Yes / Epigenetic information is available from contemporary organisms, but is difficult to track back in evolutionary time. Here, we show that genome-wide epigenetic information can be gathered directly from next-generation sequence reads of DNA isolated from ancient remains. Using the genome sequence data generated from hair shafts of a 4000-yr-old Paleo- Eskimo belonging to the Saqqaq culture, we generate the first ancient nucleosome map coupled with a genome-wide survey of cytosine methylation levels. The validity of both nucleosome map and methylation levels were confirmed by the recovery of the expected signals at promoter regions, exon/intron boundaries, and CTCF sites. The top-scoring nucleosome calls revealed distinct DNA positioning biases, attesting to nucleotide-level accuracy. The ancient methylation levels exhibited high conservation over time, clustering closely with modern hair tissues. Using ancient methylation information, we estimated the age at death of the Saqqaq individual and illustrate how epigenetic information can be used to infer ancient gene expression. Similar epigenetic signatures were found in other fossil material, such as 110,000- to 130,000-yr-old bones, supporting the contention that ancient epigenomic information can be reconstructed from a deep past. Our findings lay the foundation for extracting epigenomic information from ancient samples, allowing shifts in epialleles to be tracked through evolutionary time, as well as providing an original window into modern epigenomics.

Studies were conducted to evaluate the effect of pre-irrigation media moisture deficit, irrigation application rate, and intermittent irrigation on irrigation efficiency [(amount applied - amount leached) amount applied' 100] of spray stake-irrigated, container-grown plants. In the first experiment, pine bark-filled containers were irrigated to replace moisture deficits of 600, 1200, or 1800 ml. Deficits were returned in single, continuous applications at application rates of 148, 220, and 270 ml/min. Application rate did not affect irrigation efficiency. Efficiency decreased with increased medium moisture deficit. In the second experiment, containers, at 600 ml media moisture deficits, were irrigated with 400 or 600 ml (65% and 100% water replacement, respectively). Irrigation volumes were returned in a single, continuous application or in 100ml applications with 30 min intervals between irrigations (intermittent). Irrigation efficiency was greater with intermittent irrigation, 95 % and 84 % for 400 and 600 ml replacement, respectively, than with continuous irrigation, 84% and 67% for 400 and 600 ml replacement, respectively. When applied intermittently, most water loss from containers occurred after 400 ml were applied. In the third experiment, containers were irrigated with 600 ml (100% water replacement) in 50, 100, or 150 ml applications with 20, 40, or 60 min intelVals between applications. A control was included in which 600 ml was applied in a single, continuous application. Irrigation efficiency increased with decreasing application volume and increasing length of interval between applications. The greatest efficiency (86%) was produced with an irrigation regimen of 50 ml applications with at least 40 min between applications. The control treatment (continuous) produced an irrigation efficiency of 62%. When applied intermittently, most water loss from containers occurred after a total of 300 ml were applied. / Master of Science

Transportation agencies engage in extensive data collection activities in order to support their decision processes at various levels. However, not all the data collected supply transportation officials with useful information for efficient and effective decision-making. This thesis presents research aimed at formally identifying links between data collection and the supported decision processes. The research objective identifies existing relationships between Asset Management data collection and the decision processes to be supported by them, particularly in the project selection level. It also proposes a framework for effective and efficient data collection. The motivation of the project was to help transportation agencies optimize their data collection processes and cut down data collection and management costs. The methodology used entailed two parts: a comprehensive literature review that collected information from various academic and industrial sources around the world (mostly from Europe, Australia and Canada) and the development of a web survey that was e-mailed to specific expert individuals within the 50 U.S. Departments of Transportation (DOTs) and Puerto Rico. The electronic questionnaire was designed to capture state officials' experience and practice on: asset management endorsement and implementation; data collection, management and integration; decision-making levels and decision processes; and identified relations between decision processes and data collection. The responses obtained from the web survey were analyzed statistically and combined with the additional resources in order to develop the proposed framework and recommendations. The results of this research are expected to help transportation agencies and organizations not only reduce costs in their data collection but also make more effective project selection decisions. / Master of Science

Georgian Bay (GB) coastal wetlands are unique in their geomorphology and quality. Though not pollution impaired, these wetlands are currently threatened by regional climate change, and its influence on their water level (WL) regime. Recently, GB coastal wetlands experienced 14-years of prolonged low WLs, followed by an eight-year increase in WLs, which was a departure from the eight-year oscillations modelled from 1865-2007. To conserve these ecosystems, it is critical to understand how these wetlands responded to these atypical WL patterns. First, we compared scores from three wetland health indicators between periods of low and high WLs. We determined that abiotic indicators became falsely inflated during high waters, through the dilution of concentration-dependent parameters. We also established that biotic indicators were unaffected by changing WLs, but masked significant changes in plant and fish communities. During initial low WLs, emergent and rosette basal macrophytes, and certain fish species (blackchin, blacknose, and common shiner, bluntnose minnow, longnose gar, rock bass, and smallmouth bass) that showed a preference for shallow, low-density vegetation dominated. During high WLs, unrooted submergents and canopy macrophyte species, along with fish species (bluegill, bowfin, largemouth bass, and northern sunfish), which were positively associated with dense and deep vegetation, dominated coastal wetlands. Based on these results, I developed 14 macrophyte and 10 fish Indicator Species of low and high WLs. Using independent data, all Indicator Species were supported, although only one macrophyte and two fish species were statistically confirmed. Since the fyke nets I used throughout the two decades of WL fluctuations could not be deployed effectively, due to the development of dead tree zones (DTZs), I developed a camera array, which was not depth or substrate dependent. This research advances our understanding of coastal wetlands’ responses to changes in WLs, and highlights tools to use in similar conditions. / Dissertation / Doctor of Science (PhD) / Coastal wetlands provide critical habitat for a variety of wildlife. Starting in 1999, climate change caused Lake Huron water levels (WLs) to remain low for 14-years, rather than fluctuating periodically as it has in the past century. Then, from 2015-2022, WLs rose and stayed high for another eight-years. The key goal of this thesis was to determine if, and how these two decades of atypical WLs impacted Georgian Bay (GB), Lake Huron coastal wetlands. First, I compared the mean of three wetland health indices to see if WLs impacted their scoring. Then, I identified and validated aquatic plant and fish Indicator Species of low or high WLs. Finally, I developed a method using underwater cameras and volunteers, to survey fish in a wider range of conditions. My thesis provides patterns and methods for stakeholders to better understand and monitor coastal wetlands impacted by regional climate change and altered WLs.

The critical role that an effective systematic training evaluation practice plays is in its ability to collect value systematically. The collected data is utilised to make a judgement or to evaluate learnings contribution. Without the training evaluation practice learning value is obscured. The instructionnal systems design (ISD) Addie is assessed as the systematic structure that can greatly assist the training evaluation practice. It supports the proposal of collecting value throughout the training lifecycle for the holistic view of learning value. The Kirkpatrick and Phillips (K/P) summative framework will be used to assess the current practice in collecting post-learning data. Addie was highly valued by the survey participants. The current summative practice in the organisation stops mainly at level two of the Kirkpatrick/Phillips model. The practice lacks comprehensive data collection at recommended best practice levels and is therefore, not effective, efficient and systematic in its approach to declare learning value. / Human Resource Management / M. Tech. (Human Resource Management)

Ce mémoire porte sur l’utilisation des niveaux d’interventions médicales (NIM) en centre hospitalier (CH) au Québec. Les NIM sont des formulaires organisés sous forme d’échelle, qui ont été développés afin de faciliter la prise de décision en lien avec la réanimation, les traitements de maintien en vie et de prolongation de la vie, et les soins à offrir. L’objectif de ce mémoire est d’offrir un portrait de l’utilisation actuelle des NIM au Québec en CH afin d’émettre des recommandations pour les professionnels de la santé, les institutions et les décideurs politiques. Dans un premier temps, un article de recension des écrits est présenté afin de situer les concepts associés aux NIM avec les problèmes actuellement vécus, par exemple le grand nombre de patients qui décèdent en CH, les problèmes de communication entre les professionnels de la santé, les patients et leur famille, les difficultés liées à la prise de décision en fin de vie et les délais liés aux ordonnances de non-réanimation. Dans un deuxième temps, le second article présente les résultats de recherche. Afin d’établir le portrait de l’utilisation des NIM en CH, un audit de 299 dossiers de patients adultes, décédés dans trois CH a été entrepris. Le cadre éthique d’analyse des résultats est l’approche par principes. Bien que l’utilisation des NIM peut différer sur certains aspects selon l’hôpital, les NIM sont un système efficace pour promouvoir le respect de l’autonomie des patients, la bienfaisance et le caring, mais ceux-ci ne protègent pas contre les problèmes d’iniquité dans l’accès aux soins palliatifs. Afin de faciliter et promouvoir leur utilisation, il est recommandé de standardiser les échelles de NIM à travers la province et les institutions et d’émettre des lignes directrices d’utilisation claires. Également, une plus grande formation pour les professionnels de la santé et l’inclusion d’un membre de l’équipe interdisciplinaire permettraient aux professionnels d’être mieux outillés pour les discussions difficiles et pour la prise de décision, et encourageraient la pratique interdisciplinaire. / This thesis focuses on the use of levels of interventions (LOI) in Quebec hospitals. LOI are forms, organized as a scale, that have been developed to facilitate decision-making process related to resuscitation, life-sustaining and life-prolonging treatments and care to be given. The objective of this thesis is to provide an overview of the current use of LOI in Quebec hospitals, in order to make recommendations for health care professionals, institutions and policy makers. First, a literature review article is presented to situate concepts associated with LOI with current issues in the hospital setting, for example: the large number of patients who die in hospitals, communication problems between health care professionals and patients and their families, difficulties in decision-making at the end of life, and delays associated with do not resuscitate (DNR) orders. Secondly, another article is presented with the research study results. To establish a picture of the practices related to LOI in hospitals, an audit of 299 charts of adult patients who died in three hospitals was undertaken. The results are analyzed with a principle-based ethical framework. Although the use of LOI may vary on certain aspects between hospitals, the LOI would be an effective way to promote respect of patient autonomy, beneficence and caring, but they do not seem effective against inequity issues in access to palliative care. To facilitate and promote their use, it is recommended to standardize the LOI forms across the province and institutions, and to establish clear practice guidelines. Also, more training for health care professionals and adding the signature of a member of the interdisciplinary team would allow professionals to be better equipped for difficult discussions and decision-making, and encourage interdisciplinary practice.

La recherche ici présentée interroge la comparaison internationale des curriculums de l'enseignement secondaire supérieur général -les lycées. Elle part du constat que, dans les comparaisons internationales à grande échelle, les curriculums lycéens sont considérés comme équivalents sur le principal critère de leur même mission politico-éducative : préparer les élèves aux études supérieures longues. Or, les lycées sont aussi caractérisés par des variations curriculaires importantes, qui sont presque ignorées dans ces comparaisons. Compte tenu des enjeux de connaissance et de gouvernance des systèmes éducatifs qui fondent les comparaisons internationales contemporaines, cette recherche propose une approche d'analyse et de comparaison des lycées qui prend en compte leur variabilité curriculaire. À cet égard, elle interroge en particulier la relation d'interdépendance entre leurs principes fondateurs et organisateurs et caractérise les effets des structures curriculaires sur la mission commune aux trois lycées. Cela est réalisé à travers une analyse comparative et systémique des évolutions historiques des curriculums lycéens et de leurs organisations. En particulier, la comparaison porte sur trois curriculums de l'enseignement secondaire supérieur général, choisis car particulièrement contrastés au niveau de leurs principes organisateurs : les GCSE - Advanced Levels anglais, les séries générales du lycée d'enseignement général et technologique français, et les parcours scientifique et classique du liceo italien. L'enquête recense et analyse des données issues de corpus regroupant différentes sources documentaires. Ainsi, l'étude des évolutions historiques des trois lycées s'appuie sur la confrontation d'ouvrages d'histoire originaires des trois pays, tandis que l'analyse de leurs structures est faite à partir de la comparaison de corpus rassemblés de textes officiels prescrivant l'organisation des lycées. Cette analyse est complétée par la consultation de rapports officiels évaluant les trois systèmes éducatifs et par la réalisation d'entretiens-témoignages avec des acteurs, recueillis en visitant trois lycées, un dans chaque pays examiné. La méthode d'investigation privilégiée pour étudier ces corpus de données est la comparaison internationale, utilisée tout au long de la recherche afin d'identifier et d'interpréter les variables prises en compte dans l'analyse. En outre, un outil d'investigation est proposé - l'expérience curriculaire - permettant d'analyser et de comparer les relations entre les composantes des curriculums, et les significations qui y sont associées. La recherche accomplie montre que, malgré le partage des mêmes principes fondateurs, les trois curriculums lycéens portent des significations différentes liées à leurs organisations, qui caractérisent différemment la mission politico-éducative commune consistant à préparer les élèves aux études supérieures longues. Ainsi, en Angleterre le lycée doit prioritairement préparer de manière adéquate aux études universitaires ; en Italie, il s'agit surtout de parachever une formation commune et généraliste dans la continuité du premier cycle du secondaire ; en France, il est fondamental de différencier les parcours de formation des élèves au vu de la segmentation qui caractérise l'enseignement supérieur français. Par ce résultat, et par les méthodes mobilisées pour l'obtenir, la recherche éclaircit le fonctionnement systémique des curriculums lycéens, sous-estimé à la fois par les réformateurs dans la construction curriculaire et par les auteurs des comparaisons internationales ; elle contribue au développement de l'éducation comparée en mettant en évidence le potentiel heuristique de la démarche comparative ; elle aide à comprendre les missions des lycées aujourd'hui, et leurs évolutions potentielles face à la massification de l'enseignement supérieur. / This research compares the curricula of general upper secondary education systems in France, Italy, and in England. It starts from the observation that, in large-scale international comparisons, high school curricula are considered equivalent since they fundamentally share the same political and educational mission: preparing students for higher studies. However, high schools are indeed characterized by substantial curricular variations, which are almost ignored in these comparisons. As contemporary international studies are founded on issues of knowledge and governance among the various education systems, this research adopts an analytical and comparative approach capable of including those curricular variations. In this respect, this research examines, firstly, the interdependent relationship between the founding principles and the organizing principles that inform the different high school systems. Secondly, it analyzes the effects that curricular structures may induce on their founding missions. This is achieved through a comparative and systematic analysis of historical evolutions in high school curricula and their organizations. The three curricula compared in this research have been selected as their organizing principles are particularly contrasting: the English GCSE - Advanced Levels, the French séries générales du lycée d'enseignement général et technologique, and the Italian scientific and classic liceo. This study collects and analyzes data gathered from different documentary sources. The primary source is an in-depth review of a selection of official documents detailing the historical evolution of the three high school systems and their organizations. This analysis is supplemented by the consultation of official reports evaluating the three educational systems, and by conducting interviews with pupils and teachers of three high schools, one for each country involved in the study. International comparison was the main research method adopted to study the selected data. It was employed throughout the thesis as a tool both to identify and then to interpret the variables considered in the analysis. In addition, a contribution of this dissertation consists in proposing an innovative research tool: the curriculum experience. This notion enables analysis and comparison of the relationships between the curriculum components and the meanings associated with them. This investigation shows that, despite the fact that the three high school curricula share the same founding principles, their structure can actually have an influence on how their common political-educational mission is understood and implemented. The priority of the general upper secondary education in England is to adequately prepare for university studies; in Italy, the liceo is mainly conceived as the final stage of a common and general curriculum that begins in the general lower secondary schools; in France, the focus is to differentiate the educational tracks of pupils in the light of the segmentation featured in the French higher education system. The findings of this research, along with the methodology employed, give insight into the systemic dimension of high school curricula, an aspect that has been largely underestimated by both decision-makers designing the curricula and by the institutions producing international comparisons. In addition, this research gives a valuable contribution to the development of a comparative approach to education analysis by giving evidence of the heuristic potential of comparative methods. It also clarifies the purpose of the general upper secondary education systems, as well as their possible evolutions, in the context of the democratization of higher education. / La ricerca parte da una costatazione relativa alla comparazione internazionale dei curricoli della scuola secondaria superiore generale - i licei. Nelle comparazioni internazionali prodotte su larga scala, i licei di diversi paesi sono considerati equivalenti in quanto adempiono ad una stessa missione politico-educativa : preparare gli alunni gli studi superiori. Tuttavia i licei sono anche caratterizzati da forti differenze riguardanti in particolare l'organizzazione dei loro curriculi; tali diffenze sono di fatto ingnorate nelle suddette comparazioni internazionali. Tenuto conto dell'influenza che queste comparazioni esercitano attualmente sul conoscimento e sulla governanza dei sistemi educativi, la ricerca propone un approccio di analisi comparativa dei licei che prende in conto le loro differenze curricolari. Viene analizzata in particolare la relazione d'interdipendenza trai i principi fondatori e organizzatori dei licei, e si definiscono gli effetti delle strutture curricolari sulla loro missione comune. A tal fine, i curricoli sono studiati attraverso un'analisi comparativa e sistemica delle evoluzioni storiche dei curricoli liceali, e delle loro modalità organizzative. La comparazione porta su tre curricoli della scuola secondaria superiore generale: i GCSE - Advanced Levels inglesi ; le séries (percorsi) générali del liceo generale e tecnologico francese, e i licei classico e scientifico italiani. L'inchiesta raccoglie e utilizza dei dati provenienti da diverse fonti documentarie. In effetti, lo studio dell'evoluzioni storiche dei tre licei si basa sulla comparazione di scritti storici originari dei tre paesi, metre l'analisi delle loro strutture é fatta comparando i testi ufficiali che prescrivono l'organizzazione dei licei. Questa seconda analisi é completata dal confronto di rapporti ufficiali contenenti delle valutazioni dei tre sistemi educativi, così come da interviste realizzate a titolo di testimonianza in tre licei, uno per paese. Il metodo fondamentale di ricerca utilizzato per analizzare quest'insieme di dati é la comparazione internzazionale, a cui é fatto continuo ricorso non solo per identificare le variabili significative ai fini dell'analisi, ma anche per interpretarle e caratterizzarle. Viene inoltre proposto uno strumento originale d'analisi: l'esperienza curricolare. Questa nozione permette di analizzare e comparare le connessioni che uniscono le diverse componenti dei curriculi, e d'interpretare i significati che sono ad esse associati. La ricerca cosi' realizzata dimostra che i tre curricoli liceali, nonostante condividino gli stessi principi fondatori, assumono e trasmettono dei significati diversi, legati alle loro modalità organizzative ; ne deriva una diversa caratterizzazione della (stessa) missione politico-educativa relativa alla preparazione degli alunni agli studi superiori. Viene cosi' messo in evidenza che in Inghilterra, la priorità del liceo é quella di preparare in modo adeguato agli studi universitari ; in Italia, si tratta piuttosto di concludere una formazione comune e generalista in continuità rispetto al primo ciclo di istruzione; in Francia infine, risulta fondamentale di differenziare i percorsi di formazioni degli alunni in vista della segmentazione che caratterizza l'istruzione superiore francese. I risultati prodotti - e i metodi di analisi proposti per ottenerli - permettono alla ricerca di chiarire il funzionamento sistemico dei curricoli liceali, spesso sottovalutato sia dai riformatori responsabili della costruzione dei curricoli che dagli autori delle comparazioni internazionali dei sistemi educativi. La ricerca contribuisce inoltre allo sviluppo dell'educazione comparata, comprovando il potenziale euristico dell'approccio comparativo; offre infine degli elementi utili a comprendere le missioni attuali dei licei e le loro potenziali evoluzioni in un contesto di progressiva massificazione dell'istruzione superiore.

The critical role that an effective systematic training evaluation practice plays is in its ability to collect value systematically. The collected data is utilised to make a judgement or to evaluate learnings contribution. Without the training evaluation practice learning value is obscured. The instructionnal systems design (ISD) Addie is assessed as the systematic structure that can greatly assist the training evaluation practice. It supports the proposal of collecting value throughout the training lifecycle for the holistic view of learning value. The Kirkpatrick and Phillips (K/P) summative framework will be used to assess the current practice in collecting post-learning data. Addie was highly valued by the survey participants. The current summative practice in the organisation stops mainly at level two of the Kirkpatrick/Phillips model. The practice lacks comprehensive data collection at recommended best practice levels and is therefore, not effective, efficient and systematic in its approach to declare learning value. / Human Resource Management / M. Tech. (Human Resource Management)

Denna rapports frågeställning är: hur lämpar sig psykiatrins data för en datalagerstruktur och inleds med en bakgrund där en litteraturstudie genomförs. Efter detta kommer en metod del och en genomförande del där intervjuer med avdelningschefer, verksamhetschefen, samt en verksamhetsutvecklare på ett svenskt universitetssjukhus psykiatriavdelning beskrivs. Genom observationer och analys av sjukhusets data samt svaren från respondenterna sammanställdes ett resultat som visar emot att detta sjukhus inte har en god grund för en datalagerstruktur, men genom omprioriteringar kan detta förbättras. Resultatet baserades på forskning gjord av Inmon (2005) och fyra av de kategorier som han anser är mest relevanta för en datalagerstruktur, samt insamlad data från universitetssjukhuset. Det framkom även att alla svenska sjukhus verkar ha problem med sina system och att hela svenska vården är i en uppgraderingsfas där det vid en sådan investering bör prioriteras att skapa fungerande datalagerstrukturer för att kunna analysera vilka resultat vården ger. Just nu fattas beslut i blindo och detta kommer inte förändras om inte förändring sker. / This report's question is: how does psychiatry's data fit into a data warehouse structure and starts with a background in which a literature study is carried out. After this, a method part and an implementation part will be described in which interviews with department heads, the operations manager, as well as an operations developer at a Swedish university hospital's psychiatry department are described. Through observations and analysis of the hospital data and the responses of the respondents, a result was compiled which shows that this hospital does not have a good basis for a data warehouse structure, but through re-prioritization this can be improved. The result was based on research done by Inmon (2005) and four of the categories that he considers to be most relevant to a data warehouse structure, as well as data collected from the university hospital. It also emerged that all Swedish hospitals seem to have problems with their systems and that the entire Swedish healthcare system is in an upgrade phase where it should be prioritized in such an investment to create functioning data warehouse structures in order to be able to analyze the results the health care gives. Right now, decisions are being made blindly and this will not change unless change is made.

Syftet med uppsatsen är att utifrån intern strategi och anställdas uppfattning undersöka hur ett varuhus ​inom High-End-segmentet arbetar med att differentiera sitt fysiska erbjudande. Vidare syftar uppsatsen till att undersöka huruvida detta skulle kunna vara ett sätt att bemöta den ökade konkurrensen från E-handeln.  De teorier som har legat till grund för studiens analysmodell är teorin om The Five Products Levels samt immateriella värdens kompletterande effekten på differentieringen av ett erbjudande.  Studien baseras på primär- och sekundärdata av Nordiska Kompaniet (NK). Kvalitativ primärdata erhölls från semistrukturerade intervjuer med personer i strategisk position på NK och anställda i varuhuset. Respondenterna valdes utifrån ett strategiskt urval. Sekundärdata från externa källor användes som komplement.  ​Studien visar att NK har möjlighet att konkurrera med E-handeln med ett fysisk erbjudande, genom en unik upplevelse som sträcker sig utanför köpögonblicket. NK kan konkurrera genom att positionera sig inom områden som E-handeln behärskar sämre. Områden som E-handeln i dagsläget ej anses behärska på grund av dess svårigheter att bygga starka kundrelationer samt endast digital närvaro där fysiska upplevelser går förlorade. / The purpose of the thesis is to, based on internal strategy and the employees' perception, investigate how a department store within the High-End segment works to differentiate its physical offering. Furthermore, the thesis aims to investigate whether this could be a response to the increased competition from E-commerce.  The theories that have formed the basis of the study's model of analysis are the theory of The Five Products Levels and the complementary effect of intangible values on the differentiation of an offer.  The study is based on primary and secondary data of Nordiska Kompaniet (NK). Qualitative primary data was obtained from semi-structured interviews with people in strategic positions at NK and department store staff. The respondents were selected based on a strategic selection. Secondary data from external sources were used as a complement.  The study shows that NK has the opportunity to compete with E-commerce with a physical offer, through a unique experience that extends beyond the moment of purchase. NK can compete by positioning itself in areas that E-commerce masters less. Areas that E-commerce currently does not master due to its difficulties in building strong customer relationships and only digital presence where physical experiences are lost.