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Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) has the potential to specifically destroy tumor cells without damaging the tissues infiltrated by the tumor. BNCT is a binary treatment method based on the combination of two agents that have no effect when applied individually: 10B and thermal neutrons. Exclusively, the combination of both produces an effect, whose extent depends on the amount of 10B in the tumor but also on the organs at risk. It is not yet possible to determine the 10B concentration in a specific tissue using non-invasive methods. At present, it is only possible to measure the 10B concentration in blood and to estimate the boron concentration in tissues based on the assumption that there is a fixed uptake of 10B from the blood into tissues. On this imprecise assumption, BNCT can hardly be developed further. A therapeutic approach, combining the boron carrier for therapeutic purposes with an imaging tool, might allow us to determine the 10B concentration in a specific tissue using a non-invasive method. This review provides an overview of the current clinical protocols and preclinical experiments and results on how innovative drug development for boron delivery systems can also incorporate concurrent imaging. The last section focuses on the importance of proteomics for further optimization of BNCT, a highly precise and personalized therapeutic approach.

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Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal. / In Canada taxpayers have an opportunity to save on their taxes through a program entitled the Registered Retirement Saving Plan, one of the most important tax deferred savings vehicles offered. RRSPs were first introduced in Canada in 1957. The contribution limits were increased substantially in the early 1970s, and RRSPs were widely promoted. Since then, they have become a prominent form of Canadian saving. RRSP contributions now exceed the total of employee and employer contributions to employer-provided pension plans (Revenue Canada, Tax Statistics on Individuals, Edition 1998). The RRSP option is especially attractive considering that the Canada Pension Plan, historically responsible for providing retirement benefits to all Canadians over age 65 when they retire, is in a precarious situation due to demographic changes. These factors would have us believe that a large number of Canadians take advantage of the RRSP program to save on their taxes, as well as to assure their old ages with a sufficient level of wealth. In fact, only one-third of Canadian families ^A4^o had access to the RRSP option contributed to such a plan in 1997 (Globe and Mail, March 1998, Calculations using data from Statistics Canada). u This paper describes a model for predicting the outcome of the RRSP decision making process for households. In this paper, we will explore a two-equation model for estimating households' behavior toward the decision to contribute in a RRSP and the amount of contribution. Our approach will integrate two groups of characteristics of households : one being demographic with age, gender, family size, location, education, and marital status and the other being financial with income, pension, debt and non liquid assets. We expect our empirical results to be consistent with previous researches based on the Individual Retirement Account (IRA), the American alter ego of the Canadian Registered Retirement Saving Plan (RRSP). 0 The main purpose of this paper is to develop a model that demonstrates a framework of Canadian households' behavior regarding their decisions to contribute to their own retirement wealth. It is still very early to draw conclusions about the households decisions and behaviors because the government is stilt very present as a source of retirement income. However, it is helpful to observe contemporary trends in order to determine the means of improving the information given to the general population regarding RRSPs.

Personality, psychological type and cognitive ability are frequently implied to be underlying causes of differences in reasoning processes, decision-making processes and general success in a job. However, there is a trend towards utilising cognitive and personality measures interchangeably in the context of selection and development, particularly as it pertains to selection based on cognitive ability and cognitive style. The general aim of this research was therefore to investigate the relationship between psychological type, as measured by the Myers-Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI), and cognitive abilities and styles as measured by the Cognitive Process Profile (CPP). Cognitive ability is discussed under the cognitive psychology paradigm. A clarification of concepts associated with cognitive psychology is provided, and the CPP model is introduced as an integrative model encompassing aspects of cognitive ability and cognitive style. Psychological type is discussed under the analytical psychology paradigm, with a focus on personality structure, dynamics and development. This is then integrated into an overview of Jung's theory of personality types and the development of the MBTI. An empirical investigation, utilising Pairwise comparisons and Chi-square statistics was conducted. The results were then integrated to enable a better understanding of the relationship between cognition and personality. Based on this, it was concluded that there is insufficient evidence to suggest that a relationship exists between cognitive styles (as defined by the CPP) and personality (as defined by the MBTI). There were however, sufficient statistically significant findings to suggest that there is some relationship between cognitive processes / competencies and personality. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

No description available.

Personality, psychological type and cognitive ability are frequently implied to be underlying causes of differences in reasoning processes, decision-making processes and general success in a job. However, there is a trend towards utilising cognitive and personality measures interchangeably in the context of selection and development, particularly as it pertains to selection based on cognitive ability and cognitive style. The general aim of this research was therefore to investigate the relationship between psychological type, as measured by the Myers-Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI), and cognitive abilities and styles as measured by the Cognitive Process Profile (CPP). Cognitive ability is discussed under the cognitive psychology paradigm. A clarification of concepts associated with cognitive psychology is provided, and the CPP model is introduced as an integrative model encompassing aspects of cognitive ability and cognitive style. Psychological type is discussed under the analytical psychology paradigm, with a focus on personality structure, dynamics and development. This is then integrated into an overview of Jung's theory of personality types and the development of the MBTI. An empirical investigation, utilising Pairwise comparisons and Chi-square statistics was conducted. The results were then integrated to enable a better understanding of the relationship between cognition and personality. Based on this, it was concluded that there is insufficient evidence to suggest that a relationship exists between cognitive styles (as defined by the CPP) and personality (as defined by the MBTI). There were however, sufficient statistically significant findings to suggest that there is some relationship between cognitive processes / competencies and personality. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Die vorliegende Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit einem neuartigen proteinbasierten, suizidgentherapeutischen Ansatz zur sicheren und effektiven Behandlung von soliden Tumoren. Verwendet wurden zellpermeable Fusionsproteine auf der Grundlage des bakteriellen Enzyms Cytosin Desaminase, welches spezifisch die Umsetzung der inaktive, nichttoxische Substanz (Prodroge) 5-Fluorcytosin in den hochwirksamen, stark toxischen Wirkstoff 5-Fluoruracil katalysiert. Dieser bewirkt die selektive Zerstörung von Tumorzellen. Durch die Fusion der bakteriellen Cytosin Desaminase (bCD) mit der Sequenz des Zellpermeabilität vermittelnden Peptides HBV-Translokationsmotiv (TLM) des Hepatits B-Virus (HBV) wurden zunächst zellpermeable E.coli Cytosin Desaminase Suizidfusionskonstrukte generiert. Für die bakteriell synthetisierten HBV-TLM-Fusionsproteine konnten eine Hexamerisierung sowie eine spezifische enzymatische Aktivität bei der Umsetzung von Cytosin zu Uracil als strukturelle und funktionelle Voraussetzungen für einen Einsatz in der Suizidgentherapie nachgewiesen werden, die vergleichbar mit dem wt-Protein waren. Bei Versuchen zur Internalisierung der zellpermeablen Fusionsproteine wurde für die Fusionsproteine mit C-terminal fusioniertem HBV-TLM (bCD-HBV-TLM) eine Aufnahme in das Zytoplasma von Hepatomzellen mittels konfokaler Laserscanmikroskopie und differentieller Zellfraktionierung nachgewiesen, nicht jedoch für Fusionsproteine mit N-terminalem HBV-TLM (HBV-TLM-bCD). Die gezeigte Internalisierung des Proteins HBV-TLM-bCD erfolgte effizient und schnell und war unabhängig vom endosomalen Aufnahmeweg. Bei der nachgewiesenen Translokalisation blieb die enzymatische, suizidgentherapeutische Aktivität des zellpermeablen Suizidproteins (HBV-TLM-bCD), d.h. die katalytische Wirkung bei der Umsetzung der Prodroge 5-Fluorcytosin vollständig erhalten, so dass sich dieses Fusionsprotein für einen therapeutischen Einsatz in der Suizidgentherapie eignet. Zusätzlich zur antitumoralen Wirkung können durch einen gezielten, lokal begrenzten therapeutischen Einsatz der vorgestellten zellpermeablen bCD-HBV-TLM-Fusionsproteine starke Nebenwirkungen, wie sie bei einer konventionellen Chemotherapie zu beobachten sind, weitgehend vermieden werden. / This work investigates the application of protein based therapeutic suicide enzyme/prodrug approaches providing novel means for both safe and effective local therapeutic regimes in solid tumors. The concept of the used suicide gene therapy system is based mainly on the transfer of the cell permeable bacterial suicide enzyme cytosine deaminase which specifically convert the inactive, non-toxic prodrug 5-fluorocytosine into the toxic metabolite 5-fluorouracil finally executing the efficient destruction of tumor cells. Employing a novel cell permeable peptide, known as the translocation motif (TLM) of hepatitis B virus (HBV), E.coli cytosine deaminase (bCD) suicide fusion proteins were generated. HBV-TLM fusion proteins formed hexamers (as do parental wt bCD) and retained the specific enzymatic activity of cytosine conversion to uracil also being comparable to parental wtbCD protein. However, only bCD-HBV-TLM fusion proteins, but not HBV-TLM-bCD fusion proteins were found to be taken up to the cytoplasm of target hepatoma cells as demonstrated both by confocal laser scanning microscopy and cell fractionation. Uptake of bCD-HBV-TLM worked both efficiently and rapidly and was found to be independent from the endosomal pathway. Since bCD-HBV-TLM fusion proteins completely retained their suicide enzymatic activity in the course of translocation across the plasma membrane their usage as profound inducers of chemo-sensitivity to 5-fluorocytosine strongly is suggested. Future therapeutic local application of cell permeable bCD-HBV-TLM fusion proteins together with a systemic 5-fluorocytosine prodrug application could result in profound antitumor activities without apparent side effects.

Scheduling in the context of manufacturing systems has become increasingly impor- tant in order for organizations to achieve success in dynamic and competitive scenarios. Scheduling can be described as allocation of available jobs over resources to meet the performance criteria defined in a domain. Our research work fo cuses on scheduling a given set of three-dimensional cylindrical items, each characterized by width wj , height hj, and depth dj , onto parallel non-identical rectangular heat treatment kilns, such that the capacities of the kilns is optimally used. The problem is strongly NP-hard as it generalizes the (one-dimensional) Bin Packing Problem (1BP), in which a set of n positive values wj has to be partitioned into the minimum number of subsets so that the total value in each subset does not exceed the bin capacity W. The problem has been formulated as a variant of the 3D-BPP by following the MILP approach, and we propose a weight optimization heuristic that produces solutions comparable to that of the LP problem, in addition to reducing the computational complexity. Finally, we also propose a Decomposition Algorithm (DA) and validate the perfor- mance effectiveness of our heuristic. The numerical analyses provides useful insights that influence the shop-floor decision making process.