Depuis que le commerce électronique est devenu un environnement commercial assez répandu, les réseaux de distribution (nouveaux et préexistants) composés de fournisseurs et de distributeurs essayent de développer une réelle activité commerciale sur la toile. Cet enjeu a bouleversé l'organisation de la revente des produits en se posant en concurrent et en complément des réseaux traditionnels de distribution. Notre travail porte sur l'analyse juridique de l'incidence d'Internet sur les relations entre distributeurs et fournisseurs, plus particulièrement sur le contrat cadre qui lie ces deux parties. Nous avons articulé notre travail autour de la comparaison des systèmes juridiques européen et nord-américain. Nous examinons la coexistence et la compatibilité entre ces réseaux de distribution et la vente virtuelle, pour ensuite, proposer certaines pistes pour le développement des réseaux existant via Internet. / Ever since ecommerce has become a widespread commerciai environment, the distribution networks (new and preexistent), composed of suppliers and distributors, have tried to develop a real commercial activity on the web. This objective upsets the organization of the resale of the products by becoming competitor and complement of the traditional networks of distribution. Our work deals with the legal analysis of the incidence of Internet on the relations between distributors and suppliers, more particularly on the contract which bind these two parties. We articulated our work around the comparison of the European and North-American legal systems. We examine the coexistence and compatibility between of these distribution networks and the virtual merchandising, with the goal of proposing certain avenues for the future development of the existing networks through the Internet. / "Mémoire présenté à la Faculté des études supérieures En vue de l'obtention du grade de LL.M. Dans le programme de maîtrise en droit"

Evidence suggests that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs, a class of antidepressant medications) may contribute to increased breast cancer risk by stimulating the secretion of prolactin, a potential tumour promoter. The main objective of this study was to determine breast cancer risk associated with the duration, dosage and timing of SSRI use among women, with control for a limited set of confounders. This thesis project, conducted within the context of a population-based two-stage case-control study, consisted of a record linkage study utilizing three Saskatchewan health services databases. Cases included 1,273 women with primary breast cancer diagnosed between January 1, 2003 and December 31, 2005, and controls consisted of 12,730 subjects randomly selected from the province’s population registry. Data on SSRI use was compiled from the Saskatchewan prescription drug plan database. Information on a limited set of established risk factors for breast cancer that may confound this relationship was ascertained from the population registry and the prescription database. Cases and controls were similar in terms of age, total number of consecutive years eligible for prescription coverage and indicators of socioeconomic status. Compared to controls, cases were more likely to be married and to have used hormone therapy and/or oral contraceptives. Compared to nonusers, results indicated that the use of SSRIs for three or more years (as estimated by having filled 36 or more prescriptions for all SSRIs combined during the main exposure window more than two years prior to index date) was not associated with an increased risk of breast cancer (OR= 1.08, 95% CI: 0.74-1.58), controlling for age, marital status, oral contraceptive and hormone therapy use. In addition, no suggestion of increased risk was detected for long-term exposures to individual SSRIs (24 or more prescriptions filled during the main exposure window) and in relation to total combined SSRI use 2-7 years and more than seven years prior to index date. However, these risk estimates may have been affected by potential sources of information bias and confounding. In summary, these results do not provide evidence to suggest that the risk of breast cancer is increased with the use of SSRIs. / Thesis (Master, Community Health & Epidemiology) -- Queen's University, 2008-01-08 13:51:38.74

Ordered mesoporous silicas have been shown to have a variety of useful applications ranging from adsorbents for containments to supports for catalysts. While these materials have received a good deal of attention in the literature there is still much opportunity for new technologies. We present research describing a novel approach to incorporate functionality onto the pore surfaces of these materials as well as a highly active catalyst for the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction. Our approach to selectively graft functionality on to the pore walls of the mesoporous silicas SBA-15 and MCM-41 involves treating the materials loaded with a structure directing agent (SDA), with hexamethyldisilazane that passivates the external surface through silylation. Once the SDA is removed the mesopores can be functionalized selectively using standard methods. A test designed to look at the passivation layer is also described. The catalyst developed is designated Pd-SBA-15-SH(g) and it is active for the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction. The activity, recyclability and leaching of Pd-SBA-15-SH(g) was found to be superior to related materials. A mechanistic analysis suggests the catalyst is a reservoir for soluble Pd metal. A key challenge that is holding back wide scale application of ammonia borane (NH3BH3) as a hydrogen storage material for mobile applications is the dearth of regeneration strategies. Presented are our forays into the development of an organic hydride based regeneration strategy. The first phase of the project focused on the reaction between Hantzsch esters and B(C6F5)3. N-substituted Hantzsch esters were found to transfer hydride to boron in >90 % yield. Mechanistic analysis of the reaction suggests either a SET mechanism or a highly asynchronous transition state. A novel hydride transfer equilibrium promoted by B(C6F5)3 was observed and it operated at temperatures below -10 ºC. N,N-ditertbutyl-dihydroimidazole is also an effective hydride donor to B(C6F5)3 as well as other Lewis acids that are more relevant mimics to those invoked in regeneration schemes. When the redistribution of B(SPh)3 is carried out with N,N-ditertbutyl-dihydroimidazole in the presence of NEt3 and CH2Cl2 at 50 ºC, BH2(NEt)3(SPh) is formed. CH2Cl2 functions as a thiol scavenger under the reaction conditions. 1-Octene trapping experiments provided indirect evidence for the formation of diborane, a critical component in the regeneration of NH3BH3. / Thesis (Ph.D, Chemistry) -- Queen's University, 2011-09-09 14:51:54.697

Most events that we encounter in everyday life provide our different senses with correlated information, and audiovisual speech perception is a familiar instance of multisensory integration. Several approaches will be used to further examine the role of cognitive factors on audiovisual speech perception. The main focuses of this thesis will be to examine the influences of cognitive load and selective attention on audiovisual speech perception, as well as the integration of auditory and visual information in talking distractor faces. The influence of cognitive factors on the temporal integration of auditory and visual speech, and gaze behaviour during audiovisual speech will also be addressed. The overall results of the experiments presented here suggest that the integration of auditory and visual speech information is quite robust to various attempts to modulate the integration. Adding a cognitive load task shows minimal disruption of the integration of auditory and visual speech information. Changing attentional instructions to get subjects to selectively attend to either the auditory or visual speech information also has a rather modest influence on the observed integration of auditory and visual speech information. Generally, the integration of temporally offset auditory and visual information seems rather insensitive to cognitive load or selective attentional manipulations. The processing of visual information from distractor faces seems to be limited. The language of the visually articulating distractors doesn't appear to provide information that is helpful for matching together the auditory and visual speech streams. Audiovisual speech distractors are not really any more distracting than auditory distractor speech paired with a still image, suggesting a limited processing or integration of the visual and auditory distractor information. The gaze behaviour during audiovisual speech perception appears to be relatively unaffected by an increase in cognitive load, but is somewhat influenced by attentional instructions to selectively attend to the auditory and visual information. Additionally, both the congruency of the consonant, and the temporal offset of the auditory and visual stimuli have small but rather robust influences on gaze. / Thesis (Ph.D, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2011-09-30 23:31:07.754

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No description available.

Living environments are seldom, if ever, devoid of all background auditory stimuli. However, the relationship between particular structural components of acoustic backgrounds and cognitive task performance remains unclear. Two experiments were completed to examine the influence of sound on a visual selective attention task. Participants performed the Stroop task (Stroop, 1935) while silence or background acoustic patterns of various complexities were presented over headphones. No effect of background sound on performance was found. A post-hoc analysis indicated that in comparison with participants who do not regularly listen to music while studying, participants who regularly listen to music while studying performed better on the Stroop task when a structured auditory pattern that included variation in both frequency and time interval was presented in the background. These results indicate that distinct structural components of background auditory sequences may interact with individual characteristics to influence cognitive performance on a task involving selective attention.

Objekt för undersökningen är en nyplantering av bok på en mindre skogsfastighet i sydöstra Blekinge. Bok och ek, som är de viktigaste ädla lövträden för den biologiska mångfalden, intog i dessa trakter en stor andel av skogsbeståndet fram till 1960-70-talet, men har sedan minskat i takt med att de ersatts av planterad gran. Det finns idag, bland annat i Skogsstyrelsens riktlinjer, en uttalad strävan mot en högre andel ädellövskog på de breddgrader som ingår i dessa trädslags naturliga utbredningsområden. På så sätt kan det projekt, som studien beskriver, anses ligga rätt i tiden. Inledningsvis ger rapporten en översikt över skog och skogsbruk som kunskapsområde och bakgrunden till att vi nu ser tendenser till att de traditionella formerna av skogsbruk, där ekonomi är den dominerande styrfaktorn, börjar ge vika för skogsbruksmetoder som gynnar även naturvårds- och sociala värden. Detta är en tendens som nu börjar få genomslag såväl i myndigheters styrdokument som i forskning och kunskapsutveckling. I rapporten beskrivs utvecklingen av en tio-årig plantering av bok, dels resultatet av den första fasen, etableringsfasen, och dels en bedömning av hur den framtida planeringen kan göras utifrån de uppställda målen med fokus på de skötselformer som kan betecknas som ”hyggesfria” eller ”naturnära” metoder. I analysen av studiens resultat görs jämförelser dels med liknande studier och dels med schabloniserade tillväxtprognoser för bok. En satsning på naturnära skogsbruk och på lövskog ger, enligt de sammanfattande slutsatserna, inte de högsta ekonomiska vinsterna i dagsläget. Däremot kan det, med ett långsiktigt skötselprogram, ses som en framtidsinvestering. Dels fås en kvalitetshöjning av framtida jordmån och växtbetingelser och större chans att klara stormar och dess effekter. En ytterligare vinst är möjligheten att vara med och bygga erfarenheter av och kunskap om utvecklingen av ett framtida lövskogsbruk. / The aim of this study was to evaluate an area, where planting of beech, Fagus sylvatica, has been made after clear cutting of spruce, Picea abies. Focus of the study was primary to follow-up the first phase of the planting, and also make an assessment of future planning based on such achievements as "selective cutting" or "natural" methods. In the result analysis comparisons are made with similar studies and also previous results for the area. An investment in natural methods for deciduous forest gives, according to the summary conclusions, not the highest economic gains in the current situation. However, with a long-term care program you can reach investment possibilities. On the one hand you get increase in quality of future soil and growing conditions, and greater chance of passing climate change and their effects. An additional profit is the opportunity to be part of building experience and knowledge of the development of a future broadleaved forest.

Evarcha culicivora, a species of jumping spider (Araneae: Salticidae from the Lake Victoria region of East Africa, has unusual prey-choice behaviour. It preferred prey is blood-carrying mosquitoes. It also has unusually complex mate-choice behaviour, with mutual mate choice being pronounced. This thesis is a study of E. culicivora’s prey-choice behaviour and mate-choice behaviour, as well as a study of processes underlying selective attention in this unusual species. E. culicivora uses olfaction in unique and often surprising ways. This includes identifying potential mates by odour alone, as well as choosing the odour of potential mates that have recently fed on blood-carrying mosquitoes. The odour of potential mates also primes both sexes for escalating conflict with potential rivals, as well as priming selective attention to the masked odour of specifically potential mates. Besides all this, the odour of blood-carrying mosquitoes primes E. culicivora to selectively attend to the masked odour of specifically this prey. Moreover, the appearance of blood-carrying mosquitoes and of potential mates primes E. culicivora to selectively attend to specifically the appearance of cryptic blood-carrying mosquitoes and cryptic potential mates, respectively. Vision and olfaction can even work together, with olfactory and visual cues from blood-carrying mosquitoes priming E. culicivora to selectively attend to the appearance and odour, respectively, of blood-carrying mosquitoes. Furthermore, E. culicivora has a poorly-understood relationship with two plant species, Lantana camara and Ricinus communis, and E. culicivora can identify these two plant species by odour alone. These plants may be relevant to this salticid as a nectar source by which it supplements its insect diet, but these plants may also be as sites at which E. culicivora males and females find potential mates, with E. culicivora’s interactions on these plants being especially exaggerated and complex.

We have developed CO2-selective membranes to purified hydrogen and nitrogenfor fuel cell processes. Hydrogen purification impacts other industries such as ammoniaproduction and flue gas purification at reduced costs.Dense chitosan membranes were used for the first time to separate CO2 from amixture of 10% CO2, 10% H2, and 80% N2 at temperatures of 20 – 150oC and feedpressures of 1.5 atm – 5 atm. At 1.5 atm and 20 – 150oC, dry chitosan membranesachieved CO2 permeabilities, CO2/N2 and CO2/H2 separation factors of 0.383 – 24.3barrers, 10.7 – 3.40, and 4.54 – 1.50, respectively. The dry chitosan acted as an ordinarysolution-diffusion membrane: permeability increased with temperature but selectivitydecreased. The CO2/H2 and CO2/N2 separation factors at all temperatures enhanced CO2removal, making this membrane a candidate for fuel cell processes. The dual modetransport model fitted the transport data well.To achieve higher CO2 transport properties, chitosan was swollen with water.Water mediated the reaction of chitosan's amino groups with CO2. Humidifing the feedand sweep gases increased the membrane's performance. At 1.5 atm and 20 – 110 –150oC, CO2 permeabilities, CO2/N2 and CO2/H2 separation factors were 213 – 483 – 399barrers, 69.4 – 250 – 194, and 18.9 – 43.4 – 29, respectively. The presence of free waterand bound water facilitated the transport of CO2. Increasing feed pressure removed themaxima in permeability and selectivities at 110oC, but led to reduced CO2 permeabilities,CO2/N2 separation factors, and CO2/H2 separation factors to 156 – 286 barrers, 44.2 –131, and 12.0 – 16.7, respectively.To acquire higher CO2 transport properties, arginine-sodium salts wereincorporated in chitosan membranes as additional sites for facilitated transport. The salt'spercolation threshold was 40 wt %. At 1.5 atm and 20 – 110 – 150oC, CO2 permeabilities,CO2/N2 and CO2/H2 separation factors were 403 – 1498 – 1284 barrers, 122 – 852 – 516,and 31.9 – 144 – 75.5, respectively. Increasing feed pressure to 5 atm resulted indeclining CO2 permeabilities, CO2/N2 and CO2/H2 separation factors to 118 – 1078barrers, 21.6 – 352, and 5.67 – 47.9, respectively.Chitosan was characterized in terms of morphology, solution properties, thermalproperties, crystallinity, and degree of deacetylation.