Depuis la fin de la deuxième guerre mondiale, l'utilisation du sol, les paysages et l'économie régionale de vastes sections des petites Laurentides du Québec ont été radicalement transformés. Aujourd'hui, 160 ans après l’arrivée des premiers bûcherons et des premiers colons dans la région, la période agricole tire définitivement vers sa fin; les chantiers remontent de plus en plus vers le nord, à cause principalement de l'épuisement des ressources commerciales de la forêt; enfin, la région est devenue, en grande partie, un hinterland récréationel très développé pour Montréal, Québec, Hull-Ottawa, Trois-Rivières, Shawinigan-Grand’Mère, et les autres villes des vallées du Saint-Laurent et de l’0utaouais. La région du bouclier qui s'étend entre les vallées de la rivière Rouge et du Saint-Maurice (comprenant la plus grande partie des comtés d'Argenteuil, de Terrebonne, de Montcalm, de Joliette, de Berthier, de Maskinongé et de Saint-Maurice), largement comprise dans la zone a-i influence de Montréal, est peut-être le secteur des Laurentides qui évolue le plus rapidement. Le "pattern" actuel de l'utilisation du sol de ce secteur et son évolution - c'est le thème de cet essai - présentent donc un intérêt particulier. On a divisé le secteur en six méso-régions: Mauricie, rivière du Loup, Maskinongé, Mattawin, Assomption-Ouareau, et enfin, la région "laurentienne", cette dernière s'étendant au nord-ouest de Montréal le long de l'axe fourni par la route 11. Le "pattern" actuel de l'utilisation du sol de chacune de ces ré6ions est décrit en détail. À cela s'ajoute une analyse des facteurs: roche-mère, topographie, matériaux de surface, climat, historique du peuplement, exploitation forestière, tourisme, communications et urbanisation, qui expliquent le mieux ce "pattern" de même que son évolution. Les autorités coloniales britanniques commencèrent à établir des plans de colonisation de la région des Laurentides à la fin du dix-huitième siècle. Aux environs de 1790, leurs arpenteurs divisèrent t la région en cantons de 100 milles carrés portant des noms comme Rawdon, Kilkenny, Chilton et Brandon. Parmi les premiers colons, outre quelques éléments canadiens français, fissuraient une poignée de Loyalistes, d'Américains, et d'officiers et de soldats britanniques à la retraite . Cependant, le gros des colons d'expression anglaise était composé d'immigrants irlandais et écossais, qui arrivèrent dans la région entre 1820 et 1840, attirés par des offres alléchantes: terres, instruments, rations alimentaires, transports offerts gratuitement. Les attributions considérables de terres et les concessions accordées aux compagnies forestières et aux spéculateurs anglophones pendant la même période, ont concouru également à l'ouverture de l'arrière-pays à la colonisation, principalement dans la région de Maskinongé, de la rivière du Loup et de la Mauricie. La vague de colonisation britannique prit fin vers l'année 1840, mais à cette époque, les Canadiens français, venant des seigneuries surpeuplées des basses terres, commencèrent à se déverser dans la région . S'appropriant d'abord des fermes du rebord du bouclier abandonnées par les Britanniques, ils gagnèrent par la suite les hautes terres légèrement ondulées et les plaines alluviales encore non - cadastrées de l'intérieur (par exemple, la région de la Mattawin et la haute vallée de la rivière Rouge). Cette poussée vers le nord, fortement encouragée par le gouvernement provincial, l'Église catholique romaine et les sociétés de colonisation de Montréal, se prolongea durant cinquante a ' soixante -dix ans, et fut suivie par une période d'abandon des terres qui s'est poursuivie jusqu'aujourd'hui. Le rétrécissement de l'écoumène agricole (lequel est passé de 110 000 à 26 000 acres dans la seule région "laurentienne" entre 1921 et 1961) et la substitution des exploitations agricoles marginales à des usages plus profitables ont eu pour résultat l'établissement de rapports plus rationnels entre la "capacité" du sol et son utilisation dans l'ensemble de la région. Cependant, des améliorations apportées au réseau de communications et le développement continuel du tourisme d'été et d'hiver, la spéculation sur les terres et l'urbanisation menacent maintenant même les zones d ' agriculture pros pères. Depuis 1945, dans la vallée de la rivière du Nord en particulier, et dans d'autres régions, les facteurs ci-haut mentionnés se sont combinés pour amener la disparition de l’agriculture. Les projets d'extension de l'Autoroute des Laurentides et de l'Autoroute 40 (laquelle suit le côté nord de la vallée du Saint-Laurent entre Montréal et Berthierville ) aura sans nul doute pour résultat la création éventuelle de nouveaux développements récréationnels et urbains dans des rég ions telles que les bassins de Saint-Jovite et de Saint-Gabriel . Ces projets devraient aider à l'ouverture prochaine au tourisme de vallées peu développées comme celle de la Maskinongé, de la rivière du Loup et de la Mauricie. L’annulation des baux des clubs de pêche et de chasse dans les régions qui connaîtront un développement imminent serait souhaitable. D'ici peu (vingt ou trente ans, peut-être ), on verra que l'utilisation du sol à des fins urbaines et récréationnelles prédominera presque partout dans les Laurentides entre la vallée de la rivière Rouge et celle du Saint-Maurice. L'agriculture, jadis activité économique de base ici, ne sera plus qu’un souvenir. / Since the end of World War II, the land use, landscapes, and regional economy of large sections of Québec’s Laurentide hills have been radically transformed. Now, 160 years after the arrival of the first colonists and lumbermen in the area , the death knell is finally sounding for farming, the "chantiers" are moving farther and farther north, mainly because of the depletion of the commercial forest resources, and the region has become, in large part, a highly-developed recreational hinterland for Montréal, Québec, Hull-Ottawa, Trois-Rivières, Shawinigan - Grand'Mère, and the other towns of the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa valleys. The Shield area between the Rouge and Saint-Maurice valleys, lying largely within the orbit of Montréal and comprising most of Argenteuil, Terrebonne, Montcalm, Joliette, Berthier, Maskinongé and Saint-Maurice counties, is perhaps the most rapidly evolving sector of the Laurentides, and so the evolution and present pattern of its land use, the theme of this dissertation, is of particular interest. The area has been divided into six regions - the Mauricie, rivière du Loup, Maskinongé, Mattawin, Assomption-Ouareau, and 11 Laurentian" zones (the latter lies northwest of Montréal a long the axis provided by Route 11). The present patterns of land use in each of these regions are described in detail, along with an analysis of the factors and elements bedrock·and topography, surface materials, climate, history of settlement, forest exploitation, tourism, communications and urbanization which best explain them. British colonial authorities began to plan the settlement of the Laurentide region in the late eighteenth century, and during the 1790s their surveyors broke the area up into 100 square mile townships with names such as Rawdon, Kilkenny, Chilton and Brandon. The first settlers were a handful of Loyalists, Americans, and retired British army officers and enlisted men, but the bulk of the English- speaking colonists were Irish and Scotch immigrants who arrived in the area between 1820 and 1840) attracted by offers of free passage) land, tools and rations. The large land grants and timber concessions which were made to English lumbermen and speculators during the same period also helped to open the interior to settlement, notably in the Maskinongé, rivière du Loup and Mauricie regions. The wave of British settlement died out around 1840, but at this time French-Canadians from the overcrowded lowland seigneuries began to spill over into the area, first appropriating many of the Shield-edge farms abandoned by the British, and later moving onto the gently rolling highlands and flat alluvial plains of the unsurveyed interior (Mattawin region, upper Rouge valley). This push toward the north, strongly encouraged by the provincial government, the Roman Catholic church, and Montréal-based colonization societies, lasted from fifty to seventy years, and was followed by a period of land abandonment which has continued until the present. The shrinking of the agricultural ecumene (which dropped from 110,000 to 26,000 acres in the "Laurentian" area alone between 1921 and 1961), and the transfer of marginal farmland to more profitable uses, has brought about a more rational relationship between land capability and land use throughout the area. However, improvements to the communications network, and the continuing development of summer and winter tourism, land speculation and urbanization, now threaten even the areas of good farmland, and since 1945, have combined to bring about the virtual disappearance of farmland in the Nord river valley and other areas. Projected extensions to the Autoroute des Laurentides and Autoroute 40 (which follows the north side of the Saint Lawrence valley between Montréal and Berthierville) will undoubtedly stimulate additional recreational and urban growth in areas such as the Saint-Jovite basin and the Saint-Gabriel lowland, and should help to open up to tourism hitherto lightly-developed valleys such as the Maskinongé, rivière du Loup and Saint-Maurice. Cancellation of fishing and hunting club leases in these areas of imminent development would be desirable, and now seems likely. It would now appear that within a very short time, perhaps twenty or thirty years, urban and recreational land use will predominate almost everywhere in the Laurentides between the Rouge and Saint-Maurice valleys, and farming, once the basic economic activity here, will be no more than a distant memory. / Québec Université Laval, Bibliothèque 2016

No description available.

Sasol Infragas uses various maintenance information systems that support operational and maintenance personnel in their everyday environment. These systems have been in operation for more than two years. Currently, there are four maintenance information systems in use at Infragas, these are; alarm management, deviation management, overall efficiency management, and rotating equipment management. The information from these systems is stored on intranet portals which are accessible to all Infragas employees. This paper aimed to analyse the extent to which these portals are being utilised by Infragas employees, if at all. This paper also investigated the employees’ mind-set towards the maintenance information systems. This will assist in understanding which systems enhancements can be made to further improve employee engagement. These objectives were achieved by means of two methods. The first method was an actual usage measurement. This identified which employees were using the portals, as well as the usage frequency. This investigation method gave a real indication of the system usage and highlighted any shortfalls in employees’ interaction with the portals. The second method was a questionnaire, given to Infragas employees. The first section analysed whether the Infragas maintenance information systems are an accepted technology by investigating whether systems are being used by portal users. This was done by means of a technology acceptance model. The questionnaire also aimed to gather information on portal quality characteristics. This would indicate which quality characteristics are important to Infragas employees. Maintenance information system quality needs will differ from employee to employee. This information could improve the quality of interaction between the employees and the portals. The questionnaire also aimed to examine employees’ attitudes towards maintenance information systems. This section investigated whether employees felt that maintenance information systems improved plant performance and were beneficial to the Infragas environment. These investigations revealed valuable information for the improvement of these systems. The connection between the results of the two methods also indicated if both methods were valid. The information gathered from this study was communicated back to the Sasol Infragas management team. Recommendations for possible system improvements, which would increase employee system interaction, were also made. / MIng (Development and Management Engineering), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The production of cereals, especially maize, which is a staple food in sub-Saharan Africa, is challenged by pests and diseases. In addition, climate change will exacerbate the magnitude of these challenges and agriculture in general. Lepidopteran stemborers are major pests of cereal crops in sub-Saharan Africa. Two indigenous noctuids, Busseola fusca and Sesamia calamistis and one exotic crambid, Chilo partellus, occur as single and mixed-species communities infesting cereal crops in East and southern Africa. The composition of these communities however varies with altitude and over seasons. Interactions between the species especially when in combination, can affect the level of damage to cereal crops. The objective of this study was to describe the intraspecific and interspecific interactions between the three stemborer species when they make use of the same resources. This study involved field surveys in maize fields in major agro-ecological zones and also different experiments under greenhouse and laboratory conditions to describe the interactions between the species as well as the effect of temperature, species density and duration of the period of competition on outcomes of these interactions. Results showed that stemborer communities are composed of single and mixed species of B. fusca, S. calamistis and C. partellus, which varied with the different agro-ecological zones and also along altitudinal gradients. Temperature was the most important abiotic factor that influenced the composition of stemborer communities. However, infestation patterns varied with season. This study also showed that female moths of the three species did not avoid oviposition on plants that were previously infested by stemborers. Busseola fusca showed a high preference for heterospecific-infested plants, while C. partellus preferred conspecific-infested plants. Sesamia calamistis did not show a significant preference for one plant over the other. This study further showed that both intra- and interspecific competition characterise communities of these stemborer species which ultilise the same resources. Interspecific competition was stronger between the noctuids and the crambid than between the two noctuid species. Temperature had a significant influence on the competitive outcomes between the three species. Finally the study showed that densitydependent effects and the duration of the interactions are also important factors which influence the level of competitive outcomes between the species. Climate change is likely to influence the interactions and composition of stemborer communities. / PhD (Environmental Sciences), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Sasol Infragas uses various maintenance information systems that support operational and maintenance personnel in their everyday environment. These systems have been in operation for more than two years. Currently, there are four maintenance information systems in use at Infragas, these are; alarm management, deviation management, overall efficiency management, and rotating equipment management. The information from these systems is stored on intranet portals which are accessible to all Infragas employees. This paper aimed to analyse the extent to which these portals are being utilised by Infragas employees, if at all. This paper also investigated the employees’ mind-set towards the maintenance information systems. This will assist in understanding which systems enhancements can be made to further improve employee engagement. These objectives were achieved by means of two methods. The first method was an actual usage measurement. This identified which employees were using the portals, as well as the usage frequency. This investigation method gave a real indication of the system usage and highlighted any shortfalls in employees’ interaction with the portals. The second method was a questionnaire, given to Infragas employees. The first section analysed whether the Infragas maintenance information systems are an accepted technology by investigating whether systems are being used by portal users. This was done by means of a technology acceptance model. The questionnaire also aimed to gather information on portal quality characteristics. This would indicate which quality characteristics are important to Infragas employees. Maintenance information system quality needs will differ from employee to employee. This information could improve the quality of interaction between the employees and the portals. The questionnaire also aimed to examine employees’ attitudes towards maintenance information systems. This section investigated whether employees felt that maintenance information systems improved plant performance and were beneficial to the Infragas environment. These investigations revealed valuable information for the improvement of these systems. The connection between the results of the two methods also indicated if both methods were valid. The information gathered from this study was communicated back to the Sasol Infragas management team. Recommendations for possible system improvements, which would increase employee system interaction, were also made. / MIng (Development and Management Engineering), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The production of cereals, especially maize, which is a staple food in sub-Saharan Africa, is challenged by pests and diseases. In addition, climate change will exacerbate the magnitude of these challenges and agriculture in general. Lepidopteran stemborers are major pests of cereal crops in sub-Saharan Africa. Two indigenous noctuids, Busseola fusca and Sesamia calamistis and one exotic crambid, Chilo partellus, occur as single and mixed-species communities infesting cereal crops in East and southern Africa. The composition of these communities however varies with altitude and over seasons. Interactions between the species especially when in combination, can affect the level of damage to cereal crops. The objective of this study was to describe the intraspecific and interspecific interactions between the three stemborer species when they make use of the same resources. This study involved field surveys in maize fields in major agro-ecological zones and also different experiments under greenhouse and laboratory conditions to describe the interactions between the species as well as the effect of temperature, species density and duration of the period of competition on outcomes of these interactions. Results showed that stemborer communities are composed of single and mixed species of B. fusca, S. calamistis and C. partellus, which varied with the different agro-ecological zones and also along altitudinal gradients. Temperature was the most important abiotic factor that influenced the composition of stemborer communities. However, infestation patterns varied with season. This study also showed that female moths of the three species did not avoid oviposition on plants that were previously infested by stemborers. Busseola fusca showed a high preference for heterospecific-infested plants, while C. partellus preferred conspecific-infested plants. Sesamia calamistis did not show a significant preference for one plant over the other. This study further showed that both intra- and interspecific competition characterise communities of these stemborer species which ultilise the same resources. Interspecific competition was stronger between the noctuids and the crambid than between the two noctuid species. Temperature had a significant influence on the competitive outcomes between the three species. Finally the study showed that densitydependent effects and the duration of the interactions are also important factors which influence the level of competitive outcomes between the species. Climate change is likely to influence the interactions and composition of stemborer communities. / PhD (Environmental Sciences), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Background : The sources and the epidemiology of Campylobacter jejuni (CJ) in environmental water are not well understood. We developed a spatial analysis methodology able to identify the main environmental factors predicting the presence and quantity of Campylobacter in river water. Methods : For two years, water samples were collected weekly and scanned for CJ and fecal coliforms at 32 sampling sites of Estrie hydrographic network, Québec. The quantity of CJ in water was estimated using the Most Probable Number method (MPN). The 32 sampling sites were linked to their catchment area; 10 of them were excluded from the analysis, because their hydrographic basin was not independent from the other sites. For each site, the following environmental variables were included: Water flow, slope, land-cover, land-use including type of farming, animal density, total precipitation in the 3 days prior to water sampling. A stepwise multivariate regression was realized across the different analysis windows to define the size of the area upstream from the sampling sites (from 1.5 to 24 km) which was the most closely associated with the mean quantity of CJ, and which environmental factors were associated with a higher mean quantity of CJ in water. Results : Preliminary results show that an area defined by a radius of 14 km upstream of the sample site was the most contributing zone for the bacteria (r2=0.38, p=0.002). Within this 14 km area, the only significant variable associated with a higher mean quantity of CJ was bovine density (p=0.002). When analyzing the data within a 120 m buffer zone across 14 km upstream of the sampling sites (r2=0.40, p=0.001), the only significant variable associated with a higher mean quantity of CJ was the percentage of agricultural surface (p=0.001). Conclusions : These results suggest a strong implication of bovine density in conjunction with crops and associated manure spreading on the quantity of CJ in environmental water.

Les personnes incarcérées ainsi que les personnes présentant une problématique de santé mentale sont deux groupes parmi lesquels le taux de suicide est plus élevé comparativement à la population générale. Considérant que ces caractéristiques se retrouvent parmi la clientèle du Centre Régional de Santé Mentale (CRSM), qui est l'un des cinq centres psychiatriques du Service Correctionnel du Canada (SCC), des mesures de dépistage du risque suicidaire avaient été mises en place. Le Suicide Probability Scale (SPS ), test conçu par Cull et Gill (1988), était administré de façon répétitive, soit à un intervalle de trois mois à tous les détenus-patients et après un mois à ceux qui ont obtenu un résultat indiquant un risque sévère . Cette thèse visait à évaluer la valeur prédictive du SPS auprès d'une population à la fois carcérale et psychiatrique et aussi à vérifier si le fait de passer un même test de façon répétitive n'influence pas sa prédictivité.Les dossiers de soixante sujets ont été examinés, dont la moitié ont posé un geste suicidaire lors de leur séjour au CRSM. Ces sujets sont des hommes adultes condamnés à une peine d'incarcération au niveau fédéral, c'est-à-dire une sentence supérieure à deux ans et qui ont présenté des besoins au niveau de la santé mentale justifiant un transfert au centre psychiatrique. Les résultats des analyses ROC confirment la validité prédictive du SPS dans une perspective à court et moyen terme, mais pas à long terme puisque pour les tests administrés à l'admission, les analyses statistiques ne se sont pas révélées significatives. D'autres analyses ROC ainsi que des régressions logistiques n'ont pas permis de confirmer l'hypothèse initiale à savoir que l'utilisation répétitive d'un même instrument nuisait à sa validité prédictive. Toutefois, une prudence est recommandée quant aux interprétations tirées de ces analyses, compte tenu du nombre restreint de participants lorsqu'ils ont été répartis selon le nombre de passations du test.

Bien qu'il s'agisse d'un traitement efficace pour les troubles anxieux, les benzodiazépines (BZDs) sont largement prescrites et représentent une des principales causes d'ordonnances potentiellement non appropriées (OPNA) dans la population âgée. Une étude a été menée auprès de la cohorte de l'étude ESA (Enquête sur la santé des aînés, 2006), un échantillon représentatif (n=2811) de la population âgée ([plus grand ou égal à] 65 ans) vivant à domicile au Québec, ayant pour but de décrire l'utilisation des services de santé et les coûts associés aux ordonnances potentiellement non appropriées (OPNAs) de BZDs. Cette analyse secondaire des données de l'Enquête ESA a été effectuée auprès des participants qui étaient couverts par l'assurance médicaments de la RAMQ (n=2302). Les OPNAs et les interactions pharmacologiques ont été définies par les critères de Beers (Fick, 2003) et de Ben Amar (Ben Amar, 2007), respectivement. Des régressions logistiques ont été utilisées pour évaluer la présence d'une association entre les OPNAs de BZDs et l'utilisation des services de santé, tout en ajustant pour plusieurs facteurs individuels et cliniques. Selon une perspective du système public de soins de santé, l'analyse des coûts a été effectuée à l'aide d'un modèle linéaire généralisé avec distribution gamma (Log Link). Les résultats indiquent que 32 % (n=744) des participants de l'étude ESA ont utilisé des BZDs et 44 % (n=331) des utilisateurs ont reçu au moins une OPNA dans l'année précédente. Seuls les patients susceptibles d'interactions médicamenteuses impliquant une BZD étaient plus à risque d'hospitalisations, de visites à l'urgence et de multiples visites ambulatoires en comparaison avec les consommateurs appropriés. De plus, ces interactions étaient associées à des coûts annuels per capita supérieurs de 3076$ (CAN$ 2009), ce qui représente potentiellement un fardeau économique important pour le système de soins de santé québécois. Ce projet de recherche souligne l'importance de s'intéresser aux OPNAs de BZDs, plus particulièrement aux interactions médicamenteuses impliquant une BZD, touchant jusqu'à 7 % de la population âgée, ainsi que de développer des stratégies ayant pour but de les prévenir.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Technology itself does not currently offer a competitive advantage in this era of technological development. Innovative utilisation and application of technology does, however offer temporary competitive advantages. This innovative utilisation and application of technology is dependant on the creativity and innovation of the entrepreneur. CaliWatch™ makes use of existing technology namely cellular technology, watch technology and medical monitoring technology. The unique application of these technologies gives CaliWatch™competitive advantage in the market. The innovation does not only apply to the technology, but also to strategy and marketing to keep this competitive advantage in the market. This study analyses the different technologies and industries, identifying potential target markets and give projected financial information. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Tegnologie op sigself bied tans nie meer mededingende voordele in die era van tegnologiese ontwikkeling nie. Innoverende gebruik en toepassing van tegnologie bied wel tydelike mededingende voordele. Hierdie innoverende toepassing en gebruik berus op die kreatiwiteit en innovasie van die entrepreneur. CaliWatch TM maak gebruik van bestaande tegnologieë, naamlik sellulêre tegnologie, horlosie tegnologie, en mediese monitering tegnologie. Die unieke toepassing van hierdie tegnologieë bied CaliWatchTM mededingende voordeel in die mark. Die innovasie berus nie slegs by die toepassing van tegnologie nie, maar, om die mededinginde voordeel te behou, ook by die strategiese beplanning en bemarking. Hierdie studie ontleed die verskillende tegnologieë en industrieë, identifiseer potentiele teikenmarkte, en maak geprojekteerde finansiële vooruitskouinge.