The trend towards family care of children with developmental disabilities has lead us to examine ways to support families. One source of help primary caregivers have available to them is informal social support. Ninety mothers of children with severe developmental disabilities, residing in four Michigan counties (two urban and two rural) were interviewed face-to-face to determine the nature and extent of their informal social support systems. The types of support investigated were perceived, instrumental, emotional, informational and network. Data were analyzed using bivariate and multivariate techniques. The findings indicate that mothers are primarily responsible for the day-to-day care of their children. However, the help they do receive is important to them. Assistance proffered to mothers comes mostly from immediate family members. Although married and working women perceive greater support from some family members, when help with daily tasks was measured, these women did not actually receive any greater assistance. Multivariate analysis revealed that perceived informal social support was associated with better ability to cope and lower levels of stress. The influence of informal social support on life satisfaction was less certain. Ability to cope was significantly correlated with decreased stress and increased life satisfaction. None of the various types of informal support explained coping, stress or life satisfaction. However, emotional support turned out to be a proxy for emotional problems, and so it was associated with higher stress, and lower coping and life satisfaction. None of the other independent variables included in the model (severity of handicap, formal support or life stress) explained the variance in the dependent variables. When actual regression coefficients were examined, it was concluded that increasing the amount of social support to mothers is not a very efficacious approach to helping them reduce their stress and improve their copin

The work presented here investigates two basic properties of mutation rates in the unicellular chlorophyte Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The first chapter is devoted to an investigation of the mutational heritability $ rm (V sb{M})$ of fitness in asexually propagated populations. This is the rate at which novel variation for fitness accumulates in a population. In two trials, values of $ rm V sb{M}$ = 4.5 and $4.7 times 10 sp{-3}$ of the environmental variance $ rm (V sb{E})$ were obtained. These values were at least an order of magnitude greater than estimates from other organisms of $ rm V sb{M}/V sb{E}$ for fitness or for quasineutral variation. The possibility that this was due to disruptive selection for types specialized for different parts of the culturing environment was investigated, and rejected. Other possible explanations, and future avenues for research, are discussed. / The second chapter extends the investigation from normal culturing conditions into stressful ones. Specifically, it considers the hypothesis that C. reinhardtii might increase its mutation rate as a general response to environmental stress. Stressed lines were found to display reduced mean fitness and an increased variance of fitness after being returned to normal culturing conditions. This was interpreted as evidence for increased mutation rates in treated lines relative to controls. Possible mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are discussed, along with suggestions for further research.

The effects of temperature on a 58-kDa phosphoprotein (PP58) have been examined in cell-free extracts of two alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) cultivars, Apica and Trek. In the extracts prepared without the use of Triton X-100, PP58 is present in a 12,000 x g (P12), 28,000 x g (P28) and 100,000 x g (P100) pellets but is enriched in the P28 fraction. In these fractions PP58 is substantially and equally phosphorylated at both 4° and 24°C. When extracts are prepared in the presence Triton X-100, PP58 is present in the 28,000 x g supernatant (TXS fraction) is extensively dephosphorylated at 24°C but highly phosphorylated at 4°C. The phosphorylation of this protein increased sharply as temperature declined below 12°C, and was 15 times greater at 0° than at 24°C. The phosphorylation level doubled between 12° and 8°C and again between 8° and 4°C. Thus temperature effect is not mediated by Q10 effect. Interestingly, temperature-response curve of PP58 phosphorylation is similar to that of the reported cold-induced calcium influx (Plant Cell 7: 321-331). Labeling reactions carried out in the presence of [gamma-35S]thioATP indicated that low temperature inhibited the dephosphorylation reaction. These results were not mimicked at room temperature by the protein phosphatase 1 and 2A inhibitor okadaic acid. In reactions performed at 4°C, addition of calcium caused a 2-fold increase in the phosphorylation of PP58. A decrease in phosphorylation was observed when equimolar amounts of EGTA were added in the presence of MgCl 2 or MnCl2, but not in the presence of CaCl2, suggesting that this protein is phosphorylated by a calcium-dependent protein kinase. These results are consistent with the suggestion that PP58 and its putative kinase are membrane-localized whereas the putative PP58 phosphatase is a loosely-associated membrane peripheral protein lost to the supernatant during fractionation. We suggest that PP58 could be involved in low te

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

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

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Climate change research is undergoing a monumental shift, from an almost exclusive focus on mitigation, and the reduction of greenhouse gases, to adaptation, and identifying the ways in which nations, communities and sectors might best respond to the reality of a changing climate. Vulnerability assessments are now being employed to identify the conditions to which socio ecological systems are exposed-sensitive and their capacity to adapt. Work has been conducted across a range of geographical locations and systems as diverse as healthcare and mining. There are however, few examples of analyses incorporating an assessment of the multiple climatic and non-climatic stressors to which agricultural producers are exposed. This thesis examines farm-level vulnerability to climate change of agricultural producers from the Eastern Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. The study area has a diverse agricultural economy, founded upon pastoral farming (dairy and drystock) and kiwifruit. This dependence on agricultural production, and the likely influence of expected changes in climatic conditions in the future provided a unique setting in which to develop a place-based case study exploring vulnerability to future climatic variability and change. Using a mixed methods approach, including semi-structured interviews and temporal analogues, a conceptual framework of farm-level vulnerability was developed and applied. The application of the framework was conducted through an empirical study that relied on engagement with and insights from producers who identified current exposure-sensitivity and adaptive capacity. It is shown that pastoral farmers and kiwifruit growers are exposed-sensitive to a range of climatic and non-climatic conditions that affect production, yields and farm income and returns. It demonstrates that producers have in turn, developed a range of short- and long-term adaptive strategies in order to better manage climatic conditions. It shows that these responses are varied, and are not made in response to climatic conditions alone, illustrating the need to consider other, multiple stimuli. An assessment of future vulnerability is presented, based on the empirical work and the identification of those drivers of vulnerability that are likely to be of concern and that will shape the capacity of farmers and growers to respond to climatic variability and change. The thesis as a whole not only provides a place-based case study on the vulnerability of farmers and kiwifruit growers in eastern New Zealand, but also demonstrates the need to engage with producers in order to develop an understanding of the complex ways in which climatic conditions interact with non-climatic stimuli beyond the farm-gate to influence vulnerability to climatic variability and change, both now and in the future.

The plays of William Shakespeare have long been considered a source of cultural and educational interest by both academics and filmmakers, and the practice of adapting Shakespeare’s works to film has existed for almost as long as film itself. The name “Shakespeare” evokes ideals of cultural legitimacy and importance, and Shakespeare film as a genre is always caught up in questions of fidelity and legitimacy. In adapting Shakespeare to the screen, filmmakers also adapt, whether deliberately or not, the various cultural beliefs that his work is steeped in. Early modern ideas about gender, race and class are reproduced in modern film through the adaptation of Shakespeare, often excused or unexamined in the name of fidelity. This thesis discusses Shakespeare’s three plays Hamlet, Richard III and The Taming of the Shrew, all of which deal in some way with gender roles and the place and power of women, whether that power is sexual, political or verbal. I also examine three film adaptations of the plays: Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet, Ian McKellen and Richard Loncraine’s Richard III, and Gil Junger’s 10 Things I Hate About You. All three films serve as examples of the way the misogyny present in Shakespeare’s works is reproduced and sometimes magnified through adaptation to the screen. The reproduction of early modern gender hierarchies is naturalised in a number of ways across the three films, including the use of star power, the invocation of Shakespeare as a cultural authority, and specific filmic techniques such as flashback and the cutting and editing of film and screenplay. I argue that in all three films, the faithful adaptation of Shakespearean ideas of gender comes at the expense of both the women characters and those women who make up the films’ audience.

Abstract We are facing a century of rapid change in climate, with significant challenges in managing the impact of changes in living conditions for plants and animals. We can already see the responses of species through changes in phenology and spatial distribution, which may change ecosystem structure and function, with subsequent effect on ecosystem services and biological diversity. In Sweden, between 2005 and 2010, the red-listed species has increased by 13 % and similar trends can be seen across the world, making it difficult to attain national and international environmental objectives of preserving biodiversity. One way to reduce the loss of biodiversity is to protect nature from exploitation by allocating valuable areas as nature reserves, but climate change affects protected areas just as much as other landscapes and therefore requires elaborate systems of protection to facilitate species' survival. The paper has examined  how the decisions and management plans for nature reserves in Sweden have been followed-up and whether they are climate adapted or not by examining 30 nature reserves, classified as newly formed (2012), recently revised (2009-2011) and older (1977-2007) reserves, and assessed what is in the decisions and management plans for follow-up, revision, long-term goals and documentation. Officials in ten county administrative boards in Sweden were interviewed about how they handle documentation and monitoring of management plans, and if they take into account climate change in the forming of new nature reserves and if they have begun to look at the climate adaptation of nature reserves. The results show that county administrative boards do not take account climate change in the handling of new nature reserves and they generally have not started looking at climate adaptation of the nature reserves. Documentation is supposed to be carried out according to most management plans (77%) and was in fact carried out in reality in 70% of the county administrative boards, although a new system is being introduced by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. Monitoring of management actions should be done according to most management plans, but in reality, monitoring of management plans is generally not performed (only 20% of the county administrative boards do). My results shows that nature reserves in Sweden are not climate adapted and have not taken into account climate change when formed and there is no continuous  follow-up done of decisions and management plans. There are many reasons for authorities to reconsider this, even if it requires a thorough review of current research. / Sammanfattning Vi står inför ett århundrade med snabba förändringar i klimatet och möter stora utmaningar i att hantera effekterna av ändrade levnadsförhållanden för växter och djur. Redan nu kan vi se responser från arter genom förändrad fenologi och geografisk utbredning vilket för med sig förändringar i ekosystemens struktur och funktion som i sin tur påverkar ekosystemtjänsterna och den biologiska diversiteten. I Sverige har mellan åren 2005 och 2010, de rödlistade arterna ökat med 13 % och liknande tendenser syns över hela världen vilket gör det svårt att nå nationella och internationella miljömål om att bevara biodiversiteten.  Ett sätt att minska förlusten av biodiversitet är att skydda naturen från exploatering genom att avsätta värdefulla områden som naturreservat men klimatförändringen påverkar de skyddade områdena lika mycket som övriga landskap och därför krävs genomtänkta system av skydd för att underlätta för arters överlevnad.  Uppsatsen har undersökt hur beslut och skötseldokument för naturreservat i Sverige följs upp samt undersökt om de är klimatanpassade genom en granskning av 30 naturreservat uppdelat på nybildade (2012), nyligen reviderade (2009-2011) samt äldre (1977-2007) reservat och bedömt vad som står i beslut och skötselplaner avseende uppföljning, revidering, långsiktiga mål och dokumentering. Personer på tio länsstyrelser i Sverige har intervjuats om hur de hanterar dokumentering och uppföljning av skötselplaner samt om de tar hänsyn till klimatförändringen vid avsättningen av nya naturreservat och om de har börjat titta på klimatanpassning av reservaten. Resultaten visar att länsstyrelser inte tar hänsyn till klimatförändringen i hanteringen av nya naturreservat och de har generellt inte börjat titta på klimatanpassning av naturreservat än, medan dokumentering ska utföras enl. skötselplanerna (77 %) och utförs i verkligheten hos 70 % av länsstyrelserna men ett nytt system är på väg att införas från Naturvårdsverket. Uppföljning av skötselåtgärder ska göras enligt de flesta skötselplanerna men i verkligheten utförs det inte generella uppföljningar av skötselplanerna (bara i 20 % av länsstyrelserna görs det).  Resultatet visar att naturreservat i Sverige inte är klimatanpassade och har inte avsatts eller avsätts inte med klimatförändringen i beaktande och deras beslut och skötselplaner följs inte upp kontinuerligt.  Det finns många skäl att tänka om för ansvariga myndigheter även om det kräver en grundlig genomgång av pågående forskning.

Involving community participants in the adaptation of culturally-specific programs has the potential to greatly enhance program fit, particularly for socio-politically distinct implementation sites. Findings from a case study of a leadership-training program for Latina survivors of domestic violence in Atlanta, GA support a participant-centered approach to program adaptation and evaluation. A summary of the adaptation process and themes from a qualitative analysis of structured interviews with program facilitators are presented. Implications for the leadership program and future research in the area of program adaptation are discussed.