there was an increase in both the electron life time and the recombination resistance, and a decrease in the charge transfer resistance compared to the commercial powder.

Nahuatl is one of the indigenous languages in Mexico that is at risk of falling out of use. The research in the last years have showed that this occurs due to the low amount of Nahuatl speakers and the social stigma and discrimination towards the indigenous peoples, among other factors.The studies of language attitudes are relevant when making attempts to revitalize a language. As Mexico City authorities have considered to implement a revitalization project, we wanted to approach the real situation of Nahuatl in that city. Our purpose was to measure the attitudes of young people towards this language. By using a direct method –a questionnaire- we asked two groups of students if they agreed or disagreed with some items about Nahuatl and its speakers. One group had contact with Nahuatl speakers and but not the other one. We compared the results and they showed that the students who have contact with Nahuatl have more positive attitudes than those who don’t have any contact with it. This study also revealed that the reason why the first group showed positive attitudes was solidarity with the Nahuatl speakers. However, the both groups considered that speaking or learning Nahuatl cannot contribute to raise their status in the Mexican society.

Background: Globally the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has dramatically increased in the last few decades. In India CAM is used both as medical treatment and health care methods enhancing wellness. Aim: To explore nurse’s experiences of complementary alternative medical care as care methods in clinical settings in Karnataka, India. Methods: A qualitative interview study with semi-structured interviews was carried out. Four individual interviews were conducted with nurses working in two clinical settings in Karnataka, India. The data was analysed using a content analysis.  Results: Two main themes emerged from the content analysis: Caring as a challenge and Dealing with challenges. Discussions: The result is discussed using Travelbee’s’ theory on interactions.

Aim: Earlier studies have investigated what impact the relationship between the auditor and their clients have on the auditor’s objectivity. There are different opinions about whether a close relationship harms or promote the auditors work. Furthermore there are studies that show what strategies the auditor (and client) tends to use in the negotiation between the two of them. On this basis we have chosen to study if there are any correlation between the nature of the auditor client relationship, the auditor’s negotiation strategy against the client and the auditor’s objectivity. Method: Because of our purpose to study if there is any correlation between the relationship, the negotiation strategies and the auditor´s objectivity we have chosen to implement a quantitative survey. The survey has been edited by earlier studies from Gibbins, McCracken and Salterio (2010), Fontaine (2011) and Bamber and Iyer (2007). The survey has been sent to approved and authorized auditors in Sweden and the collected data has been compiled and analyzed by statistic methods. Result &amp; Conclusions: This study shows that there are a significant correlation between a close relationship, the auditor’s negotiation strategies and the auditor’s objectivity. With a close relationship the auditor tends to use integrative strategies, which also shows to have a negative impact on auditor objectivity. Suggestions for future research: This study shows that the relationship has impact on the auditor to use integrative strategies. On this basis it would be interesting to do a deeper study with focus on integrative strategies and auditor´s objectivity. Contribution of the thesis: This study can be useful for auditors if they want to study the relationship with their clients and the potential impact on objectivity. Key words: Auditor, objectivity, relational, transactional, integrative, distributive / Syfte: Tidigare har studerats huruvida den relation som föreligger mellan revisor och klient har en påverkan på revisorns objektivitet. Det råder skilda åsikter om huruvida en nära relation skadar eller främjar revisionsarbetet. Dessutom finns studier som visar vilka strategier revisor (och klient) tenderar att använda i förhandlingen parterna emellan. Utifrån detta har vi valt att undersöka om det finns samband mellan karaktären hos revisorns klientrelation, revisorns förhandlingsstrategi mot klienten och revisorns objektivitet. Metod: Då vi studerar om det finns något samband mellan karaktären på relationen, de förhandlingsstrategier som används och revisorns objektivitet har vi valt att genomföra en kvantitativ enkätundersökning. Enkäten har utformats utifrån tidigare studier av Gibbins, McCracken och Salterio (2010), Fontaine (2011) och Bamber och Iyer (2007). Enkäten har skickats ut till godkända och auktoriserade revisorer i Sverige och insamlad data har sedan sammanställts och analyserats med hjälp av ett antal statistiska metoder. Resultat &amp; slutsats: Studien visar att det finns ett signifikant samband mellan en nära relation, de förhandlingsstrategier revisorn använder och revisorns objektivitet. En nära relation visar att revisorn tenderar att använda integrativa strategier i förhandlingen med klienten, detta visar sig också ha en negativ effekt på revisorns objektivitet. Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Studien visar att relationen har inverkan på att revisorn väljer integrativa strategier i förhandlingen med klienten. Därför vore det intressant att genomföra en vidare studie med fokus på de integrativa strategierna och revisorns objektivitet. Uppsatsens bidrag: Studien kan vara till nytta för revisorer om de själva vill studera relationen med sina klienter och hur den kan påverka objektiviteten. Nyckelord: Revisor, klient, objektivitet, relationell, transaktionell, integrativ, distributiv.

Inner city blighted industrial sites are primarily associated with the general phenomenon of deindustrialization within the post-industrial inner city that is caused by spatial and functional restructuring of the industrial activity. Blighted industrial sites are vacant, obsolete, or underutilized industrial buildings, facilities and other related industrial functions and areas. Such blighted areas may have physical, functional, social, economic, and environmental impact problems both within the site, as well as on surrounding properties. Brownfield sites represent a severe form of blighted sites which include real or perceived environmental contamination. Brownfield redevelopment requires environmental clean-up to acceptable regulatory standards which may result in a costly process. The general research goal is to achieve an understanding of this complex problem context as well as to establish the pertinent planning framework for redevelopment of blighted industrial sites within the Canadian inner city. The research process includes three parts. Part One includes an extensive preliminary literature review of brownfield redevelopment case studies in Canada, United States, and the United Kingdom. It also includes an outline of general planning theory and related interdisciplinary theories. The preliminary findings of literature review reveal a multiple component interactive problem context that indicates a need for an integrative planning framework addressing multiple problem components. The preliminary research findings for the planning framework are further studied and examined in four empirical case studies included in Part Two. The specific research objectives and research questions address three constituent parts of the planning framework including the nature of the problem context, potential policy directions, and the planning process. The central research question is “what is the appropriate planning framework and approach for brownfield redevelopment given a multiple component interactive problem context? Part Three synthesizes the findings of Parts One and Two, which highlights the proposed planning framework for brownfield redevelopment, including an outline of major problems and policy directions based on impact evaluation by key participants in the empirical case studies, as well as outlining the main characteristics of the planning process. Some of the main problems and issues include site contamination and related legal liabilities, cost of site remediation that may exceed property value, stakeholders’ conflicting objectives, social stigma associated with brownfields, clarity and consistency of the environmental approval process as, community support. The proposed policy directions also represent multiple components and they are mainly as follows: • To prepare an inventory of brownfield sites, • To establish public-private partnership for project financing especially for site remediation, • To develop self-financing mechanism (like TIF/TIEF) to finance cost of site remediation, • To establish a redevelopment authority that is directly responsible for the process, • To foster public-private-community collaboration and partnership, • To secure accessibility of local residents to newly provided opportunities (like jobs), • To adopt multiple-component integrative planning framework to link major problem components and planning sub-processes The research findings also highlight the planning process being manifested at two main poles including the project developer and his consulting team, the public approval authority, in addition to community residents and interest groups that are involved in the public consultation process. The development approval process is the common organizational set-up and interface for stakeholders’ involvement in the process. The main characteristics of the proposed planning process include multiple-component multi-disciplinary context consisting of interactive planning sub-processes within each component, multi-level spatial contexts, involvement of multi-stakeholders with conflicting objectives and vision, incrementally adaptive, critical time and timing context, and mixed-rationality comprehensive planning vision. This research asserts the need for addressing the multiple components of environmental, physical, economic, social, and political planning without prior bias or predominance to any of these components. This also asserts the need for multi-stakeholder public-private-community collaboration and partnership.